Chanda: Gets Things Done!

[Chanda]

Chanda stands in the middle of the clearing, her eyes closed. Confidence emanates from her as she waits. All is still and quiet. Nothing stirs in the forrest around her. The time has come for a new set of goals.  

 

 

 

Over the past 3 challenges I built solid routines. During the last challenge I started shifting the focus to get results. This challenge I am going even further in that direction. I am also shifting the focus on the fitness side from weight loss to building lean mass. Overall, I am stepping things up another notch and changing the way I track some things. Despite the changes to how I plan to achieve them, the 4 goals stay the same as for the past challenges!

 

1. Fuel: food & drink (CON:+2, STR:+1)

GOAL: My body has enough good fuel to perform well.

I will achieve this by: 

1. Eating Well, on average 5 times per week. (+1 STR) I've been counting calories for the past 6 months. I want to see what happens if I stop counting calories. At the same time I am starting a body weight strength program aimed at increasing my lean mass, which means I need to eat a bit more. I will track this by deciding at the end of the day if I ate well or not. If halfway through the challenge, it turns out this new way really isn't working for me I reserve the right to change this goal back to tracking calories. I can not describe how scary taking this step is! 
2. Drinking an additional liter of water per day (average to be 1.0l or higher). (+1 CON) Going up slightly with this one because summer is starting.
3. Eating no more than 200 calories per day on average of sweets/junk food. (+1 CON) While I am no longer tracking how many calories I eat per day, I do plan to track how many "junk" calories I am eating. I enjoy sweets and occasionally chips. I don't plan to cut them out entirely from my life. However, I do want to ensure that no more than 10% of my daily intake of calories comes from sweets or other junk food. Since my calorie intake at my current level of activity is around 2000 calories... I am setting the limit at 200. This is stricter than last challenge, which was 225 calories of sweets (salty foods not included).

Scoring: A: All 3 items within range, B: 2 items within range, C: 1 item within range. D to F: 0 items within range... to be awarded based on how close to ranges I was.

2. Mental Strength (STR: +1, WIS: +2)

Goal: I have a sound Mind. The mind runs the show... and it must to be fit!

I will achieve this by: 

1. Getting at least 7.2 hours sleep on average per day. (+1 STR) Upping this goal slightly, the extra little bit of sleep is aimed at aiding with muscle growth.
2. Meditating on average 5 times per week (+1 WIS). In the previous challenge the goal was 8min. I am shifting to tracking how many times I meditate. Each session needs to be 10min long.
3. Doing a brain workout on average 4 times per week (+1 WIS). Games like sudoku, crosswords, memory, puzzles, etc. Memorize things counts too. In the previous challenge I was aiming for 3 times per week.

Scoring: A: All 3 items within range, B: 2 items within range, C: 1 item within range.  D to F: 0 items within range... to be awarded based on how close to range I was.

3. Strong Body (STR: +1, STA: +2, DEX: +1, CHA: +1)

GOAL: My Body is Healthy and Strong. I am demanding more from myself. In order to get it done I need to make sure my body is a lean mean fighting machine.

I will achieve this by: 

1. Looking after my health or appearance on average 2.5 times per week  (+1 CHA) Previous challenge was 2 times per week. 
2. Walking/Running on average 4.5km per day.  (+1 STA) Up from 4km per day last challenge. This includes walking done throughout the day as well as distance covered in run/walk workouts.
3. Completing at least: 15 body weight workouts.  (+1 STR) Previous was 9. I am following a training plan to see if I can increase my lean mass and maybe even continue to loose fat.
4. Completing at least: 12 yoga workouts.  (+1 DEX) Previous was 9.
5. Completing at least: 12 walk/runs.  (+1 STA)  Previous was 9. Training for a 5km race in July. 

Unlike with previous challenges, I will no longer track the number of minutes spent exercising. If I do the workouts as planned, tracking time is not necessary. 

