Mistr - third challenge

[Mistr]

Challenge 3 Goals

 

Time management                         5 WIS

• Start an integrated notebook to track exercise, what I eat, what I do and how I feel. 
• Scoring:               

A = good detail 4+ days a week, partial information all 7 days

B = good detail 3+ days a week, missing 1 day

C = good detail 2+ days a week, 2 or more days filled in the next day or later, missing 2 days.

D = Missing 3 days or partial data for 4+ days.

 

I hope this will help me keep a balance between my activities.The data will be helpful for tracking my progress on strength training and for step 2 of Potatoes Not Prozac.I know that getting enough sleep is critical for my happiness and productivity. Writing down when I go to bed and get up will help keep me accountable for good sleep habits. I want to find out where I really spend my time.

 

Exercise               3 STA, 2 STR

• Do 210 minutes of physical therapy a week.  This is the endurance part.
• Do at least one upper body strength session a week and one aikido class.  More is better.
• Scoring:               

A = 210+ minutes PT, 1 strength, 1+ aikido class

B = 189-210 minutes PT, or missed one of strength / aikido

C = 168-188 minutes PT and missed one of strength / aikido

D = 126-167 minutes PT or missed both strength and aikido

 

I have appointments with my physical therapist once a week through the end of November.  I want to work hard on the exercises she has given me for the next several weeks.  I have already progressed to harder versions for some exercises.  Strengthening the weaker muscles in my legs will allow me to do more interesting activities in the future.  I have had leg PT exercises in my routine for the last 10 years or longer.  They are not going to go away.  This is an intense tune-up period before I go back to a more balanced program.  I am putting the strength training and aikido in my goals so that I don’t feel guilty about doing them instead of PT.

 

Cooking                               3 CON

• Cook three things that I have never made before
• Keep the fridge stocked with meals, salad and sandwich ingredients
• Do prep cooking to make veggies easy to eat
• Scoring:  

-5 points for any day there are not two choices of food

+ 10 points for every main dish prepared with extra for lunches (must pack into lunch containers for full points)

+ 5 points for veggies and salad ingredients prepared and clearly labeled.

Start at 100 points. Track changes each week.

 

My next step in eating healthier is to remove the need for junk food. I may decide I want popcorn some evening. That’s fine. I don’t want to make popcorn because it is the easiest thing to have for dinner. My partner told me that he is much more likely to eat at home when there are choices for meals. Part of my goal is to support and encourage him to eat healthier too. Sharing food will help me because I get tired of eating the same thing too many days in a row.

 

The prep cooking part is important. A crisper drawer full of veggies is not food. Veggies that have been peeled, chopped or cooked are food. Making meals ahead and freezing them is another good habit I want to encourage. Labeling the containers is essential to avoid freezer amnesia.

 

Life goal               2 DEX

Thread the warp on my small loom.  The warp has been sitting in a roll on top of the loom for months. I have lots of great ideas for projects.  The first step in moving forward on those is to get the current project started.  If I am quick about doing the warping I might even be able to weave a scarf or two for holiday gifts.  I expect this project to take several hours.  I will need to find a friend to help with part of it.

[FaePrice]

Awesome!  I started my food journal 9/12/13, and I'm still writing every entry in it!  Sometimes I get behind a day or so and I get really confused and its hard to remember, but I eventually get it all caught up.  It is such a blessing in my life.  If you ever want to talk about Potatoes Not Prozac just message me!  One of my favorite parts of the food journal has just been able to look in it for patterns.  For example, I also record my sleep each night.  I just briefly write at the bottom of my day what hours I was asleep, how often I woke up, if I had trouble falling asleep, and the quality of my sleep, or other random things like having anxiety in the middle of the night, a stomach ache, or bad dreams.  From there, I wanted to improve my sleep, and I looked through to see what days I slept the best.  I discovered that on the days I ate 2 plain, gold potatoes around 9:15pm, and then went to sleep between 1030-11, I slept like an angel!  I would have never figured it out if it hadn't been right there in front of me.  It also helps me track my increased hunger/irritability/inability to sleep that happens a few days before my period, so I understand what is happening and let myself rest more those days.  I just love it!  And I use a physical book that I carry around, a little journal with a strap, and I keep a pen in it.  Good luck with yours! 

