sisustrong

Good morning, I hope you are all doing well today. First day of September, I can't believe it's already 9 months into the year. I'm not doing so well today, my fellow Nerds. I won't bore you all with the details, but my closest friend has just told me that they've been doing a lot of thinking, and ultimately, they don't trust me anymore. They feel a lot of anger, resentment, and pain from my behaviors and actions. And I've been aware of these behaviors and actions, which my anxiety and depression have fueled significantly. But I also recognize that I have not been the greatest friend lately, and I should have seen this coming. Anyway, it's painful to hear nonetheless. I've been best friends with this person for ten years, and I've known them for 15. We've been through many ups and downs, especially lately, but I fear this has been the final straw and our friendship may be broken for good. I don't want to burden you all with my emotional troubles, but that's what's been going on with me today. Any kind words, photos, gifs, etc. would be appreciated today. Happy September, all.

Checking in on this wonderful week five(?)! I did Day 2 of the foundation workout without an issue on Thursday, but Friday and the weekend didn't prove so consistent. I ended up going home from work early in Friday because our servers were down, decided to take a nap, and ended up shutting off my alarm and sleeping six hours... so I spent the rest of the night trying to stay relatively relaxed so I could go back to sleep later. Eventually I did, around 1am, and then my boyfriend Matt came over to my house Saturday and Sunday. We went mini-golfing, did a lot of walking, and I spent three hours at the cat shelter on Sunday. Lots of lifting, reaching, bending, giving medicine to disgruntled kitties... there's supposed to be at least 2 people there for every shift, but I was the only one there. So I had to manage 35 cats and kittens (some sick with ringworm) by myself, which is very taxing! But I did it and I'm proud- the cats wouldn't have eaten that morning, received meds, or had clean litter if I had not been there. It's rewarding. So I didn't do days 3-5, but I plan on picking back up on day 3 of the foundation workout after work today. I might end up making it just a M-F thing, since I'm usually active with Matt on weekends anyway. I also get to distribute 10 skill points! Woohoo!

Hey all! So I took everyone's advice, checked out a few different things online, and I really like how darebee is set up! I've decided to start their 30 day 'foundation' workout, and I did Day 1 yesterday without issue! ...I'm actually looking forward to today's workout when I get home from work. So weird! On the eating front, I've been maintaining a relatively even pace- not a total transformation, but healthy choices where and when I can. Cooking is still a once in a blue moon thing. But I'm really happy about the whole working out thing! It's doesn't take me long, and it's varied enough that I don't work out the same muscle groups too much, too many times in a row. I'm looking forward to saying I completed it in a month! I apologize for being so absent, though. Working takes up much of my week, and my weekends are usually spent with my boyfriend, so I often forget about checking in! I'll try to keep you all updated at least once a week though! Oh- since past week 3 does that mean I can allocate some skill points? I think I remember that being something I could do after week 3...

I don't think I've found what I like to do yet. And during the week, it isn't so easy to go do something outside my home. I have a 4-hour round trip commute to work on the train. I leave my house at 6am and I'm usually home by 6pm. I can't really "drive by" a gym because I'm not driving, heh... The train is usually pretty crowded, so I'm stuck in my seat for ~4 hours a day. I do have a short walk from the train to my work (totals about .5 miles a day). Otherwise, I'm sitting at my desk at work for 7+ hours a day. So my only time to do exercise is when I get home around 6pm, working around dinner time. I'm usually in bed by 9:00pm at the latest so I can get a solid 8 hours before I wake up at 5:30am. So that's about 2-2.5 hours, with a half hour or an hour for dinner. I'm up shit creek right now financially, too, so I can't afford to get a membership to a gym or pay for any kind of classes... hence why I've been looking at no-equipment exercises in my home. I've always wanted to try a martial art, but again, there's the money issue. Group activities seem really fun, but I've never tried anything like Zumba or a class. I like hiking, but it's too late to go to the trails near my house by the time I get home. My neighborhood is also not very conducive to a young female walking alone... too many dangerous situations could come up. I try to hike or at least do some extensive walking around on weekends, though. Not sure if anyone has any suggestions for new types of exercises I could try.

Those articles are fantastic! I'll definitely be keeping them bookmarked. I'm still taking the stairs 95% of the time, so there's that. I have a tendency to compare myself to everyone around me constantly. Consciously, I know that my journey is my own and unrelated to someone else's- but the comparing and competition are so ingrained in me (and society in general), and I end up doing it anyway (which fuels my negative self-talk, anxiety, etc... big bad cycle!) So thank you for reminding me that I'm still taking steps, even if they're smaller than the next person's. Hang in there! I'm with you the whole way. And hey- we're lapping everyone on the couch! I'm glad I'm not alone in my struggling though.

Workouts have been decidedly non-existent. I can't seem to make myself care enough lately. My migraines have also been flaring up (which usually happens around my cycle) so that has put a damper on doing much of anything. Still, I always run into this problem where I get really excited and motivated about something... and then never follow-through. I end up not starting things in the first place because I anticipate my losing interest, which is not a fun cycle to be in. My go-to excuses are, I'll do this later when... When I have access to equipment. When I move out of my parents house. When it isn't as hot outside. When I'm not as tired. When I've had more water. When when when... getting me nowhere! Can't seem to break my brain of these thought patterns and actually do something! I feel guilty about it. I make all of these goals and now I've got an online audience and I keep coming up short. And it's entirely up to me to take initiative. *sigh*

So I've been slacking on the updates, but this weekend I cooked! Twice! Once I made eggs for myself and my boyfriend, and we also made a stir-fry rice together. The stir-fry had boxed rice as a base (garlic and herb flavored) but we also added bell peppers, onions, cubed tofu, and seasonings to taste. I'd call that some success in cooking experiments!

