Finisterre

Popped along to a class tonight and worked out how to do this. I say worked out because it was a performance class and the teacher doesn't actually do hoop, and definitely doesn't do bendy hoop things. The one suggestion he made with this move made it harder Figured it out though, and I'm slowly getting more comfortable on the hoop which makes me more willing to try things out and experiment a bit. My friend did film the mini-routine I came up with so I'm waiting to get the footage from her so I can actually get an idea of what I look like on a hoop! The only slightly sad thing about all the hoop stuff is that I feel like I can't really post about it on facebook etc. I've got one friend (who tbh I'm kinda avoiding just now anyway because she is....draining...and I just don't have the spoons for dealing with her) who I feel really wouldn't be happy about me doing all this hoop stuff, especially since I'm doing a fair bit of playing around and experimenting. She does a lot of hoop, and she's very strongly of the opinion that you should start with the beginners syllabus and work up, and shouldn't be experimenting until you're much further on. Generally I agree with her, but this is a somewhat different circumstance than me just rocking up and deciding to mess around on a hoop. One scene is being choreographed so I'm being taught the moves for that, but if I don't play with it there isn't going to be a second scene. There's a fair bit of overlap with trapeze anyway, and I've got a decent basis of strength to get myself out of trouble if I have to. I'm also smart enough to know what moves not to try because I probably can't do them I realise her issues are her issues, but I can't face dealing with her bitching at me or, more likely, behind my back about it. It's a tiny thing in the grand scheme of things but I would like to be able to share a bit more of what I'm learning

Yay! Technically I took it all on before the break started, but these are fun stressful instead of the OMGI'mgoingtodie stressful of PhDland. Rats are the best Thank you! I'm excited to get going properly with it.

Ooohhh exciting!

This might be part of your problem - working out for the sake of working out is going to be difficult to sustain long term. If you find something you really enjoy working out stops feeling like a chore. There's also not just one specific way to get the body you want - people can get amazing bodies through weightlifting, or running, or gymnastics, or circus, or parkour, or kettlebells, or *insert exercise of your choice*. Plus if you enjoy it, logging it doesn't feel like a chore either! Logging a whole load of numbers through weightlifting sessions sounds immensely boring to me, but keeping track of the number of aerial conditioning exercises I can do feels like a natural part of my training.

Well week 0 is not going entirely to plan on the diet front. I started on the challenge on Tuesday and was starving after class on Tuesday night so stopped for some fast food on the way back. Then got a takeaway tonight, so am already over the once per week *headdesk* On the brighter side, I am doing fairly well making choices other than coke for drinks. I'm using flavoured water so I'm still getting some sweetness but without the huge amounts of sugar and calories. Sadly I've discovered I don't really like the cheaper options - they're very artificial tasting, and too strong, so I'm on more expensive ones. Still cheaper than coke though, and definitely a healthier option! My self care is going pretty well - I've left the flat both days, showered, socialised, and had a fabulous massage at the Lush Spa this morning I haven't done anything in terms of general fitness, but that will probably change with rehearsals this weekend. Last night was my trapeze class, and I learnt a new move/transition/drop thingamy - stand to single hock hang in one motion. Really fun, although did result in some rope burn on my fingertips o.O Tomorrow night I've signed up for an extra class which will probably end up being on hoop so that should be a fun evening. I'm hoping to get a couple of new moves out of it as well. Aaaand midnight is the perfect time to practice spinning a hula hoop across the floor in the close right? My neighbours won't mind right?

Like erosan said, themes are just for fun. My current one involves a lot of stretches of the imagination and is essentially an excuse for me to post pictures of my pets

Woooo H2G2 gifs!

Hopefully there will be! I'm also trying to get the occasional bit of training footage, but it's difficult to get stuff that's just me

