thist514

Welp! This whole thing ended up being a bust. The only thing that has been consistent is me doing my best with water (not always 50 oz) and the dates with my husband. At this point I am trying to move my body every day. Push ups throughout the day, walking, stuff like that. I'll solidify more in the next challenge

Thanks! That is definately one of the NF core fundamentals that stuck with me in my journeys. Never twice in a row. This I fell short of that, but I am definately motivated to keep at it!

This week I am going to choose the Speed Feat! I am working on a timed running event and I am SO bad at it!! I could use a little help. I have a short distance timed run and I currently can barely jog for 15 seconds. For this feat should I see how long it takes me to go the distance with maximum effort, or should I see how far I go in my alloted time at maximum effort? TIA for any help

I forgot to post this last week! I was going to take my dog to the mall and walk with her (which didn't happen) for my walking feat. But I planned (and successfully hosted) a board game night at my house with friends, something we've been putting off for a bit. So I completed my social feat.

Week 1 Recap: This week was rough, emotionally more than anything. It is reminding me that I need to focus on me, because if I don't I will actually murder people. Exercise: I infact was at the gym 3 times and moved. I'm not the happiest with the content of my workout, but I'm having fun and getting back into the habbit. Water: I have officially used both hall passes :-/ Sleep: I have officially used both hall passes and then some. I am going to continue this habbit though! Life: Chase and I cut out a few hours on Friday after work and had a date. It wasn't perfect, but it was us and great!

Day 1 was interesting.... I went to the gym on Saturday and REALLY kicked my butt. So when I went to the gym yesterday I literally just walked on a treadmill for 20 minutes because that is all my legs would let me do . But it counts! And I have a gym date with a friend for tomorrow. I realized that I am REALLY far away from 100 oz of water per day so I dropped it to 50. That is still a concious effort, but an attainable one. I passed out around 8:30 PM which is a huge check in the sleep category. I do not have a date night on the books for this week, which is my current homework!.

I thought I posted this already..... but apparently not! So here we go! In the last few years I have accomplished a lot of life goals, but sort of let myself get overwhelmed. In that overwhelm I let a lot of habbits that make me happy fall by the wayside. So I'm starting back at the begining, with the community that helped me turn my life around, and the habbits that made me feel amazing. I am going to do an exercise, diet, sleep and life goal for this challenge. Exercise: Go to the gym and move 3x per week. Diet: Drink 100 oz 50 oz of water daily, tracking using plant nanny because it's adorable! I will allow myself 2 "hall passes" for this challenge. Sleep: Be in bed with the lights off and my phone put away by midnight every night. I will allow myself 2 "hall passes" for this challenge. Life: Have a date once per week with my husband. For the sake of this challenge a date will be defined as at least 2 hours, just us, little phone interuption, no errands or chores and at least some level of intamcy. If I successfully complete all of these goals I will by myself a yoga package for the month of February. If I successfully complete at least 2 of these goals I will buy myself a yoga class in February.

Coming back after many moons away. Excited to get back to focusing on myself a bit. My Relax Feat: Take my dog for a walk (poor girl hasnt had any muma love in awhile).

Huge appologies about those following me on this thread. I sort of fell off the face of the world!!! HAHAHAHAHA

