Fromaquasar

Guys I bought a new lunch box. It has 4 compartments for 4 delicious things. AND it is Green and Purple - just like Donatello. Best inspiration to do lunch time meal prep. Ever.

Just stopping in to check how you are getting on?

LOVES IT! WOOP! Ok this week I am coming out fighting. 5km run - Monday, still hanging out in week 6 of C25k. Boom Up at 6am Tuesday for Circuit training (I'm trying a new plyometric circuit instead of my barbells. It was good, exhausting but good). Boom Boom Meal planning, grocery shopping and meal prep - making it super easy to have home breakfast and lunch the last 2 days. Boom boom boom Let's go week 4! ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRH! **I may have had a LOT of coffee today

Ok week 3 was a bit less good than week 2. Struggled with motivation. Missed a few workouts etc. But I am still in the game and fun times because completing week 3 = character points! So 10 points: I'm giving myself 2 each on STR, STA, and 1 DEX - as a baseline I think I am about equal on the physical aspects and then 1 Cha (I've been feeling very bleh recently), 2 con, 2 wis.

Japanese is such a tough language, not one but 2 whole new alphabets! Much impressed. I am trying to learn Spanish at the moment. I use Busuu.com - which I really like as native Spanish (or whichever language you choose) speakers correct both your written and verbal work. And I need that kind of feedback to improve!

Thanks - been a bit slack posting but going well. In week 6 of couch to 5 k now, found out I was running further and faster than I thought. Which is awesome. Getting back into weights as well! Monday night sesh Squat 50kg 8 x 3 Bench press 25kg 8 x 3 OHP 15kg 8 x 3 Assisted lat pull up - 61 - 5 x 3 Plank Swiss ball crunches Slowly working out where my edge is in weights again. Can't believe we are in week 3 already. One area I am really struggling with is food prep. Not for any great reason - just tired/time. I am going to focus on this this week. In outside news I just got told I'll be heading on a work trip to LA and New York in a couple of weeks - for a little NZ girl this is VERY EXCITING Hope you are all killing it!

Congrats on having your paper approved that is AWESOME. I wanted to vouch for couch to 5k, I'm currently on week 5. It starts off so easy (you only run for a minute at a time) it doesnt seem punishing to run and then it slowly sneaks fitness up on you so soon your doing 5 - 8 - 10 minute intervals and they seem just as easy, but it just creeps up, like a ninja.

Finished by second weights session woot! Bench Press 3 x 8 25kg Bent over row 3 x 8 20kg Dead lift 3 x 8 40kg Hammer Curls 3 x 8 5kg Box jumps 3 x 10 Arm circle things 3 x 8 k 2kg

Thanks guys, I was feeling a bit bleh but I really pushed myself to get up and go for a run this morning. Now my goals for the week look like they are in reach and that is GREAT motivation to get there

I can feel the natural dip in my motivation coming on. What do you all do to stay motivated?

Yogaaaaa Heaven. Despite all the odd I ate home breakfast, lunch and dinner today. Boom.

Thanks for the support - I like the Karate kid analogy - I can definitely rock that one I started out thinking I would end up a ranger - hence the tag but a lot of my goals seem more Assassin aligned (do a handstand, do 20 pushups etc), basically I want to be awesome at everything haha - I might be an adventurer next challenge and play around with it some more. I LOVE yoga, I used to do it from a purely exercise POV and to make my hips work, but this time I've found a really great studio which incorporate a lot of mediation and philosophy into the class as well. Which is exactly what I needed - it's helping me to appreciate my body for what it can do and be much more aware of the signals it gives me. So the best advice is find a studio that suits you. There is also http://www.doyogawithme.com/ free online yoga classes which is awesome to try it out! UPDATE: - Ran yesterday - I re-did a week 4 work out, I didn't feel ready to progress to week 5 yet, am good to go now though - Did my strength training: Squat 45kg 3 x 8 Pull up (assist 61) 3 x 8 Overhead press 15 kg 3 x 8 Lat pull down 50 (pounds I think?) 3 x 8 Abs. I only did squats and nothing else legs as I knew the first time back in I wouldn't be able to walk today (which is true) and I didn't want to spend so long recovering I missed my next workouts! Nice slow yin yoga tonight

Cravings are hard, I have had a real problem with binge eating a lot of my life. On of the weapons I have in my arsenal is called OBSERVE which is a pattern when you have a craving come on: O - Observe the craving, like a scientist, why is it here? what does it feel like physically and emotionally? B - Breathe - self explanatory 10 deep ones S - Surf - ride that craving, see how its getting stronger and stronger then ebbing away, then coming back E - Expand, imagine your getting bigger and bigger till you are big enough to hold the craving inside you comfortably, it isn't bigger than you you are bigger than it R - Refocus, Like Rouge said - unhook from your craving a re focus on your goal V - Value - check that the next action you take is aligned with your values and goals E - Engage - take that valued action (sometimes for me it's going for a walk, sometimes its eating whatever I craved but really enjoying it and not over doing it) For some reason putting the craving into perspective, realising it is just a reaction your brain is trained to have, well it makes it easier for me to manage, you don't feel like you're being forced to act by this huge force. Worth a try! Where did you get your Capliers from? I want some!

Middle earth is pretty awesome, I'm not going to lie. I live in the biggest thing we have that we call a city, but when I head south to see my family it's proper middle earth country. Early this year we went down to Wellington and went to Weta Workshops (which is the place they make all the costumes, models etc for the LOTR and Hobbit films, plus a bunch of others) and it was amazing! I got to touch the Dark Lord Saurons suit!!!!!! Here are some photos (you weren't allowed to take pics inside the studio just outside) http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/gallery/album/1230-the-real-middle-earth/ Sorry I don't know how to get them into the post!

Never too late! I started a week late and I'd rather be here than not have started and then who knows when I would have done anything. Your challenge looks great - I like your motivation a lot, there is a great phrase in french 'bien dans sa peau' which sort of means being comfortable in your own skin, but more than comfortable, being confident in it! Good luck! P.s. Swing dancing sounds awesome - is that the jazzy kind of 1930s style?