A Late Mouse Is Still A Mouse

[The Mouse]

"I'm late! I'm late! I'm oh-so-very late!"

but a late Mouse is still a Mouse - and for that, she is a Tiger.

 

 

MAJOR UPDATE:

Oct 15, 2013

Due to a knee injury sustained Oct 7, the Running and Lifting portions of this challenge have to be severely modified, if not completely cut. 

Please note the changes in this post here for more details.

 

 

Hey!
I'm trying something very different this time around, folks. 
Zuel is fantastic for logging, and I'm afraid that my Mouse-like mind doesn't have the devotion (read: free-time at work, 'cause I've landed a fantastic job until graduation that is actually keeping me busy and putting my skills to work) to pull off the same kind of dedicated logging in-thread. However, I want to try "micro-logging", kinda like micro-blogging.
 
So I'll be posting what I can (meals, activity, thoughts, etc) on Twitter using the hashtag #monklvl5 (and, if I've got the space, pairing it with #nf6wkchallenge, #keto, etc - though no more than 2 at a time!). My Twitter handle is @atienzac, so feel free to follow/search the hashtag and please, tell me if I'm Twittering wrong. I suck at using social media and it's part of my interest as a future HR-professional to see the impact social media has on recruitment and building one's online presence.
 
And of course, I'm far from a social media expert. But hey, if Twitter can help me organize my info, then so be it! It shall be used! My plan is to update as often as I can on Twitter, then do a recap of my performance for the week, catch up on any comments and post a weigh-in every weekend or so.
 
As for why I'm starting a week late, I was pretty disheartened by my lack of progress (though it wasn't entirely unexpected - in fact, I maintained weight and performance quite well despite my almost complete lack of both dietary and exercise discipline) and took a bit of a dive. I'm happy to say I'm more than back on the horse, though my back and neck have become seriously tight and I'm gonna have to see if I can book regular chiro/massage appointments to try to bring things back into shape.
 
I feel the week of rest has helped me to reset and get my priorities straight. I've also identified that I want to start running again - it's the one thing that changed between the challenge where I lost 10lbs to the recent challenges where I've been struggling. 
 

THE MAIN QUEST

Mouse, our intrepid Monk-in-Training, stumbles into the Town Square - nearly toppling the Bard as he sets up his wooden crate to sit on. She's haggard, tired, laden with endless reams of scrolls scrawled with plans and logs and dreams. Ink splashed across her face, she all but collapses onto one of the makeshift chairs slung together from bits of wood and rags in front of the Bard's meager stage.

 

Brushing the obviously exhausted woman's entrance aside, the Bard began on his tale of the valley beyond the mountain ridge - the next stop for many of the Rebels in the courtyard, all eager to take the next steps on their dragon-slaying journeys.

 

He strummed majestically, at first the tune sounding as up-lifting and inspiring as always, but his fingers shifted and the minor chords struck sent chills down the spines of those gathering to listen to him. He sang of a valley, filled with bones and corpses and rotting flesh - flesh that refused to lie still and rest. He sang of Rebels being chased, overrun and taken by the sheer masses of the Undead come to live again - taken by mere shambling masses of skin and bone that couldn't move but for a slow shuffle. Overrun and taken simply due to the numbers of them all.

 

And how bursting through them - through maddening runs, terrified sprints, feats of sheer melee genius - only through those could Rebels hope to cross the Valley of the Undead to reach the Mountains of Passage. 

 

Mouse shivered - she was at once driven by every desire in her body to defeat her dragons, to blaze through the Valley, across the Mountains, crash through the Wall of Weakness to get to the Path of Adipox, and crush the dragon Flabxia in its Lair; and utterly terrified of anything remotely similar to horror.

 

However, fear is simply another step to conquer, another experience to gain, another storm to be weathered.

 

However much she feared zombies and the undead, she must blaze a trail of glorious victory through them to attain her goal. And so blaze she would.

