Wandern stays on target

[Wandern]

There are a few specific things I want to accomplish in my "spare" time this year, and I can't let myself get distracted by time wasters or new things that I didn't know I want to do but now that I know about them must leave everything else half-done so I can try them. Know what I mean? So, the challenge is to set mini-goals for myself over the year that feed into these larger goals and keep me on track. 

 

2014 Goal 1: Deadlift my bodyweight (170lbs/77kg)/do a pull-up. Currently deadlifting 125lbs/56.7kg/hanging 5 seconds

Challenge Goal: Increase lifting amounts by 5lbs on specific lifts by doing a lift workout 3x/week. Currently following the NFAcademy Barbell workout 2. Bonus points if I get into the gym a fourth time for an aerobic workout each week.

• Deadlift: Start: 125 lbs
• Squat: Start: 105 lbs
• Bench Press Start: 75 lbs
• Overhead press: Start: 60 lbs 

2014 Goal 2: Make meditating a habit

Challenge Goal: Meditate for 10 minutes every night at 8:30. Bonus points if I follow this by completing 2 pages of a journal. 

 

2014 Goal 3: Complete a king-sized quilt. Machine or hand pieced, hand quilted.

Challenge Goal: Complete the initial design, make pattern.

 

2014 Goal 4: Read one work-related, professional development book a month. (I know, I'm only allowed 3 - this can count as my "life-goal")

Challenge Goal: No more fiction until Content Strategy for the Web by Kristina Halvorson is read.

[Wandern]

Oh, yeah. Grading:

 

Goal 1: A = +5 on all 4 stats (+2STR | +2STA) ; B=+5 on 3 (+2STR +1STA); C = +5 on 2 (+1STR +1 STA); D = +5 on 1 (+1STR); F = no improvement. 3 or more cardio gym visits lets me jump up a letter grade.  

 

Goal 2: A = 40 days meditating (+2 CON +2 WIS); B= 35 days (+1CON +2WIS); C=30 days (+1CON +1WIS); D=25 days (+1WIS); F = fewer than 25 days. 5 journal entries may sub for one meditation.

 

Goal 3: This one's all or nothing. (+2DEX +2CHA)

 

Goal 4: Also all or nothing: (+2WIS +1STA) - plus, since this challenge ends more than halfway through Feb, I have to have made progress on Content Everywhere by Sara Wachter-Boettcher in order to pass.

[I am Eve]

There are a few specific things I want to accomplish in my "spare" time this year, and I can't let myself get distracted by time wasters or new things that I didn't know I want to do but now that I know about them must leave everything else half-done so I can try them. Know what I mean? 

 

Oh boy, do I ever know what you mean?!

I constantly try to make conscious choices of activities and things to get involved in and it's the fun ones that are sooo difficult to say no to….

Your lifts are impressive and a bit scary to me. How did you go about learning the technique?

 

Great goals!

What would you say is your motivation?

[Wandern]

I know - someone is always doing something more interesting/prettier/cooler than what I'm working on. It's so hard to pick a project and stick with it!

 

Your lifts are impressive and a bit scary to me. How did you go about learning the technique?

 

Great goals!

What would you say is your motivation?

I feel like the lift progress is pretty slow - I've been working my way through Steve's Nerd Fitness and Starting Strength with accompanying videos for the last 18 months. When I got up the nerve to try the barbell, I got Rippetoe's Starting Strength, which has been very helpful. I also joined the NerdFitness Academy which has even more videos - with Staci doing the exercise.  I really ought to qualify for a free NF tshirt by now   . 

 

Motivation? For weights - I'm trying to keep everything working - I've bad joints and a family history of osteoporosis. The heaver I lift, the better my knees feel. Who'da thunk it?  For meditation - I spend too much time on the computer, switching between tasks. My focus is eroding. I want to try and get it back. For the quilt - I want something pretty on my bed, and want to stretch the creative muscles a bit. I'm using a tiled floor we saw in Italy for inspiration. Work reading - because I don't know everything.

[Wandern]

Week 1, day 3 Check in: 

 

Goal 1: Lifted Monday, with no change in weight - since I was really lazy and didn't lift at all over the holidays, this was great! But then I lifted again today, and had to back waaay off on the overhead press. In fact, I had to drop back to just the bar (45lbs) for the last couple of sets. Bummer. Going backwards is not in the plan.

