Trinity

I'm going to try to make it out to see Steve tomorrow night. I just got the book in the mail this week! I've been *really* lax in my fitness the last year, and one of my goals is to get going on it again. (I really suck at exercise).

Quick update before I get back on the road with my accomplice (all the shenanigans!): Quest 1: I was actually hungry last night after midnight, but I didn't eat. I didn't want to lose my streak! Yay for good habits beginning to form! I think it helped that I was in someone else's house. Quest 2: We've got a two hour drive ahead of us. I'm thinking that I'm going to amend the quest to include 10k steps, because weekends like this may not allow for actual dedicated exercise time and since I'm so sedentary normally, 10k steps is a rarity in my day-to-day life. So if I do a workout, complete a fitness quest *or* exceed 10k steps in the day, I will count it as a win. I think that seems fair. What do you guys think? Quest 3: n/a til Monday I've also been really good in getting my minimum water (which is 4 cups, not 8; I'm building). Although be warned that Propel water with electrolytes is gross. I accidentally bought it at the gas station yesterday and had to struggle through drinking even half a cup. Blech. Okay, getting on the road in 30! Hope you recruits have a great weekend

Wooo! Go you!! So happy for you!

Just a quick update before I hit the road! Quest 1: stayed strong and didn't eat after midnight Quest 2: This morning, I did the Choose Your Cooldown Challenge, so I'm 4/5 this week, so far! Very excited to have been able to get this in before leaving. Strangely, though, I sweated through the cool down. I did it after my shower, thinking my muscles would be more relaxed and stretchy then. That worked out. But I also thought that being a cooldown, it would be non-sweaty. Wrong. Quest 3: n/a til Monday I will try to update over the weekend,but it will depend on how much time I have, etc. I hope the rest of you recruits have a great weekend!

A couple years ago, I started concentrating on doing planks and had gotten up to over a minute... 1:15, I think. So apparently that core work hasn't *all* turned to jelly yet I lost a lot of weight in the past (went from being plus size all my adult life - size 24 as a high, down to a 12). I'd never been in non-plus sizes as an adult (well, when I was in HS, there was no such thing as "plus size"... it was called "shopping in the boys' section). I was flabbergasted at the lack of uniform sizing. I SO missed Lane Bryant, where you could buy a size 22 in anything and it fit you like it was supposed to. At my lowest weight, I wore a size 10, 12, and 14, depending on the brand. That is just ridiculous! Now I have to try every damn thing on, even it's the same brand and style, because apparently in Bangladesh, the measurements for a size are different than in Indonesia, so even Vanderbilt Amanda jeans don't fit the same depending on place of manufacture. It's just stupid. Hahahaha! I'll bet she was completely embarrassed.

#gowritergo!

Today's update: Quest 1: no eating after midnight, again! Booyah! Quest 2: I just did the 15 sec plank (well, really I did 20 sec) and the 10 wall push ups Quests. So that's my minimum of 3 quests/workouts for the week. Technically, I did two today, which makes 4 for the week, but I'm going to count the days, not the actual Quests. Because getting by with just a single 15 (or 20) second plank doesn't feel like enough. Having the min for the week done is good, because tomorrow I jump in the car and I'll be driving down to FL and will be at a convention for the weekend. I suspect I will get a lot of general walking (that's the plan, anyway), but I'm not sure whether I'll be doing much actual exercise, since I'm rooming with someone. We'll see how it goes. Quest 3: n/a til Monday Side Quest update: Yesterday, I finally finished writing a new scene that I'd been halfway done with but hadn't gotten a chance to get back to. I've got about 95 pages revised on the novel, so about a third. I'm going to revise one more chapter and then send what I have off to him while I work on the remainder. (That's not how things usually work for submitting novels, but we have an established relationship, so it's okay in this case.) Before I send it, I still need to put together a synopsis for the entire thing. My goal is to have the partial to him by next Friday. So far things are tooling along! Of course, I haven't really changed my eating habits drastically yet, so it doesn't feel that difficult. But I suppose that's the point, huh?

Right?? Grrr. *rages at industry and societal norms* Okay, I'm better now

I totally get what you're trying to communicate and I agree with "there isn't a normal" in relation to people as personalities, but there is a "normal" leg shape. As an example, when I buy jeans, I have to buy the size that fits my thigh, which means the waist of the jeans tends to be ridiculously big and baggy. And I can't just order a pair of boots, because the chances of my calves fitting into them and them zipping closed is about 3%. (And that's only because I'm not comfortable enough with absolutes to say 0%.) And I don't even want to talk about pantyhose or especially stockings. Even though I'm a size 16, generally, I have to order super queen stockings (which are very hard to find), because otherwise, the top of the stocking will be so tight that it will *literally* leave bruises on my thigh (seriously, this has happened before). So while I do agree that there isn't a "normal" when it comes to people, in general, when it comes to body shape, there definitely is a "normal."

