MsLouise's Fat Busting Challenge

[MsLouise]

Hello!

 

I am super excited to have found this community, and to use small steps to accomplish big goals.

 

Short intro:  today is my 35th birthday, and I am using some momentum from going through physical therapy to continue getting in shape.  I am a huge book nerd, and am never found more than three feet from something to read.  It's tough to really exercise while reading, though, so I promise to put the books down for workouts (unless I'm using them as weights). I have a few health challenges and I am determined to give myself the best physical support I can.  

 

Main quest:

Replace fat with muscle! Lard begone! I was never super fussed about the numbers on the scale until we got a body fat scale.  My starting stats include a weight of 180, and a questionable (hard to say how accurate our scale is when measuring bodyfat) body fat percentage of 40.5%.  Yikes.  Let us never speak of that again.  

 

1. I will work out at least 3x/week, whether it's at the gym, on a hike, or by going to yoga, and I will continue my physical therapy. Success here means at least 3 workouts every week.

 

2.  I will consume quality food.  In my case, this means eating real food instead of processed on a regular basis.  Success here means making a good faith effort by having the right food on hand and eating it most of the time.

 

3.  I will get 8+ hours of sleep every night.  It's like the zombie apocalypse in my head when I am sleep deprived.  My crankiness levels go up by +3000 and none of my stuff works right, especially important things like motivation and exercise.  I totally need proper sleep, and it's something I struggle with.  I am a very light sleeper, and it's hard to really rest when my brain interprets any sudden noises as zombie raccoons trying to invade through the screen door (what is UP with that, brain?!) Success here means prioritizing relaxation and sleep routines, as well as my bedtime.  

 

Side quest:

Improve sleeping situation.  Is it cheating to make my side quest the same as #3?  The sleep thing is crucial, and it really needs an overhaul.  Bonus points awarded if I can make progress on solving (a) our bed is uncomfortable, ( I need new pillows or something to deal with that crick in my neck, and © how to sleep in the face of the wind tunnel that is my husband's sleep apnea machine.

 

Why?

To go on tougher hikes and backpacking trips!  My husband and I love to hike and backpack, but the sad truth is that I can't always keep up with our fitter friends.  I hate being left out of the more ambitious trips because I would slow everyone down.  Being able to go on more of these awesome trips is a great motivator for me.  As a way to get specific, I'll throw in a mini-goal of wanting to do a local hike with 2000 feet of elevation gain this year without being ridiculously hurt the next day and having to send my knee to Hoth for recovery.

 

Thanks for having me!  Best wishes to everyone.

[SunSeeker]

Happy Belated Birthday!  Looks like you've put together some good goals.  Have you thought about how you will grade your success?

[MsLouise]

Thanks, Melyssa!  I thought about doing the A-F grading thing and then remembered that I hated school.  Do you think it would help to have an actual grading system rather than just declaring successes and failures?

[SunSeeker]

I'm new here as well, so I can only go by what I think is right for me.  I find the grading system a way to hold myself accountable and help me judge whether my challenge was a success and I can level up.  You might get better guidance is you ask in the general questions thread of our newbies group.

[Haddock]

You could try working out to audiobooks. I find that I'm totally happy to go for an hour long walk as long as I have a compelling story on my headphones.

[MsLouise]

This week is going really well so far!  

 

We're at Thursday, and I've already done three workouts at the gym, so this week is already a success on the exercise front.  I've got yoga class tomorrow, where I will once again watch in awe as the more advanced members pretzel themselves into dragonfly pose.  It's good to have something to aspire to.  I'm also hoping to fit a hike in this weekend.

 

As far as food, things are also going really well, and I feel really good about putting in work in the evenings steaming veggies etc so that I continue to have quality food on hand.  Today's tuna sandwich lunch was a compromise (bread), but was the best I could do with what I had, and apart from that my food has been stellar.  Lots of veggies and lean protein, no baked goods or desserts.  My work fridge is broken, which is really hampering my ability to bring lunch from home so I hope to get that problem resolved soon.

