RhiaWolfe and The Way of the Sword

[RhiaWolfe]

Kendo in Japanese means "The Way of the Sword". This month I want to focus on a few things, one of the big ones is practicing Kendo and improving on my skills. 

 

 

I will also have other things to focus on such as my eating habits and time management. Time management is a big one as my life is getting full again. I feel like I have so much going on #rangerbrain and I'm trying to fit all of it in. I feel like I've made some BIG steps in my life towards living healthier. So, without further ado, let's get started, shall we? 

 

Goal 1: Sword Fighting:

My first goal is to go to Kendo at least once a week, preferably twice a week. I'm going to count once a week as a success. After a while I may add some exercises to do at home to help increase my skills in Kendo for practice. I'm actually excited, because on the 24th and 25th I will be going to Tulsa. The Tulsa dojo is hosting a practice with a Sensei who has won many awards in Kendo. I forget what her rank is, but it's pretty high. I'm excited to learn from her! I'm still 'new' and I don't have bogu yet (bogu is the body armor) but I'm trying to get the fundamentals down. Once I do that I can move on to more advanced stuff. 

 

Last weekend we had visitors from Tulsa, OK and Chicago, IL at our dojo. It was a lot of fun, and I really like the sensei from Tulsa. Wish he was here in OKC. lol! 

 

(I'm the second from the left. The sensei I was talking about is the one with the brown doh (stomach armor).)

 

 

Goal 2: Break bad habits

My goal here is to not eat from the vending machine. This has been a bad vice for me. I'm going to break this habit. HOW I'm going to break this habit is I'm going to bring plenty of healthier, but tasty, snacks with me to work, so I have plenty to snack on if I want something. If I get a sugar craving, I will have a piece of fruit. If I want something carb-y, I'll have cheese and whole wheat crackers. That sort of thing. 

 

 

Goal 3: Intuitive Eating

So, I finished the book that Tank was reading last challenge called intuitive eating. Here, I'm not going to actually track food, because that defeats the purpose. Instead I'm going to track by points how many times I find myself eating intuitively. Things that count as healthy intuitive eating for points are: 

 

• Stopping eating when no longer hungry rather than eating to fullness
• Realizing what I'm eating is not satisfying and instead find something that satisfies my body
• Eat something healthy that I enjoy rather than forcing myself to eat something I don't enjoy because it's healthy
• Holding off on eating because I'm not yet hungry (I tend to eat at regular intervals, even if I'm not hungry
• Going out to a restaurant and eating something healthy that tastes good instead of something greasy that will upset my stomach
• Stopping to consider whether or not I am hungry
• Stopping to consider whether or not I am enjoying what I'm eating

 

I'm hoping doing this will help me gain a healthier relationship with food. I've found that I do best when I'm not counting calories and am just trying to eat healthier. Counting calories actually makes me stress more and worry about what I'm eating. I start questioning what I'm doing and tend to under-eat. I generally get really anxious counting. So instead I'm just going to continue to post what I eat and hopefully show trends of good habits. 

 

 

Goal 4: Time Management

I have so much going on it's not even funny. For this goal I'm going to look at my google calendar every day and make sure it is up to date. If I schedule something, even just having dinner with a friend, it goes into the calendar. I will check the calendar and schedule time for myself as well. I need at least 2 evenings of down time a week. 

 

 

So, these are my goals and what I'm working on this month. I have some high hopes that I will stay on track and begin to see that scale go down again. If it doesn't, honestly, I don't care. I mostly care about feeling good physically and mentally. I've already moved in that direction by leaps and bounds since December. Let's do this!!!! 

 

And now to end with a cute rattie gif. 

 

[TGP]

wonderful.

that looks so artful.

 

I did a little shotokan karete and we trained with bo (just a little); I loved it!  there's such a beauty to weapons training.

[Evicious]

First kendo meme!!!

 

 

[Fonzico]

This is going to be a great challenge!

You can beat the vending machine, I know you can Your strategy is sound.

I love that you're schedule some down time - I've been where you are before with the demanding schedule and it is HARD. Every since that ended, I've been very jealous with my time. Yes, it means not getting to do all the things, but it was worth it for my sanity. How much longer do you have with your courses?

