Search the Community

Since I have mostly spent my magic on others and on their needs instead of mine, a lot of things in my life need to be changed. After I lost a lot of weigth with Paleo before, I feel it is time now to include sports back into the picture. My first challenge helped me with getting rid of the lame excuse "no time for workouts"… and now there are some good habits which need keeping and maintaining. I will keep these habits from my first challenge: take stairs instead of elevator whenever/ wherever feasible. Get up earlier to make time for a before breakfast workout. Do Pilates-Yoga-combination in the evening, as it has proven to be relaxing and helpful with my back issues, giving me more flexibility. Goal #1: increase upper body strength. Fact is, I fall flat on my stomach if I try to do "real" push ups. Since I recently sort of feel attracted to kettlebells, I will find the perfect kettlebell for me, and start working out with it, learning how to correctly do so. Injuries have to stay out of the picture. I hope it'll get me to the point where I can do a real push up. Might be nice for my arms as well. I don't play Bingo, and I don't want to look as if. Goal #2: reduce body fat. well, I got one of those calipers. Since different vcalculators give me different percentages between 21% and 25%, and tape measures aren't exactly helping, I decided to take the mean value of ALL the measurements. So let's assume I'm at 23% of body fat, which might be close if I compare myself to the pictures of women in Steve's article on body fat. Losing 2% or maybe even 3% of this would be bigtime awesome. In order to lose body fat, I will reduce and monitor carb intake. Anything between 30g and 40g per day is okay. It should be okay, since normally I am barely above 50g a day. It means also strictly to adhere to the Paleo lifestyle. Helping with this goal might be a new piece of equipment, which sits in the basement and whispers "use me, come on!" I'm talking about a rowing machine (husband guy wanted it, too). I have to do every day at least 10min. of intense rowing. Goal #3: have more fun and balance in my life. Honestly, for calling work not a top priority of my life, it is way too time consuming right now. Being away from home between 7am and 7pm SUCKS, and I will change this. Coming home latest by 6pm should be doable. This will give me time to do either writing or sewing or playing with my kids (they're great kids!), whichever strikes my fancy, once I am home or have time off. I might even start making a lot of paleo-compatible food for our pantry. Oh, and no more work on the weekends! Life Quest: grow edible things in our garden and have house and grounds organized and well kept. Concerning on how to evaluate myself on this, I will come up with something soon. This weekend I have a convention to attend, and to prepare presentations, so not much "me-time" there. Maybe I can make it to the hotel's gym, depending on their opening hours. A little side note: I know a lot of women my age (40+) who say that sports won't change much anyway, there's gravity and age and all the other unpleasant things one cannot influence, so why bother. Well... Let's agree to disagree!

Continuing Main Quest:Under 200 Lbs by 30th birthday (12/04/14). Mini Quests: 1. Get Stronger [sTR +3]Increased upper body strength through Push-Ups, Pull-Ups, Chin-Ups, Bench Press, DB Fly, etc. A = 10+ Pull-Ups In A RowB = 5 Pull-Ups In A RowC = 10 Chin-Ups In A RowD = 5 Chin-Ups In A RowF = <5 Chin-Ups In A Row 2. Run Faster [DEX +3] [sTA +3]Beat high school best 1 mile time of 8:00/Mi through interval training and increased mileage. A = Faster than 8:00/MiB = 8:00-8:30/MiC = 8:30-9:00/MiD = 9:00-9:30/MiF = Slower than 9:30/Mi 3. Clean Eating [CON +3] [WIS +1]Incorporate larger amounts and greater variety of produce (Fruits/Veg) into my diet.Fast food and Beer negate all progress for the day. A = Average of 7+ servings of Different Produce per day in a given weekB = Average of 6+ Servings of Different Produce per day in a given weekC = Average of 5+ Servings of Different Produce per day in a given weekD = Average of 4+ Servings of Any Produce per day in a given weekF = Average of <4 Servings of Any Produce per day in a given week 4. Life Quest [WIS +2]Put away money to fund our Europe Trip ($1500+) A = Saved $1000+B = Saved $750-1000C = Saved $500-750D = Saved $250-500F = Saved <$250 Starting Stats (14 Apr 2014):Weight 218.6 lbsWaist 42"Hips 42"Chest 40.5"Biceps 15.5" & 15.5"Legs 25" & 25"Calves 16" & 16"Neck 15.5" After a rough end to the last challenge, I'm back at it with new goals, new drive, and greater success. I have revised the grading system to be more encouraging, as the points system last time did not work. No more daily goals, instead focusing on weekly averages to maintain morale and focus. I'm also not going to follow 30+ people like last time, as I ended up reading everyone's posts many days later and without contributing much. This approach will make me a better community member by being more producer than consumer. The focus of my workouts is on doing upper body workouts at home with dumbbells (Bench, Fly, Shoulder Press, Front Raise...etc) during the evenings (commercials lol) roughly every other day, and Interval running in the mornings before work. I'll be eating a loosely paleo diet, with the main emphasis being on more vegetables. I considered adding a Walking Dead / Survival theme to this challenge like I have done in the past, but don't want to get too distracted by this.

Challenge 2: On the Road to Glory I’ve completed my first Challenge (after several attempts) and I’m finally going to attempt a ranger challenge. I’m looking to build my strength with the aim of applying it to the sport of roller derby, which in turn will involve skating as a cardio exercise. I figured fitness + applied strength=Ranger Life Goal: I shall be a novice no more. I shall become a Knight! Pass 2010 minimum skills. I am aiming to pass the minimum skills exam for roller derby (based on the 2010 min skills test). Once I’ve passed this I can start training to be a referee as well as scrimmage with other teams (which is good, as my local team is women only). I’ve passed half of this but the remaining parts include taking hits (for which I’ll need to get a low stance) Goals: Spring is Coming, be ready for it. Go to the Gym 2-3 times a week: I’ve paid for this membership, and want to get rid of it when better weather comes. I want to be in a position where I can take advantage of the good weather for fitness when spring comes. So use this time well. (+1 Wis +2Sta +1Str) Fight your weakness and Slay your Demon Be able to do one press up: This is a point of pride for me. I have always had poor upper body strength and was always embarrassed at not being able to do a proper press-up. Starting from knee-press-ups and using dumbbell presses, I will be able do to 1 full press-up, at least. (+3 Str +1 Cha) Even when changing direction, never slow your pace Perform 3 consecutive crossovers: Crossovers are my skating Everest. I find the whole thing really difficult but vital to keeping my speed up when going around the track. (Crossovers are bringing the right leg over the left, stepping across and pushing off with the right foot, bringing the left forward. I.e. stepping while turning). My skate name is “Blunderbolt†I want to earn the “Bolt†part! Similarly, I will focus my activities and exercises to make crossovers easier. (+1 Wis, +2 Dex +1Sta) Life goal: Tidy Home, tidy mind Spend at least 15 minutes a day tidying the house (Aim for 30). Put away clothes, put away books, wipe down a counter, whatever. Just pick away at it ïŠ (+3 Wis) I also want to maintain a good protein intake and make more meals from scratch but the above are my main goals. Wish me luck. Onwarrrrd!