 

The sleep is mixed, but I'm giving myself an A for effort so far.  Your suggestions welcomed!  My spirit is willing, but my brain just will not shut up.  This week I've tried to shake things up by prioritizing an early bedtime routine that starts with relaxation and calming music, and I've tried putting earphones in to distract my brain with music to no avail.  It's still taking me 2+ hours to get to sleep and I still wake up at every little noise.

 

Thanks for the feedback, Melyssa.  I'll work on a grading system that would work for me without reminding me of school. 

 

Haddock, I love the audiobook suggestion!  I love being read to, and somehow I never think to listen to audiobooks.  I was also thinking about trying to incorporate some stretching while watching tv as a way to mix story in with fitness.

 

I hope everyone is having a great week.

[SunSeeker]

MsLouise you are doing fabulous!  My husband doesn't have a fridge at work, so he uses the little plastic Blue Ice things made by Rubbermaid.  Stick them in the freezer at home, pop one in his lunch container and keeps his lunch nice and cold.  You can use them over and over.  I HAVE to read something light and easy before I try and go to sleep, but you've probably tried that as you are an avid reader.  I had a period awhile ago where I was having a horrible time going to sleep, so I downloaded the Lake Woebegone podcast and his voice would put me right out.  I don't think I ever did hear what was going on in Lake Woebegone.  I always had to go searching for my iPod in the morning, because sometime in the night I'd toss it out of the bed.  

[Stronkey Kong]

I often have trouble with getting to sleep and getting enough sleep. Here are some things I've noticed help.

 

1. Melatonin supplements - I like to take 3-6g, within an hour of bed time. (they can give you weird dreams, and/or make you a little groggy in the morning)

2. Music or reading after taking melatonin relax, get your mind off the day in general (good time to get some aSoIaF reading in)

3. If its really bad, I sometimes listen to sleep inducing binaural beats. Along with the melatonin, it can knock you out.

4. Don't eat for at least two, better if its 3-4 hours before bedtime, and keep the meal closest to bed time pretty light.

 

Also, I've noticed that I tend to wake up alert, almost exactly 12 hours after my last meal of the day. So if I eat my last at six, and go to bed at ten, I usually wake up at six or seven. Of course that depends on how much I ate during the day. If I eat more, I tend to sleep in.

[Stronkey Kong]

I often have trouble with getting to sleep and getting enough sleep. Here are some things I've noticed help.

 

1. Melatonin supplements - I like to take 3-6g, within an hour of bed time. (they can give you weird dreams, and/or make you a little groggy in the morning)

2. Music or reading after taking melatonin relax, get your mind off the day in general (good time to get some aSoIaF reading in)

3. If its really bad, I sometimes listen to sleep inducing binaural beats. Along with the melatonin, it can knock you out.

4. Don't eat for at least two, better if its 3-4 hours before bedtime, and keep the meal closest to bed time pretty light.

 

Also, I've noticed that I tend to wake up alert, almost exactly 12 hours after my last meal of the day. So if I eat my last at six, and go to bed at ten, I usually wake up at six or seven. Of course that depends on how much I ate during the day. If I eat more, I tend to sleep in.

 

Sorry. I may have given you some bad advice on sleep hygeine. I just saw this and a number of other articles that agree.

 

http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/features/what-you-eat-can-sabotage-your-sleep

 

I've been missing sleep this week and its probably due to cutting back on carbs as well. I also read that a light carb snack is before bed helps.

[GoodDoug]

Great goals, and a great start. One bit of advice is to make your food goal a bit more measurable... something like X number of processed foods per week or 90% fresh foods... so that you can have an easier time knowing that you are on track. It's easy to make excuses or think it's "good enough"  if you don't have well defined measurements (I speak form experience here

 

Best of luck and can't wait to see how you do on your first challenge!

[Oshika789]

I <3 books as well! They are often a worse distraction for me than the TV.

