Pure: Preparing for Adventure

[pureleeawesome]

Before one undertakes an adventure they are best advised to prepare for it. Not too much preparation though. Otherwise, where is the adventure?

 

This challenge is all about preparing for my adventures in life. (No Pure, reaaaaally)

 

While my Epic Quest for Adventure details both fitness/health related quests and non-fitness/health related quests I'm going to try and keep my challenges specific to fitness and health, though I'll still mention other things in these threads as well, they just won't be the subject of them.

 

This challenge I will be working towards my Archery, Hiking and Personal Growth Adventure Badges (see Epic Quest for less confusion).

 

My tasks are:

 

• Attend archery training if it is held (must go to southern training if it is own and northern training isn't) Archery Badge
• Start Zombies, Run! again and keep at it Hiking Badge, but also assists with Personal Growth task of Complete Charity Walk
• Put wrist balancer together. It's a PVC pipe that I need to fill with water and seal so I can use it to improve my wrist strength
• Find out my 1 rep max for bench, row, squat, deadlift and OHP Personal Growth Badge
• Track calories Assists but doesn't contribute to Personal Growth Badge

 

[Stronkey Kong]

Good goals. 

[Sciread77]

Ooh, Archery! 

[Manarelle]

Solid challenge. Is the wrist balancer specifically for strength, or balance, or both? 

[pureleeawesome]

21 hours ago, Stronkey Kong said:

Good goals. 

 

Thank you!

 

21 hours ago, Sciread77 said:

Ooh, Archery! 

 

I have had my bow for too many years and not done anything decent with it. I made some arrows earlier this year so it's time to put them to use!

 

8 hours ago, Manarelle said:

Solid challenge. Is the wrist balancer specifically for strength, or balance, or both? 

 

I'm calling it a wrist balancer because I don't know if I was ever told the official term for it

The idea is that you fill it half with water and then tilt it from side to side with a straight arm out and do it both palm facing up and down and with your eyes open and closed.

You're meant to tilt it slowly enough that you don't hear the water splashing.

It's partially mean to help with strength but also to teach my wrist to move correctly without me seeing it.

 

It was one of the things I got given at the end of last year to do by the occupational therapist that I never ended up actually doing >.>

At some point in  early 2019 I unknowingly tore my scapholunate ligament and then proceeded to ignore the weird fact that I couldn't open things with my right hand and that it hurt when I would try to adjust myself in a seat/press down on things with my right hand.

This resulted in me starting 2020 with a very pretty purple plastic cast. My wrist is much improved since then but I still want to work on it to make sure it improves further and doesn't go back to hurting again. Otherwise I'll never be able to achieve my hand stand goal.... unless I only do it with one hand....

 

[Sciread77]

1 hour ago, pureleeawesome said:

I have had my bow for too many years and not done anything decent with it. I made some arrows earlier this year so it's time to put them to use!

I hear you. I did archery when I was a kid and had a fantastic little compound bow.  I miss it. I wish I had an adult bow already. 

[Manarelle]

18 hours ago, pureleeawesome said:

I'm calling it a wrist balancer because I don't know if I was ever told the official term for it

The idea is that you fill it half with water and then tilt it from side to side with a straight arm out and do it both palm facing up and down and with your eyes open and closed.

You're meant to tilt it slowly enough that you don't hear the water splashing.

It's partially mean to help with strength but also to teach my wrist to move correctly without me seeing it.

 

It was one of the things I got given at the end of last year to do by the occupational therapist that I never ended up actually doing >.>

At some point in  early 2019 I unknowingly tore my scapholunate ligament and then proceeded to ignore the weird fact that I couldn't open things with my right hand and that it hurt when I would try to adjust myself in a seat/press down on things with my right hand.

This resulted in me starting 2020 with a very pretty purple plastic cast. My wrist is much improved since then but I still want to work on it to make sure it improves further and doesn't go back to hurting again. Otherwise I'll never be able to achieve my hand stand goal.... unless I only do it with one hand....

 

I know this is usually a throwaway phrase, but that's really interesting. Funny how some things take really complex machinery to do/ fix/ improve, and other things are just.... here, hold this tube of liquid and rotate. Glad to hear you're getting better!

