vintageenvy

So excited that this exists now! In the adventurer threads, I wind up trying to inspire others to get on the wall rather than actually having people to nerd about climbing with! I'm still in the weight loss phase of training, so I'm mostly trying to learn to trust my body when I'm on the wall. I stick to the top rope (not quite trim/confident enough to climb sans rope yet) and have become pretty confident on 5.6 top ropes. Hoping to one day have a body that can send me over the arch in our gym. One day! In any case, super excited to know who my fellow climbing nerds are. If you're ever in the DC area, I know all the good gyms!

Just to throw in my two cents, I think your calorie deficit is too big. I would try cutting it down to around the 500 calorie deficit range, because your body may be freaking out and burning out muscle rather than fat. The energy in muscle is much more readily available than that in fat, and when you're already fairly lean, your body doesn't always want to get rid of those fat stores just in case it needs the reserves. I also might add a little more natural fats to your diet. Olive oil on cold veggies, or a little high quality butter on starches or a good steak every now and then. If you're interested, this: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/a-metabolic-paradigm-shift-fat-carbs-human-body-metabolism/#axzz2TjqJHac4, is a pretty good arguement for the fat burning vs. carb (muscle glycogen) burning argument. Even if you're not doing the Paleo thing, Mark's Daily Apple has some great articles about the biochemistry of what we eat.

To build on what abs posted, I think the most important thing is that you feel like you have enough energy during the day. If you find that you're feeling pretty blah, I would write out your most common meals (we're creatures of habit, so only tend to eat a pretty short list of foods in my experience) and try to add some extra here or there to get the calories up ~10%. Add some nuts or good healthy fats (I love adding cubed avocado to my salads) to make sure you're getting all your nutrients and I think you'll be just fine. If your body is telling you that it has enough fuel, I wouldn't worry about calories, a lot of the whole foods crowd are skeptical about all calories being equal anyway. I think food journaling, even without the calories, is a super helpful tool to actually get a handle on what you're eating every day and seeing if you need to make adjustments based entirely on how your body reacts to different combinations.

Sounds like one of your hip flexors is getting a little out of whack. I would say when you're actually working out, try to make sure you're not twisting your hips/legs unnecessarily, but the real problem is probably in the way you put your foot down when you walk. If you go to a running store and have them check your gate I'm guessing you probably pronate and roll from the outside of your foot inward which puts some extra stress on those outer hip flexors. I would guess that your probably only noticing it now because you're putting that extra strain on your muscles with a new workout routine? I was in PT for a long time for muscular related knee problems and the best advice I ever got was to work on my core muscles. Your flexors all connect to the core, and a more well trained core will help keep them in line. Just my two cents, hope it helps!

Are you on the Virginia or Maryland side? I like to do a lot of 5Ks in DC, it's where all the fun ones are!

Welcome to the rebellion! I started where you are about 6 months ago, and it's not an easy path, but it's totally worth it. I would recommend starting out with body weight workouts and walking for cardio. If that feels too easy then start adding weight. Steve has a ton of specific circuits listed on the blog, but these are some of my personal favorites (that don't need weight)... Squats/Hop Squats/Plie Squats Planks Burpees (no one really likes them, but you can't beat them for a hard workout) Jumping Jacks Push Ups Most of those should work your whole body and you don't even really need a gym for them. If you're trying to go Paleo, you're probably going to have to cut down on eating out a lot unless you're willing to ask a lot of questions and special order everything. Salads with olive oil dressing and stir fry dishes that aren't drowned in soy sauce (not paleo) can be good options, but your best bet is planning ahead and bringing your own food. I don't know what your circumstances are for eating out, but for the most part unless you're going to super healthy places it's probably not going to help you lose weight, paleo or not.

I'm back! (for today) I have the day off, so I can take all the time I want to try and make my poor laptop hang in long enough to do a full SUPER MEGA UPDATE! Goal 1 - I redid all of my measurements and came up with some downright wacky numbers... Arms - 14.5 (no change) Chest - 42.75 (Decrease 1.75) Hips - 52 (INCREASE 1 in) Legs - 25.5 (Decrease 3 Inches) Waist - 43.75 (INCREASE 0.75) Weight - 221 (woot woot!) Total mid-term loss - 3 inches So I hope that really I'm just being more inconsistent with my measurements than I'd like to admit (ie, not measuring the same place every time) but I try to be really careful about that. I've tried changing up my diet a little bit and changing from 3 large meals to 5 smaller ones so keep my metabolism and blood sugar pretty stable throughout the day. I've also started trying to really count and track my calories now that my body has sort of adjusted to the initial shock of going paleo. It's kind of a pain, but I know it'll help me lose weight more consistently than I have been. Goal 2 - I've been having a really hard time trying to get the miles in here. I have a pretty solid training schedule the way it is, and I'm having a tough time accepting giving up some of my weight training energy/power to cardio. I wind up doing most of my miles on the weekend all at once and have done about half of the miles I'm supposed to. I don't want to say that I'm giving up on this goal, I just maybe wasn't being terribly realistic on how much time and energy I was willing to trade in to make this walk easier. Time will tell... Goal 3 - I kicked some ass and took some names yesterday at rock climbing. It was super busy and we were trying to work around other climbers on the routes we wanted and Dear Husband was like "why don't you climb this 5.7!" and I looked at him like he had five heads and then I tied in. It was on the practice wall so I would say it's about 20 ft tall and I made it more than half way up before my calves and forearms cried uncle. It felt awesome, and I went on to climb Reach for the Stars without cheating (uses way different muscle groups). So I've officially made it half way there and I'm so excited that I've reached another point of understanding in climbing. I'm really starting to master balance and I can just take off from here. Goal 4 - I'm still avoiding the cat bathroom like the plague, but I got our master bath super clean and organized which makes our day-to-day routine feel way better. I have this weekend off from drum corps so I should be able to dedicate some time to it this weekend. All in all I give myself a B+ for the first half of this challenge. I've been right on track for two of my goals, kinda sorta working on goal 4, and not really making it on goal 3 but I've been feeling awesome and losing weight so it's kinda hard to grade myself down too much overall.

