athousandwords

Um, I feel like that should count for EXTRA credit! That's 20-30lbs* of added weight and resistance, not to mention the extra balance needed! *totally guessing based on the weight of my toddler

I love doing this - I end up reading way more often! What are you reading? There's definitely something about Week 3 that starts to get hard and uncomfortable and tempts you to walk away. Congrats on sticking with it - hoping to see you around to finish the challenge!

I've had that same issue with challenges before - if I'm already going to lose points/credit for the day/week/whatever, then there's no motivation not to just continue overindulging! I find that I have to be very crafty with my challenges to avoid this all or nothing mentality. I think giving partial points is a great option! Congrats! That's -2lb more right? Totally doable!

I walk my kids to daycare and back before my runs - so it's a good 20min walking warm up most days! I officially ran over 5k for the first time since I started! 😂

Week 3 Summary I can't believe we still have 2 weeks to go on this challenge - quite possibly the longest challenge ever. 😵‍💫 Anyway - last week went well. Got all my runs done and 2x ST. I decided to do a pilates workout on Thursday and I liked it better than the bodyweight workouts I'd been doing - maybe I just need to mix it up a bit and focus more on restorative workouts as I cross train. My runs are getting more intense (40 min today!) and I feel like I need to start building some rest into my schedule to heal properly. Which is also my excuse for just flat out neglecting that 3rd ST workout again. Seriously don't know what my past self was thinking setting a goal of 6x exercise every week. Food wise, I've been doing better. Still eating too much sugar to really call my diet paleo or primal, but I've definitely been settling back into meal planning and eating vegetables again after the carb-fest beach trip. Also, my husband and I went out on a lunch date and I willingly went for the salad (it was tasty!) - so I feel like my eating habits are starting to evolve a little. Speaking of habits - I'm not tracking these in any way other than Habitica (and even that is a bit touch and go) but I've been keeping up with them. Saturday was a little rough - I didn't drink enough water and just skipped out on flossing because I was so tired - but every other day this week I got everything done. Outside of just the challenge stuff, life is good! The kids have been in school all week and I've been able to get a lot of work done. This weekend I decorated the front yard for fall and repainted our mailbox a cheery cherry red. My sister and her baby came up and visited for the weekend, and we spent some time with my in-laws on Saturday. Also I got super into Ted Lasso and binge watched both seasons during the week, so there may be a Ted Lasso themed challenge coming up in a couple weeks....

omg we're supposed to stretch before the runs too?? 😬 I was doing the NF BWW, but I've switched to doing some video workouts on the Peloton app, since my husband has it for biking anyway. I'll have to check out the Neila Ray ones though!

WEEK 2 SUMMARY I'm tracking with the world's ugliest spreadsheet this time, but it gets the job done. 🤷‍♀️ Last week went... ok? Diet took a hit - I used up a lot of the "non-primal" meals I earned on vacation because I was eating retreat snacks. On Saturday we went out for dinner at a local restaurant, and I very nearly stuck to primal... but fell into "night out mode" and ordered a beer. Then got ice cream anyway. But like, holistically, this week wasn't too bad. I meal planned and had healthy dinners and lunches most days. Running is going well. I'm seeing my time inch down on the long runs and the interval runs are wiping me out appropriately. The ST workouts... I'm less enthused about. I know it's important, but I just don't think I like what I'm doing. I'd like to find a form of ST that feels more fun - like bouldering or weight lifting or ??? - but options are limited right now due to time and pandemic. The Peloton workouts are at least letting me switch it up a bit, but I honestly don't know why I challenged myself to 3x a week for strength. Feels like overkill and I'd rather do something active with my kids vs. doing a video workout on the weekend. Oh - and habits aren't being tracked anywhere on the spreadsheet, but they are getting done! I think I missed one day with water this week. That's the hardest one for me to remember. And I chopped all my nails short so that I didn't have to deal with them breaking and the temptation to bite. I really need to start stretching more. I keep blowing it off after runs and doing the bare minimum, but my body feels old and creaky and it hurts to walk down stairs. Apparently stretching can help with this?? Maybe next challenge I'll sub out ST for yoga, but for now I think I'm just going to try to do better at stretching after every workouts.

