NeverThatBored Does a Heckin' Relax

[NeverThatBored]

Captain Rangerbrain, reporting for duty! 

 

My last challenge was all about paying more attention to what I actually WANT to be doing with my time. I thought it would be more about relaxing and video games and maybe some domestic rangering, but it turns out that it's mainly studying Japanese and going to Crossfit a million times a week. So, I embraced that! And I actually do feel a little more relaxed and content with my day-to-day choices and routines. 

 

That said, there are still things I want to work on that will help me relax, either physically or mentally. And also pullups.

 

Historically, I have about 673 goals every challenge and I can't say this challenge will be any better. I loosely chose goals that relate to relaxing, but also I couldn't narrow it down, so...  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

1. Mobility

Spoiler

 

The biggest gap in my fitness is my lack of consistent mobility practice. I do yoga sporadically, I used to do some great weekly stretching videos, I've experimented with programming from Becoming a Supple Leopard, I've done GMB's focused flexibility program, and I also sometimes just do some freeform stretching. And I'm curious about some other things I haven't tried yet.

 

But lately I've done yoga maybe once/week and some post-workout stretching, and that's it. I think every one of these programs is fine, so I just need to pick something and actually do it consistently. Or rotate among them and do that consistently. Whatever. The idea is just to do it more.

 

 

Goal: Pick a mobility option each week and do the thing

• In Week 1 I'm going to do a 7 day mobility challenge. Does anybody else want to do this with me??? 7 days in a row of any mobility option you want to do.
• Weeks 2-5 I'll choose as I go, but options include:
  • 3x weekly yoga videos at home
  • Sign up for actual yoga membership at place nearby for the month and start going
  • Do MWOD free trial and do at least 4 videos that week
  • Do weekly 45 minute gymnastics stretching video + at least 40 minutes of other freeform stretching throughout the week

 

2 & 3: Self-Directed Exercise

Spoiler

 

I love Crossift, but I feel like I'm missing something when I just follow a program. I really want to work on pullups, dips, and pushups, but I haven't found a way to do that work consistently since I started Cfit. I also want to walk regularly in general. I also have some skill work like swimming/riding a bike that needs work.

 

If I had to pick one thing, it would be pullups. I got my first pullup in 2016 and promptly lost it, and it's been driving me crazy ever since. The best time to do that extra work is when I'm already in the gym for Crossfit, but last challenge I consistently managed only 1 session/week. Ideally I'd be doing 3. So I'm going to split it down the middle and aim for just a little bit better this challenge.

 

 

Goal: Pullups + Walking

• Walk or at least sit outside daily, even just 5 minutes
• Do pullup work 2x/week

 

4: Driving

Spoiler

Most of you who've known me for a while probably know I'm a really nervous driver. I don't fully know why because it's not like I get in lots of accidents or anything. But it's really limiting to get nervous every time I drive somewhere new. So this goal is the opposite of relaxing, but also should ultimately help me relax about driving. 

 

Goal: Drive somewhere new 1x/week

• It doesn't have to be far or hard, just somewhere I've never driven before

 

5: Food goals

Spoiler

Last challenge my food goal was "make one delicious thing every week" to try to make my meal prep more appealing. It has helped somewhat with meal prep, but I can't say it's helped me with healthier food habits overall. There are several skills I know I should master for a healthier relationship with food, but I'm also committed to avoiding "food rules" now and forever so I need to strike a balance. So this is going to be another weekly rotating goal. I might repeat or build on the goals depending on how it goes.

 

Goal: Weekly Rotating Food Goal

• Options include:
  • Don't multitask while I eat (eat slowly)
  • Protein with every meal
  • Freggies with every meal
  • Eat whole grains with every meal
  • Protein AND colorful freggies with every meal
  • Limit "dessert" foods to 1x/day, with one day where I skip them entirely
  • Play "the hunger games" against my gut and refuse to eat until I'm really certain I'm actually hungry

 

Bonus goals:

• Weekly relaxation activity (bubble bath, massage, reading outside in the grass, whatever)
• Job activities
• To Do:
  • Make an appointment with orthopedist about my shin issues
  • Get out on my damn bike
  • Figure out what I'm doing with swimming
  • Get a car wash
  • There are probably other to-do-list items I can't think of right now, so TBD

 

Final Goal List:

1. Weekly choose-your-own mobility goal
2. Pullup work 2x/week
3. Walk/get outside daily
4. Drive one new place/week
5. Rotating weekly food goal

 

I think my prize for the challenge will be an accupressure mat, which I've been curious about for a long time and theoretically should also support the relaxing. I might switch it up and get a hammock to sling up on trees instead though. I win with an 80% success rate. I might also consider setting some mini-prizes later on for the bonus goals, etc.

