NeverThatBored :: A Baby's Gotta Do What A Baby's Gotta Do

[NeverThatBored]

I HAVE SO MANY THINGS TO SHARE

 

Overview

Since I first started doing challenges, I've known there are sort of "4 pillars" of fitness that I thrive under - walking, eating primalish, yoga/mobility work, and strength training. Every one of my challenges includes these in some way or another, although the eating is a big question mark right now.

 

Last challenge, I was overall pretty good. I did a ton of work on reducing stiffness and increasing mobility, and I was overall very active. Last challenge, I also confessed my secret dream of doing a triathalon despite wobbly cycling, an inability to breathe while I swim, and constant running injuries. I made less progress in these areas. So like any good ranger, I am working on goals related to these three areas on top of my 4 pillars. 

 

I also had wrist surgery last October after struggling with wrist pain for a little over a year. That whole process really forced me to cut back on pushups / dips and I've seen a huge reduction in overall strength, which is frustrating. 

 

On top of that, I'm also trying to get back into Aikido, which I stopped doing after I moved in August / had to have wrist surgery. 

 

And of course I might as well throw some sort of non-fitness goal in there too, right???

 

Is this way more things than is reasonable? Yes. But a baby's gotta do what a baby's gotta do. 

 

 

Honestly, I'm frustrated with how weak I feel. And I'm waaaaay overly scared of trying new things (like going to a pool I've never used before). So I'm going to try to embrace the baby mindset and accept that I am where I am, but I've gotta do the things anyway. 

 

PILLAR 1: Flexibility 

If I do yoga or other flexibility work, I feel about 60% better even if I do nothing else. I feel good in my body. I don't feel stiff. I feel more in tune with my needs.

• I've done 18/30 days of this year's Yoga With Adrienne Challenge. I want to finish the remaining 12 videos this month.
• Continue slowly integrating MWOD stuff into my routine and reading Becoming a Supple Leopard. No specific goal here other than to keep trying to do the sessions regularly.
• Continue doing GST videos 2x/week (45 minutes each), skipping yoga on GST days
• ROADMAP: At the end of the month when these things are done, I can: A - pick up the third and final GST stretching video, B - Sign up for some in person yoga classes, and/or C - Do a 14 day mobility challenge using either Becoming a Supple Leopard or Ready to Run.

 

PILLAR 2: Walking

I work from home and don't have a very active social life. If I don't deliberately take the time to walk, I do not walk. Ever. And I really like walking and hiking. It's also just really important for basic health because people are meant to walk.

• Walk 16 miles per week (2 miles weekdays, 3 miles weekends) - this only counts deliberate walks and not overall steps/distance, although TBH there's not a huge difference.
• PASS: 12 miles. EXTRA CREDIT: 20 miles. For each week I do extra credit, I can put $10 towards hiking/backpacking gear goals.
• ROADMAP: Start rucking again now that I have a better backpack for it, begin exploring local hiking trails more.

 

PILLAR 3: Strength

Pretty self explanatory. I seem to naturally be pretty strong and I like doing strength work, but I have a lot of recovery to do after surgery, etc.

• Do at least 2 startbodyweight sessions per week, and do at least pullups and pushups in a 3rd session (exception - for Zero week I'll just do 2 sessions and an OCR workout without the extra push/pull work)
• ROADMAP: After a month or so of consistency, re-evaluate whether I want to push forward or switch tactics. Options include:
  • Keep going until I feel stuck on startbodyweight (aiming for 3x/week?)
  • Redo/finally complete GMB Elements program
  • Look into actual lifting at a real gym
  • Look into GST foundations program
  • Look into GMB integral strength program
  • Intro class at local crossfit place (there's one where the coach is also a certified running coach)

 

PILLAR 4: Food

Kind of a mess, tbh. I don't even know where to begin here. I'm doing a lot of slow and mindful exploration right now, so it's hard to set a concrete goal.

• Eat 5 servings of freggies/day. 
  • PASS: 3 veggies specifically. EXTRA CREDIT: 3 consecutive days. For any 3 consecutive days, I accumulate $10 towards a kitchen gadget or fancy food of some sort. I may need to recalibrate this as I go.

