dancezwithkittehz drinks more water

[Mike Wazowski]

All the virtual hugs. ❤️

[dancezwithkittehz]

❤️ you guys. Sorry if this thread has taken a depressing turn. I promise to be back to shenanigans at some point.

 

I've decided I'm going to try to at least get try to do the hydration bit this week and maybe veggies but basically if I am shit at actually meeting goals this week I don't care. It will be a gradual phase in.  I feel like I have like, a grief hangover or something. SO TIRED. I mean. I barely slept Friday/Saturday and especially not Sunday night on the floor next to kitty. My body is super sore but I haven't really exercised since last week so? Maybe a bit from sleeping on the floor? But I wasn't in any weird positions/ I think for that mostly just my right hip hurts from hard ground. I may try to exercise a little bit today and see how that goes.

 

I have also determined that having a few beers does not really help with dealing with grief. It kind of worked for distracting myself during the whole long wait weekend but mostly I think the few beers I had yesterday just made me more tired and dehydrated on top of being sad. I also did not eat much for most the weekend so I guess silver linings is I got in an accidental mini cut.  My appetite still isn't quite back to normal but I've been managing to like, eat small meals regularly at least. I am one of those people that if I'm super upset my appetite completely goes vs an eating my feelings type.

[sylph]

Hey, life is life. You are allowed to be sad and share it here. There is no rule that NF is all sunshine and rainbows. We're here through all of it. S'kinda the point

[raptron]

18 hours ago, dancezwithkittehz said:

I've decided I'm going to try to at least get try to do the hydration bit this week and maybe veggies but basically if I am shit at actually meeting goals this week I don't care. It will be a gradual phase in.  I feel like I have like, a grief hangover or something. SO TIRED.

It's definitely a thing. Hydration will be big on the taking care of yourself front, as hard as that might sound right now. All the hugs. 

 

2 hours ago, sylph said:

Hey, life is life. You are allowed to be sad and share it here. There is no rule that NF is all sunshine and rainbows. We're here through all of it. S'kinda the point

QFT

[dancezwithkittehz]

4 hours ago, sylph said:

Hey, life is life. You are allowed to be sad and share it here. There is no rule that NF is all sunshine and rainbows. We're here through all of it. S'kinda the point

 

I think it's hard for me as a normally perpetually hyper and bubbly person to not feel that way right now. I don't like feeling off even if it's for a good reason but you're right. ❤️

 

1 hour ago, raptron said:

It's definitely a thing. Hydration will be big on the taking care of yourself front, as hard as that might sound right now. All the hugs. 

 

QFT

❤️

[sylph]

3 minutes ago, dancezwithkittehz said:

 

I think it's hard for me as a normally perpetually hyper and bubbly person to not feel that way right now. I don't like feeling off even if it's for a good reason but you're right. ❤️

 

you don't have to like it. none of us (okay, maybe most of us) don't like feeling off. But it happens. No need to beat yourself up about it. ❤️

[dancezwithkittehz]

I managed to actually do my whole exercise circuity thingy yesterday and hydration goal, so yay. I was feeling really sad and didn't know what to do about it and was like well lets just start doing some reps of some kind of exercise and see if that helps and it did at least while I was actively moving and stuff.

 

I decided since I got a rig upping my aerial conditioning would be a good idea so I'm doing the whole evil cirque du soleil abs video from teh youtubes (the one that's an interview with gym nation I think, with the super buff french I think trapeze guy.) Oof. So I did some of that (no where near the reps of super French guy but like, baby steps yknow.) I also realize I am way better at actually being able to do the ground leg lift to inverted in an almost plow ish pose (except aerial so I don't touch the feets to the ground and rest there haha)...so in spite of no aerial in 2 years prior to now I think the 8thousandmillion reps of leg lifts from ground plus powerlifting etc is helping,

 

I also looked up some specific advice on how to improve my back extension and height on my arabesque for dance (also incidentally useful in aerial stuff) and basically it boils down to needing to build up strength in the inner thigh and the back and stuff more so than a flexibility thing per se (much like why I think my front and side extensions are slowly getting more awesome with improved hammy strength.) I am adding in a few specific exercises that I don't necessarily always do: lay on floor face down and do leg lifts focusing on keeping hips down and square which luckily I am good at not cheating in the hips anyway but hey drilling and focusing on it doesn't hurt. Also supermans which once again are also useful for aerial core type muscles.

