MGrif's Challenge

[mgrif99]

My original post in reply to Steve's Challenge:

I love this challenge! I am new to Nerd Fitness, so I'm looking forward to getting involved and connecting with new people...

Fitness Goals:

1. Complete a 40-minute spinning class without having to sit down on the bike during the climbs.

2. Stick to my low-carb diet. I can do it for 2-3 days at a time, and then I "cheat" for a day. I want to do it for 28 days without cheating. I think I can do it with support.

3. Walk the dog in the mornings before school and work, five times a week.

Life Goal:

4. Revamp my blog to make it a goal-oriented blog, where I post my fears, embarrassing moments, "silly" goals, and accomplishments. It's part of the "putting myself out there" goal I've been working on.

Specifics as suggested by Dante:

1) Spinning Class (Performance Goal): Attend a local spinning class 2x/week for 4 weeks, increasing my endurance to the point that when we do standing climbs, I can stand and pedal the entire time. Right now, I stand for a little bit, my legs scream at me, a go for a little longer until my legs give out, and I have to sit and pedal for the rest of the climb.

2) Low-Carb Diet (Paleo Status): I do not technically do paleo, but my low-carb, no processed foods diet is incredibly similar. Since diet is one of my biggest personal challenges that I have been struggling with, I would say that - for the sake of argument - I am 90% paleo.

3) Support System (Tough Love vs. Gentle Encouragement): I can handle the tough love (and sometimes need it), but I need equal amounts of positive feedback.

[mgrif99]

Tomorrow will be Day 1 for me. Today I was recovering from a music festival last weekend. We got home after midnight last night, and today was rest and relax day.

Tomorrow I will have my baseline (weight, body fat %, etc.) established and posted. And a "before" photo. (Yikes!)

I am really looking forward to reading how well everybody accomplishes their goals in this challenge! Good luck!!!

[mgrif99]

Day 1 (Oct 12)

Stats

This is my baseline:

Height: 5'11"

Weight: 229 lbs

Body Fat: 37% (using hand-held machine at the gym)

Fat Weight: 85 lbs (weight x BF%)

Spinning

No spinning class today. I take classes on Mon, Wed, and (sometimes) Sat.

Diet

Fasting today. (Last night was pizza night...) Only consuming sparkling water and herbal tea.

Dog Walking

No walk today. My goal is to walk 5x/week, so I'm still okay.

Exercises

Jumping Jacks: 20

Pull Ups: only 1, on an assisted pull up machine with 160 lbs (I think that means I only "pulled up" 69 lbs!)

Squats: 20, holding weight of 20 lbs

Push Ups: only 1 with good form, on my knees

Lunges: 10 (5 each leg), holding weight of 40 lbs

Chin Ups: 0

Sit Ups: 0

Box Jumps: 0

Leg Lifts: 0

Plank: 0

Note: My stomach was upset, and as a result I left the gym early. Probably that pizza last night!!

5K Training

Walked for only 8 minutes. Upset stomach. The only running I did today was running to the bathroom.

Blog

Created a blog and wrote one post that it is still new and that I will be working on it. Debating on whether or not to post "before" photo on blog. :shock: Still undecided on that one.

Day 1 Synopsis: Off to a slow start...

[mgrif99]

Here is my "before" photo. (I also took one wearing a bikini, but I can't bring myself to post it. Maybe the next challenge...)

[NukeTheUnicorns]

added your blog to my google reader. will be following from now on.

I like seeing all the bodyweight exercises you've got in your routine. I have a real spot in my heart for BW exercises. they just feel so gritty and instinctive.

as far as the diet goes, are you following a particular low-carb plan? are you on a Paleo diet, or an Atkins type deal?

good call posting your stats too. I will make sure to do this in my own thread. makes tracking progress a lot easier.

[mgrif99]

Yeah, I originally looked at The 300 Workout, but it's a bit much for me. I like the idea of being to move my own body weight.

I am on a no-sugar, no-processed foods diet. It's basically this:

Only eat three meals a day, at least 4 hours apart.

Bkfst: a protein and a fruit

Lunch & Dinner: fresh salad, a protein, and veggies

It allows small amounts of milk and cheese and salad dressing (as long as sugar is not in the first four ingredients), so it's not really paleo. The key is that it is very specific about the amount of everything. (Exactly 4.0 oz of protein, etc.) I started to weigh everything, then realized it was too difficult, especially when I wasn't at home when I was eating. Now I just stick to the types of foods, not so much the amounts.