I did Kali once upon a time (Philippino sword fighting). It was awesome and empowering and a great workout! I'm excited for you getting back into kendo.

[starpuck]

Great goals chica!   I especially love your system on points for using the book and reinforcing the new habits you're looking to make with your food relationship.     That's brilliant!      I'll be starting the book this week.      And your Kendo sounds on fleek (look at me being hip) - when you find something you love to do, you'll find you start doing things that help you do that one thing even more better.   That's awesome.

 

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

Following along. I also got rid of that double post for you.

[RhiaWolfe]

1 hour ago, TGP said:

wonderful.

that looks so artful.

 

I did a little shotokan karete and we trained with bo (just a little); I loved it!  there's such a beauty to weapons training.

 

I started Kendo several years ago. Well, life got in the way and I got really stressed out. The stress was affecting my body so much that when I went to Kendo, I ended up making myself sick. I left because I felt ashamed I couldn't push through it. 

 

Since then I've done some growing and self-reflection. I now know that I do not need to be ashamed of something beyond my control. I've missed a lot with Kendo. I've wanted to go back for a long time. I kept telling myself "once I get in shape, I'll go back..." Well... I've decided Kendo is HOW I get in shape. It's good for my body and mind. I practice with some amazing and supportive people. I'm struggling, but I'm pushing myself and everyone is super encouraging. I'm having fun with it! 

 

 

51 minutes ago, Evicious said:

First kendo meme!!!

 

 

 

I see your kendo meme... and raise you another!!!!

 

 

38 minutes ago, Fonzico said:

This is going to be a great challenge!

You can beat the vending machine, I know you can Your strategy is sound.

I love that you're schedule some down time - I've been where you are before with the demanding schedule and it is HARD. Every since that ended, I've been very jealous with my time. Yes, it means not getting to do all the things, but it was worth it for my sanity. How much longer do you have with your courses?

I did Kali once upon a time (Philippino sword fighting). It was awesome and empowering and a great workout! I'm excited for you getting back into kendo.

 

I expect to finish my degree around May of next year. Trying to take four 8-week classes a year. So far I"m doing pretty good with it. Right now managerial economics is difficult. 

 

As far as scheduling... let me just explain what my week looks like. 

 

Tuesday 2/6: Kendo after work

Wednesday 2/7: Going over to a friend's (may cancel)

Thursday 2/8: Homework + downtime

Friday 2/9: Date night with hubbie/homework

Saturday 2/10: Kendo in the morning; finish homework/down time; friend's party at 8pm

Sunday 2/11: Down time/domestic rangering

 

Next weekend is even crazier. Date night on Friday (Valentine's dinner); Cousin's wedding and game night on Saturday; Then D&D game on Sunday. 

 

Yikes!

 

I'll have to look up Kali. Interesting! 

 

33 minutes ago, Starpuck said:

Great goals chica!   I especially love your system on points for using the book and reinforcing the new habits you're looking to make with your food relationship.     That's brilliant!      I'll be starting the book this week.      And your Kendo sounds on fleek (look at me being hip) - when you find something you love to do, you'll find you start doing things that help you do that one thing even more better.   That's awesome.

 

 

What's fleek mean? (look at me not being hip and being an old woman who doesn't know what lingo kids use these days... now get off my lawn!)

 

The point system is something new I'm trying out. I'm hoping it'll be better for promoting new habits rather than trying to restrict myself from certain things. We'll see how it goes. 

 

Let me know what you think of the book and what it has to say. I look forward to hearing from you on that. 

 

and starting now... Kendo=Life.

 

 

14 minutes ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

Following along. I also got rid of that double post for you.

 

 

Also, thanks Tank!!!! 

[Maigs]

Following of course! Looking forward to seeing you progress and excel at Kendo. And beating the nasty vending machine monster

[DrFeelgood]

Can you put bogu on the vending machine and use it to practice striking? 

 

Two birds, one sword. 

[RhiaWolfe]

56 minutes ago, Maigahane said:

Following of course! Looking forward to seeing you progress and excel at Kendo. And beating the nasty vending machine monster

 

Yay! Welcome to the party Maigs! It'll be fun advancing in kendo. I not only love the sport, but also love the community. Everyone is so supportive. 

