[obax]

I can't think of any snappy titles this time 'round, but I'm makin' a challenge anyway!

 

I came back after a long while to the pre-Christmas mini-challenge, and that was the first official stating of goals in a good long while. It was a bit of a mixed bag, but generally had a positive trajectory, but as soon as it was over I slid back a bit. So, this time it's not going to be much different, just with a longer timeline.

 

1. Healthy Body

 

Continue with going to the gym 3x/week. This fell off the week before and after Christmas, for reasons (most of them actual reasons and not just because I was lazy), but thing should be back to normal this week, work-schedule and gym schedule-wise, so I should be good.

 

2. Healthy Eating

 

Still nebulous, but this was one I felt fairly good about overall through the mini challenge, and the one that seemed to continue on a positive-ish trajectory after it was over. I wasn't perfect, but I also wasn't shooting for perfection, and I'm still not, but less takeout, during my workday in particular, and more self-made meals is the goal. The big thing with this is getting to the grocery store regularly, so that'll be the main focus. Sandwich ingredients and portable fruits that can be eaten while driving at the very least, with the added goal of cooking some stews/soups to keep in the fridge/freezer for dinners (this last bit was in the last challenge too and was the part that didn't happen at all).

 

3. Healthy Mind

 

Last time this was focused only on my writing, but I've recently veered off on a D&D related tangent that's been taking a lot of my time (not a complaint, and it's 100% my own fault, because why use pre-made worlds/adventures when it's so much more difficult and time consuming to create your own?!). I don't want to forget about my book (it still feels weird to talk about it that way), but sometimes a break isn't a bad thing, and I'm legit enjoying the campaign creation process. So, same goal as last time (5hr/week), but any creative pursuit counts towards this (the main ones being writing and D&D creation), and we'll see how I feel about the D&D vs book balance/progress at the end.

 

This is a work in progress goal, I'm aiming for more consistency. I have a tendency to glom onto new pursuits with 110% then drift away in a some amount of time, and with both writing, and now D&D, I don't want that to happen. I'm hoping a bit of 'do it anyway' strategy even when I'm only sort of feeling it (or not feeling it at all) will lead to it being more of a habit and less of a whim. Turning whims into habits has never, ever been my strong suit, so it's probably going to be an endless journey, but still one worth embarking on, I think.

 

Something to Think About

 

Spoilered for length, because it's not directly related to this challenge, but suggestions welcome if you feel like reading through a novel's worth of overthinking.
 

Spoiler

Come February my work schedule will be changing from 5x8hr/week to 4x10hr/week. This is, overall, a good thing, but the hours of work on any given day are 8:30-6:30, which presents a significant challenge to Goal #1, inasmuch as the latest class of the day is 6:20pm and I am very very much not a morning person.

 

Possible Solutions with Associated Downsides:

 

1. I'm going to be horribly sleep deprived regardless so would an extra hour really make the difference, ie. I could get up earlier and go to a morning class. The answer is probably not, and this has worked as a now-and-again solution in the past, but how motivated will I be to stick to this long-term? I don't know the answer to that, but my feeling is not very.

 

2. Schedule classes only on my days off (there are 3 of them in a week, after all). I don't usually attend weekend classes as they're structured differently. I also have a hard time with more than 2 days in a row, and even 2 days in a row feels like a lot sometimes, but both those things will have to become regular if I take this approach. It also gives me less choice over what I do, since the gym's schedule with respect to the various lifts changes from week to week and just going when I can will result in less consistency with any of the lifts I prefer to do.

 

3. Attend classes only on my days off that coincide with the lifts I want to work on, and take advantage of the open gym time on the same days to catch up on missed lifts. This means I'm potentially missing out on 1 or more WODS and also means I'm potentially going as few as 1 day per week (though I suppose on days that are both off work and a lift scheduled that I don't want to do, I can do the workout from a missed day on my own in the open gym time). I can accept the missed WODS but that kind of inconsistency will probably not work well in the long run, and will likely lead to there sometimes being long gaps between gym days. I would, at the very least, need to find another activity to do on non-gym days, and at-home activities are, at best, hit-and-miss with me.