 

 

I'm also seriously looking into getting an X3 bar system to try and replicate strength from powerlifting at home when I don't really have space for a rack etc. It's the only company that makes bands up to like the equivalent of a 600lb load, which I am nowhere near but maybe someday my DL will be that awesome WHO KNOWS. Haha. (Trying to remember my previous DL PR...it's been a while and we weren't really working on maxing out anytime recently since my big cut last year when we had to pull back on everythiiiing. I think 270? 275? I've done a partial ROM rack pull at 300ish i think but never hit that at full ROM and from floor and that was back in like 2018 I think.) Anywho, X3 bar is pricy but much cheaper than how much I was paying to work with my trainer and it's something I'd feel comfortable using alone (I hate lifting without a built in spotter) and also FUCK going to a gym right now anyway -- not that it's allowed in CA right now anywho.

 

 

 

[dancezwithkittehz]

8 minutes ago, sylph said:

you don't have to like it. none of us (okay, maybe most of us) don't like feeling off. But it happens. No need to beat yourself up about it. ❤️

 

I've also been like "oh maybe I should like choreo something and dance out my feels" and Gotye "Bronte" would literally be the perfect song as far as lyrics but considering that shit makes me bawl even if I'm NOT in just lost my fur baby mode just thinking about it made me cry. Sooooo. Yeah bad idea. I'm thinking maybe I should try some happier choreo or something..or hey maybe I should just practice choreo for whenever my dance group gets back to zooming since that's less depressing. I dunno. I am missing artsy aspect of dance right now and just like, getting into the zone and into character and going for it. Nothing like it.

[bigm141414]

51 minutes ago, dancezwithkittehz said:

that makes bands up to like the equivalent of a 600lb load, which I am nowhere near but maybe someday my DL will be that awesome

 

Here for the massive DL numbers, no matter far off that day may be

[PaulG]

I’m really sorry that you had to let her go. Thoughts are with you. I hope you don’t feel like you have to cram your grief into the framework of the challenge. Our hearts are with you regardless.
 

❤️

[raptron]

19 hours ago, dancezwithkittehz said:

I also looked up some specific advice on how to improve my back extension and height on my arabesque for dance (also incidentally useful in aerial stuff) and basically it boils down to needing to build up strength in the inner thigh and the back and stuff more so than a flexibility thing per se (much like why I think my front and side extensions are slowly getting more awesome with improved hammy strength.) I am adding in a few specific exercises that I don't necessarily always do: lay on floor face down and do leg lifts focusing on keeping hips down and square which luckily I am good at not cheating in the hips anyway but hey drilling and focusing on it doesn't hurt. Also supermans which once again are also useful for aerial core type muscles.

Very helpful things to add in!

 

[dancezwithkittehz]

21 hours ago, bigm141414 said:

 

Here for the massive DL numbers, no matter far off that day may be

 

SOMEDAY.  I would really love to hit at least 400! Which if memory serves you can already do but hey I am pocket sized and a lady sooooo 😂

 

10 hours ago, PaulG said:

I’m really sorry that you had to let her go. Thoughts are with you. I hope you don’t feel like you have to cram your grief into the framework of the challenge. Our hearts are with you regardless.
 

❤️

 

❤️ ❤️ It's definitely going to be a long while to be totally back to regular happy mode. I do think the past few days were easier in a lot of ways compared to the weekend and waiting knowing what was coming. It's a super hard decision to make and then just having to sit with it for several days was SO HARD.

 

3 hours ago, raptron said:

Very helpful things to add in!

 

 

If you have ideas for more things I am always all ears since I am sure you work a lot of the same things with gymnastics stuffs!!!

[dancezwithkittehz]

Okkkkk going to try to track challengy things in an organized format even if I'm not entirely super trying to do these yet.

 

Challenge Week 1, Day 4, Wednesday

Goal 1 - Hydration (drink 64oz daily) -✔️- Yes

Goal 2 - Eat veggies with lunch and dinner -✔️- Lunch? Yes ; Dinner? Yes

Goal 3- Regular eating schedule, (Eat breakfast or a midday snack) -❌-  No. but I also wasn't really thinking about it yet! I did finish eating before 9 though so win. This will be more relevant when my appetite is back to normal.

Goal 4- Completed Daily Workout circuit? -✔️- Yes.  I forgot to do calf raises though woops.