[pureleeawesome]

It's challenge start day and I am exciiiiiiited.

 

On 12/30/2020 at 10:59 AM, pureleeawesome said:

• Attend archery training if it is held (must go to southern training if it is own and northern training isn't) Archery Badge
• Start Zombies, Run! again and keep at it Hiking Badge, but also assists with Personal Growth task of Complete Charity Walk
• Put wrist balancer together. It's a PVC pipe that I need to fill with water and seal so I can use it to improve my wrist strength
• Find out my 1 rep max for bench, row, squat, deadlift and OHP Personal Growth Badge
• Track calories Assists but doesn't contribute to Personal Growth Badge

 

Kinda fortunately, archery was not held by either group this weekend so I spent the morning achieving task 4 which was to find out my 1 rep max for bench, row, squat, deadlift and OHP. I'm now going to use those results to implement the r/Fitness (reddit Fitness subforum) beginner's weightlifting workout recommendation thingo words.

 

PRODUCTIVE PURE ALREADY WOO!!!

 

Yesterday I also did the intro session for the Zombies, Run! 5K. My plan is to complete Zombies every Mon, Wed & Fri, do my weight Tues, Thurs, Sat and on Sundays go to archery or if it's not on, have a rest day.

 

Wrist balancer has also been put together, just waiting for it to finish curing before I test it.

 

[Manarelle]

Sounds like a solid first day! Boo to the archery not happening, but nice work on the weightlifting. 

[pureleeawesome]

Monday and Tuesday Update

 

So yesterday I was still feeling quite together and pumped and ran Week 1, Session 1 of the Zombies Couch to 5K program. I amused myself while being quite proud of myself that every time the run/jog parts were introduced I'd repeat over and over in my head that "I can do this" as my self talk is often one of my biggest inhibitors. 

 

 

Then today I had my first weights session which was rough. I am a little worried I am overdoing it, but I'll see how I continue and if I start to struggle I'll drop the weights program for now to focus on cardio which I'll need for the charity run.

My calorie tracking is going well but it's identified that when I'm eating "healthy" I'm not eating enough.

 

I am a lazy, minimalistic person. I only want to eat three meals, and I don't want to have to combine lots of things often to create said meals.

My daily kilojoule intake is meant to be 5,021 and this is how I've gone so far:

 

Sunday - 3,903kj

Monday - 2,815kj

Tuesday - 4,154kj

 

The major reason why today's was higher (and not by much) is because I had a small packet of cookies at work. Oh, and a bowl of quick oats (my usual breakfast) as a dessert after dinner.

A pescatarian solution I must find.

[Shello]

So productive already!  You're squashing those goals! 

[Manarelle]

On 1/5/2021 at 8:30 AM, pureleeawesome said:

Then today I had my first weights session which was rough. I am a little worried I am overdoing it, but I'll see how I continue and if I start to struggle I'll drop the weights program for now to focus on cardio which I'll need for the charity run.

 

What felt rough about it? It takes some time to dial in the difference between "argh, this is challenging" and "argh, that's bad, I should rework this." 

[pureleeawesome]

On 1/7/2021 at 2:53 AM, Manarelle said:

What felt rough about it? It takes some time to dial in the difference between "argh, this is challenging" and "argh, that's bad, I should rework this." 

 

My legs were killing me from starting the C25K again and I think I took on a bit too much for someone who is practically sedentary. 

 

Since that session I decided to hold off and keep only C25K and archery for this challenge and I feel much better with that decision already.

[pureleeawesome]

• Attend archery training if it is held (must go to southern training if it is own and northern training isn't) Archery Badge

Attended archery training this week!

• Start Zombies, Run! again and keep at it Hiking Badge, but also assists with Personal Growth task of Complete Charity Walk

3 Zombies, Run! C25K this week!

• Track calories Assists but doesn't contribute to Personal Growth Badge

Tracked calories pretty regularly this week!

