fastergrace

Oh, folks, my first week was a monumental failure. I didn't accomplish any of my goals. I went off the rails. But, that doesn't mean that I can't get them done the rest of the month. Today, I'm getting things going with a bodyweight workout and an nf yoga water session.

Following along again. Good luck!!!!

Day one. I could have done better. ** Sun 12/04 ** When I do drink alcohol, replace fail drinks with better alternatives - Fail. I had a beer and some cocktails. :/ Defeat the sugar beast! - Also fail. I ate a cookie. :/ Complete 3x bodyweight and/or kicboxing workouts - Nada today, but still in line to meet this week's quota so that's all good. 10 mins of yoga each day - Done! I did a shoulder mobility session from NF Yoga. Spend at least one hour each week de-cluttering and organizing my room - Nothing on this today. I won't likely have time until later this week, but I'll get it done!

I'm participating in Staci's 30 day yoga challenge, which started yesterday, so I'm going to modify my fitness goal to reflect that.

Thanksgiving was rough. I definitely fell off of the healthy eating and exercise wagon. It makes things hard, because I feel like when I do that I get in this mental rut that ends in me getting into a bad period for months and having to respawn. So, I'm determined not to do that this time.This week, I've just been trying to get my eating back in line and get some exercise in. Next week, I start my next four week challenge! I'm also participating in Staci's 30 day yoga challenge, which started yesterday. It means I do at least ten minutes of yoga every day. Last night, despite the fact that I got in late, I snuck in the squat mobility and posture mini-sessions from NF Yoga. In a little while, I'm off to the gym to do a bit of cardio and one of the NF Yoga water sessions.

I <3 the Princess Bride! Following along.

Hello fellow rebels! I'm starting my second challenge. ** Diet ** When I do drink alcohol, replace fail drinks (I'm looking at you, sugary cocktails and beer) with better alternatives (like red wine or vodka soda) - see the Can I Still Drink Alcohol? quest. This goal is one I'm rolling over from my previous challenge, as I didn't do nearly as well as I wanted to and need to keep working on this habit. Defeat the sugar beast! Cut out refined sugars, and limit the use of other sweeteners like maple syrup and honey. ** Fitness ** Complete one of the following each week: three bodyweight workouts (I'm still on the 1A/1B series but maybe I can progress this month!) or two bodyweight workouts and one kickboxing class. Participate in the 30 day yoga challenge - complete at least 10 minutes of yoga per day! ** Level Up My Life ** Spend at least one hour each week de-cluttering and organizing my room

Oh boy. Last week was a doozy. I'm just going to give a summary... ** Weekly Summary *** Two caffeinated drinks a day, only black coffee or tea: Accomplished! If drinking, replace fail alcoholic drinks with better alternatives: Fail fail fail. My brother and I hit the craft beer hard over the Thanksgiving holiday. Complete bodyweight exercises at least 3x/week: Fail. I only got a 1A and a 1B done last week. I didn't make my third workout. Get at least 7 hours of sleep at least 6 days a week: Accomplished! ** Challenge Summary *** Two caffeinated drinks a day, only black coffee or tea: Accomplished. Yesss. If drinking, replace fail alcoholic drinks with better alternatives: Fail. I only managed this one week of four. I'm rolling this into my next challenge, as it's definitely something I still want to work on. Complete bodyweight exercises at least 3x/week: Fail. I only managed this for one week. This is another one that will be rolled into my next challenge. Get at least 7 hours of sleep at least 6 days a week: Accomplished!!! So, I accomplished two out of four of my goals. And even though I didn't complete the other two, I think that I started to develop some good habits from them which I'm going to continue to work on. Onward and upward!!!

Fri 11/18 Two caffeinated drinks a day, only black coffee or tea: Good, I had one black iced coffee. If drinking, replace fail alcoholic drinks with better alternatives: Fail. I had a couple of Lychee Martinis - talk about sugar. :/ Why did I let myself do this? Complete bodyweight exercises at least 3x/week: Nothing today Get at least 7 hours of sleep at least 6 days a week: Done! Sat 11/19 Two caffeinated drinks a day, only black coffee or tea: No problems, I had *no* caffeine If drinking, replace fail alcoholic drinks with better alternatives: Done, I had no alcohol Complete bodyweight exercises at least 3x/week: Bodyweight 1A completed Get at least 7 hours of sleep at least 6 days a week: Accomplished *** Weekly Summary *** Two caffeinated drinks a day, only black coffee or tea: Mission accomplished! If drinking, replace fail alcoholic drinks with better alternatives: Fail x 2 days. This one has really proven difficult for me. I think one of my biggest issues is controlling myself when I'm socializing with my friends. I need, and want, to start treating this as a priority. This is really my only source of liquid calories as I've cut out caffeinated drinks with calories in them, and I very rarely drink juice or anything else aside from water. Complete bodyweight exercises at least 3x/week: Accomplished. I did a 1B, a 1A, and a kickboxing class. Get at least 7 hours of sleep at least 6 days a week: Accomplished!

