Absidey's Getting to the Point Challenge

[Absidey]

Absidey closed her log with a small shake of her head and tucked the notebook into her pack. She reached for a shiny new pin and took perhaps a little longer than necessary to affix it to one of the pack's shoulder straps. Joining the rangers was just what her life had needed. The training round had not gone as well as she hoped, but it had not gotten her booted out either, so at least there was that. Swinging the pack onto her back, Absidey took one last look around her room at the base camp to make sure she had gotten everything. Finally, she nodded once, squared her shoulders, and put on her best show of confidence as she headed out to prove her worth on the road: where anything could happen, and she would damn well handle it or suffer potentially dire consequences.

I'm going to change things up a bit and play for points. I want more flexibility this time, so I'm not setting any lift/lose this much goals, and I'm allowing for variety over the course of the challenge. I will be setting weekly point targets for each category based on what's going on and whether or not I need to make some allowances. If I need more micromanagement to keep focused, I'll specify a per diem point requirement for a while. The idea is to keep myself moving forward, even if I need to back off a little in one area or another to accommodate what life's throwing at me.

My goal categories are:

1) Get some action!

I've gotten lax about being more active everyday. It's not okay to just go to the gym a few times a week to pick things up and put them down again. I have lazy hobbies: I read, play video games, and keep my daughter's stable of plastic ponies groomed. I don't take my kid outside enough. It's time to start working on making all of my days more active AND interactive.

+3 STR, +2 STA

2) I say macro, you say nutrient!

My eating hasn't been too bad since getting settled into the new place, but I haven't been tracking for months. I need to fix that, or my eating will certainly wander further from where I aim. I want to read more before I commit, but I may try paleo/primal during the challenge and adjust my points accordingly. I may just stick with the 40/30/30 ratio, and that's okay too.

+2 CON, +1 CHA

3) Now with articulated joints!

I'm horribly inflexible and have a severely underdeveloped tibialis anterior which is causing imbalance and (theoretically) shin splints. I started working on it last challenge, but didn't realize how long it would really take to see measurable progress. This challenge, I'm going to make sure that helping all my bits learn to move better doesn't get shoved aside for things with more exciting results.

+2 DEX, +1 STA

4) Freakin' relax already!

I may be lazy, but I hardly ever relax. I need to learn how to do nothing and find some peace. This may seem insignificant, but letting go of some stress and tension would allow me to be more patient at home and work, reduce cortisol's effect on my fat loss, support my mobility work, and reduce likelihood of sickness or injury. This is probably going to be the hardest thing for me to start and keep up for the full 6 weeks.

+1 WIS, +1 STA, +1 CHA, +1 DEX

Unless otherwise noted, each thing is worth 1 point.

Action

Do something outside

30 minutes of weights or cardio

Work on handstand progression

2 hours or more of an active activity with a companion (2 pts)

Diet

1 day of complete tracking (via MFP)

1 day without stupid snacks. (Stupid defined as anything I regret before I finish chewing.)

Mobility

Mobilty wod or stretching

Yoga

2 AMRAP sets of tibialis anterior development

Relax

Any meditation (I think the most I've managed of continuous meditation is about 30 seconds.)

Go to gym to NOT workout. Sauna, massage, hot tub, whatever.

PvP Challenge! ZOMG!

I'm going head-to-head with Kuiken in the New Rules of Lifting. We're still working out the details for scoring, but the stakes are high: whoever loses has to dress like a girly-girl for a week. Including heels. Eek!

Week 1 Targets

Action: 10 pts

Diet: 10 pts

Mobility: 7 pts

Relax: 2 pts

[ellystar]

Great goals, especially your life goal. Relaxation is so important and it's definitely not insignificant, and I totally agree that being lazy is not the same as relaxing. Good luck!

[CyningaDena]

This looks awesome. Great idea for breaking the six weeks down into something immediately motivating! This is going to be exciting. /shiver

[Absidey]

Added my PvP stuff! I'm super excited about lifting with Kuiken, and she came up with a truly diabolical punishment for the loser. I think we'll both be pushing ourselves to avoid it.

Great goals, especially your life goal. Relaxation is so important and it's definitely not insignificant, and I totally agree that being lazy is not the same as relaxing. Good luck!

