Ranger Hal Posted December 30, 2019 Report Share Posted December 30, 2019 This is my second challenge because I started with the holiday one and instructions said to post the next one with the Level 1 Guild in January. So, here goes. Introduce myself: I'm a fairly introverted engineer. Despite my forum name, I am female. I found Nerd Fitness Academy while searching for workouts I wouldn't stop doing in a couple of weeks. Well, I joined and after a couple of weeks, I had stopped doing the workouts, but a few of the quests had caught my eye, in particular, the ones related to walking daily for a certain number of days. Fortunately, that kept me going long enough to find these forums where I hope to work on building good habits in multiple areas of my life. Hobbies: Reading: mostly fantasy and mystery/detective type books. Lord of the Rings (books) are long-time favorites (the movies were okay, but I'm still mad about Faramir). The Mary Russell books and the Dresden Files (well, anything by Jim Butcher) are also pretty high on my list. Currently, I'm re-reading the Ranger's Apprentice series. Movies/TV shows: at various times I've watched Star Trek, Star Wars, Doctor Who, superheroes, etc. I enjoy a lot of this stuff, but I don't tend to get super excited about it. I'm a fairly relaxed fan. Okay, now for the crazy hobbies: I volunteer with Search and Rescue. I have also signed up for an alpine climbing class (I'm a little nervous about this one because I'm not sure I will like climbing mountains, but too late to back out now). So what am I even doing here? Well, despite doing a fair amount of hiking, a little backpacking, snowshoeing, and hauling stuff up mountains to help people who are having a really bad day, I have pretty terrible exercise habits. On a normal weekday, I go to work, come home, and sit in front of the computer until it's time for bed. Also, my house cleaning habits never really got past college slob. Big Picture Goals: 1) Be more in shape so I can keep up with the long-legged guys in their 20's while carrying a heavy pack (Ok, so this one might be somewhat impossible. The long-legged guys in their 20's are crazy fast hikers. But I can work towards hiking faster than I do now with a heavy pack.) 2) Keep the house clean and tidy (this will take a lot of work) 3) Eat healthier (mostly add more vegetables, although more home cooking is good too) This Challenge: 1) Workout 2 times per week (from the last challenge, I found that once a week isn't enough to feel like a routine) 2) Get back into walking/running every morning (it's been kind of hit and miss over the holidays), except Sundays because it's too dark right now to walk before church (I live near woods and cougars are scary. Also elk are dangerous if they get mad), also except Saturdays if I'm doing a multi-hour outdoors thing 3) One hike per week on a weeknight with a 30 lb pack 4) Wash dishes/tidy the kitchen every night before bed 5) Clean one part of the bathroom every week (toilet, sink & mirror, floor, tub) 6) Continue eating a vegetable every day 7) Take salad to work for lunch 2 times a week (this doesn't count as the daily vegetable) 8) Cook one new recipe each week (stretch goal) Also, the Walk to Mordor and Back thing is pretty awesome! I started recording when I joined NF Academy in September and a couple of days ago, I made it to Bree! 8 Quote Challenges: #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, Current Walk to Mordor: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 Link to comment
Zaphine Posted December 30, 2019 Report Share Posted December 30, 2019 Awesome, Ranger Hal! Bree has a pretty good inn, so I hear! 1 Quote Current challenge: A New Sprout Peeks Up RULES OF ENGAGEMENT If you aren't making mistakes, you're not adventuring hard enough. The journey has to be innately worth it; achieving the goal is a bonus. My perfect weight is the one I achieve when I live the healthiest life I can truly enjoy. Link to comment
Ranger Hal Posted December 30, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2019 Yes, the Prancing Pony is worth stopping for. The only downside is that the innkeeper is always giving us rangers suspicious looks. 1 2 Quote Challenges: #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, Current Walk to Mordor: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 Link to comment
