Laura's Nut Up or Shut Up Challenge

[Hermione Gainser]

Why? Because a girl's gotta be ready to hold her own when the zombie apocalypse comes..

http-~~-//www.youtube.com/watch?v=M94v3OEu4gY

Fitness Goals:

-Be able to do 1 unassisted pull up: sure to be the hardest for me to accomplish.

-Be able to hold headstand for 15 seconds

-Practice Yoga twice a week

-Decrease body fat

-Get deadlift to 100 lbs

-Try out beginner Krav Maga class.

How?

The majority of these will be accomplished by (or at least heavily aided by) the recent lifting plan I've started. I'm currently doing a plan from one of the New Rules of Lifting books. I did workout 3 of stage 1 today (and thus will be a 9/5-10/17 participant).

I know the 'decrease body fat' goal is fairly obscure and I've read a lot of posts on this site regarding this goal but I'm going to keep it up. I'll be making the judgement for this based on photos and measurements.

I've done crane and headstands in yoga before but I've suffered set backs by not practicing consistently. Twice a week should get me right on track.

Also, I will be utilizing the Beast Skills website for additional practice/guidance.

Diet Goals:

-Eat out no more than 3 times during challenge. Less is preferable.

-Do not partake in office treats.

-Grains permitted maximum of twice a day. Only in morning or directly following a workout. Aiming for once a day but finding it difficult to eat enough right now, which brings me to my next goal:

-EAT MORE. Ever since I started my lifting program I have been nonstop hungry. I had to eat a lot before but this is ridiculous.

-Allowed one cheat day per week. No cheat meals on non scheduled days.

Willpower!

These diet goals are tests of my will power. I have a serious sweet tooth and a ridiculous inability to say, "No thank you" when it comes to food (though I have no problem saying no in any other aspect of my life-go figure).

As I adjust my eating on a day to day basis I hope to get my grain intake to once a day. That's where I feel best. Only recently have I upped it to two or more. The extras usually occur when I'm in weird starving mode. Upping my food intake again so I can stop this.

Life Goals:

-Save more. Aim to add 30% of current savings to account by end of 6 weeks.

-Make use of overpriced but ample health insurance (specifically: dentist. Optimistic: add vision)

-Visit my sister and new niece at least 3 times during challenge

-Do at least one mind fitness activity/day.

-Research and implement beginning break dancing

Additional thing(s):

-Remain cognizant of posture. Especially when sitting.

-Play with my kitties more often.

-Take items bagged for donation to donation center

Just because

These additional things aren't really for grading but they are things I would like to do. What better way than to add them here.

Measurements:

Thigh: 23.5/24.25

Hips: 40.75

Immediately Below Navel: 36.5

Chest: 37.25

Bicep: 12/11.5

I don't bother with weight.

Okay... I think that's it :-) Guess it's time to nut up.

[Mama T]

awesome goals, Laura! they seem pretty similar to mine (deadlift, eat more, pull-up stuff, yoga <-- not listed, but still something i try to do weekly), so i'll be sure to remember to keep track of your progress as well!

also: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M94v3OEu4gY :-D

[Hermione Gainser]

Today's Workout:

Warm up

Squats

8 reps BW warm up set

1x15xbar

1x15xbar+5

Pushups

1x15 on knees

5 reg followed by 10 on knees for set 2

Seated Row

2x15x55

Step ups

Using an aerobic step 5 blocs high

2x15x20

Prone jack knife

2x8

Cool down consisted of light yoga stretching

[Hermione Gainser]

awesome goals, Laura! they seem pretty similar to mine (deadlift, eat more, pull-up stuff, yoga <-- not listed, but still something i try to do weekly), so i'll be sure to remember to keep track of your progress as well!

also: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M94v3OEu4gY :-D

Thanks! I noticed that, too! Awesome! Here's to our kick ass goals!

[Mama T]

for sure! you should definitely join the strength squad (I just did)! i assume it'll be great motivation to hear about other people's strength accomplishments as the challenge progresses.

[scotticus]

Yes! Another awesome challenge title. Don't forget the Double-tap...

[Loren Wade]

I vote for "nut up".

Hahaha. I'm cheering for you!!!