 

Scoring: A: All 5 items within range, B: 4 items within range, C: 3 items within range , D: 2 items within range.  E: 1 item within range. F: 0 items within range. 

4. LIFE: Getting things done (CHA: +2, WIS: +1, DEX: +1)

GOAL: Master the daily routines and harvest the fruits of my labour. 

I will achieve this by: 

1. Doing my routines. Expecting overall average of 85% for success. (+1 CHA) I changed the way things are being tracked. I took out most of the stuff I know I get done (and must get done in order to achieve item 3 below) and kept only a few items without which life descends into chaos. The rest of the stuff I am tracking is all about contact with family and friends. I've also increased the number of times some of the items are expected to be done thus making this item a lot harder.
2. Being Punctual on average 90% of the time (+1 DEX) This includes meetings, appointments, deadlines, dropping of the girls in kindergarden, finishing daily activities before relaxing and bed time. Previous challenge the target was 85%
3. Making sure that my House feels like a Home at least 4.5 days per week (+1 CHA) This doesn't mean completely spotless (not possible with 2 toddlers and a dog), it means that when I walk in the door and I am happy to be home and if a friend knocks on the door I wouldn't hesitate to invite them in. 
4. Harvesting the Fruits of my Labour, at least 10 items done (+1 WIS): I have a list of major items to be done... 10 of them should be done by the end of the challenge.

Scoring: A: All 4 items within range, B: 3 items within range, C: 2 items within range , D: 1 item within range.  E & F: 0 items within range... to be awarded based on how close to range I was.

 

The Challenge: Staying consistent with my routines and focused on results no matter what life throws my way is the challenge for the next 6 weeks. 

RESULTS: I am already defining what attributes get awarded for each item completed. I don’t like fractions. My scoring is set stricter than spezzy´s definition. There are no fractions of a point, its all or nothing! Also I only level up if I achieve an overall B or better. I am weighing myself and taking measurements roughly every 2 weeks.
 

Chanda's eyes pop open and her mouth drops in surprise. This is not what she was expecting. The goals are the same... yet a lot more is expected from her. She is also not sure that the new way of tracking things is a good idea. Then she smiles, the added challenge and uncertainty will make reaching Level 6 all the more sweeter. With her head held high she steps forward to accept the challenge. “I am ready.â€

 

"Talk does not cook rice." - Chinese proverb.

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Don't try this at home. At least not all at once. I have been playing around and adjusting my routines on and off for many years, thats why I can set myself such a long list and not get overwhelmed and fail immediately (I did fail many times before I got to where I am now!). What I am doing now is becoming consistent and efficient in what I do. Start with something small and add to it once its become a habit.

[I am Eve]

Talk does not cook rice indeed!

 

Well put and difficult. I totally hear you on the not counting calories being scary. I haven't stopped it even though it's not a goal. I feel I still need it

[Wandern]

LOL - great minds think alike, I guess! I'm trying to get things done, too.

[ScurvySpider]

Bravo for committing to all of that PLUS being active in the guild while handling an active family.

 

re: the calorie counting thingy:  I did a sort of compromise. Through logging every bite, I'd gotten much better at estimating calorie content; so I switched from logging all intake to making tic marks on the calendar each day, 1 tic for approx. every 100 calories (half-tic marks allowed; and otherwise, rounding up).

 

Doing this for all of March, I didn't lose weight -- but didn't gain it either.  Am back to tracking all intake for this challenge, without feeling burned out on the incessant logging.

[Sunmage]

These goals are awesome hard!

Mine look less scary now!

Glad to have you here!

[Chanda]

Talk does not cook rice indeed!

 

Well put and difficult. I totally hear you on the not counting calories being scary. I haven't stopped it even though it's not a goal. I feel I still need it

 

I thought that quote was appropriate for me... I am great at planning and motivating. Following through and actually doing is a bit of a weakness of mine.