Thanks! I'm going to need to experiment a bit. Frankly, it sounds boring.. =/

This looks awesome. Great idea for breaking the six weeks down into something immediately motivating! This is going to be exciting. /shiver

Thank you! I'm the only ranger not running, I think, but I'm super excited.

[wesb1898]

PvP is awesome. Even though I got beat like a drumset at a Who concert, it was the most memorable thing from last challenge (aside form crossing the finish line at my 5K). As for your diet goal...JUST DO IT!!! I have been Primal for a about 2 months now, and damn do I feel great. Your goals are pretty solid. Glad to see you moved into the realm of Real-life Roleplay. Makes the whole thing that much more fun and motivating.

[Thilde]

Just saying hi! Your goals are most excellent indeed. And I am stoked to watch your PvP. Best of luck to you!

[Absidey]

PvP is awesome. Even though I got beat like a drumset at a Who concert, it was the most memorable thing from last challenge (aside form crossing the finish line at my 5K). As for your diet goal...JUST DO IT!!! I have been Primal for a about 2 months now, and damn do I feel great. Your goals are pretty solid. Glad to see you moved into the realm of Real-life Roleplay. Makes the whole thing that much more fun and motivating.

How's the injury feeling? Didn't you have a medical-type anomaly screw with you too? That was just unfair. Are you and Sambie rematching?

My most burning concern about Primal eating: when you go off, is it really as terrible as people imply? I really, really want to do a significant amount of traveling, and part of that is eating awesome food. I think I would just cry if I couldn't have spaghetti bolognese in Italy or naan in India or some mystery dish in Sri Lanka, because my tum wasn't accustomed to breaking down carbs anymore.

Just saying hi! Your goals are most excellent indeed. And I am stoked to watch your PvP. Best of luck to you!

/wave I am almost incoherent with excitement about all this. I tried some guided meditation tonight and was astounded how fast seven minutes went by. Maybe it won't be as excruciating as I was expecting. (Though my husband said, "Why are you being weird?" when I told him about my success.)

[Thilde]

My most burning concern about Primal eating: when you go off, is it really as terrible as people imply? I really, really want to do a significant amount of traveling, and part of that is eating awesome food. I think I would just cry if I couldn't have spaghetti bolognese in Italy or naan in India or some mystery dish in Sri Lanka, because my tum wasn't accustomed to breaking down carbs anymore.

Yes and no. I have been paleo/primal for almost 2 months now, and I've had a couple off-meals. I ate a plate of pasta one night, and did get bloated and a bit uncomfortable, but it wasn't miserable by any means. Another night, we went to the fair and I had half an apple turnover and half a blooming onion. HOLY FRAK that was utter misery. For TWO full days afterward, I felt like I was sick with the flu or something. It was the combo of waaay more sugar than I'm used to (I use zero sugar/honey/maple syrup), grains, and deep-fried. So, basically, you have to take it slow and listen to your body if you're going to try grains/legumes/sugars after being primal for awhile. If I consume slowly and mindfully (hey, mindfulness!), I have found that I can enjoy these items and stop eating them before I start to feel really bad. (This is a rarity for me, though...I really prefer to not allow "cheats" as a regular thing. I consider them only if the occasion really warrants it...the fair food was a conscious choice as part of an overall experience, a 1x/yr thing, and I'd do it again nxt year for sure. )

Some people have zero reaction when they eat grains after being paleo/primal for awhile. Every body is different. You'll have to try it out to see what works for you. I know now that I could have a little pasta if I wanted...or maybe a bit of bread. But I can't just stuff myself with grains the way I used to, and I'm glad that my body has this discomfort signal now to tell me, "hey, this isn't really working for me."

[catspaw]

You only live once. Relaxation is important. Great goal!

[wesb1898]

Yeah, it can suck when you eat something, but it's not the end of the world. Your body will figure it out. And just remember the 80/20 rule. 80% of the time you eat clean, and 20% you can eat some not so clean things.

Injuries have healed up well. Had my aunt (who is a nurse) check my back, and she said it has healed amazingly. Groin is feeling strong, and my MWOD work is making it even better.

[Absidey]

All right, thanks for the insight on paleo. I think I'm still on the fence, but mostly because there's still a lot I don't know. (And because I'll have to give up my coffee with cream and sweetener.) I'll probably give it a try once I get a chance to learn the specifics. Who knows? Maybe I'll love it and never look back.

