jedi Chris-Tien: Recovery Mission

[Chris-Tien Jinn]

I found Nerd Fitness a little less than 8 years ago as I was finishing up my doctorate and taking stock of the damage that too much stress and sitting in front of the computer had taken on my body.  I'd gradually fallen into the very bad habit of rewarding myself with food or alcohol for pushing through and doing things that I didn't want to do .... like go to classes (and sit!) and write and edit and deal with my committee.  I also rewarded myself with sweets and alcohol for putting up with the rolling unemployment and underemployment that hubby and I had both been experiencing since 2010.  I was in a bad place physically and mentally.  At least I knew it.

 

Many years prior (1998 - 2003), I had been a part of an online group that connected Star Wars roleplay with real-life self improvement.  We challenged each other to imagine .... what if we were modern Jedi??  What would we do?  What would we study?  How would we eat and workout?  What would the daily life and training be like when we were not off, saving the Galaxy??  In answering that question, I had gotten into great shape, largely through martial arts and sensible nutrition.  Fast forward to 2012,  I wondered if there were any similar groups still online.   A few clicks later, I was here.  

 

I think, at the time, I kinda had the same ideas as @Elastigirl .... that I'd be buff in no time and bench pressing my weight by the end of the year or something.   My goals were pretty predictable, actually.  I wanted to lose weight.  My ideal weight during karate had been 127.5 pounds.  I wanted to get back down to that level. 

 

 It didn't exactly happen like that.   My net loss has been 4 pounds, although given that the average person gains 1 to 2 pounds per year, I'm definitely beating the odds.  

 

I've had some successes and some set backs.  Over the past 8 years, I've cycled in and out of the forums as life has gotten busy and I've had to move for work.  But when things settle down again, I come back.  It's difficult to find a group that is supportive like this one (although my CrossFit box comes close).    You and this little old lady are my inspiration ....

 

 

So .... I'm back again for the anniversary and to reboot lifestyle changes for the better by working on recovering strategies that work for me, improving my post-workout recovery (so I can workout more frequently again), and recovering some of our missing friends, I hope.  

 

[Chris-Tien Jinn]

Collection of Holocrons

 

First Recovered Holocron (May 2012 to  July 2013))

 

[Chris-Tien Jinn]

Let's operationalize this!!

 

Goal - get to three CrossFit classes in a week and complete the (scaled) WOD
    Reward: https://www.ea.com/games/starwars/jedi-fallen-order and the system on which to play the game.  I gave my PS4 to my nephew because I wasn't using it ...
    
I really enjoyed using a modified Chore Wars to track points with the goal of getting to the next level (+200 points).  It lets me progress even if I have to find alternatives, such as when I've sprained my foot(!) or something equally incapacitating. Eventually, I want to write my own version of the software, but other projects keep coming up .....   So .... one point earned every time I do one of the following:
    
Nutrition
- Eat a food rich in antioxidants & anti-inflammatory foods (see this list below)

 

Hydration
- drink 64 oz of water per day (1 point every 16 oz)

 

Active Recovery
- yoga class or session at home
- walk
- active recovery workout
- stretch after a workout
- shoulder mobility workouts (Supple leopard & youtube crossfit focused vids)

Hydro Therapy
- hot tub
- soaky bath with bath salts
- hot shower with recovery body wash
- swimming

 

Massage
- massage therapy session
- foam rolling

 

Workouts to recover from!!
- running
- CrossFit class (2 points if I complete the WOD, scaled)
- practice skills & strength training

 

Yea, I have a bit of RangerBrain going on here .....

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

Following along again. So glad you have come back to the forums.

[Mr_Willes]

Good to see you back CTJ!

[doctorake]

Following along.

 

What is your doctorate in?

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

4 hours ago, doctorake said:

Following along.

 

What is your doctorate in?

A little frame hanging on the office wall.

 

 

I'll see myself out.

[Chris-Tien Jinn]

8 hours ago, doctorake said:

Following along.

 

What is your doctorate in?

 

It's in Instructional Technology .... technically in the school of Education (U of Minnesota) .  I specialize in educational games and simulations.  But right now, I'm teaching ....... Computer Science.  It's a crazy ol' world.  