 

It sounds like you're off to a good start. Since the sleep issue is a main concern for you, here's what works for me:

 

1. Be as consistent as possible on when you go to bed and when you get up... yes, even on weekends.

 

2. An eye mask! Get a good one with a little flap at the bridge of your nose to block out ALL the light. Your brain can react to lots of different light stimuli (from a window, TV, even the glow from a digital clock), and the eye mask works wonders to tell my brain it's time to sleep.

 

3. White noise. I don't know what a sleep apnea machine sounds like, but instead of trying to block out the noise, try focusing on it instead, while eliminating other distracting thoughts. I do this with the noise of a box fan in our room. Hubby needs the airflow to keep cool, and I use the fan noise to lull myself to sleep and block out little random night noises (as dead silence is really not so silent).

 

4. The sleep trifecta: cool room, cozy blanket, cotton socks. It's best to sleep in a cool room (in the 65-68 range, which we do), a blanket that keeps you comfortable at that temperature (I need a thick fuzzy one, while my hubby is comfortable with a light quilt) and wearing cotton socks to bed helps regulate your temperature as you sleep.

 

A new pillow sounds like a great idea for you, and if your bed is uncomfortable maybe it's time for a new one... or if that's not in your budget right now, maybe try a foam mattress topper instead?

 

I hope you find something that works for you and helps you get your much needed rest. Good luck!

[MsLouise]

Thanks very much to everyone for all the great feedback!

 

Hey Melyssa!  Hope your day is going really well.  That tip about the blue ice things is a great one!  I am starting to think we have an appliance curse following us around.  It started when it took out our oven, then my fridge at work, and then the minute we put in the new oven, the fridge at home went out!  Happily, my husband gained huge bonus point by revealing this morning that one of my late birthday presents is a new minifridge for work (should be delivered next week).  Yay!  Having at least one working fridge in my life will make healthy eating much, much easier.  Having to only buy as much perishable food as we can eat before it goes bad and going to the grocery store all the time is getting old.

 

Darwin's Demon and Oshika, I really appreciate the sleep advice.  I do find melatonin helpful, but if I take enough of it to help me sleep it makes me groggy in the morning.  I have a great sleep mask that I use, but there are some more things to try, like white noise and a new pillow. We don't have air conditioning or anything, so the room temperature is pretty much up to mother nature.  We are going pillow shopping this weekend, and also to test out a different mattress.  I also read this article about sleep and figured out that what I probably need to work on most is reducing stress and worry, so that will be something to think about:

 

http://www.helpguide.org/life/sleep_tips.htm

 

I did get a good night's sleep last night and as usual feel a ton better today--that's my usual pattern, where I'll have a few night's of bad sleep and then be so exhausted I'll get 1-2 nights of good sleep only to repeat the cycle.

 

 I'm feeling really good about this challenge!  No gym this morning as I have an intense yoga class tonight.  It's technically an all-levels class (I am a total beginner), but everyone else there is pretty advanced, and the class moves fast.  I have to bring a towel with me because I sweat so much!  Can't have the sweat slick making me slip during downward facing dog.  

[MsLouise]

Oh, GoodDoug!  I totally appreciate you calling out how vague my food goal is, and I can see that being more specific would be good.  I'll come up with a more specific plan and post it here.

[MsLouise]

Alrighty, day five report!  (I started my thread a day late, but I had started on my food and exercise on Monday, so we're calling this day five).  I just got home from yoga, and it was amazingly hard and amazingly good.  Seems like yoga class is determined to strip a bunch of vanity from me--last week's class was the sweatiest I have EVER been in public, and this week's was the smelliest I have ever been in public.

 

I am succeeding with my three goals, but realizing that I may have set one of them up in a way that doesn't get at the root of the thing, specifically my sleep goal. Anyway, begin day five report:

 

#1. I just got done with a killer yoga class, which added to the gym brings me to 4/3 workouts for the week before the week is even over, awesome!  Next week, I am looking to add some upper body stuff to my exercise and to incorporate a yoga goal for the week (ie, work on warrior III pose).

