RavenclawRebel

Lol that's hilarious! I might just have to use that Good luck on your challenge as well!

Welcome to the group! Congrats on giving up drinking! What are you plans to give up smoking? Are you going to use a patch or are you weeing (is that how you spell that word) gradually?

My last challenge was less successful that I had hoped. Most likely because my previous goals were not specific enough. This time around I'm going to make my goals SMART and focus on being a kick ass ranger. Goals: 1. It's Paleo, Not Faileo Last few months I've been trying (and failing) to eat clean. I'm about 60-70% paleo right now. I don't eat grains, soy or dairy products, but I enjoy my sweets and booze a little too much. Here's my plan to give up the crap and replace it with stuff that I should be eating. Week 1: Give up soda and replace with water Week 2: Stop grabbing fast food and make my lunches at home instead Week 3: Cut out alcohol (goodbye red wine) and replace with either club soda or water Week 4: Replace sugar and artificial sweeteners with natural sweeteners such as honey Weeks 5 & 6: Continue to eat clean and monitor the results 2. Mighty Morphin Programmin Time (Wait, what? I know it's cheesy, but I couldn't help it.) Currently enrolled in a free Ruby On Rails class through EdX. In order to complete the class, I need to get my but in gear. For the next six weeks, I'm going to devote atleast 15 minutes per day on coursework. I'm going to reserve 15 minutes of my lunch hour to this so I know that it will get done. 3. Focus on Inches, Not Weight My third, and final, goal is to lose atleast one inch from my waist. This is going to be accomplished by focusing on my diet in goal #1 and working out 5 times a week. 3 days will be devoted to bodyweight exercises provided by BodeeFit. 2 days will be yoga and pilates. Starting Stats: Height: 5'8" Weight: 185 Waist size: 40"

That's a great idea Caitriona! I tried it and it worked great! I even managed to race my nephew down the beach one day. It was soooo fun! I'm on the final stage of my dairy challenge. I'm to the point that I no longer crave cheese or ice cream. Okay, occasional random cravings, but nothing I can't handle. I'm to the point that I'm reading food labels and looking for anything with "contains milk" or dry milk in it. I'm slowly accumulating recipes to substitute things like hot cocoa mix and mac & cheese. It's actually quite fun!

Don't worry. We all have bad days/weeks/months/years. I'm having a super crappy week too. Just try to focus on the positives and picture the person you are trying to become and remind yourself how all this crap will be worth it in the end. Steve actually wrote a really great article on this subject. You can find it at http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2012/08/16/get-over-it/. Good luck! I'm rooting for you!

I am so frustrated! Have you ever been to the point that you dread your next work out? As in, you can plan for it all you want but, your body just doesn't want to do it. The body weight exercises are still fun, but the run/walk routine is just dreadful. I hate each and every work out. Sure it makes me feel good after, but the before and during just sucks. Has anyone else felt this way? How do you get through?

So the last few days have been a blur. I'm making good progress on my goals. I'm currently in my second week of my new 5k running program. I also signed up for a 5K on September 16th. Perfect timing! I've been pretty good about avoiding dairy. I've started to make my own meals at home so I can customize them as I see fit. It really helps now that I don't have classes. I am really enjoying my daily stretch time. I've already noticed a little increase in my range of motion. Finally, I finished my last class on Friday! I only have a couple of loose ends to tidy up and I'll be all done! Yay!

Daily Check in for Thursday (a little late) 1. Remove all dairy from diet Had another wonderful dairy free day. My tummy is loving this break from cheese and milk products. 2. Run a 5K without stopping Yesterday was a rest day. I think I didn't properly stretch after my run/walk because my calves are super tight. (It probably didn't help that I wore heals all day.) 3. Devote time every day to stretches Tried to stretch out my calves and legs as best I could. I've already noticed an improvement in my range of motion since beginning this challenge. L1. Graduate from college Paid bill for this semester. That cuts down my loan by one-third. I'm hoping to pay off all my college loans by the end of the year. I studied for my two-part math final. I also did more research on the speech test I have to take next week. Overall, another great day! Here's hoping that today goes as well or better than yesterday!

Okay, so I am going to try and turn the weekly check in into a Daily Check-In: 1. Remove all dairy products from diet Did great today! The brought in celebratory cake and donuts. I was able to resist. Woot! 2. Run a 5K without stopping Going good! I tried the couch to 5k program and found it a little too challenging for the first day. After struggling through the first work out, I did some research and found an alternate program. It looks a little more my speed. This sparkpeople group even has a team, discussion boards and a weekly motivational newsletter. http://www.sparkpeople.com/myspark/training-program.asp?p=6 3. Devote time every day to stretches Whoops! Forgot about that one. I'll have to do it as soon as I'm done typing this. Life goal - Graduate from college Going great! I finished my third class today. I only have one final exam left for my online class, one cert exam and one speech test to go. Can't wait to be done!

Thanks for the tip Veritate! I'll have to keep that in mind. I'm so impatient, I just want to meet all my goals right now. lol

Great job on sticking with your goals! That's awesome that you have converted your GF to the dark side...ahem, I mean NF side.

You are awesome! I totally agree with the idea of getting fit before the zombies arrive. You never know when the T-virus is going to be let loose. Keep up the great work!

Great job! It sounds like you are well on your way to achieving your goals. Keep up the great work!

Thanks for the tips Caitriona! That book you recommended looks pretty interesting. I already placed a hold at my local library. Minimalist shoes also look fun. I'll have to look in to that.

Time for the weekly check in! Diet/Fitness Goals: 1. Remove all dairy products from diet - I was doing awesome at this until today. The teacher threw us a pizza party and he ordered from my fave pizza place. I ended up having a couple of slices. Other than that, I've been doing great. 2. Run a 5K without stopping - Not going as great as I had hoped. I went for a 3 mile walk the other day and made it no problem. I am going to start the couch to 5K tomorrow morning. I already laid out my running clothes. 3. Devote time every day to stretch - I'm doing meh on this. So far it has been every other day. I noticed that my legs are much tighter than I had originally thought. It's actually preventing me from doing squats and lunges in proper form. Does anyone know of any good stretches for thighs and hamstrings? Life Goal: Graduate from college - Going great! This is the last week. I just got done with two classes, only two more to go. After that I still have to get my Network+ cert and test out of a speech class.