Jules Andromeda

Yeah - it makes NO sense to compare my body and life now to when I didn't have children, didn't have a regular job, etc. But it's hard not to do. Thanks for the encouragement!

Sort of? Not really! I decided to jump in and try the full 16/8 approach. So, I don't start eating until 12 pm, and then I stop at 8 pm. At the time, I had been overeating, and for about the first week I just didn't feel hungry in the mornings. By week 2, I started to notice it more. But my mornings are very busy, and so it's still been fairly easy. I do understand why the Journey app lays out a more gradual approach to adjusting your schedule and I think it makes total sense. But for me, part of what has been so valuable is this firm start and stop time, and I just wanted to start the new rhythm and see how it went. BUT - I have been checking the box in the Journey app every day I successfully follow the 16/8 schedule. Some weird nerdy party of me really loves getting all my daily goals met, and it does provide that little extra motivation to stick to the schedule when I start to have thoughts of straying. I have allowed myself a few days where I'm not perfect. It's only happened a few times in the 3.5 weeks I've been going, but I decided that I didn't want to be too rigid too early. So, I allowed myself a later snack twice - maybe three times? But in general I'm trying to substitute a cup of decaf tea when I have the desire to consume something later in the evening. Also trying to just go to bed on time, which also helps me prevent a lot of late-night snacking. How did you do it when you started?

Thanks! I do wonder how much of this is the new routine effect -- where you get off to a good start and then have a hard time maintaining it as schedules get more challenging. But, I'm trying to think of this as building up momentum towards the tough times. Perhaps my biggest challenge right now is that I've set a goal to just give more time and thought and energy to my health -- to make it a higher priority. That takes time, and a lack of time is why all of this stuff got backburnered in the first place. With COVID, and parenting / remote schooling an always-at-home rambunctious and sometimes hyper young boy, and a husband who has been ill off and on, sometimes seriously, and a job that just got out of control due to COVID -- my routines and priorities just all fell apart. I'm glad to still have a job, but the job has also caused me to feel some serious burnout. Anyway - I'm just going to try to keep going .. . see how that works.

OK. Very overdue update here. Since staying accountable here is one of my overall goals, I need to work on my update schedule! I do like reading others' posts here. I just find posting . . . a little hard. And daunting. But here goes. Goal Update: Week 2 Goal 1: Reduce snacking Week 0: Crash and burn! Week 1: Much improved - started intermittent fasting and it HUGELY helped with snack cravings. Week 2: SUCCESS. This was, amazingly, a near-perfect week. IF is reallly curbing the snacking impulse. I am so, so, so pleased to find something that's working. Goal 2: Meal Prep for Week Week 0: Good! Week 1: SUCCESS Week 2: Done! Grocery shopping Saturday, cooking Sunday, only 2-3 meals - seems doable so far Goal 3: Strength train 2x / week Week 0: SUCCESS Week 1: SUCCESS Week 2: SUCCESS. Unbelievably - I got in 3 this week. 3! The Journey app lays out a 3x/week schedule, and I wanted to get all my daily check marks (it's bizarre how motivating that is to me), and so I just did it. A little knee twinge from the jumping jacks of all things (though I ran 23 miles last week without pain). But I can feel myself getting stronger, just a little bit. It's already showing up in my running. I'm still sometimes a little embarrassed at my strength now compared to several years ago, but if I can set aside the comparisons I mostly just feel good.) Goal 4: Explore NF yoga workouts (and get in at least 2) Week 0: Sort of? Watched the intro video but didn't do yoga. Week 1: FAIL Week 2: PARTIAL SUCCESS - I just did one, but . . .that's still a step up for me. Also - I really enjoyed it, so I'm trying to focus on that when I feel avoidant of doing this. Goal 5: Check in daily with Journey app Week 0: MOSTLY SUCCESSFUL (missed 1 out of 7) Week 1: MOSTLY SUCCESSFUL (missed 2 out of 7) Week 2: SUCCESS - I'm on a roll. Weekly Running / Walking Mileage: Week 0: 22.25 mi Week 1: 10.1 mi Week 2: 23.1 mi - better! In other news - while I am clearly feeling stronger and loving the better nutritional choices I'm making, my weight isn't budging much. But I'm trying to focus on fitness and nutrition and not let the stuck scale bug me too much. I AM HEALTHIER, and glad for it.

