RedCedar

Eggs, avocado and bacon?!? PORK CARNITAS?!? You are speaking my language

So glad you got a little break in the weather and took advantage of it! Excellent start. Despite forces beyond your control (weather, no dance classes, etc.) you dug in to the things you could control and rocked em! You even went for an hour long hike in 5 degree weather, post-holeing all the way to meet your goals. That's dedication. Good luck next week, and lets hope the worst is over for that cold snap

Week one done! Day 7 update: Today I had planned to go on a hike with a friend, but the weather was so crappy and the avalanche/landslide danger so high we decided to take a raincheck. I didn't buy any of my own many excuses to skip Insanity tonight, and instead reminded myself I haven't missed one yet, so I better not start now. I've been having a bit more difficulty drinking the whole 64 oz when I'm not sitting in class with my nalgene on my desk all day. I had to chug to do it, but I made my hydration goal again. I made both breakfast and dinner today, but neither were paleo. This morning I made a really awesome quiche to use up the leftovers of yesterday's failed omelet, and tonight I had a quesadilla to go with my taco salad. Week one review: 1. "100 pushups" 3x/week = A+ Not only did I do all three workouts and the initial test this week, improving each workout, I also took advantage of every workout opportunity that came along. I went to all 4 Insanity sessions and went on two hikes! I'm also quite sore. 2. Drink 64 oz water/day = A- I made it, technically, but more than once I chugged some water right before bed to meet the goal. 3. Cook one Paleo dinner each week = B+ This was the week of epic leftovers. I cooked a lot this week, and I used what I had to make delicious food, but none of my meals could be considered 100% strict paleo. I'm eating too much dairy and sodium, but I don't feel bad about my diet at all this week. Getting back into the groove of cooking for myself, and having a damn good time doing it. I've been focusing on proteins and greens, but I want step it up next week. I definitely ate better this week than I did over the holidays! Life Quest: Some form of writing/journaling every day = C+ The only writing I did was part of a writing workshop. I did submit the poem I wrote to be posted on a blog, which is a really big step for me. Exercising everyday helped me feel less stressed, but I would like to dedicate more time next week to making time to write. Even if it's five minutes. Got to keep the writing muscles strong too! I didn't post my starting measurements, but the changes are as follows: Weight: lost 2.2 lbs Body Fat: (average between digital scale reading and caliper reading) decreased by 1.1% Waist: (around the biggest part) down 3/4" Whoohoo! On to week two!

+1 for Self-Control! It has really helped me (when I've had the self control to turn it on!) Great goals, welcome aboard!

Focusing on protein as well as eating enough calories has helped me maintain muscle while losing weight in the past. It depends if you are using flavored whey protein powder or not, but I love to mix mine into almost everything. On my last backpacking trip I mixed my instant oatmeal with protein powder, and it was awesome! The 50/50 mix kept me full for so long, even while hiking with a 40-50 lbs pack, and it tasted great! For quick easy breakfasts, I sometimes mix those carnation instant breakfasts with almond milk and whey protein, or if I'm really in a hurry sub the almond milk for my morning coffee! Awesome work not missing any workouts, and congrats on the body fat %! Keep up the momentum

I don't go anywhere without my jar of personalized trail mix. Currently the mix is wasabi flavored almonds, raw cashews, unsalted sunflower seeds, pepitas, and a few chocolate covered espresso beans. I've got plenty to share!

I'm getting my MEd in Environmental Education with a certificate in Non-profit Administration and Leadership. Day 6 update: The intention for today was to dig in and have a good day to counter the popcorn/beer dinner. Last night I stayed up past 3am gaming, and didn't manage to drag myself out of bed until 1pm today. I was not feeling great about myself and considered taking the whole day off, because the weather was downright shitty. Sideways rain rattling the windows kind of shitty. My roommate invited me on a short hike despite the storm, and I decided to jump on the chance to get out of the house, and out of my head. It was a great idea. Not only did I get a short (~3 miles round trip) hike in, but the cold rain in my face shook me out of my downward spiraling self-depricating mood. Ending the day with a completed 100 pushups workout (56 total reps), a few sips away from 64 oz, and an amazing broccoli beef dinner I made with the last of the pot roast leftovers. Feeling good

THIS! I'm coming with!

