TiogaGirl starts at the end and works backwards

[TiogaGirl]

*record scratch*

*freeze frame*

Yep, that’s me. You’re probably wondering how I got here.

 

I’m TiogaGirl and I’m here because I dig the warm and fun and supportive environment, not to mention the structure of challenges! I’ve started more challenges than I’ve completed, but when I do stick with it I end up feeling good and making some progress. I have a job I love (that can get pretty all-consuming and stressful, so it sometimes drives me crazy), great husband and kids, and an alarming number of pets ... 2 big dogs, a cat and 4 birds. I am also a shameless fan of musical theatre and one of my biggest accomplishments in 2019 was to audition for a show choir — turns out to be a LOT of work, although absolutely fun as well. 

 

Steve’s “wake up excited / go to bed proud” language has always really resonated with me, and I have a pretty good idea of how I want to feel at the end of each day of this challenge. Muscles pleasantly tired, body feeling good about the day’s food intake, brain feeling smug about the day’s accomplishments, emotionally topped-up from having laughed with and connected with the people I love, and looking forward to what the next day has to offer.

 

Goals:

• Track food in MFP for 18 full days (the other 3 days can be partials, ie losing track in the evenings at social events)
• Hit an average caloric deficit in the 250-500 range each week
• Finish 219 workouts in 2019 challenge (I have 20 more to go, so pretty much daily workouts on the horizon, but these can be as quick as a darebee session — just something intentional BEYOND walking to work which I do on the reg anyway)
• 8 yoga classes — more is great, but 8 works out to almost 3/week, which will help keep me strong and bendy and stretchy and zen
• Prep turkey meatballs so I have high protein snacks on hand
• Look into physio and book a first appointment (knee injury)
• No alcohol! Messes with my sleep and my willpower, and the fun I have is not worth the next-day dragginess!
• Check in here daily, report on the above, and also identify one thing I’m proud about for the day plus something to look forward to

 

Scoring: tba!

[Defining]

5 hours ago, TiogaGirl said:

• No alcohol! Messes with my sleep and my willpower, and the fun I have is not worth the next-day dragginess!

Pro Tip: you can use bitters with soda water for a 'fancy' adult non-alcoholic beverage. I'm also a big fan of playing around with different cordials, you can/should definitely still make yourself 'special drinks' to replace the alcohol.

 

 

[TiogaGirl]

6 hours ago, Defining said:

Pro Tip: you can use bitters with soda water for a 'fancy' adult non-alcoholic beverage. I'm also a big fan of playing around with different cordials, you can/should definitely still make yourself 'special drinks' to replace the alcohol.

 

 

Great idea! I have some cocktail bitters on hand so will mix myself a fancy soda water this very evening!

[TiogaGirl]

Day 1 check-in:

Track food - Y

Deficit - N (about 200 cal over maintenance)

Workout -Y (Ironborn shoulder and chest, plus extra dog walking to hit my step goal. 200th workout of 2019!

Yoga - N, but did some yesterday and plan to tomorrow

Food prep - Y! turkey meatball awesomeness is now in the house

Physio - May call tomorrow

Alcohol - N (awesome)

 

ETA: yeesh, after posting that I did a bunch more late evening snacking, more like 750 over maintenance. Wasn’t really hungry even, just had some of my favourite chocolate in the house, and s&v chips. So that’s where I have to do waaaaay better. Other things were mostly on point.

[TiogaGirl]

On deck for day 2 (Tuesday): 

Work: semi-stressful but very interesting meeting; appreciation lunch (I get an award!); 16 grant applications to rank; ask about physio benefits

Exercise: day 10 of darebee IronBorn (back and biceps, you’re up!); yang yin yoga if at all possible; make physio appointment

Food plan:  the usual brekkie (scrambled egg on bed of sauteed baby spinach and tomatoes, yum); don’t eat like a jerk at the appreciation lunch (there will be mini creme brûlées, which I love, so have like one of them but none of the other lesser desserts); turkey meatballs if hungry before yoga; Saudi chicken (loooove this and pretty healthy) for dinner; evening snack plain yogurt with berries (or nothin’)

Okay. I feel good having a plan for the day!

 

[TiogaGirl]

Ooh forgot yesterday’s reflections!

Proud of: hitting daily Move goal (my Apple Watch is a slavedriver, yo) — this involved an extra after-dinner dog walk but got ‘er done (and the dogs were delighted). And also feel good about getting in yesterday’s Darebee workout *after that* — normally if I don’t do weights in the morning they don’t get done, but I made it happen yesterday.

Looking forward to: interesting meeting this morning then socializing, award and creme brûlée at today’s lunch!

[TiogaGirl]

Yesterday was pretty productive and fun in terms of work, but didn’t get me any closer to my fitness goals (not much). 

• Food: dropped the ball on tracking from lunch onward 😫 (But! I did keep it to one creme brûlée, and it was fabulous, and very good time as anticipated at the holiday lunch)
• Ironborn, no (morning more rushed than usual), yoga, no (work spilled over into late afternoon and evening)
• physio: some progress! Found my doctor’s note prescribing it (several months ago, ahem) and THINK I found the name of HR person who handles that part of our benefits (it’s suuuper well hidden on the website, I guess to save the employer or health plan $)
• Alcohol: N (even despite open bar at holiday lunch! Go me!)
• Starting the day excited / ending the day proud: Loooong conference call (like, 6 hours long) on deck for today. But this should be interesting too so looking forward to it, in a weird way. And I’ll take the benefits inquiries (and lack of day drinking, ha) as a win.