Injuries have healed up well. Had my aunt (who is a nurse) check my back, and she said it has healed amazingly. Groin is feeling strong, and my MWOD work is making it even better.

Glad to hear it! I hate itching with ambition and having something like that come along and mess with me. Hope it keeps improving for you.

[Absidey]

My climbing buddy's car is fixed, and we're going climbing next Wednesday. Yaaaay! Ladies' Night at Exposure is the best.

Hopefully, that will help me keep on track in spite of WoW's expansion coming out Tuesday. Mhmm. Delusional.

[Absidey]

It is crazy hard to get significant rest when you're sleepwalking. I am very frustrated, which probably doesn't help solve the problem. The nights I haven't gone for a tour of the apartment, Kate's been restless. I don't know if it's teething, the new place, or something else, but Monday night she didn't go to sleep until about 10:30 (she's in bed at 8), then woke up at 12, 12:30, 1, 2, 4, 5, and got up at 6:20. That was the worst night, but every night this week has been a variation on that theme. I was so wiped out by today, I took a nap in my truck instead of having lunch. Mid-afternoon, one of my co-workers commented on my scowling at the computer screen, and even once I was aware of it, I could not get my facial muscles to relax.

I got to nap for a couple hours after my husband got home, but woke up a bit ago with a pounding sinus headache. I took some tylenol, and got in 8 minutes of sitting with myself. I think I might be ready for bed again now; I just wanted to vent a little about the sleepwalking thing. I feel like my subconscious is betraying me. I need sleep! I'm hoping for a nice, quiet, relaxing weekend so I can really do some good work on my goals starting on Monday, because it's not going to happen if I'm doing my zombie imitation.

Maybe I can talk Bobby into singing me a lullaby?

[Thilde]

I think I'm still on the fence, but mostly because there's still a lot I don't know. (And because I'll have to give up my coffee with cream and sweetener.)

"Have to" is such a strong phrase. I am pretty sure Mark Sisson enjoys coffee with full-fat heavy cream (no sweetener, though). And I have read about a lot of paleo people having coffee with coconut oil in it. Apparently that's a thing. I don't drink coffee myself (I just prefer tea) so this isn't something I've tried. I do still drink tea (mostly rooibos). Is tea primal? Hells bells, I dunno. I have limits to what I'm willing to obsess over. So I'm drinkin' my tea.

All this is to say that there are very few "have to's" when it comes to paleo/primal, and they're usually as big and obvious as a moose standing in the highway....no grains, no legumes/beans, and no refined sugar. Beyond that, it's up to you to decide where your parameters are. Do you go organic? Do you go not organic but local? Do you allow coffee or tea? Do you allow dairy? Do you eat the fat/skin on your meat? Do you trim the fat/skin off? Do you allow bacon and sausage? What about quinoa? I spent the first two or three weeks of my p/p transition fuh-REAKING out about all these things, and getting progressively angrier at all the blog posts, articles, and websites I found that A) gave me no consistent guidance and often resorted to really poor logic to explain themselves. I eventually stopped the Googling. I look to my fellow Rebels and the small handful of good sites I've found (like MDA and PaleOMG) when I am seeking info. The bottom line is that these details that form the edges of your nutritional lifestyle are entirely up to you, and you'll find p/p people on all sides of these discussions.

If you want to try paleo/primal, don't let worries about coffee stop you. If you don't want to cut it out, try your coffee with cream, coconut milk (which is a little sweet on its own), or coconut oil, and see what you think. Once you get rid of the main biggies in your diet (those moose I was talking about), it's kindof amazing how you can start to pick up more nuanced flavors. You might think right now that coffee w/o sugar sounds disgusting, but after going p/p, you might find with time that you actually like the coffee flavors you can pick up when sugar's not there to mask them. Or, you might find you prefer something else to the coffee, after all. Or, you might decide to do 90% p/p and let your coffee with cream AND sugar fall into the 10% of your diet that is non-p/p.

This is, of course, just my $.02.

[AKGirl]

Or, you might find you prefer something else to the coffee, after all. Or, you might decide to do 90% p/p and let your coffee with cream AND sugar fall into the 10% of your diet that is non-p/p.

