Finisterre

Survey done! I do have a spare room but might have someone living with me at that point...if it gets nearer the time and the room is still free I can take someone who has left their accommodation booking till the last minute

This is a good question - I've not got any hula hooping done so far but if it can be counted somewhere then I might be more likely to...

So I left you on Friday night post rehearsal... Saturday I pretty much slept as long as I could before going to see my Magic Elbow Lady (aka my physio) for some work. My elbow's been super grumpy the last couple of weeks so she did some gentle needling and some exercises to keep on with. Did a wee bit of shopping (tsk tsk) to get a Eurovision outfit and some books. Went to my friend's Eurovision party and it was actually quite fun. I was the only sober one, and I mostly hung out in a corner with people I know already but there was lots of judging acts and shouting at the screen and such shenanigans. Also got loved on by my friends <3 Including my best mate (who is this super skinny pole dancer who could kill pretty much anyone) and my 6'2"ish friend who looks like a bear (but is genuinely the sweetest guy) being ready to go round to my house and kick my dad's arse for being shitty about stuff. I really do have the best friends. Sunday Dragged myself out of bed much earlier than I would have liked so that I could (finally) go see Captain Americaaaaaaaaa. Fuck me that was a good film. Made a very quick detour for ice cream then sprinted back to the flat to change because I was running late for rehearsal. Made it four minutes late which = 20 burpees, but totally worth it for Captain America and ice cream. Had a bit under half an hour of solid cardio where you do an exercise down the acro tumble track then back up a line of crash mats. We start small with things like high knees and progress through things like hopping, and single leg squat jumps (which I replaced with lunge walks because ankles). Finished conditioning off with a minute handstand hold and a minute wall sit. Half an hour of working the hula hoop scene which is actually coming together, then a whole load of aerial scene work (which was filmed so trying to get hold of that) and finished off with fifteen minutes of stretching. Monday Had my first appointment with my new psychiatrist today. I actually really like him, and I got a shiny new diagnosis which I'm working on dealing with, and a plan for adding some more meds (I'm turning into a bloody maraca), and therapy. So plans! Plans are good. And he reckons I should be able to make a full recovery so yay for that... Today has been shit on the eating front, and non-existent on the exercise front because I am sore from cardio yesterday, but I kinda feel like if I'm going to have a non-goal meeting day New Psychiatrist Day is the day to do it.

Thank you! I think we all are probably harder on ourselves than we would be on someone else doing the same thing. Plus that was something like my fifth time on a hoop and they move so much! So much spinning... Hahaha it's amazing how much the numbers clock up through rehearsals Especially when they rig the hoop so high I need a punt up to it and just stay up there for a solid hour... I was definitely the only one not drinking, and I mostly hid in a corner with people I know but I did actually have a good time in the end

Yesssss at home rig. I want, but I live in a flat. And pennies. Still annoyed with myself for not getting my parents to get their extension rated for aerial stuff. Also want a baby aerial cube. I really should find someone rich to marry... Also also, that is a nice drop! Though am I meant to be yelling at you about microbends in your straddle up

Bring. It. On.

Might as well be productive with my insomnia... And the villains would totally keep an eye on the scores till the end to make sure they win

You were briefly ahead of us at the end which lead to me doing back flex work at 3am UK time to gain points

Thank you! Haha Alice must be popular this year because I don't think we're the same group - I would be interested in which group your friends are though... There is a fair bit of overlap which makes my life so much easier! Hoop is supposed to be quite graceful though which is not my strongest point! Aww thank you! They're absolute life savers, however bad a day is they never fail to crack me up ^-^ It must be about three and a half years now, though I did have to take several months off in the middle of that with elbow problems. I really should be better by now... Cheers! It's not been a terrible week all told. Still eating far too much but in general it's better eating which is a baby step to improvement, and the mini challenge is really boosting my exercise efforts Tuesday's trapeze class was pretty good, I can feel myself improving in some of the conditioning exercises. I am feeling a bit stagnant in terms of actual moves though which is something to consider more. Wednesday I went into town to sort out my new phone (turned out I could have just transferred the SIM card over myself but hey ho, it got me out the flat!). It was a gorgeous day, which is rare in Edinburgh, so I took advantage and walked part of the way home instead of getting the bus the whole way (thanks mini challenge for the boost!). Thursday I went for a run, and did some splits work when I got in since I was nice and warm. I've really been neglecting my flex work recently and it shows, but hopefully it'll come back pretty quickly. Today was another rehearsal day. The first half hour was conditioning, and I actually think it's getting easier each time. We followed this up with half an hour working on the hula hoop scene. The timing's really starting to come together and it's looking decent, but the girl I do a throwing section with has been away for a couple of weeks and that definitely showed (including a beautiful moment where the hula hoop sailed over my head...). Then an hour and a half on hoop, working with another cast member on an interactive scene, I suspect I'm going to have welts on my arse from basing her for some doubles moves >.> Plus a final half hour doing some floor based work, so lots of strange runs and turns and me trying (and failing) to look graceful. I suspect I'm going to be sore tomorrow! Aerial conditioning for reference Tomorrow I think will be a rest day so I'm recovered for rehearsals on Sunday, possibly with some baking, and a Eurovision party in the evening. As much as I'm looking forward to seeing my friends, I'm not sure I'm really up for a night with a whole load of people. I definitely won't know everyone there, and I won't be drinking. As much as being the only sober person in the room tends to exacerbate my anxiety (especially with people I don't know), alcohol is really not a great idea for me mentally just now. Plus if I'm sober I can drive, which means I can leave whenever I want without worrying about bus times. The dress code is also Eurovision/the tackiest thing you own, but I've already told my friend she'll be lucky if I turn up in something other than my PJs or training clothes so fancy dress might be a bit optimistic