Thanks for following my blog. I need to work on it!! :?

[mgrif99]

I must admit something: I make long posts. :ugeek:

Day 2 (Wed, Oct 13)

Stats

No new stats. I guess I will do this weekly.

Spinning (Mon, Wed, Sat)

Spinning class kicked my ass today. Still didn't make it through the standing climbs. I realized today I need to ask my instructor how long the standing climbs are, because it sometimes varies. Having a length of time would help in my goal-setting and goal-achieving in this area.

Diet

Stomach still a bit upset today, so I didn't eat much. Scrambled eggs with spinach for bkfst, which was awesome.

I inadvertently ate a donut today. Not kidding. Today I found out that the engagement ring my ex-fiance gave me is a fake. A fake diamond that he bragged out how expensive it was. I wore a fake ring from a fake guy while in a fake relationship for an entire year. So I ate a donut. It was already down the hatch before I really even thought about what I was doing. Old habits rear their ugly head in stressful situations, I guess.

Dinner was chicken "fajitas" with fresh tomatoes and avocado. Super yummy.

Sparkling water & tap water was consumed throughout the day.

Dog Walking (Five days/week)

Walked my sweet puppy around the neighborhood. I was running late, but I squeezed it in. She and I were both happy afterward.

Exercises (Tue, Thu, Sun)

No exercises today. Good thing, too, because I am super sore from yesterday!

5K Training (Tue, Thu, Sat/Sun)

no training today

Blog

No work today. :cry:

Day 2 Synopsis: Muscle soreness!!! I'm glad I decided to not do everything every day of the week. My body needs a break.

[NukeTheUnicorns]

it's good you decided not to do the 300 workout. that's really a workout designed to be done once or twice a month by highly trained people...wouldn't wanna see any of us mere mortals being injured trying to get abs like Leonidas

[67alecto]

Steve posted the Nerd Fitness 300 challenge that is actually just a bodyweight circuit.

Check it out: http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2009/07 ... challenge/

[NukeTheUnicorns]

Steve posted the Nerd Fitness 300 challenge that is actually just a bodyweight circuit.

Check it out: http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2009/07 ... challenge/

my mistake, I was assuming she meant the Men's Health 300 workout. that's the one I did back in the glory days.

[mgrif99]

Well, you're both right.

I was looking at the crazy 300 workout (that NTU referred to) with 135 deadlifts and floor wipers... which was too much for me.

I settled on the Nerd Fitness 300 workout (that 67alecto referred to), but I modified it a bit for me. I have back issues and added ab work and the plank; I wanted something explosive so I added box jumps.

So, in essence, you were both correct.

Thanks for the feedback!

[mgrif99]

Day 3 (Thu, Oct 14)

Stats

Weight: 225 lbs (down 4 lbs since Day 1)

Body Fat: 38% (up 1% from Day 1)

Fat Weight (weight x BF%): 86 lbs (up one lb from Day 1)

This leads to two observations:

(1) I am not sure how accurate the body fat measuring device is. It's an electronic, hand-held version. Anyone know the accuracy on these things?

(2) Losing fat is more important than losing weight. I'm down a few pounds overall, but I am up in pounds of fat. I really don't care about the overall number if I'm getting relatively fatter. I;m trying to keep in mind that this is only Day 3!

Spinning (Mon, Wed, Sat)

No spinning scheduled today. The spinning studio also offers a yoga class on Thursday nights, but I am usually still at my son's high school football games when the class starts. I would love to do yoga!

Diet

Bkfst: 3 scrambled eggs with spinach and tomatoes (no sugar or processed foods... yay for me!)

Lunch: Skipped lunch without realizing it. I just wasn't hungry until dinner.

Dinner: Did not prepare anything in advance and was running around town. Result: BLT sandwich on flatbread with a side of yogurt from Subway. Not ideal, but better than McDonald's or something else ridiculously far away from my types of foods.

H2O

Drank two 32oz bottles of water. I'm thinking maybe I should set a goal for 4 of these bottles (totals 1 gallon?) per day. Any feedback appreciated.

