vikinginyogapants

Hey, it's 6-week-challenge #2 for me! Time to step up what worked in the last one and try some new things, too. Overall goal for this 6 weeks: Make it through feeling healthier, stronger, and more put-together than I do at the start! Challenge #1: Work that body! -Complete at least 3 full workouts per week (including bodyweight or other strength training--purely cardio doesn't count!), barring extensive injury or illness. -Tracking: Calendar. 3x in a week = win, <3x in a week for no reason = fail. -Reward: New workout top! Challenge #2: Tackle the scary oven. -No eating out more than once per week, like last time. -Make time to cook something--not just reheat--at least 2x per week. -Tracking: Also on the calendar. -Reward: One NICE meal out in mid-October. Challenge #3: Watch my mouth! -TRACK my eating on a spreadsheet--at least descriptions of food, if not specific measurements. -Reward: New planner. Life Quest: One Ring to rule them all... -Design at least 6 new patterns for jewelry forging by the end of the challenge! ( >6 = bonus points; <6 = fail, and Sauron gets my soul.) -Reward: New anvil or supply storage case

And... challenge complete! (Even if my updates were few and far between.) In some ways, it was easier than I thought it would be; in other ways, not so much. Final results: -I'm in the habit of drinking at least 2L of water a day. I start feeling dehydrated if I'm not drinking regularly--it's hard to believe I thought that feeling was normal, before! Water challenge: success. -I've lessened the urge to go out to eat, and started preparing meals at home more often. I'm eating healthier, and learning to cook new things--this one's a win. -Strength wise: I've managed to work up to lifting more weight than I imagined I would at this point, and the bodyweight exercises that were impossible before this challenge are now less so. Success! Edit: Forgot to mention that I completed my life quest in the very last week--woo!

I know my updates here have been sporadic (what with moving, training, and getting 600 undergrads settled into the building), but my challenge is still going strong! I'm SLOWLY getting stronger and getting some endurance back, and drinking water has become routine by now. Not eating out has been a bit challenging, but I'm finding ways to get around it (and my wallet is thanking me). I'm hoping to tackle my life quest this week before things get crazy with this semester. I'm also starting to look ahead for programs to do (exercise or otherwise) for future challenges, especially on days I can't get to the gym and want something a little more intense than the bodyweight workout--any advice? I'm familiar with some of Beachbody's stuff and Jillian Michaels' programs, and I'm considering Simple & Sinister at some point; anything along those lines would be awesome!

I'm experiencing this a lot with weight training right now--I finally decided to start doing them, and feel like a ridiculous weakling, made more difficult by the fact the gym is packed with super ripped college athletes. But the way I've starting looking at it really helps (this makes more sense if you know I'm a pianist): I wouldn't expect them to sit down at their first piano lesson and be able to play a Rachmaninoff concerto, so I shouldn't expect to be able to be a super strong / flexible / fit person my first few times (or even weeks) working out. You sound like you've got a great attitude despite your frustrations, so hang in there! You've got this!

Thanks! It's been really fun so far! So week 2 was so much easier than the first week in terms of drinking water--I've gotten used to it now and feel SO much better in general. Bodyweight exercises and cardio are slowly showing signs of improvement. This week I decided to change things up a bit and do strength T/Th/Sat instead of M/W/F since I have access to a gym again and those days work better. Yesterday was so much fun--grabbed a friend and went to do some weights as well! I'm not brave enough to try bench pressing a barbell yet (high school flashbacks of me failing to press just the bar still haunt me), but I did a combination of the barbell and dumbbell workouts from the academy and had a blast!

Week 2 begins! Drinking water has been getting easier. My move went pretty smoothly, and it didn't really disrupt my workout plan, although I'm considering adding to it in the coming weeks (more cardio and flexibility work, at least). Today I did a combination of A & B of the bodyweight strength training, due to a lack of some equipment, like a place to do inverted rows.

That's such a good idea! Hope your place-to-live searching goes well!

Day 5 Update: 2 more liters of water down! Also rocked strength training today--I spent most of the day loading 100lb boxes into a van, so my bodyweight workout seemed pretty easy by comparison! (I also skipped an official cardio routine, since I tried to run back from the van and up the stairs every time I loaded a box.) I've also gone the whole week so far without eating out, which has been tough, but so worth it. I'm taking tomorrow as my day to eat out, since I'm moving back to the university and will be on the road for a lot of hours.

Day 4 Update: Finished the water early, probably because it was so hot today. More cardio--took about 22 minutes to do 7 miles today, but I upped the resistance to 55%, so that's a win!

Also recommending against yearly / two-year contracts. Another suggestion is looking into Virgin Mobile--they have a variety of monthly plans, including several options for around $35 a month. I currently use the unlimited text & data + 300 minutes, but that's because I use a lot of data and don't talk any more than that. I believe another option is unlimited text & talk + 250 MB (?) of data, although music streaming and apps can eat that up pretty quickly.

[insert viking war screech] Hell yeah. You've got this.

Something to hold while doing squats! XD How does the Superhero Workout app compare to the bodyweight plan in terms of difficulty?

Sounds like you're off to a good start! Middlemarch??? Picking that up is a workout in itself--best of luck!

*waves* Welcome! It sounds like we have a lot in common, including being new here! I just started the bodyweight workout plan as well, but it looks like a good way to work up to a pushup or pullup. 105? Yikes. How much cooler does it get during the winter months?

