Chapter 5: Rewritten by the Wildcolonialgrrl herself.

[WildColonialGrrl]

Just a short place holder as I'm at a camp ground called Thredbo Diggings with the best internet in days.

I'll be starting my challenge which includes learning and practicing mindfullness, meditation or journalling, yoga/stretching and a continuation of 'no more zero days'. I have a lot of unsettled time coming up in this challenge and am hoping to find ways of coping that improve my health and fitness.

Off to play in mountains for the next couple of days... Well, we Aussies call them mountains. Including a 20km hike to our top point of 2228m. Might have sketchy phone coverage til I hit Canberra where I will do a proper introduction of myself and my goals.

Sorry this is a bit of a scrappy shareholder til then!

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[joedog]

We'll be here when you get back! 

[Mad Hatter]

You do get around WCG! Are you sure you're not really an assassin with all the sneaking between guilds?

[Matt_72]

Good work WCG. Enjoy your trek to the top of Aus.

[WildColonialGrrl]

I've got a few minutes to start jotting some stuff down. I am challenging on paper but it may take a while to spit it all out digitally!

So, Druids this challenge. No, I'm not an assassin but I have to move where my needs are best met I guess. I spent some time thinking about how things went in challenges last year, what worked and what needed working on... I had some good successes and a lot of learning experiences. I am a creature of habit and do best at the hard stuff when everything settles into a nice groove (rut? Sometimes). Change can unsettle me to varying degrees and I know I need to learn to find better ways of coping with these emotional stresses rather than eating and vegetating. To that end I'm going to try things Druid style!

I'm on holidays through most of this challenge and will go back to work with everything changing and bedding in in the last two weeks of this challenge. (I am a teacher librarian on summer holidays in Australia for those who haven't met me before). I also have some other stressful life situations that will be peaking around that time and am going to work towards dealing with them better.

Enough background perhaps?

Ãœber goal: Fit / healthy by 40

Now goal: cope with stuff

1 - no more zero days - Con 4

100% completion for full points. Why? No routine... Eeek! Gotta keep moving towards my goals every single day something. I have a link some where...

2 - stretch/yoga/ flexible bodyness - DEX 4 con 1

Everyday 100%... This will be the hardest one for me this challenge. I really need to work on flexibility for a number of reasons and it makes me feel good. I want it to be an everyday thing preferably in the morning... But it is going to take some time to bed this habit in. Very much a work in progress

3 - mindfulness - WIS 3

I need to learn some things about my self and connect my body better to my mind. The disconnect is I suspect behind a lot of the less good choices I habitually make. I hope that this will help with coping mechanisms and maybe diet (I'm a bit of a Cookie Monster type gobbler). I am reading a book - the rough guide to mindfulness. It has downloadable or internetable audio to go with exercises. I intent to have read all the book and completed all the exercises before the end of this challenge (and be applying stuff with any luck).

Sub goal:

Journal/meditate? CHA 3

I feel better when I write things down especially my anxiety related stuff. Hopefully it will help me through this time of little structure, re-establishing routine and icky changes. It helps so I should do it more... S I am including it in the challenge. At least twice or more per week for the win. Why charisma? Not wearing my shoulders around my ears definitely make me look better!

Will write a catch up of how it's going soon!

[Affekonig]

You are gonna rock this!  Yoga is a big part of living without pharmacological anxiety remedies for me.  A single sun salutation is still a practice if that's what you need that day!

[I am Eve]

^^

Yoga, yes…and the breathing can release so much tension!

 

It is indeed an extra challenge to start a challenge while on vacation, but it can also be a help because you have better time to focus on the self.

I think I already said my welcome but here it is again, it is nice to see you here at the Druids' Wildcolonialgrrl.

 

Some thoughts on daily habits:

It IS difficult and I recommend starting with a short time and increasing it.

First thing in the morning I find good, then there's a higher probability of success and smaller risk of putting it off.

Santocha, be kind to yourself as well.

Namaste

[WildColonialGrrl]

Quick week 1 round up from phone on a Monday morning before I get ready to hit the road...

No zero days - 7/7!

Yoga/stretching - 5/7 a decent start for something that I want to become a daily habit. Mostly in arvo though after exercising. Will be interesting to see how this translates being back home in week 2. Did one morning and I felt stiff and horrible... But that could well be the point of it!

Mindfulness - no progress as it has been difficult to find time/space/internet/phone battery convergence. Week 2 those things will not be a barrier.

Journalling - 2/2. Get stressed and anxious, write it down, feel better... Not that difficult an equation.

Will be more out there on the boards after tonight. Just under 800km to drive today so will be taking it easy as the Winnebago doesn't like the heat much.

Catch ya soon!

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[joedog]

Shoulders up by the ears, I can identify with that. Sounds like a good first week and a fun trip. Hope you and the Winnebago had a safe journey home! 

[WildColonialGrrl]

Home safe in time for it to heat up big time here.