Elastigirl Posted December 30, 2019 Report Share Posted December 30, 2019 Welcome! We were on hike once, and there was a search and rescue group hiking up to rescue a gal who broke her ankle. I was so impressed with how fast they went, all while carrying rescue supplies 2 Quote Wisdom 22.5 Dexterity 13 Charisma 15 Strength 21 Constitution-13 "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind' Luke 10; 27 Link to comment
Harriet Posted December 31, 2019 Report Share Posted December 31, 2019 Welcome! Kinda biased warrior here, but I bet lifting heavy would really help with the hiking and enraged-elk-wrestling (you do fight the elk, right?). Anyway, those goals all look solid. Good luck! 2 Quote Let cheese and oxen and mead crowd out our secret desires for power and domination - Harriet the Viking Just be bold, fluid and unapologetic, not small, hairy and indecisive - Harriet the Artist You can absorb me! - Harriet the Contextless Guru Link to comment
Ranger Hal Posted January 1, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2020 21 hours ago, Harriet said: Welcome! Kinda biased warrior here, but I bet lifting heavy would really help with the hiking and enraged-elk-wrestling (you do fight the elk, right?). Anyway, those goals all look solid. Good luck! I'm kind of scared of lifting heavy. I never learned how to do it and I'm worried I will hurt myself. I might get there someday, but for now I'm mostly sticking to bodyweight exercises. I'm working my way up to elk-wrestling. Right now I'm at small deer. 1 Quote Challenges: #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, Current Walk to Mordor: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 Link to comment
Ranger Hal Posted January 1, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2020 I'm going to start keeping track now because I'm already doing some of the things and I'm impatient to get going. Week 0, Monday: Workout: (0/2) Morning Walk/Run: (1/6) Went on a long snowshoe, so I'm counting that. Hike with Pack: (1/1) My pack for the snowshoe was right at about 30 lb Dishes: (1/7) Did dishes on Sunday, but not Monday Clean Bathroom: (0/1) Vegetable: (2/7) Sunday, leftover green beans with bacon from Christmas. Monday, zucchini. Salad Lunch: (0/2) New Recipe: (0/1) Week 0, Tuesday: Workout: (1/2) Workout 3A - Pushups are hard. I could only do about 2 before switching to knee pushups. Morning Walk/Run: (2/6) Went for a walk. Hike with Pack: (1/1) Dishes: (2/7) It was sad to see Monday's dishes still in the sink. I think I'm getting used to having the kitchen cleaner. Washed everything except one pan that needed to soak. Clean Bathroom: (0/1) Vegetable: (3/7) Roasted vegetables (broccoli, zucchini, yellow squash, onions) Salad Lunch: (0/2) New Recipe: (1/1) I'd never made roasted vegetables before. They were amazing! I might do this a lot more often, although I'm going to wait to see how bad washing the pan is. It needed to soak overnight before I attempted it. 4 Quote Challenges: #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, Current Walk to Mordor: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 Link to comment
Ranger Hal Posted January 2, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2020 Week 0, Day 4 - Wednesday: Workout: (1/2) Morning Walk/Run: (3/6) Walk/run Hike with Pack: (1/1) Dishes: (3/7) The pan from yesterday wasn't too bad Clean Bathroom: (0/1) Vegetable: (4/7) Leftover roasted vegetables Salad Lunch: (1/2) Need to get more honey mustard dressing New Recipe: (1/1) 1 Quote Challenges: #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, Current Walk to Mordor: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 Link to comment
Harriet Posted January 3, 2020 Report Share Posted January 3, 2020 On 1/1/2020 at 9:48 AM, Ranger Hal said: I'm working my way up to elk-wrestling. Right now I'm at small deer. Hehehe. On 1/1/2020 at 9:48 AM, Ranger Hal said: I'm kind of scared of lifting heavy. I never learned how to do it and I'm worried I will hurt myself. I might get there someday, but for now I'm mostly sticking to bodyweight exercises. Bodyweight exercises are great, too, if you enjoy them. Or don't not enjoy them, anyway. 1 Quote Let cheese and oxen and mead crowd out our secret desires for power and domination - Harriet the Viking Just be bold, fluid and unapologetic, not small, hairy and indecisive - Harriet the Artist You can absorb me! - Harriet the Contextless Guru Link to comment