This is what I have been doing as I've been starting my transition. I'm changing so much about how I eat every day, I figure for now, coffee with cream and a bit of sugar is vastly less sugar than I used to be consuming. I also find I don't have as much of a need for it in the mornings. Working out harder and eating cleaner makes me sleep better and I feel more rested throughout the day, so the coffee is because I enjoy it, not because I am a zombie who can't function without it. Instead of a mocha and two cups of coffee, it's just one and done. So I think if you work on the rest of your diet and you start to feel the effects of eating better, the coffee can be what the coffee will be.

[Absidey]

Coffee is very much a crutch for me. I do too much, and not enough to support my health, and coffee keeps my eyes open long enough to build up some inertia at work. I don't like coffee, however, so I drink it sweet and creamy to get it gone and I don't like how I feel later in the day after the caffeine jolt wanes. Kicking coffee has become this crazy thing that I've built up in my head and feel horribly guilty that I haven't accomplished. I haven't quit coffee, so how could I possibly do something as radical as eat paleo? You guys are right though, that's ridiculous. I can do as much or as little as I want/need. I am going to read up on it, and make a plan for making my diet more paleo for at least a couple weeks. I have a hard time doing something halfway, so I need to shift how I think about it a bit is all.

[Absidey]

I went to "barbell strength" at my gym today, hoping for some tips and feedback on my form. I was really excited when I got there, because it was all women! Whoa!

And then class started. Everyone got their props together: heavy bar (30 lbs or less), light bar (15 lbs or less), 5 lb pink hand weights, step w/ 2 risers, and a mat. Uh-oh. We used the heavy bar for squats ("Not too deep!") and lunges, 60+ of each mixed up with side steps and toe taps and pulsing. We did 20 reps each of 8 different kinds of curls. I missed some stuff in the middle, because the childcare center came to find me for a diaper change, but I got back in time to do tricep kickbacks, crunch-shoulder presses, and plank. After class, I asked the instructor if there was a class that worked with heavy weights and she said, "You mean MORE than this class?"

At least I got a good laugh out of it. And I do feel worked out, it just wasn't the kind I was going for. Step aerobics with barbell! Still giggling.

[Absidey]

If you don't want to cut it out, try your coffee with cream, coconut milk (which is a little sweet on its own), or coconut oil, and see what you think.

This might be a really stupid question... Does coconut milk taste like coconut? There aren't a lot of things I don't like, but coconut is one. Unless it's coconut curry. But coconut curry in my coffee/tea sounds terrible.

[Thilde]

Coffee is very much a crutch for me. I do too much, and not enough to support my health, and coffee keeps my eyes open long enough to build up some inertia at work. I don't like coffee, however, so I drink it sweet and creamy to get it gone and I don't like how I feel later in the day after the caffeine jolt wanes. Kicking coffee has become this crazy thing that I've built up in my head and feel horribly guilty that I haven't accomplished. I haven't quit coffee, so how could I possibly do something as radical as eat paleo? You guys are right though, that's ridiculous. I can do as much or as little as I want/need. I am going to read up on it, and make a plan for making my diet more paleo for at least a couple weeks. I have a hard time doing something halfway, so I need to shift how I think about it a bit is all.

I hear ya. Sounds like you're on the right path trying to inform yourself and develop a plan that works for your body. And I know for me, how I think about things is half the battle if not more. A small psychological tweak can have big returns.

This might be a really stupid question... Does coconut milk taste like coconut? There aren't a lot of things I don't like, but coconut is one. Unless it's coconut curry. But coconut curry in my coffee/tea sounds terrible.

Not a stupid question, though I will be honest and say that I LOVE coconut so I may not be the best to answer your question. I find coconut milk to be really mild in flavor. Like, it doesn't taste coconutty like a Mounds bar or a coconut macaroon. When you mix it into stuff, I feel like the coconutty flavor really fades into the background. It might be worth picking up a can and trying it out; it's usually less than $2 a can. Also, you might like light coconut milk better than full fat (full fat has more of the thick coconut part to it, and I find the thick part has more coconut flavor).

[Knightwatch]

Can I say I pretty much adore this Challenge already? Best of luck! Looking forward to reading along!

[Absidey]

I hear ya. Sounds like you're on the right path trying to inform yourself and develop a plan that works for your body. And I know for me, how I think about things is half the battle if not more. A small psychological tweak can have big returns.

