Chris-Tien Jinn Posted February 12, 2022 Report Share Posted February 12, 2022 Chris-Tien and the Side Quest Quest When I started with Nerd Fitness (nearly 10 years ago), my major goal was to lose weight. I was at 171lbs. I am still tracking that dragon, but I am making progress and narrowing in on defeating the beast. My problem is that I tend to get distracted by side quests and lose sight of the of the endgame ... in life as well as in Skyrim. But this challenge, I am embracing the side quests as a way to build skills and strength so that when I do finally face the dragon, I will be ready. Long term goals for the YEAR of the Great Dragon Hunt Last year, I reduced from 168 to 156 (and bumped back up in the dumpster fire + train wreck of Fall Semester ....). This year, I want to get back into the "normal" weight category for my height, age, and gender: 150 (or less). And I want to do a pull up again, damnit. Those are the two measurable things that encapsulate a whole lot of life style changes along the way. I have set milestones for each month so that I know where I am along the journey. February's goals are: Back squat 55 - DONE Pushups 1 Lat pulldown 75 Deadlift 77.2 500 m row < 180 - DONE 5K 45 pace: 14.5 That gives me a couple of weeks to work on the rest of these while I pursue the side quests that make games and life .... interesting. So, heading out the door, these are my challenge goals ..... 1) Eat 84+ grams of protein per day (tracking in MyFitnessPal) 2) Strength train (CrossFit or gym or KBs at home) 2+ x per week 3) Positive affirmations daily 4) < 31.9% BF% 5) Draw a Side Quest card daily and complete all of those drawn by the end of the challenge In point, the first challenge I have is to toss out the invaders that have taken over the local fortress (i.e. get over this cold ... again). 7 Quote Level 4 Human Ranger/Paladin "We are better than we know, if we can be made to see it, [then] for the rest of our lives, we'll be unwilling to settle for less." - Kurt Hahn STR: 9 | DEX: 10 | CON: 14 | INT: 13 | WIS: 14 | CHA: 13 Link to comment
Tanktimus the Encourager Posted February 12, 2022 Report Share Posted February 12, 2022 Hope you heal up soon. Kill the cold! 1 Quote Current Challenge "By the Most-Righteous-and-Blessed Beard of Sir Tanktimus the Encourager!" - Jarl Rurik Harrgath Link to comment
Chris-Tien Jinn Posted February 13, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2022 2 hours ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said: Hope you heal up soon. Kill the cold! Currently trying to wash them out with lots of water and herbal tea. Hubby and I went to the gym this morning, which was nice and sociable. The place was pretty busy; so I didn't spend as much time at the free-weights rack as I would have liked, but it was a good session. I've put workouts on the calendar as tentative and hope that this is the last ditch effort of the viruses to hold on. For a recovery shake, I experimented with making a Banana Foster Recovery Shake: almond milk vanilla whey protein powder banana 1 Tbsp of sugar free caramel syrup It was really good!! I've picked up a few more sugar free syrups to add to shake mixes to increase variety a bit. 6 Quote Level 4 Human Ranger/Paladin "We are better than we know, if we can be made to see it, [then] for the rest of our lives, we'll be unwilling to settle for less." - Kurt Hahn STR: 9 | DEX: 10 | CON: 14 | INT: 13 | WIS: 14 | CHA: 13 Link to comment
Chris-Tien Jinn Posted February 14, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2022 Today's side quest was pretty easy: give someone a complement. I took the easy, but often overlooked, opportunity to complement hubby. He's turned into a really good cook and has started to improve the boring old things like chili with interesting flavors ... in this case Guinness Stout and sausage. 5 Quote Level 4 Human Ranger/Paladin "We are better than we know, if we can be made to see it, [then] for the rest of our lives, we'll be unwilling to settle for less." - Kurt Hahn STR: 9 | DEX: 10 | CON: 14 | INT: 13 | WIS: 14 | CHA: 13 Link to comment
