cmhutch

Yeah, basically if you're not in the hospital, you're expected to show up. The kids all come in sick, too, so it's a bit of an endless cycle this time of year. Thanks! Definitely feeling better--hope to get back on the workout wagon today!

I've been sick half the week, so my check-in is going to be short as well as a bit late. Most of my energy is going towards making it through work (hooray for Korea and the nonexistence of sick days here ). Week 2 Report I started to beat myself up about how poorly I did this week, but when I look back, I actually didn't do terrible. Especially with the whole feeling like death thing. Here's the breakdown: 1. Get a little sunshine My weekday walks didn't get any longer, but I still got them in 4/5 days. Took a longer walk on Saturday, which was a bit more than my body was ready for, but it was pretty and mostly worth it (pictures to come). 2. Flip my perspective Four solid days, then my sinuses struck and both going upside down and doing anything that involved too much strain led to a pounding headache. Hoping to maybe get back at it tomorrow. 3. Use the tools at hand Two strength workouts--and deadlifts were feeling easier!--and then aforementioned sinuses/illness stopped me. I'm on the mend, so maybe I'll finally get all three in Week Three! 4. Conquer NaNoWriMo I have kept my word count on target, if only just. Definitely not writing anything beautiful and profound, but I'm having fun and enjoying the creative outlet. Alright, that's all I've got for now. Planning to actually get on here during the week this week and be more active keeping up with y'all. Until then, I will sleep.

Some progress is better than none, right? Thanks! It was so much fun to see all the kids dressed up! Best Halloween I've had in a while. Thanks for the encouragement! Thanks! We can do it!! Nice! I've definitely noticed a little improvement, even with my short daily sessions. It's encouraging!

Fellow WriMo writer here--way to go on the first day! I hope your weekend writing goes just as well

Hi fellow WriMo writer! Looks like you're off to a great start, keep it up!

I'm late, but here to follow your handstand work! Thanks for posting details about what you work on for the folks (like me) who are working their way from the bottom. Sorry you're dealing with a weird mood, but good on you for trying different things to shake it Even if it isn't always effective, it beats doing nothing.

Week One Update This week has been crazy busy at work, preparing for and throwing a Halloween party for all the students. It was worth the effort, though, and everyone had a blast. I made a Thor costume out of mostly cardboard and duct tape, and throughout the day most of my students found that they were worthy to wield Mjolnir. Now on to the challenge stuff... 1. Get a little sunshine My usual walk to work only takes about two minutes, but 4/5 days this week I left early and extended my route to about ten. The extra sunshine and fresh air definitely had a positive effect on my mood, and I'm hoping to get out even earlier this coming week to walk a little longer. On Saturday I went out to dinner with a coworker and we walked the two miles to the restaurant. Today I made a similar trek to one of the bigger supermarkets in town (not having a car can be a good fitness boost!). No mountains climbed this week, but my walk today did take me through a park with some pretty fall colors on display--and giant leaves. 2. Flip my perspective I got my handstand practice in every day except Saturday--and learned how poor my core strength and balance have gotten since the last time I attempted this. I'm basically starting back at square one, but at least I'm starting, right? Going to focus on core exercises and wall walks moving forward...and a little extra wrist mobility work because I need it. 3. Use the tools at hand I did 2 of my 3 strength workouts, and it felt really good to deadlift again, even if it wasn't much weight. My struggle with strength training is timing. I haven't been waking up early enough in the mornings because my sleep has been worse than usual lately, and my motivation levels by the time I get home after 10 hours of teaching are pretty near empty. My plan for week 2 is to bite the bullet and get up early, in the hopes that the added exercise will lead to better sleep moving forward. 4. Conquer NanoWriMo This is going great so far, since morning writing sessions this weekend have put me ahead on my word count. I'm hoping to keep up the momentum through the week by replacing my usual after-dinner Netflix time with writing. Luckily I work pretty fast, so I only need an hour or so of focus to stay on target. Conclusion I didn't accomplish everything I wanted to this week, but for as busy as I was, and for starting a set of new habits, I feel pretty good about it. Here's to making Week 2 even better!

I can definitely post some pictures! It will give me an excuse to get them uploaded on my computer and organized Weird timezone buddies! Where are you based?

Following! I love that you looked at the challenges ahead and instead of saying "I'll get back on track after the holidays," you looked for something positive you could do now. That's something I'm working on myself. Hope you continue to feel better!