 

Goal 2: Meditation: So far, so good. I'll sit and attempt to not think after I finish this post. I've managed 2 journal entries so far as well.

 

Goal 3: Quilt: I think I've got the central portion designed and sketched out to 1/10 scale. Got to figure the border out and get templates made

 

Goal 4: I'm at 25% on book 1.

[Affekonig]

Great goals, great work.  Overhead lifts are finnicky, don't let it get you down.  Looking forward to hearing about that first pull-up, it's a great milestone!

[keliswicked]

Love your goals!

 

What do you use to meditate?  I love using calm.com, I just wish they had an Android app.

 

If you read any good books, let me know! I'm reading a lot right now =)

[Wandern]

Love your goals!

 

What do you use to meditate?  I love using calm.com, I just wish they had an Android app.

 

If you read any good books, let me know! I'm reading a lot right now =)

 Thanks, Kellswicked! I'm using Insight Timer (iPhone). It's pretty basic, but does what I need. I get most of my pleasure reading suggestions from Smart Bitches Trashy Books - as well as pointers of what to avoid. Romance is my catnip these days - but the writers there also point out good fantasy, young adult that appeals to grown-ups, etc. 

 

Week 2 Day 2 Check-in

 

Goal 1: Lifted Saturday and yesterday, with no change in weight - 

 

Goal 2: Meditation: I've meditated 6 times in the last 8 days and journaled 3

 

Goal 3: Quilt: Some work on border design, but nothing much

 

Goal 4: I'm changing this goal. I signed up for a Coursera course on content management that started yesterday. The new goal is to pass the course. It's work related, and it'll take up at least as much time as the book. I like the idea that it's structured, and the new goal will serve the same purpose as the old one. 

[keliswicked]

I absolutely love Coursera, though I find it a little too hard to keep up with when I'm also in school.  I took a nutrition class on there that I loved though!  I think it's such a great website for advancing your knowledge.

[Wandern]

I absolutely love Coursera, though I find it a little too hard to keep up with when I'm also in school.  I took a nutrition class on there that I loved though!  I think it's such a great website for advancing your knowledge.

 

I last took Dan Ariely's Predictibly Irrational course - it was a lot of fun. The one thing I don't like about Coursera is the discussion boards. They should be the best part of the course, but there are so danged many discussions that trying to find the good threads is like trying to get a cup of water from a fire hose. 35,000 people all trying to talk at once. Crazy!

[Wandern]

Week 3, Day 2 Check-in

 

Goal 1: Ugh - I only lifted once last week. No excuse other than pure laziness. No progress. I didn't think getting restarted after the holidays would be this hard :-( Steve's post on getting 

 

Goal 2: Meditation: According to the log on my meditation app, I've meditated 10 times since the beginning of this challenge and journaled 6. Yikes! I thought I'd put in more floor time than that. Either I've not been consistent with using the app, or I'm kidding myself (probably the latter).

 

Goal 3: Quilt: Threw out the border design I'd been working on, made a full-scale pattern for the central medallion. Time to cut out the pattern and come up with one for the border.

 

Goal 4: 2 weeks of the Coursera course completed.

[keliswicked]

I completely agree about the Coursera boards.  I love the classes though.  I feel like I should take something in computer science, which is my field, but I'm really only interested in the ones about nutrition and exercise! 

 

Good job on your goals.  Hope this week is going just as well!

[I am Eve]

Hi Wandern.

I just realized that week 4 is approaching its' end. How has it been?

My hands are a little sore from skiing, do you use gloves when you lift?

[Wandern]

Hi Wandern.

I just realized that week 4 is approaching its' end. How has it been?

My hands are a little sore from skiing, do you use gloves when you lift?

The END of week 4?? Has it been that long? Where does the time go?

