AnnieP: Finding Her Joy Again

[AnnieP (respawned)]

Hi there. Just finished my reboot adventure in the First Timer's forum and ready to start a new month with the Rangers. I had stopped caring about my health for awhile after a pacemaker implant a few years ago and dropped out of the Rebellion. Honestly, I had stopped caring about a lot of the things that used to bring me joy. My long-term goals are to re-establish a fitness habit and to do what I need to do to get healthy again.  And to finally start doing some of those things that used to make me happy again.

 

Goals for this challenge:

 

Fitness:

Do a complete workout 3 times a week. The individual components can be broken up, however, and done (Angry Bird style) over the course of one or two days. A complete workout consists of doing the following...

*   Endurance: Thirty minutes of aerobic exercise. This will usually be walking, but substitutions can be made for the inclement weather so common here in Flagstaff.

*   Strength: Pushups, 3 sets of at least 10. I've not progressed yet to doing "actual" pushups yet (flat on the ground), so this means elevated in some way -- night stand, coffee table, or bathtub height, in terms of where I put my hands. The ultimate goal is to be doing regular pushups like a boss (because, who wouldn't?).

*   Stability: Planks, 3 sets of at least 30 seconds. I'll allow myself to sub in another ab/core exercise once a week if so desired.

 

Level Up:

Many of the feats in the mini challenge fit in here, so I will document my progress with that here. Stretch goal: complete a second sewing project in addition to the one I plan to do for the mini challenge. I'll post pictures here, even if I totally screw up the projects.

 

Miscellaneous: Chances are excellent there will be at least a few SpongeBob references. And pictures of Flagstaff.  Also, my work schedule is erratic, so apologies in advance for issues arising from that, if any.

 

That's it for now. Thanks for reading to the end, and Always. Be. Awesome.

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

Welcome back! I'll be following along.

[Moros]

11 hours ago, AnnieP (respawned) said:

That's it for now. Thanks for reading to the end, and Always. Be. Awesome.

 

 

Following!

 

[Elastigirl]

Nice challenge!

[Xena]

17 hours ago, AnnieP (respawned) said:

Stretch goal: complete a second sewing project in addition to the one I plan to do for the mini challenge. I'll post pictures here, even if I totally screw up the projects.

Love this. Messed up sewing projects are kind of endearing, so for your loyal followers, it's a win either way :-)

[deftona]

Following along, welcome back to the fold! 

[AnnieP (respawned)]

On 8/8/2018 at 11:26 AM, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

Welcome back! I'll be following along.

Thanks for the welcome!

 

On 8/8/2018 at 11:40 AM, Moros said:

 

 

Following!

 

Glad to have you on the journey.

 

On 8/8/2018 at 12:20 PM, Elastigirl said:

Nice challenge!

Thanks!

 

On 8/8/2018 at 5:53 PM, Xena said:

Love this. Messed up sewing projects are kind of endearing, so for your loyal followers, it's a win either way :-)

I know, right? Gives me motivation to at least mess it up well. Er... or something.

 

21 hours ago, deftona said:

Following along, welcome back to the fold! 

Glad to have you. Thanks!

 

I read back through my challenge, and was thinking something was missing. And then it hit me:

My legs! I was going to add in squats twice a week to my exercise routine. It's been awhile since I've done squats, so no idea how many I can do in one session. Only one way to find out.

 

I was sick this last week, but the antibiotics are done and I'm ready to get back into things. I'll be doing one complete round of all the exercises before the "official" start on Monday so I know where I'm starting off this time around.

[AnnieP (respawned)]

Okay, started off this challenge kind of ill. Migraines suck, big time, and I had one on Sunday and Monday. I worked both those days, so not much was accomplished, challenge-wise or life-wise -- except I went to work both of those days. I did get a walk in on Tuesday, figuring that moving around wasn't going to make the migraine any worse, just would feel nauseous and hate the light in different parts of the town instead. I was exhausted from working  6 days in a row, and 2 days of headache-y, nauseous, don't-talk-so-loud-it-hurts nonsense. Why can't my body just behave and do what I want it to do? I guess because I'm not a robot.

At least I'm not steam driven...

 

Yesterday(Wednesday), I felt a little better. Still tired like I've been running marathons all week, though. Not quite sure what that is all about, but I decided that I could sit on the couch and feel miserable, or exercise and feel miserable. The miserable part wasn't going to change, but at least I could get something accomplished.

