Jka14 Posted January 1, 2019 Report Share Posted January 1, 2019 Hi everyone! I'm Jka, mum of 2, full time nurse, board game geek and chocoholic. I've steadily been getting bigger and bigger, less and less healthy and I've finally reached a point where I want to do something about it. I'm very easily distracted; I love a new challenge but will jump from project to project without really completing many. Hopefully having a monthly challenge will be just what I need to keep my attention and foster some good habits. Without further ado, my very lofty 6-12 month goals are: Lose 20kg Eat better Tidy house Debt free From those goals, my challenge aims are: 1. Go to gym once per week Doing 15 mins cardio then bodyweight exercises (squats, push-ups). 2. One snack in evenings As opposed to the usual *cough* several snacks over the course of the evening. 3. No takeaways on a weekday December has seen us slip in to bad habits, quite often ending in a takeaway if we couldn't decide what to eat. 4. Update budget every month Having finally made a budget, I now have to stick to it and update it on payday every month. I'm really excited to see how this turns out. I've started small, and in doing so I'm hoping that the boost I get on succeeding will help me into month 2. 5 Quote Link to comment
JulietKitsch Posted January 2, 2019 Report Share Posted January 2, 2019 We have very similar goals! Welcome Are you using a budget tool? I've started using EveryDollar this past year and I love it 2 Quote Level One Druid --- Str 0 :: Dex 0 :: Sta 0:: Con 0 :: Wis 0 :: Cha 0 -- Ravenclaw with a dash of Slytherin. Link to comment
RES Posted January 2, 2019 Report Share Posted January 2, 2019 2 hours ago, Jka14 said: 4. Update budget every month Having finally made a budget, I now have to stick to it and update it on payday every month. As an accountant I find this is the toughest thing for people to do! Good job!! Welcome to the rebellion! 1 1 Quote RES...and I want to live days worth dying for Current: RES: Wrestles her demons Spoiler Magickal, Eclectic, Goddess, Level 75 |1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9|10|11|12|13|14|15|16|17|18|19|20|21|22|23|24|25|26|27|28|29|30|31|32|33|34|35|36|37|38|39|40|41|42|43|44|45|46|47|48|49|50|51|52|53|54|55|56|57|58|59|60|61|62|63|64|65|66|67|68|69|70|71|72|73|74|75|76|77|78| | My Character Page | Tracking Spreadsheet | My Blog | Growth happens when you care more about the well being of your future self than the comfort of your present self! "Pass on what you have learned. Strength, mastery. But weakness, folly, failure also. Yes, failure most of all. The greatest teacher, failure is." -Yoda Link to comment
Jka14 Posted January 2, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2019 @JulietKitsch My dad's a financial advisor. I just finally got round to having the chat with him! @RES Thanks, I'm hoping now all the initial hard work is done it should be straightforward to carry on. 1 Quote Link to comment
Jka14 Posted January 2, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2019 22 hours ago, Jka14 said: 4. Update budget every month Having finally made a budget, I now have to stick to it and update it on payday every month. So, starting early, I've updated my budget! Can't say it looks healthy but it's definitely honest. By starting now I'll have 2 updates within the challenge. Hopefully it'll spur me on to get into the habit. 3 Quote Link to comment
NicTheRugger Posted January 3, 2019 Report Share Posted January 3, 2019 You have some really solid goals for this challenge!! You can do it! 1 Quote Level 4, Amazon Ranger Current Challenge: NicBot-5000 enters Recovery Mode Previous Challenges: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, PRE REBOOT CHALLENGES: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 Various links and sundry: Battle log, Respawn post, Link to comment
The budgie smuggler Posted January 3, 2019 Report Share Posted January 3, 2019 Hi jka14 by looks of it you are putting in the effort I’m sure you’ll succeed. 2 Quote Link to comment