[Kishi]

I personally found cooking for all my meals to be a butt to get used to. But now it's the opposite. It feels... unnatural to do it any other way.

[rogaecia]

Challenge 3 Goals

Time management 5 WIS

• Start an integrated notebook to track exercise, what I eat, what I do and how I feel.
• Scoring:

A = good detail 4+ days a week, partial information all 7 days

B = good detail 3+ days a week, missing 1 day

C = good detail 2+ days a week, 2 or more days filled in the next day or later, missing 2 days.

D = Missing 3 days or partial data for 4+ days.

I hope this will help me keep a balance between my activities.The data will be helpful for tracking my progress on strength training and for step 2 of Potatoes Not Prozac.I know that getting enough sleep is critical for my happiness and productivity. Writing down when I go to bed and get up will help keep me accountable for good sleep habits. I want to find out where I really spend my time.

Exercise 3 STA, 2 STR

• Do 210 minutes of physical therapy a week. This is the endurance part.
• Do at least one upper body strength session a week and one aikido class. More is better.
• Scoring:

A = 210+ minutes PT, 1 strength, 1+ aikido class

B = 189-210 minutes PT, or missed one of strength / aikido

C = 168-188 minutes PT and missed one of strength / aikido

D = 126-167 minutes PT or missed both strength and aikido

I have appointments with my physical therapist once a week through the end of November. I want to work hard on the exercises she has given me for the next several weeks. I have already progressed to harder versions for some exercises. Strengthening the weaker muscles in my legs will allow me to do more interesting activities in the future. I have had leg PT exercises in my routine for the last 10 years or longer. They are not going to go away. This is an intense tune-up period before I go back to a more balanced program. I am putting the strength training and aikido in my goals so that I don’t feel guilty about doing them instead of PT.

Cooking 3 CON

• Cook three things that I have never made before
• Keep the fridge stocked with meals, salad and sandwich ingredients
• Do prep cooking to make veggies easy to eat
• Scoring:

-5 points for any day there are not two choices of food

+ 10 points for every main dish prepared with extra for lunches (must pack into lunch containers for full points)

+ 5 points for veggies and salad ingredients prepared and clearly labeled.

Start at 100 points. Track changes each week.

My next step in eating healthier is to remove the need for junk food. I may decide I want popcorn some evening. That’s fine. I don’t want to make popcorn because it is the easiest thing to have for dinner. My partner told me that he is much more likely to eat at home when there are choices for meals. Part of my goal is to support and encourage him to eat healthier too. Sharing food will help me because I get tired of eating the same thing too many days in a row.

The prep cooking part is important. A crisper drawer full of veggies is not food. Veggies that have been peeled, chopped or cooked are food. Making meals ahead and freezing them is another good habit I want to encourage. Labeling the containers is essential to avoid freezer amnesia.

Life goal 2 DEX

Thread the warp on my small loom. The warp has been sitting in a roll on top of the loom for months. I have lots of great ideas for projects. The first step in moving forward on those is to get the current project started. If I am quick about doing the warping I might even be able to weave a scarf or two for holiday gifts. I expect this project to take several hours. I will need to find a friend to help with part of it.

These are terrific goals Mistr!

I love the idea of keeping a notebook of all your information for this challenge. I have personally found that works better for me than apps or websites. You also did a wonderful job being very detailed with the grading scale- I love it. Looking forward to all your success over the next 6 weeks and beyond!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Teirin]

You have a loom?  That's cool.  Is there anything that you haven't tried yet?  Once again, an excellent-looking set of goals and a very clear grading system.  Nice :-)

[Mistr]

I started the new notebook system on Sunday to get off to a solid start.  I neatly listed all the PT exercises and stretches I'm supposed to do so that I can easily keep track of which I haven't done in a couple days.

 

So today I had an appointment with my physical therapist and she changed my list.