 

53 minutes ago, DrFeelgood said:

Can you put bogu on the vending machine and use it to practice striking? 

 

Two birds, one sword. 

 

Pfft... the vending machine doesn't need bogu. 

 

 

 

[Raxie]

Ahhh sword nerdom awesomeyness!!

 

[RhiaWolfe]

12 hours ago, Raxie said:

Ahhh sword nerdom awesomeyness!!

 

 

Hehe... swords are fun!

[RhiaWolfe]

Tuesday, February 6, 2018 Update: 

 

Tuesday I did awesome in my opinion. Food was on point, kendo, and all the awesome. 

 

Tuesday Food Log:

 

 

Time	Meal Type	Food Logged	Feels/thoughts
6:15am	Breakfast	2 eggs, 2 bacon, grapes	Trader Joe's bacon tastes better than this bacon. Too much salt in this… overall tasty breakfast though.
9:00am	Snack	Mixed nuts	Started feeling hungry. Ate some nuts and waited 20 minutes to see if I was still hungry and wanted more. I didn't.
10:30am	Snack	Banana	10:00am break came and went. Didn't feel hungry then. 30 minute later I wanted something. Opted for the banana!
11:15am	Snack	cheese and crackers	My snacks don't seem to be keeping me satisfied for very long. Hrm… I don’t want to get in the habit of eating all the time. I don't want to constantly be thinking about food. May have to revisit my snacking habits. See if I can tweak them. We'll see.
12:00pm	Lunch	Turkey sandwich & apple	Back to the usual here. Pretty tasty. Drank lots of water while eating my sandwich. That bread, while yummy, can taste a little dry. I use sprouted wheat bread from Trader Joe's. I can't eat regular sandwich bread anymore.
3:00pm	Snack	boiled egg & cheese with crackers	So, I actually WAS hungry on my break. I don't fee satisfied though. I may have an apple. I also have chili I will eat soon because I need to eat before going to Kendo.
4:00pm	snack	apple	Still hungry. Ate an apple. Let's see how this feels. (10-15 minutes later) I've had half of the apple, and I can tell that I'm not hungry anymore. I still have a craving for something, but I have no idea what it is. Hrm… Is my body needing something that I'm not giving it? Feeling a little bloated now too. Hrm...
5:00pm	dinner	chili	I had chili for dinner. I brought it with me to work so I could eat before going to kendo. I need fuel to get through practice! I didn't eat all that I brought. I started to feel full rather than not hungry. I almost ate too much, but I stopped. I didn't eat all of it. The rest I took home.
8:00pm	snack	mandarin oranges	After Kendo I felt like I needed something besides just water. I needed the electrolytes I think. I got a couple of oranges and shared with the ratties.

 

 

So, honestly, not too bad! All fairly healthy stuff! 

 

 

Goal 1: Sword Fighting: 1/1 - Success!!!!

I did the kendo thing!!!! Yay! It was fun. Only two of us showed up, so we had a shorter practice. I got a lot of good tips from the person I was practicing with. It was fun. Got to practice men-uchi (striking the head) and kirikaeshi (striking the head and the sides of the head in sequence). Apparently I haven't been bringing my sword down correctly to hit men (head). Patrick-sempai helped me learn how to correct it. May do some practice at home to try and get better at that. 

 

I did get a blister on my foot from practice... ouch... worth it though. 

 

 

Goal 2: Break bad habits: 0/0 - Success!!!!

 

Did not go to the vending Machine! Woot! I didn't even have the craving to go. I think I thought about it once, but just passed it off as no big. 

 

 

Goal 3: Intuitive Eating: 6 points total - Success!!!

Listened to hunger at 9:00am snack - 1

Didn't eat at 10:00am break when I wasn't hungry - 1

Self reflected about snacks not being satisfying - 1

Stopped eating apple when I realized it wasn't satisfying - 1

Stopped eating chili before too full - 1

Listened to what my body needed after kendo - 1

 

Trying to get better at listening to my body. It's also not a bad thing that I ate a little more than usual because of Kendo. Needed more fuel. 

 

 

Goal 4: Time Management: 1/5 - Success!!!!

I decided not to go to the event I have scheduled on Wednesday because I have too much other stuff to do. I also took a look at my calendar to see what is coming up for the week. Instead, I'm going to use this evening to work on homework and relax. 

