Moomin's voyage 2: Keep charging ahead

[moomin]

(My attempt at writing a creative storyline. Please skip to second post for challenge details)

 

After setting sail, Moomin completed the Twelve Days of Relight and finally settled into the twelve habits aboard the vessel DragonSong. The feeling of achievement gave Moomin a lighter step and a brighter smile. He was no longer dreary and homesick, but instead went around his chores on the ship, humming the "Twelve Days of Relight" in a high falsetto.

 

At the dawn of the new year, the captain Lordal announced that the DragonSong will be preparing to pass through the mysterious channels that was referred to as the Fateful Isles. It is a graveyard for ships, poorly prepared for the rough currents. Even top quality vessels with top-notch sailors on board have been known to enter the Fateful Isles and never return.

 

 

Moomin now proceeds with heavy preparations for Fateful Isles, but he resolved not to forget his Twelve Habits! 

Keep charging ahead with a strong mind and body...

[moomin]

This is my first 6 week challenge! I'm a 27 year old Hobbit, in my last year of school. I've found NF around 2 months ago and have been updating into my battle log and my mini holiday challenge threads before. Read my intro post to learn more about me

 

So how does that story about Moomin fit the story of my life? 

Why the seas?

I chose a nautical theme of adventure for my story, as I really admire the endurance of a sailor. They keep going when the going gets rough. I will be facing a difficult year in 2014 where I will do my professional exams and start working with a hellish schedule. And I will continue with this hellish schedule for the next year, the next, and the next ... You get the idea. So I will really need the heart of a sailor to get through this.

 

So you want to be a sailor?

Sailors do really cool things like climbing onto the high posts on the vessels and doing very tight knots. I have no doubt that they must be really strong. I want to get strong too. It will no doubt be healthy to get fit, plus I really want to get in a specialty predominated by men, and it wouldn't hurt to be as strong as them.

 

And what's the Fateful Isles? 

I'm taking my professional exams starting on Feb 17 right after this challenge. It last for five weeks, and it's supposed to be really hard. The smart and knowledgeable guys have been known to fail this, and it really is ONE BIG UNKNOWN for me. Facing the unknown... *trembling in fear*

 

So I'm taking this first challenge at a very busy time of my life. In this 6 weeks I will be cramming and cramming. Basically staying at home and cramming. 

Which is why it's even more important that I take on this challenge, to keep moving while I cram, and keep my mind and body strong in the face of *gasp* the final boss.

 

Main quest: Keep moving (calmly) to the Fateful Isles!

So this challenge I will not try to add anything crazy to my fitness plan, just carry on with what I've been doing. I will keep on finding progressions to my body weight workout and my cardio workout. But apart from that, I will just keep what I have currently and focus on my life quest- cramming for the above pictured big boss.

 

Goal 1: Move! - Cardio workouts 3 times a week (+3 DEX, +1 STA)

Cardio workouts includes real road running, bike, treadmill, of at least 20 min duration and preferably 25-30 min.

Points attribution:

6 weeks completed: +3 DEX, +1 STA

5 weeks completed: +2 DEX, +1 STA

4 weeks completed: + 2 DEX

3 weeks completed: +1 DEX

<3 weeks completed: FAIL

 

Goal 2: Move! - Strength workout 3 times a week (+3 STR, +1 STA)

Strength workouts are based on the bodyweight workout , and will be counted if at least 3 sets of at least 5 exercises are done.

Points attribution:

6 weeks completed: +3 STR, +1 STA

5 weeks completed: +2 STR, +1 STA

4 weeks completed: + 2 STR

3 weeks completed: +1 STR

<3 weeks completed: FAIL

 

I plan to work out every day, alternating my strength and cardio workouts, so I'll give myself an extra 1 for STA if I finish 5 weeks of 7 workouts.

 

Goal 3: Keep my twelve habits going (+3 CON)

Keep my 12 habits from my holiday mini-challenge. I may change one or two of the habits, but the majority would be kept. I believe that maintaining basic hygiene / healthy diet / healthy relationship would be good for my study too, apart from being good for my health and general fitness.

