Once a newb, always a newb

[quiktekk]

I don't know how many "Hi, my name is Vanessa, and I'm new here" posts I've filled out.  With some grit, this will hopefully be the last one, since I plan on sticking to getting and staying healthy.  I've been battling the whole weight loss thing for awhile now, and like many of us here, started some program, only to bail out at the site of the first obstacle or interruption.  This is extremely frustrating, since I seriously considered military life in high school, was awarded a 4-year army scholarship after graduation, had spent a year training with Army ROTC's Ranger Challenge team, was given 2-months time to meet the height/weight/BMI cutoff, only to lose out due to a tape test.  I think this is the first time I've readily admitted it.

 

I am horrible at sticking to any routine and am lucky to just make it to work everyday.  Sad, I know.

 

We just recently had a heath and fitness screening at work (note: I work in a lab and am on my feet/briskly walking around instruments for 9-11 hours for 5-6 days of the week).  After getting the results, I realize that I haven't improved much from last year and am in need of help in just leading a more active lifestyle.  Here's my stats from Friday (8/30/13) with the optimal goals set by Provant - the health screening people:

 

 

Measurement / My Results / Optimal Score

Total Cholesterol / 125 / <200 mg/dL

HDL Cholesterol / 56 / >60 mg/dL

TC/HDL Ratio / 2.2 / <3.5

LDL Cholesterol / 58 / <130 mg/dL

Triglycerides / 56 / <150 mg/dL

Glucose / 87 / <100 mg/dL fasting

Blood Pressure / 132/86 / <120/80 mm Hg

Body Fat Percent / 34.8% / 21-32.9% for F/20-39y.o.

BMI / 32.7 kg/m^{2 /} 18.5-24.9 kg/m²

Waist Circumference / 37 in. / <35 for women

Hb A1c (diabetes screen) / 5.3% / <5.7%

 

I'm not far off, but honestly, I know I could be more fit than what our insurance premiums dictate.  My goal is to be able to complete a half marathon before I'm 26 (giving me a little under 13 months until my next birthday), and a dream goal of participating in a triathalon before I turn 30.  Unfortunately, there's no Couch-2-Triathalon app.  Hopefully, working towards these goals eliminates fixating on numbers above.  For starters, I recently sprinted/jogged/walking the Color in Motion 5K two weeks ago in San Diego... in Vibrams!  I'd like to get that same "YEEAAHH!  I COMPLETED SOMETHING!" feeling again and again.

 

As for things I bring to the NF table:  I enjoy sharing my day and listening to others share theirs... I'm extremely talkative on the interwebs, but in real life am quiet and enjoy listening to people.  This often is mistaken for being anti-social... it's just my inner nerd being introverted, 'sall!  I'm open minded to the point of being gullible sometimes, but this makes for a fun workout partner that likes focusing on the goal without judging.

 

Anywho, now to start sifting through the boards and finding the "starting line"... let me know where I should go first!

[Awkward Rogue]

Hello. I know how you feel about the obstacles thing. It's especially hard for me with my diet (being gluten free and walking by a pizza place twice a week). I know for me the "i completed something!" feeling is what keeps me going when trying to get fit. I think what helps me, might just help you. One way to keep getting that feeling while working towards a much larger goal is to set a lot of smaller goals along the way. Like running for instance, take as long as you can stand to run for (for me like 30 sec DX) and just increasing it every week until you get to a goal set (such as a whole min, which is still bad and embarrassing for me DX). During my previous experiences I eventually worked up to 5 min with straight jogging on the treadmill and went from barely being able to do 25 squats in a set to being able to do 150. I guess it's just all in how you break it down : )

 

Good luck!

[quiktekk]

Hi Rogue!  Amazing numbers on the squats; I found the battle log section of the forums and am getting ready to start one now.  If you have one, I'll follow yours.  Will definitely start with smaller goals!

[Awkward Rogue]

I have not yet started anything on here. I've been mostly just reading through the FAQ and the challenge information. I'm glad the next one starts on the 16th, though I'll be working towards my goals in the meantime anyways.

When you finish posting yours, link it here and I'll follow yours and maybe start my own : )

[CactusWren]

Welcome!!!

 

I looked into the military in high school, but didn't get nearly as far as you did. What do you do in said lab, if you don't mind me asking?

[quiktekk]

Welcome!!! What do you do in said lab, if you don't mind me asking?

 

 

Don't mind at all, Wren!  In a nutshell, I do the testing/instrument maintenance in a diagnostic laboratory... specifically, the tests that you'd get to find out if you're pregnant (or more accurately, how far along you are), cancer screenings, cardiac testing, thyroid function checks, or help docs figure out why a patient might have anemia or allergies.  It's a 24/7 operation, so I get stuck at work quite a bit!

[CactusWren]

Don't mind at all, Wren!  In a nutshell, I do the testing/instrument maintenance in a diagnostic laboratory... specifically, the tests that you'd get to find out if you're pregnant (or more accurately, how far along you are), cancer screenings, cardiac testing, thyroid function checks, or help docs figure out why a patient might have anemia or allergies.  It's a 24/7 operation, so I get stuck at work quite a bit!

 

Maybe it's just my inner geek, I bet it gets a bit routine, but that sounds amazeballs. What kind of training is required for what you do?

[quiktekk]

You're right in that it gets routine, but I remember that each and every one of those blood samples I'm getting is a parent/cousin/sibling/teacher/care giver/military member out there in the world trying to get or stay healthy!  So that makes it less routine and more important that just some random tube.

 

To become a technician, labs usually look for someone who has A.S. or B.S. in Medical Lab Technology, Clinical Lab Sciences, or some health related major; and if you're in California, they're especially looking for a state approved license... some (i.e., yours truely) weeded up through the cracks (or were grandfathered) without the degree and started out as an accessioner, then became a data entry clerk, then a lab assistant, then a tech... but ultimately, pathologists (MDs) rule the lab.  

 

Training can be on the job, but it really depends on what department you'd work for (since there's microbiology, molecular biology, chemistry, special chemistry, hematology, immunology, etc.) & what instruments/methodologies are put into process at the lab.

 

I can blab about this quite a bit, so I'll stop here for now. 

[CactusWren]

You're right in that it gets routine, but I remember that each and every one of those blood samples I'm getting is a parent/cousin/sibling/teacher/care giver/military member out there in the world trying to get or stay healthy!  So that makes it less routine and more important that just some random tube.

 

To become a technician, labs usually look for someone who has A.S. or B.S. in Medical Lab Technology, Clinical Lab Sciences, or some health related major; and if you're in California, they're especially looking for a state approved license... some (i.e., yours truely) weeded up through the cracks (or were grandfathered) without the degree and started out as an accessioner, then became a data entry clerk, then a lab assistant, then a tech... but ultimately, pathologists (MDs) rule the lab.  

 

Training can be on the job, but it really depends on what department you'd work for (since there's microbiology, molecular biology, chemistry, special chemistry, hematology, immunology, etc.) & what instruments/methodologies are put into process at the lab.

 

I can blab about this quite a bit, so I'll stop here for now. 

 

Very cool! I love getting a peek inside other careers.