I've been trying out the Peloton app for ST workouts and I'm liking it so far! I did a 20-min intermediate video on Tuesday that truly kicked my ass. I think I'm still sore from it today (or is that from the interval running yesterday? 😅). Today I tried one of the beginner workouts instead and found it a touch too easy. But it's nice to have the option to go easier, especially since I'm doing ST 3x a week. Frankly, I just don't want to be sore all the time. My mom is helping us out with childcare this week, and the company retreat has meant no actual work yesterday and today. So I've had a break from waking up early and so far the week is much less stressful than I'd expected. Meanwhile, our virtual retreat has been an outright blast. Lots of games, fun presentations from coworkers, and these cool 8-min "speed convos" to help us meet more people. I've been at this company about 2 months now and I really love it. This is definitely the most fun place I've ever worked. Even with everyone being fully remote, they make an effort for you to get to meet people and build connections. ❤️

Big Long Overdue Beach Update, or how did a vacation challenge really go, by the numbers: DIET: IF 16/8 at least 4x a week: 3 / 8 Bonus Primal meals: 4 In terms of diet, this week could have gone much worse. I fasted through breakfast most days (but usually didn't fast after 8pm, which is why that IF number is so low). I occasionally ate Primal, but most days it was just easier to eat a sandwich with the kids for lunch and whatever was being made by the group for dinner, so I didn't really stress about it. I didn't want to feel like girl-on-a-diet this trip, and I think I mostly made responsible choices while getting to cut myself a break. Admittedly, the second week was much more of a break. We were with a group of friends who filled 4 coolers with beer and soda and the countertop full of chips and snacks, and it definitely got harder to resist all the yummy treats. I actually went to bed with a stomachache twice from eating or drinking poorly. The second time it happened, I definitely course-corrected and cut down on the beer and salty foods. Still, I don't think I set back my goals in any real tangible ways, and I generally practiced more intuitive eating than I might have, say, six months ago. EXERCISE: Run at least 20 min: 4/5 Bodyweight workout: 0/3 I will straight up say that I'm proud of running even 4 times on a 2-week trip. Every day I laced up my shoes and left the house to run felt like an accomplishment. I ran on sand, in heat, on hillier courses than at home, and generally enjoyed it. So that was a win. The bodyweight workouts... just never happened. One thing I didn't anticipate was how straight up sore I was - from running on the sand, from carrying the kids, from walking up 3 flights of stairs at the beach house, etc. Yeah, that's an excuse and I could have pushed through and done it anyway, but it was clear that my body was working way more than it normally does at a desk all day, and I figure that's worth something. 🤷‍♀️ HABITS: Drink 8 cups of water: 12/14 Floss and Brush teeth: 14/14 No nail biting: 14/14 Habits were mostly good! The two times I didn't drink water I paid for it dearly the next day – once with an all day headache, and the other day with a stomachache. The flossing habit went so well that my dentist raved about my teeth at my appointment on Monday (something that has never happened in my adult life). Nail biting was funny because it definitely requires some thinking ahead and remembering to trim any nails that are starting to getting weak before they break and tempt me to bite them. It's a work in progress and requires having a nail filer handy. Overall Like, on a scale from "perfection" to "dropped off the face of the earth and didn't log on to NerdFitness for 3 years," I think this went pretty well! Obviously I didn't hit all my targets, but I didn't really expect to. I just wanted to keep up with my progress and not lose sight of my final goals. I think the real challenge for me is the weeks to come. I have to battle the sugar and bread and alcohol dragons again - once you start letting those back into your diet they tend to bring a lot of cravings. I want to be consistent with strength training workouts (and my body is already sore from starting back up yesterday). And while those habits seem like no-brainers, I know how easy it is to forget and break a streak. Today and tomorrow is my company's virtual retreat and in lieu of in-person celebrations, they've showered us with food: a gift card to DoorDash our lunch, and a box of sugary, salty snacks. So the indulgence continues for two more days. But I've made a meal plan with healthy food for dinners, I'm prioritizing my workouts despite the kids being home from daycare, and I'm not letting 2 weeks or 2 days of mild hedonism derail me.

Sorry forgot to post about this earlier! I ended up only playing 3 games, though our collective group brought a lot more: I played Sushi Go, Blackbrim 1876 (which was a very fun and challenging puzzle-style escape room in a box), and THREE rounds of Hocus Pocus because we just couldn't manage to win!! Easily one of the hardest games I've played, despite being deceptively easy to learn. Quite fun though, and I suspect we'll play it a could more times leading up to Halloween! 🧙‍♀️

Oooh I think I'll join you! I have yet to run the full 5k, but I should be there pretty soon. I won't be at that 30min 5k by T-Day but it'll be a good baseline! Also, I'm in awe that your long runs are 1hr! My "long" run today was still just 30 min (up to 35 next week though). Running for an hour seems otherworldly!