I will admit that I'm not exactly following the guided meditation video in the app. I've been combining it with stretching, which feels good and is a bit of a cheat, I realize.

Honestly, I must have some serious internal resistance to meditation, because in spite of setting this as a goal year after year after year, and in spite of the fact that meditation doesn't have to take a lot of time, this has just NOT happened for me. Until now. But perhaps that's what's happening for you -- for whatever reason, you have a block or resistance to it. And maybe there's a good reason for that, or you are just pushing yourself in too many other areas to take this on, too.

Belated posting for Week 1 Goal 1: Reduce Snacking Week 1: MUCH BETTER! Intermittent Fasting is like MAGIC. Or maybe it's some sort of combination of intermittent fasting, which helps eliminate morning overeating and curbs my appetite, and meal planning (which - as mentioned - I *finally* have an approach that balances adequate meal planning with realistic cook / prep time). Either way, I am seeing real progress in this area this week. Which is amazing, because I have been feeling SO STUCK on this issue. One other possible source of this progress: we've just been buying less snacks for the house. This is harder for my son, because he's bored by the food options in the house, and as an elementary-aged child stuck at home due to COVID, food has been one of the ways I introduced some variety into our lives. But . . . removing temptation is super effective for me, and I'm trying to provide variety for him in other areas of our life. Goal 2: Meal Prep weekly Week 1: Got it DONE! Granted, I have gone to the most extreme measure to make this work. I have found that I have such limited time for cooking, meal prep only really works if I strip it down to the simplest possible strategy: I make one batch of food for lunches, and eat the same thing all week; and I make a different recipe for dinners, and eat the same thing all week. But . . . it's working, as long as I pick recipes I like. Much more realistic than trying to fit cooking time in every night. Goal 3: Strength train 2x / week Week 1: DONE! Also - ordered a pull-up bar and rings. Goal 4: Explore NF Yoga workouts Week 1: NOT done. No yoga, and also not that much running / walking last week. I had a busy work schedule, and my son started remote school again, and we just didn't get through it all. Hoping to prioritize this more this coming week. Goal 5: Check in daily with the NF Journey app Week 1: Pretty good! I checked in 5/7 days. I'm liking the little check-boxes, the daily goals, the tiny reward feedback loop I get from small daily successes. I think that's going to work with habit building. For example, one of my current Journey app "adventures" is "5 Minutes of Meditation." For the first time in the . . . 10 years? . . . I've been trying to convince myself to meditate more, I'm actually fitting in about 5 minutes of meditation daily. It seems like such a small thing, but seeing it show up on my daily checklist in Journey seems to be just enough of a nudge and reminder to help me get this done. In short, things are going all right so far, but as work heats up and our family's schedule gets more complex, I'll be hoping I can maintain this good momentum. I don't have a great track record of that lately, but my goal this year, in general, is to give more of my energy and mental focus and higher priority to my health. So . . . here goes to that.

