Search the Community

Weekly goals are better for me. I'm still wrangling my mental health, and today I even binged on 1,000 calories of chocolate. I feel overwhelmed, and although I want to 'make forward progress', I don't handle 'failure' very well. So. Refocusing. So, here is August-September's challenge: Each Week Averages Out At: * Some kind of business progress: course plan / client session / launch / resource made. (5 Overall) * Three Workouts a Week. Everything counts. (15 Overall) * Three Meditates a Week. (15 Overall) * 2,084 words written (10,420 Overall = 5 points) BONUS: Complete the #plankonitaugust challenge from the NFA Women's FB Group: a daily plank = 10 points Overall. FINAL SCORE / 50

16: Returning to the root Be completely empty. Be perfectly serene. The ten thousand things arise together; in their arising is their return. Now they flower, and flowering sink homeward, returning to the root. The return to the root is peace. Peace: to accept what must be. to know what endures. In that knowledge is wisdom. Without it, ruin, disorder. To know what endures is to be openhearted, magnanimous, regal, blessed, following the Tao, the way that endures forever. The body comes to its ending, but there is nothing to fear.

So, uh, hi. I'm a warrior/monk, but I decided to wander over here for this challenge. I have a weird lumbar back/hip issue that might be just temporary muscle tightness or some horrible thing that'll never heal (I was told to just basically wait and watch it until I see my physiotherapist on 22nd, very exciting), which has forced me to alter my workouts. So I'm saying goodbye to my heavy barbell lifts for a few weeks and doing more work with kettlebells, bodyweight, and other stuff I'm really not good at, as it turns out. Fitness goals: #1: No Pain, No Still Gains I'm used to doing high intensity stuff, nothing else feels like a proper workout to me. And I'm guilty of exercising despite pain as long as I'm technically capable of it. But I need to learn not to do that, because I don't want to mess my back up any more. So the rules are: 1) No barbell squats (light front squats are okay as long as they don't hurt, I'm trying to learn the form). Substitute with goblet squats, split squats, lunges. 2) No barbell deadlifts. Substitute with one-legged dumbbell/kettlebell DLs. 3) Do core work every workout. I've neglected it in the past because I don't like it, but it's really important to both my lifting and taekwon-do. 4) Work on balance at least 2x week, just because mine sucks. 5) Generally listen to my body, and if something hurts, DON'T DO IT. You wouldn't believe how hard this is for me to get through my thick skull. #2: Cut Carbs I'm trying to decrease my body fat, which has been going absolutely nowhere for the past month and a half for reasons beyond my comprehension. For the next four weeks, I'll stick to a low-carb, high(er) fat diet to see if I can get some ketosis going on and melting off some of this annoying fluff. My current carb allowance on MFP is 40-50 grams per day, but I might adjust it along the way. A little more is allowed on lifting days, but even then I'll try to stick mostly to vegetables and the occasional orange juice. (I know that's liquid fructose but it's sooo good.) #3: Cardio Except for running outside, I hate most cardio. I usually get my cardio from TKD, but now I can't always attend the classes due to this back issue, and even when I can, I can't do most of the stuff that develops endurance. So in order to keep my endurance from going worse than it already is, I need to do at least 3x 20-30 minute HIIT sessions per week. Mostly on the elliptical since that's the safest option right now, since it's the most low impact for my hips and back. Life goal: Get Your ST Together I got recently diagnosed with ADD and meds to help deal with it, so I should finally be able to get my s&¤t together Like An Adult. So, during this challenge, I'll read the three remaining (terribly boring) literary studies books for a course, and book and ace that exam like a pro. I'll also read at least one novel I need to read for another lit course, and do one of the essays that's been late since about forever. I'll clean up the chaos that used to be my room and KEEP it clean. And pay my bills on time, which I've been dreadful at because my brain's like a sieve. Shouldn't be too hard. *sweats nervously*

I know sit-ups are dumb, but what are some better things I can do to strengthen basically from my shoulders to hips (back especially)? I have a messed up shoulder, so however much I would like to lift, I like not having surgery (yet :/ ) more.* *I asked this on another forum and got three recommendations for dead lifts. Ughn. What I'm basically trying to do is prep for NOT jacking myselp up more. I had it suggested to me to work around my injury by strengthening my core and back, which have gotten really weak without some sort of direction on HOW to build and maintain their strength without putting too much strain on my shoulder.

Huh? I'm confused by the muscle head terminology. What do these actually mean? "Screw your feet/hands into the floor" "Break the bar?" "Tighten your abs" but "breath into your belly" How does one do this? I'm sure the answer is simple, but not for this noob. I'm also sure this is in the wrong spot, but this is my... second forum post? Sorry, I'll get the hang of it.

Background rant: I had a group fitness class yesterday, and nearly gave up on the gym. It was horrible. All core and stability exercises and I couldn't seem to get any right. I'm crushed, I can run and do strength workouts without failing, I felt like I was back in middle school gym class and everyone was going to start laughing. Horrible. Instead of hiding away from the gym and giving up, I want to work more on my core and stability so that never happens again. Question: What are some good core/stability exercises I can do at home to prepare me for the hell I face at the gym? If it helps, I'm 25/f/5'10/165lbs and I'm working towards a half marathon in about 5 weeks.

I've been running steadily for about 6 months and am planning to do my first marathon in early 2014. I met with a trainer about two months ago who helped me with some form issues. I was a plodding midfoot striker before I had my form session with the trainer. He got me to put my strike under my center of gravity which has moved me to a more forefoot strike, kind of between midfoot and forefoot. My calves had been hurting a lot before this form fix, and that has almost completely gone away since then. I stretch my calves and do exercises to strengthen them, so they're in pretty good shape. I was also looking for shoes at that point and because I overpronate (as told by a podiatrist) the trainer suggested I look at some light stability shoes. I do wear Superfeet orthotic inserts. The shoes I had before were motion control, and they felt like bricks, totally dead, too much support. This time I wound up with Brooks Ravennas, which I was wearing with the pink insert at first. They feel great to run in, after the first 2 runs I've had no more blisters or toe issues. But the pink inserts made my inside shins a little sore when first starting a run and did not feel super stable (I felt like I was still turning in), so I switched to the green inserts for more support. This felt better to me at first, but now my inside shins are quite sore. The problem continues to get worse, not better, so now I'm wondering if I have the wrong shoes. I've not had a shin splint issue at all this year until after the first 3-4 runs in the Ravennas; I don't know whether I don't have enough support, or have too much. Do I need a more neutral shoe to wear with my inserts?