Doing a quick update in front of the BBQ after hanging out washing. It's a gusty 36.5 in the shade on the verandah. Took a pack of lamb chops out of the freezer and reckon cold chops and salad are looking good for a few meals in a row. I get impatient waiting for meat to cook if it's not safely away in a oven with a timer on so this is a good distraction (I could be unpacking... But I'll get around to that!).

Yesterday didn't see me achieve much. Driving didn't help my knees much and I actually woke up with the arthritic one in pain overnight. It could also have been me waking from dehydration in the first of a few hot nights but it wasn't a great first night back in my own bed. I ate badly and can barely justify lifting things out of the van as something towards a no zero day... No real stretching other than the groan and twang getting out for regular stops.

Did some stretching/yoga this morning as I started the day warm and will get some more in after my first session back at the gym with my PT for the new year.

Have downloaded some mindfulness exercises as audio on my phone and hope to try at least one today.

I appears that shark week will begin in time for the temp to hit the 40s meaning I am likely to be a special brand of unhappy. If the breeze keeps up without anything catching fire it should be manageable with application of air con and bodies of water!

In happy news sitting out here I've just noticed that the quince tree down the back seems to have a good crop on this year and the mulberries are starting to ripen. Mmm... Fruits! Assuming I get to them before the possums and birds.

Chops cooked, end to rambling!

[WildColonialGrrl]

PT session postponed due to a car accident mashing my PTs car. She's ok, but had to shuffle some stuff around. Lucky I did a stretch this morning.

Tried 2 different body scan audio things this arvo. Bailed on the 20min lying down one at 9 mins after nearly falling asleep. Barely made it through a 4 minute sitting version. Need to work on being present and not thinking or falling asleep!

This mindfulness is going to take some work!

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[WildColonialGrrl]

Did a cycle class at gym yesterday and a big stretch session. Rescheduled PT is today and then I am going to hang out at a mates place with a pool! Expected top temp of 44C (111.2F) today.

Weird thing I'm finding from when I try to eat more mindfully, I always start chewing on the right hand side. Move to the left for a little then go back to the right. I'm wondering why this is and the only thing I can come up with is that a few years ago I had my wisdom teeth out and they had to cut out a bit of my jaw on the left, so maybe I started to favour the right then... I wonder if it matters? Eating with mindful intentions really slows down eating and connects me better with my hunger, but I don't do it often enough yet...

It's not getting any cooler out there but I had a better nights sleep as I had electricity to run the fan. The previous night no electricity til just before 4am and no breeze to cool the place. Not comfortable.

Teaching my family about the importance of replacing electrolytes in this weather. Water is one thing but you feel so much better if you replace the salts being lost through sweat. It is a bit of a battle with my Grandmother though... She has been sick and then got diarrhoea and was feeling terrible so I gave her the unpalatable choice of hospital for a drip or drink the electrolyte solution or an electrolyte icy pole. At least her power hasn't been going out when mine has.

[Matt_72]

No power? Eff that! I dunno what we would do if ours went out.

[Skywalker]

Hey WCG I missed your thread. For some reason it doesn't show on my tapatalk app.

The mindfulness challenge sounds very challenging - I'll have to have a look at that book.

It sounds like you had a great time at Kosiosko - I love the high country. I want to hike up to Bogong - I might even book that in to my calendar. There is a great little free camp site there.

Now we just need the fires to keep away and the cool change to come through.

[joedog]

Ugh, I don't want to think about that heat with no power. I'm glad your Grandma has someone to take care of her while it's like this. 

[WildColonialGrrl]

Ugh, I don't want to think about that heat with no power. I'm glad your Grandma has someone to take care of her while it's like this.

The parents are home to help out at the moment but I get to make all the nasty decisions. I take it a bit seriously, old people die of heat stress too easily... not on my watch! We talked about where to take her if both houses lost power for air con and I said to mum if we can't find a shopping centre still open we just go to a hospital and if they can't recommend anywhere else that's exactly where she is going to need to be. Her internal thermostat is kind of shot and she doesn't handle the heat well anymore (when I say anymore... She spent maybe a third of her life in India and other hot climates in pre air con days and doesn't seem to have twigged that her body doesn't cope as well at 94 as it did at 24!).

Today is going to be another hot one... I am considering staying in reading/surfing the nets/watching a DVD probably slobbing around in my underwear. Oh and doing some mindfulness stuff... Yep the hard bit! Can't forget that...

I am in so much pain after my PT session yesterday. I did half arsed stretches but today I will have to do a lot more and very slowly!

[Matt_72]

Good work on being mindful of your Grandmother. It's easy to become consumed in ourselves and our own welfare and lose sight of those around us. 

[WildColonialGrrl]

Bah! Even the cool change isn't that cool.

Hurt at the gym but have started looking at goals and progress for this year. Stretched but might book a massage for next week. Mindfulness stalled somewhat since coming back from holiday. Need to really make time for it.

Need new runners... But I hate shopping. These can't handle 20km anymore without making my feet hurt, gotta go. What I really need is wear markers like on car tyres.