Zero week Saturday update: I think I'm going to aim for bi-weekly updates, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, so we'll see how that goes. Goal 1: Reduce snacking Week 0: Crash and burn! Ummm. I'll say this. It is 100% clear to me after just a few days of tracking for this goal that this is my number one issue. I sort of knew that constant grazing was probably sabotaging my eating. But now I really *know* it - how mindless this has become, how unconscious, even. New strategies: intermittent fasting (16/8) and pre-planning exactly when I will eat and what I will eat. Week 1: Week 2: Week 3: Week 4: Week 5: Goal 2: Meal prep for week Week 0: Good! Every day I have ready-made meals in the fridge, so if the family meal isn't good for my nutritional goals, I've been just microwaving my pre-fab meal. It takes staying on top of the grocery shopping and weekly planning, but when it works, it really works. Week 1: Week 2: Week 3: Week 4: Week 5: Goal 3: Strength train 2x/ week Week 0: Success! - Wed - Did an old bodyweight workout routine; Sat did NF Bodyweight Workout Benchmark Test, which placed me at beginner bodyweight workout level 4A. Reviewed the workout step-by-step in the app. Need to acquire a pull-up bar and rings, though, I guess? Workout looks great, though. Week 1: Week 2: Week 3: Week 4: Week 5: Goal 4: Explore NF yoga workouts (and do at least 2) Week 0: A small start. I watched the intro video for the yoga programs, and discovered that most workouts should fit within my schedule. Week 1: Week 2: Week 3: Week 4: Week 5: Goal 5: Check in daily with Journey app Week 0: Almost! Missed 1 day (New Year's Day), but otherwise, this has become a fun home base for increased focus on my body and fitness. I've never done anything like this app before, but it's working for me so far! Week 1: Week 2: Week 3: Week 4: Week 5: Weekly mileage (running and walking): As a long-time runner, I've been logging my miles in a spreadsheet since . .. . 2002. (I am taking yall at your word that you welcome nerds who like to be nerdy about fitness. Cuz I am Such. A. Nerd. with all the spreadsheets.). I have run as many as 1805 miles in a year (2008, a year in which I also swam and biked a lot) and as few as 360 (2018). This year I hit 832 miles, with a little biking thrown in on the side. So - a big improvement over the last several years, and that means I averaged 16 miles per week. Increasing my mileage, however, did not move my weight at all, though. As NF folks to say, "You can't outrun your fork!" Week 0: 22.25 miles - I'm enough out of shape that it's a combo of running and walking right now. I managed this every day except Thursday this week, and I only missed Thursday because of the rain Week 1: Week 2: Week 3: Week 4: Week 5: So - All told, this has been a mostly good week, but my snacking needs to change. We'll see how this all goes as I hit a heavy load of work projects next week while also resuming supervision of my kiddo's remote schooling!

I think walking for days and days sounds very scouty! Endurance running for me has rarely been about speed, always been about persistence and goal-setting and putting in the time and logging the miles. Right now I have to mix walking and running, since my running routines really have fallen apart in the last several years. But I've loved the walking.

I'll be giving the yoga a try today! Since I am mostly a scout, today was supposed to be a running day, but it is raining all day. Fingers crossed! But my body feels soooo much better when I make a little room for flexibility work.

I love this idea. We talk a lot about nutrition, because he has an intense sweet tooth and being at home a lot during COVID has meant that the kitchen is pretty much always open to him. Getting him to be more mindful about his own choices is one of my goals. I'll check out the book!

He just turned 10!

Excited about your long run goals. Long runs normally on Sundays?

Looking forward to hearing about your adventures with meditation. So much easier to watch someone else dip their toes in the water than to do it myself! You will hopefully emerge full of wisdom for all of us who think we maybe could use some regular head-clearing but are terrible at it.

I really love the good / better / best frame - how that gives you space to grow towards your goal but room to adjust and acknowledge that sometimes good enough is . . . good enough! And love the Gray Jedi Code!

This is good advice, and I often do try this. But my son is one of the most strong-willed people I've ever met, so lots of I-wil-not-eat-this-I-will-go-to-bed-hungry -before-I-eat-this! battles ensue, which is exhausting and often not productive. And my husband has a very strict set of dietary constraints that are almost the inverse of mine. I've kind of given up on trying to get us all eating the same things, though it is important to me as a mom to try to get my son eating healthful meals, so I keep pushing on that. I do keep fighting this battle, but I've had to sort of disentangle my own eating from my family's, so that I can have a little more control over it. But weekly advance planning definitely helps! And I'm OK eating the same meal every night for dinner, so I'm usually only prepping just one dinner for myself, and then I keep eating it all week. A little boring, for sure, but life has been so crazy that boring isn't necessarily bad.

This is something I'm loving about NerdFitness - a lack of preachiness about nutrition and fitness approaches. I love the "figure out what works for you" and "no need to be perfect, just focus on making small improvements" approaches. These are both SMART and way more HUMANE approaches than the blame-and-shame implied in so much of the advice out there!