 

Eyes burning with determination (and more than her fair share of terror at the prospect of running through hordes of zombies), Mouse threw aside her scrolls, opting instead for a small blue bird to which she could attach snippets of parchment to send to her friends, adopting a lighter load out and set herself down the path to the Valley of the Undead.

 

She would conquer this, she told herself, conquer it well.

 

GOALS

Run Like Zoms Are Chasing You... No, Srsly. They're Right Behind You.

[DEX +2, STA +3]

I hate myself for this, but I've started Zombies, Run! 5k Training. 

As someone who is both easily terrified of anything horror and easily addicted to anything storytelling, I'm at the mercy of my imagination when running to this thing. Fortunately, it works and I run fast, hard and for as long as I can. Unfortunately, I can't run anytime it's dark, so I have to run either inside on the track or outside when it's bright out - and in Alberta, Canada, that means I'm not running outside for much longer.

 

But I will run 3x a week, aiming to complete 6 weeks of Z,R! by the end of the challenge (I'm already in W2). However, this can include going back and doing a week over - so essentially, I'm going to be running 3x a week.

 

Due to suspected Runner's Knee obtained Oct 7 (W4D1), I will not be running during Week 4 in the hopes of preventing making the injury worse. Please be advised that the goals have been appropriately adjusted. -M

 

Grading:

• A: 3 Runs Per Week (total of 15 10)
• B: 2 Runs Per Week (total of 10 5)
• C: 1 Run Per Week (total of 5)
• Anything less is fail.

Lift Like You're Killing Zoms By Throwing Heavy Things... Srsly, Throw.

[sTR +2, STA +2, DEX +1]

I joined my campus Powerlifting Club! 

And I'm throwing myself back into karate in full-force!

And I joined a dance class!

 

So essentially, I'mma be lifting, kicking and steppin' my way outta those Zoms' reaches. Hopefully. Gracefully. 

...The way away from the Zombie Apocalypse is slow-slow-quickquick! (Fox Trot, anyone?)

 

I aim to lift/dance 3x a week - if my legs feel tight again, I will reduce this to two and replace one of the workouts with stretching.

 

I also aim to attend hot yoga once per week as a sort of flexibility and pre-emptive recovery. Still gotta work out the logistics, though.

 

Grading:

• A: 3 Workouts (any combo of lifting/dancing) Per Week (total of 15)
• B: 2 Workouts (any combo) Per Week (total of 10)
• C: 1 Workout (either lifting/dance) Per Week (total of 5)
• Anything less is fail.

Eat Like It's The Zombie Apocalypse... Srsly, Don't Poison Yourself.

[CON +3, CHA +2]

I find that 1,550 calories per day is an attainable goal, and that even eating much above that (probably close to 2k), I was able to stay within 2lbs of my "attained weight" (125lbs). This gave me hope that outside of keto is totally fine (though I hate what excessive water weight does to how my tummy feels while running - it feels so jiggly), and that I can recover some lost hair doing so. I may or may not eat keto, but I will not go off the deep end and drink/eat sugary crap just because.

 

During my two week break, I found I could eat @ 1,550cal and not in keto and went down to 126.2lbs. Now, I'm likely in 125lb range, back to my lowest.

 

So I hope to eat namely keto (breakfast+lunch) and stay strictly within my 1,550cal limit.

 

Be advised: as I will start running and hot yoga, I may need to up this caloric limit.

 

Grading:

• Pass/Fail
  • ​Pass: No more than 5 days above 1550cal, other than that it's based on feel.
  • Fail: More than 5 days above 1550cal - must be a sizable difference (100cal+).

​ 
The Life Quest
I want to find myself a good job. And I want to be happy doing it. For this, I've checked off a big To Do: I've become a member of the Human Resources Institute of Alberta (HRIA) - this lets me access their workshops, and most importantly, their networking events.
 
I want to do one principle thing: work towards developing my professional identity. 
 