Dog Walking (Five days/week)

No walking due to knee pain (see below).

Exercises (Tue, Thu, Sun)

Jumping Jacks: 20

Pull Ups: 1, on an assisted pull up machine with 160 lbs

Squats: 20, holding weight of 20 lbs

Push Ups: only 1 with good form, on my knees

Lunges: 10 (5 each leg), holding weight of 20 lbs

Chin Ups: 0, after doing one assisted pull up = no upper body strength left!

Sit Ups: 20

Box Jumps: 0 (no box jump apparatus at the gym. looking into what i can use at home.)

Leg Lifts: 20

Plank: 0

I pushed a bit hard today, which felt really good until I did the lunges. Right at the end, my knees started to hurt, so I stopped. I assume this is due to poor form. Now I have residual knee pain, especially one my right knee, which hurts quite a bit when I move around. Staying in one spot doesn't hurt, but staying in one spot is what got me in this out-of-shape predicament to begin with! :mrgreen: I'm taking it easy for the rest of the day and hoping it will be better tomorrow.

5K Training (Tue, Thu, Sat/Sun)

No training today. (See knee pain above.)

Blog

Still stagnant in this area. But I have been thinking about what I want to do with it. That counts for something, right? (Okay, not really.) After all this mental process, I'm ready to get some stuff going. My plan is to work on it tonight after everything here (dinner, teenager homework and chores, etc.) settles down.

Day 2 Synopsis: My knee hurts!! Dammit! I do have a more positive attitude, though. I like working on my goals, and they are challenging. I'm still learning how to pace myself. It's a process that I hope to get better at.

[NukeTheUnicorns]

those BF calipers can be tricky bastards, really. I read the blog of a guy who's maybe 8 percent BF, tops, and his clocked him at 23. laughably incorrect. take those readings with a grain of salt. you might want to consider weighing/measuring less, as big fluctuations can take place over the course of one day. maybe once or twice a week would be more beneficial?

[mgrif99]

you might want to consider weighing/measuring less, as big fluctuations can take place over the course of one day. maybe once or twice a week would be more beneficial?

I was thinking the SAME thing.

[mgrif99]

I see myself getting off track, so I'm going to zero in my original four goals. And focus on progress.

1. Spinning

2. Diet

3. Dog Walking

4. Blog

Other areas that I am working on will be posted on my blog, unless a specific problem/question comes up, which I will post here for feedback.

Will post today's progress later.

[NukeTheUnicorns]

I see myself getting off track, so I'm going to zero in my original four goals. And focus on progress.

PROGRESS! that's what I like to hear! good for you for focusing yourself.

[Diglett]

Re weight tracking:

I second not weighing in every day, or at least not judging it. Weight fluctuates from day to day based on the whims of your body/hormones/what you ate/whatever. You only have control of the long term trends. So don't beat yourself up and keep working. How was the weekend?

Re goal number 3:

I approve of dog walking. Both my roommates were out of town over the weekend, so dog walking was officially my job. Saturday morning, I took him to the community garden (vegetables, squash, herbs, flowers...), which is surrounded by a brick wall on 2 1/2 sides, and a tall fence around the rest.

But when we decided to let him off leash, I neglected to mention that he's about 50% fur by volume, and very smart, so that gap between the wall and the fence, he could fit through. After happily running around the garden for an hour, he sees a squirrel and squeezes out. About a minute later, we realize that he's gone, and some kids told us that they had just seen him running off down the street. So we go recapture him and he stays on the leash until I walked him home.

This is even more entertaining because the dog's name is Marco. We started combing the block yelling "Marco...?" Luckily, no one replied "Polo."

[mgrif99]

Thanks, Diglett and NTU, for the support. Helps me keep on track.

I'm planning a detailed post later, but for now...

This is my motto this week:

[mgrif99]

This week has been going really well. I feel really good about everything.

I withdrew from school and am now job-hunting full time, which has taken up a lot of my time and energy. Going to the gym has helped me keep motivated. Spinning class this afternoon... going to time how long I stay standing during a tough climb.

I'm leaving tomorrow for a 4 day cruise with my sister (I'm so excited, I can hardly contain myself), so I will not be posting until at least Monday night, my time.

I am bringing my workout sched with me and plan to utilize the super fancy gyms on the boat. And planning on not deviating from the diet too much.

