Lady of the Bog: Sweats Like an Orc, Lives like a Hobbit, and (hopes to) Look like an Elf

[Kishi]

Part of being grown up, I think, is realizing that there are a lot of different hats, and you don't have to wear just one all the time.

[ladyofthebog]

On 6/7/2018 at 10:14 AM, Rusk said:

I know this feeling well.  Sometimes I feel like I wasted my adult life working and taking care of ill family.  Feels like the last time I took a proper holiday was in 2015, but might as well have been a lifetime ago.  Feels like obligation anchoring you down when you just want to float in the wind.

 

 

 

Sounds pretty badass to me, already.

first part, it's interesting, rusk, i feel like you do a good job of sharing just a bit of yourself but in doing make me feel like i'm really getting to know you. let's make a playlist about this anchoring and floating. also, have you read the unbearable lightness of being? for some reason i think you'd like it.

second part, that makes me smile

[ladyofthebog]

On 6/7/2018 at 10:48 AM, Kishi said:

Part of being grown up, I think, is realizing that there are a lot of different hats, and you don't have to wear just one all the time.

part of it for sure but you know it's interesting, i was more okay with wearing different hats when i was younger than i am at this present moment? in fact, i think i reveled in it? i think life is full of moments of identity shift and there is something thrilling but hard in that shift. ultimately, all of these identities we construct are, well, just that constructions but, darn it, aren't they the wildest, most complex architecture? addictive, really, are our daydreams of self.

 

i do think i need to start making lists of why being an adult is great rather than just a crushing weight of responsibility (lol, not really but kinda).

why i am glad to be an adult:

1) autonomy (obvs)

2) who knows when bed time is?

3) can travel when want

4) get to decide whether want to have more animals

5) hbo/showtime

6) get to decide how long stay up reading

7) marriage and access to endless conversation, booty call

8) make out w/ my dungeon master (that sounds more kinky than is)

9) being adult doesn't mean play stops!

10) this list is silly

[ladyofthebog]

GOSH. I have been neglecting this thread! I'll be back at it this week starting with lifts on Monday For now, though, new challenge:

 

 

[ladyofthebog]

Day 42

Time warp and somehow the last three weeks become one day! I've been posting over on my challenges more often but I really would like to keep this thread up because it has better longevity and is focused more on fitness/diet goals rather than all the willy nilly stuff I post about on my challenges.

 

So, to that end: worked shoulders today. I was a little timid about it but felt a nice burn. Doing a high volume, bodybuilder split for the next month or two and then going back to the Bret Contreras programming partly because I just didn't like the workouts he posted this month? Maybe next month will appeal to me more... I'm just really not into b-stance lifts and that is what most of this month's focus is on.

 

Seated incline press 3x10 @ 50 lbs (25 lbs dumbbell)

DB Lateral raise 3x12 @ 10 lbs

 drop-set: 3x8 @ 7.5 lbs

45 degree lat pull down 3x12 @ 70 lbs

seated cable row 3x12 @ 60 lbs (w/ pause)

db rear delt fly 3x15 @ 10 lbs

windshield wipers 3x10

 

I'm probably going to go to the gym tomorrow but also am going to be super busy preparing for the fourth. Mostly, I want to make dank potato salad and a trifle which is actually the easiest dessert ever but people are always impressed.

 

Still on the fence about counting macros? But I'd really like to see a major change in my body... I don't know.

 

Thank you for everyone following along!

xxoo

[The Battle Chef]

9 hours ago, ladyofthebog said:

Mostly, I want to make dank potato salad

Horseradish, worcestershire sauce, grainy mustard and pickle juice in the mayo/sour cream based dressing.  Mash a little over half the potatoes, leave some whole for texture. Thin sliced green onion, grilled diced red onion & grilled red pepper.  I'm assuming you'll be omitting the bacon for "reasons".  Grilling the red onion & pepper can help make up for this deficiency.

