Minyla

I kind of want to try it, too! But I have visions of falling all over myself and collapsing into a quivering pool of jelly... so maybe I'll wait until I've hit a more "advanced" fitness level... Keep those calories up! We have similar eating goals, and your protein levels tend to be right around where mine usually are, too. I'd like to come up with some good ways to get and keep my protein levels up, but averaging more than 30g per meal is tough! In other news -- when is your cruise?? Where are you going?? I love cruising, but it's been a while since we've been able to go on one... let me live vicariously through you!

Sounds like you're really doing well so far, great work! I am totally jealous of your farm-fresh wares; if we lived close enough, I would definitely be a client! (Speaking of which, since I know one of your goals involves working on the site: I couldn't tell what your location is from the site, except that I'm guessing it's in Georgia somewhere. You may be able to snag more customers if they can tell you're nearby. I do know that anyone who can fairly be described as "Southern US" is too far to deliver to us, though!) Our CSA's and similar businesses all shut down during the winter, and most of them don't include any animal-based products at all, either (so no eggs --bummer!). Great work finishing week 3. That's been our "set point" on c25k before, and I know it's tough. Also, the weather has been lousy just about everywhere, so good job working through that, especially. I noticed that you mentioned only having one pair of shoes-- that one is a really good pair of running shoes, right?? If you can swing it, you won't believe what a difference a good pair of shoes makes. Plus, I feel so much more "athletic" when I slip on some big-girl running shoes! Good luck with the incoming weather (I heard more rain is headed your way), and great job so far!! Oh, and be careful, lol!

Another day, another 8 inches of snow. So another work-from-home day it is. Today, I really, really, have to make some substantial progress on the project I brought home. I wanted it to be done by today (and it might have been, if I were at the office), but I can cut myself a little slack because of the weather. I need the mental break of extra days off of work, and so I refuse to totally kill myself trying to get everything done anyway. Anyway, on to my progress. Due to the weather, c25k is just not possible today. Before the snow came, we toyed with the idea of pulling the car out of the garage and doing small laps in there and/or trying to do it on our elliptical. I was skeptical then, but now I'm fairly certain we couldn't actually pull the car out of the garage anyway, what with the blowing snow drifts. So we'll have to put it off at least until tomorrow. Judging was cancelled last night and tonight as well, so more cooking than I expected has occurred, with delicious results. Unfortunately, the snowmageddopocalypizzardstorm has made getting out to buy fresh protein a no-go, so some creative thinking about dinner tonight will be required. Lunch, at least, will be covered -- leftovers from last night's salmon and bulgur pilaf...yum! Oh, and on the subject of food, I am definitely not above claiming a victory on my "bring lunch" goal even though I didn't technically have to bring it anywhere. The purpose of the goal is to prepare and/or cook my own food, and I definitely accomplished that. Here's proof: [ATTACH=CONFIG]163[/ATTACH] Curried Lentil Soup and Toasted Ham and Swiss Sandwiches on whole grain bread. In other news, I don't like lentils. Oh well!

Oh, man, I feel your pain on the bank. When my bank tried to switch my savings account to a second checking account, I said adios. We have enough money-related worries without having to stress about the people who are holding our money for us! Good luck with that!

Yeah, wow, 1/2 mile in 2 minutes is wicked fast, good for you!! I'm just "learning" to jog and run, but we went out Saturday to clock ourselves for the 400m skill on the OMFG, and I could barely drag myself across the 1/4 mile mark in 2 minutes -- it's seriously the hardest fitness thing I've done in a LOOOOOOONG time. If you keep working on that goal, you will definitely have my awe and respect!

Thanks, Cacophony!! BTW, I am in total awe of your avatar photo.

What's the topic of their podcast? I have about 2 hours of commuting a day, and I've been looking for a good fitness/nutrition/health/whatever podcast to add to my lineup of WoW, NPR, and trivia podcasts. Also, great job attacking your goals right from the start! I couldn't help but notice "omelet cupcakes" -- what do those entail?

