KayLou Gets Fierce

[KayLou]

11 minutes ago, Mab said:

What on earth are hollow bodies and Russian twists?!

Hollow Bodies

Russian Twists

A former trainer had me do these as an at home to supplement my gym workouts. I must admit, these are the only two moves I remember...

[RES]

3 hours ago, KayLou said:

Okay...here we go with attempt #2 to upload photos

YAY!! It worked!!

Nice, I love journal/trackers, but I usually buy then never use them...

[KayLou]

Hey there, gang! So, yesterday and today have been GOOD days!

 

I did my first bodyweight workout yesterday, and it went pretty well. Between the warm up, workout and cool down, I pressed and pulled and stretched and squatted for about 30 minutes. Honestly, the biggest problem was finding suitable doorways in which to do the exercises (the kitchen counter served admirably for incline push ups)!  Plus I did 20 min. walking and my regular core exercises. My knees were a bit sore after all that -- I'll need to keep an eye on that since knee problems practically gallop in my family! -- but they seem better today so I'm calling it good!

 

Today was my "active recovery" day, so I just did 30 min. moderate walking. Tomorrow's my second bodyweight workout, and I'm curious to see how I feel afterwards.

 

Because I'm on vacation at the moment, its been both easier (in terms of time available) and more difficult (in terms of the lack of a regular schedule) to manage my challenges. I'm already thinking about how to manage things when I get back to the office. That'll be the next challenge....

[SailorV]

Hi KayLou!

 

Your journal is absolutely gorgeous. I also love your second big why. “Because I want to like my body as much as I like my brain.”

 

I really appreciate that sentiment. (^-^)

 

~V

[KayLou]

9 hours ago, SailorV said:

I also love your second big why. “Because I want to like my body as much as I like my brain.”

 

On 1/4/2018 at 10:17 AM, scalyfreak said:

Your Big Why page is beautiful.

 

Thank you, both! I spent quite a bit of time thinking about my Big Whys -- trying to get to the real ones, rather than the easy ones, y'know.

 

I find it interesting that I ended up with one motivation based on fear (I'm scared I won't be able to take care of myself when I am old and alone), and one based on love (I want to be happy and have fun in the physical world as well as the mental one). It's very primal, which surprises me a bit since I generally tend to adopt an intellectual perspective on things.

 

Still, maybe that intellectual approach has been part of my problem. The rational reasons don't provide enough of a "gut punch" to keep me motivated. So far, at least, these two big whys have been enough to keep me moving -- and that's good enough for now!

[Scaly Freak]

4 hours ago, KayLou said:

Still, maybe that intellectual approach has been part of my problem. The rational reasons don't provide enough of a "gut punch" to keep me motivated. So far, at least, these two big whys have been enough to keep me moving -- and that's good enough for now!

 

I think that was my problem as well. When I finally gave myself permission to look at emotional reasons (which can be scary, by the way) I finally found the real root cause to why I wanted to change things around. What made me want all the other things that turned into my challenge goals. I honestly think the reason I kept trying and failing until I found my way to NF is hat my Big Why wasn't primal enough until now.

 

We are animals, when all is said and done. Intellectual thinking helps us figure out how to get what we want, but it doesn't drive the desire to get it in the first place.

[KayLou]

Good grief! Where did the days go? I see I haven't posted since Saturday.

 

Okay - so, the TL;DR is that I'm keeping up with the fitness aspects of my challenge (walking & bodyweight workouts, plus tracking), but am slipping on the Level Up Your Life quest as well as backsliding on a couple of my earlier quests (mindful eating and daily core exercises).

 

I know this is the riskiest point for me -- one thing slips, then another, and so it goes until I get too embarrassed to keep going and pretend it never happened. Any advice or encouragement to get over this particular mental wall is more than welcome!!