Hey Flea! Your introduction really resonated with me as well. I too am a 5'7" underpants gnome with social anxiety who specializes in procrastination, and lurked around these parts for far too long. Two years ago I stopped lurking and finally joined this awesome community.... then after a few months I fell away. I've come back this week and even joined in on my very first official signed-up-for-real-and-everything 6 week challenge. I'll definitely be checking out your thread. Good luck and welcome!

My girlfriend told me about an xbox dance workout she tried today and had a lot of fun with. It's probably not swing dancing, but maybe something like that could be a fun indoor alternative.

Another day, another 64 oz of water. Going strong on the hydration front. I went to Insanity again this evening, starting to build a supportive community IRL too! But a little after working out together we had a Monty Python/Blazing Saddles movie night, and I ended up having popcorn and beer for dinner. Guess I'll just have to dig in and do better tomorrow.

A friend and I have just decided to thru hike the PCT in 2015. I've been backpacking before, but the longest trip I've done is a ten day. Definitely get a trail guide book to plan your timeframe, daily miles and food drops. In addition to the good gear advice already here, I would add a water filter to the "essentials" list. Everyone has their own styles and preferences when it comes to backpacking, but the speed and ease of a water filter is worth the weight and bulk compared to iodine tabs. As far as physical preparations, hiking with a weighted pack as much as you can will certainly help, but the first few weeks on the trail itself will be the most effective training for the rest of the trail. This is a sentiment I've heard echoed several times by all the other folks I know that have completed a long-distance hike. Good luck and have a blast on the AT!

Awesome job increasing the speed of your circuits and upping the pushup reps. Keep racking up those points!

I'm definitely in! I did an exhaustion test on Monday, and I'm starting from 16 good form pushups in a row. I'm setting a lofty goal of 50 by the end of the 6 weeks. Lets do this!

Jumped outta bed and rocked the second workout of 100 pushups, 51 reps total! The roast is in the crock pot, surrounded by a massive heap of veggies. Seriously massive, like, my 7-quart slow cooker is full. The only non paleo ingredient I added was half a bottle of porter, I just couldn't resist.

I love your point system, like a little reward each time you show up and try. Which, as several others have said, is the most important part. A good reminder for me too. Good luck getting back to derby. I'm a rugby player myself, and I've always felt that ruggers and derby girls were kindred spirits. Rock on!

You are off to a great start! Great work putting the excuses aside and making progress despite the challenges! I get in my own way a lot, so this is seriously inspiring. My girlfriend also doesn't know how to take time off, and was having a hard time just sitting still and relaxing over the holiday season. It's awesome you identified taking time off as something you should do, and have challenged yourself to it. Sounds like you're crushing it, keep it up!

Insanity is a DVD from the same folks that put out P90X. Insanity is the bodyweight, no equipment and very little space needed version, so that part is cool. It's based on High Intensity Interval Training, and most videos take about 45 minutes . A lot of the moves include jumping so be aware of you knees and needs. "Fun" isn't exactly the right word to describe it, but its close. Maybe a masochistic kind of fun. They call it Insanity for a reason, it certainly is tough. But it has the potential to be really effective if you stick with it. I think its worth a try, but be warned, the instruction is not excellent so use common sense about how hard to push yourself, figure out form on some of the more complicated moves before kicking up the speed, and grab water/rest when you need it. I usually just free write in my journal, but it was fun to flow with the natural inspiration and let the poem out. Hope you find your way back to writing enjoyable

I'll join your fitness party! Love the focus on the things you enjoy, and as an outdoor educator, I especially love the "getting outside" goal. Tough break on the weather this week, hopefully it warms up a bit so you can get some hiking or birdwatching in soon. This is an amazing time of year for birding where I live. The end of the winter salmon run brings thousands of bald eagles to the river valley I am currently calling home, and further down valley is a popular stopping ground for migratory birds including swans and snow geese. If you could make it outside, what birdwatching opportunities are near you? Also, have you heard of yaktrax? I just got a pair for Christmas this year, they are like tire chains for your shoes. Slip 'em on over your boots and they give you great traction on snow and ice. I've seen them for around $20. Keep up the good work on the meal planning, the chicken alfredo sounds bomb!