[NeverThatBored]

Subject to change, but here's my Week 1 Goal List (starting Monday):

1. 7 day mobility challenge 
2. Pullup work 2x/week
3. Walk/get outside daily
4. Drive one new place/week - specifics TBD
5. Eat without multitasking 
6. BONUS: Job activities, weekly relaxation, one to-do-list item

[Maigs]

1 hour ago, NeverThatBored said:

In Week 1 I'm going to do a 7 day mobility challenge. Does anybody else want to do this with me??? 7 days in a row of any mobility option you want to do.

I'm basically doing this with my challenge. My goal is 4 days a week but I can stretch it out to 7 days for week 1

[Sylvaa]

I'm here! I've been waiting for your challenge!

• I will totally be your mobility accountability buddy whenever you need! 
• One of your driving goals should be to go to the place in Frederick we keep talking about going to! I think that would probably also help with pull ups as they have a ton of upper body intensive obstacles that you could do / try. Let's pick a Saturday before the end of the month.

[NeverThatBored]

2 hours ago, Maigs said:

I'm basically doing this with my challenge. My goal is 4 days a week but I can stretch it out to 7 days for week 1

 

1 hour ago, Sylvaa said:

• I will totally be your mobility accountability buddy whenever you need! 

 

Let's do it!!

 

1 hour ago, Sylvaa said:

•  One of your driving goals should be to go to the place in Frederick we keep talking about going to! I think that would probably also help with pull ups as they have a ton of upper body intensive obstacles that you could do / try. Let's pick a Saturday before the end of the month.

 

I'm in! I'm maybe busy this weekend/the weekend of the 25th, but my other weekends are free!

[Sylvaa]

3 minutes ago, NeverThatBored said:

Let's do it!!

 

Yay! Wanna make a thread for this challenge for it?

 

4 minutes ago, NeverThatBored said:

I'm in! I'm maybe busy this weekend/the weekend of the 25th, but my other weekends are free!

 

This weekend, I am also busy, but the next two are free. I'll text you closer to next weekend and we'll see how it looks. But yes, we can totally do it either of those.

[NeverThatBored]

1 hour ago, Sylvaa said:

Yay! Wanna make a thread for this challenge for it?

 

 

 

[shaar]

>Title says heckin' relax

> NTB initiates 673 goals

 

 

<3 <3 <3 <3

 

I've always wanted a hammock!!  And I've never heard of an acupressure mat....... *runs off to Google*

[Jarric]

I've been away for a couple of challenges, so I'm assuming you've accomplished roughly 14,000 goals in that time?

 

Following to watch you do all the things some more. And for Crossfit talk of course.

[NeverThatBored]

On 8/3/2019 at 10:58 AM, shaar said:

I've always wanted a hammock!!  And I've never heard of an acupressure mat....... *runs off to Google*

 

The mats look so cool!! They're supposed to help promote sleep/relaxation and help with back stiffness and stuff. But they also might be a weird yoga gimmick, so I haven't actually tried one yet. 

 

37 minutes ago, Jarric said:

I've been away for a couple of challenges, so I'm assuming you've accomplished roughly 14,000 goals in that time?

 

 

Lol, I've probably set about that many. Not sure about the accomplishing part.  

[Teros]

On 8/2/2019 at 8:25 AM, NeverThatBored said:

 There are several skills I know I should master for a healthier relationship with food, but I'm also committed to avoiding "food rules" now and forever so I need to strike a balance.

 

What are these skills? Because I sure as hell don't know how to make a 'healthy relationship' with food.  It's either trying to murder me (celiac and a dairy sensitivity), ruining my life (sugar I've noticed causes severe depresion/anxiety), or it's fuel sometimes.

 

[NeverThatBored]

16 minutes ago, Teros said:

What are these skills? Because I sure as hell don't know how to make a 'healthy relationship' with food.  It's either trying to murder me (celiac and a dairy sensitivity), ruining my life (sugar I've noticed causes severe depresion/anxiety), or it's fuel sometimes.

