mvonblacke

You really helped me the other day, popping in with encouragement. Thanks so much! I am in the same boat--I don't know anyone besides my husband who works out harder or even as hard as I do, and I can't lose an ounce. It makes me want to quit. Fortunately between here, Fitocracy, and my small town, I get enough encouragement (or obligatory guilt, whatever gets it done...) I keep pressing on. I do have all of the symptoms of a sluggish thyroid without the diagnosis, so I'm trying to fix it with diet and ayurvedic medicine. Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.....

Thank you so much, Aranel! I really needed a boost. I've got a sluggish thyroid I'm trying to fix naturally, and I can't decide if I'm emotional or if my thyroid is speaking for me. **patiently waiting for new round of hypo supps to arrive in the mail** Workouts--I'm doing them....mostly. The positive side of this program that I'm not enjoying very much at all, is that it prescribes 4-5 30 minute runs a week. I have never ever enjoyed running and now I do. Like I'm thinking of when I get to run next even while I'm in the middle of a run. I'm by no means fast. Unless I run into one of the library ladies on the road, then I really hit the gas. (<--OMG SOOOO VAIN!!!! ) Chanting, meditation, yoga...have fallen by the wayside. I did 15 minutes today, so I can still nail that goal this week. I'm pretty carnivorous, but my fruit and veg consumption is improving. I think grain and dairy might be more problematic for me. I made this delicious creamy tomato pearled barley risotto and the after effects....I'm reminded of a cart horse that pulls the kids around in a sleigh at Christmas time in my town. Nobody wants to sit in the front row. Killin it with the aprons. Now I need to remind myself to take it OFF before leaving the house.

I walk alone through this territory. It's my own doing. I don't have time to socialize--there's stretching to do, meditations to attend, journalling, and aprons. I will check back here more often, but more importantly, I will persist. Because I am NOT a fucking quitter. And here is my favorite side dish: http://thevegetarianginger.com/2015/05/06/creamy-peanut-slaw/

The danger has passed, my den is safe, and more importantly, everyone came out of this week alive and well, and even possibly thriving despite the smoke from all the fire. I am absolutely so grateful to every fire fighter, volunteer and/or professional who worked so hard to save our town. I am also ever so grateful to all of you who did rain dances and thought happy thoughts for me. Especially spookyfoot, Wolf (my son's name is Wolfgang, and I call him Wolf ), and Luciana Valerosa Culming. Ok, so week 2, how'd I do? Logging 1/2 Journal 7/5---I got this awesome new journal for my birthday called The Dailygreatness Journal, it is beautiful, has weekly checkins, planning blueprints, gratitude cues, etc. I LURV IT. Daily stretch 1/7 oops. Yoga/meditate/chant 2/4 10,000 steps 7/7 AND THEN SOME Apron 5 times......food and bev was sort of out of my hands this week, my mother-in-law is here. I bet I drop a jean size two days after she leaves from water weight. The woman is made of salt, all things are salted, I don't know how she has taste buds left. Ok, now here, HERE I need to talk about something I'm struggling with. In my lifetime, I have only completed one challenge--and that was here. I purchased one of those ebook workout programs designed by a trainer online, and it's a 12 week program. It was fun at first, but now I hate it. I started a blog about it, and I dedicated the challenge to my grandmother's memory in hopes thatr it would spur me on, because I am one of those people who starts things but never finishes, and I swear it is messing with my self esteem. But I HATE these workouts. I really don't know how to push myself through this, but I don't know how I can quit either so I'm in this weird headspace of half-assing it. To further complicate things, the workouts come with a group page on Facebook, the trainer is going through a hard personal time in her life, and out of 300 or so people, it's clear there less than a handful still doing the challenge. I don't know if I'm asking for a solution, advice, or just a "hack" to get me by, but I figured where better than here to air my woes?

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh, week 2, I am very happy with me. Not so happy with the FOREST FIRE THREATENING TO DESTROY MY COMMUNITY. Pray for rain in Alaska, if you are reading this.

Check in, week 1. Logged 2/2 Stretch 3/7 Yoga/meditate/chant 3/4 Journal 5/5 Steps 5/7 Apron 2/21 (DISMAL!) Overall, I'm pleased with myself. This was a difficult week to begin a challenge what with it being possibly the drunkest week of my whole year. Fortunately, this is when I chrysalis. I'll be cloistered happily within my shell. Wings soon to follow. I don't know what my apron problem is. They couldn't possibly be more convenient or attractive. They're actually cuter than my clothes in some cases. Sounds like I've got a kink in my kitchen chakra--which one is that?

The washing of the face before bed--YES. I struggle with that as well. I LOVE the Oh She Glows tahini dressing, it's kind of a staple in my fridge. The miso maple one for power bowls is awesome too. So far, so good. Hope you have a groovy day.

I just returned from a Bacchanalia in the forest. We ate so much elk! Drank so much wine! Barely slept at all! Thank the gods we only do this once a year! Not a single one of my quest goals was done.....yet. Including wearing an apron while I made eggs and greens for breakfast. Back to my lovely and loving routine today. It is foggy, and looking like rain, but the garden needs weeding, and I don't have the truck, or the husband around to raise his eyebrows at me when I chant in the strawberry patch. I'm hoping to run today too. It's not one of my quests this round, but I have determined that I want to be relatively "good" at running. It feels good in my brain.

Sparklepoints, ukeleles, and unicycles! Following youuuuu.

I like your style, I'm going to follow along quietly and watch.

I'm Minka VonBlacke, Mother of one, gardener in the land of the Midnight Sun. I am a dedicated fitness enthusiast that keeps getting turned around because I listen to my ego instead of my Self. Currently I lift weights 4 to 5 days a week, and run on those days. I believe I belong here, though, because this is a challenge and not a stay-the-samenge. My quests are as follows: I will stretch daily. I will do yoga/meditate/chant 4 days a week for a minimum of 15 minutes. I will keep track of this on EveryMove, and log here at least twice a week. I will journal a minimum of 5 days a week. Starting Thursday, the day after my 40th birthday, the bulk of my diet will be plant-based. Carrying over from my last challenge, I will be a meat-and-alcohol vampire, which means I can only have it when it is offered by another person unprovoked. This will be logged on Lose It! There will be 10,000 steps taken daily. Please add me if you have a FitBit, my email address is [email protected]<script cf-hash='f9e31' type="text/javascript"> /* */</script> My user name is Bunny. I had to have a pseudonym, because when I sing karaoke, it drives men to madness. A mini-quest: When I cook, I wear apron. So many tees destroyed by grease. A blink of silence for the fallen. After typing all this, I just realized I didn't even consider wanting to lose weight in any of my goals. I guess I'm already winning.

I'm new to challenges and Druids, so I'm just gonna kinda follow you around. Don't worry, you'll hardly notice me.

Chanting in the woods. Hopefully I won't sound wounded to the apex predators sharing the area with me.

So rude of me, you told me you were using a FitBit and I forgot to ask you to be my friend! You can find me by my email if you like, tigerlilybonbon@yahoo.com. My user name is Bunny Walker, because that's my blogger/karaoke handle. Have you chosen a guild yet? I signed up for Druids.

Mini challenge #1 complete. http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/63720-minka-vonblacke-summons-her-courage-and-prepares-for-her-quest/?p=1494248