Wishing you the best in your recovery! Hopefully, before you know it, you'll be back to normal!!!

Kickboxing was great! I'm still a little sore. I'm trying to head back Monday and get in one more before Thanksgiving sets in. Thurs 11/17 Two caffeinated drinks a day, only black coffee or tea: Good, I had one black iced coffee. If drinking, replace fail alcoholic drinks with better alternatives: Fail. Fail. Fail. I was out last night for a concert. I had margaritas and beer, and today I feel totally bloated and gross. I'm getting better with this, generally, but not consistently enough. Thanksgiving will be a challenge, but one I'm going to get back up and tackle!!! Complete bodyweight exercises at least 3x/week: Nada, rest day. Get at least 7 hours of sleep at least 6 days a week: I got in late last night after the aforementioned concert. So, mission totally not accomplished, but it'll be the one lax day I'm allowing myself so I'll still meet this goal.

Still going strong! Tues 11/15 Two caffeinated drinks a day, only black coffee or tea: Good, I had one black coffee. If drinking, replace fail alcoholic drinks with better alternatives: All good - I had nothing to drink Complete bodyweight exercises at least 3x/week: Completed 1B! Get at least 7 hours of sleep at least 6 days a week: No probs here. Wed 11/16 Two caffeinated drinks a day, only black coffee or tea: Good, I had a black iced coffee and an espresso. I'm really having no issues keeping up with this goal. If drinking, replace fail alcoholic drinks with better alternatives: All good, didn't have any Complete bodyweight exercises at least 3x/week: I did a one hour kickboxing class. It was an intense workout. It counts. Get at least 7 hours of sleep at least 6 days a week: All good

Okay, yesterday was a mix of good and bad. There was an event at work where they had looooads of Indian food. I ate my own lunch, but I did end up eating some sweets from the event. Later, though, I did a one hour (intense!) kickboxing class with one of my friends. So at least the calorie burn from the workout helps to cancel out the sweeties. I have *got* to get back to kickboxing more often. It's hard for me, and I definitely don't do as well as most of the others in the class, but I really don't care because I'm trying my best and am most definitely challenging myself. Ah, and I'd like to share my epic quest breakdown with you all. It's one of my mindset quests. These focus on exercising more, eating better and cooking more often at home, losing weight, getting more sleep, and just generally being more organized.

Well done with the food prep and meal planning! This is something I'm absolutely terrible with, so I'll probably need to include it in my next challenge.

I've done well the past couple of days. The eating has been just fine - I've been meeting or staying under my calorie coal so that's good. Today, I had a small victory. It's a crappy day out (rainy and dreary) and that made my commute totally gross. Despite feeling completely unmotivated, I got my butt down to the gym to get bodyweight 1B in. So, yay for that!

This cake was a lot like a sponge cake, with a little taro flavor in it. TBH, I expected it to be a steamed glutinous cake like this. Either way, it was tasty!

So far so good, this week! Sun 11/13 Two caffeinated drinks a day, only black coffee or tea: All good! If drinking, replace fail alcoholic drinks with better alternatives: Accomplished. I drank a couple of vodka sodas. Complete bodyweight exercises at least 3x/week: Nada, rest day! Get at least 7 hours of sleep at least 6 days a week: Done Mon 11/14 Two caffeinated drinks a day, only black coffee or tea: Good, I had two black iced coffees If drinking, replace fail alcoholic drinks with better alternatives: All good - I had nothing to drink Complete bodyweight exercises at least 3x/week: Nothing - planning on Tues 1B, Thurs 1A, Sat 1B. Maybe a kickboxing class Wed if I think I can handle it, as well. Get at least 7 hours of sleep at least 6 days a week: Mission accomplished

Friday was a bit of a treat - I was taken out to a really really nice meal. I did have a few glasses of white wine. The food itself probably wasn't too bad - all seafood and nothing too heavy - but I did have dessert. It was a special meal, so I don't feel guilty. I needed to enjoy myself. Saturday, I stayed home and didn't get up to much. I ate a veggie burger, completed bodyweight 1A, and had some Thai food. What I shouldn't have done is have a (albeit small) piece of taro cake after dinner. But, it is what it is. I'm happy, at least, that I got the exercise in. Today, I'm a bit sore, but might still try and get in one of the NF Yoga Water sessions if I'm feeling saucy. I think I can handle it - the soreness isn't too bad. I have been seriously considering stopping food tracking, but looking at what I've eaten over the past couple of days I think maybe I will keep it up for another couple of weeks until I get a better handle on myself. This week, aside from making sure I get in my bodyweight workouts, I want to focus on getting more cooking done at home. Time to try some of the NF recipes!