This involves two steps: creating a personal brand and developing my online professional presence.
 
Specifically for this challenge, I need to design a business card (design in mind, just need to finalize it and print it) and finish up my LinkedIn Profile (may not be possible, as I'm part of a test group for work that means I'll have to keep it unfinished for a bit, but I can at least draft all my information and arrange to have professional photos taken).
 
The Starting Line
Weight: 126.2lbs
Neck:
Bust:
Arm:
Waist:
Stomach:
Thigh:
 
 

A Social Media Question

Okay, I've got a question for you guys - as we all know, our fitness journeys are pretty personal things. We confide details on our deepest thoughts, our darkest hours and our most personal victories. So I'm wondering:

 

Is it appropriate to have it all linked to our public, online selves?

 

One of the things I liked about NF at the beginning was I could choose to be anonymous - I didn't have to reveal my name, my picture, anything. But I chose to because I feel safe with you guys.

 

I'll be honest and confide: I'm a bit frightened that, given the personal nature of some of the stuff I've posted before and will post in the future, it would impact how future employers perceive me if they search my name.

 

I have three questions for you:

• Do you think it will have an impact on how employers perceive me?
• Will the impact be positive or negative and why?
• Would it be best for me to have a separate "personal" Twitter to keep my fitness journey more anonymous?

[OptimusPrimarch]

Hey Mouse, good to see you.  Don't dwell too much on being late to the party, just dive in and rip it up as you are prone to do.

 

With regards to the pros or cons of social media related to getting a job a lot of it depends on the job and the company.

 

If you're applying to HR-esque positions an online presence is (usually) a very important thing and even older companies are starting to realize that.

 

Social media savvy has a lot of potential value for a future HR-ninja.  First off it means that you'll be able to get your finger on the pulse of a company much more easily by know how its employees communicate.  Second of all depending on how you use your social media it showcases your ability to be a mature, composed, badass of a human being.

 

The most that you might expect is to be asked to use your social media in slightly different ways.  Lots of likes for things related to your company etc.

 

TL;DR:  As long as you're not trolling around internet forums being a monster active use of social media in a constructive fashion can only benefit you.

[Kishi]

I'd listen to what OP is saying. We're doing all kinds of things for our social media now at the studio, and as long as we don't go out of our ways to be utter monsters, it honestly doesn't seem like we can go wrong.

 

Worst case, you find ways to filter, to make sure that something gets seen only by a select group of people. And if you need it, go make a separate account, so you have one professional and one personal. It's all up to you.

 

I was wondering if we'd see you again. Good that you're back!

[Everstorm]

Hi, Mouse!  I was hoping you would be back!  I'm with you on anything horror-y.  In spite of its popularity with the other scouts, I never got into the zombies apps.  I wish they would make a more adventure themed one, like Indiana Jones, because the story telling idea def has appeal.

 

(I have no thoughts on social media, since NF is the only one I use.)

[The Mouse]

Optimus:

 

Thanks for the welcome back. :3

I feel like this kind of logging will make it a lot easier for me.

 

I can agree on it being important.

 

I guess I'm worried about whether the content I'm publishing would be considered "professional" or "mature". While it is serious content and I will be including things like motivational quotes and interesting articles or other things related to HR. But I'm wondering if the mix is okay - I mean, you've read my threads, haha! I'm by no means a "serious" person when it comes to personal things. I have a humorous and, at times, goofy, way of writing. It does show my personality and I do tend to write pretty much how I speak, but does that show me in an infavourable light as someone who wants to enter the HR field?

 

I'd hope not, as I hope to share interesting HR-related articles as I come across them, showing anyone who searches me that I'm not just about fitness and telling people what I eat and how many calories are in it. But yeah.

 

Lots of insecurity on that one. I could always run two Twitter accounts, but I've always thought that's just too much work.