Badass Vegetarian BBQ Dessert:
Skewer pineapple chunks (about 1/4 of a pineapple's worth per skewer), lightly spray down the BBQ and grill all sides until warmed through & slightly charred.  Drizzed with proper New Brunswick maple syrup ( ) and cracked pink peppercorns.  Delicious.

[Kishi]

11 hours ago, ladyofthebog said:

I'm just really not into b-stance lifts and that is what most of this month's focus is on.

 

Yeah, I tend not to be big on those either. I'm not against unilateral work as a rule, since I'm a bodyweight guy, but something about doing a deadlift on one leg just seems wrong.

[ladyofthebog]

13 hours ago, Rusk said:

Horseradish, worcestershire sauce, grainy mustard and pickle juice in the mayo/sour cream based dressing.  Mash a little over half the potatoes, leave some whole for texture. Thin sliced green onion, grilled diced red onion & grilled red pepper.  I'm assuming you'll be omitting the bacon for "reasons".  Grilling the red onion & pepper can help make up for this deficiency.

Badass Vegetarian BBQ Dessert:
Skewer pineapple chunks (about 1/4 of a pineapple's worth per skewer), lightly spray down the BBQ and grill all sides until warmed through & slightly charred.  Drizzed with proper New Brunswick maple syrup ( ) and cracked pink peppercorns.  Delicious.

oh my gosh, this all sounds amazing. please get into my belly now (these foods, not you because i don't roll that cannibal way). please more with the chef advice.

 

11 hours ago, Kishi said:

 

Yeah, I tend not to be big on those either. I'm not against unilateral work as a rule, since I'm a bodyweight guy, but something about doing a deadlift on one leg just seems wrong.

yeah, bulgarian split squats= great. b stance squat? hip thrust? just why? i don't need that much variety to keep my attention?

 

[ladyofthebog]

Day 43

I bought 15, 20, 25 lbs sets today. I'll get 30s when I convince myself I'll actually use them at home. Getting away to the gym is good for my mental health but I realize I need flexibility in there or it's just not going to happen some days. I like working out from home but too many of the body weight workout videos aren't really aligned with my ultimate goals/don't fit in with my workout plan.

 

So, I used the weights today doing a booty workout that included slides and bands today.

 

I listened to approximately 5 minutes of a podcast on how a ketogenic diet may improve neurologic disorders particularly seizure disorders and angelman syndrome. i'll finish it later but i found this super interesting. i want to live as long as possible w/o losing my marbles (completely, i already lost a few, true) so anything that improves brain function, i'm for. i realize that a reduction in seizures in brains that are already prone to seizures doesn't mean that a relatively healthy brain would benefit but food for thought. does anyone else think of zombies when they read that turn of phrase?

[The Battle Chef]

3 hours ago, ladyofthebog said:

oh my gosh, this all sounds amazing. please get into my belly now (these foods, not you because i don't roll that cannibal way). please more with the chef advice.

[ladyofthebog]

Days 43, 44, and 45

Yoga on day 43 (twas america's birthday). Ate pretty well, ran around cooking and party preparing. Ate a smore. I used to not really get the attraction to smores but years and wisdom and unearthed a love for that gooey delicious graham cracker sandwich of delight.

ran 2.5 miles easy.

Day 45

Lifts:

Overhead press 3x6 @ 30 lbs dumbbells (ie 60 lbs)

 drop set w/ 3x10 @ 35 lbs barbell

             supersetted w/ 3x10 lateral raises @ 10 lbs dummbbells

Leg press 3x10 @ 200 lbs

   supersetted with close feet leg press 3x10 @ 80 lbs

bicep curls 3x15 @ 15 lbs dumbbells

dumbbell deadlift 3x15 @ 30 lbs dumbbells (ie 60 lbs)

  supersetted w/ weighted bridges 3x10 lbs @ 30 lbs

     followed by isometric bridge hold single leg 30 seconds each

abductor machine- 3x15 entire stack of weight (sitting at end of chair to activate glutes)