[Chris-Tien Jinn]

Ok, I spent some time reading through websites.  And then I was a good scientist and read a medical journal paper that carefully analyzed the antioxidants in 3100 foods (including weird things like dog rose rose hips grown in Norway ....) and a summary of said research.   No surprise, there's quite a lot of variation in what makes it to the top of the list, and I decided that the following summary was good enough for my purposes.  

 

You'll notice that red wine and dark chocolate don't make the cut.  I'd have to re-read the paper and spend more time on the HUGE tables of results, but I've always wondered if some of the foods listed in popular press articles were more wishful thinking than good recommendations.   I'll still enjoy both in moderation, but I won't give myself a point for them.  🍫🍷😋

 

Anti-oxidant sources
https://www.verywellfit.com/best-food-sources-of-antioxidants-88392

Small red bean (dried), 1/2 cup, 13,727
Wild blueberries, 1 cup, 13,427
Red kidney beans (dried), 1/2 cup, 13,259
Pinto beans, 1/2 cup, 11,864
Blueberries (cultivated), 1 cup, 9,019
Cranberries, 1 cup (whole), 8,983
Artichoke hearts, 1 cup, 7,904
Blackberries, 1 cup, 7,701
Prunes, 1/2 cup, 7,291
Raspberries, 1 cup, 6,058
Strawberries, 1 cup, 5,938
Red delicious apples, 1, 5,900
Granny Smith apples, 1, 5,381
Pecans, 1 ounce, 5,095
Sweet cherries, 1 cup, 4,873
Black plums, 1, 4,844
Russet potatoes, 1 cooked, 4,649
Black beans (dried), 1/2 cup, 4,181
Plums, 1, 4,118
Gala apples, 1, 3,903

Omega-3 sources
Fish (particularly cold-water fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, and anchovies)
Flax seeds
Edamame
Chia seeds
Canola oil
Walnuts
Pumpkin seeds
Pine nuts
Navy beans
Hemp seeds
Basil
Eggs (depending upon diet of the hens)
Brussel sprouts
Seaweed
Soybeans
Spinach
Broccoli
Cashews
 

[doctorake]

16 hours ago, Chris-Tien Jinn said:

 

It's in Instructional Technology .... technically in the school of Education (U of Minnesota) .  I specialize in educational games and simulations.  But right now, I'm teaching ....... Computer Science.  It's a crazy ol' world.  

 

Sounds interesting. I have a BS in COMPSCI

 

 

I find that just sticking to a variety of whole foods is likely best for nutrients. But definitely vary it up.

[Chris-Tien Jinn]

8 hours ago, doctorake said:

Sounds interesting. I have a BS in COMPSCI

 

 

Yea.  That's my BS too!!  I used to work in software development but got interested in education while I worked for the university.  

 

For me, a list helps "prime the pump" when I'm staring at options and not sure what I "should" eat.  Today, it helped steer me away from the pizza bar and over to beans and rice burritos and veggies.  

 

[Chris-Tien Jinn]

Crossfit 2/11/2020

 

6 (almost 7) rounds of:

• 5 power snatches (25 lbs)
• 7 T2B (progression: I'm at knee raises finally!)
• 9 box step ups

So, I progressed from lying down toes to rig to hanging from the bar and tucking knees! 

 

Then 5 x 5 bench press at 35 pounds since I haven't done bench presses with a barbell in forever.  

 

In other news ....

It's going to be another interesting year.  My daughter (tenure-track at the same college & department where I'm teaching) is taking a job at a different college back home in Minnesota.  I don't think anyone at my college knows yet (other than a few trusted friends of hers); so I'm bracing for the drama and really glad that CrossFit is proving to be good stress relief.  

 

But that means that ..... we'll be moving again (!) .... eventually.  Hubby and I have already talked about the fact that we don't really like living in Iowa (sorry @T2sarahconnor), and once family has moved north, there is no reason to stay if we can get jobs back home after my current contract runs out (August 2021).  

[Rurik Harrgath]

You always reminded me of Jedi Grandmaster Satele Shan from SWTOR.

 

[Chris-Tien Jinn]

Thanks, @Rurik Harrgath.  She's one of my favorite characters.

 

Any one playing any Star Wars video games lately??  Or any other games that you'd recommend to a friend?  

