TheDitz

Since I left for vacation on August 4th my life has been put through the spin cycle and I’ve been out of whack. For various reasons I stopped lifting, my junk food intake has gone up, and my depression and anxiety seem to be back in a rough way. Tasks have been piling up and there were times I felt like I was drowning. I decided to embrace the darkness instead of pushing back. Though the darkness of laziness, fear, and indecision can be warm and comforting in the short term, it was extremely damaging on my psyche. Over the last two weeks, I’ve decide to make a change and get my life back. I made a list the things keeping me from moving forward and started taking them on, one by one, slowly but surely. I know it’s going to take some time but I’m starting to remember who I am and who I want to become. I am a Skald, the Norse warrior poet, though I’m using the word poet here VERY loosely. I want to start lifting again and writing more. I want to work on consuming less and producing more. The last two challenges I went overboard, giving myself more objectives than I could handle, and even adding some non-challenge related challenges. This time I will keep it simple. Mobility work 3x per week. The goal here is to spend 10-15 minutes, 3x times a week to stretch and roll out my muscles. It’s something I hate doing but know it needs to get done. Write 5x per week. Though the goal is to write for at least 10 mins/200 words every day I don’t want to overload myself and the point of failure. Small wins lead to bigger wins. This can be a blog post, writing in my journal, or responding to someone on the form. It can be in a notebook, on the computer/phone, or on a scrap piece of paper I throw away. It doesn’t matter. As long as I write, it counts. “But, Joe, I thought you wanted to start lifting again?” I do and I will but it will be outside the focus of this challenge. Since I’m going on vacation in a week I now I won’t do any working out, no matter how much I tell myself I will not. This way I can focus on other objectives and work on adding in the lifting next challenge. Right now I want to focus on what I know I can do anywhere: stretching and writing.

@Orias Malus, I try to drink about a gallon a day too and as @ReturnOfTheDad put it, it can take some getting use to. I find it easier to drink water when it is on the cool/colder side then room temperature but that's not always possible. I still have good days and bad but I just keep chugging along. I find the bigger the water bottle the more you tend to drink. Back issues are no joke, sir! I completely understand. I messed up my back in 7 grade, and again in junior year of high school, and only now started trying to treat my back the way it should. I tweaked my back 2 months ago stretching before a workout... I DIDN'T EVEN HURT IT DOING SOMETHING COOL LIKE DEADLIFTS... AHHHH. Sorry! Anyway, I think you have the right idea of easing back into things. You'll get there and be "back" before you know it. Dad joke intended!

Keep it up, sir! I agree it's much easier to stop eating junk food once you find your way out of the Danger Zone! This has been key for me as well. I usually plan at least 1 or 2 days between workouts and it definitely helps. Not only does it help with motivation but it helps your body get the recovery time it needs. Keep it up, @ReturnOfTheDad. You've got this!

Looks like you are off to a great start. I've been a big fan of Tim Ferriss for quite some time now and just started getting into the 4 Hour Body myself. Loving it. Just heard about the flexibility challenge yesterday and will need to take a look. Keep it up and I'll be following.

As a fellow Dad of two young kids and a pregnant wife I empathize with what you are going through. Sounds like you are off to a great start and I'll be following.

I agree with @ilsudur and @RES. You are stronger then you give yourself credit. I hope you stick with it!