 

#2.  Food is also going really well, although I acknowledge that the time has come for me to get specific with that food goal.  I will have a clear and specific food goal ready to go by Monday, and am hoping to come up with a grading system for my goals by then, too.

 

#3. I have technically been successful with my sleep goal, but I am still not seeing improvement in my poor sleep pattern, which is that I have a few bad nights and then am so exhausted that I have 1-2 good nights and then repeat.  I said success with this goal would be prioritizing relaxation, sleep routines, and my bedtime, which I have successfully done, but it isn't helping yet.

 

So, between a great yoga class with some meditation and self-reflection, I have come to realize that the sleep thing may be a lot bigger than I thought when I wrote my goals.  I talked to some other folks with sleep trouble, and realized that I don't have big problems with keeping my bedtime or other things that are keeping people up, but that I do have a problem with being too anxious and worried to sleep.  I've been reading this article about sleep:

 

http://www.helpguide.org/life/sleep_tips.htm

 

And realizing that underlying stress and anxiety is probably a huge factor in my problems sleeping.  However, that's kind of a big Pandora's Box, and I need to figure out a way to break that large thing up into smaller things so that I can find some small achievable goals that will help me open the scary box in a constructive way.  I mean, telling myself "Hey, all that stuff you're worrying about is interfering with your sleep!" isn't exactly helpful, and I'm not sure how to break this down into bits I can manage yet.

 

Anyway.  I reckon I'll sit with that this weekend and come back with either a plan to re-write my third goal, or some other solution.  My other weekend goals are:

 

Stay strong with food, keep quality food on hand

Write more specific food goal

Write grading system for my challenge

Go pillow shopping!

Test different mattress

Think about sleep issue

Go for a hike

 

And now it's time for my bedtime routine.  Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read, and to check in with me.  It helps!  

[SunSeeker]

I just goggled warrior 3 to see what it was exactly.  You rock.  I've only done warrior 1 and 2.   

 

The process you are going thru with your sleeping goal is amazing.  To just stop and think about it is an excellent step.  Looking forward to seeing what you discover.

[MsLouise]

Hah hah, Melyssa, I only said I would *practice* the yoga move, not that I could actually get into it.    I did practice it at the gym today, and got maybe 2/3rds of the way into it and held that for a few seconds.  We did eagle pose in class last Friday, so there's another one to add to my practice list.  Have you done that one?  I'm getting okay with the balance of it, but can't seem to wrap my legs around as much as it calls for.  Thanks for all your encouragement, I really appreciate it.

 

So it's the beginning of week two (yay!) and I'd like to start off by laying out my revised goals, and celebrating the high points and what went right in week one.  I'm going to break that up into two posts because that's a lot of words.

 

Revised goals!  After getting some great feedback from fellow nerds (thanks!) and having a week to gauge where I'm at, I am revising my goals to the following, and I've added a grading scale and LOOT.

 

Overall quest is still to lose fat and add muscle.

 

#1. I will work out at least 3x/week (gym, yoga, hiking, and PT appointments all count).  

 

#2 (revised to be more specific).  Eat South Beach Diet Phase 2 90% of the time (for the sake of simplicity, I'm looking at this as 21 meals/week so rounded that means 19/21 meals per week must be in accordance with that plan).  Any non-plan snacks will count as a non-plan meal.  I am allowing myself two exceptions.  Firstly, I get to have one dessert per week of my choice, because let's face it, I have to live with this plan.  Secondly, I am allowed one coffee per day with sugar in it.  I realize that may not be ideal, but I am cutting back from 3-4 every day with lots of sugar, so this is an improvement, plus I have basically given up fast food and fried foods, etc, so I'm keeping this indulgence for now.