Following along - most of the kettlebell stuff goes right over my head, but how awesome that your team is going to championships and you get to compete! I love your focus on the positive for this challenge - anxiety can be so overwhelming; it's hard to block out the negative voices. I think it's wonderful that you have this opportunity to go and the family support. Your kids will always remember how you prioritized your goals and achievements and carry that lesson to their own lives!

Hi new friend - just following along and sitting in awe of your progress through the pain. I feel you so hard on the antivax anger. I can't imagine being confronted by it every day and then having these self-righteous morons proclaim they "beat Covid" when it was avoidable in the first place. Kudos to you on wading through it and keeping your small but mighty habits up.

Love the painting! Looks beautiful so far! I've been waking up at 4:30 this week because I have to make up some time at work, and oh man is it exhausting. You're completely right that if I don't fall asleep at 9ish, I'm just dragging the whole day. Good luck getting your scheduled realigned, I find that reading a paper book helps a lot for me too! What're you reading right now?

Nice work on week 1! I really resonate with everything you've written about dropping off midway through a challenge - I think I've started easily double the number of challenges that I've finished. I tend to fall off the boards when I don't have success to report, but I agree what what everyone's saying about continuing to push through and post, even when it's just excuses or 'welp, need to do better next week.' So far I've been doing pretty well since my July respawn, hope you find success this challenge too!

Sounds like you did an awesome job staying active during the wedding weekend! Hope you were able to enjoy yourself despite feeling sick, and congrats on splurging without going overboard!

I owe a way bigger update than this, but I wanted to at least post so you all know I'm alive and not completely giving up on this challenge (let's be real, it's happened before). I knew that coming back from vacation to real life was going to be hard, but I forgot that the kids have to quarantine from daycare for a week due to Covid policies... and to make matters worse, everyone picked up a cold at the beach (at least, I hope it's a cold). So we're all sick and stressed this week and I'm probably going to be doing a bare minimum of updating. Which makes me sad because I've barely had a chance to check in on anyone's challenges yet. But currently I'm waking up at 4:30am just to squeeze in a few hours of work before splitting child care and more work and trying to get back to healthy eating habits and working out regularly. 😰 Anyway, I'll try to post a real update about goals and such later this week, and hopefully swing around to see how everyone's doing since it's week 2 already!

No, but whoa!! I'll have to check that out!

Still checking in, still at the beach. This week is already more challenging. Last week we were sharing a house with my in-laws, and they tend to be more health conscious in general. This week we're basically at a party house with some good friends and there is a ton of snacks and booze and staying up past midnight playing board games. More fun? YES. More challenging? Also yes. So here's where we are: IF: falling behind. I think I've managed to do 16/8 like twice this entire trip? Fasting til 12 usually isn't a problem, but 8pm rolls around, the kids go to bed, and I want to relax with a drink and some snacks. Running: on track! I've had 3 awesome runs so far this trip - this morning I ran barefoot on the beach again and actually made good time (though my calves are killing me!) ST: missed last week's workout, but I want to get my butt in gear and do 3 ST workouts this week. Frankly my butt needs it with all the junk food I'm eating. Which leads us to... Primal: I started off well, but the siren song of junk food is strong. I've definitely not been getting any primal meals in lately. And that's fine, it's ok, but I'd like to try a little harder even if there are potato chips constantly in sight. Habits: generally going strong. I missed my water goal on Saturday and had a horrible headache the next day, so I doubt I'll repeat that mistake again. But flossing and not nail biting haven't been an issue. But we've really been having a blast. It's so fun playing in the water everyday and taking a long break from work. We loved hanging out with the husband's family last week, and are already having a great time with friends this week. There's another 4yo for my son to play with, so he's entertained, and this is a group we've vacationed with before (though not in years!) so it feels like old times. It's such a nice relief after a 2+ years without a break. Also, I'm really digging the changes to my body lately. Like, there was a candid of me in a two piece swim suit and...I didn't hate it?? So while I know I could do better on the diet-front, it's really keeping me motivated to not completely go off the rails.

Any recs for books about the AT? I live really close by and do day hikes on it all the time. In a couple years when the kids are older, I really want to do a short stint on the AT. Weirdly, reading Wild made that seem more doable instead of absolutely insane??

Welcome back! I'm another long-time-ago user who just respawned recently. I love that the NF forums are always here when you need them! Also, I just finished the Couch 2 5k after 10+ years of being not-a-runner, so you're in good company! I highly recommend the Chubby Jones podcast if you're looking for good music with intervals to run to.

Welcome! Definitely check out the challenge forums - it's the best way to stay motivated and have dozens of strangers (soon to be friends) rooting for you!

