JoeBlend's late to the party...again challenge

[Swinging_Jarnbjorn]

Ok, so my challenge will be timeshifted a week. I was moving and then out of town with minimal internet access for a whole week, right at the start of the challenge. It was actually kind of nice unplugging from the Matrix for a while. Anyway, lets get dangerous!

 

I've been away from challenges for a while, but with the rules change, it seems I've found a good jumping back on point.

 

MY MAIN QUEST: To successfully complete the Spring 2014 Las Vegas Tough Mudder

I've chosen a quest that has a somewhat longer time constraint, but is not too horribly far away, even the main quest is a rung on the massive ladder that is my epic quest. As always, the princess is in another castle...

 

Quest Goal #1: I will complete a strength training workout five days a week every week. I will be following an isolation split, with one body part each weekday. The Tough Mudder is no joke. I've got to level up my strength before I can complete this quest.

Str+3

 

Quest Goal #2: I will complete a 10-15 minute HIIT session three days a week every week. Tough Mudder is not just about strength; it will push me to my cardio and endurance limits as well. Sta+3 Dex+2

 

Quest Goal #3: I will track my calories and eat at a 500 kCal deficit. Ok, so when I get to the Tough Mudder I will be stronger and faster and be able to run longer, but right now I'm a pretty big dude. How much easier do you think it will be to dominate the course if there's less of me? Let's find out. *My calorie intake at a 500 kCal deficit is 2,750 calories daily

Con+2 Cha+1 Dex+2

 

Life Quest: I will develop and maintain a budget (based on the envelope method), and through this budget, I will FINALLY allocate a portion of my income for saving. That's right. I'm going to learn to pay myself first. For quantifiability, I am starting small, so I'll pay myself $20 from each paycheck to be split between rainy-day and fun money. 10% of any unexpected income will go into the rainy-day account. Because of my time shift, I'll see 4 paychecks. That's $80 expected in the rainy-day fund, and in the future I hope to shoot for more savings. Wis+2

 

All grades will be based on percentages.

[Swinging_Jarnbjorn]

Oy..Not doing a very good job of keeping up with my posts. Anyways, here's the update:

 

I've missed two strength workouts this week, and I've got a ton of excuses, but none of them matter. I was there this morning for leg day though, and I hit a personal best 500 pounds on the leg press. My second workout partner has not been available, so my Stronglifts 5x5 is on hold, but that's on me as well.

 

I got my HIIT in last week, but I'm behind this week. There's still time, though, so we'll see what happens.

 

Calorie counting is a fail so far. Either I'm forgetting to write down my food, or I'm going to work and being ambushed by junk food, which is a MAJOR stumbling block for me.

 

My budget, however, is going well, and I've opened a second account, not to be used for paying bills, and made an automatic transfer into it for savings. I'm really excited about this one, as finances have been such a thorn in my paw all of my adult life. Basically, I just suck at money. Previously, I'd just marked it down to the price I pay for being good at other things. Now, I'm shifting focus and addressing that weak spot.

 

Hope everyone else is doing well!

[Anamal]

Yay on budget! Small victories! I paid off my credit card as part of my last challenge and it feels good to have less money worry.

 

Also, I make it a habit of writing down my food before I eat it, and keep track on an app on my phone (which I almost always have with me due to work).

 

I think you'll find slimming down will definitely help with your run times. They say 2sec/mi for every 1lb lost. But I know personally even 5-10lbs can make a significant difference in my perceived effort and time.

 

Just remember to make time for the things that matter (like working out) for example, I'm flying to Portland tomorrow for work, so I'm getting up at 3am to hit the gym since I won't have access to one again until Sunday.