[The Mouse]

I'd listen to what OP is saying. We're doing all kinds of things for our social media now at the studio, and as long as we don't go out of our ways to be utter monsters, it honestly doesn't seem like we can go wrong.

 

Worst case, you find ways to filter, to make sure that something gets seen only by a select group of people. And if you need it, go make a separate account, so you have one professional and one personal. It's all up to you.

 

I was wondering if we'd see you again. Good that you're back!

I'm glad to hear. By studio, do you mean your work or your dojo? (Sorry - can't remember what you do!)

 

Yeah. Though with Twitter the filter system seems to mean "all or nothin'" - but I'll look into that some more. And maybe find a few Twitter apps that can manage two accounts a bit easier. Or, hell, maybe try to find a way to develop my own method, ha ha!

 

 

Yup, I'm back! During the two weeks I just needed a bit of a break from the pressure to keep logging and such. I find I don't have the time to really add everything up at the end of the day, but I'm hoping that "micro-logging" things will help folks keep me on track that way at least.

 

Hi, Mouse!  I was hoping you would be back!  I'm with you on anything horror-y.  In spite of its popularity with the other scouts, I never got into the zombies apps.  I wish they would make a more adventure themed one, like Indiana Jones, because the story telling idea def has appeal.

 

(I have no thoughts on social media, since NF is the only one I use.)

*snuggles*

Hello~!

 

Yeah - I do hope we see the beginning of a new genre with this. 'Cause I'd love to have one fantasy-like or something, like a knight legit training to go and kill a dragon. I wonder - does Six to Start have a claim or anything on the basic concept? If not, I can so see a group of the more nerd-adept Rebels gettin' together to write a similar storyline.

DUDE. Steampunk running story. I dunno - you're a steampunk rebel who has to lead the rebellion, running through the streets and bridges of a sky-bound city evading corrupt police and organizing your folks.

 

Ha ha, I get how you feel. I'm totally a social media newb, too.

[Kishi]

I'm glad to hear. By studio, do you mean your work or your dojo? (Sorry - can't remember what you do!)

 

Yeah. Though with Twitter the filter system seems to mean "all or nothin'" - but I'll look into that some more. And maybe find a few Twitter apps that can manage two accounts a bit easier. Or, hell, maybe try to find a way to develop my own method, ha ha!

 

 

Yup, I'm back! During the two weeks I just needed a bit of a break from the pressure to keep logging and such. I find I don't have the time to really add everything up at the end of the day, but I'm hoping that "micro-logging" things will help folks keep me on track that way at least.

 

My work - the personal training gig that I'm a part of now. Although, our dojo has a pretty awesome presence as that kind of thing goes.

 

Dang, I'mma have to dust off my Twitter and start following! Keep you on track and all that.

[Everstorm]

Great minds think alike!  I actually mentioned a "Dragons, Run!"  idea to a computer savvy rebel and she said she wanted to run with it, but I don't know if she has actually worked on it or not.

[Kishi]

Well, keeping in mind of course that "Run with it" and "Run with it" might mean two totally different things in her context. Just saying.

[The Mouse]

My work - the personal training gig that I'm a part of now. Although, our dojo has a pretty awesome presence as that kind of thing goes.

 

Dang, I'mma have to dust off my Twitter and start following! Keep you on track and all that.

Sweet! Congratz on the personal training! >w<

How're you liking it so far?

 

I'd love if my dojo got a bit more of a social media presence, but I don't think our target market really would benefit from it, ha ha!

 

Do eet~! I've no clue if I'm even doing it right, but I found out how to share my MFP on Twitter automatically, which will really help me to keep honest and on track when it comes to my diet. :3

 

Great minds think alike!  I actually mentioned a "Dragons, Run!"  idea to a computer savvy rebel and she said she wanted to run with it, but I don't know if she has actually worked on it or not.

Ha ha, that's awesome! That's exactly what I had in mind, too! Run like a dragon's chasing you!