Yay handstands! And thanks for the welcome Highlights in SK include the landscape (I come from Michigan, a very flat land, making the mountains here extra gorgeous!), the food, and my precocious, hilarious, filter-free students. It's also been a great experience in how welcoming and nice people have been--lots of Koreans have gone out of their way to help me out when I needed it, or offered a smile and a bit of conversation using however much English they knew. Thanks! It feels good to be back. When you put it that way, it does sound like a lot... But really, handstands and walking only take a few minutes out of my day, so I only have two bigger goals. We'll see how it works out.

It's been a loooong time since I've been here, but a post in the CNF group sparked a desire to come back. I've been struggling with consistency and motivation, and could that special brand of encouragement and support that I know Nerds do best. I'm currently 2/3 of the way through a one year English teaching contract in South Korea. It's been a huge adventure, and I love my students (Kindergarten to second graders), but the long hours and lack of a close social group have taken a bit of a mental toll. Add to that the dropping temperatures and shorter days, and you have a recipe for me spending most of my free time with food and Netflix instead of working out or exploring the countryside. I don't want to waste this opportunity to explore Korea while I'm here--especially all of the gorgeous hiking that's available. And I don't want to go home in worse shape than I got here. On the more practical side, I also need to keep my energy up if I'm going to be any good as a teacher to my kiddos--you need to bring your A-game to hold the attention of a room full of six-year-olds! Usually, at this point, I make way too many goals for myself, burn out after a week or two, and end up right back at square one. This time I'm going to try to take it a bit easier, have some fun, and gradually work my way toward bigger things. So here's the plan for this challenge: Health Goal 1: Get a little sunshine It's dark by the time I finish work, but the sun is still shining before I go in. I'm going to get a little walk in at least 4/5 weekday mornings, and longer walks (hopefully some hikes) on the weekends. This should do me some good both physically and mentally. Health Goal 2: Flip my perspective I wanted some kind of daily activity that doubled as play, and handstand/inversion practice fits the bill! I'll get in at least 10 minutes of practice a day, ideally as part of my morning routine. Health Goal 3: Use the tools at hand I got a set of weights cheap from a teacher who was moving back home, and right now they're sitting in the corner of my apartment, collecting dust. That won't do. I'm going to start a basic lifting program, 3x a week. I'll start slow and see where 5 weeks can get me. Life Goal: Conquer NaNoWriMo I haven't participated in a few years, and my brain could use a break from thinking about lesson planning and test scores all the time. I give myself full permission to write 50,000 words of terrible nonsense, but I will write those words. That's all I've got for now. Looking forward to getting started tomorrow, and following the other challenges here! xx C.Hutch

Fair warning: if you've never listened to the Welcome to Night Vale podcast, the story part of my challenge is probably going to come across as more than a little crazy. (Solution: go listen to it! Seriously, it's awesome). Anyway, here goes: I find myself in a hall full of doors. Doors in both directions, as far as I can see, and all of them different. I have no idea how I got here, and after several minutes of walking and finding no end to the hall, it becomes obvious that I’m going to have to pick one if I want to get anywhere. After a few uncertain moments, I walk up to one—it is a deep purple and seems to be…humming? But I’m pretty sure I’m dreaming at this point, so I just turn the knob and step through. I’m in a studio apartment. The only light comes through a window from streetlamps outside. There is a radio on the table beside me, playing only soft static. I reach for the button to turn it off, but stop midway when a voice replaces the white noise. “Hello, listeners…†That was...days ago? Weeks? I’ve been here a while now, and it’s weird. Really weird. Multi-headed dragons, hooded figures, and clouds-that-drop-dead-animals weird. I managed to get an internship at the community radio station, but from what I can tell even that job is dangerous in a place like this. If I’m going to survive here, I need to stay on my toes. Main Quest: to be strong, fast, and flexible enough to handle whatever life throws at me. 1.Strength Training Weird and deadly things seem to turn up on a regular basis here. Plus, I have to help my boss haul his mobile broadcasting equipment to different local events. Getting stronger is definitely to my advantage. Goal: strength training 3-4x/week (alternating Angry Birds and a Tabata bodyweight workout) 2.Flexibility Caring for the station cat(?) is one of my many duties, and it’s practically an acrobatic feat. For this and other things, I need to be able to stretch and bend with ease. Goal: yoga on non-strength days (30 min, my regular routines plus a focus on inversions and hip openers) 3.Food Big Rico’s Pizza? Invisible pie? The food options here are strange. I need to keep track of what is safe (and permitted) and what isn’t. Goal: track food on MFP (try to eat well, but the focus for this challenge is just tracking everything) 4.Side Quest: Organization Being a NVCR intern is a busy job, and I need to make sure I stay on top of my to-do list. Goal: short weekly reviews/planning sessions to keep me on track and moving forward with my goals And there it is. I'm ready for six weeks of posting weird updates and kicking butt on my goals!