 

Calorie counting is so helpful and a huge security blanket in this journey to being fit and healthy. I never would have believed it 7 months ago. I may return to it if I am not getting the results I want. I will certainly do it from time to time to re-adjust if needed. 

 

LOL - great minds think alike, I guess! I'm trying to get things done, too.

 

Yes they do! I saw your challenge title and I thought LuckyMe really puts it well! Good luck! 

 

Bravo for committing to all of that PLUS being active in the guild while handling an active family.

 

re: the calorie counting thingy:  I did a sort of compromise. Through logging every bite, I'd gotten much better at estimating calorie content; so I switched from logging all intake to making tic marks on the calendar each day, 1 tic for approx. every 100 calories (half-tic marks allowed; and otherwise, rounding up).

 

Doing this for all of March, I didn't lose weight -- but didn't gain it either.  Am back to tracking all intake for this challenge, without feeling burned out on the incessant logging.

 

Thanks. It certainly is busy for me at the moment. I am not sure I am spending enough time with the guild. But I am committed to at least visiting each of the challenge threads once and keeping the mini-challenges going!

 

That is a great idea with the calendar re. calorie counting After over 6 months of tracking I know pretty much the calorie amount for all the things I eat regularly. So its easy for me to do a quick run through in my mind at the end of the day... which is what I am doing at the moment. If my weight starts coming back I'll be back to calorie counting... 

 

These goals are awesome hard!

Mine look less scary now!

Glad to have you here!

 

lol, glad to help out by making your goals look less scary. I am not expecting straight As... I am expecting results in my life. I am so excited about this challenge I can not put it into words, every time I think about it I feel like doing a little dance - and I find myself smiling and giggling at the most inappropriate times. 

 

[Chanda]

I am signed up for a team race in July. It will be 5.1km. I would love to finish it under 35min and as close to 30min as possible. That is realistic based on past performance. Secretly I would like to do it under 30min. But don't tell anyone.

 

Last night I went out for a run... 2.55km in 19:36. I need to double my distance and reduce the time by 5min.  

[guest439437484421]

for the brain exercise, have you heard of lumosity.com?  you have to pay to get the full service, but what you get for free is pretty nice, AND it'll track your performance over time.

[I am Eve]

I am signed up for a team race in July. It will be 5.1km. I would love to finish it under 35min and as close to 30min as possible. That is realistic based on past performance. Secretly I would like to do it under 30min. But don't tell anyone.

 

Last night I went out for a run... 2.55km in 19:36. I need to double my distance and reduce the time by 5min.  

 

That is not bad at all, and you have time until July. I get faster when I incorporate intervals/run in  a hilly terrain.

[Chanda]

for the brain exercise, have you heard of lumosity.com?  you have to pay to get the full service, but what you get for free is pretty nice, AND it'll track your performance over time.

 

Thanks. I think I've heard about it before... I'll have to check it out!

 

That is not bad at all, and you have time until July. I get faster when I incorporate intervals/run in  a hilly terrain.

 

Thanks. It is hard to not run hills where I live. And I am definetely incorporating intervals. In fact that run was done as run fast / walk /run fast / walk and so on... it will be interesting to see how my time&distance improves over time! I am not actually following a training plan, just going out a couple times a week and running... for fun! 

[Chanda]

Today I spent far too much time on NF. 

 

Today I was reaching for some chocolate while cooking dinner and ended up grabbing some dried fruit and nuts instead. 

 

Today I did my body strength workout while cooking dinner... you have to love rests between reps!

[Strawberry Squatcake]

I love your make your house a home goal, specifically making it so if a friend drops by, you are ready. I really struggle with this, but relate that feeling to homeiness, too! So, good luck with that and everything else.

I also have a sleeping goal. So far, it's my favorite to meet.

[Chanda]

I love your make your house a home goal, specifically making it so if a friend drops by, you are ready. I really struggle with this, but relate that feeling to homeiness, too! So, good luck with that and everything else.

I also have a sleeping goal. So far, it's my favorite to meet.