Jka14 Posted January 3, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2019 On 1/1/2019 at 11:05 PM, Jka14 said: 1. Go to gym once per week Doing 15 mins cardio then bodyweight exercises (squats, push-ups). Literally just left the gym. I did 15 mins cardio and a couple of weight machines. I was too self conscious to do squats and push-ups as the only place to do it is right as you walk in (surrounded by buff guys and ladies). But it's a start. If I can manage just this much every week I'll be happy. Incidentally, I don't know the etiquette. Is it ok to just keep updating this thread? Is that the point? @Hazard suppose I should have asked you! 5 Quote Link to comment
Sylvaa Posted January 3, 2019 Report Share Posted January 3, 2019 3 minutes ago, Jka14 said: Incidentally, I don't know the etiquette. Is it ok to just keep updating this thread? Is that the point? @Hazard suppose I should have asked you! Not Hazard, but answering anyway! Yes, for the duration of this challenge, please keep your updates in the same thread. Great job getting to the gym! I know it can be really intimidating working out, particularly when everyone else seems to be in such great shape. But you can do it! 1 Quote Sylvaa's BattleLog Sylvaa's Tracking Spreadsheet Link to comment
Jka14 Posted January 3, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2019 @Sylvaa Thanks! By the end of this challenge I will have worked out with all the buff peeps. But not just yet! Ha! 3 Quote Link to comment
Sylvaa Posted January 3, 2019 Report Share Posted January 3, 2019 1 minute ago, Jka14 said: By the end of this challenge I will have worked out with all the buff peeps. But not just yet! Ha! Yeah, I know it is not really helpful, but the vast majority of people will not give you a second glance. They are too busy doing their own workouts! Now, I say that, but I totally understand that you can hear that, but it doesn't mean that it matters. 3 Quote Sylvaa's BattleLog Sylvaa's Tracking Spreadsheet Link to comment
karinajean Posted January 3, 2019 Report Share Posted January 3, 2019 hey and welcome to the boards! your challenge looks great, and I actually love talking about money so and refreshing budgets on the regular to status, so high fives in particular on that one! 2 Quote 2014! #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 2015! #6 | #7 | #8 | #9 | #10 | #11 | #12 | 2016! #13 | #14 | #15 | #16 | #17 | #18 | #19 | #20 | #21 | #22 | #23 | 2017! #24 | #25 | #26 | #27 | #28 | #29 | #30 | #31 | #32 | #33 | 2018! #34 | #35 | #36 | #37v1 | #37v2 | 2019! #38 | #39 | #40 | reference materials | academy battle log mermaid ninja assassin. on a motorcycle. with swords. and knitting needles. and kittens. Link to comment
Son of Rylos Posted January 6, 2019 Report Share Posted January 6, 2019 Greetings jka!! Goals look quite actionable and attainable, great way to start off a first challenge. I very much resemble two parts of yourself (board gamer and chocoholic) and sometimes those two things don't mix very well. Motivation and support are great tools. Welcome to the Rebellion!! 2 Quote Link to comment
Jka14 Posted January 7, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2019 On 1/6/2019 at 2:56 AM, Calibre said: I very much resemble two parts of yourself (board gamer and chocoholic) and sometimes those two things don't mix very well. It is very easy to get carried away with chocolate when you're trying to beat a hoard of rampaging orcs! So, official day one. I've been to the gym! With some motivation from a chat I've been having in the weightlifting forum I bypassed the body weight workout. I did 15 minutes on the elliptical trainer to warm up followed by: 3x10 goblet squats 3x20sec planks 3x10 dumbbell rows. To say I'm pleased with myself is a significant understatement! 6 Quote Link to comment
Jka14 Posted January 8, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2019 On 1/1/2019 at 11:05 PM, Jka14 said: 3. No takeaways on a weekday December has seen us slip in to bad habits, quite often ending in a takeaway if we couldn't decide what to eat. So, fallen off this wagon... Unfortunately I'm in Devon at the moment as its my grandma's funeral. One of the delights of the seaside is fish and chips. I honestly didn't hold back at all! Equally I'm aware this is different to the norm, so I'm not overly concerned about the rest of the challenge... 1 Quote Link to comment