 

Triathaloning

The big challenge here is just getting out and doing a couple things that make me nervous. Once I've done them I'll be fine, but that initial 20s of courage keeps stopping me up. From there, it's a matter of establishing the basic skills. It may require lessons - tbd. 

• Take my bike in for that tuneup and go on at least one real outdoor ride (I've been delaying because it's winter, but it's not actually really snowy at all here so I can go out.)
• Weekly cycling session, increasing by 5 minutes total time each week
• Go swimming. Just get there and figure out how to use the swimming facility. It doesn't even matter what I do. Just do it at least one time.
• Continue trying to run without injuring myself
• Get running gait analysis on the 12th to help diagnose form issues
• ROADMAP: Start working towards 2.5 hours of aerobic work per week to establish a good base

 

Aikido

• Visit the 2 closest dojos and observe sessions - either sign up for one of those or explore the other dojos in the area. By the end of the challenge, my goal is to know where I want to practice and to sign up somewhere.

 

Non-Fitness

I already meditate/practice Japanese through duolingo daily, but I feel like I don't spend enough time on self improvement / learning outside of fitness. 

• FRUGAL FEBRUARY. I do this every year and have already started for the month. No extra purchases at all allowed for the month. 
  • Exceptions: Book I already preordered that comes out on Feb 6th & 1 REI purchase since I have a $20 gift card that is going to expire and I want to use it
• Spend 2 hours/week on some sort of personal development - I have a bunch of things it can be and for now I'll just choose freely based on what I feel like doing - whittling or other creative exploration, work related reading, python, harmonica practice, etc.
• Do 1 thing/week to connect with my father

 

Prioritization

This is a lot of things, so there will be times when I can't do them all. I definitely want to make strength work priority #1. If it's a choice between that and something else, I'll prioritize the workout. Everything else is about even. Flexibility work is even with walking. Aikido is even with swimming and getting a bike tuneup. Running is a slight priority over cycling, but they're about the same. 

[shaar]

Yesssss 20s of courage, do the thing, have the experience!!  I find that even if it was a mega-fail some of my best memories are doing things that totally yank me out of my comfort zone.

 

HERE FOR DIS!!

[Shello]

RangerBrain anyone?  The prioritization is key.  You got this!   I really like the rewards you have included for walking and food goals.  I love new kitchen gadgets! 

[NeverThatBored]

6 hours ago, LadyShello said:

RangerBrain anyone?  The prioritization is key. 

 

Lol, right?? I've tentatively decided that if I had to pick 3 goals for the next few months it would be mobility/range of motion, overall weight/nutrition, and strength (esp. pulling strength). But at the same time just not going to up and stop working on running because I picked 3 goals?? #rangerproblemz

 

6 hours ago, LadyShello said:

I really like the rewards you have included for walking and food goals.  I love new kitchen gadgets! 

 

Me too! I'm hoping it's motivating? I've never had much luck with setting rewards, but these are things I might not otherwise buy and that I actually want, so maybe it'll work this way??

 

8 hours ago, shaar said:

Yesssss 20s of courage, do the thing, have the experience!!  I find that even if it was a mega-fail some of my best memories are doing things that totally yank me out of my comfort zone.

 

Hahaha at first I thought you meant the 20s of courage as in 20-somethings of courage. What are some of these great memories you have??

[NeverThatBored]

NOOOOOOOOO I was typing an update and accidentally navigated away from the page, and NF didn't saaaaaaaave it. 

 

Week 0 Monday Update (AGAIN ASDFGHJKL)

• Cycled for 25 minutes, setting that as my baseline. If I increase 5 mins each week, I'll end up at 45 minutes by the end of the challenge. Assuming I maintain the same pace the whole time, that'll put me at ~10 miles. A sprint tri is ~12.5 miles, so that's pretty solid! I'm still iffy on this whole reclining bike thing though. 
• Did yoga (Day 19) after that. I keep wondering if the cycling is doing anything for me, but my quads were tired and cramped a little during the session, so I guess the work is doing something for me!
• Walked 2.4 miles
• I had a pretty solid food day. I only got 2 servings of veggies though - eggs and leftover rice for breakfast, salmon and veggies for lunch, a cupcake (less good), chicken and zucchini for dinner, and strawberries for dessert. I may end up snacking before bed, in which case I will eat a vegetable so I hit my 3 serving passing score. I don't want to eat for the sake of hitting a number if I'm not otherwise going to eat anything though. 

