Samantha's 6 Week Challenge

[ormaybemidgets]

Oh man, this will be a 6 weeks. It's the end of school, graduation, leaving my job, leaving the family I babysit, saying goodbye to my friends of four years, hopefully not saying goodbye to my boyfriend, moving apartments, going back home, and preparing for law school in a state, city, and campus I've never been to before, with no one I know, and no idea what to expect.

Given that, I don't know how successful I'll be, but:

My exercise goal, as usual, is to work out 4 times a week.

Treadmill = 1 workout

BWW = 1 workout if I do at least 50 reps

Pilates warm up = every 30 minutes is 1 workout

My diet goal, to be honest, I'm not trying that hard. The end of school is dinners out, parties, and cleaning out the cupboards, plus stress-eating all the chips and candy in a one-mile radius. So, I don't know what my goal is.

My life goal. Oy. I don't know what I'm going to do with ending school. It brings up entirely too many questions. What am I going to do about my friends, my boyfriend, my future? Is any of it going to work out for me? Everything is too complicated. Do I love these people? Do I want to make the effort to stay in touch when we're far away? Or are we only friends because we've been friends, and not because we have anything in common any more, or support each other any more? What am I going to do with my boyfriend? Why can't it just be whether we enjoy being together - why does it have to be that we're separated by half the country, that we're going into the most stressful period of our lives so far, that we don't have $300 a month for visits, and that we are damn nervous, risk-averse people who sometimes make stupid decisions now because we're too afraid we'll get hurt later? And what am I doing with my life? Why am I going to law school? Do I even want to be a lawyer?

So... that.

[ormaybemidgets]

05/31 Tuesday

10 minute Pilates warm up video

Treadmill: intervals

0-3 min at 3.5

3-5 min at 5.5

5-6 min at 6.0

6-8 min at 5.5

8-9 min at 6.5

9-11 min at 5.5

11-12 min at 7.0

12-14 min at 5.5

14-15 min at 7.5

15-16 min at 7.5

16-18 min at 5.5

18-19 min at 7.0

19-21 min at 5.5

21-22 min at 6.5

22-24 min at 5.5

24-25 min at 6.0

25-27 min at 5.5

27-30 min at 3.5

No breaks! Plus, I went to the gym first thing after I woke up, which I NEVER do, because I wouldn't be able to go at night. Score!

06/01 Wednesday

Nothing. Was going to. Didn't.

[CapN_Tommy_Sunshine]

Oh dear, it looks like you have a lot on your plate this challenge. I would say that everything works out for the best, but based on my experience I know that is not true. It does look good on a greeting card though. Anyway, you'll do great, you have a bunch of rebels on your side no matter what happens.

[MMyers]

Good luck Sammy-antha

[Alethea]

Go Sam! Highfive @ first thing workout!

That is quite a pile of issues indeed. Make sure to be extra nice to yourself right now, you're going through a lot. I don't know if this will help, but a yoga teacher said it yesterday. "Remember, this moment is all that is. The future doesn't exist, and the past is now nothing. Exist now."

[ormaybemidgets]

Thanks guys. It's a hard time for me, but it's a hard time for everyone.

06/02 Thursday

BWW: 2 circuits, 30 minutes

25 jumping jacks

25 squats

10-10-5 pushups

25 reverse lunges (L/R = 2)

10-10-5 dips

25 bicycles (L/R = 1)

[Martinpanduh]

I say this is the challenge we haul ass and redeem ourselves, yeah?

[ormaybemidgets]

06/03 Friday

10 minute Pilates warm-up video

Treadmill: intervals

One break.

06/04 Saturday

BWW: 2 circuits, 30 minutes

+1 increase

26 jumping jacks

26 squats

11-10-5 pushups

26 reverse lunges (L/R = 2)

11-10-5 dips

26 bicycles (L/R = 1)

06/05 Sunday

Nothing.

[ormaybemidgets]

Week 1 Review: (Did we start Monday or Tuesday? I'm going to count as if we started Monday.)

Exercise - 3 BWW's, 2 treadmill workouts, 2 (10) minute warmups

Diet - Doing moderately well, although it should be noted that by "moderately well" I include the entire bag of Doritos that I ate between... 12am Saturday and 10pm Sunday.

Life - ugh.

[prefect42]

oh man, Samantha, hang in there. it's doubtless going to be a tough time, but you'll make it through. You've got this ragtag bunch of nerds to lean on if you need to. And as Alethea said, be kind to yourself--this will likely be a challenging time and i don't want to see you beating yourself up. Besides, I still need you for the Shadow Government.

[ormaybemidgets]

Thanks prefect! I'm tryin'.

06/06 Monday

Nothing.