Thurs 11/10 Two caffeinated drinks a day, only black coffee or tea: Good, I had just one black iced coffee. If drinking, replace fail alcoholic drinks with better alternatives: Just fine. I a couple of glasses of red wine. Complete bodyweight exercises at least 3x/week: Bodyweight 1B completed Get at least 7 hours of sleep at least 6 days a week: Mission accomplished! Fri 11/11 Two caffeinated drinks a day, only black coffee or tea: Fine, I had just one black coffee. If drinking, replace fail alcoholic drinks with better alternatives: I went out for a fancy dinner at Le Bernardin (sogood!) so I did have a couple of glasses of niiiiiice white wine. I avoided the very tempting cocktail list, so I'll consider that a success. Complete bodyweight exercises at least 3x/week: Nothing today. Rest day! Get at least 7 hours of sleep at least 6 days a week: No issues. Plenty of weekend sleep. Sat 11/12 Two caffeinated drinks a day, only black coffee or tea: Just fine, I had one black coffee. If drinking, replace fail alcoholic drinks with better alternatives: All good, I had nothing to drink today. Complete bodyweight exercises at least 3x/week: Bodyweight 1A completed. Am fully back into it! Get at least 7 hours of sleep at least 6 days a week: No issues. Plenty of sleep. *** Weekly Summary *** Two caffeinated drinks a day, only black coffee or tea: Done! If drinking, replace fail alcoholic drinks with better alternatives: I failed one day. But I jumped right back on the horse after that. Complete bodyweight exercises at least 3x/week: I only made it twice this week. My hamstrings are feeling much better, though, so back to it! Get at least 7 hours of sleep at least 6 days a week: Done!

They're feeling much better, thanks! I did 1A yesterday and have just a little bit of (totally normal) soreness. The drinking started out of celebration, lol, but then tanked.

It's been a whirlwind couple of days emotionally, and of course my feels always seem to find their way into my life physically somehow. Tuesday I overate, I overdrank, and I didn't get enough sleep. Wednesday I was tired and just felt off. That, plus paranoia about re-injuring myself meant I didn't work out. But, at least I ate reasonably well. Today, I'm well and truly back to it. Usual breakfast, a small salad and some chicken for lunch, and I did make it to the gym to complete bodyweight 1B this afternoon.

Owie. Gotta listen to those docs, though! I'm proud of you for choosing to work on an alternative instead of breaking from exercise altogether.

Tues 11/08 Two caffeinated drinks a day, only black coffee or tea: All good, I had two black coffees. If drinking, replace fail alcoholic drinks with better alternatives: Oh boy, did I fall off the wagon on this one. I was out with my friends for the election results and I had a few sugary cocktails with my dinner. I just have to keep trying. I can do better. Complete bodyweight exercises at least 3x/week: Nothing today. Still taking a break after my strain. Get at least 7 hours of sleep at least 6 days a week: Nope. I couldn't help myself. I stayed up for the election results, even though I had to get up early for work. I had maybe a few hours of sleep, max. This will have to be my one missed day this week. Still on track to meet my goal this week. Wed 11/09 Two caffeinated drinks a day, only black coffee or tea: No problems, two black iced coffees. If drinking, replace fail alcoholic drinks with better alternatives: Eh, could have done better. I went out with friends and had some red wine (yay!) and a couple of light beers (still better than other things I would typically have had, so I'll take it). Complete bodyweight exercises at least 3x/week: I decided to take one more day's break. Doing 1B on Thursday, and 1A on Saturday. It means I won't hit my goal this week, but I'd rather be careful. Get at least 7 hours of sleep at least 6 days a week: No issues. Went to bed around 10:30 and got up for 6:30.

Oh noes - feel better soon!!!

I still have a little residual pain in the hammies, but I'm much better! I'm getting back to my bodyweight exercises tomorrow. Yesterday, I was *okay* with the eating. I was working from home. In the past I would typically binge on whatever food we had lying around, and I managed to avoid that well enough though I probably could have eaten a little less. Today, I'm back to work, and I typically find that when I'm in the office I tend to control my eating a little better - there are a lot of healthy options in the cafeteria. I've been feeling a little down and gross lately, and I've been avoiding weighing myself because I was worried that, despite my efforts, my weight would be up. But, I was feeling courageous last night, so I stepped on the scale. With a tummy full of food and clothes on, my weight was still down from the last time I weighed myself (which was, admittedly, a month or so ago). I felt really encouraged by that, so I weighed myself first thing this morning (the usual time I'd weigh myself) and I'm down over 8 pounds! That's highly encouraging to me. Its good to know that I'm making decisions that are putting me in the right direction.