 

I started off by going for a walk. I went to the grocery store -- 20 minutes there and 20 minutes back -- instead of waiting for my roommate to come home and drive me. I got almond milk and cans of low-salt tomato sauce and a couple of bottles of seltzer water. I managed to make it home without the bags breaking -- why do cashiers give you such a hard time about double-bagging the heavy stuff? I have plans for making an eggplant-spaghetti type thing for my mini challenge this week, so the tomato sauce was a must. And almond milk, because I never did get over my need to drink milk even when I realized it wasn't doing my blood sugar any favors. I got a blend of almond and coconut, one of my favorites.

 

Figuring I was on a roll, I did 3 sets of pushups (6 each set) off of the bathtub. It's quite a bit lower than the nightstand I'd been using in the last challenge, so closer to my goal of (finally!) doing big-girl pushups flat on the ground. I have to remind myself that these are harder, and that 18 total pushups is a good number. Next time I will try for 21 (or better). I was starting to feel wiped out at this point -- but figured if I didn't do it now, it wouldn't get done. And I wanted to get it done.

 

I tried squats next -- used to be pretty good at them. I had originally planned to get a set in before the official challenge, but that didn't happen thanks to my aching head. I did 3 sets of 10, and only had to grab on to a chair for support once. Sometimes I feel like an old lady -- this was one of those times. Thoughts of getting stronger kept me at it, though. I'm 45, so no spring chicken, but I'm not that old yet.  I thought of my Dad, turning 75 this year, who just started a new diet similar to mine -- meat and veggies, no sugar or extra carbs. He's lost 14 pounds and goes for a walk daily. If he can do it, so can I. I don't have a lot of weight to lose (neither does he, actually), but I need to get stronger (it's a need, not a want).

 

I didn't do planks; have plans for them today. Maybe another walk. I have several days off in a row this week, so I need to keep myself busy or I will just turn couch potato. Today, the eggplant will be cooked, probably for lunch because bff/roommate won't touch the stuff. Even if I put cheese and sauce and other yummy things with it? Nope. Sigh.

[Elastigirl]

Sorry about the headache. Good for you for walking. Hooray for the push ups and squats! I was 45 when I started NF. I was like you, couldn't do push ups or squats, and now I can do them. It takes a while, at least for me, to get there. But keep at it, and you will

[AnnieP (respawned)]

5 hours ago, Elastigirl said:

Sorry about the headache. Good for you for walking. Hooray for the push ups and squats! I was 45 when I started NF. I was like you, couldn't do push ups or squats, and now I can do them. It takes a while, at least for me, to get there. But keep at it, and you will

I am nothing, if not stubborn. That can be a good thing, when it comes to getting fit.

[Elastigirl]

18 minutes ago, AnnieP (respawned) said:

I am nothing, if not stubborn. That can be a good thing, when it comes to getting fit.

Agreed. That is pretty much what I decided I few years ago, I may not  be the most co-ordinated, or the fittest, or strongest, but I am stubborn and determined. Stubborness can also be called tenacity.

[AnnieP (respawned)]

So, I'm still here, if a little quiet lately. Sorry about the lack of updates. Between a couple of power outages and my general procrastination, I've managed to miss coming here. (And I do miss it )

 

For the mini challenge, I ended up making a personal "lasagna" out of summer squash and canned tomatoes with mozzarella and Italian spices. Was very tasty, but not quite the grand meal I had planned with the eggplant. But, I waited too long and the poor purple thing had given up the ghost and was hosting a few generations-worth of white fuzzy... You know, I don't want to talk about it. I gave the poor thing a proper burial in the outside trash bin along with several (several) sheets of paper towels and a couple of plastic bags.

 

I managed to walk a couple of more times since the last post -- once more last week and once yesterday. The muscle-building exercises, sadly, I did not do again. But, this is a new week and the point of a challenge is to improve, yes? Yeah, I'm trying not to beat myself up over it. It won't do me any good to do so.  I'm working evenings this week, and my main challenge is to get out of bed in time to do my exercises in the mornings. Should be easy, but working to midnight and getting to bed after 1AM wears on me after awhile.

 

On that note, I think it is entirely plausible that I will get my pushups and squats done today before I leave for work. I've got a couple hours... Okay just checked the clock, I've got an hour until I have to leave. Still doable (I should hope). Procrastination is my enemy. So, I will post tomorrow about a plan to overcome my ever-chaning schedule. A plan that doesn't involve quitting my job and running off into the forest to live off the grid. Hopefully.

[Elastigirl]

• Poor eggplant. It makes me sad when I do that.The lasagna still sounded yummy .It must be hard to adapt to an ever changing schedule.