If you need a writer, my stuff may suck/be totally full of strange, random and overblown humour, but I'd so love to get in on that!

 

Well, keeping in mind of course that "Run with it" and "Run with it" might mean two totally different things in her context. Just saying.

Touché, good catch, ha ha! 

[OptimusPrimarch]

The key is the presence you want to create for yourself on the interwebs.  If you cultivate a positive image of yourself a sensible hiring officer for any kind of HR position would look on that positively because it is a marketable skill in that area now.

[Kishi]

Sweet! Congratz on the personal training! >w<

How're you liking it so far?

 

I'm enjoying it a great deal. I and the head trainer recently had a misunderstanding, but I'm working my hind parts off to correct it so everything should be fine. We train a lot of senior-citizen types in here, though, and I'm still shaking the culture shock.

[Everstorm]

That's it!  We're all going to make this app together and get filthy rich!

[The Mouse]

The key is the presence you want to create for yourself on the interwebs.  If you cultivate a positive image of yourself a sensible hiring officer for any kind of HR position would look on that positively because it is a marketable skill in that area now.

This is true. 

I was talking about it to a classmate of mine on the bus today, and I can see a generational shift happening in the next 5 years where social media and a strong online presence beyond mindless retweeting/reposting of non-original material could be necessary. 

 

I'm gonna keep going with it and see how it goes.

 

I'm enjoying it a great deal. I and the head trainer recently had a misunderstanding, but I'm working my hind parts off to correct it so everything should be fine. We train a lot of senior-citizen types in here, though, and I'm still shaking the culture shock.

Uh oh. Hope it wasn't too big. I'm taking an Alternative Dispute Resolution class at the moment and reading The Joy of Conflict Resolution is turning out to be a great book (if a bit cheesy) as a guide on how to communicate well and mitigate miscommunications. Already, I've had to use several techniques when talking with my boyfriend - it's helped us out a lot, though our "conflicts" and "arguments" aren't really up to the same level that most people would be used to. We tend to be really fortunate in that respect, though our miscommunications are frequent. XD

I'd also recommend How to Win Friends and Influence People from Dale Carnegie, especially if you have to influence decisions - it's a fantastic way of looking at how influence works and generally boils down to: be a nice person. It's a great read, though, too. Carnegie's style of writing is fantastic.

 

Ha ha, I bet it's quite different from training young folks. But I'm sure, Kishi, you'll be trainin' them in to ferocious old folks soon! 

 

That's it!  We're all going to make this app together and get filthy rich!

YES! Absolutely!

 

...No, srsly. We really oughta do it. Worst case, I can try getting back in touch with a friend of mine who's a hobbyist app developer.

[Kishi]

Hm! I'll have to keep those books in mind. Thanks!

[Leonine]

You're back! Oh my goooodddd!

 

 

I am so excited, I was hoping to see you around again! I dropped out of the last challenge, and I was bummed out that I might have missed you this time around!

 

Funny enough, I've been using Twitter as one of my goals. I really wrestled with making myself known here on NF, as well as, well, talking about all the things that are going on in my head and oh my gosh what if I say something stupid or get all vulnerable and what if somebody sees it and *gasp*. But in the end, I decided to just stop being scared, I guess I don't have much to hide, the more I thought about it! I agree with what everyone said, as long as you're not saying horrendous things on there, you should be fine!

 

Also, follow'd. Ba-boom!

[The Mouse]

Hm! I'll have to keep those books in mind. Thanks!

No worries! :3

I'm loving reading through them - I've used Dale Carnegie stuff a lot in the past and I really have to say that it's one of the largest foundational bits of my communication style and it's saved me and my relationships a lot. It's also really neat to study from a more detached, academic viewpoint.

 

Let me know how it works out for ya! I'll keep my eye out for any other interesting books/articles/snippets if you like. I know sometimes work stuff is rather kept private, so let me know if I'm getting too close.