Not a stupid question, though I will be honest and say that I LOVE coconut so I may not be the best to answer your question. I find coconut milk to be really mild in flavor. Like, it doesn't taste coconutty like a Mounds bar or a coconut macaroon. When you mix it into stuff, I feel like the coconutty flavor really fades into the background. It might be worth picking up a can and trying it out; it's usually less than $2 a can. Also, you might like light coconut milk better than full fat (full fat has more of the thick coconut part to it, and I find the thick part has more coconut flavor).

I'll pick some up and try it out. If all else fails, I'll make some sticky rice for my husband and earn massive wife points.

Can I say I pretty much adore this Challenge already? Best of luck! Looking forward to reading along!

Thanks!

[pedalpress]

I should totally cut and paste your food goal. If I had a dollar for every thoughtless thing I put in my mouth.....

Best of luck!

[Kuiken]

Wooo! PvP is going to be SWEET! I'm going to make an official thread tomorrow when my internet is functioning at a more acceptable speed. So ridiculously excited about this!

I've not gone 100% Paleo, I still eat the occasional piece of toast or some noodles, but only 1-2x meals a week. The only time it becomes a major issue is when I over do it with the pasta, which is easy as it doesn't seem to fill me as well as meat and veg, so I eat more to get that same full feeling and then problems. I also didn't get the "carb flu", but there wasn't a lot of grains in my diet when I switched and that may have made it easier.

Coffee is also another compromise I'm OK with, but I try to use raw brown sugar (not sure if there's a nutritional difference, but there's definitely a taste difference!) and I've slowly worked my way down from 2 tsp to just 0.5 tsp per cup-some days I manage 0.25 tsp. I think I could probably drop it eventually but it seems to be a psychological thing (you put sugar in coffee, that's just what you do!). I've started using coconut milk in my coffee and it really doesn't taste that strong at all, so you might want to try it. And for my taste bud creds, I like coconut, but I don't like overly sweet things like pina coldas or almond joy bars and the flavor from coconut milk in my coffee is no where near that intense or sweet.

Your goals look awesome-can't wait for the showdown!

[Absidey]

Wooo! PvP is going to be SWEET! I'm going to make an official thread tomorrow when my internet is functioning at a more acceptable speed. So ridiculously excited about this!

Me too! I keep telling people about it, and they're just.. not. lol I'm going to do Workout A tomorrow and add a deadlift set after squats so I have firm numbers for my starting weights.

I've not gone 100% Paleo, I still eat the occasional piece of toast or some noodles, but only 1-2x meals a week. The only time it becomes a major issue is when I over do it with the pasta, which is easy as it doesn't seem to fill me as well as meat and veg, so I eat more to get that same full feeling and then problems. I also didn't get the "carb flu", but there wasn't a lot of grains in my diet when I switched and that may have made it easier.

Coffee is also another compromise I'm OK with, but I try to use raw brown sugar (not sure if there's a nutritional difference, but there's definitely a taste difference!) and I've slowly worked my way down from 2 tsp to just 0.5 tsp per cup-some days I manage 0.25 tsp. I think I could probably drop it eventually but it seems to be a psychological thing (you put sugar in coffee, that's just what you do!). I've started using coconut milk in my coffee and it really doesn't taste that strong at all, so you might want to try it. And for my taste bud creds, I like coconut, but I don't like overly sweet things like pina coldas or almond joy bars and the flavor from coconut milk in my coffee is no where near that intense or sweet.

I didn't go to the right store to get coconut milk, and I'm not sure I'm going to. I don't think I'm going to cut dairy. Right now I have half a cup of milk and sometimes 1 cup of Greek yogurt. On days I have yogurt, that's about 10% of my calorie total for the day. I think I can live with that. Cutting grains and sugar is the crux, I think, and the only reasons I have for NOT wanting to cut those things are more like excuses. I talked to my mom about it today, and, while she questioned how difficult it would be to maintain, was surprisingly very encouraging about giving it a try. Still working on the particulars, but I think I'll start out, like, 1 paleo meal a day, then 2, then only a couple meals a week off and see how that feels.

[jennageah]

Great challenge!! I like your points system, I need to have a think about how I'm going to break my goals down for grading and you've given me a great example On dairy, I consider myself to be 80% paleo but I do indulge in some good quality cheese sometimes for snacks and I love my greek yoghurt to bits. But lately I have gotten into coconut milk, it's good stuff!

Good luck with the challenge!