 

 

Things like...

• Eating slowly without multitasking (you have more time to feel full while eating less, enjoy the meal more, digest better, etc.)
• Only eating when you're 100% genuinely hungry (and if you can't tell, waiting until you're 100% sure) - prioritizing this over normal mealtimes and ingrained ideas about when you should actually eat
• Recognizing & stopping when you're 80% full 
• The idea of a meal "template" you're generally trying to match but that also isn't a hard rule
  • E.g. 
  • E.g.  (1-2 servings women, 2-3 men)
• Incorporating meal enjoyment/satisfaction in as another element of this "template" (through things like taking time to relax and unwind a little before jumping into the meal, eating food you're happy to eat, etc.)

[NeverThatBored]

Week 1 Monday Update

 

I started feeling sick on Sunday. The past couple times I've gotten sick, I haven't been congested or achey or anything...I just get lightheaded and fatigue easily, and maybe a light fever at first. The result is that I feel fine and then I go on a 10 minute walk and realize I'm EXHAUSTED. Or I go to lie down for a minute and then I wake up 2 hours later. It's really confusing.

 

So, I didn't go to Crossfit on Monday. Reluctantly. I DID:

• Do a 15 minute "yoga twists" video I had bookmarked once. It was ok. 
• Go on a short evening walk
• Go sit at Starbucks and do Japanese homework for 2 hours after work
• Ate meals without multitasking, mostly. I did a little evening snacking while multitasking, which I should avoid. I'm mainly thinking of meals for this goal though. 

[Teros]

Oh alright.  My biggest culprit besides sugar cravings in general has to be nighttime - like there's a gremlin in me that NEEDS junk as soon as the sun goes down.  I'm curbing it with chocolate milkshakes (just unsweetened coca almond milk and a frozen banana blended together) and an occasional RX bar.

 

Sorry to hear you aren't feeling well.

[NeverThatBored]

Week 1 Tuesday/Wednesday Update

 

On Monday night I thought I was feeling better so I was planning to Crossfit on Tuesday. I woke up, changed, and then sat there for 15 minutes battling with myself over whether to go. That's not a problem I normally have so I took it as a sign that I needed more sleep/recovery time and decided not to go in.

 

I did 10 minutes of stretch holds for mobility. I'm struggling with the "no multitasking" habit for meals this time, which is funny because I didn't have trouble at all when I did it for a whole challenge recently. In particular, when lunch comes around I REALLY want to unwind by both watching something and eating lunch, and I'm finding it hard to say no to that desire. But when I did it on Monday and I enjoyed the meal much more.

 

I got walking in on my way to/from Japanese class. 

 

On Wednesday I did go back to Crossfit and it was fine. I was antsy to work out after missing 2 days.

 

The weather was super iffy after work so I went on a very short walk and dipped back inside before the storm started, but it counts. Later in the evening we drove down to the water and fed the ducks, which was fun. I struggled again with the no-multitasking goal. And then at about 10:30 I realized I forgot about yoga, but I wasn't going to stay up late to do it so I did a few minutes of stretching and went to bed. Not an amazing result. 

[Maigs]

12 hours ago, NeverThatBored said:

 

On Monday night I thought I was feeling better so I was planning to Crossfit on Tuesday. I woke up, changed, and then sat there for 15 minutes battling with myself over whether to go. That's not a problem I normally have so I took it as a sign that I needed more sleep/recovery time and decided not to go in.

As consistent as you've been about going, this sounds like it was a good decision

[NeverThatBored]