 

Starting tomorrow I am tracking macros in myfitness pal to get some idea of how much I am eating and the composition in terms of macros. Also, I listened to the rest of that ketogenic diet podcast and I've decided some of it was puesdo-science and really the goal should be maximizing healthy intake of nutrient dense foods. For me particularly, as a vegetarian I'm best off when I am cognizant of my protein intake and limit to some extent my carbs because I love carbs and would like to start a love affair with carbs but unfortunately it's not a healthy love.

 

ALSO: Saturday is the start of a new campaign with the return of tristan, the most dedicated dungeon master. got this in an email last night- looking forward to starting this thang:

 

Arcanas is a city on edge. The magi are supposed to rule. But they stand aloof, casting their gaze downward from the dizzying heights of their white tower, never deigning to resolve the temporal conflicts that rage in the city below.

There on the rings, the alchemists labor to transmogrify lead to gold. The servants of Vespasian scour the city for dissenting voices to drag to the illuminated seekers, that the truth of their words may be learned from their pain. Both alchemists and Parians seek to dominate the city, but neither is willing to raise a hand against the other while the magi observe them reflected in the glow of violet magefire.

And now a killer stalks the city streets. The murders themselves are gruesome, with flayed and torn flesh, but it is the fate of the corpses after life has fled that terrifies the city. Rising as gruesome, twisted corpses, the victims themselves rampage, striking and slaying all that they cross until they are laid low a second, final time.

The seekers investigating the murders have noticed a single clue: the killer targets those wearing the zari, the mark of a Parian citizen. Destroyer Sarga, commander of the Seventh Tercio,therefore offers a considerable award to any who can bring this perpetrator of crimes against the Empire to justice.

 

xxoo

ps if anyone is curious, I also wrote a bio of my new character (ranger- typical)-

pps i also found goblets! am making "potions of healing" and obviously providing ale

ppps making a charcuterie platter but also having a burrito bar which I'm not sold on the idea. I want to make homemade bread and stew but it's so darned hot. Next time I'll roast a chicken.

pppp anybody have ideas about how they like to host d&d?

[The Battle Chef]

8 hours ago, ladyofthebog said:

 

 

Starting tomorrow I am tracking macros in myfitness pal to get some idea of how much I am eating and the composition in terms of macros. Also, I listened to the rest of that ketogenic diet podcast and I've decided some of it was puesdo-science and really the goal should be maximizing healthy intake of nutrient dense foods. For me particularly, as a vegetarian I'm best off when I am cognizant of my protein intake and limit to some extent my carbs because I love carbs and would like to start a love affair with carbs but unfortunately it's not a healthy love.

 

ALSO: Saturday is the start of a new campaign with the return of tristan, the most dedicated dungeon master. got this in an email last night- looking forward to starting this thang:

 

Arcanas is a city on edge. The magi are supposed to rule. But they stand aloof, casting their gaze downward from the dizzying heights of their white tower, never deigning to resolve the temporal conflicts that rage in the city below.

There on the rings, the alchemists labor to transmogrify lead to gold. The servants of Vespasian scour the city for dissenting voices to drag to the illuminated seekers, that the truth of their words may be learned from their pain. Both alchemists and Parians seek to dominate the city, but neither is willing to raise a hand against the other while the magi observe them reflected in the glow of violet magefire.

And now a killer stalks the city streets. The murders themselves are gruesome, with flayed and torn flesh, but it is the fate of the corpses after life has fled that terrifies the city. Rising as gruesome, twisted corpses, the victims themselves rampage, striking and slaying all that they cross until they are laid low a second, final time.

The seekers investigating the murders have noticed a single clue: the killer targets those wearing the zari, the mark of a Parian citizen. Destroyer Sarga, commander of the Seventh Tercio,therefore offers a considerable award to any who can bring this perpetrator of crimes against the Empire to justice.