 

The Long Version:

On the whole, I'm pleased that I've been keeping up with my workouts -- including a couple of days when I was walking around my bedroom at 10:30 at night so I didn't mess up my challenge. So, that's good! Plus I've been moving boxes into the basement (up and down a flight of stairs a couple of dozen times or so) and shovelled snow off our driveway and walk twice (around 25 min. each time). On the whole, I'm pretty pleased about how the physical stuff is going.

 

On the other hand...

 

I've been avoiding following up on the great suggestions I've received re: chore management apps and systems, and I'm really not sure why I'm so reluctant to tackle this research. :-/  I know the longer I leave it, the less likely I am to get around to it [I swear, the dust bunnies around here are looking to set up an independent republic!] -- but I also need to get the house under some kind of control because it is Stressing. Me. Out!

 

At the same time, I've been getting a bit casual about mindful eating over the past few days (see #2 in this post if you don't know what I'm talking about). Himself and I have been eating supper in front of the TV for the past few days in order to watch a really entertaining series (The Good Place, for those who are interested.)  Since I'm still managing to eat mindfully for my other meals and most snacks, I'm not sure whether I should just lighten up for this one meal or dig in my heels. Himself and I don't get much time together, FWIW, due to incompatible schedules.

 

As for the daily core exercises, I've just...not...for the past few days. I don't really enjoy the exercises, and I'm not sure I'm making any progress -- so in this case it's just straight up frustration and pissiness.  I'm really struggling to get out of this mindset, and get back to work.

 

Grrrr!! I am annoyed right now that I'm not feeling better about how things are going. Irrational, I know. Maybe I'll blame it on the snow. And freezing rain. And slush. And general post-holiday blahs. Yeah...that'll work! ;-)

 

[Lateral Planet]

2 hours ago, KayLou said:

At the same time, I've been getting a bit casual about mindful eating over the past few days (see #2 in this post if you don't know what I'm talking about). Himself and I have been eating supper in front of the TV for the past few days in order to watch a really entertaining series (The Good Place, for those who are interested.)  Since I'm still managing to eat mindfully for my other meals and most snacks, I'm not sure whether I should just lighten up for this one meal or dig in my heels. Himself and I don't get much time together, FWIW, due to incompatible schedules.

First of all, I love The Good Place too! Second of all, I think you're doing just fine. From the article you linked, that seems to be mostly about being distracted and snacking while watching TV rather than meals? Like if you have a huge bowl of popcorn or lollies in front of you, of course you're going to have more than you ought to if you're not focusing on it. But if you have a plate of dinner in front of you, and there aren't any ninjas secretly topping up your soup, you're still only going to eat as much as you would've eaten if you weren't watching TV. So as long as you're still having a yummy, healthy meal and an appropriately sized portion, I don't think there's a problem

 

Oh and for tidying, this is something I've been struggling with too lately. I don't know if this'll help, but I do a paper-based thing and just list everything that meeds doing in every room of the house, all the way from just picking up some socks to scrubbing out the oven. Then I'll just start with whatever looks easiest but often find myself doing the next thing, and then the next thing, and so on until all of a sudden the place feels a lot tidier! 

[shy]

I'm SO impressed with your challenge thread! You are tackling this like a college essay. Seriously, you are amazing!

 

So far MY plan is... exercise. That's it.

You have things planned out and you're organized. I'm blown away by your determination and dedication. When I grow up, can I be more like you!?

 

Housework and exercise fall under the "a gift I'm giving my future self" category. I know it sounds silly but this mindset helps me a lot.

Ie: I'll wash up the coffee maker and have a pot ready to brew in the morning for future me. In the morning I literally thank myself, outloud ('cause this is the level of dorkiness we're dealing with here.)  

 

Continue to be awesome!

 

 

[KayLou]

Hey there, fellow NF rebels!

 

So, I'm still hanging in there with my challenge quests even though I haven't been posting very much. (Does anyone else get this kind of temporary paralysis when it comes to this stuff? I don't have any good reasons NOT to post, but I just end up not doing it. And then I feel weird, and it gets even harder to post. Lather, rinse, repeat until I finally shake off that particular brain weasel!)

