Edigo's second challenge

[Edigo]

Hi everyone, this will be my second time doing the level 1 challenge. The first time being this one. I started a week late and didn't graduate as much as I hoped, so this is why i will try again this time !

Starting point :
Level 1 air genasi, wannabe adventurer, STR 1 - DEX 2 - STA 1 - CON 2 - WIS 2 - CHA 2
Weight : 108-110 pounds


MAIN QUEST : I will weight a sexy, awesomly fit and energized 118 pounds (BMI 22) by december 31st 2014

1) Exercise 30-40 min, 5 times a week, in the morning (STR 2 - DEX 2 - STA 1)
- Monday, wednestay and friday : Nike+ fitness (strengh mode) ***or BBWW, as I feel i need to master perfect form. I would play Dance Central on kinect to warm up***
- Tuesday and Thursday : yoga
- If i am sick or my lungs give me a hard time, i will replace strengh/cardio by a yoga session. A minimum of 15 min is required but gives me a minus.
Grading : A=5 times; B=4; C=3; D=2; E=1; F=0

2) Bring a lunch to work 5 times a week, paleo style (STA 2 - CON 2 - WIS 1)
Grading : A=5; B=4; C=3; D=2; E=1; F=0 (i get a + if it's paleo, a - if it's regular)

3) Night routine, at 9h30-9h45 ish every night (CHA 1 + CON 1 + STA 1)
Wash my face with the oil cleansing method
Brush teeth and floss
Sinus rince
Read a novel in bed for 5-10 minutes
Grading : A=7; B=6; C=5; D=4; E=3; F=2

4) Life quest : be calmer and more present (part 1: meditation) (WIS 2)
- Meditation 5-10 min in morning (using the calm app) & yoga nidra 10-30 before bed
*** If possible : Week 1 to 3 : 5 min in the morning, 10 min yoga nidra at night; week 3 to 6 : 10 min in the morning, 30 min yoga nidra at night. ***
Grading : A=10 meditations; B=8, C=6; D=4; E=2; F=0

5) Side quest : style
Prepare for the 30 day wardrobe challenge:
- go through clothes and donate what doesn't fit
- take pictures of my clothes for the "netrobe" app
- mix and match 30 outfits, with 30 items (accessories and shoes not included)
- find 2x 5 min daytime makeup looks : found 10 ideas here
- Find 1x glamourous look

I will allow myself minor adjustments after the first week, if i need a little tweeking. Then no changes are allowed.

My motivation is to fight cystic fibroses better, get in shape so i can play with my son without needing to catch my breath, and feel better in my body. I hope to gain new and/or improved habits, increasing the amount of exercise i get daily, while building strengh, cardio, and flexibility. Also Improving my sleeping habits by creating a pre-bedtime routine, and adding yoga nidra to ease into sleep.

I want to ease into a palo diet, as i think it could help a lot with my illness, as i know i am in constant infection/inflammation. I feel starting with breakfast and lunch is easier, as these are the 2 meals a day i completely control without affecting my family's habits or meals. I am slowly talking my boyfriend into trying it with me, but he's not sure about it. Im think we would be able to adapt most of our basic recipes to be paleo, or at least make it easier for me while not changing his too much. Then on the next challenge, i will try the 30 day paleo challenge as stated in Robb Wolf's book (the paleo solution) to see how it works for me. I hope to be able to still eat yogurt and cheese, as I like those a lot, and some rice on occasion, but i am ready to givie it a try 100% and see how it makes me feel. I will find good recipe books and ideas while doing this challenge to prepare for the next one.

So these are my challenges. I already started them a little to see if i need adjustments, but I think I kept it real and managable. I have a lot more ideas, but I'd rather build on a solid foundation and add gradually to it. I will update weekly, of if need be, to keep myself motivated.

 

January 6 update :

 

Measurments (in the morning before breakfast and training) :

Belly ant navel : 81 cm

Hips : 90.75 cm

Left tight at heaviest : 51 cm

Right tight at heaviest : 49.75 cm

Left calf at heaviest : 30.75 cm

Right calf at heaviest : 30.75 cm

Left upper arm at heaviest : 26 cm

Right upper arm at heaviest : 27 cm

 

Number of perfect reps of each (1 set beacause of lack of time):

Squats (with chair as guide, in front of a wall) : 15

Walking lunges : 16, so 8 each side

Push up agains the wall (almost no angle) : 20

Body rows : n/a, i have nothing to do them at the moment

DB press (2 lb) : 15

DB row (2 lb) : 20 each arm

 