Chuckling here. That is a logical suggestion, but oh yes, I am getting enough at meal times. And then some! I've been food journalling for a while, though I often fail to fully log my evening meal. (And of course grazing constantly makes it impossible to log everything -- another reason why I need to stop doing that.)! I do like the intermittent fasting idea. Lately I have not been at all hungry in the mornings, but I've always read that you're supposed to eat breakfast. I'm not clear on the research on this one, but I'm game to give it a try. I can see benefits to having my stomach just be empty for a longer period of time. And yes to Elastigirl about protein! It's so much easier to control eating when I level out the blood sugar spikes and dips with more protein. I'm trying to have hard-boiled eggs around the house, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, etc. Good suggestion. Tanktimus - I'm new to all of it! I just started the Journey app, just joined Discord, and just found the forums last weekend. I've poked around NF's website before, but never actually participated in any way. But THIS -- getting encouragement and accountability -- is totally what I've been looking for. I'm so excited to find such an active community! Seriously. You have no idea how excited I am about this. THANK YOU all!

After a frustrating almost five years of decreasing weekly running mileage, increasing weight and cholesterol levels, and worsening nutrition, I am trying for some habit transformation in 2021. This involves some big things (changing my professional trajectory), and lots of smaller things (adjusting eating and exercise habits in relatively small but significant ways). I used to be a long-distance runner, and it has been hard to let go of the part of my brain that says that if I just up my mileage enough, my weight will take care of itself. As a full-time working (and now middle-aged) mom who has had to work a LOT of overtime during COVID and who also is home every day with a stocked kitchen, all of my constraints and challenges are different than they used to be. I am completely new to the Nerd Fitness community, and an internet-shy introvert, so this isn't comfortable for me. But I'm here because I really need some accountability and social support around these changes, and I want to give this kind of community a try! So . . . . here goes! Goal 1: Reduce snacking - nutrition I would like to eliminate snacking entirely, but I've tried that and completely failed. So (gets up, dusts self off, looks about, starts down road again ) - my new more realistic self is aiming to eliminate snacking after dinner and *limit* snacking in the afternoon to my mid-afternoon snack. Also, since my partner and child are going to continue enjoying all of their snacks, I am creating a separate snack shelf for myself in the kitchen. If I can avoid theirs altogether, perhaps I'll be less tempted by their snacks? Goal 2: Weekly meal prep - nutrition I've tried meal plans, and they rarely work because my family won't eat them, and we don't have time to cook separate meals for everyone. So, what's worked best is to prep 3 recipes on the weekend just for me, each with at least 5 servings, to cover weekdays: a) steel-cut oats for breakfasts; b) a vegetarian lunch; and c) something healthy I can eat for dinner each evening. I am successful at doing this about 40-50% of the time. Then, we make whatever the family wants for dinner, and I pull out my pre-prepped meal and microwave it for just me. My goal is to aim for 80% of the time getting meal prep done - or at least 4 of the 5 weeks of the challenge. Goal 3: Strength training 2x/week - fitness I have been sporadically adding a very simple and short (15-min) NF bodyweight circuit to my weekly exercise, but I'm terrible about getting it in consistently, though I'm able to run or walk almost every day. I'd like to try to get it in twice a week. Later I can work on adding more exercises and circuits, but right now I'm focused on the habit building piece of just fitting this in weekly. Goal 4: Explore some of the NF yoga workouts - flexibility I have never been good about stretching or flexibility work, but at 47, I need it. In addition to consistently stretching after runs and walks, I want to at least spend some time trying out a few of the NF yoga workouts to see if there's one I could do on a regular basis. I'll meet this goal if I try at least 2 of the yoga video classes here. Goal 5: Check in daily with the NF Journey app - habit-building, mindset I don't know if this will help, but the goal here is to keep my health and fitness goals front and center in my brain, in spite of having to work overtime, remote school an elementary-aged child, and all the other things going on in our lives. Letting exercise and nutrition activities get pushed away during busy times has been a big source of my slippage, and so the goal here is just to remember that this is a PRIORITY for me. Looking forward to getting to know some of you better here! And, of course, leveling up my superhero self.