We're just biding our time and looking at the end game - you'll never see us coming...

The skin on my hands would have preferred me to spend that time reading The competitive side of me is kinda gutted that the power I spend most time on is also the one I get least points for. On the flip side though, because it's a team thing it's still encouraging me to do extra stuff - I walked part of the way home today instead of getting the bus the whole way because it could give me extra super toughness points, even though I knew it wasn't going to bump me up the leaderboard much it still helps pull up the team average! I'm trying to keep in mind that the leaderboard thing is fun, and the main thing is that it all helps with my fitness goals

Took today as a rest day - after class on Thursday, rehearsal on Friday, a hectic Saturday and rehearsal on Sunday my body needed a break. Instead I made a start on Operation Make Flat Visitable (my best mate has been bugging me about coming to meet the baby rats but I'm too embarrassed to let her see my flat). 45 minutes of tidying later the place is still a complete disaster, but it already looks much better than it did. Ran a load of washing through, and did the rats' weekly cage clean and rearrangement which isn't part of my challenge but I always enjoy. Ate far too much but only one bottle of coke. I also emailed the mental health service I've been referred to to chase it up, and contacted the physio to rearrange my appointment this week. Tomorrow's pretty quiet during the day but probably class in the evening. I can only afford one class per week at the moment, so I've been torn between my usual Tuesday trapeze class and the Thursday performance class where I could work on hoop for the show. I am leaning towards going on Tuesdays mainly though, since trapeze is my first love and I'm on hoop twice a week already for the rest of this month. Plus my teacher said something last week about starting back/elbow rolls on trapeze which is a million levels of yes.

Ahhh yes, shoulder mobility. Not so much an issue here, shoulder strength on the other hand (actual conversation at Sunday's rehearsal: "Can you do a full skin the cat and poke her with your feet?" "Yes, but I would then be stuck in said skin the cat" "Ah. That might be a problem" ) See, you're a pro at this already! Jobs are very inconvenient things. I'll get back on the base metal to gold thing then just bring the whole Assassin forum to Scotland...

Because air time is expensive and you haven't yet found a way to turn base metals into gold? (Or maybe you have and are keeping it secret....) Flamenco grip is always the way to go, I don't know why people hate it so much. The best way I've heard it put is that when you first learn things you learn the rules and strict technique, and once you can do it that way you start to bend the rules and get creative. Anyone can learn the technique, it's what you do with it that makes it interesting to watch. Plus my favourite excuse for slightly dubious technique - "it's a stylistic choice" That's how I feel with trapezes! It just makes sense (until it doesn't). One of the girls in the show I'm doing has done no silks and is in a silks routine - in three months. Do not envy her that - you don't want to move to Scotland for a few months and swap with her do you....

I seem to have regressed to struggling with bent/bent these days Trying to learn hoop has broken me. I'm guessing you mean flamenco grip? I stopped silks before I got anywhere near where you are, but I always loved flamenco grip (still do for certain trap moves). Pfffft, who needs rules Also what do you mean sometimes? Everything about silks is complicated!

Tbh I'm so jealous of the straight leg straddle up I don't think I noticed the knees in the rest...

Following ^-^ Also that is a nice entry into that drop!

Hellooooo day one of the official challenge! Based on five days in week 0, I'm averaging 14 points a day. I wasn't exactly pushing myself hard so I'm going to aim for 20 to 25 points per day during the actual challenge (which may be adjusted). I am knackered after this weekend! Didn't get to sleep till sometime after 4am on Friday night then was awake at quarter to 9 to head off to the rat show. Between helping out with the show and the AGM we didn't finish until 6pm, at which point there was a half hour drive home then dinner, getting the ponies in for their dinner, rat exercising.... I was really pleased with how my girls did though. Inara and Eskarina got 1st and 2nd in their class and sections (admittedly they were the only two...but first place can be withheld!) and Eskarina came third in her pet class. The other two didn't pace in pets, but since there were 16 in the class there was some stiff competition! This evening was another rehearsal with 14 minutes (exactly lol) of cardio, half an hour with hula hoops then two hours of aerial work. Conditioning for reference

Just a teeeeeny wee thing I've noticed - on the leaderboard tab times trained is still listed as hours despite using the numbers in minutes. Not a biggie, but I almost had a heart attack trying to work out how somebody had managed to get in 42 hours of something already!