 

xxoo

ps if anyone is curious, I also wrote a bio of my new character (ranger- typical)-

pps i also found goblets! am making "potions of healing" and obviously providing ale

ppps making a charcuterie platter but also having a burrito bar which I'm not sold on the idea. I want to make homemade bread and stew but it's so darned hot. Next time I'll roast a chicken.

pppp anybody have ideas about how they like to host d&d?

I didn't think it was possible to be ketogenic on a vegetarian/vegan diet.  And yeah, unless you're massively obese I would file Keto under "F" for Fad.  You photoshopping all those pics you are posting?  

Ahh, I miss regularly scheduled D&D games...  

And MAKE BREAD AND STEW!    The kitchen I work at was hot as Satan's Scrotesack all week but the bread rises quite well.  

Way back in the Age of Yore when I hosted the monthy D&D game (not always DMing, but I always had the biggest table for the battlemaps), I'd have a pot of stew or a casserole on the go and some bread or a salad for a side and we'd break halfway through for dinner.  I don't drink much so it was always a bring your own beverage night.  I find snacking during the game distracting as I would mindlessly graze the entire time and inevitably make a mess on something.

[ladyofthebog]

Days 46, 47, and 48

Fantastic start to our campaign! Went off without a hitch and good cheer all around. Next session: the Friday after next.

 

Started counting macros/calories today and I am not entirely sure how I want to go at it. I think I'll settle in on 40/35/25 for now and see how my body manages that. On a 1900 calorie goal that ends up being, carbs 190, fat 74 and protein 119. I am not sure if I am hitting calories too low there and may bump them up if I am feeling terrible in my workouts/having trouble w/ gaining strength. I'm more focused on protein goals at this point and want to make sure that I get enough healthy fats in for, you know, hormones, lady health and mental health. I wish I took better advantage of nutrition class in nursing school.

 

First day into recording and I am up on carbs and low on protein which isn't entirely a surprise because I am a carb monster and a vegetarian which makes getting protein in less easy. Also, it was a good reminder of how many calories flour tortillas have because really I could probably eat five flour tortillas every day and not even notice. I am feeling invigorated by the prospect of counting macros loosely as I am hoping it'll push me past this little bit of a plateau I am feeling.

 

Today I did the upper workout from 21 day fix because I had a short time to work out (workouts are 30 minutes) and I am stoked to have heavier weights at home (7s, 15s, 20s, 25s, 30s now).

 

I'll be lifting at the gym tomorrow and planning on cardio for Wednesday.

 

xxoo

 

Also:

On 7/7/2018 at 4:15 AM, Rusk said:

I didn't think it was possible to be ketogenic on a vegetarian/vegan diet.  And yeah, unless you're massively obese I would file Keto under "F" for Fad.  You photoshopping all those pics you are posting?  

Ahh, I miss regularly scheduled D&D games...  

And MAKE BREAD AND STEW!    The kitchen I work at was hot as Satan's Scrotesack all week but the bread rises quite well.  

Way back in the Age of Yore when I hosted the monthy D&D game (not always DMing, but I always had the biggest table for the battlemaps), I'd have a pot of stew or a casserole on the go and some bread or a salad for a side and we'd break halfway through for dinner.  I don't drink much so it was always a bring your own beverage night.  I find snacking during the game distracting as I would mindlessly graze the entire time and inevitably make a mess on something.

Geez, this sounds great! The table was pretty littered with grub and drinks but it worked. I loved creating an ambiance- had essential oils going, candles that I thought were particularly fantastical- cardamom and pine. I don't drink that much at all but I am intrigued by the prospect of sulfate-free wine? Alcohol just makes me feel cruddy which is probably good because the irish/scottish side of my family is riff with alcoholics.