Okay, so due to the weather yesterday, I got called back in for judging, so no night of cooking for me. On the upside, I'm working from home today because of said weather, so I will get to make lunch today for sure. Too bad I have so much actual work to do, or this would be a really great day... Oh well.

Aww, thanks guys! @werwolf, I am happy to take that as a compliment, since I have never actually seen Real Genius (I know, I know...). I definitely take "girl-uber-nerd" as a compliment. @Alethea, yay! Enthusiasm is definitely something I've got in spades. I'm glad to hear that it's working for you. I'd love to be the kind of person who spends a little time each week (or even each day) on fitness, but I haven't found the right rhythm yet. One of the things I really like about the idea of OMFG is that there are a whole bunch of ideas and tasks already set out for me to work on, so I can spend some time working on a yoga position or on running or on swimming, etc, without feeling like I've already abandoned what I was doing five minutes ago. Thanks for your hard work on that, btw!

Hi, everyone! I'm Minyla. You can call me whatever you'd like, but Minyla or Jessie are most likely to get my attention. I am a 26 year old lawyer who still hasn't gotten used to saying "I'm an attorney." While in college and law school, I gained a substantial amount of weight -- approximately 100 pounds, maybe more -- and I have spent the last year slowly starting to lose it. For me, this has meant changing my eating habits and starting to move around occasionally, but my emphasis in year one has definitely been on food. I've counted calories, and I've read endless amounts of information about good nutrition and good cooking. I joined FatSecret.com, and have reduced my weight from about 285 lbs to just under 215 lbs. My eventual weight goal is unknown (I'll see what feels right when I'm in the right neighborhood), but my current long-term goal is 165 lbs. To get to a "healthy" weight according to the dreaded BMI chart, I need to hit 145. We'll see. A FatSecret buddy linked OMFG a few weeks ago, and I've been lurking ever since. Nerd-wise, I've been most kinds of nerd at some point in my life. When I was young, I was a tech nerd (at 8, I was writing DOS programs-- those were the days...), and I grew into a band/choir/speech/scholastic bowl nerd in high school. I am now a law nerd, though I have maintained my passion for music, performing, and above all, trivia. I've also picked up some gaming nerditude, playing WoW with my husband and some friends. I also love Alternate Reality Games, though my passion and energy for that has waned a little in the last few months (see below). I have a slight manic tendency, in the "I like space; we should build a rocket ship in the backyard RIGHT NOW" sense, but it's mostly worked for me so far. I get into things, and I get excited about them, though I tend to lose interest/motivation after a while. Fortunately, healthy eating has not fallen by the wayside, and I have changed enough of my habits and desires that I don't expect it to. Fitness however... well, let's just say I've never made it a consistent priority. I've always been a busy girl, and as I've mentioned, I tend to put a lot of energy into everything I do. This leaves little time and energy for "second tier" priorities. I hope that by getting involved here, I can make my fitness a first tier priority, now and for good. Fortunately, I've recruited my best friend, my husband "Zul", to help me stick with this until it becomes a habit. I am lucky in so many ways. So that's a little (okay, maybe a lot) about me. I've signed up for the February Challenge, and the OMFG (yay Druids!), and I look forward to meeting and chatting with everyone!

Well, isn't this timely? PsyBlog: How to Commit to a Goal

Day one: C25k (W1D1 - starting again at the beginning in the hopes that I will get the most out of the overall program this way) happened this morning, but that giant storm heading our way is going to put a real obstacle in my way. We run outside, but I have balance and traction issues when walking/waddling, and running is just too dangerous when there's no clear path. Wednesday morning should be day 2, but we're supposed to have at least a foot of snow on top of a layer of ice by then. Ideas? I don't have my lunch today, either, and this week is not looking good in that regard. I am volunteering at the law school tonight, tomorrow, and Wednesday, and that usually eats my entire evening, which makes prepping lunches a bit of a trick. Oh! Literally as I was writing that sentence, the coordinator from the law school called to ask if she could give my spot tonight to someone else, which is fine by me! SO nevermind! Hopefully I can get at least tomorrow's lunch prepped tonight! Huzzah!

