bad2thebean

Hello again friends! I'm back! I would like to say that I'm back and better than ever, but we're not quite there yet. Some great things that came out of last week: The MRI on my shoulder came out to be completely ordinary. No injuries, no pain, nada. After looking through the images with my Doc we came to the official conclusion that my joints are all very flexible, and my shoulders especially. As such, I'm in a tricky place, because stopping any activity that could lead to my joint falling out of place is just as risky as staying the course with my fitness journey. We're going to do some PT to strengthen the muscles around my joint, but I was given the green light to go back. I got back to training! Currently, the aid of KT tape is helping prevent any shoulder slipping, but I don't know that I'll wear it all the time. My instructor has been fabulous, because he is seriously committed to taking the Ortho's advice, even when I'm too stubborn to. The first few days he was walking on eggshells around me, but I think he's relaxed a bit because he was telling me I could punch him "harder than that" the other day. However, I'm not sure how much of my goals I was able to progress on in my time away from training, even on the controlled sugar front my performance was less than stellar. Before I learned to funnel stress into fitness I used to be an extremely emotional eater. I didn't just forget my goals to limit sugar by any means, but I certainly justified a few unneeded snack/drink choices with the thought that I deserved it because I was stressed out. A few of my L2 classmates have been invited to test this week, so I'm excited to go and support them and see the test so that when it's my turn I know what to expect! Good to be back!

Last week was massively frustrating, so much that I don't really want to count it for my challenge. But, you win some, you lose some. I was able to get in to see my Orthopedic about the shoulder. My rotator cuff hasn't been resting in the correct position, and it's ultimately pushed my clavicle and collar bone out of place. Luckily this hasn't affected my flexibility and range of motion to the arm, but I'm technically benched from training until my doc and I decide how to proceed. I had an MRI this morning (which was it's own special breed of fun), and I've got a follow-up appointment next Monday so I'm trying to stay positive that it'll just take some PT and strength training! Which leads me to my frustrations from last week: I've been told to hold off from any training/exercise that can potentially worsen my injury until we know the results from the MRI, which has taken a pretty hefty toll on my exercise habits in general. I'm trying to figure out how to sub in other exercises to keep my endurance up but I'm having a hard time being creative. There's only so much biking/squats/ab exercises that I can do. Does anyone have any ideas?

Hello! I'm so excited to have found another Krav student! Good luck with your test at the end of the month, I'd love to hear how it goes. I'm benched for the time being because of the shoulder, but I'm hoping that my Ortho gives me the green light to go back soon.

Update to the week-- tonight I had a partial dislocation to my shoulder that's going to put a damper on some of my goals. This is concerning, but not horribly uncommon after a career swimming long distance events. I've been dealing with unstable shoulders for a few years now, and treat it with strength exercises. It comes back every once in a while after long periods of rest. I corrected the joint myself and I'm in no pain currently (knock on wood that it stays that way). I've got KT tape on it to be safe and following RICE accordingly. Trying to get an ortho appt, hopefully tomorrow to get the green light to resume training by Wednesday. Since my second goal about sugar is currently the only one I can currently comment on: I've noticed that this week is slightly easier than last. Had a sugar craving this weekend and ended up getting into my leftover candy stash from Easter (because Cadbury mini eggs are the bomb), but I only had a few. Best of luck to everyone else!

Quick update because I'm terrible at sticking to this every day: Doubled my goal for Krav classes this week! Currently have 8 under my belt and trying to squeeze in one more, but we'll have to see how the weekend plays out. My instructor challenged (or guilted, you pick.) me into doing 3 classes back to back today to see if my endurance was up to where it used to be. I survived, barely, so I'm not sure if I'll do that again. By the end I could barely hold my arms up. But I'm proud of myself for getting through it. This sugar habit is HARD to break. I've limited myself to one pop tart this week (a splurge for sure) but I feel myself craving it all the time through out the day. Still holding out for the moment at least. I was able to get in the strength sessions pretty easily this week, so I'm wondering if I should try for 3 instead. It could just be that I felt extra motivated being so new into the quest, so we'll see.