Weight : 108 lb

Fat % :

[Edigo]

this post for weekly updates

1) exercise 5 times, 30 min ( m,w,f circuit. T,t yoga) // Grading : A=5 times; B=4; C=3; D=2; E=1; F=0
2) Paleo lunch at work, 5 times // Grading : A=5; B=4; C=3; D=2; E=1; F=0 (i get a + if it's paleo, a - if it's regular)
3) Night routine // Grading : A=7; B=6; C=5; D=4; E=3; F=2
4) Life quest : calmer through meditation // Grading : A=10 meditations; B=8, C=6; D=4; E=2; F=0


WEEK 1 GRADES: AVERAGE 90%

1) exercised 4 times: B
2) Paleo lunch 5 times: A+
3) Night routine 6: B
4) Morning miditation 7 times, night yoga nidra 6 times, for a total of 13 meditations: A+

Very proud of my results this week!

WEEK 2 GRADES: AVERAGE 85%

1) exercised 2.75 times, so D+
2) Paleo lunch at work, 5 times: A
3) Night routine: 6.66% days: B+
4) Life quest : calmer through meditation, did 11 meditations: A

A lot better than I thought, the only part i kind of missed is exercise, but I had a cold, so not so bad, since resting is key.

WEEK 3 UPDATE, AVERAGE 57.5%

1) exercise 2,5 times: D+
2) Paleo lunch at work, 5 times: A+
3) Night routine, 2 2/3 times: F
4) Meditation, 8 times: B

Not proud, lazy week. I definetly could have done better in everything. I am glad i continued to meditate and bring lunches to work.

WEEK 4 UPDATE, AVERAGE 95%

1) exercise/ sadhana, everyday:: A
2) lunch, 5 times: A
3) night routine 6 nights: B
4) meditations 11 times: A

A very good week, a,so one that felt more natural and doable, since iswot hed to an everyday yoga routine ine the morning, instead of muscle building. Now i can do this anytime, no matter how my health is. Iknow i can keep this up.

I will add some BBWW 2 times a week next week, planning to get back on track with this by the end of the challenge.

 

WEEK 5 UPDATE, AVERAGE 60%

 

1) 4 sadhana : B

2) Lunch at work, 5 times : A
3) Night routine, 3 times : E

4) Meditation, 4 times : D
 

Not so proud this week, I could have done better, on the night routine and meditation. I struggle on the weekends especially.

 

 

WEEK 6 UPDATE : average  60%

1) sadhana, 4 times : B

2) lunch, 4 times : B

3) night routine, 4 times: D

4) meditation, 4 times : D

 

No so good, did ok but a bit lazy for the finals !

 

CHALLENGE FINALE : 74 % 

 

Here are the resulsts, by percentages, for each challenge, with the points in pro-rata

 

1) exercise 72%, wich gives me:  STR 1.44 / DEX 1.44 / STA 0.72

 

2) lunch 98%, wich gives me: STA 1.96 / CON 1.96 / WIS 0.98

 

3) night routine 51%, wich gives me: CHA 0.51 / CON 0.51 / STA 0.51

 

4) meditation 76%, wich gives me: WIS 1.52

 

I can now add these points and level up !

STR 1.44 - DEX 1.44 - STA 2.08 - CON 2.01 - WIS 2.5 - CHA 0.51

 

Very happy of the result, i do feel i leveled up, especially in my comprehension of the way my motivation works, how to set my goals better so they work for me. Very proud to have brought lunches during the whole lenght of the challenge, expect only one day. But if i'm honest, even then i could have brought one, i just didn't feel like eating yet another salad in that week.

 

Exercise went from weight to yoga practice, but flexibility is key for me and my health. As long as I move more than I used to, I am happy with it.

 

I can't wait for the next challenge, I have so many ideas of what to improve, but i will try to get a good balance of hard goals i need to work towards, and smaller ones that just need improving or consistency to work.

[imahuph]

Will keep an eye on you hope you will keep an eye on me good luck with your challenge.

[Kan]

Stay strong as always friend. You definitely have your path laid out well this time :3

°~°

[Edigo]

Hi imahuph, i will go check your challenge out

 

Thanks Kan, I hope this challenge will go better than last one as far a grades are concerned.

 

This forum is so awsome ! I used to feel that takling 3-4 goals at the same time was too much, but with the way we do it here, i find it motivating and I feel i will accomplish a lot more in one year than i ever did

[imahuph]

The forum does make it easer to stay motivated than just going it solo. So glad that I found nerd fitness and all the awesome people here.