 

4. Get a cheap globo-gym membership and make friends with the gym bros, I have access to the workouts on my gym's scheduling app so I can still do the lifts and WOD on my own at a later time when I work. I've never felt very comfortable in that kind of setting, and I have no idea how much free space the cheap gyms in my city have for the WOD aspect. I really don't like lifting heavy, especially trying to max out, on my own, as I don't feel comfortable bailing, especially with non-bumper plates, and asking strangers for a spot is scary (I could probably summon my 10 seconds of courage now and again, but to do it regularly when I'm already mentally exhausted sounds unsustainable). There is one gym I've gone to before that has trainers available for spotting (though they weren't doing it during covid and I don't know if that's changed) and lots of empty space for WODs, but it's not exactly cheap. I could probably afford it but I'm already paying a lot for crossfit and am not overly keen to pay a significant amount more because my work hours suck.

 

5. Quit crossfit, join a decent gym, and do my own programming. I've tried this before and not stuck with it, I'm never confident I've picked a good program for where I'm at, and have the same problem about lifting heavy by myself as in #4. I also don't want to, I like crossfit in general and this gym in particular and don't want to leave it, and I know myself well enough that I'll sulk if I can't have my cake and eat it to and this will lead to lower motivation over time. That's its own battle to be fought if I choose this option, but I know it'll be a challenge I need to take into account.

 

None of these solutions are ones I want to undertake. TBH, 1 and 3 seem most viable, and will probably be what I try first, but the point noted in #5 (about sulking when I can't have my cake and eat it too) applies to all and I'll have to tackle that to some degree no matter what I do. Regardless, I'll make my opinions known to my supervisor, 8:30-6:30 were not the expected hours (we were expecting 8-6, which would solve all my problems) and I'm not the only one who's making a face at it. That's well above my pay grade, however, and I can't count on changes being made at all, let alone in a timely fashion, so if I want to stay at least somewhat consistent with exercise I'm going to have to figure something out.

 

[Artemis Prime]

I've discovered that cooking is one of those things that I like better the more I do it. Hoping that you have the same experience as you shoot for more home-cooked meals.

 

Sorry about the work hours/gym difficulty. Trying to fit workouts around other commitments is the primary reason I work out at home. I have no experience with Crossfit, so I don't know how open gym works. It is any time when classes are not being run? Could you go to the gym after work anyways and just finish up after the last class? (I realize the group workout aspect of Crossfit is the main point for a lot of people, but maybe getting there as other people are finishing would kind of serve the same purpose? Or maybe find other members of your box that would also prefer a later time and do an unofficial late class? #5 would be my personal choice, but crossfit has never really appealed to me, so I understand that you would rather stay. If you do end up exploring other programming, though, there are lots of quality program available out there so you don't have to make your own from scratch.

 

Fingers crossed that work hours get shifted and all your problems are solved!

[obax]

5 hours ago, Artemis Prime said:

I've discovered that cooking is one of those things that I like better the more I do it. Hoping that you have the same experience as you shoot for more home-cooked meals.

 

Sorry about the work hours/gym difficulty. Trying to fit workouts around other commitments is the primary reason I work out at home. I have no experience with Crossfit, so I don't know how open gym works. It is any time when classes are not being run? Could you go to the gym after work anyways and just finish up after the last class? (I realize the group workout aspect of Crossfit is the main point for a lot of people, but maybe getting there as other people are finishing would kind of serve the same purpose? Or maybe find other members of your box that would also prefer a later time and do an unofficial late class? #5 would be my personal choice, but crossfit has never really appealed to me, so I understand that you would rather stay. If you do end up exploring other programming, though, there are lots of quality program available out there so you don't have to make your own from scratch.

 

Fingers crossed that work hours get shifted and all your problems are solved!