Ranger Hal Posted January 3, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2020 Week 0, Day 5 - Thursday: Workout: (2/2) Workout 3B Morning Walk/Run: (4/6) Walk Hike with Pack: (1/1) Dishes: (4/7) Done Clean Bathroom: (0/1) Vegetable: (5/7) Chili with vegetables (purple carrots, peppers, and zucchini) that I had in the freezer from a couple months ago Salad Lunch: (1/2) New Recipe: (1/1) Really didn't feel like doing a workout tonight (or anything else for that matter). Took me a while to figure out that it was probably because I went back to work after more than a week off and I'm not particularly happy with my current project. Oh well. Survive tomorrow and then I can talk to the boss on Monday about finding something else to work on. I have lots of reading to do before my climbing class next week and I did read 14 pages, but I'm tired and going to bed now. Maybe I can catch up over the weekend. 2 Quote Challenges: #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, Current Walk to Mordor: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 Link to comment
Ranger Hal Posted January 4, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2020 Week 0, Day 6 - Friday: Workout: (2/2) Morning Walk/Run: (5/6) Run/Walk Hike with Pack: (1/1) Dishes: (5/7) Done Clean Bathroom: (1/1) Woo! Toilet is clean! Vegetable: (6/7) Salad for dinner as well because it will go bad soon. I want to get my garden going again this summer so I can have fresh salad anytime and it will never go bad. It's been a couple of years since I had a garden so I think I will include it as part of a challenge around March or April. Salad Lunch: (2/2) Salad with honey mustard and grated parmesan cheese for lunch New Recipe: (1/1) Had a big fight with my insecurity today. Ended up doing the thing I wanted to do and had a great time, but still a little upset over the several hours where I couldn't make a decision about whether to do it. Why is it so surprising to me when people don't mind (and may even like) doing things with me when I assume I'm going to be a nuisance? 2 Quote Challenges: #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, Current Walk to Mordor: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 Link to comment
Harriet Posted January 4, 2020 Report Share Posted January 4, 2020 8 hours ago, Ranger Hal said: Had a big fight with my insecurity today. Ended up doing the thing I wanted to do and had a great time, but still a little upset over the several hours where I couldn't make a decision about whether to do it. Why is it so surprising to me when people don't mind (and may even like) doing things with me when I assume I'm going to be a nuisance? Ah, the exhausting and horrible voice of social anxiety. I'm glad you did the thing. Quote Let cheese and oxen and mead crowd out our secret desires for power and domination - Harriet the Viking Just be bold, fluid and unapologetic, not small, hairy and indecisive - Harriet the Artist You can absorb me! - Harriet the Contextless Guru Link to comment
Elastigirl Posted January 4, 2020 Report Share Posted January 4, 2020 Good for you for doing the thing! As for the time you spent worrying about it, I've found that the more often I just do the thing despite the anxiety voice, the quieter the voice gets, and each time it is a bit easier Quote Wisdom 22.5 Dexterity 13 Charisma 15 Strength 21 Constitution-13 "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind' Luke 10; 27 Link to comment
Ranger Hal Posted January 5, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2020 16 hours ago, Harriet said: I'm glad you did the thing. 14 hours ago, Elastigirl said: Good for you for doing the thing! Thanks, I will try to keep doing the things. Week 0, Day 7 - Saturday: Workout: (2/2) Morning Walk/Run: (5/6) Hike with Pack: (1/1) Dishes: (6/7) Done Clean Bathroom: (1/1) Vegetable: (7/7) Salad with dried cranberries for dinner. I finished it off, so it didn't go bad! Salad Lunch: (2/2) New Recipe: (1/1) Didn't get out for a walk today. I probably should have, but I've been doing lots of exercising lately and it was kind of nice to take a break. I started a new crafty project instead. 3 Quote Challenges: #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, Current Walk to Mordor: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 Link to comment