[Kan]

Anytime :3 Mhm, support is always support. And sometimes just knowing anyone is there is motivation enough to make it through rough spots.

°~°

[Edigo]

Update for week 1

 

Monday :

1) measured myself, danced a little to warm up, and did the max rep for each basic exercice : squat, push up on wall, walking lunges, db press, db row. I ran out of time so i stopped there after streching a bit.  check

2) brought a huge 2litre salad in an ice cream container, with smoked fish, cheese, lots of veggies and avocado. Super yummy, super easy, paleo-ish. It lasted the whole afternoon without being hungry.    check

3) did the night routine while my son took his bath (brush, floss, wash face, rince sinuses)   check

4) did both my meditation, on tutorial mode on the calm app, and 10 min yoga nidra at night. It helps a lot to relax my body at night. I feel i take less time to fall asleep.   check

 

Tuesday

1) due to a lack of time i did 15 min yoga, sun salutation mostly, i still pass, as this is the first week and i can do some adjustments. I will need to wake up 15 min earlier i think ...    check

2) another huge salad with fruits   check

3) night routine done  check

4) morning and night meditation, though  i realize 9h30-9h45 is not easily done, i will not make this a priority, but rather the meditation itself. But i will aim to achieve a bed time at 9h-10h. Hoping to get there by the end of the challenge. Anyway i am getting sleepy around that time now, i just need to actually GO TO BED lol      check

 

Wednesday :

1) 2 cycles of the musculation exercices i did on monday, 10 each, danced on "dance central" on kinect as the warm up, about 3 songs. I lacked time again, i probably trained 20 min total, but it felt good. I definetly need to wake sooner, and my son got up crying at the same time, so i am just proud i stuck to my workout plan even if i didn't do 30 min.     check

2) left over from last night diner + chicken & rice soup (homemade)   check

3) night routine (my teeth have never felt this clean lol)   check

4) meditation morning and night :  check

 

Bonus : I had my followe up at the hospital on wednesday, and even thought last week i was finishing a cold something and my lungs had a hard time, and even though on monday i thought wednesday's results would suck, i actually had a very good number ! My VEMS value (air volume per minute in the lungs) is actually 82% !! wout wout super happy !   I can count on 2 hands the number of times i was in the 80's for the last 10 years, so this is awsome. And my weight is super stable, wich is good in itsleft, even if i want the number to go up.

 

So : mega happy dance !  And i am proud of myself so far this week

[Kan]

Haha I knew you could pull through. Keep at that pace and you'll be well on your way to where you want.

°~°

[Edigo]

Thursday:

1) my upper back hurt, i was due for my chiro appointment the same day and i felt it, so i picked up a 30 min yoga workout from my dvd set, and it cleared it all ! CHECK

2) brought another big salad, with canned shrimp and crab legs in it. CHECK

3) night routine done. CHECK

4) meditation morning and night. CHECK

Friday:

1) my son woke me up 2-3 times and i went to bed late the nigt before, the lack of sleep was awfull in the morning. I felt like getting rest was more important thant exercise, so i lied down on me living room floor and did a 30 min yoga nidra meditation, i probably got 1-2 hours of sleep thanks to it. So i dontpass the challenge for exercise, but respecting my body is meaningfull in my quest for good health. MISSED

2) brought the same salad as thursday. CHECK

3) completely skipped the night routine.. Went. Shopping with my son and ended up put him to sleep a little late, and fell asleep with him... So i forgot the routine. MISSED

4) did the morning meditation but not the nidra. MISSED

Friday was a bad day challenge wise,but it wont get me down! I got right back on track the day after

Saturday:

1) rest day. CHECK

2) no lunch needed. CHECK

3) night routine done CHECK

4) 2 meditations done. CHECK

I was grumpy and tired on saturday, lack of sleep i think. My son got sick and woke me a lot again.

I bought a pull up bar at walmart today and will get it installed in the basement to get started at pull ups this week. I'lleventually buy bigger dumbells to,probably 5lb, or 3... Not sure yet.

[Kan]

Sounds like progress to me. I wish I could put a pullup bar in my home. My walls are sheetrock or paneling, and I lack space. I'll find the solution one day soon though :3

Probably a good call getting the rest though. I really need to have more discipline on that. I bet you can build even more momentum now.