 

That is actually good news.  I asked her to do an assessment to see if I had made progress over the last four weeks.  I have!  I was able to hold my legs out against pressure much better in several directions.  My hip muscles are still weak.  Apologies to those who know anatomy.  I would love a clear illustration of the muscles in the legs so that I could learn all the names.

 

Leg curls (pulling the ankle towards the rear with resistance while seated) are out.  New exercise is side-stepping in a half-squat position with a resistance band above my knees.  Slower and with good form is still the mantra for everything. I get to move up to grade two in the Sahrmann series of core exercises.  I'm not sure which muscles in my core I was using for planks.  Not the same lower abs that the Sahrmann exercises use, that's for sure.

 

On Saturday I did an hour of raking leaves.  The sun was setting then and my arms and shoulders were getting really tired. Whatever upper body work I have done clearly does not work the raking leaves muscles.  On Sunday I finished up the front yard.  My arms didn't hurt although I could tell I had been working.  Good thing I finished yesterday because today it snowed.

[Mistr]

You have a loom?  That's cool.  Is there anything that you haven't tried yet?  Once again, an excellent-looking set of goals and a very clear grading system.  Nice :-)

 

Thank you.   I actually have two looms.  I have a four harness table loom that is wide enough for scarves or table runners (20 inches).  I also have a four harness floor loom that is sitting in pieces in the garage.  I want to refinish it before bringing it in the house.  Right now it looks like a piece of industrial equipment that belongs in a workshop.  Some stain and wood finish will make it look like a functional piece of furniture that belongs in a house.  This one has a weaving width of at least 36 inches.  Maybe 45.  I'm embarassed that it has been so long since I used it that I don't remember.  It sat in my basement gathering dust from the time I started grad school.

 

A future part of my superhero goals is to weave wool fabric for a full circle royal blue cloak.

[Teirin]

 

Leg curls (pulling the ankle towards the rear with resistance while seated) are out.  New exercise is side-stepping in a half-squat position with a resistance band above my knees.  Slower and with good form is still the mantra for everything. I get to move up to grade two in the Sahrmann series of core exercises.  I'm not sure which muscles in my core I was using for planks.  Not the same lower abs that the Sahrmann exercises use, that's for sure.

 

On Saturday I did an hour of raking leaves.  The sun was setting then and my arms and shoulders were getting really tired. Whatever upper body work I have done clearly does not work the raking leaves muscles.  On Sunday I finished up the front yard.  My arms didn't hurt although I could tell I had been working.  Good thing I finished yesterday because today it snowed.

 

Excellent!  Nice to see progress so quickly.  Gotta love finding new muscle groups to work, right?

 

 

 

A future part of my superhero goals is to weave wool fabric for a full circle royal blue cloak.

 

EPIC

[Kishi]

I hate to disappoint you, but most of those muscles end up getting called 'x-flexor.' They do have a cool Latin name, I'm sure, but they probably don't come up that much in casual conversation.

 

Also, I definitely feel you on how fitness doesn't always transfer over into strength for day to day activities. That's something that's driven me nuts in the past. You'll figure it out, though.

[RisenPhoenix]

You're goals look awesome, Mistr!  And I can imagine that issues with your hip's musculature must stink if you're trying to do aikido. I'm still new and clueless enough that I know hips are involved, but anyone with experience who then loses that strength and has to build it back up?  It must be maddening.

 

Also, +1 to the "Holy crap, a loom sounds awesome" sentiments.  I'm not exactly a creative person, so anytime people do things like that I'm always in awe.  Good luck this challenge!

[Mistr]

You're goals look awesome, Mistr!  And I can imagine that issues with your hip's musculature must stink if you're trying to do aikido. I'm still new and clueless enough that I know hips are involved, but anyone with experience who then loses that strength and has to build it back up?  It must be maddening.

 

Also, +1 to the "Holy crap, a loom sounds awesome" sentiments.  I'm not exactly a creative person, so anytime people do things like that I'm always in awe.  Good luck this challenge!

 

Thank you!

 

The hip strength actually does not come up much in aikido.  It falls into the general category of "keep your posture upright" and "move from your center" that sensei always says.