 

#3.  I have now realized that my initial "get 8+ hours of sleep every night" goal was way too big and involved a huge anxiety/stress problem that I can't really wrap my head around yet.  I have also read that regular exercise and good eating habits help with sleep, and I think I need to give myself time for those newly improved areas to work their magic.  Therefore, I am scaling this goal down to this: 

 

I will prioritize relaxation, sleep routines, and my bedtime.  Be in bed by 10pm 5x/week, do some kind of pre-bed relaxation 3x/week.

 

Due to my loathing of real school, I've decided to use the Harry Potter grading system.  OEA are passing grades, PDT are failing grades:

 

 

O- Outstanding: Execute all goals, no deviation from defined success criteria.

 

E- Exceeds Expectations: Execute all goals, no more than 1 deviation from success criteria total (ie, can have one miss in one of the three goals, not one in each).

 

A- Acceptable: Execute all goals, no more than 2 deviations total from success criteria.

 

P- Poor: Execute at least two goals with no more than 1 total deviation from success criteria.

 

D- Dreadful: Execute at least two goals with no more than 2 total deviations in success criteria.

 

T- Troll! Anything less than dreadful.

 

Loot will be acquired with passing grades of O and E.  Current loot ideas include: new gym flip flips and new gym towels.

 

Nerd Fitness friends, your feedback and support is truly appreciated.  You guys rock, and I'm so grateful to be here with you all!

[MsLouise]

Now that I have revised goals and a grading system, let's talk about last week.  

 

BEGIN RANT: Before we get to the good stuff, can I just say how irritating it is that I am doing all the work, eating right, and sweating all the sweat without seeing the scale budge in either poundage or body fat % while my husband is sort of kind of eating better just because I'm cooking good food. He isn't exercising at all, and is eating and drinking stuff I am not,  and yet he is seeing weight loss?!  Seriously?  Stupid boy metabolism and muscles.  I mean, I'm thrilled for him, but just a little jealous.  END RANT.

 

Grade for the week: O for Outstanding!  I came in at 19/21 meals on plan with no deviations or unplanned snacks.  Exercise was 4/3 workouts, and I am feeling strong!  The scale may not be going anywhere, but I know for sure that my legs and backside are growing strong.  All those clams and resistance band side walks are paying off.  I am also at outstanding for my revised sleep goal, as I was in bed by 10 Monday-Friday, and I did pre-bed relaxation 3 times.

 

LOOT!  Yes!  An outstanding grade for last week means I can claim some treasure.  Self, you are owed one pair of neato new gym flip flops (for wearing in the gym shower, because ick).

 

So what went right in week one?

 

1. Planning ahead: I was in a good position to ramp up my exercise as I already had a gym membership and workout clothes.  I slayed the morning motivation dragon by prepping my gym and work clothes every night so all I had to do in the morning was stumble into my gym clothes and pick up my gym bag.  This is a winning combination for me.  I was able to stave off potential disaster (my work and home refrigerators were both broken) by steaming up tons of veggies so that I'd always have something healthy to eat.  

 

2. Asking for help: I found Nerd Fitness, and am really benefitting from having a healthy community to participate in.  I can't say it enough, you guys are amazing.  I also enlisted my husband for support, and he has been great about helping me stay on track with my food.  Next up, it's time for me to ask for help with my workouts (specifically: working on perfecting my squat form, need to decide on a few simple upper body exercises to add, and have a slew of questions for my physical therapist, mostly having to do with the boring repetitiveness of doing the same PT exercises all the time).

 

3. Making healthy substitutions and having healthy treats: in the past, trying to go cold turkey and deny myself everything good and be hungry all the time has been a recipe for disaster.  This time, I gave myself a free pass on steamed veggies, so I didn't ever have to feel hungry.  I have also worked hard to find healthy treats that turn this challenge from an experiment in deprivation into a delicious new way of eating.  For me, things like fruit, kombucha, the occasional fruit or veggie shake or yogurt and things like that are total treats and really help keep me on track.  I am worth it, and if spending money on blueberries and kombcha keeps me away from pastries, then that's a great trade off right now.