Day 3 Update: Strength training day! Did workout A of the Academy Bodyweight Workouts Level 1--again subbing in incline pushups--then added the extra squat-thrust circuits and 20 minutes of stationary bike (not counting that one towards the goal, since I want to make sure I'm really doing at least 2 cardio sessions per week and don't slack off in the final weeks because I've already completed the 84 cardio workout mark!). Everything seems pretty easy except for the pushups--I'm not sure whether to continue my original plan of doing workouts A and B three times apiece to get the pushups in better shape, or moving on to the next level after two apiece for the sake of more challenge and working on getting those pushups closer to a real one as I go along. Again managed the water, although it's much easier to go through more on strength training days!

Hi there! You have some awesome goals and it sounds like you're off to a great start! Out of curiosity, about how long does it take to get through the Zombies, Run app? (In terms of amount of missions--I know everyone goes at their own pace getting through them!) I don't know much about working with 12-14 year-olds, but it's a great idea! I supervise a residence hall of college freshmen and find something similar for them to do every semester--they gain points by attending campus events, doing well on academic projects, going to the gym, helping out in the community, etc. The favorites so far have been the Harry Potter houses and "Would you survive the Hunger Games?" (they chose their own District identities, they needed certain health / wit / strength points to "survive"). I'm not sure if 12-14 year olds are "too cool" for that sort of thing, but it's worth a shot!

William Shakespeare's The Jedi Doth Return - Ian Doescher The Culture of Fear - Barry Glassner How the Scots Invented the Modern World - Arthur Herman Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - Ransom Riggs

Seconding using an app like MyFitnessPal, which is also perfectly accessible from their website (actually, their site features a lot of cool fitness/health apps, depending on what kind of logging and features you're most interested in). I also currently use an Excel spreadsheet, but for me at least I don't always have an Excel-ready computer available when I'm eating and don't always remember specifics later--so a smartphone app or a tiny pocket notebook for when I'm out is really helpful. Sounds like your goals are well thought out--jumping rope sounds like a great one! Best of luck!

Thesis reading can make anyone a bit scattered--good luck! What are you researching, if I may ask? I feel you on avoiding long walks. I used to be very heavy into dance (like, hours upon hours per week) and running, and all the different shoes did terrible things to my feet. Best wishes for your challenge! You can do it!

Day 2 Update: Glad this is a strength rest day--I feel like I was literally punched in the butt after yesterday's squats. I did another 20 minutes of stationary bike (still at 40% resistance and about 7 miles total) before the seat got uncomfortable. Surprisingly my shoulders were okay with lifting boxes at work today, although still a bit sore. Tomorrow will be interesting. Getting all the water in is still challenging, but I wouldn't have set it as a quest if I could do it easily within 2 days! No language work for my life quest just yet, since next week is final exams / projects for my summer semester and I need to focus.

Mini Challenge #1! Is your overall quest achievable (over a short or long period of time)? Is it reasonable? My main goals are definitely achievable over a longer period of time--my six-week goal benchmarks are the specified sub-goals I believe are possible within the challenge timeframe. They're enough to push me to form new habits and get better, but still reasonable to achieve within 6 weeks (provided I work for them!). Do your 3 quests all build towards your main quest in little ways, or are you taking on too much? Do your quests have sub-quests or is it just one thing to focus on? Absolutely! Strength training = getting stronger, not eating out = eating better, drinking water = staying hydrated. All baby steps. Are your main goals realistic? Can you scale them to smaller steps to fit your life better, even if it will make it take a little longer to achieve them? Since my main goal of "living happier / healthier / fitter" isn't exactly specific, I'm using markers of health and fitness as the goals of the challenges. (For instance, I associate flexibility with being fitter = I want to be more flexible = I want to be able to hold my feet when I bend over to touch my toes by the end of these six weeks.) Are your goals able to be measured and tracked? What will you use to track them? I track workouts on a spreadsheet (soon to be shared via Daily Battle Logs), and measure water by the amount of bottles gone through in a day, also tracked here. How are you grading your goals? Are they pass/fail (“every dayâ€, “not even once over the six weeksâ€)? Is there a reward for the effort, or are you only grading yourself on whether or not you “lose the weight†or “run the distanceâ€? Water and not eating out are pass/fail, by day and week; strength and cardio training are by percentages. What is your plan for continuing/altering/grading those goals if you become ill or injured? I plan on continuing to work non-injured muscle groups if possible, or adding more stretching; in case of illness, take necessary recovery time and get back into workouts (modified as necessary when starting out again). Did you take into consideration any special occasions (Labour Day, Independence Day, birthdays, anniversaries, etc) that may occur during the challenge? What modifications do you need to build into your goals for those? I'm moving this weekend, which is why I gave myself leeway on the number of workouts. Do any of your main goals conflict with each other? Will one goal make it hard to do another? These goals don't conflict. Do you already have the time in your schedule to actually complete the goals you’ve set? If not, what are you planning to do to make time for them? I've set the time aside in my upcoming weekly schedules already. Are you trying to build multiple habits, or is all your energy focused on your main quest? These are different habits, but leading to the same overall goal. (1 for increasing fitness level, 2 for increasing better nutritional habits.)

Wow, I love your goals! I'm really curious about #2--I travel quite a bit as well, and trying to eat well can be really tricky when someone else is preparing it. Best of luck for finding a good balance! (And on your other quests, as well!)

Wow, your quests sound challenging and fun--best of luck! Also, seconding Toxophilite--how exactly does one get into jousting? That's super cool!

Another dancer and dabbler in martial arts--insta-follow! What kind(s) of dance do you do? Your goals sound like a great way of easing back into shape. Best wishes for the challenge!

Yeah, I haven't dislocated them in about a year now, but wow did they feel shaky doing those incline pushups. Ouch! Glad to hear something helped so much--I will definitely have to try those Turkish get-ups!