Tomorrow:

• I'm planning to go visit a dojo in the evening - ahhhh scary! New things ahhh!
• Yoga and walking
• Strength workout (maybe try to do in the morning since I'm doing the dojo visit later on??) If I don't get it done early, I may end up prioritizing the workout over the dojo visit. 
• Aim for 30 minutes of personal development time
• Squeeze in an MWOD somewhere

[Xena]

Excellent goals! Yes there are a lot of them, but they are prioritized and some of them are things you are already doing. I agree with @LadyShello, the rewards are really well done!

[Shello]

You sure got a lot done. Great job.


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[NeverThatBored]

 

Ate some carrots. Aww yeah.

[Sylvaa]

Yay! New challenges and Tri's and ...and 

 

CARROTS!

 

I am here, of course, and will be rooting for you in whatever race you choose to partake in!

[RhiaWolfe]

12 hours ago, NeverThatBored said:

NOOOOOOOOO I was typing an update and accidentally navigated away from the page, and NF didn't saaaaaaaave it. 

 

 

I HATE this!!!! lol. 

 

Following! Definitely #rangerbrain here. I agree with LadyShello. Prioritization is key here. 

 

Go for it! 

 

[Plazmotic]

!! Captain Vegetable… I loved that bit as a kid, and so did my mother.

[shaar]

15 hours ago, NeverThatBored said:

Hahaha at first I thought you meant the 20s of courage as in 20-somethings of courage. What are some of these great memories you have??

 

Oh man.  Going to Camp NERD FITNESS ALL ALONE.  Traveling to visit new beaches and parks and go hike and climb trees.  Jumping into a pilates class that led to strength training that led to Me Currently.  So much good stuff. :DDDD

 

CAPTAIN VEGETABLE HOLY CRAP, nostalgia bomb to the MAAAAAAAX.

[NeverThatBored]

GUYS what portion of an avocado is a serving of freggies?? 1/4? 1/2???

[Kestrel Grey]

7 minutes ago, NeverThatBored said:

GUYS what portion of an avocado is a serving of freggies?? 1/4? 1/2???

According to California Avocado Commission, it's 1/3. Yep, there is an official organization that decides things like this.  It makes sense since that's about 100 calories, which is comparable to an apple or orange.

[deftona]

1 hour ago, NeverThatBored said:

GUYS what portion of an avocado is a serving of freggies?? 1/4? 1/2???

 

I always count a half. Normally it's approximately 80g for a portion but I have to admit I never weighed an avocado. 

 

Oh, and following! 

[Owlet]

Surely it depends on the size of the avocado? Or does America have predictably regular sized avo's? We sure don't lol. How much does an avocado cost there? 

[NeverThatBored]

54 minutes ago, Owlet said:

Surely it depends on the size of the avocado? Or does America have predictably regular sized avo's? We sure don't lol. How much does an avocado cost there? 

 

I'd say the average grocery store avocado has a pretty standard size in the U.S., actually. I think grocery stores just reject anything outside of the norm. I've seen bigger avos at farmer's markets, but rarely at grocery stores. 

 

It depends on where you buy it, but these days they're all super expensive. I think there's a shortage? The cheapest you can usually find them is about $1 each. I've seen them as high as $2.50 each. 

[zeroh13]

Following!

 

5 hours ago, Kestrel Grey said:

According to California Avocado Commission, it's 1/3. Yep, there is an official organization that decides things like this.  It makes sense since that's about 100 calories, which is comparable to an apple or orange.

Huh, I always thought it was 1/4. But at least that's kind of close to 1/3.

[Owlet]

2 hours ago, NeverThatBored said:

 

I'd say the average grocery store avocado has a pretty standard size in the U.S., actually. I think grocery stores just reject anything outside of the norm. I've seen bigger avos at farmer's markets, but rarely at grocery stores. 

 

It depends on where you buy it, but these days they're all super expensive. I think there's a shortage? The cheapest you can usually find them is about $1 each. I've seen them as high as $2.50 each. 