 

The late class thing probably isn't an option, most weekdays there's actually a class after the last Crossfit class which is Olympic Lifting (which I'm terrible at), so the gym is being used until as last as 8:30pm I think, and I can't imagine the coaches would want to hang around after that just so I can do my thing, and doing my own thing during the Olympic Lifting class would probably be disruptive. Open gym is basically just a time when the gym is open and a coach is there, but no classes are running and the people using the gym are free to do as they please. But, as you say, the class aspect is part of what I like, though when I really think about it it's less the class aspect and more the coach aspect. I feel like I need to ask several questions of a few different people to make a fully informed decision, but #1 or #5 do seem like the most straightforward...

[obax]

Monday 2 January

 

Day off in lieu of the holiday being Sunday, so I slept in real late (tomorrow is going to be sooooo early...) D&D all afternoon, I don't think anyone intended for it to be a 5hr long session but it was. So, no exercise (it was a lift I wouldn't have normally done anyway), did not eat well (gobbled a bagel before D&D, ate a few chips during, and then way more chips after) nor did I cook. I did go to the grocery store and get some sandwich stuff for the rest of the week and some chicken thighs with which to cook some soup or stew or something. When I got home from D&D I did a bunch of creative stuff, mostly map drawing, while also watching Critical Role, catching up on some one-shots I never watched (The Search for Grog and The Search of Bob, though I didn't get all the way through the latter). It was basically all D&D, all day long. I forgot to time the map making, but I'll give myself a couple of hours at least. It was probably more but, like, if I count the entire time it'd be almost the whole amount in one night (not that that's a bad thing), and also I did a lot of draw a thing, watch the show for a bit, draw another thing, watch the show for a bit, so it wasn't really 4hr solid.

 

I've gone through the gym app and signed up for this week. I have no choice but to go 3 days in a row. I wanted to go Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, but I have an appointment Friday that conflicts.

[starpuck]

Wouldn't miss a shift with my favorite winger.   Sorry.   A lot of hockey references for someone who hung up the skates for the time being.      But we go back a LONG way and I love that. 

I also love your title.  Pfft, and you think it wasn't snappy.

 

Super frustrating on the hours.  I am the same way when a working schedule is forced to change, and I hurriedly overthink all the potential fixes, and what is the best option (while sulking in my head that the best one is the one I can't DO anymore, grr) hehe.   I hope you find something that, at least in time, can work for ya.   Even if it's a struggle to get it adjusted to.

 

[Sylvaa]

On 1/1/2023 at 4:09 PM, obax said:

Spoilered for length, because it's not directly related to this challenge, but suggestions welcome if you feel like reading through a novel's worth of overthinking.

 

Last year, I changed my schedule to allow for 5:30 gym mornings. And before hand, I was a hard core night owl. It hasn't been as awful as I had thought it would be, although some morning suck (particularly if I sleep badly or have crappy travel). Something that I hadn't considered before the change is how there is just a different vibe with people who work out first thing in the morning and it really helps if you can get through the first week or two. 

[Artemis Prime]

19 hours ago, obax said:

It was basically all D&D, all day long.

I often waffle on whether I should try to temper myself when I start to go all in on something or just ride the wave. I usually decide to ride the wave, because why the heck not?

[obax]

On 1/3/2023 at 3:45 PM, Sylvaa said:

 

Last year, I changed my schedule to allow for 5:30 gym mornings. And before hand, I was a hard core night owl. It hasn't been as awful as I had thought it would be, although some morning suck (particularly if I sleep badly or have crappy travel). Something that I hadn't considered before the change is how there is just a different vibe with people who work out first thing in the morning and it really helps if you can get through the first week or two. 

 

I have a sleep disorder that makes mornings harder to adjust to than your average bear, I've tried and failed several times in the past. That said, the fact that I'm leaning towards that solution rather than working out at a more preferred time at a different gym is an indication of how much I love this gym, so............