 

Those are the 2 things I am most likely to fail at... But I will keep at it until I succeed.

[Happienumber]

Today I spent far too much time on NF.

Today I was reaching for some chocolate while cooking dinner and ended up grabbing some dried fruit and nuts instead.

Today I did my body strength workout while cooking dinner... you have to love rests between reps!

WIN! Great job!

[Wandern]

Today I spent far too much time on NF. 

 

Today I was reaching for some chocolate while cooking dinner and ended up grabbing some dried fruit and nuts instead. 

 

Today I did my body strength workout while cooking dinner... you have to love rests between reps!

 

So. Much. Win!

[Chanda]

I am due for my first week update.... lets see if I can get that done tonight!

 

1. Fuel: food & drink 
GOAL: My body has enough good fuel to perform well.

1. Eating Well, on average 5 times per week. (+1 STR)  6 done 
2. Drinking an additional liter of water per day (average to be 1.0l or higher). (+1 CON) average 1.14l
3. Eating no more than 200 calories per day on average of sweets/junk food. (+1 CON) average 183

Predicted Score: A Not counting calories has been a huge adjustment. Both scary and liberating... after doing it for almost 7 months. My weight went up for a few days but that was related to eating some preserved meats that were high in salt. Weight is back down again... so far so good! 

2. Mental Strength (STR: +1, WIS: +2)
Goal: I have a sound Mind. The mind runs the show... and it must to be fit!

1. Getting at least 7.2 hours sleep on average per day. (+1 STR) average 7.00
2. Meditating on average 5 times per week (+1 WIS). 5 done
3. Doing a brain workout on average 4 times per week (+1 WIS).  4 done

Predicted Score: B Put up my sleep time... may have been a mistake. It is causing more stress than I expected for just an extra 12min per night on average. However, it is pushing me towards making a big change in my habits. I plan to start going to bed early enough to ensure I am in bed for at least 7.5 hours. And then plan to get up early (sometime between 5:45 and 6:45am)... I plan to turn into a morning person! Oh the horror!   

 

3. Strong Body 
GOAL: My Body is Healthy and Strong. I am demanding more from myself. In order to get it done I need to make sure my body is a lean mean fighting machine. 

1. Looking after my health or appearance on average 2.5 times per week  (+1 CHA) 4 done
2. Walking/Running on average 4.5km per day.  (+1 STA) average 5.65km
3. Completing at least: 15 body weight workouts.  (+1 STR)  3 done
4. Completing at least: 12 yoga workouts.  (+1 DEX)  2 done
5. Completing at least: 12 walk/runs.  (+1 STA) 2 done

 

Predicted Score: A Not tracking minutes spent exercising is awesome. I just do my workout and thats it... and I am pretty sure I am doing more than before. I feel stronger than I have in a long time. I also have a lot more energy. So the results are starting to come through as well. I am pretty excited about my body weight workouts and even more excited about the running. Today I got up early and did my body strength workout before getting ready for work. I had a smirk of self-satisfaction on my face for the rest of the day. 

 

 

4. LIFE: Getting things done 
GOAL: Master the daily routines and harvest the fruits of my labour. 

1. Doing my routines. Expecting overall average of 85% for success. (+1 CHA) average 80.4%
2. Being Punctual on average 90% of the time (+1 DEX)  average 87.2%
3. Making sure that my House feels like a Home at least 4.5 days per week (+1 CHA) 0 days
4. Harvesting the Fruits of my Labour, at least 10 items done (+1 WIS) 1 done

Predicted Score: E Hard to believe but its true... My life goal is not going so well on paper. In reality, I am pretty happy with how I am doing... and I am actually very excited with the progress I am seeing in my life. That E is not making me feel down in any way. And I am sure that my plan to become a morning person is going to improve my life goal results!   

 

This week I spent a lot of time on the forums. I am happy about that. Got the Mini-challenges kicked off and am really enjoying the interaction between guild members!