 

What I have noticed over the last few weeks is that my ukemi has changed.  To clarify for my judo teammates, aikido ukemi is usually smooth front rolls or back falls.  The back roll is the same as the front roll, just in the opposite direction.  There are also break-falls that look a lot like judo falls.  This video shows the basic front roll.

 

Ever since my left knee got bad (about two years ago) I do back rolls instead of back falls whenever possible.  This means I go all the way over to stand up rather than rocking onto my back and then onto my feet.  I found it much easier to maintain my weight centered over my feet at the end from a roll.  Back rolls also look smoother and more martial than back falls.

 

Now I am finding it much easier to get my weight onto my front foot when coming up from a back fall.  I also find myself coming out of a front roll like coming up from a lunge.  Maybe it is the core exercises, maybe it is the hip strengthening.  It could be the stretching.  Something has changed that is making my rolls easier.  Now I need to finally figure out how to not bounce my ankle on front rolls.

[Teirin]

Thank you!

 

The hip strength actually does not come up much in aikido.  It falls into the general category of "keep your posture upright" and "move from your center" that sensei always says.

 

What I have noticed over the last few weeks is that my ukemi has changed.  To clarify for my judo teammates, aikido ukemi is usually smooth front rolls or back falls.  The back roll is the same as the front roll, just in the opposite direction.  There are also break-falls that look a lot like judo falls.  This video shows the basic front roll.

 

Ever since my left knee got bad (about two years ago) I do back rolls instead of back falls whenever possible.  This means I go all the way over to stand up rather than rocking onto my back and then onto my feet.  I found it much easier to maintain my weight centered over my feet at the end from a roll.  Back rolls also look smoother and more martial than back falls.

 

Now I am finding it much easier to get my weight onto my front foot when coming up from a back fall.  I also find myself coming out of a front roll like coming up from a lunge.  Maybe it is the core exercises, maybe it is the hip strengthening.  It could be the stretching.  Something has changed that is making my rolls easier.  Now I need to finally figure out how to not bounce my ankle on front rolls.

That's great news!  Also, nice teaching video. He's a very good instructor.  

[Mistr]

Last night I put in some more work on my food goal.  I made kielbasa with onions, potatos, sweet potatos and celeriac.  This did not go as smoothly as I would have liked.

 

I got home on time yesterday after working late the previous two days. I had asked my partner to cook pork chops for dinner.  He gets home before I do and is a good cook.  Unfortunately, he only got home a little before me and we were both hungry.  The house smelled like food but it took an hour to get anything on the table. 

 

He did not want me to get in the way in the kitchen while he was cooking.  Fair enough.  I tried to chop veggies (for the dish I was making for later) and stay out of his way.  At the end we were both too grouchy to be around each other.  The meal was sadly lacking in veggies, but by that time I didn't have the energy to make one more thing. After dinner we agreed that we must have appetizers when we cook dinner together after work.

 

On one hand, it shows that I am not eating too much food at work.  I had an apple and cheese at 4pm.  I was starving by 7pm. 

In addition, it supports my goal to have food prepped ahead of time.  I put some potatos in the oven to bake after he prepared the pork chops.  We made a note for next time to put the potatos in the oven first. 

 

Another happy thing is that my partner told me again that he is eating home-cooked food more often and likes it.  He also has worked out a couple times this week.   Positive example for the win!  Our housemate is also eating the borscht I made last weekend.  He said that he and his girlfriend are very interested in learning to cook.  Yay!

 

Notes for this weekend:

- Cut up carrots, celery and peppers for snack food.

- Hard boil eggs.

- Cook salmon bisque (if the smoked salmon is still edible)

- Make a crock pot of another main dish

- Make breakfast strata with sausage, veggies and eggs.

 

Compared to the food struggles, exercise is going very smoothly.  I like the mix of early morning and noon working out.  I can talk myself into "just 15 minutes" very easily.  I like the variety of rotating through PT exercises.  I miss the strength training.  That is going to wait a week or two.  I did something to my right wrist and elbow.  Maybe at aikido on Monday or maybe raking on the weekend.  It is getting better slowly.  The PT includes core exercises that should make my bodyweight form better.