How's week 2 going?

Saturday did perk up, and Sunday too! Hit all my goals and finished the week strong. WEEK 1 SUMMARY: Strength - 3/3 100% Yoga - 3/3 100% 2x Veggies - 6/7 86% Writing - 2/7 28% Week 2 is going strong so far. Hit all my goals, including writing! Going to a yoga class with a friend tonight, which should be fun.

I could use the push, I've been seriously slacking! Have your classes started, or not yet? I'm a huge Shakespeare nerd, so the second one sounds awesome. Picking one genre is highly overrated, I like your combo! Awesome job on the challenge so far. Keep it up!

Awesome job so far! As for maybe not eating enough--how about using a calorie tracker online to enter your food and see how it has been adding up?

This week has been crazy busy between getting things ready for my trip, trying to see friends & family, and helping my aunt and uncle move into a new house. Still, the challenge is going pretty well! Tues - did my yoga, but only got 1 serving of veggies in. Weds - strength workout done! W4 pushups still a bit of a struggle. Veggies x2. Thurs - yoga & veggies, check! Fri - strength workout, plus a bonus workout shoveling snow. Veggies consumed. Sat - having a bit of a lazy day workout-wise, if I don't do yoga today I will first thing tomorrow morning. Feeling really good about everything except for my writing goal--I've been seriously slacking there. Tonight, though, I'm going to write something! Even if it's just a few words.

Thanks! Good to see you again.

Looks like you're set up for a great 6 weeks! I'm a bit jealous of the parkour and acro classes--hoping to live somewhere that offers that kind of cool stuff in the near future. Until then, I'll just have to live vicariously through people like you!

Great goals and theme! Now I want to go watch Chuck again... Looks like we have similar writing goals. What kind of fiction writing do you do/what courses are you taking?

You're going to rock this challenge! Count on me to pester you if I don't see regular updates. Try any new healthy recipes recently with the Whole30 thing?

Yesterday was a good start. Got my workout in first thing, 3 sets of planks, box jumps, and one arm rows, and 5 sets of pushups. Got my veggies in with peppers & pico de gallo in my eggs for breakfast, and pea pods, onions, and mushrooms with lunch. The only thing I didn't tick off my list for the day was writing.

Thanks Devyn! I'm counting on that nagging, thanks!

Thanks for the encouragement! I am planning to stack the food habits. It's a bit daunting, but not as much as trying to make all the changes at the same time! I might take you up on the no dairy help, that one is going to be hard... Thanks! I'm excited to get working on handstands again.

Haven’t done a challenge in a while, but after a respawn in December, I’m ready to get back at it! 2015 is going to be an epic year, and I’m planning to stay active and enjoy it. J My biggest adventure this year starts in just a few weeks: on January 27, I’ll be flying to Australia to work & travel around the country for 6 months. I’ve set up goals for this challenge that I should be able to complete in the chaos of getting ready, travelling, and settling in. Main Quest: To get continuously stronger in 2015, including completing a 100 Pushup Challenge, doing 5 pull ups, and holding a freestanding handstand. This Challenge: Goal 1 – strength workouts 3x/week, with bodyweight circuits including the 100 Pushup Challenge sets. (I started this a while ago and am on week 4/7. Anticipate repeating a week or two, but hopefully I’ll complete it by the end of the challenge!) Goal 2 – yoga 3x/week, at least 20 minutes. This is a habit I always really enjoy once I get into it, but I’ve been slacking lately and it’s time to get back to it! Goal 3 – weekly diet improvements. W1: veggies 2x/day W2: no bread W3: 60g protein/day W4: no dessert foods W5: at least 8 cups water or unsweetened tea/day W6: no dairy Life Quest – daily writing habit, even if it’s only a few words.