It's going to wind up being 39.3 spread out over 2 days, and I'll start May 5th in Washington DC. It's not going to be easy but hopefully I can do it! I promise I'm not dropping off the boards again! I just have a computer that is not really fully functional right now, so I have to use the prime time when it works for school-related stuff. Once we figure out how the chips fall with our tax returns, but hopefully it can magically turn into a new desktop. I've been working really hard, but not really on goal related things. I have next Monday off for MLK day and I think that's when I'll really tackle my bathroom cleaning. Rock climbing tonight! Woot woot!

http://www.fitsugar.com/50-Minute-Running-Playlist-25804464 I love this playlist, even for lifting. All of the songs are about the same bpm so it helps you keep an even pace rather than jumping around. I've tried doing the same thing on personal playlists but I can never quite get it right. Plus there's a pretty awesome range of genres there.

This is exactly how I want to be described at my goal weight. HAWT crossfit girl. Hell. Yes. Okay, my poor laptop (from Christmas of 2007 mind you) is on its last little legs and is being super uppity this morning so I'm going to do a quickie shameless plug and go get my morning workout on... I'm training for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, but I can't walk if I don't raise AT LEAST $1800, but my personal goal is $2500. I haven't put much effort into it yet, but if I could get even half the Adventurers to donate a dollar or two it would put me super close to my goal right out of the gate. I have cancer on both sides of my family, breast on one and skin cancer on both, so these races really mean a lot to me personally and it's part of my epic quest/bucket list to raise $1 million dollars for charity in my lifetime so I really hope at least some of you will consider a donation. I'd rather see 1000 $10 or less donations than one super huge donation (not that I'd say no to that either) because I know times are tough and it's hard to have money left over at the end of the day even for a charity you really believe in. http://info.avonfoundation.org/site/TR/Walk/WashingtonDC?px=6868850&pg=personal&fr_id=2190 This is the link to my personal page to make donations. I get an email every time someone makes a donation so I'm kinda hoping to a couple of pings on my phone during my workout. Have a great weekend everyone!

Has anyone else ever had a really grumpy workout? My legs were still pretty wiped from Wednesday's workout so I said that I wouldn't climb anything too hard last night to save my legs for this weekend. I really just wanted to climb the first 5.5 I ever finished that is somehow still up from August and I'll be damned if it didn't take me all night to get access to the rope. Husband tried to be reasonable with me and point out all the other easy routes I could do but I dug my heels in and refused to climb anything until I could climb the route I wanted. I don't know what was up with me, but at least it felt good to easily climb something that originally took me like 2 months to complete when I first started. Hope everyone is finishing week 1 strong!

So yesterday went pretty well, got awesome news at the vet (we have one kitty recovering from surgery for a broken leg and she's doing really well), got my walk and workout in and another good night in class. Walking is definitely going to be an uphill battle. I really don't like cardio at all, but I know from experience that it really helps me lose weight to confuse my body with some running/walking so I'm trying to embrace it. It's my goal at some point to start doing CrossFit and while my lifting & body weight work are both totally solid, I can't run for anything and need to step up my game before I can feel ready to leave my current program and go full CrossFit. I'm not going to walk two days in a row yet so tonight is just climbing. My legs might fall off, but hopefully that just means I'm gaining ALL the muscle!

I've heard good things about Steve's food in general. And I have to admit I have a weakness for any food described as "noms" It's actually not that bad, you'll be totally fine as long as you plan ahead and don't think of it as being difficult. I cook all my food at the beginning of the week and portion it out so I can just grab one and go. I pack a bag for the gym (with a change of clothes for class because I hate wearing work clothes all day) and all of my school stuff the night before so I don't have to scramble in the morning. Oh yes, I can't tell you how close I was to crying when they told me. I'm a crier as a general rule, but I was just so happy to know that everyone saw my hard work and appreciated it.