 

<rant> It's not been going terribly well challenge-wise for me here (life in general is great, so I really shouldn't complain, but I'm about to anyway). The last couple of weeks have been cold and snowy - which has become unusual around here, so we aren't prepared for it and thus don't enjoy it - and getting my lazy carcass out of the house at an hour when I can exercise has just been too much for me. If I have to scrape my windshield, my schedule is thrown off enough that I just can't get to the gym with enough time to get in a workout. Yes, I could do some bodyweight stuff at home, but I don't. Yes, I could do an abbreviated workout, but I don't. January and February have traditionally been months of low- motivation. Last year wasn't too bad, but this year -- hoo, boy. Last year was warmer, but I was also seeing more progress with how the clothes fit,etc. I'm seeing no progress these days, no matter how sore I get, and pushing myself to lift more when I'm already achy from lifting less weight than I was last month just seems pointless. So, I don't go to the gym, which makes it harder to go to the gym, which makes me mad at myself, and so I think "well, you're not the boss of ME, challenge!," so I eat a bit of chocolate, and read dubious life-style blogs which tell me I need to focus and I know that already dammit so here's some more chocolate and ooh look some fiction and why do I think I have to wait till March before I can break this cycle? </rant>

 

Oh, yes. Gloves. I got myself a pair to try a couple weeks ago - the weight lifting calluses were getting bothersome. I've used them twice, and I think I like them so far. 

 

So. Week 5 day 2 check- in (are we sure this is week 5??)

 

Goal 1: Lifting. Don't ask. See rant above.

 

Goal 2: Meditation: According to the log on my meditation app, I've meditated 17 times since the beginning of this challenge. I'm not sure how many journal entries I've managed. It's in the other room, and I've a cat on my lap so can't go look and see. I've been struggling with the I don't wannas there, too. "You can't make me sit down and not think if I don't want to sit down and not think! So I'll sit here and think about not wanting to sit here and not think! So there!" I'm quite the rebel these days, but not in a good way.

 

Goal 3: Quilt: The central pattern is cut out, I know what I want to do for the border, but haven't sketched it out to scale yet. I don't think it'll need a pattern, just a plan. It's time to buy fabric, but I'm waiting for the big area quilt show later this month - that'll be for the next challenge

 

Goal 4: 3 weeks of the Coursera course completed, and I've been working a bit on the assignment. If I turn in the assignment before the end of the challenge I'll consider this a success.

[Wandern]

The challenge is over all ready??!! I have in my head that we've another week. And I was just getting back into the swing of things. Oh, well. The score will not be so great this time:

 

2014 Goal 1: Deadlift my bodyweight (170lbs/77kg)/do a pull-up. Currently deadlifting 125lbs/56.7kg/hanging 5 seconds

Challenge Goal: Increase lifting amounts by 5lbs on specific lifts by doing a lift workout 3x/week. Currently following the NFAcademy Barbell workout 2. Bonus points if I get into the gym a fourth time for an aerobic workout each week.

• Deadlift: Start: 125 lbs: End: 125lbs no change
• Squat: Start: 105 lbs: End: 105lbs no change
• Bench Press Start: 75 lbs: End: 75 no change (but I did do a couple sets of 80 yesterday. Not enough to count, though)
• Overhead press: Start: 60 lbs End: 55 -5 change (backwards. sigh)

Score: F: no points for me.

 

2014 Goal 2: Make meditating a habit

Challenge Goal: Meditate for 10 minutes every night at 8:30. Bonus points if I follow this by completing 2 pages of a journal. 

Meditated 24 times since Jan. 6. Journaled 9 times.  This does show an improvement over the last few times I've tried to add meditating to the daily list. At least I didn't give it up altogether after a couple weeks. Score: D: +1 WIS

 

2014 Goal 3: Complete a king-sized quilt. Machine or hand pieced, hand quilted.

Challenge Goal: Complete the initial design, make pattern.

End of Challenge: Done. Next steps: buy fabric, cut pieces. Score: Pass: +2DEX +2CHA

 

2014 Goal 4: Read one work-related, professional development book a month. (I know, I'm only allowed 3 - this can count as my "life-goal")

Challenge Goal: Complete the Coursera MOOC Content Strategy. I got my assignment turned in, There's one week left in the course, I have yet to do the peer reviews. I'm still gonna count this one as done Score: Pass: +2WIS +1STA

 

So, at the end of all this, I declare myself a Level 8 Druid STR 13 | DEX 15 | STA 13 | CON 12 | WIS 16 | CHA 15

[keliswicked]

So glad you checked back in to finish the challenge! Even if it wasn't stellar, you made progress and held yourself accountable!

 

Here's to an even better challenge starting next week!!!