 

You're back! Oh my goooodddd!

 

 

I am so excited, I was hoping to see you around again! I dropped out of the last challenge, and I was bummed out that I might have missed you this time around!

 

Funny enough, I've been using Twitter as one of my goals. I really wrestled with making myself known here on NF, as well as, well, talking about all the things that are going on in my head and oh my gosh what if I say something stupid or get all vulnerable and what if somebody sees it and *gasp*. But in the end, I decided to just stop being scared, I guess I don't have much to hide, the more I thought about it! I agree with what everyone said, as long as you're not saying horrendous things on there, you should be fine!

 

Also, follow'd. Ba-boom!

OMG, so excited!

 

No worries - I kinda dropped it, too. I'll be 'round!

 

Yay, Twitter-discovering buddies! Are you @LogieBeck?! >w< SRSLY, shoulda known from the whole amazingly awesome food bits, haha!

Yeah, that's what's going on in my head, too. I'm hoping that sometime soon, I'll be able to ask a panel of HR experts or something about social media and whether they can see it becoming a more and more important part of determining a person's likelihood of being recruited. Personally, I agree with OP and think that, provided you are a positive contributor and not a spam-bot or someone who posts much-too personal things, it's okay.

 

But damn, wish MFP could auto-tweet better. Like, an actual caloric amount would be good, and a way to customize other hashtags on there. 

[Kishi]

Not too close at all. Actually, we benefit from that kind of thing in my profession, so no worries at all.

[SevenFootGeek]

I'M WORKING ON IT, OKAY?  APPS ARE HARD.

 

Srsly, Mouse.  I've been working on a non-Zombie running app for a while now.  No stealing my thunder.  I will find you.

 

Welcome back!  Go kick those zombles in the face!

[Zuel]

"A Late Mouse Is Still AN AWESOME Mouse"

 

There, I corrected it for you. 

 

Hey Mouse! How are you girl? Your challenge looks very nice and it seems like your knees are doing much better! I hope your new log system adapts completely to your needs!

 

Regarding your questions.

 

1. Do you think it will have an impact on how employers perceive me? Yes.
2. Will the impact be positive or negative and why? Positive, because 1) It proves you have healthy hobbies (writing for mental, fitness for physical). 2) You care about your personal image and betterment. 3) both activities help to achieve/maintain emotional, mental and physical stability. 4) Employers usually look for these very points in pedagogical tests. You are offering further proof that you are that committed to your well being.
3. Would it be best for me to have a separate "personal" Twitter to keep my fitness journey more anonymous? If anything, you could keep the pictures anonymous (just in case, some people can be creeps). Since you have a very positive attitude most of the time, there really is nothing you need to hide.

 

Hope that helps! Have an amazing challenge!! =D

[The Mouse]

Not too close at all. Actually, we benefit from that kind of thing in my profession, so no worries at all.

I'll defs keep an eye out, then. :3

If anyone, I'm sure you can master the techniques in those books - you've such a level head and a great heart, I'm sure that a lot of it is gonna come across as second nature as is, ha ha!

 

I'M WORKING ON IT, OKAY?  APPS ARE HARD.

 

Srsly, Mouse.  I've been working on a non-Zombie running app for a while now.  No stealing my thunder.  I will find you.

 

Welcome back!  Go kick those zombles in the face!

D<

UR NOT WORKING HARD ENUF MAN. LET ME HELP YOU.

 

C'mon. Find me. I dare you. I'll deadlift you. ... Except I won't. Not yet. Soon.

 

 

... SOON!

 

Ha ha, I shall. Though I don't think I'll like the idea of getting that close to Zoms...

 

"A Late Mouse Is Still AN AWESOME Mouse"

 

There, I corrected it for you. 

 

Hey Mouse! How are you girl? Your challenge looks very nice and it seems like your knees are doing much better! I hope your new log system adapts completely to your needs!

 

Regarding your questions.