 

For week 2 my focus will be on:

1. Become a morning person!

2. Find a training program to increase my running speed

 

[Brian.]

Well done so far, you are crushing most of your goals and there is plenty of time to tidy up the troublesome one if you want to.

[Happienumber]

Yay for becoming a morning person!! I'm the chick who literally would snooze-button for over two hours(!) every morning, and now I'm up at dawn every day and I'm really actually liking it! It's totally within reach, you can do it!

What Is grade E?

(My vote is E for effort? Excellent? Extra-difficult? Oohh, Extraterrestrial! Are aliens helping you on this goal? Because that would be epic. Aha, it's EPIC, isn't it? E for Epic.)

[RobinStarling]

Awesome, work! Well done on switching from calorie counting!

I'd love to give it up, but think I need to keep going for a while to get my estimations more accurate.

I also hear that it's much easier to know when you are eating too much if you have a low body fat percentage, which is one of my current subgoals. Is that a word?

Well done on the meditation also. My goal for that is very similar. 10 min everyday.

I know how difficult it can be to "do nothing" for even a little time everyday!

[Chanda]

Well done so far, you are crushing most of your goals and there is plenty of time to tidy up the troublesome one if you want to.

 

Thanks. Tidy up is exactly whats needed in my Home... which is also whats killing my Life Goal. I'll eventually get there!

 

Yay for becoming a morning person!! I'm the chick who literally would snooze-button for over two hours(!) every morning, and now I'm up at dawn every day and I'm really actually liking it! It's totally within reach, you can do it! What Is grade E? (My vote is E for effort? Excellent? Extra-difficult? Oohh, Extraterrestrial! Are aliens helping you on this goal? Because that would be epic. Aha, it's EPIC, isn't it? E for Epic.)

 

Oh its great to read about someone thats actually become a morning person. Awesome!!!! Snooze-button used to be my best friend and worst enemy too!

 

You made me laugh. Thanks! I've left E for Extra-difficult behind... This week I am scoring a D for Doing It on my life goal!

 

Awesome, work! Well done on switching from calorie counting!

I'd love to give it up, but think I need to keep going for a while to get my estimations more accurate.

I also hear that it's much easier to know when you are eating too much if you have a low body fat percentage, which is one of my current subgoals. Is that a word?

Well done on the meditation also. My goal for that is very similar. 10 min everyday.

I know how difficult it can be to "do nothing" for even a little time everyday!

 

As long as calorie counting is giving you results, I say stick with it. I only stopped because I am so close to my goal weight (and getting close to my goal fat percentage). I would have to agree that it is easier to tell even when I just have a bit of water retention after eating a meal out... So what you heard is probably true.

 

About your meditation goal, have you tried present moment meditation in your everyday actions? I use it often. Basically you meditate while doing a repetitive activity - don't zone out... stay focused and aware. For those of us with a more restless mind, it is a good way to meditate. Also you are more likely to actually bring the benefits of meditation into your everyday life not just for those minutes you spend meditating. 

 

Here are some longer descriptions:

 

http://www.families.com/blog/meditation-techniques-here-and-now-meditation

http://www.meditationiseasy.com/mCorner/here_and_now_Meditation.htm

 

I keep my practice of this simple, I just meditate while doing a repetitive task with which I am very familiar. Another great time to meditate for me is just before going to sleep, when I am already in bed. No  more insomnia since I started doing that... often I actually fall asleep. I do actually sit in meditation sometimes... but I find the other 2 methods much more realistic for my current lifestyle. 

[Chanda]

I can't believe that week 2 is over already! Time sure flies when you are having fun!