 

Passing criteria:

Day: 8 out of 12 habits

Week: 5 out of 7 days

 

Points attribution: 

6 weeks passed: +3 CON

4-5 weeks passed: +2 CON

3 weeks passed: +1 CON

<3 weeks passed: FAIL

 

Life quest: Cram! for the finals. (+3 WIS)

Can't figure how to grade myself on this, but this is such a big part of my life right now, so I'll put this down first, and figure out about grading later. I guess I'll know whether I did enough by April when results come out...

 

 

I will start updating this tomorrow (Monday). I will be moving my battle log to here so I'll keep track of my workouts here daily!

Edit: awww hell I just realized that as level 1 I should not have goals with attributable points! I based my challenge on others' I have followed and did not realize that the rules for level 1 is so different!

The first week has been going well so I'll just continue with this? If it's okay? I'll have 14 points and level 2 status if I finish this, so I'd not be cheating, I think.

[neil81]

hi, that was a great post to read really looks like you have it figured out, i wish you well on your challenge!

[moomin]

hi, that was a great post to read really looks like you have it figured out, i wish you well on your challenge!

 

Thanks Neil! Best of luck on your challenge as well! We'll keep each other motivated!

[ReachingForTheStars]

Sub'd!

 

Glad to follow along with this challenge, too, moomin!  Tomorrow's the official start, let's set sail!

[Jonesy]

Sub'd! Good luck on your challenge. Can't wait to see how well you do.

[Red1263]

Heya Moomin! I'm here for the follow back! I hope you keep up with your Med school studies, now let's see you ROCK this!

[Basement Cat]

Woo!

 

That's an awesome challenge Moomin! Good luck with your training and your exams. I really like the storyline thing you have going, it's very creative. (I sound like an accountant in all my threads)

 

Oh, and sub'd!

[moomin]

Sub'd!

 

Glad to follow along with this challenge, too, moomin!  Tomorrow's the official start, let's set sail!

Great to have you here to cheer me on, Stars! And so it starts! 

 

Sub'd! Good luck on your challenge. Can't wait to see how well you do.

Thanks Jonesy! I'll try my best!

 

Heya Moomin! I'm here for the follow back! I hope you keep up with your Med school studies, now let's see you ROCK this!

Thanks for subbing!

Yeah I hope I keep up with my studies too, coz I really need it! *shudders* 

 

Woo!

 

That's an awesome challenge Moomin! Good luck with your training and your exams. I really like the storyline thing you have going, it's very creative. (I sound like an accountant in all my threads)

 

Oh, and sub'd!

Haha thanks, that story is for my own entertainment as well as yours. I haven't done creative writing since... (pixie jumps up to block my thoughts -- protective mechanism for preventing myself from feeling old )

 

Let's get this challenge going!

[moomin]

6/1/14 (Monday) W1D1

*6:00 pm*

Cardio 1.1:

Real road running with pooch - 4 laps neighbourhood slope. (0.85k per lap = 3.4km total) - that's approx 2 miles for those who use a system that I don't understand.

Time elapsed not counted (didn't bring watch nor phone)

Okay, so first workout of challenge - done!

 

Habits of the day - Pass; Week - 1/7

1)Meditation; 2)Move; 3)Floss; 4)Exam; 5)Chat w/ P; 6)Eat fruit; 7)Sleep; 8)Fluids; 9)No soft drink; 10)Stretching; 11)Brushing dog's teeth; 12)Logged!

*Missed exam skill today - willing subject was asleep already by the time I tried to do it...

 

======================================================

So here's how I'm going to log this. I had a long log for my habit building last challenge, but here I'll just highlight what I did in green for "yes" and red for "no". Black is for "pending" and will be updated by the next day. I just like to log once my workouts are done, hence the "pending".

You can learn more about the habits from my previous mini challenge. I changed the 4th habit to "exam" -- it is actually referring to a skill that I'm pretty bad at, which I'll be practicing in preparation for the finals.

 

Aaaand I've been super excited about the start of this challenge! I've been turning the phone to flight mode in order to prevent myself from obsessive checking of the forums! Thanks all for the support! We can do this!