 

1. Do you think it will have an impact on how employers perceive me? Yes.
2. Will the impact be positive or negative and why? Positive, because 1) It proves you have healthy hobbies (writing for mental, fitness for physical). 2) You care about your personal image and betterment. 3) both activities help to achieve/maintain emotional, mental and physical stability. 4) Employers usually look for these very points in pedagogical tests. You are offering further proof that you are that committed to your well being.
3. Would it be best for me to have a separate "personal" Twitter to keep my fitness journey more anonymous? If anything, you could keep the pictures anonymous (just in case, some people can be creeps). Since you have a very positive attitude most of the time, there really is nothing you need to hide.

 

Hope that helps! Have an amazing challenge!! =D

 

B'aw~! You're such an amazing guy, Zuel. >w<

 

I'm doin' pretty good - though I'm quite in a bind at the moment. I've done something to my back and neck. I'm seeing a chiropractor and MT regularly at the moment, so I should be fixed in a few weeks, but I can't seem to get through one of these challenges without hurting myself, haha!

 

And thank you so much for those responses, Zuel. It means a lot to me and what you're saying makes a ton of sense. Thank you for putting my mind at ease!

Next step: a professional-ish looking Twitter photo.

[The Mouse]

Week 2 (-1, in reality) Recap

So, yeah. Off to a bad start. Diet-wise, not so great for keto, but around the mark for caloric measure, so my weight gain is namely water. And I've hurt myself. Again. Misaligned right hip (like, it's pushing my right leg down an extra inch to inch and a half, which would explain why I feel like I carry extra fat on my right hip) and it's throwing my back and neck out of order something mad.

 

Currently working with a great Chrio on a referal from my boyfriend (who is dealing with exactly the same issues) and he's probably gonna be the first ever chiro I consider to go back to for recurring "tune ups". He's a lifter as well, and volunteering for the Powerlifting competition coming up run by my club (which I haven't been able to lift at yet due to injury). So I trust him. He's also explaining to me a lot and I'll say that he's sold me on the idea that tuning up can really help me perform at my best when lifting and such. I'm interested to see if it will help with karate, too.

 

Weigh In: 127.4lbs (+1.2lbs)

 

Run Like [A+]

4/3 Runs of the week! 

Ah, I know why now - the extra 1st mission at the start. Freakin' scared the hell outta me. Goddamit.

 

Lift Like [A]

3/3 workouts - all bodyweight due to being scared of making my back worse/dropping the loaded bar on myself or bailing on a lift at the wrong moment due to backspasm. 

I don't like that I can only do bodyweight. Part of me is smart and knows that if I try the bar, I'm gonna go all Hulk on it and say that there's no such thing as "overtraining" or some fitspo-nonsense like that. But part of me really doesn't like not feeling like I've exhausted myself at the gym. I feel like I waste my time if I don't exhaust myself.

 

I've also noticed something nice, though - I actually love spending time at the gym. I used to hate it, but now, I really really like it. It feels like the one place I can go where I have  great mix of motivating things to look at (and also a place where I turn into an utter bitch, but I at least keep it to myself). I get to see the super-fit folks lifting a helluva lot and go "I can't wait to do that too!", I see the people at my level and go "good job, gym-goer! Keep on keepin' on!", I see the skinny women with flab all over who can't do a proper pushup but go on about how they can push up (i.e. hump the ground pelvic-thrust) like 20 times and go "you wanna see a push up?! I'll show you a push up!" and silently bust out ten elbows-back perfect-form knuckle pushups. And then I see the same folks doing the 100 Push Up Challenge, or running, or lifting, or doing their routine at the same time every day and go "I'm so glad you're here - I'm so glad you're showing yourself that you have the drive, the determination, the focus to keep on doing this. Good job".

 

And I'm thinking up of new posts to start writing for my fitness blog, too. Nothing written yet, but you'll see it up on my Twitter when it is. Probably I'll aim for one or two posts a month at most.