Chris-Tien Jinn Posted February 15, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 15, 2022 So, it seems that flooding the fortress worked. The viruses are on the run!! I'm not a total picture of health yet, but I felt good enough to go to CrossFit yesterday .... and I did a thing ..... I've started doing band-assisted pull ups too!! Yesterday's side quest was to give a 5-star review to a local restaurant. Could have done it, but I got busy. I'll do it today as well as another side quest. It looks like the troll's curse is sticking, although I pointed out to my department chair yesterday that making me not only teach our class in Scheme was a BAD IDEA, but putting me in charge as the lead professor was INSANE. I may have weakened the curse, however, since it sounds like I can start changing how it is taught. I am definitely going to need CrossFit and running for stress relief. 6 Quote Level 4 Human Ranger/Paladin "We are better than we know, if we can be made to see it, [then] for the rest of our lives, we'll be unwilling to settle for less." - Kurt Hahn STR: 9 | DEX: 10 | CON: 14 | INT: 13 | WIS: 14 | CHA: 13 Link to comment
Chris-Tien Jinn Posted February 17, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2022 Urgh!! I'm at that really difficult point where my weight is not budging .... in fact, it's crept up a bit. I'm ravenous and want to eat all the things (including the Valentine's candy .....)!!! My protein intake has been pretty good this week. It was down a little bit last night since we had soup and bread for dinner. But homemade Beer Cheese Soup and sourdough bread was worth it!! Side quests have been pretty easy after flooding out the bandits in the fortress. Tuesday's was to make a room smell nice - I have a diffuser and added peppermint and eucalyptus to it. Wednesday's was to write down goals - that's a habit .... so easy peasy. Now ... to whip up some eggs and a modest amount of toast for breakfast. Have I ever mentioned how much I love good bread?? 5 Quote Level 4 Human Ranger/Paladin "We are better than we know, if we can be made to see it, [then] for the rest of our lives, we'll be unwilling to settle for less." - Kurt Hahn STR: 9 | DEX: 10 | CON: 14 | INT: 13 | WIS: 14 | CHA: 13 Link to comment
Chris-Tien Jinn Posted February 18, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 18, 2022 I made it to TWO CrossFit classes this week!!! 3 1 Quote Level 4 Human Ranger/Paladin "We are better than we know, if we can be made to see it, [then] for the rest of our lives, we'll be unwilling to settle for less." - Kurt Hahn STR: 9 | DEX: 10 | CON: 14 | INT: 13 | WIS: 14 | CHA: 13 Link to comment
Elastigirl Posted February 18, 2022 Report Share Posted February 18, 2022 3 hours ago, Chris-Tien Jinn said: I made it to TWO CrossFit classes this week!!! Woot!! 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
Chris-Tien Jinn Posted February 19, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 The week has been going pretty well. Will calculate averages, especially on protein intake, but I think that tracking differently is having a positive impact. On the other hand .... we just learned that my husband's youngest sister (the baby of the family) is getting a divorce. We're processing our feelings while trying to be supportive. 5 Quote Level 4 Human Ranger/Paladin "We are better than we know, if we can be made to see it, [then] for the rest of our lives, we'll be unwilling to settle for less." - Kurt Hahn STR: 9 | DEX: 10 | CON: 14 | INT: 13 | WIS: 14 | CHA: 13 Link to comment
Jarric Posted February 19, 2022 Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 On 2/14/2022 at 3:05 AM, Chris-Tien Jinn said: improve the boring old things like chili with interesting flavors ... in this case Guinness Stout and sausage. Oo, this sounds good - I'm gonna have to try that. On 2/15/2022 at 12:50 PM, Chris-Tien Jinn said: I did a thing ..... Nice one! Enjoy it! 1 Quote Level 18 Wood Elf Ranger STR: 14 - CON: 11 - CHA: 3 - SAN: 9 - INT: 13 IAgreeWithTank™ "Shit is going down, but I am not." - iatetheyeti Don't say "I don't have enough time", say instead "that's not a priority right now" and see how that makes you feel. Current Challenge: Jarric's birthday party External: Epic Quest - Instagram - Strava Spoiler Previous 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 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 Old Stuff: Battle Log - My Introduction - 2017 Road Map - 2018 Road Map - 2019 Road Map - 2021 Road Map - 2022 road map/wrap-up Link to comment
