PolishTiger67

Way to be positive!

17 hours ago, Elastigirl said:

Great plan! Do the Darebee workouts use the same exercises as the fitness test?

Yes! Pullups aren't as common on their daily workouts, but they have monthly plans to address exercises that use a pullup bar. Those will be the ones I'll have the most "fun" with.

One of the main parts of my last challenge was to come up with some long-term goals. I found an old WWII fitness test that sets some great mile markers. I need the following to achieve the lowest GOOD score:

10 Pullups

31 Pushups

39 Jump squats

52 Sit-ups

31 Squat thrusts

My long-term goal would be to finish this test with the above results by the first day of Summer, June 21st. In order to achieve this, I am going to incorporate each of these moves into workouts that I'm already doing. I also have the goal of eating one cheat meal per week. That would be a challenge right now so I am going to give myself two cheats per week. 

For the Thanksgiving Gauntlet, I have the following goals:

1. Limit cheat meals to 2 per week

2. Do the Darbee workout of the day 6 days out of the week

This weekend wasn't terrible. Much better than weekends past. I'm realizing that I need to get short bursts of workouts done during the work day, 45 min of work then a break to get a quick 5ish min workout in. I can do this about 5 times a day. Darbee is a great resource for those kinds of workouts. A long term goal I'm considering is physical feats such as amount of push ups, pull ups, crunches, etc. I need to boil down what that will be for the coming challenges and put a goal date to have things done, possibly Summer?

Big family deal this weekend. I let myself enjoy it. It's funny how celebrations always have food that isn't good for you. I need to remind myself that it's not about the food, rather, it's about the company. I need to try and get into that mindset before the holidays arrive. That would be another long-term goal to flesh out.

Biking to work isn't going to pan out. There is enough going on at home that I need to be around at lunch time. I'm going to try working out at work prior to going home or come in early. It's hard to get my mind in workout mode when I'm at home. The darbee workouts seem simple yet they have the ability to amp things up from the beginner workouts. I will start the Pathfinder RPG workout routine TONIGHT even though I'm probably going to get home late. I need to stop making excuses for not getting even a small workout in.

I ended up getting COVID last week and it had it's own agenda. I'm back to normal now and I can focus back on my 3 goals. I considered my 3rd goal which is to journal about possible long term goals. I ended up wearing a shirt from years ago and it was a little more snug than I like. One long term goal would be to comfortably fit into a size large instead of XL. I've switched to XL in recent years which isn't that bad, I'd just like to know that I met the challenge of fitting back into shirts that I use to wear in college!

I've been on and off with many aspects of life this past Spring/Summer. We are having another baby next year and at this rate I am keeping up with my historical reevaluation of my existence as a human being after learning of a new family addition (cue EPIC DAD music). I do well when I start slow with tangible, short-term goals, however, long-term goals tend to escape me. Our family lives a marathon lifestyle that makes adjustments in the middle of the race when needed. Perhaps this is a tipping point for one of those adjustments, especially when considering the long term. Here's what I have for this challenge:

1. Prevent myself from tanking after the kids go to bed by having a protein shake made up and ready to go prior to their bedtime

2. Ride bike to work 2 days a week (8 miles round trip). I've been doing this for a few weeks. I'm putting this on the list to achieve consistency.

3. Journal weekly (at least) with the purpose of focusing on bettering myself and nobody else (other parents will understand).

Power to the players!

I've been on and off the wheel horse this past year. The last challenge was in the Fall. Since then I've gained, lost, did a Whole 30, worked out less, and everything else in between. I'm a dad of multiple children so I have to remember to give myself grace. I simply don't have the mind space to handle what I use to in college. The whole 30 I did was a real eye opener for what my body needs and what it doesn't. I've done a good job of making substitutes for wheat based carbs when they are available. The way I ate on the whole 30 legitimately made my body feel good, inside and out. Is it sustainable? I'm not sure it is during this season. Can I take learned lessons and apply them to post whole 3o life? Boom baby I can!

I have trouble tanking at the end of the day when the kids are down. I could have a good day of eating right but sometimes it just hits me after they are in bed. I'd like to try some kind of activity directly after their bedtime to set me straight for the rest of the evening.

1. Get at least 10k steps a day

2. Schedule a cheat meal one meal per week (will take some discipline)

3. Spend time doing some artwork directly after the kids are in bed

12 hours ago, Elastigirl said:

Great goals. I like how number two helps you think through your choices. What are you currently reading in your Bible?

Started Ezra last night. I'm going through the OT and trying to cover the books that I haven't given much attention to in the past.