 

Eat Like [A]

1/5 "free" days so far.

I ate a crap-ton of carbs and sweets on my Grandma's 88th birthday. But frankly, I don't give a shit - because she's 88 and in March of this year - when I started NF challenges and weighed in at 155lbs - we all thought she was gonna kick the bucket. She's outlived my aunt with cancer, my uncle with a shot kidney, and more of her friends and family than one woman should have to. So fuck weight loss and fitness for one day - she deserves good company and good food and I'm sharing in that. 

 

I'm back on the wagon en force this week - 5/5 breakfasts of Tamagoyaki ready (though I'm missing nori, didn't think of that), 5/5 lunches of Asian beef + broccoli, 5 different kinds of tuna snacks (and several full tuna cans with a camping can opener), a bottle full of dry roasted almonds courtesy of the boy, some jello and a hell of a lot of resolve.

 

I've come to a goal: weigh in at 125lbs by the end of the challenge. If I can do that, then I can buy myself a belt + buckle. Or something.

 

 

 

 

JUST A REMINDER

If you haven't read the first post, you can find my micrologging on Twitter by searching #monklvl5. 

[Kishi]

Well... if you need to feel like you exhausted yourself and all you've got to work with is bodyweight, you've got a couple options.

 

One is to do your exercises to failure. Which, as a rule, isn't the most constructive thing you can do. You can't keep that kind of pace forever - in general, the recommendation I've heard is three weeks of that kind of thing and then a week of nothing, no push ups, no squats, nothing.

 

Which, I mean, has its value. But I don't think that's what you want.

 

Another option to consider would be incorporating a finisher of some kind, like running sprints for ten minutes or doing burpees for ten minutes, that kind of thing. Something to really, really drain the glycogen out of you. I don't know how well that would work with a keto diet, but if you're looking for exhaustion, you can totally find it.

[Everstorm]

I know how you feel.  I've had to ease back quite a bit since my injury, and it's tough some days to feel like I did anything.  Not sure how much you can handle during recovery, but another way to increase the load on bodyweight exercise is progressions.  Decline or uneven one-arm pushups, for example, would be more intense without adding weight.

[The Mouse]

Well... if you need to feel like you exhausted yourself and all you've got to work with is bodyweight, you've got a couple options.

 

One is to do your exercises to failure. Which, as a rule, isn't the most constructive thing you can do. You can't keep that kind of pace forever - in general, the recommendation I've heard is three weeks of that kind of thing and then a week of nothing, no push ups, no squats, nothing.

 

Which, I mean, has its value. But I don't think that's what you want.

 

Another option to consider would be incorporating a finisher of some kind, like running sprints for ten minutes or doing burpees for ten minutes, that kind of thing. Something to really, really drain the glycogen out of you. I don't know how well that would work with a keto diet, but if you're looking for exhaustion, you can totally find it.

The idea of a finisher is really quite nice, actually. And running the glycogen out of the system is exactly what keto's about, so that works perfectly, actually. 

 

I know how you feel.  I've had to ease back quite a bit since my injury, and it's tough some days to feel like I did anything.  Not sure how much you can handle during recovery, but another way to increase the load on bodyweight exercise is progressions.  Decline or uneven one-arm pushups, for example, would be more intense without adding weight.

Tying this in with Kishi's point on several weeks of exhaustion training, I'm definitely just working back in with easy stuff with my "injury" (no official diagnosis aside from massively misaligned, so not sure if that's an "injury" or not). 

 

I'm almost at the point where I can do decline push ups or close push ups rather than regular, but I've been working on knuckles so far just so I can desensitize them so I can outdo the younglings at karate when it comes to it - or intimidate/impress them. Mouse is small, and therefore must establish dominance through feats of outrageous strength and spirit. [/rant]

 

 

Thanks for the feedback and updates, guys. :3

Next post: Weekly update!