Week two looking less awesome than week one, but lessons contained within that.

[Affekonig]

The 'heat wave' is apparently universal. It's supposed to be 8 here tomorrow, (normal is -20). Gonna walk around in shorts in January!

[WildColonialGrrl]

The 'heat wave' is apparently universal. It's supposed to be 8 here tomorrow, (normal is -20). Gonna walk around in shorts in January!

It's all relative isn't it... I can not imagine walking around in shorts at 8 degrees! I don't like anything under 15 as a rule. Brrr!

Ok wrap up for week 2!

I am almost considering completely writing off Monday and having my week out of 6... Driving for 8 hours on a hot day is really not a day.

No zero days - 6/6(7) was a little hard on the super hot days and today I did a very short walk.

Stretch - 5/6(7) I really should go do some now and add one more to the tally...... Did work out how to fit yoga back into my schedule when back to work after a timetable change at the studio. Have pretty much swapped yoga time/day for PT. worked really well and I will have a longer sleep in on Saturday.

Mindfulness - did a few exercises but am impatient and struggling to find a place for it. One section I read talked about cues, when this happens I enter a moment of mindfulness. I did wonder how on earth I could find something meaningful to try then I got in the car today. Decided that every time I am stationary in the car I will practice mindfulness. It's going to happen most days whilst working, and is a time I often loose the plot a little. Could be very good for me. Another section talked about committing to a practice for 21 days. 3 to begin, 7 if you like it, 21 to embed it. I will look to be trying this by the end of week 3.

Journaling - 2/2 I am calling this one for in my notebook by hand and one as a very long email trying to sort my goals and exercise schedule out to my PT.

Am knackered after all the heat and not sleeping well. Not sure what week three holds, don't have a lot of firm plans yet and might go away for the long weekend before I go back to work. We'll see how it goes!

[Skywalker]

It's hard to imagine how hot it was now we are back to 'typical' melbourne weather. It sounds like a productive week. Mindfulness is a hard goal to track but you seem to be making progress and finding times to practice. Stopped on a car is a good one, what about. Before you eat or when you wash your hands?

Enjoy the last of the school holidays.

[WildColonialGrrl]

Good thinking Skywalker... Washing hands could be a good one. I need to do some actual serious work on the mindful eating thing but I think that is coming up in the book. It slows everything down and makes you more conscious of body sensations like hunger and fullness which I tend to race through... I just find it really difficult to make the change consistently... But that is why it is a practice, I guess!

I must ask Super M (clearly he is no longer just Matt) when he does his five minutes meditation per day.

[WildColonialGrrl]

Something I am learning... No zero interacts directly with the stretching which was not supposed to be the deal. If I go out of my way to exercise decently then I stretch afterwards. I tried stretching/yoga in the morning once... And I didn't like it. I was cold and stretching was uncomfortable... Soooo, where does that leave me? I either do a hard hat do it in the morning or else type thing or... Dunno. Will have to keep thinking on this.

[Matt_72]

I have been meaning to ask you about your foam roller exercises. I have no idea what I am doing on the stupid thing, do you have any links to decent instructions or did you just make it all up as you went along?

[WildColonialGrrl]

I have been meaning to ask you about your foam roller exercises. I have no idea what I am doing on the stupid thing, do you have any links to decent instructions or did you just make it all up as you went along?

Being an information nerd I used multiple sources...

There was

an iDevice app was great (ipad for me) http://jonofreeman.com.au/jonos-foam-rolling-app/

a Pinterest page http://www.pinterest.com/nefitco/nefitco-how-to-use-a-foam-roller-exercises-library/

A couple of pages http://www.realjock.com/article/1218, http://www.livestrong.com/article/441648-why-a-foam-roller-works/

And lots of videos -

,

What I ended up doing as a routine was more lower body. I do all four sides of my upper legs hips, working each section at a time as I can't find enough space or coordination for a long roll. ITB makes me squeal just a little... Around my dodgy knee hurts like hell too. I do maybe 3 sides of my lower legs back of calves, inside and out. I do the hip of torture then glutes with leg crossed.

I might roll my back a little or stretch over the top. My osteo said to do 5 mins a day with it long ways under my spine and head to stretch my pecs and undo my stress/anxiety hunched shoulder posture.

When I first started doing it in a 6 week challenge I managed about 2 minutes of pain, and ended up rolling for 10 all up. I don't do it as frequently now, but struggled to see a concrete difference between doing it and not doing it. Perhaps the rest of my exercise life wasn't consistent then and it added too many variables?

Finding time to make things a routine habit is a great difficulty for me. I'd love to stretch/yoga in the morning and then roll in the evening and whilst 15mins at either end shouldn't be too much to ask, often it feels like it is... I read a book about a guy trying out all these things that will make you healthy and it was time consuming for him and he was a writer and doing it as research work for the book! Tricky all these competing priorities... Must sleep, should roll, too tired, get up and salute the sun. Something I am still working on...