[BludEvil]

Where on earth are you from where you can run outside? Australia?

If so, I am very much jealous of you. Its ridiculous here in Canada right now.

[moomin]

Where on earth are you from where you can run outside? Australia?

If so, I am very much jealous of you. Its ridiculous here in Canada right now.

Yeah I watched about the snowstorm in NE of the States and Canada in our news, must be pretty terrible right now. Hope it gets warmer soon.

Heh, I live Paleo, where it is possible for human beings to roam in their habitats all year round (yeah I know there are eskimoes).

(*edit: that sounded a bit grouchy - I was trying to sleep but couldn't quite fall asleep!

Where I live, its warm enough but the problem is its also warm enough for dem bugs! Bugs all year round :/ )

Good night from across the globe!

[Tateman]

Good looking goals.  Sounds like a good Day 1 so far.

[moomin]

7/1/14 (Tuesday) W1D2

BBWW 1.1:

Beginner bodyweight: (3 circuits)

Split workouts today, warm-up 5 min elliptical.

*2:00pm*

Squats:                       20*; 20*; 20*. (*30lbs weight)

Single arm rows (bil): 10'; 10'; 10'. ('25lbs weight)

Reg. lunges (bil):        20^; 20^; 20 unweighted. (^8x2 = 16lbs weight)

 

*10:20pm*

Push up:                    6+2; 4+1+2+1; 6+2. (+ represents a short rest, aimed for 8 each set)

Elbow planks (s):       45; 45; 45.

 

Comment:

So I got access to a tiny little "gym" with very limited dumbbells from 3lbs to 25lbs today, and decided to try this out. I normally work on bodyweight. The floor there was uber dirty, so I did my planks and push ups later at home.

1. Squats: First time to use weights. I think my legs could do this fine. But my arms on the other hand is another story. I intended to do them as goblet squats, but it was too heavy -- ended up putting the weights on my shoulders instead. I should probably read up more on this, but I don't have regular access to weights, so this may be just a one time thing for the moment.
   
2. Single arm rows: Woo! Haven't done this in a while, was working on inverted rows... And definitely those inverted rows work! I think I can do heavier rows now.
   
3. Lunges: Weighted lunges are a bit hard, to my surprise. Maybe I should have chosen two dumbbells of 3lbs each instead. 
   

And the rest I did in my room at night, energy was low by then.

1. Push ups: Really struggling with regular push ups' forms. I'm torn whether to go back up one step of the stair and try for better form or just try to better my form on the floor. 
   
2. Elbow planks: Guess these are ok this time. Didn't try anything strange for them. (Though it feels nice to plank on my sparkly clean floor I just cleaned - chore day)
   

Habits of the day - Pass; Week - 2/7

1)Meditation; 2)Move; 3)Floss; 4)Exam; 5)Chat w/ P; 6)Eat fruit; 7)Sleep; 8)Fluids; 9)No soft drink; 10)Stretching; 11)Brushing dog's teeth; 12)Logged!

 

======================================================

I really like how nerd fitness turned something routine and boring, like drinking water and doing push ups (used to hate those exercises at school) -- into a challenge! Which sounds exciting and positive, like it's something we choose to do, instead of something we have to do!

[Jonesy]

Sounds like your workout went pretty good,

 

Does your dog like having it's teeth brushed? I started to do that for mine and now I think she is mad at me. 

[Basement Cat]

Great work Moomin!

 

If you can't do your push ups with proper form, go back up a step. That's a recipe for injury otherwise. Good luck! Keep rocking!

[Clarys]

\Good analogies with the sailor thing!! I liked the way you present your challenge!

And good work on the start! Keep going!!

[Red1263]

NF is a reminder that all things can be a good thing, so long as you view them with the right perspective! I'm glad you've had an excellent start on your second day! Keep that momentum going!

[moomin]

Thanks guys for your encouragement!

My dog tries to struggle when I brush his teeth, but I think he likes the taste of the toothpaste. He licks at it and actually willingly jumps into the tub for his brushing, after I made it a habit.