Yeah they got super expensive here too! Usually around $3.50 although my bf bought one the other day for $5  ($3.67 USD) then again, it was perfect and huge and lasted us several meals. I hardly ever buy them these days.. they're too expensive and I want to own a home one day, lol.

 

You can get different varieties/sizes here  - sometimes there are little ones that are cheaper. Apparently there was a black-market of stolen avocados here at one point XD #avolife

[zeroh13]

If you're patient, it's supposed to be relatively easy to grow your own avocado trees from the seed (pit).

[Raxie]

First things first.  RUGRATS REPRESENTTTTTTT <3

 

 

 

Secondly -

 

On ‎2‎/‎5‎/‎2018 at 11:00 AM, NeverThatBored said:

After a month or so of consistency, re-evaluate whether I want to push forward or switch tactics.

 

I love this. 

 

Following!

[NeverThatBored]

9 hours ago, Kestrel Grey said:

According to California Avocado Commission, it's 1/3. Yep, there is an official organization that decides things like this.  It makes sense since that's about 100 calories, which is comparable to an apple or orange.

 

8 hours ago, deftona said:

 

I always count a half. Normally it's approximately 80g for a portion but I have to admit I never weighed an avocado. 

 

Oh, and following! 

 

4 hours ago, zeroh13 said:

Following!

 

Huh, I always thought it was 1/4. But at least that's kind of close to 1/3.

 

 

THE MYSTERY DEEPENS.

[NeverThatBored]

Also, is a serving size of an avocado the same thing as "a serving of vegetables" or are they two different numbers???

[Kestrel Grey]

12 minutes ago, NeverThatBored said:

Also, is a serving size of an avocado the same thing as "a serving of vegetables" or are they two different numbers???

 

That's tougher.  Looking at macros, call it a fat/oil.  Looking at micro-nutrients, it is definitely a freggie.  I'd go with calling it a serving of vegetables.

[NeverThatBored]

Week 0 Tuesday Update

 

I DID ALL THE THINGS....MOST OF THE THINGS!

 

I played the prioritization game all day about the dojo visit. Like...ok, if I squeeze in a workout before I go I probably can't also fit in yoga, so which should I prioritize? And if I go to the dojo, I won't have time to cook dinner, so I might end up eating worse?? Which of those has a higher priority?? So at first I decided to stay home, cook a healthy dinner with leftovers, and go the next day.

 

BUT THEN. I finished my workout around 5:30 and suddenly changed my mind and went anyway??? There's plenty of time in the week to make up yoga, and I wanted to knock this out since I was starting to stress about putting it off for any longer. THEN I ended up eating pad thai for dinner instead of making do with misc. healthy leftovers at home....so IDK?? Everything is a trade.

 

Today's accomplishments:

• Walked 2.4 miles
• Ate 2 servings of fruit and 2 servings of veggies (assuming 1/2 an avocado is a serving?? I'm counting it as a veggie even though it's a fruit.) so technically that's not a pass since it was only 2 servings of veggies. 
• Did a STARTBODYWEIGHT WORKOUT OH YEAH and it wasn't as much of a pain as I tell myself it is in my head sometimes? My pulling strength is pretty sad though. T_T I'm still re-establishing my baseline on a lot of exercises so there's a lot of "can I do 3x8 of this progression?? Alright, yes, so I'll try the harder one next time."
• Did an MWOD session...kind of. He said to do 2 mins on each side of a thing, then repeat it again for a total of 8 minutes. I only did 4 minutes worth. 
• VISITED A DOJO

So, I really liked the dojo! It was a good small group, the instructor was a cool lady who seemed to teach well, and the class had a really good pace. I just watched, but they were really welcoming and the instructor came over to me several times to let me try things on the side of the mat. There are 2 more main dojos in the area that I'd like to try out before I make a decision, but I had really good vibes from this place!! I was also relieved to find that I remember a lot more than I thought I would and could follow a lot of what was going on. :3 

 

My one concern with this place is that I'm not sure they're part of the Aikido Federation (there are a few different aikido governing bodies that a dojo can belong to). If they're not, I think my rank, etc., might not carry over to them?? Which isn't a BIG deal but feels kind of awkward and I feel a weird sense of betrayal towards my old dojo?? So I need to look into that more and consider it too.

 

But either way, I love AIKIDOOOOOO.