Good on you for recognizing the issues you're having and formulating a work-around, rather than quitting everything altogether! You're doing fantastic Two things: 1. binge-eating: Have you read through the Nutrition part of the Academy yet? The thing I really like about NF is that we give ourselves another chance (another "life," as it were). The thing that really strikes me is the "We don't eat badly twice in a row." So even if you binged, that's okay. Because your *next* eating choice will be a healthy one. That has seriously helped me get past the guilt which, let's face it, is probably more destructive than the actual binge. I have to deal with compulsive eating, which I don't think is all that different from binge eating. And it allows me to be strong against the compulsion knowing that if I *do* lose once, it's okay, because I can win again right after that. 2. your instructor: I strongly agree with Chen above. Talk to your instructor and let him know that his tactics right now are destructive, rather than constructive. That you're okay with being pushed, but him not listening to you -- ie, you know when your body is done -- isn't acceptable. Keep in mind that *you* are paying *him*, therefore, he needs to listen to you. Let him know that you're willing to allow him to push you -- that's part of what you're paying for, of course, but that when you've hit your wall and you communicate that to him, he needs to back off. He's putting you in danger both mentally and physically. And I'd also mention that ever saying that you're lying is a deal-breaker and you will walk out (if you're willing to do that) if he does that again. (This would also be a deal-breaker for me.) It's possible that he doesn't realize exactly how aggressive and demoralizing he's being. You could also set up something of a safeword when it comes to the wall you hit when you can't do anything else. Tell him that when you say that word (it can be as simple as "wall" or "done"), that he needs to back off and be supportive. Always keep in mind that he's working for you... so if you're not benefiting, then he needs to adjust. Not everyone responds to the same style and, as a teacher, he needs to understand that and be able to adjust his teaching style to the learner, as needed. I think you're doing great! Keep going

What a great attitude you have! And good on you for not waiting! I just joined NF about 3 days before the challenge, so I'm also a newbie. And I am right there with you with the covering up. (And it doesn't help that I don't fit into many of my pretty outfits anymore. Adds insult to injury. *sigh* But that's just motivation in disguise, right?) I think your goals are great! I'd probably look at Quest 3, though, and make it a little more specific. Getting outside "more" might be hard to track, for goal purposes. But I think it's a good quest to have. I definitely don't get out enough either. Good luck! I think you're going to do great

You and I must be productivity twins. I also use Todoist for projects, etc. Re: HabitRPG and bedtime. I initially was checking off the previous bedtime's items the next morning, until I realized I could change the turn-over time from midnight to 3am. Changing the time likely wouldn't help with forgetting, but shifting to checking them off the next day's list would likely help.

I actually saw a cool thing on Kickstarter that's essentially a movable desk on a stationary desk. So you can shift between sitting and standing, as you need to. Here's the link. It's expensive, but they have enough detailed pics of the pieces that if you or someone in your life is handy (like, say, an engineer-type, Jen ), it could probably be recreated, or something quite near. I'm thinking about getting my hubby on it for me, but he's super slow with big projects (I've been waiting since 2008 for my new closet ) so, I don't know. I'm considering remodeling the closet in our library into a little writing nook (and hiring a friend to do it), so I might incorporate the sit/stand in that. Honestly, I don't like camping much (I sound so contrary ), but a bunch of my friends go and I do like them. It's a regional burn (think Burning Man, but significantly smaller), so it's always interesting. It's like this generation's Woodstock, except it happens every year. And yes, sometimes I feel old there But there's a TON of walking, so I'll definitely get my exercise in there. I think that's a *great* way to look at it! I've been coming to terms with the idea that my legs are never going to look like normal legs. That's a hard thing to really face. But I like the idea of shifting the paradigm (that's one of the things I like doing in life, overall), to a more positive one like yours. I am going to try to emulate you My biggest issue is my brain. If I get bored, I'm done. I've had some success at the gym with weight machines, etc, because reps don't take long and then I'm on to another machine. So that keeps my brain occupied mostly. But I can't do treadmills or stationary bikes for more than about ten minutes before I'm like, "God... can I stop now? This is the most boring thing ever!" (I'm the same way with yoga, sadly, but I've only ever done one or two videos for yoga, so the experience might be different in a class setting. Or it might not ) I do like team sports (volleyball, and I used to play softball as a kid, so I imagine I'd like that again), but I'm not really involved in anything that allows for those on a regular basis. I do like to dance (not classes, but dancing at parties and clubs), and so I do that when I can. In essence, I'm a whiner about how much I hate exercise But I do think the NF program will keep me occupied for awhile. I like the leveling up and their workouts seem to be a little bit of a lot of different things and that's always promising for someone like me, I think. I do, at some point, want to look into taking some martial arts, but I don't think I have either the strength or stamina to do that right now. Maybe at the 6 month mark. Thank all of you guys for your comments! This is the sort of thing that keeps me going. You're awesome! <3

Hi Leafa I *love* HabitRPG! I've been stretching mostly daily for about six months (with the exception of when I was out of the country for 2 weeks) and have gotten some traction on habit forming with it. I find that gamifying things helps me achieve goals. I like that you put your workouts as lists. I'm not quite at the "do real workouts" phase yet (I'm still sore from choosing my warm up yesterday!), but I think I'm going to follow your lead for both the work out tasks and the warm up/cool down tasks. I think that will also help me remember everything I need to do. So thanks for being an inspiration! Best of luck on the challenge!