Everyone have a great rest of the week!!

[NukeTheUnicorns]

This week has been going really well. I feel really good about everything.

I withdrew from school and am now job-hunting full time, which has taken up a lot of my time and energy. Going to the gym has helped me keep motivated. Spinning class this afternoon... going to time how long I stay standing during a tough climb.

I'm leaving tomorrow for a 4 day cruise with my sister (I'm so excited, I can hardly contain myself), so I will not be posting until at least Monday night, my time.

I am bringing my workout sched with me and plan to utilize the super fancy gyms on the boat. And planning on not deviating from the diet too much.

Everyone have a great rest of the week!!

glad to hear you had a good weekend! I admire your decision to withdraw from school. if something ain't working there's no sense in trying to keep it up. I want to withdraw from school sometimes, in order to go to culinary school, but I am still living on my parents' dime and they do not see that as an option. good for you for being motivated by the gym. enjoy your cruise, crush those workouts, and enjoy that buffet!

[mgrif99]

woops!

[spezzy]

And meeting some cute guys with TWO hot tub invites wasn't too shabby.

not too shabby? i think i have better words for that!!!

Side note: Since I am no longer a student (and no longer have free access to a gym), I have decided to continue my workouts at home, run/walk around the neighborhood, and use my body measurements instead of my weight to gauge my progress. Not sure how this is going to work. I've always gym memberships...

this is how i started and its actually really easy if you just stop thinking "oh, i cant do that because i dont have a gym"

is there a playground near you? monkey bars are just about the best free for everyone to use strength mechanism ever.

also, maneuvering through all of the children trying to use them works on agility.

[mgrif99]

A quick update:

1. Spinning

Yesterday I did a 30-min spin class, followed by a 30-min core class, followed by a 60-min yoga class. A bit ambitious, but afterward I felt like a rock star. Sore upper abs and tight hams today, but much less sore than I anticipated. Got an hour-long spin class scheduled at 7:15am tomorrow morning. It'll be my first AM spin class. :shock:

2. Diet

Bleh. Good one day, hot dogs and chips the next. :cry:

3. Dog Walking

I haven't walked the dog all week! I've been getting job offers every morning since I've been back from the cruise, and so instead of walking the dog, I jump in the shower and go to work. BUT, I am taking her to a Mutt Strut tomorrow, so we will inevitably get in some walking, not to mention socializing.

4. Blog

Updated the blog a bit. I feel better about it, but it still needs work.

I am exhausted and have to get up early for the spinning. One thing I have noticed: while pedaling for an hour, my legs are killing me, but I feel no residual pain the following day. I wonder... am I not pushing myself hard enough? Any thoughts?

[NukeTheUnicorns]

regarding the diet, I say don't sweat it too much. the way I look at it, even if you indulge in something junky, you're already back on track at your next healthy meal. one thing here and there won't throw you entirely off the wagon stay strong!

[mgrif99]

Spent last weekend visiting a friend I haven't seen in along time, taking my mom to the beach, and spending time with my puppy outdoors. The weather was amazing last weekend.

Update:

1. Spinning

Staying up longer and longer during standing climbs. The longest I have held out was 2 minutes, and I can do 1-minute intervals fairly easy. This is a HUGE improvement compared to the beginning of this challenge. I'm pretty stoked.

2. Diet

Doing okay, not spectacular, but OVERALL better than a few weeks ago. I found that I'm getting bored of my usual dishes (and so is my 14 year-old!), so I got a couple recipe books to keep it interesting. Working full time has also helped; I don't spend nearly as much time at home, when wandering into the fridge was a frequent occurrence. I bring healthy, packable lunches and no cash.

3. Dog Walking

Took the pup downtown on Saturday, visited with other dogs and dog owners, and took a long walk down the seawall. The view was fantastic. Took her to a local state park on Sunday, where she got another good walk with lots of new smells to investigate (and leave her mark on). This morning, we walked 1.4 miles around the neighborhood, stopping at a small park on the way. I am ROCKIN' the dog walking lately.

4. Blog

The blog is blah. Blah for the blog. It hasn't been a priority the past few days, and the next few days are scheduled to be pretty busy. Not sure how I'm gonna fit it in... might have to wait until next week.

Hope everyone else is doing well. 8-)