[Hermione Gainser]

HAHAHA Thanks guys! I've never been very good at the "shut up" part so I guess my options are limited ;-)

[Crooked]

Woot for zombie apocalypse training

I highly recommend tracking your protein intake and making sure it's quite high, especially if you're frequently feeling hungry.

[Hermione Gainser]

Woot for zombie apocalypse training

I highly recommend tracking your protein intake and making sure it's quite high, especially if you're frequently feeling hungry.

Thanks! I should have mentioned that I do track my food intake to make sure 1. I eat at least my bmr (you know, or what it might be roughly) and 2. to keep track of my macro percentages. I've been eating 1 gram per body weight currently but since I've been STARVING I've upped it. So now I'm getting about 20 grams or more on top of my body weight. I worry that might be too much but it does seem to help with the hunger. I guess if my body wants it!

[Kishi]

The body's generally a pretty good indicator of what it needs, if you pay attention to it. Here's to the challenge!

[Garth]

Good luck with your goals, Laura.

Let us know what Krav Maga class is like, I'd be interested to hear.

[dracopervicax]

Re: your savings and financial goals.

Laura, I can't remember -- did you do a challenge last time? Are you the one I told you about Mint.com and smartypig?

[Hermione Gainser]

Re: your savings and financial goals.

Laura, I can't remember -- did you do a challenge last time? Are you the one I told you about Mint.com and smartypig?

I did not. This is my very first. *sniffle* I will check out both of those sites! Thanks

Update for 9/6:

Practiced headstand. Held for 3 second intervals. Tried for more but I kept swaying.

Yesterday was an off day for lifting but I did some cardio.

Succeeded in having grains once yesterday (oats in my protein pancakes).

Resisted invitation to go out for sushi.

Completed mind fitness activity.

Kept proper posture.

Played with kitties.

I did not eat enough to reach the level of my bmr BUT I wasn't starving all day. Today I am doing yoga at lunch and lifting after work so tomorrow will be the real 'eat enough' challenge. I'm going to snag the shake recipe Steve posted in the forums the other day and work that out. 700 or so calories in one sitting should satiate me for a while *hoping*

[Mama T]

nicely done! quite jealous of the headstand. can i ask what the mind fitness activity is? like a memory game or meditation?

[Hermione Gainser]

Thanks!

Some memory games. I have an app on my phone but we also have this book: http://www.amazon.com/Mindhacker-Tips-Tricks-Games-Level/dp/1118007522

[Loren Wade]

I did not. This is my very first. *sniffle* I will check out both of those sites! Thanks

Update for 9/6:

Practiced headstand. Held for 3 second intervals. Tried for more but I kept swaying.

Yesterday was an off day for lifting but I did some cardio.

Succeeded in having grains once yesterday (oats in my protein pancakes).

Resisted invitation to go out for sushi.

Completed mind fitness activity.

Kept proper posture.

Played with kitties.

I did not eat enough to reach the level of my bmr BUT I wasn't starving all day. Today I am doing yoga at lunch and lifting after work so tomorrow will be the real 'eat enough' challenge. I'm going to snag the shake recipe Steve posted in the forums the other day and work that out. 700 or so calories in one sitting should satiate me for a while *hoping*

Awesome on the handstand!!!

Mind linking me Steve's shake?

[Hermione Gainser]

Thanks!

Lots of fun shake discussion, too! http://nerdfitness.com/community/showthread.php?911-Steve-s-Big-Ass-Primal-Shake

[Kishi]

Ah, I remember seeing that shake before. It looked a little weird before... but gotta admit, it looks pretty awesome now.

[dracopervicax]

I did not. This is my very first. *sniffle* I will check out both of those sites! Thanks

Well, here, I've gushed about the sites to someone else, I might as well share the knowledge. Here's what I posted for bloodlesscoup last time:

One of my biggest challenges in levelling up my life is sticking to a budget and saving money! I've made some good progress the past year, and I know you can make progress too!

I have two sites that I have found incredibly helpful:

Mint.com

SmartyPig

Mint is an online budgeting tool that is pretty freaking sweet. You hook up your bank to the site (they are totally secure!) and it helps you track and categorize your spending.

I've been using Mint for a while now, and I recommend it to everyone I know. It's a great, visual way to keep track of money!