The number of times I've been yelled at not to put my hands on the floor in hocks The straddle feels like it was because the hoop reacts differently to the trapeze - way more bounce and spin. The tuck I think is an orientation thing - I'm not used to doing it from a sitting position! Toe to bar beats are when you hang from the bar and beat, piking so that the balls of your feet go under the bar with straight legs. When you beat you can move from various joints (hips, shoulders, hands) so here it's your hips moving. Catchers sit ups are when you pull over the bar so it's on your hips and hock your legs round the ropes - it's the leg position catchers use in flying trapeze and bases often use in doubles. This shows it on a flying trapeze. Once there one rep consists of a straight sit up, right elbow to left knee, left elbow to right knee. I can't do full leg lifts to the bar from a dead hang I'm afraid it is pretty much just repetition until the muscle builds up. Resist the urge to do a tiny back beat before going up (makes it easier but long term doesn't help), concentrate on using your core to pull your legs up (I tend to use my quads which only gets to a certain point...), and make sure you work going down as much as going up. Having a decent pike fold helps as well - if you don't have the flexibility it's harder (though I know a lot of guys you cheat it by pushing down in the shoulders)

We can be team Probably Wouldn't Be A Villain In Real Life But We Can Dream

I meet the criteria for joint hypermobility syndrome (JHS) - both wrists, both elbows, one finger and my hips (the "at home" test for this is whether you can put your hands flat on the floor with straight legs) are hypermobile. Additionally my ankles are, and various parts of my back likely are. As other people have said, strengthening the joints is key, as is form. I have a lot of upper arm problems doing hanging exercises because my elbow hyperextends so far that it impinges the nerve, my wrists aren't keen on planks and handstands because I push too much weight through them, and my ankles buckle often. From all my research and discussion with physios etc (though I am not a medical professional) I've found that you do not have to stop stretching. You just have to stretch safely. Things like focussing on active flexibility instead of passive, and moving into stretches with control is vital. A lot of contortionists are hypermobile - they train slowly and carefully to control every movement they make. I do some low-level contortion, particularly backbends, and it's important that I work my core as much as (if not more than) my back to avoid exacerbating the arch. Also a couple of side points - if you have hypermobile knees, hips and elbows (assuming both sides for knees and elbows) then using the Beighton score you do meet the criteria with a score of 5/9 (though note that just having hypermobile joints does not mean you have JHS - the above link has more information on being diagnosed with JHS). The other is that JHS is medically considered pretty much the same as hypermobility-type Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS-HM), although JHS is commonly considered the "milder" version and EDS-HM the more "extreme", with more associated issues such as tissue fragility. Currently they can't be distinguished genetically though. There are other types of EDS which also have hypermobility but they have much more severe issues associated with them. There's a lot of information on the different types here - I just don't want you to look up EDS then panic about some of the more severe problems listed

Ahhh thank you! You're so sweet! I have no background in dance or gymnastics so I always feel like my lines are awful. The dismount is the absolute textbook "things you shouldn't do" haha! By putting your hands on the floor when you're still hocked on you risk losing the tension in your legs (it's very common for people to relax once a bit of them is on the floor) buuuuut we were going for performance more than technique. Today wasn't too bad - went into town with my mum to replace my phone which was slowly dying, then bathed some rats for the show I'm taking them to tomorrow, and finally had a rehearsal. Half an hour of conditioning, half an hour working the hula hoop scene, then two hours working on aerial hoop choreography. My hands feel like they're destroyed, and I suspect I'm going to be sore tomorrow, but a reasonably good evening. Aside from the fact I apparently can't beat up to straddle under a hoop (despite finding it easy on a trapeze...) and couldn't convince my body to tuck up under the hoop in an inversion. Goodness only know what is going on there, though the tuck through did get better towards the end. Plus after two hours of training on equipment I'm not used to I was knackered. Tonight's conditioning for reference

Your wish is my command Here we have a video of my on a hoop from last night. Our brief was to create a three move sequence, beginning and ending hanging from our knees and with an inversion. We then had to do it with 100 movements, then with as few movements as possible, and finally with a character (which is where the video is). It's a bit scrappy (last night was the first time I did that last move o.O) and my arse looks huge but I'm pretty pleased with it If anyone wants to give feedback on what they think the character is that would be awesome! The only two people watching knew what it was supposed to be which does bias them slightly... Making my own flavoured water does sound like an excellent idea!

I went villain Tbh I'm probably too much of a pushover in real life to be a villain but I do dream of being Poison Ivy...