°~°

[Edigo]

Kan, i boghy a pull bar that you pu un a door frame. I will put it in my basement somewhere. I think you can make the set up temporary if you need to close the door. The bar looks like this : http://www.amazon.ca/ProSource-Heavy-Duty-Doorway-Chin-Up-Pull-Up/dp/B002YQUP7Q/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1389565426&sr=8-2&keywords=Pullup+bar

[Kan]

Hmmm one of those might would work actually. I'd be scared to try it though. I live in a trailer built back in the 80's lol. I can actually lift my door frames off the floor. Had to on order to put the floor back together XD water damage. Anyways that's a long story. I think what I should do is build a custom solution. Something I can fold up and stash in my closet, with a horizontal bar I can adjust to be from 3 feet above the ground to 6 1/2 feet up. Hmmm.... Maybe I should just build two bars outside heh. Less difficult, and less possible collateral damage from accidents. Yup. Thanks for reminding me though. It slips my mind periodically.

°~°

[Edigo]

Sunday:

1) rest day, i installed my pull up bar on our basement door frame and prepared my workout clothes for monday. CHECK

2) noneed for lunch, but i prepared the one for monday. CHECK

3) night routine done CHECK

4) morning and night meditation done , i finished the 7steps of calmfrom the app. CHECK

WEEK 1 GRADES:

1) exercised 4 times: B

2) Paleo lunch 5 times: A+

3) Night routine 6: B

4) Morning miditation 7 times, night yoga nidra 6 times, for a total of 13 meditations: A+

Very proud of my results this week!

[Edigo]

Monday

Having a sick and grumpy 3 1/2 year old can definetly screw your morning routine plans. I stayed home with kiddo. It was hecktic, but i managed !

1) circuit exercise, tried my pull up bar, did 5 "helped by a chair" pull ups with hands facing me. I tried a timer app and did differents things for 1 min each, started by 5 min cardio of various torture (jumping jacks, and high knees, buf i cave in before the burpees lol). And did a 30 sec plank. (One day i will do a handstand). CHECK

2) lunch: i ate leftover from the day before with rice but kept the prepared salad for the next day. CHECK

3) night routine: i had to kick myself im the butt but i did it. CHECK

4) skipped morning meditation, but did it before bed. And i did the yoga nidra CHECK

[Edigo]

Tuesday

Situation: My son is still sick, woke me 4-5 times during the night. And woke up at the same time as me. No alone time to do my stuff... I tried going downstares for yoga, but he felt so bad he needed conforting so i went up to be with him. It kind of frustrated me,i was grumpy due to bad sleep. He was too, being sick and all.

1) no yoga in the morning. Thinking back i could have done a couple sun salutation next to my son. Will do that next time, since its better to do something for 5 min than nothing. ThOugh i did do 1,30h of yoga at my weekly class, so it sorta counts, but since i didn't include that in the challenge, i wont cheat. MISSED

2) lunch was mondays salad CHECK

3) night routine : everything except sinus rince, i completely forgot.... 66% CHECKED

4) morning meditation did not work, but i started it. My son interrupted me every minute telling me not to sleep lol. Thinking back, i could have done a 2-5 min meditation in the bathroom. Did the yoga nidra, i needed it badly. 50% CHECKED

The idea is to improve and give myself tools, and finding solutions for next time this happens will help me reach my goals.

In my yoga class, i asked the teacher to give me some of her spare water kefir grains,my last batch had died. So i will get back to making it everyday and drinking 1 litre of the stuffi nt he morning. I dont' drink nearly enough water. And during the meditation to welcome the new year, i thought of a mantra for 2014: "it is what it is. Keep calm and be patient."

I tend,especially in mommyhood, to change situations and not accept them as they are, forcing or pushing my son to do stuff the way i want, instead of using patience and be a good teacher. I want to let things be the way they are and go with the flow instead of going into power struggles with him. And improve my discipline/authority skills. We will both be happier together, and calmer, i hope. I'm not saying to not change things if they are not good, but rather accept that there is a situation, the mood we both are in, and make the best of it whil i proving it. If that makes sense... Lol

[Edigo]

Wednesday

Slept soooo bad, kept going to my son and falling asleep there, than back to my bed, in cycles through the night.

I felt the beginning of a cold. I stayed home half the day with my son and took him to the doctor , turns out he has whooping cough and otitis. We are all on antibiotics now. Turns out the one they gave me and my boyfriend is one i already take as a regular med, so this might explain why i didn' catch that. Thank god.