 

Anyhow, it's been an educational week -- if not an entirely successful one -- since I have confirmed a few things about myself and healthy behaviours:

1. 15 min. of walking each day is totally doable for me -- even when life gets busy!  I generally manage to get in 30 min. of "deliberate" walking during the day -- but on those occasions when I can't, I'm doing 15 min. walk-in-place before getting into bed. It's not ideal, but it is helping me ensure that I "move with deliberation" every day. And, for a habitual sloth like me, this is a HUGE shift in perspective!
2. Fried potatoes are my kryptonite. Sigh! Yep, I caved. My favourite chips were on sale (it was a really good sale!) and I was hungry. So, a couple of lessons learned (or, more accurately, reinforced). First, don't shop when hungry. I generally carry a protein bar with me, but I had forgotten to replace it after I ate the last one. Need to be more diligent on that front, clearly -- or perhaps I should leave some emergency healthy snacks in the car. Second, avoid the aisle(s) with the kryptonite. "Out of sight, out of mind" is my friend here. I can't pick up the kryptonite if I never get close to it! Third, buy small, not big.  Yes, even if it's not as good a deal! I can make better choices for my health, even when I indulge. The small bag of chips is probably going to be enough to satisfy my craving -- really!
3. Push ups are hard...but I am still fierce! I did pretty well overall on my first attempt beating General DOMS (the NF Academy Level 1 boss). My squats, one-leg balance and front plank were all okay -- but I couldn't manage any knee push ups. It's like my arms locked halfway down. Really weird! Anyhow, I'm going back to incline push ups for now, and figuring out what muscles I need to strengthen before I try beating General DOMS again.
4. Mindful eating -- not just portion control -- is genuinely helpful for me.  @Lateral Planet, your comment really made me think, so I've been experimenting this week with eating mindfully (i.e. with my focus on the food rather than something else) versus simply using portion control. I'm a bit surprised by the result, TBH. I do feel noticeably more satisfied when I focus on what I'm eating. So, while I'm not going to be dogmatic about it, I will continue to eat mindfully whenever I can.
5. Boredom is really bad for my health.  I wasn't very busy at work this week (for reasons), and it was much, much harder for me to stay away from nibbling! It's my automatic "go to" when I'm bored and stuck in front of a computer. The issue should remedy itself by next week (i.e. work will pick up again), but I could really use some work-appropriate "boredom busters" that don't involve me snacking or being away from my desk for an extended period of time. Any ideas?

 

I'll post some updated pictures of my fitness log soon. It's interesting to see how it's developing!

 

[Scaly Freak]

4 hours ago, KayLou said:

 

1. Boredom is really bad for my health.  I wasn't very busy at work this week (for reasons), and it was much, much harder for me to stay away from nibbling! It's my automatic "go to" when I'm bored and stuck in front of a computer. The issue should remedy itself by next week (i.e. work will pick up again), but I could really use some work-appropriate "boredom busters" that don't involve me snacking or being away from my desk for an extended period of time. Any ideas?

 

I get up and walk around the building. I have spent several months cultivating an public image of Thinks Better When Pacing, and then I carry a Rubik's Cube with me that I absentmindedly fidget with as I pace up and down the emptiest isle I can find. If anyone asks, I am pondering/planning/analyzing the latest project I'm working on.

 

Just between you and me and our other friends here at NF... the vast majority of the time I am either daydreaming about something pleasant, or thinking about what I'm going to make for dinner.

[SkyGirl]

On 1/19/2018 at 10:30 AM, KayLou said:

Push ups are hard...but I am still fierce! I did pretty well overall on my first attempt beating General DOMS (the NF Academy Level 1 boss). My squats, one-leg balance and front plank were all okay -- but I couldn't manage any knee push ups. It's like my arms locked halfway down. Really weird! Anyhow, I'm going back to incline push ups for now, and figuring out what muscles I need to strengthen before I try beating General DOMS again.