Hi! I'm not sure if this belongs here or in the nutrition section as it bridges both. Let me know and I'll move it, if the nutrition section is best. I am getting into a new lifting routine which places my session RIGHT before dinner. As with everything, the internet is really split on the whole post workout routine thing. I know that I need to have something protein and fast acting carb dense, perferably within 30 minutes of my session ending. What I'm concerned with is WHAT I should include in my meal. Which is where I'm leaning on my lovely nerd herd. About me and my workout: My food preference is paleo-ish (I eat rice, oats, occasionally snack on some less than paleo sugar snacks and eat soy sauce because coconut aminos are REALLY expensive) My lifting regimen is a hypertrophy/powerlifting mix (I'm still focusing on building the big 3, but I'm also prepping for my wedding) I am not trying to min/max to the extreme. Generalizations are fine for me. I am not breaking any world records or trying to do BIG athletic things, so I'm ok with things that are reasonable but maybe not "ideal". I live accross the street from my gym so it is absolutely possible for me to get home and have dinner within 30 minutes of finishing my workout What I'm confused about: The carb source that I usually go to for a post workout meal is basmati rice. I'm getting wind that my rice might not be doing me any favors. Is there THAT big of a difference between a whole grain rice and a sweet potatoe? (p.s, i tried so hard, but I hate sweet potatoes) I'm reading that fats are a no-no for post workout fuel. But as a paleo subscriber, fats help me fight off hunger (which is a big deal for me). So if I eat dinner as my post workout meal is it horrible if I eat fats to keep the hangery demons at bay? And I guess what it all sums up to is, is it better for me to consume a post workout snack and then eat my actual dinner an hour later? TIA

Question about finishers I'm pretty new to programming for myself and I recently became obsessed with finishers. I really like the idea of putting it all out there and pushing my limits knowing there isn't anything else I have to do in my workout. I currently do whole body workouts every time I'm in the gym. However, I pick a major lift each session (BP, DL, or squat) and lift heavy on that. I also tailor my accessory work to that lift on that day. So I have leg-ish days and arm-ish days etc. Now for the question. When I'm selecting a finisher should I focus on the muscle group that I lifted heavy on that day, a complimentary muscle or should I do a different muscle group all together? So for example, if I lift heavy on squats should I focus on the quads, the hams or my arms? Also, if anyone has any favorite finishers I'm super interested. TIA

Dear Princess Celestia, It has been so long! I was off fighting Academia, and she proved to be a much more formidable opponent than I thought. But for all intensive purposes I have stood up to the vicious Academia and I have come out triumphant! Now it's time to focus on me again. A lot has happened since I wrote last. I have walked away from my fitness journey almost completely. There are habits that I had worked on previously that have stuck. For instance, when I cook at home it's usually clean "paleo-ish". When I workout, I use good form, warm up and cool down, and lift heavy. I still practice yoga when I can, and have tried to keep a very mindful, gratefulness focused frame of mind. The biggest change perhaps, is that I am getting married in November!! That is the reason that I have decided to come back to my fitness journey. I had made such good progress in 2015 using the rebellion and everything NF had to offer. I want to get back to that place. I know I can't recreate the past, but hopefully some of the magic of the rebellion is still there for me and I can get back to putting my health and fitness in a priority seat. My Big Why: As vain as it sounds, I want to look drop dead gorgeous on my wedding day Goals to Get Me There: Eat clean, Lift Heavy Here are my begining stats taken on 4/24/15: Weight 216 lbs (I weighed 219.1 the week before) Neck 14.5" Chest 49" Bicep R 15" Bicep L 15" Waist 41" Hips 49" Thigh R 29" Thigh L 29" Calf R 17.5" Calf L 18" My stats taken yesterday 10/29/17: Weight: 213# Neck: 14" R Bicep: 15" L Bicep: 15" Chest: 47.5" Waist: 40" Belly: 46.5" Hips: 49" R Thigh: 26.5" L Thigh: 27" R Calf: 17" L Calf: 17" Difference: Weight: -3 # Neck: -.5" R Bicep: / L Bicep: / Chest: -1.5" Waist: -1" Belly: / Hips: / R Thigh: -2.5" L Thigh: -2: R Calf: -.5" L Calf: -1" A few notes about these measurements. Since I started with tracking my measurements I have decided to add my belly circumference. It is measured 1 inch below my belly button, and it's important for me because I have always had a "tiny" waist (meaning proportionately, my waist doesn't grow very much). But in recent years my belly has been the place that holds my bloat. Also, I know have my fiance measure me which might reflect some of the changes like my thigh (he doesn't measure in the exact same place I would). Some things to celebrate. I finally have symmetry in my calves (haven't had that since 8th grade!). My starting weight is 3# less than what it was when I first started. Also, my chest and waist are down from my first starting measurements as well. That might not seem like a big deal, but to me it shows that my body is fighting to not revert back to that same shape. Last house keeping bit. I have actually not finished all of the MLP seasons, so I apologize if some of my theme stuff doesn't quite hit the mark. I still resonate with Twilight Sparkle, and I still love the show and my theme. It just kind of got away from me. And no, I have not seen the movie and I do not plan to until I'm caught up on the seasons.