[Rurik Harrgath]

4 hours ago, Chris-Tien Jinn said:

Thanks, @Rurik Harrgath.  She's one of my favorite characters.

 

Any one playing any Star Wars video games lately??  Or any other games that you'd recommend to a friend?  

 

I am actually not feeling very engaged by video games the last little while, although I occasionally watch a video game playthrough on YouTube (loved The WItcher 3 and Tomb Raider 2) because I'm still a nerd at heart.  I'll hop on World of Warcraft once in a while to zoom around on my Demon Hunter or Monk just for fun, but accomplish nothing.  Otherwise I believe Star Wars: The Old Republic is free to play these days!  I enjoyed it while I played.

[Chris-Tien Jinn]

I haven't gotten back into World of Warcraft or SW:TOR.  Maybe after things settle down this semester .....

 

 

For recovery day, I did most of Saladino's Rest Day routine and a recovery burpee.  The cat was taking his life in his paws by constantly walking under me while I was doing bridges and bear crawls.  

 

[annyshay]

Hey Jedi! Glad to see you're back!

[Jarric]

Love the range of things you have on your list to earn points, that's a good way to set yourself up for success. And well done on the T2B progression!

[TGP]

Awesome work regarding the T2B.

 

I have a little personal challenge I'm borrowing from Crossfit.  (I want to do an unweighted murph on memorial day).  like yourself I need to work through some progressions (I need to a good kipping pullup).

 

so WOOT for making good progress!

 

the challenge never ends.

 

 

 

 

[Chris-Tien Jinn]

23 hours ago, TGP said:

I want to do an unweighted murph on memorial day

 

Cool goal!  You know, before I joined CrossFit, I would have said that I could never do that .... but I've already done at least 1/2 that volume of reps in different workouts; so it's feasible.

 

What's your game plan for building up to the workout?

[Mrs Van]

On 2/14/2020 at 2:00 AM, Chris-Tien Jinn said:

For recovery day, I did most of Saladino's Rest Day routine and a recovery burpee.  The cat was taking his life in his paws by constantly walking under me while I was doing bridges and bear crawls.

Our cat once took his life in his paws by trying to lie on my back while I did things like push ups and downward dog stretches. Eventually decided I wasn't quiet or stable enough. They're funny creatures.

[Chris-Tien Jinn]

10 hours ago, ElizeElvinFoxRyder said:

Our cat once took his life in his paws by trying to lie on my back while I did things like push ups and downward dog stretches. Eventually decided I wasn't quiet or stable enough. They're funny creatures.

 

I've had cats that have tried that.  They do eventually give up.  Our current cat (Oz) just LOVES to cuddle when I come home as a sweaty mess from a run or workout.  

 

First retrospective post

In May 2012, I was finishing up my doctorate and bemoaning the twin facts that

1. it really does get harder to lose fat and gain muscle after turning 40 and REALLY HARD after turning 50 and entering menopause 
2. the discipline of sitting, sitting, sitting at the computer until a certain number of pages are written or an assignment is completed may get the work done, but it leads to the flabby, stooped body stereotypical of …. well ….. bookish nerds, and wizards, and Western European monks.  

Also, at the end of the day, I’d have no discipline left, having used it up on trying to finish the huge project that I’d come to hate.  Which meant that I was easily swayed from making something (healthy) for dinner and likely to give in when hubby suggested we go out to get something from the deli.  

 

Road blocks

• Moving for jobs. As in interviewing all over the country, buying and selling houses and moving to a different city in order to be employed.  I think I moved 6 times in 8 years?? I moved THREE TIMES during my first 8 challenges!!! This is stressful in the extreme and often lead to poor eating habits and made it difficult to establish consistent workout habits and routines.  Plus, I was often lonely (hubby didn’t always move with me …. which was an additional layer of stress) and struggling to make friends and figure out ….. everything again.  
• Depression!!  I had been diagnosed when my daughter was very young, but I hated the medication and eventually stopped taking it.  I do manage most of the time, but too much stress sometimes means that I drop the coping strategies that work to keep me on an even keel.  And, I have to give myself a break on this as I look back.  My brother was dying of cancer at the time.  My daughter needed back surgery.  My mom was suddenly very lonely because my daughter moved away and wasn't able to spend time with her grandmother anymore.  I was being asked to be the emotional caretaker of a lot of people and was usually running on empty because of that.  