Week 1 Summary

1. 7 day mobility challenge - like 5/7 days I wanna say? Technically I did at least some stretching on those two days, but so little I don't feel like it counts. The overall effect was good though! I jumpstarted the challenge by thinking about mobility every day, even if it wasn't the yoga fest I was hoping for. 
2. Pullup work 2x/week - Done!  I've now roped 1-2 others into doing the pullup work with me, which makes it more fun. 
3. Walk/get outside daily - 5 walks, 1 time outside feeding ducks, 1 day I can't remember but probably didn't walk.
4. Drive one new place/week - I drove to a brewery on Saturday night so my boyfriend could try some beers.
5. Eat without multitasking - ehhhhh so-so. I wasn't keeping super close track of this one, but I mainly struggled at lunch times. Again, even if the technical score wasn't the best, the overall effect was good! I thought about slowing down when I ate a lot, even if I did end up multitasking more than I should have. I listened to hunger signals better.
6. BONUS: Job activities, weekly relaxation, one to-do-list item - 
   • I actually did submit my resume for a job my old manager referred me to. She messaged me through instagram, of all places! 
   • Weekly relaxation - my boyfriend and I sat outside at a Mexican restaurant and had some chips/guac and drinks on Sunday afternoon to enjoy the weather. It was A++ leisurely.
   • I don't think I did any to-do list stuff

 

Week 2 Goals:

1. Test out the GoWOD app at least 3 days this week. Stretch goal: 1 45 minute "middle splits" stretching session. 
2. Pullup work 2x/week
3. Walk/get outside daily
4. Drive one new place/week 
5. Food goal: colorful veggies with every meal
6. BONUS: Job activities, weekly relaxation, one to-do-list item

[NeverThatBored]

Week 2 Monday Update

 

I went to Crossfit in the morning and did pullup work after the workout.

 

After work, I walked to the library to pick up a book. 

 

I hadn't set my food goal for the week yet so I'm not counting Monday as part of the score.

 

I am many many hours into Fire Emblem now, and I'm still not even through the first storyline! I've been playing that a lot. 

[NeverThatBored]

This thread needs more doggo memes to match the title.

 

 

It me.

[NeverThatBored]

Week 2 Tuesday/Wednesday Update

 

Wednesday isn't over yet but I feel like posting now. I may come back and update with any extra deets I need here. 

 

I went to Crossfit both mornings. I did Day 2 of pullup work today! Neither of the two friends who have been joining in really wanted to do them after this workout, so I almost didn't do it, but then I decided to let my freak flag fly and just do the thing. One of them did end up joining me anyway, and it's really nice to have them done for the week!

 

I started experimenting with the GoWOD app on Tuesday and I really like it so far. You do a monthly mobility test that's really easy to follow and do on your own, and then it suggests mobility based on your biggest weakness (mine is overhead mobility). Then you can do both general daily stretches or pre- or post-WOD mobility customized to whatever movements you're doing in your workout. I was worried it would be a pain to enter all that information but it's actually super fast. And you can also choose how much time you have, so if you only have a few minutes you can still do something. Pretty neat! I've already done 2/3 days for the week so that goal is going well. 

 

On Tuesday, I got walking in on the way to Japanese class. I haven't walked yet today and might not end up doing it since I don't really feel like going out right now, but I may end up doing a short walk later this evening. TBD.

 

I got 2/3 meals with freggies on Tuesday since I ended up having pizza for dinner. 2/2 so far today with dinner TBD, but I should have veggies. At this point I'm being lenient about the amount that counts as having them, but I might have to get stricter about that. TBD.

 

[Jarric]

19 minutes ago, NeverThatBored said:

 I did Day 2 of pullup work today! Neither of the two friends who have been joining in really wanted to do them after this workout, so I almost didn't do it, but then I decided to let my freak flag fly and just do the thing. 

 

Good on you for doing your thing and getting the work done, especially when your friends didn't want to.

 

22 minutes ago, NeverThatBored said:

I started experimenting with the GoWOD app

 

This sounds intriguing; I might have a play with that

[NeverThatBored]

1 hour ago, Jarric said:

This sounds intriguing; I might have a play with that

 

It's pretty neat! I had been considering either ROMWOD or MWOD which are sort of the two Crossfit mobility programs you hear about, but when I was trying to decide which one is better I came across a bunch of people saying they actually prefer GOWOD.

[Endor]

2 hours ago, NeverThatBored said:

You do a monthly mobility test that's really easy to follow and do on your own

This sounds really good, what gets measured gets improved! 

[Maigs]

3 hours ago, NeverThatBored said:

I started experimenting with the GoWOD app on Tuesday and I really like it so far.

Ooh, I should give that a try. Are you using the free version or the premium?

[NeverThatBored]

1 hour ago, Maigs said:

Ooh, I should give that a try. Are you using the free version or the premium?

 

I'm doing a trial of the premium. The free version includes the mobility test and a library of stretches, but not the programming, I think?