 

All in all, a good week. I lost 1.3kg and I'm ready to start week two

[Manarelle]

16 hours ago, pureleeawesome said:

All in all, a good week. I lost 1.3kg and I'm ready to start week two

 

Woot! Way to own the start of 2021. You've got this.

[pureleeawesome]

It's Wednesday my friends!

 

This week is going quite well so far. My mood tracker in my journal is mostly coloured in pinks and yellows to represent productivity and joy.

I've done two of my C25K runs (shambles) so far this week, having completed one this morning. It is a very different run on an empty stomach! I'm trying to move at least the Wednesday run to the morning as I want to attend a craft/fight night (I will be focusing on the crafting) at one of the SCA (medieval group) members houses on Wednesday nights. It might just be the Wednesday run I do in the morning though.

 

Calorie tracking is still happening and my bruises from archery are now a lovely yellow/purple shade.

 

I was talking with my housemate yesterday and said that this is the first time I've ever been so happy without it being caused by a relationship.

I am a happy single person

[Manarelle]

14 hours ago, pureleeawesome said:

I was talking with my housemate yesterday and said that this is the first time I've ever been so happy without it being caused by a relationship.

I am a happy single person

 

This is HUGE. I wish more people would do this. The gentleman and I both did before we got together and it has made a massive difference in the relationship dynamics. Congrats!

[pureleeawesome]

End of Week Update

 

I am overall pretty happy with how this week went. I enjoyed myself with pizza and fish and chips and STILL lost 0.6kg which I accept is a good result. Goal wise:

 

• Attend archery training if it is held (must go to southern training if it is own and northern training isn't) Archery Badge

Attended archery training this week also. Shooting was not so good. Need to work on arm strength.

• Start Zombies, Run! again and keep at it Hiking Badge, but also assists with Personal Growth task of Complete Charity Walk

3 Zombies, Run! C25K this week. Am trying to switch one to a Wednesday morning so I can do things Wednesday evening. It was rough but I got through it.

• Track calories Assists but doesn't contribute to Personal Growth Badge

This had a slight failure this week in that I didn't track calories for finishing off the pizza or the fish and chips lunch I consumed but I still lost weight so I'm comfortable with this. I also tracked calories one day which allowed me to have a large bowl of icecream and at the end of it made the decision that future bowls should be smaller - too much of a treat suddenly doesn't become a treat.

 

May your Week 2 have also been good to you Rebellion.

 

 

 

[Snarkyfishguts]

I like that you are earning badges  

[Manarelle]

On 1/17/2021 at 8:09 AM, pureleeawesome said:

I am overall pretty happy with how this week went. I enjoyed myself with pizza and fish and chips and STILL lost 0.6kg which I accept is a good result. Goal wise:

 

That is a good sign, congrats on the successful week! I agree that too much of a treat doesn't feel like a treat; I'm much happier with just a small bit of ice cream/ hot cocoa so my mouth gets the treat but the stomach doesn't get icky. 

[pureleeawesome]

I am still here, still going strongish, just... I've always found it difficult to do updates. Haven't figured out why yet.

 

I missed going to archery on the weekend - there was potential rain and I spent the whole day spaced out and not feeling the greatest so it was for the best in the end.

 

Food tracking has been going well and I completed Week 4, Session 1 in my Zombies, Run! app today.

[pureleeawesome]

So this week has been plagued with illness, COVID testing and ongoing sluggishness. 

Thankfully whatever I had was not COVID and I am back in action. Somehow I have lost 900 grams this week.

 

I'm spending the weekend doing KonMari decluttering and fingers crossed that next week I can get back to being more focused on my goals.

[Manarelle]

On 2/6/2021 at 7:16 PM, pureleeawesome said:

Somehow I have lost 900 grams this week.

 

Couldn't possibly be because of your work tracking calorie income, could it? Nah... why would we give ourselves credit for our own efforts?  

 

Hope you're feeling better and can tackle the new week with a clean house!

[pureleeawesome]

3 hours ago, Manarelle said:

Couldn't possibly be because of your work tracking calorie income, could it? Nah... why would we give ourselves credit for our own efforts?  

 

I do need to give myself recognition for my efforts more often, thank you