NEXT time, bread and stew- I've already warned everybody so I have to do it.

yeah, keto would be impossible on the vegetarian diet but I've been thinking about eating meat from a local farmer here who I know treats his chickens well. Not sure, if i do eat meat, I'll have to go kill a chicken myself unfortunately so not sure how committed I am.

[The Battle Chef]

2 hours ago, ladyofthebog said:

Geez, this sounds great! The table was pretty littered with grub and drinks but it worked. I loved creating an ambiance- had essential oils going, candles that I thought were particularly fantastical- cardamom and pine. I don't drink that much at all but I am intrigued by the prospect of sulfate-free wine? Alcohol just makes me feel cruddy which is probably good because the irish/scottish side of my family is riff with alcoholics.

NEXT time, bread and stew- I've already warned everybody so I have to do it.

yeah, keto would be impossible on the vegetarian diet but I've been thinking about eating meat from a local farmer here who I know treats his chickens well. Not sure, if i do eat meat, I'll have to go kill a chicken myself unfortunately so not sure how committed I am.

[Kishi]

Re: Keto: I've actually been experimenting with drastically lowered carb counts on days when I'm not lifting or being particularly active. My reason being that I'm trying to optimize my diet/lifestyle for higher testosterone, as I've recently tested on the borderline low range and I'm out of danger for CVD.

 

Since my body fat percentage has been ~17%, I've elected to experiment cycling higher and lower calorie depending on the day's needs. Since my body won't let me eat but so much fat, I've been using carbs as the control macro; on days off I swing very low (sub-50g), and on active days I swing pretty high. I've lost about 7 lbs of water weight, which is exciting but meh, because water weight. The interesting part is that so far I don't seem to have any trouble keeping my lean mass, and I do seem to have dropped some fat. Also exciting: my body's temperature doesn't seem to have dropped off like it normally does when I restrict calories and try to cut. Time will tell whether this stalls or rebounds or what.

 

For the sake of full disclosure, my overall caloric intake is tweaked for a small cut, and I do personally believe keto dieting to be pseudoscientific. Also, I'm not doing the True Keto as I'd have to get my carbs sub-25 and keep them there a while before I obtained Nirvana or whatever magic was supposed to happen. But I saw the conversation and thought I'd chime in.

[ladyofthebog]

On 7/10/2018 at 9:26 AM, Kishi said:

Since my body fat percentage has been ~17%, I've elected to experiment cycling higher and lower calorie depending on the day's needs. Since my body won't let me eat but so much fat, I've been using carbs as the control macro; on days off I swing very low (sub-50g), and on active days I swing pretty high. I've lost about 7 lbs of water weight, which is exciting but meh, because water weight. The interesting part is that so far I don't seem to have any trouble keeping my lean mass, and I do seem to have dropped some fat. Also exciting: my body's temperature doesn't seem to have dropped off like it normally does when I restrict calories and try to cut. Time will tell whether this stalls or rebounds or what. 

very interesting! thank you for sharing your experience. i have thought about possibly carb cycling for days i don't lift. going to start with the baby steps, though, and focus on my macros and protein intake. i want to see what my body works at right now. i think i might murder someone with sub-50g. does your body acclimate?

this is me on 50 g

On 7/9/2018 at 10:30 PM, Rusk said:

lol

[ladyofthebog]

Days 49 and 50

As I type this I am also watching The Redeemed and the Dominant: Fittest on Earth on Netflix and feeling inspired by the insane crossfit people (like how do you get that strong? also, i love icelander last names). Fun story: crossfit was founded in my hometown, Santa Cruz, California. Technically, I grew up in the mountains but, whatever, us mountain folk made it down to the lowlands on the regular so I claim Santa Cruz proper as well as my mountain troll homeland.

 

Yesterday, I had a crud morning and then slayed at the gym. Thought  I'd have serious issues with the whole moving agenda today but actually feel fine and went on a hike carrying the wee little one on my back.