Okie doke! My first challenge has officially begun, and I'm ready to get this thing done. My goals for this first challenge may seem a little too easy, but if I can master them, it will mean that I've made active, conscious, consistent steps towards improving my fitness level for the first time in my life. So I may be taking baby steps, but know that my eyes are set on the distant horizon. Goals C25k - do C25k at least two mornings per week. I've been using the C25k program periodically since last March, but (after some significant initial difficulties getting through week 1) I've never kept at it with enough consistency to get past week 3 (I've been running week 3 every so often since about September). Today, I'm signing up with Zul and my sister for a 5k in April, and I'd really like to be able to actually run the whole thing, so there is now a deadline for me to complete this program. If I can manage at least 2x a week during this cold, snowy, and icy month, I'll still be on course to complete the program by race day. The hands-down hardest part of this for me is finding the resolve and the energy to get up early in the morning, but experience has shown that saving the run for the evening is a recipe for failure.Cardio Salsa - I've been making excuses for not signing up and sticking with a fitness class for at least a year and a half since I finished school. This month, that ends. I've signed up for a cardio salsa class at the local community college. It meets at 6:30 on Thursdays, and I will not skip it, no matter how tired I feel.Bring my lunch to work - At the beginning of the year, I cooked a little more than a week's worth of Bon Appetit's "Foodie Cleanse," a full meal plan of mostly natural foods, with more veggies, fish, and beans than I've ever cooked in my life. It was a great experience, but a LOT of work. My biggest takeaway from the experience, however, was that I feel a lot better when I get up and have breakfast at home (as opposed to the microwave breakfast at work or the drive-thru breakfast on the way in), and when I bring something healthy and full of fruits and/or veggies to have for lunch. Predictably, when we stopped following a pre-defined meal plan, preparing those things became less of a "must" and more of a "wouldn't it be nice." This month, I will shift back, bringing lunch with me at least 3 days a week. I'm going to let myself average this one, though, since some weeks are going to be more difficult for me than others to find the time and materials to make it happen.Jobs, jobs, jobs - My non-health goal is to put in substantial steps toward finding my next job. I am currently in a 2-year clerkship that ends in August, and now is the time for me to make the connections and applications that will be necessary to ensure I have somewhere to go when it ends. This month, I will dust off my resume and reconnect with the professors who have been my best resource so far. I will also send in at least one application for a job I don't think I can get, but would like to have.Miscellaneous Relevant Info About Me In OMFG, I am classifying myself as a druid, with strong scout leanings. I would like to level up my druid skills, but most of my current activities are scout related. I am generally a calorie counter. I don't "diet," and nothing is "off limits." By making small changes in my eating habits, I have come to naturally (if slowly) eat more fruits and vegetables and whole grains, and less crap. Historically, I don't like fish or beans, and one of my sub-goals (and probably the subject of a future challenge goal) is to eat more of both. If I can learn to like unsweetened ice tea and wine, I can learn to eat fish and beans. I love to cook, but I work an hour away from home and I'm lazy. When I have the energy and resources (i.e., the groceries are purchased and the kitchen is clean), cooking a nice healthy dinner at the end of a long day of work is a reward. Most days, it is a triumph of will.

Name: Minyla Brief overview of goals: -C25k -Don't skip my new cardio salsa class -Make lunch at least 3 days a week -Work on getting my next job Class: Druid (strong Scout subclass, may be switching to Scout) If you follow a specific way of eating: Calories In vs. Calories Out, moving toward a natural diet that includes healthy whole grains Any other piece of information you think would be useful for team creation: Very new to this, both the Rebellion and fitness in general. I'm not a member of a gym, and I don't currently do any strength training (if this goes well, that will hopefully be a part of a future challenge goal). If you want to be part of a team or if you want to work alone: I guess I'd like to be on a team, but I'm a little worried that I'll end up defunct (due to work and other business issues, not for lack of working towards my goals), so feel free to leave me off this go around if that works better.