 

 

I also got paid and made a big CC payment to work on paying off that big vet bill.  My credit cards were almost paid off so it's a blow to have a 2k balance but yeah...shit happens. I think if I focus all $ on this I should get it paid off by next month maybe. I also splurged and bought the X3 bar (with real money and not on the CC) but considering that cost me less than what 2 months of working with my trainer was costing me it was worth it to me (and I only pay this once. Winning.)

[bigm141414]

1 hour ago, dancezwithkittehz said:

but hey I am pocket sized

 

with some Pocket Sized Pulling Prowess

[Manarelle]

19 hours ago, dancezwithkittehz said:

I also got paid and made a big CC payment to work on paying off that big vet bill.  My credit cards were almost paid off so it's a blow to have a 2k balance but yeah...shit happens. I think if I focus all $ on this I should get it paid off by next month maybe. I also splurged and bought the X3 bar (with real money and not on the CC) but considering that cost me less than what 2 months of working with my trainer was costing me it was worth it to me (and I only pay this once. Winning.)

 

Heck yeah winning. Enjoy your new bar, secure in the knowledge that its "value" for money spent increases each time you use it. 

[dancezwithkittehz]

Challenge Week 1, Day 5, Thursday

Goal 1 - Hydration (drink 64oz daily) -✔️- I think I hit 60oz instead of 64 but close enough.

Goal 2 - Eat veggies with lunch and dinner -✔️- Lunch? Yes ; Dinner? Yes

Goal 3- Regular eating schedule, (Eat breakfast or a mid-afternoon snack) -✔️-  Realize I made a typo in this. I meant mid AFTERNOON snack (midday snack= lunch which uh, I eat.) And Sort of. I had a 5pm snack which is a little past late afternoon but I was done eating by 8 ish.

Goal 4- Completed Daily Workout circuit? -❌- No. But that's because it took me like 2 hours to make a DnD 5th edition character on my own for the first time and trying to figure out how to do that on roll20 etc. I did a few things but only maybe 3 different exercises vs the 20 or so I'd normally do. Also had no time for guitar practice. Sadness, but character is done! (and uh, we play Friday sooo yeah.)

 

As mentioned barely any exercise and no guitar today, but hey, DND ya'll.  New game starts todaaaay (Friday) and I am excite! I of course need to figure out where to work in exercise, guitar practice, and cooking a tri tip for dinner before game time. (I was supposed to cook the tri tip on Thursday but making my character took forever.)

[WhiteGhost]

11 hours ago, dancezwithkittehz said:

New game starts todaaaay (Friday) and I am excite!

Fun!  what kind of game is it? (i.e. one shot/campaign//module/homebrew/etc.)

[dancezwithkittehz]

1 hour ago, WhiteGhost said:

Fun!  what kind of game is it? (i.e. one shot/campaign//module/homebrew/etc.)

 Homebrew I suppose! We will keep going as long as we feel like going and the DM created the world and story etc. I think we're planning to play monthly-ish.

 

It's a game with starsapart and some other Denver people I know though her. We are a team that is part of a military? ish intelligence agency that is in search of investigating and getting cool magical stuff. My character is hilarious. I am playing a dumb as hell super charisma dwarf barbarian that wants to be friends with everyone but wants to smash anyone that hurts her friends. I ran away from my apprenticeship as a jeweler for a life of adventure and because I wanted to meet cute woodland animals. (Personality inspired by Kronk from The Emperor's New Groove.)

[dancezwithkittehz]

Also, I managed to roll a 1 on sneak on our very first game. I sang a sneaking song on the way into the village and accidentally knocked over a building 

 

I knew this character would be fun to play! 😂

[Manarelle]

Hahahahah, sounds like good times, and a valid reason to miss one day  of goals!

[dancezwithkittehz]

Oh heeeey. I really should like, actually post challenge updates on the weekend so I don't try and remember it all come Monday. MAYBE SOMEDAAAAY (hahahaha probably not). Thank goodness for MFP; I should at least know food and water intake-ish!

 

Challenge Week 1, Day 6, Friday

Goal 1 - Hydration (drink 64oz daily) -✔️- Yep

Goal 2 - Eat veggies with lunch and dinner -✔️- Lunch? Yes ; Dinner? Yes 

Goal 3- Regular eating schedule, (Eat breakfast or a mid-afternoon snack) -✔️-  Not sure but I think so? I remember doing this several of the last few days but NOT Sunday.

Goal 4- Completed Daily Workout circuit? -✔️- Partially. I had to rush this and guitar practice before DND but I did at least a little of both.