[Teirin]

I can' t think of anything to say other than "great work!" Bit of a broken record.

[Kishi]

I can' t think of anything to say other than "great work!" Bit of a broken record.

 

The best kind of broken record! It means things are going well. Great momentum for when things go sideways.

 

Also, yeah. I can see how hanger would get in the way of companionship in cooking. Sorry to hear that's an obstacle, but glad to see you've worked out a way around it. Hopefully, going forward, this will be an easier thing to deal with.

[Mistr]

Week 1 report

 

Time management:    A

The log book is helping me keep track of everything.  It makes it much easier to tell what I did and when.  Like scoring this challenge.   Some of the things I cooked last week had slipped in my mind to being the week before.   It felt like I spent a lot of time cooking last week.  Now I have data to show that I really did.

 

Exercise:    A

265 minutes PT and two aikido classes.  I started to do strength training and aborted it because my right wrist and elbow hurt.  Full credit on that.

 

Cooking:

+10         tomato sauce with Italian sausage and spaghetti squash

+10         ham and mashed potatos/rutabaga

+10         kielbasa with root veggies

+10         salmon bisque  (***new dish***)

+5           cut up red and yellow peppers

+5           sauteed peppers, onions & mushrooms

Total up 50 points.  I did not count the chocolate cream cheese brownies.  Those made me happy for several days, then made my roomie and his girlfriend very happy.  Desserts are my specialty.  Thus the focus on cooking veggies.

 

Life goal               no progress

No work at all on creative projects this week.   I did play piano some.  Now that my fridge is bursting with cooked food, maybe I can take some time for fun stuff.

[Teirin]

Cooking:

+10         tomato sauce with Italian sausage and spaghetti squash

+10         ham and mashed potatos/rutabaga

+10         kielbasa with root veggies

+10         salmon bisque  (***new dish***)

+5           cut up red and yellow peppers

+5           sauteed peppers, onions & mushrooms

Total up 50 points.  I did not count the chocolate cream cheese brownies.  Those made me happy for several days, then made my roomie and his girlfriend very happy.  Desserts are my specialty.  Thus the focus on cooking veggies.

 

Life goal               no progress

No work at all on creative projects this week.   I did play piano some.  Now that my fridge is bursting with cooked food, maybe I can take some time for fun stuff.

 

Aww hope you do have time for some creative projects now.  Also *droool*  supper seems inadequate now.

[RisenPhoenix]

I'm torn between asking for the recipe for the salmon bisque and the chocolate cream cheese brownies....

[Kishi]

I'm torn between asking for the recipe for the salmon bisque and the chocolate cream cheese brownies....

 

Don't do the chocolate cream cheese brownies bro!

 

Those deserts have...

 

 

a dark side!

 

 

I envy y'all culinarily inclined peeps.

[Mistr]

I'm torn between asking for the recipe for the salmon bisque and the chocolate cream cheese brownies....

 

The salmon bisque recipe is here: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/smoked_salmon_bisque/

 

This used up several things in my fridge.  I bought smoked salmon for SCIENCE! and only took part of it to lab.  There was perch in the freezer from a spell of optimism earlier this year.  I had a bottle of clam juice for trying to get my cat to take medications (total failure on that).  I had cilantro in the fridge from something last month.  Parsley too, but it had dried out.  I only added 8 oz. of clam juice and that was plenty for flavor.  Plenty salty too.  I didn't realize how much salt is in clam juice. 

 

I am happy with how it came out.  Good thing too, since I'll be eating all of it.  My partner told me that he is avoiding seafood completely now.  He has a problem with scallops.  He doesn't want to risk the clam juice.  I've been eating it for breakfast on cold days.  Hot milk makes it kinda like breakfast food.

 

Don't do the chocolate cream cheese brownies bro!

 

Those deserts have...

 

 

a dark side!

