[spezzy]

 

Last challenge I had just started treatment for Lyme disease. 

 

I was really excited to get started, and then.... 

e

 

 

The coconut hit me in the head. 

 

The antibiotics + anti vertigo meds won, and I had to take it MUCH easier than originally planned or thought. 

 

I thought I had set up a challenge to help me support healing, but a challenge was more than I could handle - in order to heal I needed to take that time off. 

 

The good news is that instead, I focused on two things: 

• Healing (sleep, really, honestly)
• Focusing on things I could do - general around the house yard work and movement, planning the home gym, getting the equipment ordered (and for some set up), etc. 

 

Doc said we're looking at 6ish months for recovery, but it's going to be a slow build back.  So while I was hoping I could just kick the lyme into the ocean... it looks like it's gonna be more like a slow roll and wash out to sea.

 

I am feeling a LOT better - just need to be realistic here with what is possible.  My goal is to be ready to do an actual lifting program starting in January. This is a very realistic timeline based on my experience with my recovery so far. 

 

But In order to do that, I need to focus on getting my dailies (or, pulling from a previous challenge, my garden), in order - and start actually training again, and getting my body ready to handle a heavier program. 

 

So it's time to get up

 

put on my war paint (this stuff works like chalk, right? you just lather it on?)

 

and gear up

 

cuz it's go time

 

 

While this list looks like a lot, outside of the movement goals, it's actually just a slow add on / slight modifications of what I'm doing already. 

 

1) MOVEMENT:

I have been able to keep up with walking each morning, and plan to continue to do the same.

 

• Row every day (at least 500m)
• Mobility work 5x/week (5 min minimum)
• Strength train 3x/week

 

2) NUTRITION

Nutrition hasn't been bad, but I have been eating mostly just intuitively and I'm going to need to start paying more attention as I start to train again to make sure I'm getting enough of the right foods.  I think this will be ezpz - and shouldn't be too far off what I'm doing. 

 

• 4-6 servings of protein every day
• 4-6 servings of veggies every day

 

3) LIFE

• Go outside every afternoon (if the weather is terrible, I can be in the garage) - the simple act of walking outside helps my day so much, so let's make in an actual goal
• Yoga Nidra at night before bed - I am already taking the time to lay in the dark, I just now need to add the yoga nidra element
• Check in here at least 4x/week (this forces me to check in on my goals, so it's going to be an actual goal)

 

And that's it! Good luck y'all!

 

[Grizzy]

Sorry treatment kicked your butt! Wishing you a smoother recovery going forward.

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

Well done adjusting to what life gives you. Of course I'm here.

[RES]

When life gives you lymes you make margaritas...or something like that  good job on resting and working on recovering

 

[Rurik Harrgath]

15 hours ago, spezzy said:

put on my war paint (this stuff works like chalk, right? you just lather it on?)

 

have experience, can confirm.

 

 

also highly recommend poison ivy for camouflage brush!  

[sarakingdom]

14 hours ago, spezzy said:

Healing (sleep, really, honestly)

 

Sleep is deeply underrated. Don't stop doing that.

[DaemonCorax]

It's hard when your body says "no" to something you were really looking forward to. Your objectives will be there. Rest up and good luck!

[KB Girl]

If you feel like sharing any of the mobility work you're doing, I'd be interested!

Smart challenge! 

[spezzy]

On 11/27/2022 at 8:32 PM, Grizzy said:

Sorry treatment kicked your butt! Wishing you a smoother recovery going forward.

 

It's okay! Apparently fighting something that's been infecting you for years takes a toll on your body to actually win. Who would have thought 😂  And thank you!!

 

 

On 11/27/2022 at 9:09 PM, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

Well done adjusting to what life gives you. Of course I'm here.

 

 

On 11/28/2022 at 7:27 AM, RES said:

When life gives you lymes you make margaritas...or something like that  good job on resting and working on recovering

 

 

 

On 11/28/2022 at 10:49 AM, Rurik Harrgath said:

 

have experience, can confirm.