RES Posted January 8, 2019 Report Share Posted January 8, 2019 36 minutes ago, Jka14 said: Equally I'm aware this is different to the norm, so I'm not overly concerned about the rest of the challenge Good, it's not always easy to plan for every contingency, glad you're not beating yourself up over it! 1 Quote RES...and I want to live days worth dying for Current: RES: Wrestles her demons Spoiler Magickal, Eclectic, Goddess, Level 75 |1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9|10|11|12|13|14|15|16|17|18|19|20|21|22|23|24|25|26|27|28|29|30|31|32|33|34|35|36|37|38|39|40|41|42|43|44|45|46|47|48|49|50|51|52|53|54|55|56|57|58|59|60|61|62|63|64|65|66|67|68|69|70|71|72|73|74|75|76|77|78| | My Character Page | Tracking Spreadsheet | My Blog | Growth happens when you care more about the well being of your future self than the comfort of your present self! "Pass on what you have learned. Strength, mastery. But weakness, folly, failure also. Yes, failure most of all. The greatest teacher, failure is." -Yoda Link to comment
Little Miss Camouflage Posted January 8, 2019 Report Share Posted January 8, 2019 Hey, don't forget there's load of good protein in fish (let's not linger over the batter or chips ;-) You've made a great start in the gym - you can do it! 3 Quote Link to comment
NicTheRugger Posted January 10, 2019 Report Share Posted January 10, 2019 I'm sorry for your lost. Don't worry about the fish and chips- indulging a little won't be bad in the long run as long as you're conscious of it! 1 Quote Level 4, Amazon Ranger Current Challenge: NicBot-5000 enters Recovery Mode Previous Challenges: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, PRE REBOOT CHALLENGES: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 Various links and sundry: Battle log, Respawn post, Link to comment
Jka14 Posted January 12, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2019 *End of week update* I'm writing this for me more than anything but to summarise how this first week has gone... 1. I went to the gym once, managed to both enter the free weights room and actually use them! I tried to get to the gym a second time on the back of my mini success but funeral and travelling got the better of me. 2. This has been the hardest so far. I love my snacks, both savoury and sweet. We still have a fair bit if food left in the house from Christmas so temptation is everywhere! EG I ate half a Christmas pudding with cream. Technically that's one snack but I think that's pushing it! To help me succeed going onward in the challenge I've started monitoring my food intake on an app. I've used myfitnesspal in the past and not got on with it, so this time I'm using Lifesum. I'm not particularly concerned with calories per se, just having to be honest with myself is enough to make me stop and think. 3. As previously mentioned, I've been to a funeral this week that was by the seaside. Fish and chips passed my lips. Damn it was delicious! 4. Cash is tight in our household at the moment, so like with snacks I've taken to updating the budget weekly. Having it in black and white had made both me and my partner more aware of our spending. This is by far the easiest habit to stick to. It feels good to know what my cashflow is, rather than getting to the end of the month surprised and disappointed when we're struggling. !!!Gushy post alert!!! I'm so glad I've found this community. I've literally never stuck with anything when it comes to diet and exercise but I really feel like the mentality of this forum and the accessibility of the challenges is going to make a real difference to me. 7 Quote Link to comment
NicTheRugger Posted January 13, 2019 Report Share Posted January 13, 2019 3 hours ago, Jka14 said: !!!Gushy post alert!!! I'm so glad I've found this community. I've literally never stuck with anything when it comes to diet and exercise but I really feel like the mentality of this forum and the accessibility of the challenges is going to make a real difference to me. Aww, and you are a most wonderful addition to the community. We are so happy to have you here! The community here was a big reason why I came back after being AWOL for so long. 4 Quote Level 4, Amazon Ranger Current Challenge: NicBot-5000 enters Recovery Mode Previous Challenges: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, PRE REBOOT CHALLENGES: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 Various links and sundry: Battle log, Respawn post, Link to comment