Removing as many barriers as possible I'll be sleeping in my workout clothes again tonight Day Three Although today was my rest day from the 100 pushups program, I met the folks for another Insanity workout. We all agreed to do a "mellower" recovery workout tonight, but it still kicked my ass. The next Insanity meeting will be Friday, so hopefully that helps balance my workouts a bit. I am going to keep at both for a bit, but I have the feeling I may end up needing to choose one or the other. I invited a few friends over for dinner tomorrow, and I'm planning on making a pot roast. Should be simple enough to make that dinner paleo, just meat and lots of veggies thrown in the crock pot! Sitting in class all day with my water bottle on my desk in front of me has made it easy to meet my goal of 64 oz/day I didn't take the time to write anything new today, but I did submit the poem I wrote yesterday to a blog. If it makes it into the compilation blog post, it will be my first publicly published piece. I'm pretty nervous about that idea, so I am kind of simultaneously rooting both for and against it being included.

It certainly helped that I was in a writing workshop for most of the day yesterday, and an opportunity to workout with some friends just came so I jumped on board. I've started and never finished the 100 pushups program a few times. This time I want to stick with it for the whole six weeks, just to see how close to 100 I could actually get. I am getting pretty excited about my Kauai vacation and we are planning to do a lot of hiking and snorkeling. Last night I was feeling it from my Insanity workout, and it so was so hard to get out of bed this morning because I am so sore, but I keep imagining epic hikes along the Na Pali coast I can actually enjoy and pictures of me on the beach I will look at later and not cringe.

I haven't gotten one myself, but I have taken a few drags of my friends'. My friends have had varying success with it, but I think that also has to do with their commitment to quitting. I know two folks that have switched entirely to the e-cig, and three that gave up on it. For me, they satisfied the physical aspects of my habit, the oral fixation and act of smoking, and worked well on the social front as well (I'm was a big social smoker) but when the cravings got really intense, like that kind of stressed when you just need a f***ing cigarette, it didn't quite cut it for me. The vapor felt... empty. I quit smoking this summer, by picking an end date and ramping my smoking down as it got closer. As the date got closer, I quit buying cigarettes. Then I quit carrying a lighter so it wasn't as easy to bum, then I set a rule I couldn't ask, and the last step was practicing saying "no thanks" if anyone offered. I was also hiking and backpacking quite a bit, and I could tell the difference just a few days after I quit. I slipped up over the holidays a few times while I was visiting old friends, but I haven't felt derailed and am still considering myself "quit". Being a non-smoker/former smoker feels so good! Congrats on taking the steps to quitting and good luck on your journey! Hope my experience is helpful

Day 2 Slept in my workout clothes with my shoes right next to my bed, and it totally worked! Woke up and cranked out the first workout for 100 pushups, doing 46. I love this workout strategy since it is quick, effective, and easy to track. Thursday if I do 47 pushups, I will have gotten stronger. Plus, how badass would it be if I was able to do 100 pushups in a row at the end of 6 weeks?!?! Success for this challenge though is the building of momentum, making new habits. I got together with a few folks from my grad program to do an Insanity workout this evening too. Whew that was tough! But it felt good going and having some community support. They are meeting again tomorrow, and I think I will be joining them. I am a bit wary of trying to do too much too fast, but for now it seems like a fun way to keep myself on track. I was too exhausted to think about cooking after the video workout, so I just ate leftovers from last night. Good thing I set a realistic goal for myself of only cooking one meal a week! Drank my two nalgenes today, so far so good on the hydration train! Despite the rain/snow mix, I took the time to hike a new trail on my lunch break and scribble a few thoughts that turned into a poem in my journal today. I returned to class feeling centered and energized. I've got a good feeling about this life quest....

Day one check in: off to a good start so far! 1. Took the initial exhaustion test for "100 pushups". I managed 16 good-form push ups, which means I'll be starting in on level 3 tomorrow. 5 sets of varying reps, for a total of 45. 2. Finished two full nalgenes and started sipping on a third. 3. My roommate made dinner tonight, roasted chicken and veggies, a spinach and cabbage salad and a side of quinoa. Delicious, mostly paleo and enough leftovers for lunch tomorrow. I'll have to take a turn in the kitchen another night this week to accomplish this goal. @mangostrike 2,650 miles is the approximate length of the PCT, from the boarder of Mexico to the Canadian boarder along the crest of nine mountain ranges including the Sierra Nevada and the Cascades. Thanks for the feedback everybody, and good luck to you all!