So when you last saw me I was bailing out of a challenge because my mental health was going a bit squiffy. Since then I spent a month in Brazil doing circus training, lost a few of my older rats, obtained four new baby rats, got my second tattoo, aaannnd my mental health went SERIOUSLY squiffy. Like I'm currently on a three month interruption from my PhD because I stopped getting out of bed and going in for like three weeks squiffy. I am, however, starting to go a wee bit stir crazy on my own in the flat all day. So here I am. I don't have to worry about my PhD for the next little while so I can concentrate on getting my health together - both physically and mentally. In honour of the four new babies, and the fact that I am finally getting round to watching Ratatouille for the first time, I'm going to split this challenge into four segments, each based on one of the girls (who all have names from sci-fi/fantasy so it's totally still a nerd thing ). Plus cute rat photos. And Ratatouille gifs. Main Goals There are two main things I'm working towards. Half Mudder (June 26th). 8km run with mud and obstacles and general mayhem. The half doesn't include the most horrific things (ice bath, no thanks. Electrocution? Hahahahaha NOPE) but still has challenges. I'm actually not that worried about the obstacles, more about the whole running outside for that long thing... MCF Dreams (End of July/Early August). The company where I take my aerial classes is putting a show together for Glasgow's Merchant City Festival based loosely on Alice in Wonderland and I'm in it! Like all of it. The cast was meant to be 12 and has ended up as....six. Currently I am riding a bike in the intro, being a fairy briefly to rescue Alice from "bad dreams", in a group act with hula hoops and aerial hoops, some form of movement thing, an aerial hoop nymph in a group forest scene, doing some form of group act on a trampoline (lord help us all) and singing. Singing. FML. I have a really good ear and a really bad voice :'( I have a lot of work to do to be ready for both these things.... Fenchurch (Self Care) Named after the H2G2 chracter, Fenchurch is a special rat (that is her official vet diagnosis, seriously). She's got epilepsy, she's nervous and neurotic, and she's amazing. She reminds me daily of the importance of baby steps (I almost cried the first time I saw her tussle with the other babies like a normal rat), that two steps forward and one step back is still progress, and she's the inspiration for my self-care quest. To gain points in this quest (subject to change as I, hopefully, go through the mental health services) Take all my meds +1 Leave the flat (this is super vague and includes everything from going to the cinema to sitting on the balcony with a book to going for a run) +1 Socialising +2 Showering +1 Washing my hair +2 Cleaning my teeth +1 Proper face washing +1 Moisturising +1 Shaving legs +2 Face mask/hair mask/foot mask/some form of spoiling +2 Getting a massage +5 Having a bath +2 20 minutes of reading +1 One load of washing (washed and hung) +2 Emptying the washing basket +10 Changing bedding +5 15 minutes of tidying +2 One hour of tidying +10 One completely organised room +25 One completely organised flat +100 Sabetha (Circus) Sabetha is my crazy circus rat (and a total mummy's girl which I love but isn't really relevant here...). Named after Sabetha Belacoros of the Gentlemen Bastards (the only female member) who is a complete badass. Book!Sabetha would totally be an assassin. Rat!Sabetha...well she'll lick you to death When she's not pretending to be a tiny dog she's being generally mental - jumping, climbing, tightrope walking - nothing is beyond her (or so she thinks ) and she would be amazing in the circus, so is the inspiration for my circus-specific training. As well as progressing with my first love (trapeze), I want to improve my hoop, learn to juggle, improve my hula hooping and work on my handstands. We're doing quite a lot of handstand stamina work but my tendency is to take it into my lower back when I get tired which is not helpful to anyone so in my private practice I plan to work on quality rather than quantity by kicking up to a wall then getting myself into the proper position and holding there. This way I can work on technique and position without worrying about the initial balancing issue. I've also let my flex work slide since getting back to cooolllld Scotland so need to get back to that. To gain points in this quest Aerial class +2 10 minutes juggling practice +1 30 minutes juggling practice +5 Consistent two ball juggling +5 Five passes three ball juggling +5 Ten passes three ball juggling +10 Consistent three ball juggling +50 10 minutes hula hoop practice +1 30 minutes hula hoop practice +5 25 show condition throw/catches in a row +3 25 spin outs in a row +5 50 spin outs in a row +10 Aerial hoop session (can include rehearsals) +5 Getting my double skinner back +5 Single toe hang +10 Heel hang +20 Single heel hang +100 Multiple back belly spins +5 Forward belly spins +15 New move/transition (trapeze) +1 New move/transition (hoop) +2 Five handstand tries +1 Ten second freestanding handstand +10 Closed eye one leg balance training +1 Splits flex work +5 Back flex work +5 Eskarina (General fitness) Esk is a sturdy soul. By no means fat, she's strong and energetic. Named for Eskarina Smith in Equal Rites, she's got her character's feisty spirit and is usually not far behind Sabetha in causing mayhem so is an excellent example for my general fitness quest. To earn points in this quest Going for a run +5 Each km run +1 5km run in one session +10 5km run without stopping +15 8km run in one session +15 8km run without stopping +20 10 v sits +1 5 push ups +2 2 pull ups +1 10 leg raises +1 10 burpees +1 Inara (Diet) Inara is of course named after the beautiful Inara Serra of Firefly. Tbh I'm reaching here because there isn't really a specific reason to link her to diet but I've started this theme so I'll finish it... Inara looks extremely similar to Esk (like I struggle to tell them apart sometimes) but is a slightly leaner version so...diet? Eh whatever, I need a diet quest, she's cute as a button, pretend this bit makes some sort of sense Diet wise, well, you know how people in a depressive episode are super healthy with what they eat? No? Damn. So, that needs work. Main aims here are to reduce how much coke I'm drinking, reduce the take away/fast food consumption (I'm allowing myself one per week) and increase my fruit and veg intake. Baby steps all the way... Points for this quest Portion of fruit/veg +1 Fast food over the limit of once per week -5 No fast food in a week +5 Replacing bottle of coke with water based drink +1 Tracking calories (per day) +1 Scoring/Rewards My vague plan is to use week 0 to get an idea of what's realistic in terms of overall scoring then work out some form of reward scheme for myself. We shall see!