 

I'm feeling great, and had a fantastic workout at the gym this morning, so week two is off to a good start.  Potential challenges this week include some medical stuff, and the fridge at home being out of commission.  I need to plan ahead to keep those and other unexpected challenges from derailing me this week.

 

I am excited to catch up on threads and see how people are doing.

[Mistr]

Hi MsLouise,

 

Thank you for the encouranging comments.  I agree that the sleep problem is tough.  I hope you can find a new pillow and mattress that you like.  My partner got a memory foam pillow and a foam topper for the bed.  They have made a big difference for him.

 

I agree with others who have commented on keeping the bedroom dark.  I like the white noise of the sleep apnea machine.  You might look into different models if the one your husband is using is too loud.  Having the mask fitted properly also makes a big difference.  I've slept with ear plugs in the past but I can't say I liked it.

 

Science News (http://news.sciencemag.org/2013/08/waking-tired-blame-electricity) suggests that using light and dark to control your circadian rhythm may help.  We put up curtains outside the bedroom door in the hallway.  This lets me keep the door cracked to let my cat in and out, but keeps out the light from down the hall.  Maybe you could do something similar to reduce noise.  All the little improvement will add up.

 

You are already on a good path with cutting back on the coffee and sugar.  I have been off caffeine for two weeks now.  After the first week I noticed that I was sleeping more soundly and not waking up in the wee hours and having trouble getting back to sleep.  The improvement is dramatic enough to motivate me to turn down coffee.

 

Making healthy substitutions and having healthy treats: in the past, trying to go cold turkey and deny myself everything good and be hungry all the time has been a recipe for disaster.  This time, I gave myself a free pass on steamed veggies, so I didn't ever have to feel hungry.  I have also worked hard to find healthy treats that turn this challenge from an experiment in deprivation into a delicious new way of eating.  For me, things like fruit, kombucha, the occasional fruit or veggie shake or yogurt and things like that are total treats and really help keep me on track.  I am worth it, and if spending money on blueberries and kombcha keeps me away from pastries, then that's a great trade off right now.

 

Yes!  I agree completely.  I detest "healthy eating" plans that make me give up all treats.  I am much happier if I can have a small piece of my coworker's birthday cake with a clear conscience.  I find I can turn down the low quality grocery store baked goods when I have fresh fruit treats for a snack.

[SunSeeker]

MsLouise,  I love your Harry Potter grading system!  I knew you'd find something that would work for you.  You've done an awesome job at rewriting your goals as well.  

Since you and iatetheyeti are both doing Warrior 3, I'm going to add it to my practice as well.  Make it a community balance act.  lol  I have trouble wrapping my legs properly for the Eagle pose although I balance on one leg pretty well as long as I keep my eyes focused on a spot on the wall.

 

I agree with you on diet.  I get great pleasure preparing, cooking and eating delicious food.  I will not deprive myself.  Luckily, I do not have a sweet tooth and love the taste of what I consider healthy food.

 

Oh that scale is an evil, evil device.  And don't get me started on the whole boy metabolism, muscles and their ability to eat way more than me.....  

[rebeltchr]

Your week 1 achievements sound awesome! Warrior III is a really tough pose. It's amazing how much the breathing helps me out in balancing poses--my urge is always to hold my breath while I'm balanced, and that really doesn't help at all. 

And your Harry Potter grading system is AWESOME--what a good way to think about the quest!

 

Cheers to week 2!

[Oshika789]

That is the rant of many women... my husband plans to start working out after his shoulder surgery heals, and I almost dread it. He's already more muscular and fit than I am, and he can lose weight just by thinking about eating healthier and working out. *sigh*

 

GREAT job prepping the night before. I wish I could be a morning exerciser, but right now that is not a challenge I'm ready to take on... lol. And also good job on finding healthier "treats" to keep you on track, and using veggies to keep you full.