@ilsudur made some excellent points and I agree. I'll quote the Patriot with this, "Aim small, miss small!" If you are trying to overhaul your diet then try starting by making a healthy breakfast one day this week. Next week try two days. (Tim Ferriss Healthy Breakfast In Under 3 Minutes). If you are looking to overhaul your workout routine, start by walking down the street for 5 minutes a day or this week. Next try 6 minutes, then 7, etc until you build up to a failure point or add a minute of jogging. I know it can be difficult to want to do all of the things all at once and it can be difficult to remember we are all training for our own "marathons" here. I'm sure the more you see yourself improving the better you'll feel. @sid.icarus, I also want to thank you for this post. It is helpful to know I'm not the only one struggling with this first challenge. I know everyone has their difficulties but it is easy to keep them to ourselves and only share the good stuff. Personally, I thought the goals I made for this first challenge would be cake. Nothing too difficult and I could easily knock things off my list. This way I could make the next challenge a little more difficult. I started off this challenge with so much vigor and excitement... HOW COULD I POSSIBLY FAIL? Sure I've had some wins but more failures then I would like to mention. This wasn't a cake walk for me but a slog. I've wanted to throw up my hands many times and yell, "FORGET THIS, $&IT!" I've kept it to myself because of fear. I'm afraid of thinking I'm not able to do this, afraid of not being able to change, afraid of being stuck where I am, and afraid of admitting I'm letting myself down. If you are feeling like I have remember what @ilsudur has said, because I know I need to for myself. I've start doing, what I call, my "graditutes," which means at the end of the day I write down 10 things that happened today which I'm grateful happened. I found it helps me put things into perspective and find the good in the little things. Example: I might get stuck in traffic on my way to work this morning because of an accident... at least I wasn't in the accident and I made it to work safely. Or I had to go to work today but my boss wasn't there. It doesn't have to be major but anything you find positive and don't feel like you need to start with 10. Find one positive thing that happened today and each day for a week. Then move to two a day. Aim small, miss small. Again, I want to thank you for sharing and remember you're stronger than you give yourself credit. I hope you are feeling better.

First, I wouldn't say only 6 with good form. THAT'S 6 WITH GOOD FORM! THAT'S AWESOME! Considering you weren't able to do any at the beginning of the challenge (I believe this is how I read it) I believe you're nailing it. If you start small, you'll miss small. Progress is progress not matter how small. Second, you're only two shy of the modified push-ups? KILLIN' IT! (I don't like to call them "cheater push-ups" because you're not cheating... you're just doing a modified version. Everyone starts somewhere). Only having to force yourself once in 2.5 weeks is awesome. Keep that up! It's taken me years to enjoy working out. There are still times I wake up in the morning dreading the wonderful workout I have planned for myself. I've found it takes time and you have to find what you enjoy doing to help keep you motivated. I've tried running, Crossfit, bodyweight work, yoga, and lifting. Lifting is the only thing I've found which keeps me motivated enough to keep getting up. Lifting might work for me, but not for you. I think once you find your thing, you'll become an addict. I also agree the accountability has kept me going as well. I hope you have another great week and remember, YOU'VE GOT THIS!

I'm also pretty sure it comes from a place of feeling dumb because I'm not a master yogi. I know how dumb this sounds but I'm sure you know it's easier to know something than it is to do something about it. I appreciate the support, @ilsudur

Week 3 Down, Week 4 Begins Today is a good day for me. I woke up, worked out, and found out I'm the lowest weight I've been in over 2 years (231.9 lbs). This was a big deal for me and I'm still so pumped about it. Though I don't think I'll meet my, outside the challenge, weight goal of 215 lbs by the time I head to the beach I'm still very excited about my progress. I'm actually pretty surprised especially after this weekend and living it up because it was Father's Day. While I'm still staying strong with most of my goals, I'm not sure I'm going to complete my wife's taxes by the end of the challenge though I still plan to have them done by the end of the month. Yoga still scares me, which I still don't understand why but I think it means I need to have more yoga in my life. I also received a copy of Supple Leopard by Kelly Starrett which I'm excited to jump into when I have a moment. After pulling a back muscle I've become extremely aware of my lack of mobility and I'm excited to see what he has to say. Lastly, I need to get better about sitting down with my wife to plan out our dinners for the week. I always have a few on reserve but it would be better to have a solid plan. I'm still working out 4 times a week and keeping my soda intake down. It is getting to the point where they are starting to taste too sweet but I don't think I'm ready to give them up yet. I think I'll be able to give them up in another challenge or two. La Croix has actually become a nice substitute for soda and, since I've decreased the amount of sugar I ingest daily, it tastes much better. Either way, I'm excited to finish up this challenge strong!