I think you could surprise yourself, like you mentioned above it's mostly a mental game. I know I'm terrible at pushing myself past my I-don't-think-I-can-do-this threshold, so that's why I shell out the extra money for small group training so I have someone there to get in my face and tell me I can and will do it. I tried to find a video of my torture, but found nothing so just imagine doing a wide stance squat with your toes at 45 degrees and trying to do little baby hops while pretty much staying down in your squat. I do love me some beef jerky... the only problem is most of the brands I find have a laundry list of ingredients that I don't want in my body. One of my personal goals is that if I eat anything that has an ingredients list it needs to be either all real food or have less than 5 ingredients. If you have any good recommendations that I might be able to find in the states I am all ears!

Alright, I have a confession, I didn't walk or climb yesterday. Both my husband and I got really awesome work-related news and made the decision that we deserved a celebration date night. We went to a Japanese steak house and managed to celebrate pretty much paleo style. My legs were still killing me from Monday's workout so it was probably all for the best anyway. Since I can't share this awesome news anywhere else (because all my other social networks involve people I work with) I'll share with you guys. I work in the accounting department of a small (but rapidly growing) HOA property management company. I work my ass off every day, and I rarely receive praise, so I was getting really burnt out about the whole thing despite loving my job. Last night my boss and my boss's boss called me in and told me that I'm getting a significant raise and a better-late-than-never bonus. My company does not give out bonuses, the owner doesn't believe in them, but all of the board had nothing but awesome things to say about me especially since just a short two years ago I was a temp helping them purge old homeowner files. So YAY ME! I have today off for wrangling cats to the vet, but I should have enough time to get to the gym early and try to get some miles under my belt.

So yesterday was my first day of the semester (going back to get a more useful degree) and I actually survived the work-gym-class schedule! I remembered to pack two meals and restocked my work desk with all sort of good snacks and veggies. I suppose I forgot to mention that the way I really think I can make sure I melt the fat off is with a more intense focus on diet. I haven't been packing my meals the way I should, and now I have my chicken and veggie bags ready so I can keep myself on the straight and narrow and turn into the amazing shrinking woman. I'm fairly sure my trainer actually tried to kill me yesterday. Plie hop squats in between each exercise. I ask you?! I almost cried a little bit at the end of my 45 min, but I did it. Tonight is my first 3 mile walk as well as some rock climbing. We'll see if I can handle both.

Welcome to the Rebellion! I think half the battle is to find the workout that works for you, and hopefully you can fall in love with running all over again and there are many many rangers that will help you find your stride. Also, have to give props to a fantastic Harry Potter reference.

Alright, so today is not quite the update I expected, but it is still a good one! I did not have the endurance in me for my tall project but I aaaaaaaalmost got Reach for the Stars down. There's this one bit where I basically have to do this.... except thankfully with a flat foot rather than a true heel hook and I have crappy hand placement and I just missed being able to stand up without cheating. I had to put my hand out to balance myself on an illegal hold and Husband wouldn't let me count it as complete, so I still have a little bit of work to do but I was so close. No real updates on the rest, but considering it's only day one I'm feeling pretty good.

I'll admit that I'm a judger. I really want everyone to succeed, and I would never put anyone down who is trying to lose weight, but I kinda hate not being able to find parking in January only to see just the regulars back after Valentines Day. I feel like gyms should create the opportunity for Accountibili-buddies for those that have made working out a habit to help out the "January Joiners" (love that term btw) to keep them coming back and reaching their goals.

Thanks Hireadd, we're in this one together! We've got this! I think once the challenge starts I'm going to try to do some daily updates at least during the week. I want to try and get in the habit since I know the support you all give me when I'm updating really does help out a lot. Hopefully tomorrow's update will be full of awesome because we're rock climbing today and even though we're taking a bunch of friends out for the first time (so we won't get much climbing in ourselves) I'm hoping to take a shot at my tall project totally fresh off of a rest day.

Welcome to the Adventurers! I love me some planks! When I first started off back in July I struggled with 2 sets of 30 sec in the Rebel Strength Guide but now I can do a full minute set. The beautiful thing about planks is that if you do them every day, even if that's the only exercise you do in a day, you'll see results pretty quickly. I can't wait to see your project pictures! I wish I had the tools/space to add metal working to my repitoire but I think my husband might kill me so I'll live vicariously through others.

Welcome to the Adventurers! Cutting out dairy should help with that perpetual runny nose, lactose-intolerant or not dairy definitely affects mucus production. This is my first paleo winter, and I'm feeling less sniffly that usual so hopefully you'll find the same results. Can't wait to see you succeed!

What? It's my cheat day! I crack up at this video every time!

Carb-flu is the worst! It gets better, I promise! I'm also totally with Kelekona on breakfasts, I love leftovers for breakfast if I'm not digging my normal smoothie goodness. Woot woot for crafting and home improvement! We've lived in our house for almost 2 years (wow, that's weird to say...) and we're only just now really starting to move in and get into the decorating groove so you're way ahead of the game.