 

Push ups ARE hard and you ARE fierce!! Keep working on your incline push ups and you will get there before you know it. 

 

If you want and if you have access to weights, you can also do some dumbbell work to supplement your actual push-up work - overhead presses, chest presses, triceps kickbacks, and triceps dips (which are actually a bodyweight exercise) will all strengthen the upper body muscles you use for push ups; and planks will help strengthen your core. The weight you lift won't be equivalent to the weight of your body in actual push ups, of course, but it will still strengthen your muscles, and you can work your way up to heavier weights bit by bit.

 

That may be too much or not a big priority for you right now, and that's totally fine! It's just something to keep in mind!   

[Reinfire]

On 1/19/2018 at 7:30 AM, KayLou said:

So, I'm still hanging in there with my challenge quests even though I haven't been posting very much. (Does anyone else get this kind of temporary paralysis when it comes to this stuff? I don't have any good reasons NOT to post, but I just end up not doing it. And then I feel weird, and it gets even harder to post. Lather, rinse, repeat until I finally shake off that particular brain weasel!)

 

Glad you're sticking with it! I do the same thing too, but I also find that it really is helpful to post; I get a little dopamine hit from getting to list off all the things I've done and talk through problem solving what isn't going well. Kind of like a journal that replies back with helpful tips and encouragement haha  

[Eulalia-r]

I miss knitting! Wow, it looks like your challenge is going very well! 

 

Here’s a flylady link for starting. (Don’t sign up for the emails, though, would be my advice.)

 

http://www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/

 

or you could start with the baby steps:

 

http://www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/31-beginner-babysteps/

 

flylady can can be hard to understand, in terms of the whole system, cause she rarely lays it all out. But she was working on habits and routines long before there were accessible books out about how they work. And it’s all very hackable, if we’re not too tired of that word.

 

Home routines is a nice app for this stuff, it has a timer for 15 minutes or whatever that has a great “bravo!!!” Sound when you’re done. (“You can do anything for 15 minutes “) and it’s nicely designed.

 

 

[The Real Syl Mil]

On 1/19/2018 at 10:30 AM, KayLou said:

1. Boredom is really bad for my health.  I wasn't very busy at work this week (for reasons), and it was much, much harder for me to stay away from nibbling! It's my automatic "go to" when I'm bored and stuck in front of a computer. The issue should remedy itself by next week (i.e. work will pick up again), but I could really use some work-appropriate "boredom busters" that don't involve me snacking or being away from my desk for an extended period of time. Any ideas?

 

Ok first let me say... my nerdness finds it super annoying that the quote function changes your #5 to a #1 and I can't change it back! (But your nerdness may find it annoying that I'm saying nerdness instead of nerdiness, so to each his own.)

 

Any way you can crochet or knit or origami or some other easy type of craft? I mean, if you can't pace, a la @scalyfreak. I have cultivated the public image of "I think better when my hands are busy" so crocheting during a training seminar seems normal.  However, if you are sitting at your computer AND having to type something (aka use your hands) then I suggest doing something with your feet! Get one of those tiny stationary pedals or just a therapy band tied around the desk legs to swing your feet on.

[SkyGirl]

Hey @KayLou! How's it going? Did you have a pretty good week?

[RES]

On 1/19/2018 at 10:30 AM, KayLou said:

I don't have any good reasons NOT to post, but I just end up not doing it. And then I feel weird, and it gets even harder to post. Lather, rinse, repeat until I finally shake off that particular brain weasel!)