This looks awesome. Thank you!

I've been an on again/off again fitness enthusiast for over 10 years now and I'm looking to start upgrading my fitness knowledge. I know there are tons of great programs, routines, and exercises out there, and I currently have one I love doing, but I want to learn more about how to put all of the pieces together to create programming for others. I would like to know why programs were built the way they are, why one routine might work for one person better than another, and how to put exercises together to make them more effective for individuals. In short, I would like to learn how to program but don't know where to start. Does anyone know of any courses or resources out there to help me learn how to program?

I would also check out Brian McKenzie's work. He was the founder of Crossfit Endurance and, though I don't think he's doing that anymore, he's seems like an excellent person to start with. I have a similar goal of doing a Spartan Trifecta by 2020 but just started on my 5/3/1 journey. I completely understand not wanting to sacrifice it even for the Trifecta goal and Brian is who I'll be turning to when the time comes. https://powerspeedendurance.com/ I also think this is excellent advice and definitely worth considering.

@Sylvaa, I love this and I think you are right. I think this is a great starting dumbbell program and I would start by following the program exactly. Start with a weight you know can hit somewhere in the middle (about 9 reps with good form) and progress from there. If after the first week it is too easy for you then add more weight. If the routine becomes stale and boring then feel free to change it up or find a new routine. I would pick a plan and work through it for at least a month or two before switching it up. It takes time and repetition for a plan to work. Good Luck and you've got this!

That sounds great. I think the important thing is making progress, which it looks like you are doing. Keep it up... you've got this.

Damn, Sir! You hit some beast numbers on your Squat. Looks like you got some decent work in. Keep up the good work.

Week 2 Down, Week Three Begins. This was an interesting weekend for me. On the one hand, I was able to finish crushing my goals for this challenge putting another week in the books for me. I did all of my workouts by Friday, I did my weekly yoga session on Sunday, I did more work on my wife's taxes getting me at least halfway finished, my meals were all figured out, and I stuck to my 3 sodas per week, though I wasn't sure I would make it. I tested out doing Intermittent Fasting on Saturday, which was rough at first but once I was able to eat something I felt better. (I made myself a massive, health-ish taco salad). Sunday, probably in response to the IF, I went overboard by overeating. Despite this, I'm planning on doing IF during the rest of the week, starting today. The problem came from finding out my car is FUBAR and we need to buy another one. Then my wife called to let me know the motor on one of the windows has gone out and the window was stuck in the downward position. This means we now need to get this fixed as well. We were also looking to upgrade the car we have now to get ready for the new baby. Now we have to do a bunch of scrambling in the near future, and I'm not sure we have the budget to make this work. This lead to my almost 7-month pregnant wife having an anxiety attack and me coming home from work early to help her out. All in all, it has been a stressful 24 hrs. Like many of the stories in books like the 4 Hour Work Week, the $100 Startup, and Level Up Your Life I'm hoping to help my wife sort of transition from part-time photographer to photographer/coach. She has been a successful birth photographer for the last 7 years and I know this is a growing niche. Helping coach/mentor other birth photographers would allow her to focus on the birth photography itself instead of taking every photo session which comes her way. I know she would do an amazing job once she starts. I am filled with both anxiety and excitement for the future.

Welcome Emrys. I completely understand giving up cardio in favor of a strength based workout. Good luck!

That's awesome! I'm glad I could help. I'd love the read the post when you write it. Good Luck!