 

22 hours ago, Artemis Prime said:

I often waffle on whether I should try to temper myself when I start to go all in on something or just ride the wave. I usually decide to ride the wave, because why the heck not?

 

I usually ride the wave too (clearly), though this feels like one that'll stick and isn't likely to be a passing fancy. DMing, maybe, we'll have to see how I like it if/when I ever get to it, but D&D in general, I think I'm properly hooked.

[obax]

Tuesday and Wednesday

 

Gym done both days, and hoo boy am I sore. I think the 2 weeks off over christmas was probably not a bad thing, as far as my hip/SI joint is concerned. My quads and traps beg to differ...

 

Homemade sandwiches and fruit for lunch both days. Chips for dinner last night, pre-gym meal of pasta tonight, and I haven't eaten dinner yet but it'll be something proper-ish (ie. not chips) and not takeout.

 

Had a late appointment last night so I got home late and just watched the end of The Search for Bob without doing anything else creative. I may put on another one-shot (Dalen's Closet, maybe?) and fiddle around with some loot lists and/or monster creation. Or I may just veg and watch, I'm pretty tired.

 

Currently uncertain if I'm just really tired or getting sick. My sister has a cold and I was in close quarters with her over the long weekend, so it could go either way.

[starpuck]

Aggh.  I am with you on two counts here.   The sore from rebuilding a workout streak, and the pondering if I am getting a cold, or my throat is just raw because I was gasping so hard during the workout yesterday.

Good plan on the foods.

Let's be positive and assume we're just tired/raw from exertion and with a day of active recovery/rest we'll be good as new!

 

[obax]

5 hours ago, starpuck said:

Let's be positive and assume we're just tired/raw from exertion and with a day of active recovery/rest we'll be good as new!

 

 

So far so good..........

 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Thursday 5 January

 

Long day at work with no food, I had to rush out the door and didn't have a sandwich made ahead of time. It ended up being a mostly positive day by the end of it but it took a lot out of me, and I got Wendy's on the way home.

 

No gym, I cancelled and don't feel bad. I haven't been this sore in a very long time, even walking across flat ground was painful. Add to that the less than idea fuel and the fact that I'm hella tired, and I don't think it was the wrong choice. The only downside is that I can't make it up tomorrow because of an appointment.

 

I'm typing this directly after work, so nothing creative yet, but I have plans for later. I didn't end up doing anything last night, I mostly just dozed on the couch while watching Critical Role.

[starpuck]

I also canceled the work out yesterday and feel it was the wiser choice.   And, so far so good here too.  Despite worse sleep for me, I am feeling less 'might be fighting something off'. 

 

[Asha Phoenix]

How are things going?

[obax]

Whatever Today Is

 

Kinda forgot this was a thing..... Whoops......

 

General update for the time between my last post and today:

 

I've been pretty good with the gym 'til now, next week might not be great because I'm working afternoon and the morning classes fill up real quick and I've already missed out on Monday and Tuesday... It feels a bit pointless anyway, my new work schedule starts the week after next, and when I was signing up for classes today I looked at the earlier classes and they were all filled as far ahead of time as is possible, with lengthy wait lists, and there's no way I'm ever going to be on the ball enough to snag a spot on the regular. Which means I'm probably going to have to quit this gym, and that really sucks and makes me unhappy. Gonna sulk about it for a while, then see how I feel about the other options.

 

Food stuff has not been good, I really don't understand why it's so hard to just buy groceries, and then eat them... Got some stuff yesterday, but then got lazy about cooking today. I'll have to try to make myself do it after work tomorrow, which hasn't been very successful in the past, but if I don't at least cook the chicken it's going to go bad, so maybe that'll get me going.

 

Creative stuff has been ok, been doing lots of work on the D&D stuff, but no writing. This is less than ideal but there are only so many hours in a day and I made a commitment to my friend to get this done in a reasonable amount of time, whereas the writing is just for me and has no deadline. Hopefully the new work schedule will help me find a bit more free time to be able to split it between the two.