Yep...same here, which is one reason I'm so far behind...the other being I just moved  

[shy]

On 1/19/2018 at 9:30 AM, KayLou said:

Fried potatoes are my kryptonite. Sigh! Yep, I caved. My favourite chips were on sale (it was a really good sale!) and I was hungry. So, a couple of lessons learned (or, more accurately, reinforced). First, don't shop when hungry. I generally carry a protein bar with me, but I had forgotten to replace it after I ate the last one. Need to be more diligent on that front, clearly -- or perhaps I should leave some emergency healthy snacks in the car. Second, avoid the aisle(s) with the kryptonite. "Out of sight, out of mind" is my friend here. I can't pick up the kryptonite if I never get close to it! Third, buy small, not big.  Yes, even if it's not as good a deal! I can make better choices for my health, even when I indulge. The small bag of chips is probably going to be enough to satisfy my craving -- really!

 

 

Hey Kaylou!! Hope you're doin' good!

 

I just thought I'd drop this small piece of unsolicited advice. I shop online and it really helps me avoid temptation. I shop with Kroger's click list program and can order everything online and have it delivered to my door. I take ages to shop for groceries this way because every purchase is thought out. I can get up multiple times to check and make sure I have enough or do I need to reorder. I don't have junk food laid out before me to tempt me. If they're out of what I've ordered they will ask if it's alright to use another brand and you can even give special instructions. (ie: Please only sub with unsweetened/unflavored plant milks.) I don't have to find out I've overspent IN the checkout line in front of everyone, omg SO embarrassing. I know how much it's going to cost me and can adjust before checking out. If gives you the option to use coupons or deals. It's great! It's $12 but between free upgrades, coupons, etc. it's totally worth it.

[KayLou]

Hey there, fellow rebels! Sorry for the radio silence over the past couple of weeks. I've been on full-time training, and haven't had access to a computer during the day -- and the evenings have been unusually busy for me. Plus, I was flattened by a three-day migraine last weekend. Blergh!

 

Anyhow, as we're coming up to the end of the first challenge, I thought it would be a good idea to share how I've done on my first challenge.

 

Overall, I give myself a solid "okay."  Out of my four challenges, I've successfully completed two of them: walking for at least 15 min. every day (I gave myself a pass on the two days my migraine had me out of commission); and tracking my activities. However, I managed only partial success (at best) on the other two -- completing bodyweight workouts at least twice a week, and figuring out a system to manage household chores.

 

So, what happened?

 

With respect to the bodyweight workouts, there were two key issues that I didn't successfully manage this month:

• The main one is that I didn't get a solid routine in place -- so my workouts kept shifting around until they just dropped off my schedule entirely.
• I also discovered that I don't like changing into workout gear (particularly the shoes for some reason...). That was a bit of surprise -- but I always thought, "ugh, gotta change before I can do anything!" before I worked out. Changing clothes was annoying, and felt more time consuming than it probably was. While it wasn't the main issue, it definitely tipped the scales for me from "worked out" to "didn't work out" a few times over the month.

On the household chores side of things, I think it came down to priorities -- and housework being lower on the list than other things, like sleep and spending time with Himself, my folks and friends. I did check out Unfuck Your Habitat (UFYH) and Fly Lady during the month, but didn't get any further than reading (both sites), downloading the app (UFYH) and printing out a couple of things (Fly Lady).

 

For my next challenge (yes, I'm going to do another one!) my top priority will be to establish a workout routine. I'm also going to start wearing workout clothes as regular "lounge wear" -- we'll see if that helps overcome the clothes-changing inertia from this month.  I'll need to think further about whether housework is really what I want to focus on right now. Maybe I'll need to break it down into a smaller goals. Still thinking about that one!

 

So, all in all, I am battered but not beaten! Thanks for the support everyone!

[shy]

1 hour ago, KayLou said:

So, all in all, I am battered but not beaten! Thanks for the support everyone!

 

So sorry about the migraine! I know, personally, how awful those can be. Ugh!

 

Congrats on your challenges and looking forward to your new challenge!!

 

 

[Reinfire]

I'm in a similar boat as you, with a couple challenges that went really well and a couple I need to keep working on. Looking forward to seeing your next challenge!