 

 

Overall an awesome day!!!! I succeeded in making all of my goals! 

 

 

[Raxie]

Hooray vending machine success! Way to start the challenge strong!

[Maigs]

Nice job on listening to your body and avoiding the vending machine! And of course for making it to kendo!

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

Great job on the intuitive eating process.

[starpuck]

Great day there padawan!  Well done.

 

A long while ago, many years now, I once noticed something about my snacking options.      That whole 'balanced' meal thing can also apply to snacks.   I had a streak in time where I paid attention to getting a little bit of each thing in my snacks, and found that it pushed all the satisfied buttons that way.    Instead of just cheese.   I'd do 10 nuts, circle of cheese, handful of berries.     

 

That might be a thing to try for a few days?

[RhiaWolfe]

1 hour ago, Raxie said:

Hooray vending machine success! Way to start the challenge strong!

 

1 hour ago, Maigahane said:

Nice job on listening to your body and avoiding the vending machine! And of course for making it to kendo!

 

Vending machine has nothing on me!!!! Hehe. 

 

1 hour ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

Great job on the intuitive eating process.

 

Thanks Tank! I'm trying it out and seeing how it goes. I feel a lot less stressed nwo that I'm  not counting calories or worrying if I'm eating too much during the day. 

 

1 hour ago, Starpuck said:

Great day there padawan!  Well done.

 

A long while ago, many years now, I once noticed something about my snacking options.      That whole 'balanced' meal thing can also apply to snacks.   I had a streak in time where I paid attention to getting a little bit of each thing in my snacks, and found that it pushed all the satisfied buttons that way.    Instead of just cheese.   I'd do 10 nuts, circle of cheese, handful of berries.     

 

That might be a thing to try for a few days?

 

Funny you said that. Today for a snack I had a few cheese and crackers with some mandarin oranges. I'd love to do some berries, but the berries aren't looking too good at the store right now.  

 

I may start trying to take a more balanced approach. I also had a bad headache yesterday, so that might have contributed to my cravings. 

[RhiaWolfe]

Oh, I forgot to add about Kendo last night. On the kendo chat room thingy we have, only one person said they could make it to practice. It was a time that I could have used an excuse to not go... but I was insistent despite having a bit of a headache and really wanting to go home and sleep. I went anyways and had a great time! 

 

Also, btw, at work I have a Pun of the Day thing on my white board. I'm having trouble coming up with some good puns. Anybody have some they'd like to share? 

 

The one that's on there right now is: What is a dog's favorite breakfast? Woofles. 

[Elastigirl]

Yay for no excuses Kendo! You are doing great on intuitive eating. I think thinking through and noticing what snacks keep you full will really help you .

[Fonzico]

Awesome day! Protein and fat are associated with increased satiety signals, so maybe increase those in your snacks?

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

3 hours ago, RhiaWolfe said:

Oh, I forgot to add about Kendo last night. On the kendo chat room thingy we have, only one person said they could make it to practice. It was a time that I could have used an excuse to not go... but I was insistent despite having a bit of a headache and really wanting to go home and sleep. I went anyways and had a great time! 

 

Also, btw, at work I have a Pun of the Day thing on my white board. I'm having trouble coming up with some good puns. Anybody have some they'd like to share? 

 

The one that's on there right now is: What is a dog's favorite breakfast? Woofles. 

A Dog's favorite potato chip? Ruffles.

[RhiaWolfe]

10 minutes ago, Fonzico said:

Awesome day! Protein and fat are associated with increased satiety signals, so maybe increase those in your snacks?

 

Maybe. That's why I was eating eggs, mixed nuts, and cheese... hrm... Today I just feel off. I feel like I have a lump in my throat. It's weird. I'm also super tired. 

[RhiaWolfe]

11 minutes ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

A Dog's favorite potato chip? Ruffles.

 

Totally using this. 

 

Some others I've used include:

 

I don't cook eggs for my friends. 

I'm afraid omelette them down. 

 

Why did the cowboy get a dachshund? 

Someone told him to "Get along little doggie." 

 

Did you know that claustrophobic employees are more productive working outside of the box? 