 

Things that helped

• C25K and Zombies Run! apps.  No matter where you are, you can run.  And I got better at taking advantage of whatever opportunities I had to work out.  Any workout is better than none!
• Gym buddies and/or classes where people get to know you and expect to see you and express that they miss you when you miss.  

 

Nerd Fitness buddies also helped a lot in keeping me positive through these first challenges.  I miss you  @cline and @EmCee ... and I just found out that @Seabright has been here all along.  

 

Accomplishments for the first 8 challenges (May 2012 - July 2013)

• Defended dissertation
• Graduated with my doctorate
• Weight went from 171 to 166 and then back up to 170.5
• Dragon Boat team (Bemidji Rotarians) won the Silver Division race August 2012
• Walked 164.5 miles (the distance between Duluth and Bemidji, MN)
• Bench press of 80lb x 10
• I invented the Airport Suitcase Carry (™) as a variation of the farmer’s walk
• Ran a virtual 5K 
• Mostly can do without wine by the end of these challenges

 

Still to accomplish (at the end of July 2013)

• Regular pushups (10+)
• 5K in under 47minutes 
• A pull-up
• Weigh less than 157

 

At the end, of these challenges, I think I was surprised at how hard it is to establish healthy habits that will just stick without having to think about them.  I was also a bit disappointed that weight didn't melt off easily anymore.  But I was willing to keep trying.  

[TGP]

On 2/15/2020 at 10:25 AM, Chris-Tien Jinn said:

 

Cool goal!  You know, before I joined CrossFit, I would have said that I could never do that .... but I've already done at least 1/2 that volume of reps in different workouts; so it's feasible.

 

What's your game plan for building up to the workout?

Oh boy 

NOW  you did it!

 

you asked me about my plans.

 

( I could talk about them for hours)....ha!

 

I got a whole program laid out for it.

 

I'm broken this down week by week to try to go from where I am to the Whole (unweighted) murphy.

 

anyways... generally

A) I want to work on developing kipping pullups 

'B) I want to work on developing week by week increases of endurance, on a targeted specific program on saturday mornings (this saturday I did 8pullups, 16pushups and 24 squats)

C) I want to "grease the groove" with pullups and pushups specifically doing them nearly every day.

 

I have done 4-8 pullups now nearly Every day for nearly 2 whole weeks.  the only day I take off for that is when I am sick and sundays.  sunday is the recovery day.

 

-----

I'm VERY drawn to challenges like this that seem impossible (or at least implausible).

 

 

[Chris-Tien Jinn]

On 2/16/2020 at 3:25 PM, TGP said:

I'm broken this down week by week to try to go from where I am to the Whole (unweighted) murphy.

 

 

This is going to be awesome!!!  

 

Tonight's CF WOD is going be to be overhead squats.  We'll see how far I get.  I think I'm going to have to tape my foot again just to be safe as we're increasing weight on each round.  And then, we'll see how many various recovery strategies work.  I got bath salts and rubs.  Been working on hydrating and eating well.

 

Yesterday .... I did not do as well as I would have liked.  I didn't plan adequately for the disruption that is the department meeting over lunch.  I.e. I didn't have anything prepared and ended up eating an apple and some left over jerky that I happened to have in the break room's fridge.  And then, we had an all-faculty meeting that ran long.  Hubby was making dinner, but it wasn't done (even though I was late ....).  And it was something that I didn't really want to eat (bean and sausage soup .... ah ... yea .... not comfort food in my book).  So, we put that away and went to get fried chicken for supper.  

 

Yeap.  Not a win for the Rebellion.  

 

So, today, it's time to pick up the pieces and eat right.  I generally bribe feed my graders when they are willing to grade in the morning for me, and today is going to be a cut up fruit day instead of donuts.  That's actually a treat because the dining hall does not generally serve cut fruit.  

 

Good luck today, everyone.  Fly casual!!!

 

 

 

[karinajean]

hello! Forgive me for missing this while I was off-board -- but when did you start doing crossfit? (I'm doing it now too. tbh I really like people telling me what to do, especially if it's ridiculous things.)