 

also highly recommend poison ivy for camouflage brush!  

 

 

 

On 11/28/2022 at 11:14 AM, sarakingdom said:

 

Sleep is deeply underrated. Don't stop doing that.

 

No, though if my body could sleep a little less during the day and more at night, that would be very kind. 

 

On 11/28/2022 at 11:41 AM, DaemonCorax said:

It's hard when your body says "no" to something you were really looking forward to. Your objectives will be there. Rest up and good luck!

 

a huge let down, that's for sure! It at least taught me to have no expectations going into this, at all, so that's making this one a lot easier! And thank you!

 

On 11/28/2022 at 3:53 PM, KB Girl said:

If you feel like sharing any of the mobility work you're doing, I'd be interested!

Smart challenge! 

 

Definitely! It's been interesting seeing what mobility I still have... and what I definitely don't. I'm so creaky on the rower. It will get there!

 

 

[spezzy]

Alright, lil zero week update. 

• I rowed for 5 minutes Monday and 10 minutes yesterday, in the afternoon. If I row in the afternoon, I also have to go outside in the afternoon, killing two birds with one stone. 
• I am going to aim to start also giving the rabbits water in the afternoon, right before it gets dark (it gets dark at 4pm here, so this is still early), so that will also help me hit that "get outside" goal. Since it's below freezing temps, I have to make sure the rabbits have water 2x/day, and going out after dark means more work for me, so this is good motivation. 
• I started tracking protein and veggies today as a part of my daily work tracker. 
• The rest of my gym equipment that I've ordered over the last month should arrive by Friday, which means we can set it up this weekend, just in time to start strength training next week. Depending on energy, I may try for the gym over the weekend, too. 

 

 

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

Wait, y'all are raising rabbits? 🐇 

[spezzy]

1 hour ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

Wait, y'all are raising rabbits? 🐇 

 

Our house came with a rabbitry and two older bucks - so that's all we've got right now,  but come spring we do plan on getting some and give raising them again a go, since we already have 90% of what we need already set up.  Just not with these guys, they're in retirement (these are my mom's old 4-h boys, so she'd bring them to fairs and shows to teach kids about rabbits)

 

This is Kevin, one of the two guys. 

 

 

[sarakingdom]

On 11/30/2022 at 2:46 PM, spezzy said:

This is Kevin, one of the two guys. 

 

What a handsome gentleman. He should come to tea.

[Mistr]

How cool that you have a rabbitry!

 

I would like to have angora rabbits, but my family is not onboard with that plan.

[spezzy]

On 12/1/2022 at 9:06 PM, sarakingdom said:

 

What a handsome gentleman. He should come to tea.

 

 

 

On 12/2/2022 at 1:30 PM, Mistr said:

How cool that you have a rabbitry!

 

I would like to have angora rabbits, but my family is not onboard with that plan.

 

What's their biggest concern? I'm all for raising rabbits - I raised them as a kid and even got my rabbit registrar's license. It's a ton of fun - but definitely has it's cons, too  There are a lot of reasons why I stopped and why we're only going to start back on a trial basis haha.

 

Angoras are WONDERFUL rabbits, my Mom used to have them as well.

 

I'm considering getting one or two for the wool (my Mom is big into the fibre scene here so I'd be able to sell it) - but they are a lot of upkeep, especially if you don't have a blower. I found one of her old blowers in the garage, so really hoping it works still!

 

If anyone who is reading this has no idea what I'm talking about when I say "Angora rabbit" and "blower", watch this:

[Mistr]

20 hours ago, spezzy said:

What's their biggest concern? I'm all for raising rabbits - I raised them as a kid and even got my rabbit registrar's license. It's a ton of fun - but definitely has it's cons, too  There are a lot of reasons why I stopped and why we're only going to start back on a trial basis haha.

 

Angoras are WONDERFUL rabbits, my Mom used to have them as well.

 

I'm considering getting one or two for the wool (my Mom is big into the fibre scene here so I'd be able to sell it) - but they are a lot of upkeep, especially if you don't have a blower. I found one of her old blowers in the garage, so really hoping it works still!