With the first week in the books, I thought starting this second week would be much easier. The first week is the hard part, right? Apparently, many of the changes I'm looking to make will be more difficult than I thought. The last few mornings, I have had an overwhelming desire to get to the store to pick up a Red Bull/Monster to infuse my bloodstream with the sugar I use to give it regularly. Thankfully, I had a glass of milk and some tea and I haven't had a craving for the rest of the day. It's good to know mornings are my trigger hahaha. I realized something else fairly interesting today. I figured out why I'm here and why I need to participate in as many challenges as I can. I started watching the movie Wanted, with Angelina Jolie, James McAvoy, and Morgan Freeman, this morning. If you haven't seen it before, there is a Fraternity of Assassins who are being hunted by one of their own. James McAvoy's father, in the movie, was recently murdered, and McAvoy (Wesley) is brought into the Fraternity to be trained. The part I found most interesting is Wesley's life before the Fraternity brought him in the group. IT SUCKED! He was miserable and hated even waking up in the morning. If it wasn't for Angelina Jolie's character (Fox), he probably would have continued through his miserable life, hating every minute of it, and unwilling to do anything about it. It hit me as I was watching this that this was what I've always been expecting. I've been waiting for someone or something to come into my life and whisk me away on some crazy adventure. While I don't think my life is as bad as Wesley's, I've been coasting through life. While this thought has given me a ton of stress in the last several hours, it has been extremely liberating as well. It reassures me, I'm in the right place. It is a thought I'm going to hold onto when things start to get tough. "Go ahead and quit, but no one is going to give you the life you want but you!" I also have to remember to take my time and work on one major task at a time. I wake up in the morning and my mind is going a mile a minute. There are some many things I want to do, which I think would be cool, and I start following them down the rabbit hole. This puts others things I was interested in on hold preventing me from making any progress. It's ok to think about those topics and have those ideas. If I want to pursue them one day, I can, but it can't be today. Not now. Not when I have other things I need to accomplish. Slow and steady... Slow and Steady. Today, more than ever, I'm glad I joined the rebellion!

It's scary how many people I've seen have caught the parasite already but I'm trying to fight it myself. Good Luck and Godspeed!

I had the same fear about being tested for ADD so I completely understand. While I think its not a bad idea to be tested, I completely understand the cost factor. If my test wasn't covered by insurance I wouldn't have gone either. It may make more sense, in the short term, to speak to a psychologist to get their professional opinion before you get tested or presume you have it and do research on your own to find ways to mitigate issues you might be facing. I'm sure there are plenty of free/less expensive resources out there which can help. Either way, I wish you the best.

Good Morning and welcome, sir! It looks like you have some nice and simple goals which I'm sure you nail. It sounds like you are worried about hitting the push-up goal but I think if you are consistent you'll definitely get there. I think you will be surprised how far you'll get if you do push-ups to exhaustion 1-2 times a day. See if you can add one more push-up a day to keep pushing yourself. Slow and steady, right? Good Luck and I hope to keep seeing you around.

I completely understand what you mean when it comes to journaling and you have described the appeal to me. My mind is constantly going all over the place and it is nice to have some of those thoughts get put on paper. I find it's the most helpful when I'm having a panic attack. Putting those thoughts onto paper gets them out of my head and in a place where I can examine them. Usually once they are out on "paper" (I usually type my journaling), I realize how silly I'm being and can move forward productively. I do see however, how stream of conscience could cause issues especially when you want to write with a purpose. When you are trying to create order in disorder journaling, I'm sure, creates more of it. I'm also glad I was able to help you sort out some of your thoughts. One of the things I like about doing this challenge is there are other people here who I can interact with and bounce ideas off of. Feel free to let me know if there is anything I can help you with. As for coming up with topics to blog about here is an article I found a while back which I thought would be helpful once I get my own blog/newsletter off the ground. I hope I can help. https://growthlab.com/find-20-blog-ideas-audience-cant-wait-read/ Lastly, I completely understand the imposter syndrome feeling. I get it all the time which has prevented me from starting several project I've wanted to work on. The one thing I'm trying to remember, and use in the next challenge, is if I write for myself, and write what I want to read then other people will show up. It's kind of a "if you build it, they will come," mentality but I think it can be helpful. I think if you aim small, you'll miss small. You've got this!