Hi! Congrats on taking strides towards your goals For Quests 2 & 3 --> Do you own a slow cooker/crockpot? I bought one recently and it's a game changer for me. On Sunday's I've been cooking and shredding up chicken (enough to last for my lunches this week). But it's immensely helpful for dinners too because I can throw stuff into it in the mornings and set it to cook throughout the day so there's healthy dinner just waiting for me at home. For someone that occasionally loses the willpower to fast food, this has changed my eating habits. Also I've found that chopping up some raw veggies (again on Sunday) and having them ready to go for lunches and snacks help me keep the high-carb snacking to a minimum. If you're not a raw veggie fan, you can whip up some dips with Greek yogurt to add some flavor and diversity too. One can only eat so much celery.. I saw that you were looking for easy dinner suggestions, I hope this was helpful!

Hi! I'm a long time browser of these threads and a first time poster! So, while this is a bit terrifying, here goes nothing! A little bit about myself: I'm a twenty-something, nine months into my first job out of college, and I'm in tech sales. Back when I was still in school, health/fitness was always a priority and never a huge concern. I swam for my school, so I had the daily accountability of exercising and eating well because I was surrounded by people telling me what I needed to do to improve my times. We always had a plan, and if I stuck to that plan and did all the right things, I was in shape! Simple. Fast forward to graduation-- Move to a new city, start a new job (that is structured far differently than school ever was), but most importantly lose the guidance and accountability that kept me on track while I was still an athlete. I attempted to join a US Master's Swim League, but I think I was too fresh out of school and too used to my old team and coach to really TRY to like it. I found myself becoming less motivated to exercise, and the weight started to creep up higher than I would've liked. In November, on a whim I decided take a Introductory Krav Maga class. By the end, I was lying in a puddle of sweat, gasping for air and absolutely hooked. While Krav can be an intimidating discipline, my gym is incredibly supportive and encouraging to new students. Despite not having any fighting experience (unless you count my brief Karate stint as a child), I was able to get up to speed quickly in a few months. In February of this year, I was invited to take the Introductory (Level 1) exam for Krav Maga and passed. Now, as a Level 2 student I'm learning more advanced sparring techniques and doing longer endurance training sessions. There are days where class turns me into one giant bruise, but despite the pain and soreness, I've never felt more pressed to want to complete something. Krav Maga has 6 levels, the last one being black belt, and it takes years to get there (the more advanced you become, the longer you need to train for tests). I have this itching stubbornness to get to black belt, despite how much work it will take to get there. I'm a competitive person by nature, but I've never been naturally assertive. Studying Krav Maga has helped me immensely in this regard. Knowing and reminding myself that I can do some pretty badass things, makes me more confident and ready to take on challenges in other areas of my life. Which brings me to my goals: Main Quest: Take and Pass Level 2 Krav Maga examination by September. Shortly after passing my L1 exam, I had a pretty gnarly ankle injury that put me out of class for a few weeks. Once I got the green light to train again, it took a few MORE weeks to build my endurance back up to par and now I've begun attending intermediate classes on a regular basis. Generally, L2 students are expected to spend 4-6 months in training before being invited to test for L2, so I'm challenging myself. SMART Quests: Attend 4+ Krav Maga (or related discipline) classes per week, with at least 2 being L2 training.Limit refined sugar 2/week at most. This is a huge one for me, I've ALWAYS had a major sweet tooth and I'm getting to the age where my metabolism can't support my habit anymore.Incorporate 2 strength training sessions per week. I'm trying to build more muscle in my core/shoulders/legs to be able to spar more effectively. Anyone with a martial arts background who has tips, I'm all ears. Life Quest: Socialize! I've noticed over the past few weeks that while I do think I have a ton of friends since moving to Florida, I do still spend a good bit of my weekends perusing Netflix. Thus, my life quest for the next few weeks is to be the one that makes plans with people instead of waiting for someone else to invite me to something. Looking forward to getting to know you all, and cheering you on in your own quests. Let's go out there and get it!