 

A long time ago, I built a nice set of hutches with wire cages and had them behind the house I was living in. I had two English angoras and had bred them. That was an accident and poor planning on my part, since I did not have extra cages for the babies. About a week after the babies were born, someone stole both adult rabbits. I tried to bottle feed the babies, but that was not successful. It was very traumatic for me and especially for my partner, Dumbledore.

 

He is very firm that we can't have rabbits unless we have a secure place for them. Our back yard is fenced, but not really secure enough. There is not space in the garage right now. There could be, but that would be a long-term project.

 

For my part, I am not in a hurry to have rabbits. I bought a pound of white angora wool a long time ago. I still haven't spun all of it. I can't really justify having my own rabbits while I still have plenty of fiber.

 

That said, if you get more angoras, I would be happy to buy wool from you.  

[spezzy]

52 minutes ago, Mistr said:

 

A long time ago, I built a nice set of hutches with wire cages and had them behind the house I was living in. I had two English angoras and had bred them. That was an accident and poor planning on my part, since I did not have extra cages for the babies. About a week after the babies were born, someone stole both adult rabbits. I tried to bottle feed the babies, but that was not successful. It was very traumatic for me and especially for my partner, Dumbledore.

 

He is very firm that we can't have rabbits unless we have a secure place for them. Our back yard is fenced, but not really secure enough. There is not space in the garage right now. There could be, but that would be a long-term project.

 

For my part, I am not in a hurry to have rabbits. I bought a pound of white angora wool a long time ago. I still haven't spun all of it. I can't really justify having my own rabbits while I still have plenty of fiber.

 

That said, if you get more angoras, I would be happy to buy wool from you.  

 

What??? Someone stole your rabbits first, but also stole a nursing mama and left the babies? That's HORRIBLE, I'm so sorry you (and your rabbits!) went through that. I've actually never heard about anyone's rabbits getting stolen from their hutches before - that's crazy. I would have been traumatized as well. 

 

When I was a kid and we had 250+, they were definitely just in our yard!  My Mom said that on this land she has had a local dog come into the yard and kill one of her rabbits before, but that's about the worst of it (and we're getting an electric fence and a guardian dog, so if the local dog tries that again, well, he'll have seen better days). 

 

FWIW, bottle feeding rabbits is insanely hard, especially at that age, even if you've done it a hundred times before. The success rate is just not high, no matter how hard you try ❤️ Because of this, whenever I breed I always breed a few does at once, so if one has issues with caring for the babies, we can foster them out to other Mamas.  

 

I know you said you hadn't planned on babies (it happens!!!) - but this definitely does not sound like something that was your fault, all around. It sounds like a terrible situation.  ❤️

 

[spezzy]

Zero Week Recap

 

TL;DR: Small nutrition changes + less medicines in my system + adding in small movement = ended up dropping about ~2lb, so that's a nice start. 

 

Took starting photos 12/1, picked a notebook for my workout log (notebooks are v important, okay? 😂 ), and started to actually think about planning

 

1) MOVEMENT:

Number one goal for zero week was to get out into the garage each day, and row at least 500m.

I hit every day except for Friday, which, in all honesty, I just forgot. My day was a bit off and that threw me off.

 

Totals:

Monday - 5 min

Tuesday - 10 min

Wednesday - 10 min

Thursday - 20 min 

Friday - missed

Saturday I rowed 1000m 4x in between unboxing and re-arranging stuff in the gym
Sunday - 500m 

 

This week: Adding in strength training and mobility work

 

• Row every day (at least 500m) ⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️☠️⚔️⚔️
• Mobility work 5x/week (5 min minimum)
• Strength train 3x/week

 

2) NUTRITION

I didn't do a great job tracking these during zero week, but I did take a full inventory of the fridge, went shopping, and started to make food plans for the week which is something I haven't had the energy for in MONTHS so that in itself was a huge win, and will help me set up for success this week.