1) no training, not with so much lack of sleep and feeling a cold coming. I need the energy to fight MISSED VOLUNTARILY

2) ate leftoverS from yesterday CHECK

3) night routine done CHECK

4) morning and night meditation CHECK

[Edigo]

Thursday

My time to be sick now... Bleh

1) no training, again. Need all the energy. MISSED

2) ate my leftovers for lunch CHECK

3) night routine CHECK

4) 2 meditations CHECK

I read an article about bullet proofing your goals, so that you an do it no matter what happens (be it no time in themorning, sickness, etc). I realize most my goals are like that, except exercise. It seems doing stuff everyday is easier, if it is small and doesn't take too much time.

Wich makes me think doing sun salutations every morning would work, plus training 10 min everyday, legs one day, arms the next, and maybe walking at work. My goal per week is 90 min of circuit, 60 min of yoga. Maybe splitting the time differently then. It would be.. 10 min yoga 6 days, wich would turn out to be my warm up. And ... 10-15 min weight lifting 6x a week. Turns out to be 30 min aday most days still, buti think it might be easier to do.

I think i will try it next week to see how it goes.

[Kan]

Experimenting! For science :3 if you have success splitting your exercises out over the week I might give it a try as well. I tried splitting then up over a day once. I had to do alot of warming up and stretching XD.

°~°

[Koln]

Food for thought : fighting against a virus or a bactery is an excellent exercice itself! So, don't feel bad or sad or anything, for not doing any push-ups / set-ups, because you're having a workout of your life right now!

[Edigo]

Thanks Koln, you are right about that, i'm putting up a fight

Friday

Cold at it's peek, slept all afternoon. It gave me a hard time falling asleep later at night but it's all good, i needed it!

1) about 7 half sun salutations, plus a stretch to open the heart and chest for 3 min. Considering the cold, i give myself a pass because i moved. CHECK

2) didn't ho to work so no need for lunch, istill ate leftovers though CHECK

3) nightroutine done CHECK

4) 2 meditations CHECK

I am proud of my consistent wakeup time. Its always between 5-6 am depending if my son and boyfriend need to wake up or not. I need my alone time in the morning to care for myself and. It makes for easier wake ups to. I now use sleepbot app to wake me, and the alarm is way more gentle than a regular radio alarm. It also tracks my sleep lenght and quality, quite nice.

[Kan]

Nice, I like the alarm clock extreme app. Whatever it was called. You can set it for gentle wakeups, and various ways of disarming it. Although you have no trouble actually getting up XD I have mine set to where I shake it till it stops making noises. Satisfying :3

°~°

[Edigo]

Saturday
The cold is going away. Sleeping a 4h nap yesterday definetly helped a lot
1) yoga sun salutation. CHECK AT 50%
2) no need fo lunch CHECK
3) night routine done CHECK
4) 2 meditations CHECK

sunday
One hell of a night again, i ended up sleeping in my son's ben, thank god it's a double bed. But its a handme down mattress that is ok for a 3 year old but uncumftable for an adult. I have the feeling i slept only 39 mins. Wich made me super grumpy and impatient. And i slept in, so no morning routine. Added to my frustration. I am so short tempered these days, probalby just sleepdeprived but it makes for bad mommy mode. Sorry my munchkin... I'll be better soon.

1) no exercise, thought i tried the threadmil at my stepsister's. My boyfriend pranked me by putting it super fast while i was walking on it, so i sepinted barefoot for 1-2 min. I did another 5 min later at a jogging pace. 25% CHECK
2) no need for lunch but i did prepare for tomorrow. CHECK
3) night routine done. And i skipped playing ps3 because its late and it would prime me up too much, so i'll go read a little instead. CHECK
4) no morning meditation and no yoga nidra... MISSED

Slept another 3-4 h nap this afternoon, grumpy mommy begone lol

I'll do the 2nd week recap tomorrow morning. Off to bed i go!

[Edigo]

WEEK 2 UPDATE

1) exercised 2.75 times, so D+

2) Paleo lunch at work, 5 times: A

3) Night routine: 6.66% days: B+

4) Life quest : calmer through meditation, did 11 meditations: A

A lot better than I thought, the only part i kind of missed is exercise, but I had a cold, so not so bad, since resting is key.

[Edigo]

Monday

Went to bed at 9h30 and the app woke me at 4h30. I slep well. A good 7h

My lungs are inbad shape at the moment, so i'll do only yoga until it gets better and back to normal.

1) no exercise MISSED

2) big salad for lunch CHECK

3) forgot the night routine MISSED

4) morning and night meditation done CHECK