 

I love books about the Apocalypse. I could read those like no tomorrow. 

 

[RhiaWolfe]

Wednesday, February 6, 2018 Update: 

 

Wednesday I did awesome for food. I did have a piece of fudge, but it was a small piece and I only had one. Did good on moderation. I did have some emotional issues later in the evening though. I'll elaborate below. 

 

Tuesday Food Log:

 

Time	Meal Type	Food Logged	Feels/thoughts
6:15am	Breakfast	2 eggs, 2 bacon, grapes	Good, yummy breakfast. Nothing particularly special here. Same old same old, but still delicious!
10:00am	snack	cheese, crackers, & 2 mandarin oranges	I actually got hungry around break time. Had a pretty good snack I think. Sadly I keep forgetting to boil eggs at home. Hopefully I can do that tonight.
12:00pm	Lunch	turkey sandwich & an apple	I have a headache and am so tired… I'm worried I'm getting sick. I ate my turkey sandwich and then munched slowly at the apple. I didn't feel 'full' exactly, but I felt like I didn't want the apple really. I went ahead and ate it because here I don't think it wasn't that I'm not hungry. I'm analyzing how my body feels right now. Will continue to do so throughout the day.
2:00pm	snack	mixed nuts	I wanted something small, so I had a few mixed nuts. I don't know. Still feeling funky. I may just go home tonight and go to bed. Maybe watch TV or something relaxing. I hate to leave the rats in their cage tonight, but I just really don't have the energy.
3:00pm	snack	Protein bar & banana	Was hungry. Had the protein bar, but wasn't enough. So I got a banana.
5:40pm	dinner	chili	Had more chili for dinner. When I got home, I was tired. I was exhausted. I also started noticing that I was in a weird mood. I didn't want to talk to anyone. So, I turned on some anime and watched TV all evening.
7:30pm	snack	peanut butter and chocolate fudge	So, all evening I kept thinking that I wanted something. I was craving something. I decided to eat a small piece of fudge. It was really small, about the size of a mini-peanut butter cup. That seemed to satisfy. Still calling this a win because it was in moderation. After I didn't feel like I needed more.

 

 

Goal 1: Sword Fighting: 1/1 - Pending...

Kendo is only on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

 

Goal 2: Break bad habits: 0/0 - Success!!!!

No vending machine visit! Haven't even craved something from the machine. 

 

 

Goal 3: Intuitive Eating: 4 points total - Success!!!

Listened to hunger at 10:00 break and ate a little more than I usually do for a snack. I think I felt more satisfied after eating a bit more rather than something smaller. - 1

Was cognizant of my body's cravings or denials. I didn't want the apple, but ate it because I was hungry. Decided to analyze rest of day - 1

Listened to my body at the 3:00pm snack - 1

Allowed myself to eat a piece of fudge guilt free - 1

 

Goal 4: Time Management: 2/5 - Success!!!!

Took a look at the calendar and rearranged some stuff so that I could have a little more down time. I've started to say 'no' to some things. I don't think I'll make my next game night. I cancelled it because I really don't want to stress about it. They said they can run the game without me for that one time. Works for me. 

 

Further notes/thoughts:

Ok, so, last night I started feeling super depressed for seemingly no reason. Today I'm still feeling very tired and anti-people. I may not be on the forums much today because I think I need to kinda be by myself. I'm thinking maybe I've been overdoing it as far as people time and not giving myself enough alone time. This is something I have problems with in general. Something I definitely need to work on. 

 

 

I hadn't had a depression lapse like that in a long while. I started crying for reasons I could not identify. I was just suddenly sad. I cried probably three times before bed and I put on an audio book to listen to as I fell asleep to keep my mind occupied and focused to where I could sleep. 

 

Sometimes I tend to overthink things and over-analyze. Maybe I should just let this go and not think too much into it. Maybe I was just that tired. I'm going to try to do some self-care today and see how it goes. 

 

So far today, I woke up this morning without much of an appetite. However, I didn't really have anything that I could take to work to eat later for breakfast... so I went ahead and made my eggs and bacon. I didn't really enjoy it, but I ate it. Also drank some water. Now I'm at work. I just made tea. I'll probably be able to drink that, but I'm not sure how my hunger is going to go today. Going to monitor.