 

1. Fuel: food & drink 
GOAL: My body has enough good fuel to perform well.

1. Eating Well, on average 5 times per week. (+1 STR)  12 done 
2. Drinking an additional liter of water per day (average to be 1.0l or higher). (+1 CON) average 1.06l
3. Eating no more than 200 calories per day on average of sweets/junk food. (+1 CON) average 197

Predicted Score: A I ate more sweets this week than last week, still under the average so thats OK. I am eating well most of the time. I keep forgetting to drink, so my average is down a bit... still good for an A though. Weight seems stable with a possible slight increase... could it be lean mass increasing? Or is fat making a come back? I'll know on Wednesday when I do my weight and measurements. All is well in the Fuel department. 

2. Mental Strength (STR: +1, WIS: +2)
Goal: I have a sound Mind. The mind runs the show... and it must to be fit!

1. Getting at least 7.2 hours sleep on average per day. (+1 STR) average 7.27
2. Meditating on average 5 times per week (+1 WIS). 10 done
3. Doing a brain workout on average 4 times per week (+1 WIS).  8 done

Predicted Score: A Thanks to some rather long naps this past weekend I pulled this goal up from a B to an A. Now to keep it that way! As for my plan to become a morning person... I am not quite there yet, but I am getting up a bit earlier than usual... and going to bed also a bit earlier than usual. I am confident I'll get there! 

 

3. Strong Body 
GOAL: My Body is Healthy and Strong. I am demanding more from myself. In order to get it done I need to make sure my body is a lean mean fighting machine. 

1. Looking after my health or appearance on average 2.5 times per week  (+1 CHA) 6.5 done
2. Walking/Running on average 4.5km per day.  (+1 STA) average 5.36km
3. Completing at least: 15 body weight workouts.  (+1 STR) 6 done
4. Completing at least: 12 yoga workouts.  (+1 DEX)  4 done
5. Completing at least: 12 walk/runs.  (+1 STA) 4 done

 

Predicted Score: A I am feeling rather worn out and without energy.   This could be because I have actually started running (including some speed work) and am also following a body weight strength training program. Both or which need me to take some recovery time and may be conflicting wiht each other. It is also possible that I have a virus. My husband has been sick for the past week. On a positive note: I found a training plan for increasing running speed (which I am modifying to suit my needs). I am really excited about the progress I have been experiencing both on the running and strength building! 

 

4. LIFE: Getting things done 
GOAL: Master the daily routines and harvest the fruits of my labour. 

1. Doing my routines. Expecting overall average of 85% for success. (+1 CHA) average 85.9%
2. Being Punctual on average 90% of the time (+1 DEX)  average 89.2%
3. Making sure that my House feels like a Home at least 4.5 days per week (+1 CHA) 0 days
4. Harvesting the Fruits of my Labour, at least 10 items done (+1 WIS) 2 done

Predicted Score: D Slight improvement from last week's E. I am also getting close to getting the punctuality part on track. This week I need to be a Domestic Ninja if I am going to have a chance at making this goal an A.    

 

This week I spent a lot of time focused on family and work. Thats been good. Plus doing some thinking on how to change what I am doing so I can see more improvements... got some ideas simmering. 

 

For week 3 my focus will be on:

1. Become a morning person!

2. Giving my body some rest (to recover from the virus or over-training)

3. Being a Domestic Ninja!

 

[RobinStarling]

Whoo!
Yay for A's!!!

And yay for D since it's improvment!

I'm totally imagining having ninja cleaning maids now though. You'd never know they where there.
BUT turn your back on something for even a second, and the next thing you know it's sparkling clean!

[I am Eve]

Well done Chanda!

As always it is a learning experience to read your updates. 

I recognize my own thoughts a little regarding the weight issue. It's hard resetting a goal of weightloss into something different!

 

I do think you are right that you need more recovery time now that activitylevels are increasing. What is your favourite method for R and R?

[Wandern]

I'll second Evenewbie on the thoughts regarding weight. It's such an easy thing to measure, but so fickle. You just can't entirely trust it on a daily basis.

 

Here's hoping that the energy levels returned this week!

[Brian.]

I echo the above, I will only weigh myself once a week, at the same time of day every time. So many things can make your weight fluctuate it can be tricky to put your finger on at times.