nianjufe Posted January 6, 2020 Report Share Posted January 6, 2020 On 1/4/2020 at 12:44 AM, Ranger Hal said: Why is it so surprising to me when people don't mind (and may even like) doing things with me when I assume I'm going to be a nuisance? Brains can be terrible. I also struggle with this, do you have any strategies in place since you know this sometimes pops up? Also, living in the desert, snowshoeing sounds like a crazy difficult activity that totally counts as a workout! Quote NF Character Current Challenge Intro Post, Battle Log "Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1 Link to comment
Ranger Hal Posted January 7, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2020 10 hours ago, nianjufe said: Brains can be terrible. I also struggle with this, do you have any strategies in place since you know this sometimes pops up? Not really. Sometimes I just go do the thing anyway. I almost always end up having a good time and feeling silly about my earlier anxiety. Sometimes I give in to the excuses that my anxiety is really good at making up. That probably doesn't help you much. Kind of related, there is one thing I have seen some improvement over the last couple of years. I have a tendency to severely underestimate my own abilities. Thanks to an awesome boss at work and leaders in my volunteering who have consistently shown a lot more faith in me than I have in myself, I'm at a point where I can trust them when they think I can do something more advanced than I've done before. I still tend to have a mental freak-out (my work boss is really good at noticing that and making sure I have time to think through it when he springs something new on me) before I go off and do the thing I thought I couldn't do. 11 hours ago, nianjufe said: Also, living in the desert, snowshoeing sounds like a crazy difficult activity that totally counts as a workout! Difficult? Yes and no. Anyone who can walk can snowshoe, but it takes a bit more effort. It's lots of fun though, and much better than trying to walk through deep snow without snowshoes. If you visit somewhere with snow, you should give it a try! Some national forests/parks offer ranger-lead snowshoe trips that are just the right length for someone starting out. 2 Quote Challenges: #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, Current Walk to Mordor: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 Link to comment
Ranger Hal Posted January 7, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2020 Week 1, Day 1 - Sunday: Workout: (0/2) Morning Walk/Run: (0/6) Hike with Pack: (0/1) Dishes: (1/7) Done Clean Bathroom: (0/1) Vegetable: (1/7) Microwaved zucchini Salad Lunch: (0/2) New Recipe: (0/1) Week 1, Day 2 - Monday: Workout: (0/2) Morning Walk/Run: (0/6) Hike with Pack: (0/1) Dishes: (2/7) Done Clean Bathroom: (0/1) Vegetable: (2/7) Roasted carrots Salad Lunch: (0/2) New Recipe: (0/1) Kind of a weird Monday and I didn't get my morning walk in. I did go for a short walk on the beach in the afternoon. It was very windy and it was fun watching the wind surfers. 1 Quote Challenges: #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, Current Walk to Mordor: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 Link to comment
nianjufe Posted January 7, 2020 Report Share Posted January 7, 2020 12 hours ago, Ranger Hal said: (my work boss is really good at noticing that and making sure I have time to think through it when he springs something new on me) Good people that recognize your abilities and push you to be your best are priceless. I'm glad you have such a positive work environment! I'm also glad you get out and do the things anyways, sometimes that is the best way to do it 👍 1 Quote NF Character Current Challenge Intro Post, Battle Log "Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1 Link to comment
Ranger Hal Posted January 8, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2020 Week 1, Day 3 - Tuesday: Workout: (1/2) Workout 3C Morning Walk/Run: (1/6) Walk 1.2 miles Hike with Pack: (0/1) Dishes: (3/7) Done Clean Bathroom: (0/1) Vegetable: (3/7) Roasted carrots again Salad Lunch: (1/2) New Recipe: (0/1) 2 Quote Challenges: #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, Current Walk to Mordor: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 Link to comment
