Swinging_Jarnbjorn

It's been almost a week since I last checked in, and I had some regression in that time. I haven't been logging my food, and I haven't had any planned workouts, although Saturday was a total win. I took my boys out with their cub scout pack and we hiked Red Rock Canyon. The hike ended up being almost 5 miles, with a lot of up and down, and some questionable climbing on the back side of a ridge. It was an absolute blast. I've come to the realization that the bulk of my challenges stem two things. Primarily, a lack of planning, and secondarily a lack of execution at the end of the day. I'm solid during the first three fourths of the day, but after leaving the office, I haven't lived up to my own expectations, and have ignored opportunities to squeeze in a workout or study a bit more. This would be fine if that time was spent with family, actively bonding, but a lot of the time, we're all staring at electronic devices. I'm not *just* complaining, though. This is me, acknowledging one of my points of failure, and committing to making the necessary adjustments. I need to improve, and lucky for me, I know how.

I actually really enjoy it. Something about mining the data and entering it so it's easily readable really speaks to the way my brain works. The world, along with all of the information available in it, is Legos, and I love playing with them.

I'm noticing a trend when I document my eating at this granular a level: I'm eating considerably fewer calories. I'm not depriving myself, or even trying to limit anything. The thing is, I choose different options when I'm documenting. I suppose it's like keeping a register for every little purchase. You'll reconsider if you don't want to write something down. The difference is significant, though. Comparing 1/2/2020 (the first day I documented in full since reviving this spreadsheet) to yesterday, The difference is 860 calories, coming from 25g fat, 170.25g carbohydrates, and 21.4g protein. I just thought that was interesting.

Natal teeth is a creepy little bit of business. Freaks me right out. I tried putting a finger on what my hangup was, and Google Images was right there to help. *shudder*

Thank you They're simple documents, easy for me to read, and they really help me be more mindful about my choices without getting too obsessive. My weekend wasn't too bad, and Monday was on point, with the exception of a workout. I'm still finding it very difficult to make myself get started after a day at work, and before work isn't manageable. I'm going to have to figure out something, though.

Here are a couple of the spreadsheets I'm using for this challenge. The macro tracking isn't technically part of my challenge goals, but I like to parse the data. I'm also using a simple spending log that does daily and weekly sums, and a weight tracker for my personal weigh ins. That one has a built-in graph for quickly viewing progress. I realize there's a risk when getting too granular with data tracking, but it keeps me engaged. As you can see from the progress graph, I didn't get workouts in most of the week. I'm struggling with being tired at the end of the day. I know I've got enough in the tank to get the workout in, but it's so much easier to stay in place. Now that I think of it, though, I probably need to work out before I study, on strength days. It's easier on cardio days, so there's really no excuse there. Let's see how this goes.

The "Bro Thor" arc resonated with me even more than the unworthy arc in the comics. Like many others, I know how it feels to punish myself for perceived failings, and mask it as apathy. I'm ready for my redemption arc. You're right. It was scary making the switch. Luckily, like the odinson, I am fortunate enough to be surrounded by people who believe in me even when I don't. So I took that leap, trusting that faith in myself would follow. And you know what's funny? I'm kind of starting to believe. I'm pretty happy with the rudimentary spreadsheets that's thrown together, and I'll toss those up in the next day or so, once I figure out how to do that.

I got off to a rough start, as I didn't track any of my food, and I didn't write down exactly what I spent, so now I have to do the math and hope that I'm right when I document it after the fact oh, and I didn't study. Sunday is my rest day for workouts, so I guess 1 of 4? Oh really it's more like 0 of 3. Brighter side though. I don't believe in wallowing. At least not for long. I will do the math on yesterday's spending, and I'm almost always right, so I can say with confidence that I will have documented my spending from yesterday. And I have weighed, measured, and logged my food for the first two meals of today, leaving this evening as my biggest coming challenge. Admittedly, evenings have been rough for me, but I'm ready to turn that around. Will report back later. ~~ Reporting back. Yesterday was mostly successful. All I spent yesterday was a buck fifty on a soda that I didn't need, but I documented it, both on the financial side and the nutrition side. I got an unplanned cardio workout after locking my car key in a secure area after hours, and spent a considerable amount of time learning about SMB shares last night. All in all, I'm happy with the general outcome of my day, even though much of it was disorganized and unplanned. ~~ As to the projects I was supposed to pick by yesterday, the first will be to install and configure Linux on a blank server I picked up a while back. I'll probably go with CentOS, as I primarily use Red Hat at work. I'm going to eventually use the hardware as a media and file server, so I'll be working toward that goal. One of the first things I'll do on there is get it on my home network and then set up an SMB share and a NFS share, to see about getting those working with my Windows box. I actually think this is going to be the only project I get to on this challenge, but the second challenge, if I get to it, will be to build a NAS and get incremental backups going. I don't really have a need for that functionality, as yet, but it will be a good learning experience.

Me too.. I have a friend who Is struggling greatly with self-doubt, and it pains me that I can't open her eyes to this truth. Thanks for this! You brightened my Monday! 😀

Yesterday was primarily about making progress inside my home and relaxing with family. Today, I'm getting to work, and starting to build momentum for the challenge ahead. Breakfast was 3 eggs with about 1 cup of refried beans, and a large flour tortilla. For a snack, I have dried cranberries, raw almonds, and mini chocolate chips - a spin on GORP-style trail mix. Lunch will be a pair of chicken drumsticks and collard greens with onion and bacon. I suspect dinner will be pork chops and mixed veg, but I'm not sure. I've scheduled a walk for after work, and I'll do some light strength training after that. I'm going to work on my SA skills by reading from the Linux Bible tonight, and my financial goal is ongoing, as my wife and I populate my spreadsheet, making budgeting decisions along the way. In all, it's too early to call today a complete success, but steps have been taken.