 

As for upper body, there are a lot of simple exercises you can do with free weights or resistance bands, or even with just your body weight (push ups, pull ups, tricept dips). An online search or browse on Pinterest should give you lots of ideas. Just remember it will feel like slow going at first... I personally struggle with pushups, and started with a wall push up, then "girl" pushups (on your knees), and just recently managed to be able to do one "real" pushup while staying on my toes!

 

Stick with it and you'll get there! You're already doing amazing! You should be so proud!

[SunSeeker]

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Jason Crandell's class for tight hamstrings was perfect for my lower body today.  Thank you so much for the recommendation.

[MsLouise]

I am dragging today, which I attribute to breakfast fail.  The husband and I both forgot to buy eggs last night, which set me up for a ridiculous morning wherein I went to the gym without breakfast and then roamed the earth looking for food.  Not my best moment, but I managed to find some eggs and sausage that are on my plan and I did not cave in to the urge to stop at McDonald's.  I will not be attempting the gym without breakfast again, that was no good at all.

 

Despite not having a lot of energy, it did me good to go the gym.  The less strenuous workout and a good stretching session was excellent at helping with my super sore muscles (I've been hitting the squats, clams, and pigeon pose hard, so believe me there is soreness).  Today I finally added in some arm exercises by using the weight machines at the gym.  I know a lot of folks here advocate free weights, but I am terrified of going over there, so the machines will have to do for now.  The fact that I'm adding in arms is the good news, the bad news is that it was like a bowl of Rice Krispies in there, all "SNAP! Crackle! POP!" with every movement.   I took it pretty easy on my arms today as I have some nasty tendon issues that I don't want to irritate.  I'll build up as I see how my arms do with it.

 

In yoga news, I *think* I got all the way into Warrior III this morning!  I really focused on setting it up right and entering it starting from a halfway up flat back pose, extending my arms, and bringing one leg to my chest before entering the pose.  Now it's time to repeat that and try to hold it longer.

 

 

Hi MsLouise,

 

Thank you for the encouranging comments.  I agree that the sleep problem is tough.  I hope you can find a new pillow and mattress that you like.  My partner got a memory foam pillow and a foam topper for the bed.  They have made a big difference for him.

 

I agree with others who have commented on keeping the bedroom dark.  I like the white noise of the sleep apnea machine.  You might look into different models if the one your husband is using is too loud.  Having the mask fitted properly also makes a big difference.  I've slept with ear plugs in the past but I can't say I liked it.

 

Thanks, Mistr!  We did buy a shredded memory foam pillow over the weekend, but it is clearly the devil's bedding.  Way too thick for me, causing enormous neck cramping.  So far the best pillow is a super thin feather one, and I think the occasional neck twinge I'm still getting is just because of my nighttime career as a contortionist.  I am definitely thinking about a memory foam topper.  I will experiment with wearing my eye pillow more often to see if that helps.  re: the sleep apnea machine, there are two things: one, if my husband is facing me, it blows air all over me that kills all sleep (solution: build a pillow fortress between us),  and two, the ripping the mask off noise is terrifying.  The white noise of the machine itself isn't really a problem for me, it's the loud and sudden noises that happen when my poor husband can't stand it/has an itchy nose, and rips the mask off, which is really loud and sudden. I already have a problem with waking up at all sudden noises with adrenaline rushing through my veins, ready to fight off zombies, so this one is a real issue for me.  I've tried earplugs, but that just increases my adrenaline reaction to the noises that get through the earplugs.  Right now, I'm having some luck with having earphones in playing soothing music while I'm sleeping.  It's like some kind of cosmic joke that treating my husband's sleep problem means that I get even less sleep, but hopefully things will settle down if he can adjust to the mask.

 

 

MsLouise,  I love your Harry Potter grading system!  I knew you'd find something that would work for you.  You've done an awesome job at rewriting your goals as well.  

Since you and iatetheyeti are both doing Warrior 3, I'm going to add it to my practice as well.  Make it a community balance act.  lol  I have trouble wrapping my legs properly for the Eagle pose although I balance on one leg pretty well as long as I keep my eyes focused on a spot on the wall.