 

Bwah ha ha.   They are a little bit more work to make than plain brownies, but sooooo worth it.  Here is the recipe:

http://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/594-cream-cheese-brownies?incode=MCSCZ00L0

 

After all my good resolutions I still spent Monday evening cooking.  My efforts to eat more veggies have changed my habits.  I was noticing a lack of green food other than brocolli so I bought a big bunch of Swiss chard.  Big enough that it wouldn't fit in the fridge.  I put it on the back porch to stay cold.  I was afraid it would go bad with the iffy climate control, so I cooked it.

 

I have been using the Southern greens recipe with bacon for cooking greens.  I also had a bag of CSA brussel sprouts languishing in the fridge.  Brussel sprouts go well with bacon too.  This may have been a tactical error.  Too much chopping time.  The chard got overcooked.  The dish looks nice with the ruby red chard stems, dark red bacon and two colors of green.

 

After that I had to put together an ethnic dish for a work potluck.  I don't cook anything from my own ethnic background anymore.  I asked my mom and she agreed that the only things we make with history behind them are Christmas cookies.  The organizer said that regional cooking was okay too.  I made green bean casserole with white sauce and buttered crumb topping. I had to call my aunt to get the recipe.  She always brings this dish for Thanksgiving.  It was my favorite as a kid.  I found out that the recipe comes from the Betty Crocker cookbook. 

 

It is very easy, other than stirring the white sauce.  I used frozen french-cut green beans instead of canned ones.  It's amazing how much frozen bean compact when they cook. Two pounds of beans and two cups of white sauce fit in a 1.5 quart casserole. 

 

Tuesday evening I did not do any cooking.   I spent the evening swapping out winter and summer clothes.  One more weekend of laundry and I can put the bins of summer clothes in the attic.  Victory!

[Teirin]

The salmon bisque recipe is here: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/smoked_salmon_bisque/

 

This used up several things in my fridge.  I bought smoked salmon for SCIENCE! and only took part of it to lab.  There was perch in the freezer from a spell of optimism earlier this year.  I had a bottle of clam juice for trying to get my cat to take medications (total failure on that).  I had cilantro in the fridge from something last month.  Parsley too, but it had dried out.  I only added 8 oz. of clam juice and that was plenty for flavor.  Plenty salty too.  I didn't realize how much salt is in clam juice. 

I have been using the Southern greens recipe with bacon for cooking greens.  I also had a bag of CSA brussel sprouts languishing in the fridge.  Brussel sprouts go well with bacon too.  This may have been a tactical error.  Too much chopping time.  The chard got overcooked.  The dish looks nice with the ruby red chard stems, dark red bacon and two colors of green.

 

Once again, everything you cook sounds fantastic.  Swiss chard is so yummy and now you add bacon???  Yum!

 

Tuesday evening I did not do any cooking.   I spent the evening swapping out winter and summer clothes.  One more weekend of laundry and I can put the bins of summer clothes in the attic.  Victory!

 

It's official.  Everyone in my team is more organized than I am.

[Kishi]

 Bwah ha ha.   They are a little bit more work to make than plain brownies, but sooooo worth it.  Here is the recipe:

http://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/594-cream-cheese-brownies?incode=MCSCZ00L0

 

TOO MUCH TASTY.

 

Also, yeah, veggies change everything. Making an effort to cook more of that stuff will definitely impact your dishes and cook times. Luckily, it's for the better. Really.

[ShadowLion]

Great week one! The recipes sound really good and your kitchen strategy seems to be working out well. Yay for greens!

[Mistr]

I did an upper body workout yesterday for the first time in a month.  Boy, did I lose ground.  I could not do even one standard push-up.  I think my form is getting better on dips and incline pull-ups.  I hope that is a result of all the core exercise I've been doing.  I had to back off on reps on both dips and incline pull-ups.  I cut back to 20# on inverted rows. 

 

My wrist did not complain at all.   My right elbow was a little creaky on push-ups.  I am meeting the new trainer at work on Monday. I'll ask her to check my form.  My physical therapist refuses to answer questions about any body parts that were not in my original referral.

 

I'll see if I can maintain some upper body strength with once a week sessions.  I only have two weeks more of physical therapy.

[Teirin]

It'll come back quickly and they'll be even better since you're working from a stronger base. I bet your new trainer will have some great new exercises.