Lifts from yesterday:

Squat 3x8 @ 155 lbs

Sumo deadlift 4x10 @ 145 lbs

conventional deadlift 4x10 @ 125 lbs

... i just realized that was 80 dead lifts and that is why this workout was intense

curls 4x15 @ 15 lbs

Circuit:

  goblet squat w 45 lbs x 15 times

straight into bridge w 45 lbs x 10 times

straight into bridge one legged x 10 times

rest 45 seconds

do again 3x (this was GREAT in the sense of painful in the right ways)

hip abduction machine w/ entire stack 3x15

[ReturnOfTheDad]

Wow, you weren’t kidding about slaying at the gym, that’s a serious workout!!!

[solski]

1 hour ago, ladyofthebog said:

i think i might murder someone with sub-50g

 

I stay below ~25g eating two meals a day (sometimes one + coffee with butter), and it's actually pretty manageable (as long as you get enough protein and fat). It's weird in a good way, but after my first meal (around 11:30 AM) I don't feel hunger till about 6PM and I can do whatever. Working out in a fasted state isn't a problem also.

[Kishi]

9 hours ago, ladyofthebog said:

very interesting! thank you for sharing your experience. i have thought about possibly carb cycling for days i don't lift. going to start with the baby steps, though, and focus on my macros and protein intake. i want to see what my body works at right now. i think i might murder someone with sub-50g. does your body acclimate?

this is me on 50 g

 

 

Well, mine has. It's been interesting. I have a rolling 20-24 hour fast that I do once every four days, and that used to give me a major case of the hangries, but I haven't experienced any of my usual symptoms or anything like that. Of course, though, n=1, and the bottom line is that your body might do things differently than mine does. So, whatever it takes to fuel the body well and not axe murder someone.

[ladyofthebog]

Days 51 and 52 (in the year 2018: The Account of Sophie and the Finding of the Butt of Power):

 

Tracking macros is going surprisingly swimmingly. I'm not eating all that differently than I might normally but tracking keeps me accountable it seems and tightens up my diet so that I make better choices. Last night, I went to a Rodan and Fields skincare party* and it was fun in a desperate housewives kind of way (is that terrible? am i terrible? probably) except that it was at dinner time and all there was to eat was copious amounts of pinot grigio and rosé and rice crackers, some jicama, and grapes. So, I came home ravenous and my macros were off. Ah, well.

 

Anyways, a friend asked what my secret to fitness was and I explained heavy weights and I think I blew some minds. People still believe that lifting heavy will get you bulky. I wish I were more bulky! It's super hard to build mass and lifting weights really does amazing things for the female body- both aesthetically but in terms of health (hello, strong bones! balance! muscles to help you through the years!). Anyways, I'd love to be a personal trainer someday but I have so much else going on in life right now to make it seems like a realistic possibility. Also, I love nursing and I imagine it might be hard to balance the both? Anyway, weight lifting has been so empowering for me, I want to share it.

Lifted today:

deadlift 3x10 @ 135 lbs

overhead press 3x10 @ 50 lbs

   supersetted: lateral raise 3x10 @ 10 lbs

bent over row, single arm: 3x12 @ 30 lbs

  supersetted: goblet squat 3x 10 @ 45 lbs

face pull 3x10 @.... shoot i forget!!

*:

Spoiler

I am totally sympathetic to multi-level marketing schemes in general, particularly those that cater to those that cannot work traditional jobs due to familial obligations or what have you but, my goodness, so many friends are trying to sell me things! i don't try to get my friends to buy my nursing assistance (hmm... as a hospice nurse that would be fairly problematic/macabre) but i try to get it.

 

[ladyofthebog]

On 7/11/2018 at 11:19 PM, solski said:

 

I stay below ~25g eating two meals a day (sometimes one + coffee with butter), and it's actually pretty manageable (as long as you get enough protein and fat). It's weird in a good way, but after my first meal (around 11:30 AM) I don't feel hunger till about 6PM and I can do whatever. Working out in a fasted state isn't a problem also.