 

I also did meal prep some chicken one night which sounds like something small but having the energy to think about food for TOMORROW is new for me now that I'm feeling better, so this is actually huge. 

 

I did have protein + veg with every meal this last week, I just didn't count the servings to check off things here.

 

So adding in this week: 

• 4-6 servings of protein every day
• 4-6 servings of veggies every day

 

3) LIFE

 

Focused on this one: 

• Go outside every afternoon (if the weather is terrible, I can be in the garage) - the simple act of walking outside helps my day so much, so let's make in an actual goal

I made this goal every day except for Friday, which like I mentioned, I just forgot. 

 

Adding these this week:

• Yoga Nidra at night before bed - I am already taking the time to lay in the dark, I just now need to add the yoga nidra element
• Check in here at least 4x/week

[Everstorm]

26 minutes ago, spezzy said:

ended up dropping about ~2lb, so that's a nice start. 

🥳

 

26 minutes ago, spezzy said:

notebooks are v important, okay? 😂

I am Everstorm, and I approve this message.

 

Congratulations on all the wins this week, big and small.  It's so nice to hear that you are finally feeling better!

[Mistr]

Having more energy to plan meals and cooking is a great improvement!

 

What kind of guard dog are you thinking of getting?

[spezzy]

23 hours ago, Everstorm said:

🥳

 

I am Everstorm, and I approve this message.

 

Congratulations on all the wins this week, big and small.  It's so nice to hear that you are finally feeling better!

 

Thank you!!

 

 

19 hours ago, Mistr said:

Having more energy to plan meals and cooking is a great improvement!

 

What kind of guard dog are you thinking of getting?

 

It's huge. Maybe I can start to help around the house more, too!

 

Still in the research phase for the dog, really.  Likely a Great Pyr/Anatolian or mix. We have a decent sized property now, but we're trying to see if we can get the 6 acres (or at least 1-2 of it) that abuts ours, and if we get that land that will likely influence the decision a bit, because it will influence how many goats and what size goats we can get (and if we can get them an alpaca, too).  We want chickens as well so something with a less of a prey drive, and having it be my first guardian dog, they're known to be a bit "easier" (I put that in quotes because LSG's are a huge commitment and a ton of work and never actually easy haha). Still a lot to learn!

 

We live in the middle of protected conservation land, trails, etc - we're close to things but also pretty in the woods, and there are coyotes, bears, bobcats, hawks, etc everywhere - so we will 100% need as much protection as we can get (but also need to do it right to protect the protection!). 

 

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

Donkeys are good protection from coyotes, though a quick Google search says they are only able to handle coyotes 1v1 and don't like regular dogs much.

[spezzy]

46 minutes ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

Donkeys are good protection from coyotes, though a quick Google search says they are only able to handle coyotes 1v1 and don't like regular dogs much.

 

They are! My Aunt had one for a long time on her farm.  The "regular dogs" just learn not to get close to the donkey, honestly (she also had border collies and they did not ever get near that donkey ha) 

 

I have two issues with donkeys right now:

1) They can be a 40 year commitment (though we'd probably look at an older 'rescue')

2) They're completely new and foreign to me. I've raised rabbits, chickens, and had a goat before, but that was a long time ago, so I'm nervous that a donkey would be too much learning all at once along with my other goals and responsibilities, too. My dog growing up wasn't a 'livestock' dog, per se, but I did a lot of training with him and he watched the animals well, so at least there's some familiarity with it. It might be that a donkey is for our NEXT farm. 

[spezzy]

Heyyy I did a workout! 

 

Started with 5 mins of ankle mobility - just really sitting at the bottom of a squat and playing around. 

 

500m Row

Goblet Squats - 7 sets of 10

500m Row

Romanian Deadlifts - 5 sets of 10

500m Row

 

I also rowed 500m this morning after my walk, for a total of 2000m today!

 

Yesterday I rowed 500m.

 

 

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

4 hours ago, spezzy said:

Heyyy I did a workout! 

That's awesome.