Son of Rylos Posted January 13, 2019 Report Share Posted January 13, 2019 18 hours ago, Jka14 said: !!!Gushy post alert!!! I'm so glad I've found this community. I've literally never stuck with anything when it comes to diet and exercise but I really feel like the mentality of this forum and the accessibility of the challenges is going to make a real difference to me. I also concur with my esteemed partner above! This is a ridiculously accepting, welcoming, helpful, kinda crazy-in-a-good-way community of people and I have learned, laughed and loved with them. And like my friend above, coming back after a hiatus to a group like this is a blessing. You may be gone for a while but never forgotten. You are a very welcome addition to our clans! 1 Quote Link to comment
Jka14 Posted January 16, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2019 So I've got some questions. I'm assuming here is the best place to post them? I've been to the gym twice this week and very much realised that I enjoy lifting. I'm starting small, and safely, so that I actually achieve and don't burn out however: 1. I've found that my workout is very quick. I do 10-15 mins cardio, generally on the elliptical trainer followed by; 3x10 dumbbell rows 3x10 goblet squats 1 or 2 20 secs planks Is this enough? 2. I'm working my way up the weights. So started at 4kg and moved up to 6kg tonight. My right arm finds this easy whole my left arm starts to flag in the last set of dumbbell rows. Should I do more reps on the right until it gets the same amount of fatigue? Use a higher weight on the right? Or continue going up the weights regardless? 3. I don't particularly do a warm down. I have a 10 minute walk from the bus afterwards but this is usually proceeded by a 10-15 minute wait, in which time I'm stood still. Incidentally I've lost 3kg since the start of this challenge! Woo! 4 Quote Link to comment
RES Posted January 17, 2019 Report Share Posted January 17, 2019 6 hours ago, Jka14 said: I've been to the gym twice this week and very much realised that I enjoy lifting. I'm starting small, and safely, so that I actually achieve and don't burn out however: This is extremely smart of you! 6 hours ago, Jka14 said: Is this enough? I would say it sounds like plenty to me, especially since you're just starting out. 1 Quote RES...and I want to live days worth dying for Current: RES: Wrestles her demons Spoiler Magickal, Eclectic, Goddess, Level 75 |1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9|10|11|12|13|14|15|16|17|18|19|20|21|22|23|24|25|26|27|28|29|30|31|32|33|34|35|36|37|38|39|40|41|42|43|44|45|46|47|48|49|50|51|52|53|54|55|56|57|58|59|60|61|62|63|64|65|66|67|68|69|70|71|72|73|74|75|76|77|78| | My Character Page | Tracking Spreadsheet | My Blog | Growth happens when you care more about the well being of your future self than the comfort of your present self! "Pass on what you have learned. Strength, mastery. But weakness, folly, failure also. Yes, failure most of all. The greatest teacher, failure is." -Yoda Link to comment
Sylvaa Posted January 17, 2019 Report Share Posted January 17, 2019 19 hours ago, Jka14 said: I'm assuming here is the best place to post them? You can post them here or in the Programming section of the weightlifting sub-forum. But this is definitely fine! 19 hours ago, Jka14 said: Is this enough? I think this depends. What is your goal? If it's to get into the habit of lifting, then I think this is fine. But from the perspective of working all muscle groups, probably not. Going to tag @RedStone as a more experienced warrior! 2 1 Quote Sylvaa's BattleLog Sylvaa's Tracking Spreadsheet Link to comment
Jka14 Posted January 17, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2019 @Sylvaa thanks. I think my aim currently is to get into the habit and build up. I suppose as I'm working up it will get more difficult. Currently it feels very easy, probably too easy, which means I can work through it all very quickly. Even if I'm taking my time! 2 Quote Link to comment
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