 

 

 Challenge Week 1, Day 7, Saturday

Goal 1 - Hydration (drink 64oz daily) -❌- No? Looks like I hit 48oz which isn't horrible but not quite there. It's possible I forgot to track some but I'm going to go by my data.

Goal 2 - Eat veggies with lunch and dinner -❌ - Lunch? Yes ; Dinner? No.   I didn't have veggies with dinner but I did have an apple so heyyyy

Goal 3- Regular eating schedule, (Eat breakfast or a mid-afternoon snack) -✔️-  Not sure but I think so? I remember doing this several of the last few days but NOT Sunday.

Goal 4- Completed Daily Workout circuit? -✔️-I did!!

 

 

Challenge Week 2, Day 1, Sunday

Goal 1 - Hydration (drink 64oz daily) -✔️- I forgot to track but I drank water like crazy yesterday so I am pretty sure I was good (but still felt dehydrated because hiking and SUNNNNN)

Goal 2 - Eat veggies with lunch and dinner -✔️ - Lunch? Yes ; Dinner? Yes.  

Goal 3- Regular eating schedule, (Eat breakfast or a mid-afternoon snack) -❌ -  No. Mostly because of forementioned hike. I don't like to eat or drink before hiking (assuming a short hike anyway) so I don't have to stop for any bathroom breaks...which is fine and all except it meant I didn't eat until almost 1:30 yesterday and my stomach was super weird all day because of it but heyyyy.

Goal 4- Completed Daily Workout circuit? -✔️-I did a little? Did not do much because I hiked 6 miles and everything hurt.

 

 

Also HEYYYY in cool unexpected news, apparently although I have not hiked or walked or done anything specifically hiking training, I uh...did better on my hike yesterday than I have in...years? Ever? 

 

I've always had the issue that the first mile or so of a hike (assuming it has any uphill anyway) my ankles/calves are super tight and angry beyond belief. I usually have to take some short breaks to shake them out plus probably stop for some water breaks. I didn't really think about it until after the hike yesterday but I did not stop AT ALL except when we stopped for the pretty view at mile 3 before turning around. I GOT BETTER AT HIKING without trying?! I has a confuse?! But also I am not mad. I haven't really significantly changed up what I am doing except I am now doing a little every day?  Maybe it's the working on releves (calf raise dancer style)? I dunno. Not complaining though! I'm also glad to know that my circuit o' exercise often spread throughout the day rather than all at once seems to be keeping me in shape even if it feels like I'm doing less because it's spread out vs all at once in dedicated work outs.

 

 

[Manarelle]

12 hours ago, dancezwithkittehz said:

I've always had the issue that the first mile or so of a hike (assuming it has any uphill anyway) my ankles/calves are super tight and angry beyond belief. I usually have to take some short breaks to shake them out plus probably stop for some water breaks. I didn't really think about it until after the hike yesterday but I did not stop AT ALL except when we stopped for the pretty view at mile 3 before turning around. I GOT BETTER AT HIKING without trying?! I has a confuse?! But also I am not mad. I haven't really significantly changed up what I am doing except I am now doing a little every day?  Maybe it's the working on releves (calf raise dancer style)? I dunno. Not complaining though! I'm also glad to know that my circuit o' exercise often spread throughout the day rather than all at once seems to be keeping me in shape even if it feels like I'm doing less because it's spread out vs all at once in dedicated work outs.

 

The body works in strange and mysterious ways.... glad it's working FOR you this time instead of against!

[dancezwithkittehz]

Non-challenge related, buuut I know a whole SIX guitar chords now. WATCH OUT, WORLD. 😂  Admittedly I am STRUGGLING with Dm. The teacher guy I am using wants us to use the pinky for this one and I've basically not really used pinky for anything at all yet and it's like starting over day one with finger pain, but like extra because my pinky is stupid weak because it rarely even gets used in typing (...look I know you are SUPPOSED to use the pinkies more, but like, I got really fast at typing as a teen when I gave zero fucks about proper placement of fingers) It will get there though!! I've been working on that one for a week and I only just barely decided I can do it well enough to try and add it into chord switch exercises or try to play practice songs with it..and uh, I am SO SLOW with that one.