Sloth the Enduring Posted February 19, 2022 Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 When in doubt, add more Brotein. 1 Quote “We might as well start where we are, use what we have and do what we can." – Caitlin Rivers Sloth: The Man with the Hammer battle log Link to comment
Chris-Tien Jinn Posted February 20, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2022 I'm sitting out on the back porch, loving the bird song (robins and cardinals) and the smell of chicken and veggie burgers on the grill. Starting tomorrow, winter is supposed to resume here in Iowa ... and in much of the US. But for now .... awesome to get some extra fresh air!! Progress Report 1) Eat 84+ grams of protein per day: average is oh so close: 83.28 grams per day 2) Strength train (CrossFit or gym or KBs at home) 2+ x per week: NAILED IT. 3) Positive affirmations daily: not remembering to do this every day. 🤦♀️ 4) < 31.9% BF%: unknown and trying to avoid measuring daily because I know it is pointless. 5) Draw a Side Quest card daily and complete all of those drawn by the end of the challenge: These are kinda fun, but I'm not super good at doing them .... and there is much wiggle room for interpretation. Yesterday's card was to watch my favorite movie. Hum. I'm not sure what I would list as my favorite movie. It really depends upon the season and mood. But we went to see Uncharted yesterday and Dog today. Both were good. I'm going to say that my favorite movie is the one I've watched recently that helped me feel happy. (I recommend both!). Today, its a creative card day. I'm knitting a spiral placemat. Or trying out the pattern to see if I like it. Not currently sold on the combination of yarn and pattern. 6 Quote Level 4 Human Ranger/Paladin "We are better than we know, if we can be made to see it, [then] for the rest of our lives, we'll be unwilling to settle for less." - Kurt Hahn STR: 9 | DEX: 10 | CON: 14 | INT: 13 | WIS: 14 | CHA: 13 Link to comment
Chris-Tien Jinn Posted February 26, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2022 CrossFit Open 22.1 I'm competing in the Female, 60 - 64, foundations category. My promise to myself is that I'll get good enough to do the scaled category next year! This year, I was not sure I could do even one Wall Walk. 5 Quote Level 4 Human Ranger/Paladin "We are better than we know, if we can be made to see it, [then] for the rest of our lives, we'll be unwilling to settle for less." - Kurt Hahn STR: 9 | DEX: 10 | CON: 14 | INT: 13 | WIS: 14 | CHA: 13 Link to comment
Chris-Tien Jinn Posted February 27, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2022 This week was more of a mixed result than last week .... Progress Report 1) Eat 84+ grams of protein per day: average is oh so close: average was 96 grams/day 2) Strength train (CrossFit or gym or KBs at home) 2+ x per week: NAILED IT and did the first workout of the Open 3) Positive affirmations daily: not remembering to do this every day. 4) < 31.9% BF%: did my measurements today and the trend is not good: 32.6% - damn that belly fat!!! 5) Draw a Side Quest card daily and complete all of those drawn by the end of the challenge: I'm not stressing about them. I draw one and if it looks fun, I'll do it. I am thoroughly stiff from Friday's competition, but I did active recovery yesterday (elliptical and yoga and stretching). Will continue to move and stretch (and drink water!) today. And use the foam roller. I was eating Clif Builder's bars for snacks with the excuse that I needed the protein. Given that my weight and belly fat are not budging, I am going to use protein shakes instead (less fat!). And switch to wraps or burritos instead of sandwiches. Last week, I did have some sweets as well. A brownie on my daughter's birthday and champagne cake after the Open on Friday. Plus, there's some candy lying around after Valentine's Day. So, I've been getting more sugar than is probably good for me (although .... according to MFP, it's not been awful). But, I can keep cutting back. I have to hide the candy and not listen to hubby's (hopefully) well-intentioned suggestions that I "deserve" a treat. 5 Quote Level 4 Human Ranger/Paladin "We are better than we know, if we can be made to see it, [then] for the rest of our lives, we'll be unwilling to settle for less." - Kurt Hahn STR: 9 | DEX: 10 | CON: 14 | INT: 13 | WIS: 14 | CHA: 13 Link to comment
