*waves ingratiatingly*

[Cstarfish]

So, hi!  I'm going to give this a shot.  I love the NerdFitness approach to things and I'm trying to make a change in my own diet and fitness.  Yes, I want to feel better, but I also want to look better.  I don't think I look terrible, mind you, but I'm 35 and the wheels seem to have come off the ol' metabolism a bit in the past couple of years.   I used to be a thin-ISH and athletic-ISH and healthy-ISH person and sometime after 30 things started to go down hill and my guess is that my mostly sedentary, carb-friendly lifestyle started to catch up with me.   Suddenly (ha ha ha), I'm this injury- and illness-prone flabby and larger version of myself that I just don't recognize anymore.

 

So, over the past few weeks, I've been weaning myself onto a more paleo-type diet.  I'm not sure I'll ever go FULL paleo.  But who knows.  I'm eating a lot more fresh and steamed veggies, lean protiens and fresh fruit and a lot less dairy and grain.  It's shocking, I know, but I can report feeling fuller, longer.  WHO KNEW?   (You all, that's who.)   I'm cutting back on the booze and increasing the water.

 

I'm also starting some modest weight training with the Rookie plan.  Right now my favorite cardio/decompress activity, running, is out because I'm battling acute tendinitis.  So the weight training is going well because I can keep that low/no-impact and still feel like I'm "working out." 

 

I think my biggest challenge is laziness.  I am the queen of excuses -- oh, I'll do that first thing tomorrow.  Oh, I'll do that after work.  Oh, I'll start that next week.   And until the last few years, I've been one of those horrible people who hasn't had to try very hard.  And thus, I'm my own worst enemy.   On the flip side, I love the outdoors, I really enjoy walking, running, hiking, biking, skiing and a whole host of actual athletic endeavors... *when I do them.*  And I love the feeling that good, solid exercise brings *after the fact.*   I'm hoping by joining the forums here and starting some challenges that I can keep myself accountable and learn to create some better habits for myself so that when those voices start telling me I can always do something later, I'll punch them in the face.

 

One of the things that intimidates me about NerdFitness is establishing fitness goals -- *real* goals like a faster 5k time or something instead of wussy goals like *eat better* and *exercise more* and *fit into my pants again.*  For some reason, that seems really psychologically hard for me.  (As in, I can actually hear my inner voice whining, "That sounds so haaaaaard.")  Maybe it's because then I have something I actually have to achieve or fail at instead of some amorphous wishy-washy thing I can weasel out of.  Help me set goals, NerdFitness!  You're my only hope!

 

A little about me:  I'm a transactional lawyer, which means lots of sitting at a desk and staring at a computer and talking on the phone.  I also love me some fancy beer and a nice glass of wine with some cheese and bread.  Nerdwise, I'm not much of a gaming nerd, I'm more of your aggressively bookworm-ish type.  I'm goofy about British sci-fi/fantasy type things -- your Dr. Who and your Hitchhikers'.  Your Lord of the Rings and your Harry Potter.  Getting more into graphic novels and comic books. 

 

So, that's me.   Trying to become a recovering lazy person.

[Morrigainz]

Welcome!!! And BEER! You're my new best friend. Along with all my other beer-drinking best friends.

 

So - good on deciding to make a change! I found for a while it was hard to make it a habit and I actually dropped working out entirely for my last semester of college (last fall) but when I came back, I attacked it with a vengeance! Now, unless something special happens (like Mr MirGSS inviting me to lunch) I go to the gym when I plan to go to the gym...because that's just what I do.

 

Regarding the goals: there are a couple of different ways to go about it. I don't think that "eat better" is a wussy goal at all - but it helps if you try to make it a little more objective. Sometimes metric-based goals are not good. For instance, at the beginning of this challenge, I could almost do a pull-up. So I said, this challenge I will get a pull-up. Well guess what? It's the end of the challenge and I don't have a pull-up and I kind of feel like a miserable failure. So something that would have been better is "work on pull ups 3x a week" or something.

 

So if you want an "eat better" goal, track it. Measure it. Do you have snacks at night? Try eliminating them during all/some number of nights per week. Drink too much? Strive to limit your alcohol calories. Eat too many carbs/too much junk? Make a measurable goal that you think you can achieve. Sometimes it's not about making big sweeping changes, but changing habits little by little until you're a better you

 

Welcome again, and feel free to ask any questions!

[Guest Dirty Deads]

Welcome! Don't be intimidated, only most of us bite. Don't be intimidated by the goals either. We have every level of fitness represented already. You'll start above many and below many. The important thing is you're leveling yourself. You aren't competing against any of us. The goals should be those you know that you can achieve them if you work hard. Don't jump in and say " One of my longtime goals is to  compete in an Ironman, so I signed up! "  You can't stand at the bottom of  a mountain and touch the top, you have to climb, find footholds and pace yourself.

 

Decide your ultimate goals and break them down into achievable smaller goals. Don't be afraid to ask us for help.

[alienjenn]

I only bite if you bite first

Welcome to the rebellion

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[Cstarfish]

Thank you, thank you, guys!   I think I'm going to sit down tonight when I get home and think about what I want some real goals to be and if I need to realistic-ize them.  I appreciate the advice -- and thank you all for the welcome!  I'll try not to bite too much.

 

PS:  A new craft brewery is opening in my hometown this weekend.  Music. Tastings. Food trucks.  WHHHHHYYYYYYYYYYY.  (Also: YEEEESSSSSSSS.)

[Morrigainz]

You can bite me. As long as you don't mind if I bite back.

[alienjenn]

You can bite me. As long as you don't mind if I bite back.

what she said

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[Guest Dirty Deads]

  I'll try not to bite too much.

Why not? What did we ever do to you?! :*(**

[alienjenn]

  I'll try not to bite too much.

Why not? What did we ever do to you?! :*(**

she was so sweet and nice until she made me have sads

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[ktmcg]

*high five!*

 

I'm new around here too, and totally agree on the NerdFitness philosophy/approach having major appeal. Also, I am a fellow sci-fi bookworm. The hardest part is probably going to be pushing myself to work out when I have a book I am just dying to get back into as soon as I get home. "Just one more half a book!"