I still give him a treat after the brushing, which kind of takes away the effect of brushing... But that is still better than no brushing at all!

Great work Moomin!

If you can't do your push ups with proper form, go back up a step. That's a recipe for injury otherwise. Good luck! Keep rocking!

Yup I think I will have to ease up a step tmr. Thanks!

Sent from my GT-N7105 using Tapatalk

[moomin]

8/1/14 (Wednesday) W1D3

*10:15 pm*

Cardio 1.2:

Treadmill (a different machine from the one I usually use- so I didn't know what the numbers in miles meant - in km - while I was running!) -30 min, total distance 4.12 km = 2.56 mi

3 min warm up speed 4.8 km /h (3.0 mi)

5 min run at 8.85 km/h (5.5mi/h), 0% incline

15 min run at 8.85 km/h (5.5mi/h), 1% incline

5 min run at 9.0 km/h (5.6 mi/h), 1% incline

2 min cool down walk.

 

Habits of the day - Pass; Week - 3/7

1)Meditation; 2)Move; 3)Floss; 4)Exam; 5)Chat w/ P; 6)Eat fruit; 7)Sleep; 8)Fluids; 9)No soft drink; 10)Stretching; 11)Brushing dog's teeth; 12)Logged!

 

======================================================

Wooo! This means that I can run MOAR, FASTAH. When I see the low numbers on the treadmills (owing to the display in mi rather than km), I automatically wanted to run at some speed similar to my "previous speed" -- that was in km! 

Now I will have to keep to THIS standard next time I run, on my usual treadmill.

 

Insanely late tonight, not going to pass my sleep goal tmr..

[Jonesy]

Great workout today!

[Basement Cat]

Good job on the workout, Moomin!

 

You'll be running like the Flash before you know it! Now go bed!

[moomin]

9/1/14 (Thursday) W1D4

BBWW 1.2:

Beginner bodyweight: (3 circuits)

warm-up: 10 BW squats, 10 incline push ups on desk level, 5 regular lunges (both legs)

*9:30pm*

Bulgarian split squats          ®  10; 18; 15.

                                            (L)  10; 15; 15.

Incline push ups(*first step):     10*; 10*; 10*. 

Regular bodyweight lunges ® 20; 20; 20.

                                            (L) 20; 20; 20.

Inverted rows                             8; 8; 8.

Elbow planks (s):                       45; 45; 45.

 

Comment:

1. Squats: Struggling with my Bulgarian split squats. Haven't really found a good place to do them. May be doing them wrong. Evaluate later.
   
2. Incline push ups: Better form on the first step than on the floor. I will keep at this for at least a week before attempting to go down on the ground.
   
3. Lunges: I wasn't really concentrating on them as I did it. So I think I did some lunges wrong this workout. 20 lunges on both legs takes a long time though, and I tend to get bored doing these.
   
4. Inverted rows: getting better.
   
5. Elbow planks: I should probably add 1-2 sec next time. Still feel like screaming by 45s, but I should push myself harder!
   

Habits of the day - Pass; Week - 4/7

1)Meditation; 2)Move; 3)Floss; 4)Exam; 5)Chat w/ P; 6)Eat fruit; 7)Sleep; 8)Fluids; 9)No soft drink; 10)Stretching; 11)Brushing dog's teeth; 12)Logged!

 

======================================================

Was really tired today not having slept enough. Took a long nap in the afternoon instead of studying. Not exactly productive... But oh well.

[moomin]

Great workout today!

 

Thanks! I do feel great!

 

Good job on the workout, Moomin!

 

You'll be running like the Flash before you know it! Now go bed!

 

You know what? I went to sleep after posting that and I COULDN'T SLEEP. Cause it was past my normal bedtime and my body didn't know what to do. Spoilt half of my day because I was sleepy in the morning and just napped the whole afternoon away. Reminds me how important my sleep goal actually is!

Super admire you for your sleeping habits - sleeping early and waking really early!

[ReachingForTheStars]

Nice job!  There's gotta be a way to add weight or try a variant of the lunges so that you'll be doing less reps.  Google time...