Chris-Tien Jinn Posted February 27, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2022 On 2/19/2022 at 2:56 PM, Jarric said: Oo, this sounds good - I'm gonna have to try that. Beer also adds a nice bit of flavor to beef stew. We really don't drink much .... most of the alcohol we buy ends up in various dishes. 3 Quote Level 4 Human Ranger/Paladin "We are better than we know, if we can be made to see it, [then] for the rest of our lives, we'll be unwilling to settle for less." - Kurt Hahn STR: 9 | DEX: 10 | CON: 14 | INT: 13 | WIS: 14 | CHA: 13 Link to comment
Elastigirl Posted February 27, 2022 Report Share Posted February 27, 2022 Well done on the week! You are working out, and sticking to your MFP goals, stick with it, you'll see progress. 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
Sloth the Enduring Posted March 3, 2022 Report Share Posted March 3, 2022 Is the CrossFit Competition ongoing? How are you doing? 2 Quote “We might as well start where we are, use what we have and do what we can." – Caitlin Rivers Sloth: The Man with the Hammer battle log Link to comment
Loveable_Bouncer Posted March 3, 2022 Report Share Posted March 3, 2022 On 2/20/2022 at 5:47 PM, Chris-Tien Jinn said: Yesterday's card was to watch my favorite movie. Hum. I'm not sure what I would list as my favorite movie. It really depends upon the season and mood. But we went to see Uncharted yesterday and Dog today. Both were good. I'm going to say that my favorite movie is the one I've watched recently that helped me feel happy. (I recommend both!). Did you see both in theaters? On 2/27/2022 at 9:57 AM, Chris-Tien Jinn said: was eating Clif Builder's bars for snacks with the excuse that I needed the protein. Given that my weight and belly fat are not budging, I am going to use protein shakes instead (less fat!). And switch to wraps or burritos instead of sandwiches. I understand and yay for small changes! 20 hours ago, Sloth the Enduring said: Is the CrossFit Competition ongoing? How are you doing? Also curious.... And returning as a follower 1 Quote Larger than Average Fairy Druid Level 1 10 STR / 8 DEX / 10 CON / 13 INT / 13 WIS / 17 CHA (DnD Stats) Link to comment
Chris-Tien Jinn Posted March 12, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2022 On 3/3/2022 at 4:17 PM, Fairly_Bouncer said: Did you see both in theaters? Yes, we did. We live in a very small, college town, and nearly everyone is vaccinated and boosted. We also went to see Death on the Nile and didn't think it was as good as Murder on the Orient Express. On 3/2/2022 at 8:02 PM, Sloth the Enduring said: how is the CrossFit Competition ongoing? How are you doing? Week 2 was deadlifts and burpees. As I was warming up, doing a few burpees, I couldn't shake the resulting dizziness. So, I dropped out at that point. Just was well, I can't do thrusters at 35 pounds yet either, which would have been this week's barrier. I have a long ways to go!! I've hit a plateau on weight again. Haven't done measurements to calculate the BF% yet. But I am gradually setting PRs at CrossFit and managing to go once or twice per week. I need to work on transitioning between work and CrossFit faster so that I can go more frequently. 3 Quote Level 4 Human Ranger/Paladin "We are better than we know, if we can be made to see it, [then] for the rest of our lives, we'll be unwilling to settle for less." - Kurt Hahn STR: 9 | DEX: 10 | CON: 14 | INT: 13 | WIS: 14 | CHA: 13 Link to comment
Elastigirl Posted March 12, 2022 Report Share Posted March 12, 2022 I want to go see all those movies. Way to go on the Cross Fir consistency! 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