 

I also am starting to make myself practice strumming more during songs since I think at minimum I need to be able to do an actual strumming pattern instead of just hitting whole notes to like, not sound super dorky playing a song if I want to actually let people listen. I can do strumming patterns by themselves, but combining it with the chord switches and stuff at a quicker pace on my guitar-yoeke ish app is....hard. Also playing 4x the notes in a song makes my strumming arm very tired. WHO KNEW?! (Probably everyone who has learned guitar but hey 😂)

 

Anyway, challenge stuff:

 

Challenge Week 2, Day 2, Monday

Goal 1 - Hydration (drink 64oz daily) -✔️- Yep!

Goal 2 - Eat veggies with lunch and dinner -✔️ - Lunch? Yes ; Dinner? Yep! Extra winning. I made a bunch of nom nom roasted zucchini and also some braised kale (the nom nom paleo instapot recipe...minus the carrots and then add a few more spices and things because uh, I cant resist doctoring flavors but yeah).  Having two tasty veggie options I made a lot of to last me the week seems to be working for now and I haven't gotten tired of them yet? I keep like, forgetting to eat them until the end of a meal and having to force myself to eat them even though full which is not ideal but HEYY progress.

Goal 3- Regular eating schedule, (Eat breakfast or a mid-afternoon snack) -❌ -  No again. Because I forgot. Woops. I can tell this is going to be the real challenge goal for me this round. I ended up eating almost at 9 again last night.

Goal 4- Completed Daily Workout circuit? -✔️-Yep!   I am also really happy with how my core work is coming and I keep adding more things for that. I am horribly out of practice at inverted straddles and that's going to be important for aerial, so I've added a set of floor leg raises to straddle inversion. They get me seriously WINDED after a set of 15. SO OUT OF SHAPE. But gettin there! When I get less stupidly weak I will do those hanging instead of on the floor...someday!

 

In other aerial things, I am making myself attempt crossback straddle every day during my workout circuit. I can't even quite do the initial footlocks in the air, and I'm STRUGGLING with getting the legs up into straddle and inverting it is...not happening yet. I took a video of the struggle so that once I can get all that correctly I can compare and feel extra awesome.  (Also, sweatpants are seriously horribly unflattering so it's probably in general the least flattering video of myself I have ever seen and I have confirmed my suspicion that I should never ever ever wear my "lazy pants" outside of the house.)

 

[dancezwithkittehz]

I think there is some rule of the universe that if I have a day with a bunch of meetings planned and I need to be AWAKE I will invariably end up with crazy insomnia. ZZZZzzzzzZZZZZzzzz please can I has nap?!  I survived the morning meetings at least though!

 

Challenge Week 2, Day 3, Tuesday

Goal 1 - Hydration (drink 64oz daily) -✔️- Yep!

Goal 2 - Eat veggies with lunch and dinner -✔️ - Lunch? Yes ; Dinner? Yes, barely.  I almost forgot to eat a veggie with dinner so I grabbed a pickle spear snack so that I would get SOMETHING. I still need to find a good brand that makes spicy pickles that are not sweet. I love Famous Dave's spicy pickles but they always leave me wishing they were less sweet. (I also always have a big jar of clausen dill pickles for SALT FIEEEND days...which is every day for me really but hey. SALT SALT SALT GIMME GIMME GIMME

Goal 3- Regular eating schedule, (Eat breakfast or a mid-afternoon snack) -✔️-  Sort of.  I had a late afternoon snack but I also ended up eating until later than I wanted because the afternoon protein shake was less calories than normal because I was out of milk and had to make it with water.

Goal 4- Completed Daily Workout circuit? -✔️-Yep! I also remembered to do a little bit of flexibility work for splits which  am going to try to get to daily ish as well so maybe some day I can actually get front splits.

[PaulG]

On 8/11/2020 at 9:48 AM, dancezwithkittehz said:

Admittedly I am STRUGGLING with Dm. The teacher guy I am using wants us to use the pinky for this one and I've basically not really used pinky for anything at all yet and it's like starting over day one with finger pain, but like extra because my pinky is stupid weak because it rarely even gets used in typing

I hear this. I learned Dm originally with the middle finger, ignoring people who told me to play it with the pinky, and wound up having to retrain myself later. It’s one of those things that doesn’t make sense until way later. Aside from just needing a strong pinky to play guitar, eventually you’ll be using that chord shape when you do barre chords... and once you get there your ring finger is going to be needed elsewhere on the neck to do other crazy things.
 

 

On 8/11/2020 at 9:48 AM, dancezwithkittehz said:

I have confirmed my suspicion that I should never ever ever wear my "lazy pants" outside of the house.

I have never related more to a written sentence