Thank you thank you! Like the Odinson, I have many lessons to learn, and I finally feel like I'm ready to do that.

I'm here with you, friend.

It's been a while since I've participated in a challenge, and I could blame my recent career change, unplanned move, or just the generally hectic nature of life, but upon examination, I find that I've got a lot more in common with "Bro Thor" than shape, although I'm definitely at all-time heaviest right now. My last few challenges were focused on my goal of returning to a state of worthiness. Due to multiple factors, I had decided that I was unworthy. Much like Thor in his arc from Ragnarok to Endgame, I had lost faith in myself. Although I didn't realize it, not only was I not trying anymore, I was physically punishing myself. Eventually, I woke up to the fact that failure doesn't make me unworthy, but surrender would. As long as I keep picking myself up and dusting myself off...as long as I'm still willing to try... So here I am, ready to roll on another challenge, and - more importantly - ready for change. I know I'm gonna have to slow roll this to make it stick, so my chosen goals are intended to take me from this: to this: No one said it would be easy, but if it's easy, is it still worth it? Not likely. Here are my goals: 1. I will work out 6 days a week - 3xStrength (SL 5x5) and 3xCardio (C25k). No gym? Train at home. Swarm of locusts or rain of frogs so I can't run outside? I'll throw down a bodyweight circuit inside with minimal rest and make up the day tomorrow. I've got this. 2. I will track my eating and drinking, warts and all. For this, I will use a combination of notebook and spreadsheet. Big lunch? Write it down. Stole a grape at the grocery store? Write it down. Swallowed a bug on a bike ride? I don't know the macros, but write it down anyway. 3. Similarly, I will track all of my spending in a notebook and a spreadsheet. I'm gonna skip the witticisms here, and just be honest: I'm scared of this one. I've been financially fat (and not in a good way) for some time now. I've gotten good at juggling my bills, but that shouldn't be necessary. On paper, I should be good. So let's get to good. 4. Finally, let's address that career change I mentioned. Having moved from work in a hospital pharmacy to the land of information technology, I'm the Peter Parker to this group of Avengers. I can acknowledge that I've got whatever attributes brought me to this team, but I'm using tools provided by those more experienced, and I've got a ton to learn. So I'm going to set aside time outside of work to study every single day. With this challenge, I'm committing to a minimum 1 hour outside of work every day to read an industry publication, a tutorial, product documentation, or a book, or work on a project (I'll choose 2 by 1/6), or watch tutorial videos, or listen to podcasts, or... Ok, I got a little crazy there, but you get the idea. I'll track all of these in yet another spreadsheet. Too many spreadsheets, you say? Nah.. That which gets tracked gets changed. Alright Rebels, Let's go to work.

I'm on board with this approach. I've struggled with consistency for as long as I can remember, and I'm looking to improve in that arena as well. Here's to small efforts!

I am Swinging_Jarnbjorn, formerly Odinson_Rising, and I am unworthy. Mjolnir, the hammer which previously defined my self-identity, sits on the earth, and I cannot lift it. It will not always be so, however, for each day I am growing as a person, and becoming more and more worthy. One day, I will lift my hammer up to the sky and declare myself Odinson_Ascendant, but until then I am Swinging_Jarnbjorn. Hey Rebels, I’m back. This is my umpteenth challenge, and the last several have not gone my way. It turns out that I’m a starter, but not a finisher. Does it have to be this way? No, but for the time being, it is, and I won’t grow if I keep lying to myself about it. So here I am, again, starting another challenge. Because I’ve been limping along for quite some time, I’m trying to completely reevaluate my situation and take measurable steps towards being the best version of me. Note: I am totally recycling my previous challenge. I will do this until I finish. Think of it as a personal Groundhog Day. I can move forward when I get it right. Big goals: Lose 80 pounds – I’m roughly 275 pounds now, so I’m just looking to get under the two-century mark, and I’m not looking for shortcuts. This is 4-Life. Read the Bible – It’s basically the most influential book in the history of mankind, and I intend to read it, in its entirety. Read/listen to a minimum of 20 books, by June 14th, my 39th birthday. Get out of debt – This one will take a lot longer, but if I’m going to get there, I need to take steps now. Rebuild my marriage – Oof. I don’t even know where to start. I do, however, know that I need to acknowledge that I prioritized some other values above the sanctity of my marriage. It hurts to even type that out, but that probably means I need to start there. Clean and improve my home – I love the house I live in, but it’s getting as cluttered as the inside of my head. Not only that, but my 9-year old twins and their 2-year old sister have left their mark. I gotta reclaim some of that lost ground. My four quests (measured from 2/11/19 to 3/10/19): 1. Track all of my food intake. I’m using Cronometer this go round. 2. Read from the Bible, my current personal development book, and my current entertainment book for 30 minutes each, every single day. Audiobooks count. I’m making a list to post online, once I wrap my head around how I want to present it. 3. Track ALL spending. This will likely be a mashup of technology and pen/paper, but the end result will be a hard copy that I will use to establish and adhere to a budget. 4. Drink at least 2L of water each day. This is a milestone goal, which I will build to 1 gallon by spring The start of the fourth challenge of the year. All quests will be evaluated on a percentage basis All right, rangers, and let's go to work!