Finals stretch is NOW. I'll write all day today, turn in my last paper early tomorrow, and then I'm done with that. But then the other exercise/diet distractions kick in: parties, friends returning to school, goodbye dinners, Big Talks (please god, no), oh-my-god-what-am-I-going-to-do-with-my-life Rum&Cokes and Sunchips...

[Alethea]

Hey, you had a great first week! Congrats!

One day at a time. Focus on the present moment, not what's coming in the future.

[ormaybemidgets]

Focus on the present moment, not what's coming in the future.

Oh BOY is that ever my motto.

06/07 Tuesday

Nothing.

06/08 Wednesday

Treadmill: intervals

Two breaks, total of three minutes. Boo, but I absolutely had to.

06/09 Thursday

Nothing.

Yesterday I turned in my last assignment of undergrad EVER! Highlights of today: I fell asleep last night at 2am but woke up at 1:30pm, I watched X-Men, I fell back asleep from around 6pm to about 8pm, and all I've eaten today is 20 McNuggets, a M&M McFlurry, a cup of coffee, and two burnt oatmeal cookies. What a great day.

[citabean]

Yesterday I turned in my last assignment of undergrad EVER!

I remember that day... it felt GREAT! Congrats!

[ormaybemidgets]

Thanks!

I haven't done anything this week, nothing since Wednesday.

06/10 Friday - 06/12 Sunday

Nothing.

As always, I could, but I guess I'm choosing not to. Overwhelmed by everything. So quietly happy one afternoon and crying the next morning. It's gotten so I can barely talk about graduation, law school, or boyfriend at all. Everything is too much. But at least there's restaurant food all the times, nonstop drinks, and the wonderful gift from God that is Netflix so I don't cry all through my downtime.

[alr]

How are you doing? (In a broader sense, although a challenge update would do.)

[ormaybemidgets]

Still haven't worked out since Wednesday.

06/13 Monday - 06/18 Saturday

Nothing.

But oh a little something else - I GRADUATED FROM COLLEGE!!!!!

[alr]

But oh a little something else - I GRADUATED FROM COLLEGE!!!!!

WOOOOOHOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!

WAY TO GO!!!!!!!!!!

[Martinpanduh]

Congrats on graduating college Samantha! Time to conquer the real world!

[citabean]

Congrats!! That is quite an accomplishment!

[Crooked]

Congratulations! That's so exciting!

[ormaybemidgets]

Thanks all! I have now moved out of my undergrad school, apartment, and city, and schleped everything to my graduate school's city, looked at apartments, and walked the campus (that I'd never seen before) and am now back at my parents' house for the summer.

No exercise besides packing and moving, and the mental exercise of dealing with my parents. I've been eating pretty badly since we've eaten out for the past week or so. It'll be better now that I can cook.

(Haha, my dad just wandered in on his cell phone saying "it's been bad - sandwiches, pizza; I've got to hit it hard now. Pork chops!")

Probably won't work out today, though I will salad it up for dinner.

[prefect42]

Congratulations on your graduation! That's always a challenging time of big changes, and I know your situation is no exception. Are you feeling any less overwhelmed now that at least a few pieces of the puzzle (finals, graduation, moving) have fallen into place?

I know I've said this before, but for me, ideal diets and exercise plans take a backseat to staying sane and figuring out your life. Anything you can do towards eating healthy and staying fit, of course, is great (and there are still 3 weeks left in the challenge!) but I don't think anyone would blame you for not being able to stick to a set routine right now. Then again, I don't mean that to sound like an excuse, so YAY SALAD!

[ormaybemidgets]

Thanks prefect! It's definitely one of those times that you can't do anything that takes extra effort and isn't completely necessary. But it's over now (to re-start in August, ugh!).

So we got back from school on Tuesday, and on Friday we left for a wedding, and on Sunday we'll go home. I feel really... um, soft? Chubby? It's been so many weeks of restaurant food, hotel food (vending machines and those little stores downstairs), too little sleep. Today, which is a non-typical day, was: breakfast at the hotel, lunch at the wedding reception, sips of my mother's milkshake when we walked around town, and pizza tonight. Ugh. I can't fit that much food inside me, but in just a couple weeks I've already become accustomed to eating too much, too often, and too badly, and I convince myself that I need / can get away with all this food. And no exercise, excepting moving out of the apartment and sweating my body out my skin in the 100 degree heat. UGH.

[Martinpanduh]

Power through Samantha, make those little efforts of resisting the bad stuff and it'll add up. I so know how you feel, the world is conspiring against me kind of feeling with all the food and lack of time but just try to get out if and SETTLE back in as painlessly as possible. It'll help you once you get back on the horse!

Goodluck girl and keep us posted!