WILD i tell you. you're a well oiled machine!! my husband likes to call me a maserati, lol, but, yeah, couldn't imagine such feats of nutritional awareness and control!

On 7/12/2018 at 6:57 AM, Kishi said:

 

 

Well, mine has. It's been interesting. I have a rolling 20-24 hour fast that I do once every four days, and that used to give me a major case of the hangries, but I haven't experienced any of my usual symptoms or anything like that. Of course, though, n=1, and the bottom line is that your body might do things differently than mine does. So, whatever it takes to fuel the body well and not axe murder someone.

always working to keep my axe murdering to a minimum!

[ladyofthebog]

PLEASE somebody send motivation to go to the gym tonight. it's so hot and i just want to dissolve into a puddle.

[ladyofthebog]

Day 55 in the year 2018: The Account of Sophie and the Finding of the Butt of Power):

Cross posted in my challenge...

I did it! I went to the gym. While I was driving home it was one of those crystalline moments where everything feels so ripe and beautiful. It had me thinking about those itinerant parts of my soul. The parts that always are wandering and wondering- precious parts. It had me wondering too about that part of myself that seeks to self destruct, that sees me as unworthy, unlovable, less than. I am a very loving person but somehow I get hung up on myself, find I can't find the goodness in myself that I see so easily in those around me.

 

I am at the point in my fitness where I feel ready to confront those bigger ?s of self. I want to challenge myself on a spiritual level not just a physical level. I suppose my challenge this go round involves something more than sets and reps but I'm just scratching the surface. I want to confront those stories I've been telling myself about myself and get to know why I behave the way I do and feel the way I do when it hurts and is scary. It's interesting to me how exploring these greater issues of self worth, identity, history, and meaning relate to pushing myself physically. It's as if being strong physically and pushing my body has my soul pushing too. Has anyone else ever experienced this? I wouldn't be able to say this 7 months ago but it was true then and always has been: I am brave. It's my favorite part of myself. 

 

ANYWAY:

Lifts

  I was pretty exhausted from working on the house and the heat but I still went at it and somehow I think it's the cruddy days where you push it out (even half heartedly) that really matter.

 

R. Deadlift 3x10 @145 lbs

hip thrust 3x10 @ 175 lbs

overhead press 3x10 @ 45 lbs (barbell)

   drop set 3x10 @ 30 lbs

one arm bent over row 3x15 @ 30 lbs

good mornings 3x25 @ 45 lbs

 supersetted w/ arnold curls because I just wanted to hurry up and go home

    3x12 @ 15 lbs

[Kishi]

14 hours ago, ladyofthebog said:

I am at the point in my fitness where I feel ready to confront those bigger ?s of self. I want to challenge myself on a spiritual level not just a physical level. I suppose my challenge this go round involves something more than sets and reps but I'm just scratching the surface. I want to confront those stories I've been telling myself about myself and get to know why I behave the way I do and feel the way I do when it hurts and is scary. It's interesting to me how exploring these greater issues of self worth, identity, history, and meaning relate to pushing myself physically. It's as if being strong physically and pushing my body has my soul pushing too. Has anyone else ever experienced this?

 

Mm. Sounds like Henry Rollins' Iron and the Soul. Bodies and their souls are way more integrated than we tend to think. The soul can push the body, yes, provide feedback and force it to greatness. It pushes from the inside out. But it's a two-way street. The body can push the soul as well, the outer strength driving inward.

 

It's weird, but it's legit. You're not alone or unusual in experiencing it, although it's not something that I generally see discussed as such. I think the last one I saw who really got into that was Elliott Hulse, a yogi-strongman, whom I'm convinced is insane, but not wrong for that.

 

Anyway, glad to see that you got in and did the work. There's a time for resting, and there's a time for pushing through; I'm glad you could discern the difference.