On Saturday I made a rice stir-fry with the bf, taking your traditional boxed rice (this one was garlic and herb), and adding cubed tofu, bell peppers, onions, and seasoning to taste. I also made scrambled eggs, which isn't hard but I actually got out a pan and made edible food. So those were my cooking adventures this weekend!

Week 2 update! Still not making much progress on the cooking front, but my accountabilibuddy group is doing a cooking challenge this week and I want to jump in on that! I helped my boyfriend move to his new apartment on Saturday, which included ALL of the stairs and heavy lifting, and I'm still feeling the DOMS today. It was a good push into the exercise realm though, and it gave me the motivation I needed to continue. Still slowly maintaining the fruit at least once a day, thing... gotta keep moving. How are y'all holding out?

I apologize for my being MIA all weekend! Busy days have been busy.

That's so awesome that you talked and it went well! I hope you have success whenever you do start trying I'm a big fan of honest communication... many of my relationships have gone down in flames due to not talking about anxieties and concerns, big or small. I've just entered a new relationship and we're both big on making communication #1, and so far it's going well. Hopefully that continues! Keep us updated!

If anyone is interested in an app that tracks water intake, there's one called Waterlogged that's pretty good. (I know it's on iOS, not sure about Android).

Week 1 - Status Update Well, overall, week 1 was kind of a bust- but time marches on, and I'm determined to be more on top of my game this week. I didn't eat very well this weekend- went out for pizza and french fries yesterday as part of my 2nd date with my new guy friend. But we also did a bit of hiking, which included climbing up rocks and walking up steep hills- so I'm calling that half of one strength training exercise. Still no progress on the making food for myself front, though. Dinner is my one chance to cook, and dinner has either already been decided/prepared by my parents or I'm at someone else's house so far. I really want to get a jump on those sweet potato fries and the rosemary almonds! I have the ingredients, I just have to do it! Thanks all again for your ongoing support!

Gotcha! So only focusing on water this week... I can do that!

Okay wow I just found the HQ tabs... that helps XD

Just so I'm clear on stuff on the challenges- 1) I need to keep track of litres of water each week. 2) If I try any new recipes, how is that scored? Do we post here when we complete something? 3) Tracking km walked/biked. Any specific way to track this? Apps, pedometer, etc? 4) Strength... Is it how many times we get through that routine? (Also what's a flutter kick?) How do variations work and how do we keep score? 5) Stretches- I got kinda lost in the reply kerfuffle... are we counting minutes used to stretch? Following a specific stretching routine? Sorry for all of my questions!

I guess if there isn't going to be a team french toast, I'll join waffles! Also GMT -5 for me!

Where's team french toast? Huh? *sad face*

Hey all, As we enter the second half of the first week, I must say I'm failing pretty miserably! The only goal I've really semi-kept up with was eating better, and that was mostly just having a banana every morning before work. Today we ran out of bananas, so I'll have to find one at some point... I still haven't started any strength training yet. I'm tempted to make the excuse that I've been too tired after work, and while yes, I am always tired after work, I could still muster up the energy to do a little workout if I tried. Yet I keep putting it off... I also haven't cooked anything yet this week. Mostly because the only meal I could cook is dinner, and my mom has already had dinner going by the time I got home. So... all in all, a pretty big failure on my part. Trying not to kick myself too hard though. Just gotta keep looking to you all for inspiration and try to kindle the motivation and energy within myself. Thanks for sticking by me and checking in.

I'm also a white!

And update for Day 1 of my challenge (Which I also posted on my challenge thread)... Day 1 was a success overall, I think! My first and third quests are doing things only a few times a week, so I didn't get to those yesterday, but I did eat better than I would have normally (a banana, eggs, potatoes, plenty of water over the course of the day). While I wasn't perfect, I avoided too many sugary foods and carbs, and I've been taking the stairs regularly. I don't feel winded or that my legs are sore afterwards, and I do them at a pretty brisk pace! I've been catching up on a sleep deficit from late last week, but I think I'm finally back to normal and ready to tackle the workout after work, and maybe I'll make myself dinner. I got sweet potatoes and almonds for making sweet potato fries and rosemary roasted almonds, respsectively, at some point this week. I also weighed myself this morning which I haven't done in a few weeks, and I'm at 167 instead of the usual 170! My pants feel less tight, as well. Not sure if that's due to the slight changes in diet and exercise, or the fact that I haven't been eating much in general (I met someone new and exciting and they give me butterflies, which makes my stomach not happy). Whatever it is- I feel like I'm headed in the right direction physically, emotionally, and spiritually! Thank you all for your support! Saera, over and out!

Day 1 was a success overall, I think! My first and third quests are doing things only a few times a week, so I didn't get to those yesterday, but I did eat better than I would have normally (a banana, eggs, potatoes, plenty of water over the course of the day). While I wasn't perfect, I avoided too many sugary foods and carbs, and I've been taking the stairs regularly. I don't feel winded or that my legs are sore afterwards, and I do them at a pretty brisk pace! I've been catching up on a sleep deficit from late last week, but I think I'm finally back to normal and ready to tackle the workout after work, and maybe I'll make myself dinner. I got sweet potatoes and almonds for making sweet potato fries and rosemary roasted almonds, respsectively, at some point this week. I also weighed myself this morning which I haven't done in a few weeks, and I'm at 167 instead of the usual 170! My pants feel less tight, as well. Not sure if that's due to the slight changes in diet and exercise, or the fact that I haven't been eating much in general (I met someone new and exciting and they give me butterflies, which makes my stomach not happy). Whatever it is- I feel like I'm headed in the right direction physically, emotionally, and spiritually! Thank you all for your support! Saera, over and out!

Here we go Rurik! Best of luck to you!