Sloth the Enduring Posted March 12, 2022 Report Share Posted March 12, 2022 Woot for PRs! 1 Quote “We might as well start where we are, use what we have and do what we can." – Caitlin Rivers Sloth: The Man with the Hammer battle log Link to comment
Chris-Tien Jinn Posted March 13, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2022 PRs are great. In many cases, these are exercises I never recorded or paid attention to before, but I'll take the glow of any achievement, thank you very much. This challenge, I have managed a couple PRS: We'll see what the last week brings. Since I had hit another plateau on weight loss, I reduced my daily calorie goal by 50 calories. 4 Quote Level 4 Human Ranger/Paladin "We are better than we know, if we can be made to see it, [then] for the rest of our lives, we'll be unwilling to settle for less." - Kurt Hahn STR: 9 | DEX: 10 | CON: 14 | INT: 13 | WIS: 14 | CHA: 13 Link to comment
Chris-Tien Jinn Posted March 13, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2022 Today's Side Quest was to do 15 minutes of housework. So ... that's done. I realized that setting the goal to do all of the Side Quests turned over was just adding more stress to my already busy days. So, I turn them over until I find one that I can and want to do that day. Next challenge, I am going to clean up my Habitica account and reorganize it. After all of these years, I've never really found a way to really RPG my fitness quests .... still thinking about that. 3 Quote Level 4 Human Ranger/Paladin "We are better than we know, if we can be made to see it, [then] for the rest of our lives, we'll be unwilling to settle for less." - Kurt Hahn STR: 9 | DEX: 10 | CON: 14 | INT: 13 | WIS: 14 | CHA: 13 Link to comment
Loveable_Bouncer Posted March 15, 2022 Report Share Posted March 15, 2022 On 3/12/2022 at 9:09 AM, Chris-Tien Jinn said: Yes, we did. We live in a very small, college town, and nearly everyone is vaccinated and boosted. We also went to see Death on the Nile and didn't think it was as good as Murder on the Orient Express. No issues of covid was just curious...Wowza jealous by your theater variety. Dog is one I'm glad you confirm is great and will be renting when I settle to watch it! On 3/12/2022 at 9:09 AM, Chris-Tien Jinn said: Week 2 was deadlifts and burpees. As I was warming up, doing a few burpees, I couldn't shake the resulting dizziness. So, I dropped out at that point. Just was well, I can't do thrusters at 35 pounds yet either, which would have been this week's barrier. I have a long ways to go!! Aww that makes sense, but with your PR's you could be able to join in a future time! On 3/13/2022 at 11:18 AM, Chris-Tien Jinn said: Next challenge, I am going to clean up my Habitica account and reorganize it. After all of these years, I've never really found a way to really RPG my fitness quests .... still thinking about that 100% feel you on this. I feel it on being life is never the same flow forward. Quote Larger than Average Fairy Druid Level 1 10 STR / 8 DEX / 10 CON / 13 INT / 13 WIS / 17 CHA (DnD Stats) Link to comment
Chris-Tien Jinn Posted March 15, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2022 8 hours ago, Fairly_Bouncer said: Dog is one I'm glad you confirm is great and will be renting when I settle to watch it! Have some tissues handy. Spoiler because of plot details. Spoiler It's all good. I confirmed before we went that the dog does not die. But my dad was in the Army, and Taps always brings tears to my eyes. 8 hours ago, Fairly_Bouncer said: Aww that makes sense, but with your PR's you could be able to join in a future time! That's what I figured too. I'm finally in the flow with CrossFit, and I am not so sore with DOMS afterward that I can hardly move two days later. And now, I know what to expect. They love burpees ... so I'll work on them. 2 1 Quote Level 4 Human Ranger/Paladin "We are better than we know, if we can be made to see it, [then] for the rest of our lives, we'll be unwilling to settle for less." - Kurt Hahn STR: 9 | DEX: 10 | CON: 14 | INT: 13 | WIS: 14 | CHA: 13 Link to comment
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