 

 

Sweet!  I love that we're all working on the same pose.  We have kind of a running joke amongst my local yoga friends where we do silly yoga poses when we're hiking for fun, like this (yes, I am wearing a rubber horse head).

 

 

I'd love to spread that goofball tradition around, so if you're ever feeling silly on a hike I'd love to see the results!   Are you taking a specific type of yoga class/practicing a specific type?  Do you have a regular practice of your own?

 

I feel like I skipped the part where I learned any basics and should probably go back and revisit that step.  Basically, I have some advanced yoga friends who started inviting me to classes, and I just try my best to learn stuff and keep up.  My current class is a power vinyasa (although given the temperatures this summer, it has been more like hot yoga!).  The studio does offer a beginner basics that I am hoping to take.  I took one amazing iyengar class when we were in India earlier this year, and loved it so much, but I haven't found anyone local to me teaching that style.  Other than working on a pose or two at the gym, I don't currently have a practice of my own, so that's a goal for another time.

 

Your week 1 achievements sound awesome! Warrior III is a really tough pose. It's amazing how much the breathing helps me out in balancing poses--my urge is always to hold my breath while I'm balanced, and that really doesn't help at all. 

And your Harry Potter grading system is AWESOME--what a good way to think about the quest!

 

Cheers to week 2!

 

 

 

Hey rebeltchr, thanks for stopping by!  I'll have to work on the breathing thing.    I'm good about remembering to breathe, but I haven't really done any breath work yet.  Hope your week is going well.

[Oshika789]

Wow! That picture is amazing! And the horse head is too funny.

 

I did a yoga DVD last night... Warrior 3 is rough... I kept losing my balance! Glad to hear you're making progress on it. I used to do yoga years ago, and remember being much more flexible and better balanced (although I've always been a bit unbalanced... haha!). I must say I'm surprised at how sore my muscles are this morning from it too.

 

Just wanted to pop in and give my support, great job so far today!

[MsLouise]

That is the rant of many women... my husband plans to start working out after his shoulder surgery heals, and I almost dread it. He's already more muscular and fit than I am, and he can lose weight just by thinking about eating healthier and working out. *sigh*

 

GREAT job prepping the night before. I wish I could be a morning exerciser, but right now that is not a challenge I'm ready to take on... lol. And also good job on finding healthier "treats" to keep you on track, and using veggies to keep you full.

 

As for upper body, there are a lot of simple exercises you can do with free weights or resistance bands, or even with just your body weight (push ups, pull ups, tricept dips). An online search or browse on Pinterest should give you lots of ideas. Just remember it will feel like slow going at first... I personally struggle with pushups, and started with a wall push up, then "girl" pushups (on your knees), and just recently managed to be able to do one "real" pushup while staying on my toes!

 

Stick with it and you'll get there! You're already doing amazing! You should be so proud!

 

Hey Oshika, thanks for all the encouragement!  I'll probably say this about a million times, but it really does help!  You know, I *am* starting to feel proud of a few things.  I have never, ever, had glute, ass, or hip muscles, and I'm finally doing something about it with physical therapy.  Suddenly I feel that I have muscles in there, and I do feel pretty proud.  

 

Wow! That picture is amazing! And the horse head is too funny.

 

I did a yoga DVD last night... Warrior 3 is rough... I kept losing my balance! Glad to hear you're making progress on it. I used to do yoga years ago, and remember being much more flexible and better balanced (although I've always been a bit unbalanced... haha!). I must say I'm surprised at how sore my muscles are this morning from it too.

 

Just wanted to pop in and give my support, great job so far today!

 

I know, we're goofy.  The horse head was part of last year's holiday white elephant gift exchange, and we just couldn't resist pulling it out at Dead Horse Point State Park.  

 

Go you with the yoga!  I know, the balance is HARD.  Everyone seems to have a different key to unlock that.  For me, it's focusing on planting my leg, digging it deep into the floor, and concentrating like hell.  I'm better able to hold the balance when I do it like that.