[TiogaGirl]

Update: Ironborn workout done! Brekkie tracked and healthy but filling lunch packed and pre tracked. Let’s get this day!

[TiogaGirl]

So far, so good. Mostly conference-called all day, but also made a bit of progress with physio-benefits bureaucracy. Macros and calories both looking good too. Am very glad to have lifted in the morning, not leaving it til end-of-day, because I’m wiped out! 

 

Chilling at home now, then dinner, then about 45 minutes more walking to do, to attend the boy’s school concert and back home again. I am loath to go back out in the cold but this should pacify my fitness tracker...

[TiogaGirl]

Whoa, when yesterday was all done and dusted I hit my MFP goal calories BANG ON. Deficit of 250 ON THE NOSE. I think major contributors were having awesome leftovers handy for lunch; having turkey meatballs on hand for snack; super scheduled day at work (so I had no time to pop downstairs to visit my work friend who keeps a stash of chocolate in his office) and in the evening (can’t snack while at a concert). Macros looked good too, 27% protein/ 37% fat / 36% carbs probably helped satiety. SWEET!

 

will try to keep this momentum going, while also roping in some dedicated writing time! (That’s not part of the challenge, but it IS a big part of my gainful employment. Can finally get some done now that teaching is — knock wood — slowed down for the term. And need to make some more calls about health stuff, because (much as I loooove baths and facials) sometimes that is what self-care looks like.

[raptron]

5 hours ago, TiogaGirl said:

And need to make some more calls about health stuff, because (much as I loooove baths and facials) sometimes that is what self-care looks like.

Preach.

 

[Maggie-Miau]

Heyoo, TiogaGirl! I love the write-up in your intro-post, that enthusiasm is kind of contagious How's your Challenge going? Cheering for you!

 

 

[TiogaGirl]

Thanks @Maggie-Miau you are so sweet!

Gah, I have gotten a little derailled over the last week. Yesterday would have been my dad’s birthday (first one since he passed away this summer) and I’ve just been at loose ends and self destructive. But am planning to get back on track, tracking-wise, tomorrow.

 

Workouts are going a little better than diet: have done 3 yoga sessions (one yang yin, one modo, one yin) and a few more IronBorn workouts since last checkin, which takes me to 207. That’s 12 more workouts between me and my 219-in-2019 goal, so maybe some double workout days in the near future! Getting in lots of writing too before the decade closes out, and both the big scary medical appointments are booked ... one for Monday, one first week back in Jan. 

 

Easiest part of this post is “what am I looking forward to?” #1 child comes home from uni tomorrow morning!! And my mom is coming along for the ride too! And a lunch date with hubby at fancy resto on campus, then home to snuggle with the fam.  

[raptron]

15 hours ago, TiogaGirl said:

Thanks @Maggie-Miau you are so sweet!

Gah, I have gotten a little derailled over the last week. Yesterday would have been my dad’s birthday (first one since he passed away this summer) and I’ve just been at loose ends and self destructive. But am planning to get back on track, tracking-wise, tomorrow.

Sorry for your loss. The holidays, especially birthdays, can be so tough after losing a loved one. Big hugs.

 

15 hours ago, TiogaGirl said:

Workouts are going a little better than diet: have done 3 yoga sessions (one yang yin, one modo, one yin) and a few more IronBorn workouts since last checkin, which takes me to 207. That’s 12 more workouts between me and my 219-in-2019 goal

Ah, so cool and so close!

 

15 hours ago, TiogaGirl said:

Easiest part of this post is “what am I looking forward to?” #1 child comes home from uni tomorrow morning!! And my mom is coming along for the ride too! And a lunch date with hubby at fancy resto on campus, then home to snuggle with the fam.  

Adorable.

[TiogaGirl]

Made it to the holidays, woohoo! SOOOO nice to have both kids home and my mom in town. Lots of family and socializing over next few days, but I am hereby planning to have a LUSH bath tonight before sister and fam arrive — last little bit of solo time!

 

Friday was good — just worked a half day at school, great lunch with hub on campus (pretty much just us and the university president, so that’s our brush with the hoi polloi), and came home to cuddle with #1 Child then make up some peanut stew. Family dinner at my place, with my crew, mom, and my brother and his kids. Then off to sleep (great sleep Friday night AND last night, according to watch!)

 

Yesterday was the first full day of my break, and pretty great! Slept in a little bit (well, til 7:00, that is later than the pets usually let me sleep), walked dogs, practiced Moonlight Sonata until lesson time, gave gift to awesome piano teacher. It was a little poignant as it was my son’s final piano lesson — I’ll keep taking them next year but will be on my own! After such a good sleep I had lots of energy, so did a set of IronBorn then took myself skating at the outdoor rink. Fell over once, eek, but otherwise a good time and gorgeous day for it. My outer thighs are feeling it today, for sure (well so is my posterior, but that’s from the fall, not the workout)

 

Food and tracking have been less great, but still alcohol-free (7-day streak now!) and I think I can make the 219-in-2019 workout goal! That would require working out every day between now and New Year’s, and two workouts in one of those days. Could be today! Yin yoga and weights? Flow yoga and skating? Love the holidays

[TiogaGirl]

Yeah! 2 workouts today! IronBorn back / biceps and a sweaty flow yoga session. (Plus a dogwalk enjoying the blue sky and sunshine, but that didn’t really count as a workout).

 

BETTER HALF SAYS HE WANTS TO DO A DRY 2020. Not to make it all about me, but this is great for me! Woo! It will be so much easier to have a sobriety buddy. (Happy dancing)