I felt great about the last challenge. I lost two pounds and got 10k steps or more each day. I learned to take things slow and to rejoice in the small victories. The past two weeks at work have been crazy and I've been pulling my load and my supervisors because of covid. It did a number on me and I tanked on Halloween candy repeatedly.  This month I'm going to start planning out a large scale goal, whether it is a goal weight, number of reps, etc. and see what I can do to get there. This month I just need to get back on it. Here are my three:

1. Get AT LEAST 10k steps a day

2. Keep a food journal and assess how certain food choices could be substituted for a healthier option

3. Read the Bible every day

I may be starting late but I'm ready to jump back on it!

Weight: 219.2

This week has been pretty packed but I didn't let that get to me. I only ran once and did not do any other workouts. What I lacked in workouts I made up in labor. We've been doing work on the house and I've spent a good amount of time digging. This has put me way over on my 10k steps with almost 20k today. I'll take it in place of the lost exercise. Eating was decent this week (I even turned down popcorn at the movies).  I had a good amount of pizza today which was the only major cheat this week. I'm good with that! My weight hasn't moved much which I'm not going to lose sleep over it. I've kept up my steps and I'm making a conscious effort to pull back on my eating. Weight isn't really a goal during this challenge. Maybe next time.   

Whew boy! I tanked on my eating big time. We had a big family celebration this weekend and I didn't hold back. I'm so ready to not eat junk food today (Monday). The food was good but I had to eat a lot of it to really make me feel full. Just goes to show how much nutritional value is in that stuff. It's a new week this week and a get together like that rarely happens. I'm considering making a defined cheat meal per challenge period. Nothing quite like this weekend though...that was too much to do even on a 5 week basis. I did get my 10k both days which is a win. I need to keep up my off day workouts in check this week. I need to get use to doing 15 min. I thought I'd jump in and start 30 min but I ended up not doing it because I wasn't looking forward to it. 15 is more than doable and I want to build from there. Small steps!

10k steps before lunch! Had a 25 minute run this morning and it was a straight up win. I need to find a more substantial morning snack. I also need to keep an eye on the carbs. I'm not eating donuts or the like. I just need to make sure I get an ample amount of other foods in, especially veggies and protein. I want to make sure to do well the rest of today and tomorrow because we're celebrating a big day Saturday.

10k steps. Decent eating. I’m going to plan out my food for tomorrow this evening. 15 min card workout. Rough night with the kids last night so I’m running on fumes. Overall, a good day.

I didn't keep quite a much momentum this weekend. I ate what I said for Friday but I made a few blunders along the way. I keep telling myself I need to start planning out my meals. It's not impossible but it takes some work. I've still hit 10k each day which is a win. I didn't workout this weekend, tackled some big house projects. I'm ready to be back on track this week.

Weight: 219.8

12k steps. Did great at supper. I've been choosing a salad every time we go out. Had a good run this afternoon. Tomorrow I'm limiting myself to two bowls of taco soup, no more than that. I'm also going to portion out the tortilla chips (those are the kickers). I wasn't surprised with the one pound weight loss. I'm use to losing weight quick when I did the hardcore programs but immediately bounced back. One pound is a win! Consistency leads to progress and progress leads to goals, not matter how small the progress. All I can control is CONSISTENCY.

Reached 10k steps or more each day. Ran for 20 min straight yesterday. Did a fifteen min deck of cards workout Monday. Tonight i finished the whole deck and it felt great. Took 25ish minutes for the whole deal. I like not knowing what I'm doing until the next card. It could be 10 more of the push ups I just did (which is hard) or the squats. Still doing push ups, 20lb row, squats, and leg raises. I'm going to try and change things up each week. I'm trying to remind myself to go slow and steady, really focusing on form (unless they are push ups, then I've just gotta knock those puppies out!). Eating has been good, not perfect, but I'm happy so far. Had a very small scoop of superman ice cream with the kids. That is when a treat is worth it. Still thinking about Friday...my wife is leaving taco soup for me which actually is pretty clean. I just tend to go back for 3 bowls! I'm going to write down how much I can have tomorrow and the cut it there. I'll check my weight in the morn and update here too.

11k steps. I did the first Sunday night run in over 2 years which felt great. It was the first time in a while that I felt good about what I was doing. I had a good pace and wasn't keeling over after the last 8 minute interval,  just uncomfortable enough to make a slow burn.

Overall this week was a success. I was consistently more active than I have been in a long time and I truly kept an eye on what I was eating. I want next week to be just as good. I'll need to be careful about Friday night because of the way my weekend is happening. If I set some guard rails up to keep me in check I should be good.