Welcome back! Following along as well - I love all your exercise goals! And +1 to wishing there was a magical way to stop overeating... why does food just taste so good??

I actually meant to get this challenge posted earlier in the week; I've had it written up and ready since before the last challenge ended. But beach time and all that. Anyway, the good news is that we're halfway through week 0 and I've been sticking to my goals pretty well so far! So here's my first update: IF: 2/4 Primal Meals: 2 Runs: 1 Yesterday I decided to go running on the beach (when in Rome and all) but didn't think about how high the water would be at high tide. My shoes were soaked after just 5 minutes when I ran into a deceptively deep tide pool I couldn't find a way around. So I just took them off and ran barefoot as much as I could, walking when I was ankle (or calf!) deep in water. It was actually super fun, though my calves are killing me today because it turns out running barefoot in sand is a lot harder than running on pavement. Diet-wise, I feel like I've been doing well - when I can eat primal, I try to, but I'm not sweating it if I end up having a sandwich for lunch or a brownie for dessert. I feel like it's a healthy balance and I'm so active during the day that it's no big deal to have some treats. My goal these two weeks is more about balance than losing weight, and it's nice to relax a bit. Overall, we're having a great time! The kids love the beach and are having a blast building sandcastles and running into the waves. We're here with family, so I get a little downtime - I've already finished a book that I've been wanting to read for months (Wild by Cheryl Strayed).

With two successful challenges under my belt so far in 2021, I’m back and ready for another! ...Well. Actually. No. Not quite. Technically, I’m at the beach for the next two weeks. So… if you’re reading this, there’s a good chance I’m sitting in the sand with a piña colada in my Yeti right now. Sorry. 😬 But I’m not going to let all that good momentum go to waste! I’m definitely going to enjoy the hell out of this vacation, but I am committing to sticking to some of my goals, and hitting the ground running when I get back. This will (mostly) be a challenge in two parts: 🏖 Weeks 0-1 🏖 and 🏃 Weeks 2-5🏃 with three main focuses: Diet, Exercise, and Habits. DIET 🏖 Weeks 0-1 🏖 My goal for these first two weeks is just to eat mindfully and try not to binge eat just because I can. At this point, Intermittent Fasting 16/8 is almost second nature, but I know I’m going to struggle with not eating after 8pm if we’re doing something fun like drinks by the pool or a special dessert. Paleo/Primal will also be a challenge because we’re doing group meals and it can be hard to eat grain-free when someone is making, say, baked spaghetti. So I’m just going to do my best. And to make the game more interesting, being mindful of my goals during the beach weeks will have a direct impact on how much I have to buckle down during the second half of the challenge. IF 16/8 at least 4x a week Each Primal meal I eat earns me an extra “non-primal” meal in weeks 2-5 🏃 Weeks 2-5 🏃 Time to recommit! I’ve been having really good success with a “primal-ish” diet - basically no grains, no high fructose corn syrup, no legumes. But I’m comfortable with limited amounts of dairy, exceptions for condiments, and starchy veg like white potatoes. IF 16/8 at least 6x a week Eat Primal-ish most of the time: 1 non-primal meal per week + any extra meals I “earn” during weeks 0-1 EXERCISE 🏖 Weeks 0-1 🏖 I know that exercising in the southern heat, on vacation, is going to be a challenge, so I’m cutting myself a good degree of slack here. This is mostly for the sake of “keep it up, don’t lose that momentum.” Run at least 20 min, 5 times Bodyweight workout, 3 times 🏃 Weeks 2-5 🏃 Last challenge, I finished the C25k and consistently did the NF Beginner Bodyweight Workout. Now I’m working toward my ultimate goal of a sub-30min 5k and supplementing with some strength training. I’d like to find an ST workout that I really love, but I'm not sure if that’s going to happen with this challenge, so keeping up the BBW is fine too! 1x long run per week - starting at 30min and adding 5 min each week 2x 30 min runs per week - focused on speed 3x ST workouts per week HABITS Here’s where I break from the Phase 1/Phase 2 approach because the habits are critical - all challenge long. So they just need to get done. I’ll be tracking these in Habitica and there had better be a 35 day streak at the end of this challenge. Drink 8 cups of water Floss and Brush teeth No nail biting And that’s it! Usually I like to include a creative goal – bullet journaling, organizing, self-care – but honestly, I feel like this is enough for now. I may come back in and add something when I get back from the beach, if I feel like I need more of a challenge. But I’m pretty sure that coming down from the vacation high is going to be challenging enough.