Ranger Hal Posted January 10, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2020 Week 1, Day 4 - Wednesday: Workout: (1/2) Morning Walk/Run: (2/6) Run/Walk 1.8 miles Hike with Pack: (0/1) Dishes: (4/7) Done Clean Bathroom: (0/1) Vegetable: (4/7) Broccoli Salad Lunch: (1/2) New Recipe: (0/1) Week 1, Day 5 - Thursday: Workout: (2/2) Workout 3A Morning Walk/Run: (3/6) Walk 1.2 miles Hike with Pack: (0/1) Dishes: (5/7) Done Clean Bathroom: (0/1) Vegetable: (5/7) Cucumber Salad Lunch: (2/2) Yes New Recipe: (0/1) I think I might need to rearrange my workout nights. I've been doing Tuesday/Thursday, but my hiking group usually goes out on Wednesday and I skipped this week's hike because it just felt like too much. Maybe if I do Monday/Friday for workouts and the hike on Wednesday that will work better. 2 Quote Challenges: #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, Current Walk to Mordor: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 Link to comment
Ranger Hal Posted January 11, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2020 Week 1, Day 6 - Friday: Workout: (2/2) Morning Walk/Run: (4/6) Walk 1.0 miles Hike with Pack: (0/1) Dishes: (6/7) Done Clean Bathroom: (1/1) Sink and mirror Vegetable: (6/7) Broccoli Salad Lunch: (2/2) New Recipe: (0/1) 2 Quote Challenges: #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, Current Walk to Mordor: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 Link to comment
Ranger Hal Posted January 12, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2020 Week 1, Day 7 - Saturday: Workout: (2/2) Morning Walk/Run: (5/6) Outdoor stuff Hike with Pack: (0/1) Dishes: (7/7) Done Clean Bathroom: (1/1) Vegetable: (7/7) Salad Salad Lunch: (2/2) New Recipe: (0/1) 2 Quote Challenges: #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, Current Walk to Mordor: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 Link to comment
nianjufe Posted January 12, 2020 Report Share Posted January 12, 2020 You're crushing it! Quote NF Character Current Challenge Intro Post, Battle Log "Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1 Link to comment
Ranger Hal Posted January 14, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2020 On 1/12/2020 at 3:14 PM, nianjufe said: You're crushing it! Thanks. It doesn't feel like it right now, even though I know I'm checking off most of the things. I'm feeling kind of tired inside at the moment. Ugh. Getting the dishes done every night does feel nice. Like I'm making progress at adulting. Week 2, Day 1 - Sunday: Workout: (0/2) Morning Walk/Run: (0/6) Hike with Pack: (0/1) Dishes: (1/7) Done Clean Bathroom: (0/1) Vegetable: (1/7) Sort of roasted zucchini. I think I didn't cook it long or hot enough, so it was kind of mushy. Also, I might have used too much oil. Oh well, cooking can't always be a success. At least I'm learning some new things. Salad Lunch: (0/2) New Recipe: (0/1) I picked out a new recipe for chicken stew with dumplings in the crock pot. Unfortunately, I didn't really read the recipe before getting the ingredients and thawing the chicken. It takes too long to do it in the evening, but not long enough to leave it all day and just do the dumpling part when I get home from work. I think I have a plan though. I will cook the stew part ahead of time and put it in the fridge. Then when I want to eat, I can reheat some of the stew in a small pot on the stove and add dumplings. If anyone thinks this will turn out to be a culinary disaster, please let me know asap. 2 Quote Challenges: #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, Current Walk to Mordor: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 Link to comment
Elastigirl Posted January 14, 2020 Report Share Posted January 14, 2020 I struggle with roasting and grilling zucchini. Sometimes it turns out fine, other times it's mushy. Not really sure why. Batch cooking stew is a great idea. It always tastes better the second and third day 1 Quote Wisdom 22.5 Dexterity 13 Charisma 15 Strength 21 Constitution-13 "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind' Luke 10; 27 Link to comment
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