13k steps today. I've met that goal every day this week! We had pizza tonight for supper but  I kept it in check. Two pieces with mostly salad.  Purposely saved some room to have protein shake to fill me up. It wasn't the best food in the world but I tried to make the most of it. I'm making the best choices despite the circumstances which I'm happy with. 

I started doing a deck of cards workout during a movie. Spent 15 minutes going through the deck. Push ups, rows w 20lbs, squats, and leg lifts. Took me about half way through the deck. Would probably take about 30 min to make it through the whole deck. I'm going to try this out for now on my off running days.

I've been doing fairly well that past few days. We had Chinese buffet tonight and I was happy with what I ate. One small serving of fried rice and the rest of the food was meat. Nothing fried. A small brownie with a little ice cream (no really, it was small). Water, not diet (the diet dr p was calling!). The hard thing about food is snacking on carbs. Nothing crazy like donuts or anything, just popcorn popped with olive oil. It normally is at night after the kids are in bed. I'm trying to find the best snack and the best TIME to eat it. I could stay up late to play xbox and get hungry but it would be better if I just hit the hay earlier. You can't eat if you're sleeping. I've done 10k steps for five consecutive days which is a win. I've had a hard time with the pull ups but I'm going to start 15 min workouts next week. I can run 2-3 days a week which is great. I just need to get something in on the days off (thanks for the suggestion Tank!). 

59 minutes ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

I have a two year old, I hear you over. How daddi g can get in the way of a workout. Are there any somethings you can do in 15 minutes if an hour workout isn't an option? 

In the past I've been use to long workouts so anything less than 30min didn't seem worth it. "College me" vs "dad me" are two very different people and it has taken getting over some pride to realize that. Progress is the goal at this point. Perfect is the enemy of good!

Weight: 220.6

Ate well yesterday. My dad brought me a large pumpkin spice latte at work ( yikes). I poured out about 3/4 of it and mixed the rest with black coffee. Boy that stuff is sweet! I thought that was a good way of enjoying a treat without sacrificing my goals. I need to keep in mind the lull period before supper. I'm normally ready to eat a snack by the time I get home and I want to make sure there is something I can grab that will be healthy. I did 3 sets/8 reps of assisted pullups with 30 seconds in between and that felt good. 2nd day streak of 10k steps. I'd like to work up to actually doing workouts on days that I can't get a run in. The biggest challenge is juggling responsibilities as a dad while I'm at home. I've been considering getting a membership somewhere because that puts me in a different environment, however, my work schedule can be so mixed that it makes it a challenge to get a free moment away until after 8PM or later depending on if we get the kids to bed on time. A day at work, being dad, and taking care of house projects doesn't always make room for an hour workout. I know a lot of it is mentality and not sitting down on the couch after my wife and I get the kids to bed. A more long term goal would be to add 30min-1hr workouts, though I'm not going for that quite yet. I'd like to keep the daily rhythm of what I have going right now and progress towards that. I love to run and I can take one of the kids with me if I need to. THAT certainly helps. There is a local 5k happening in late Nov that I have my eye on too. It would be great to run the whole thing . We'll see where I'm at at the end of the 5 week challenge before making that call.

1 hour ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

Hey PolishTiger, welcome to the rebellion. The role-playing part of the challenges is optional, if it's going to help  I encourage it, if it's in the way I'd suggest not worrying about it. You have three very good goals to start with. I would encourage you to flesh out the third one a bit more. Is there something specific you can do each day to remind you that perfect is the enemy of good? Something concrete and trackable you can turn into a habit (even if it's just the length of the challenge) can be very helpful in shifting your mindset.

Thanks for the encouragement! I shifted some things around to make it a bit more concrete.

Ate very well today. Only mark against me was some tortilla chips but it wasn't crazy. Went for a run to get my 10k. It was a winner all around.

I'm jumping back on the bandwagon after a third child and the pandemic (dads gain weight with kids too!). I'm trying to write some kind of character to represent myself into this quest so thing stay fresh. It's my first time trying any roleplaying story/ fan fiction so I'm looking forward to it!

1. Nutrition-Eat clean as much as possible. I'll do my best to keep a log here.

2. Fitness-10k steps and at least one challenge from NF

3. Mindset-Remind myself each day that perfect is the enemy of good by working up to a full 1-2 pull ups from a dead hang by the end of this challenge by using the pull up workout on NF.  These have always been a challenge for me. I've been able to do around 4-5 in the past and I'd like to work up to that in the future.