Yes yes yes I do! I spent a disturbing amount of my childhood pretending I was a horse. Comes in handy for warm up games of bear walk tig

General hypermobility is based on the Beighton (I score 6/9). Ankles are not included in this test - I have been told by multiple medical professionals that they are hypermobile. My issue with unipedal balancing (which is something I include to work on my ankles) is instability due to too much movement. I have one ankle injury from a horse landing on it, other than that there's nothing specific. I do tend to "turn" my ankles more often than most people (anecdotally), but it rarely results in an injury as I can in fact walk comfortably on the outside of my feet. The orthotics are prescription and based specifically on my foot and ankle problems. When I initially went for a consult (due to knee pain, everything is out of alignment) they first thought that I had "flat feet" but it turns out I actually have a very good arch when my ankles are properly upright! I can do all of the tests you suggest easily, so I don't think foot strength is the issue. I have workarounds to minimise the pain (eg doing planks on fists instead of palms to keep my wrists straight) but long term would like to improve my wrist strength so the workarounds aren't necessary. Could you tell me a little more about the isometric contractions you mentioned?

It's not a great video I'm afraid (turns out it's hard to film your own feet, who knew!) but hopefully this'll give you an idea https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6eLUqQeijitbzlaZlRFSU4xaDA/view?usp=sharing It starts with my ankles in their "relaxed" state, I raise them up into the "proper" alignment, then relax them again. I know it looks like my heels are moving but they aren't - my heels stay in position throughout and it's just my ankle moving.

Sorry! I love watching contortionists so sometimes forget that not everyone is a huge fan of weird backbending... I can never get over the strength and body control they have

Second go at this...

Where are you specifically wanting to improve your flexibility? Knowing what you want to work on will make it easier for us to give you suggestions

Ponyface and I just potter about on hacks these days so we don't really have any goals as such. Just looking forward to getting out and about more often and for longer as the weather improves And maybe a bath at some point. She is filthy after the winter.

Well I'm late....but if you're doing a fitness trip totally do the ADF! I just looked at the CNF prices and went "hahahahahahaha nope". Or come to one of the European ones And since the last time I was around you'd just injured yourself it's so good to find out you've healed up well!!

Specifically wrists and ankles. I've got several hypermobile joints, but the ones that are causing the most problems are my wrists and ankles. My ankles collapse inwards so that it looks like I have flat feet - I control this most of the time with special insoles but I'm currently training six hours a week for a show barefoot (shoes are not an option for this) and they're not happy. A lot of the conditioning involves jumping and my ankles have started buckling. We're working pretty hard, and the more tired I get the harder it is for me to stabilise them. My wrists are most affected by anything involving weight on my hands - handstands, planks etc (and guess what there's a lot of...) because I tend to use them to balance myself far more than I should. So does anyone have any good exercises to strengthen wrists and ankles? I'm starting to get fed up with being looked at like I'm slacking when I bail out of exercises

Eeeeeeeeee trapeze!! Where are you taking classes? (Totally being nosey because I'm an aerialist in the UK too) Five sounds like a pretty decent size to me for a beginners class, though depends how many bars were out... Also if you stick with it waiting around time starts decreasing as they start trusting you to go on the equipment without being watched like a hawk Grip strength is one of the things I've seen people struggle with most, pumped forearms are definitely a thing. You'll also find that gets easier as you get more confident and are less death-grippy. The proprioception thing gets better but never really leaves you - I spent a large chunk of my last class (after almost three years...) going "where am I? How did I get here?? WHAT'S HAPPENING???" as I tried to learn a new transition. It's all part of the fun

I left my rats running around in my hallway while I cleaned out their cage, and when I went to get them four of them dashed across the hall to climb up me and sit on my shoulders ^-^

Yes! I train with a woman who can kick my arse doing a short arm hang or skin the cats, but can't base in acro/aerial AT ALL. She's super slender with next to no body fat, I'm *ahem* stocky with hips and arse and boobs so struggle more holding my bodyweight but can base way better. It's hard, but try not to directly compare yourself to her. My sister took up aerial circus after I introduced her to it, and I struggle with similar things to you - luckily we focus on different bits of equipment which avoids direct comparisons and "it's not fair, she's not been doing this as long and is better at x". Plus long term you might find things change - you might build muscle more easily than she does, or discover that you're more flexible than her

PARKOUR! I know parkour people! How many of us are there likely to be and I can make some inquiries. I would also put in a vote for aerial/circus stuff (because it is all the awesome) buuuut that is probably going to blow the budget :'(

*Pokes head round corner* I think I might be coming back... Just to lurk for the rest of this challenge then hopefully properly for the next one (once I've figured out how this new setup works...). Expect many circusy goals!

So I'm bowing out on this challenge. Depression and anxiety are kicking my arse so I'm focussing myself on being less, well, shit. I do love the format I have here though so will probably resurrect it next time round! I'm going to stick around to read other people's threads but no more active challenge for me

Oh god, what happened?? Here's hoping you won't need surgery and will heal quickly!