Weekend recap, some successes some failures. This happened...... I made a bad decision for my cheat day this weekend. When I built my goals I specifically said EITHER weekend day instead of just Saturday because this weekend my Saturday was pretty busy, so I was going to have Sunday be my cheat day. Welp, Saturday rolled around and I was so excited that I forgot I intended Sunday to be my cheat day. So yesterday (Sunday) I was stuck at home doing homework all day (which was the point of my cheat day) and no matter how much "paleoish" food I ate I simply could not get hungry. I am convinced it's a boredom thing, but since I was tethered to my house/homework I couldn't go do anything else. So I cheated again on Sunday. BUT! There's a silver lining! It wasn't a horrible cheat. I got a sub from Jersey Mike's and a bag of chips. It was an actual meal, with vegetables and stuff. It wasn't a pint of ice cream or bread sticks (which are my usual cheats). Also, I've had a bag of halloween candy in my house since Friday left over from a work thing and I didn't touch ANY of it yesterday. So success in that light! In terms of my rewards, this would be my second cheat so if I cheat again I am not supposed to get my reward. I'm on the fence about whether or not I'm counting this as a slip up. I think I'll wait until the end to make that decision. I'm usually hyper critical on myself so I'm not going to put the cart before the horse. I did need caffeine at all this weekend, so nothing to report. My friend and I volunteer Ushered for the musical "Love Never Dies". He needed to see a musical for school and I have a hook up at one of the major theaters in Detroit. It was his first time seeing a major production musical and it was very cool to break his cherry. We had a wonderful time just hanging out and then watching an amazing production!! Ok, my fitness is what I am most proud of! I had a work thing Friday with a very good friend. I thought for sure I was going to find an excuse to skip my workout and hang out with her. Turns out NOPE! I ended up leaving straight from the work thing and went straight to my gym. Like a good little girl, I had my go bag in my car and had no excuses. I will admit however, that it wasn't the workout I've ever done. Turns out working out at 7:30p on a Friday after a 10 hour workday is rough! But I did it. Movements included: Body weight squats with PVC Pipe (I'm working on form): 3x10 Lat Pulldows (Progressive 35-55 lb): 3x10 Squatted Knee Twists (no idea what else to call them): 1x10 (my form was horrible, I decided to not push it during this workout) Hip Abductor Machine (replacing the knee twists, 55 lb): 2x10 Russian Twists (4lb medicine ball): 3x10 Tricep Cable Push down (Progressive 50-25 lb): 30 reps (was supposed to do 50 but I went to failure)

Br0din, I have a good idea of what I should and shouldn't do and I do push myself (maybe less than I'm capable of, but I still push). I just don't feel comfortable in my overall fitness right now to do burnout stuff on my LB. And I appreciate your input!! Don't think I'm bothered by you questioning me, I appreciate it

Br0din, there's a lot of really awesome info in what you gave me, and I will definately look into some stuff to strengthen my pushups. My thing with the lower back isn't a muscle thing. I have a spinal defect that physiologically gives me a weak lower back. Because of that I have to be really careful when I engage my LB, so I don't want to do burnout exercises for that muscle group. I train it in my actual regimen, but the idea of doing stuff to failure in that region is really terrifying! hahaha. The plank thing is interesting, I didn't think of doing isometric movements for a burnout. That could be a whole mental challenge as well as physical, lol!!