Smartypig, I absolutely love! It's essentially a high-interest savings account bank BUT with a twist. What you do is you set up a goal that you want to reach. When you do that, hook up your bank account to the smartypig and you tell it to take a certain amount of money out of your account every month, and it stows it away in a high-yield savings account and adds the money towards that goal. The accounts are semi-liquid. This means that while you can close your goal and get your money any time you want, you can't transfer money in and out of the account. So you put money in your goal and it stays there until you're SURE you need it.

I love smartypig because saving has become kind of like another bill. I know that that money is getting taken out, so I make sure to have enough money to cover it in my account. Smartypig makes me save. But instead of the money being gone, I have it all stacked away! It's fantastic. My first goal? Saving 10 dollars for every pound I lost! I cashed it in in April and had $500 to replace all of clothes!

Thought I'd just throw some tools your way. YOU CAN DO IT!!

[thescrawnycaveman]

I love the title. Freakin sweet. Also, Laura, when your doing your head stands are you doing it against a wall? You said you were swaying a bit so I just wanted to know how exactly you are doing it? (I feel like if you were flat against a wall there wouldn't be much swaying? idk)

[Hermione Gainser]

Nice! Thanks, Draco! I definitely need to spend more time looking at my money. If I don't.... it goes somewhere mysterious. Narnia, maybe? But also coffee shops. Those bastards and their delicious...drinks... yeah... anyway... thanks! I will definitely be checking it out.

I love the title. Freakin sweet. Also, Laura, when your doing your head stands are you doing it against a wall? You said you were swaying a bit so I just wanted to know how exactly you are doing it? (I feel like if you were flat against a wall there wouldn't be much swaying? idk)

Thanks!

I was doing them right up against the wall but I'm trying to move slowly away from the wall. Currently, I'm a few inches away. Enough so that when I'm up my feet can easily touch. Basically, when I sway, I can easily place one foot against the wall to stabilize then, once I feel more stable, I remove foot from wall. Rinse and repeat.

[Hermione Gainser]

Update for 9/7

Yoga-Check! (1 of 2 for the week)

Lifting-Check! (2 of 3 for the week)

Grains- twice, though second serving was a little less than a tablespoon of granola (so, at least it was small).

Posture-bien!

Rest of life goals: Fail. No mind enhancing games yesterday (read why below), no playing with the kitties (btw, I thought cats were supposed to be lazy? Why are mine so damn hyper?) Have yet to donate or figure out this breakdancing business.

Sooooo, sometimes I don't use my brain. Let's hear the latest story, shall we?

The good: Practiced yoga during my lunch break for an hour.

The bad: Yesterday was a lifting day.

The DUH: I left work early yesterday to enjoy the gorgeous, breezy weather (hello, fall!) and hit the gym around 3:30. Lifting SUCKED. Oh god, it sucked so bad. My deadlifts were PITIFUL. I should have moved my lift day rather than attempt it. I had to decrease weight on my deadlifts and I couldn't even finish the second set. Yes, 3 left and my legs were verging on failure. SUCKTASTIC. Also had to do lunges at the end which I did without weights this time (again, dropping from my last workout) and even BW lunges were less than pleasing.

The plus side: I increased my wide grip lat pulldown weight! Hooray for that! I'm glad to see my upper body strength improving.

Lesson learned: Yoga M/W. Lifting T/Th/Sat. OR leave much more time between yoga and lifting. Wicked bummer.

The rest of the evening I spent eating and I'm actually doing a lot better today (read: not starving). I fell asleep extremely early (like 8:45) and slept like a rock. I tried to get in some reading but it just wasn't working so I skipped the brain games.

Plan for the rest of the week:

My boyfriend and I are going to Chattanooga for 3 or 4 days. We leave Saturday, which I intend to use as a cheat day. I want to get in one more lifting session before we leave. I intend that to be Friday evening.

Tonight, I'm going to practice more headstands and perhaps try to get in some yoga. I'm actually not feeling physically worn out, which is surprising. I think some light, fluid yoga and headstands might be good.

We plan to be pretty active while in Chattanooga-renting street cruiser bicycles and planning hiking trips so I won't feel too bad about not getting in formal training. Also, to maintain my eat out 3 times in 6 weeks goal, I plan to only use 1 eat out during those 3 or 4 days. Otherwise, he and I are going to bring food to cook. Not only will that save us money so we can do ridiculous things, but it keeps my goals on track-woot for that!

I'll probably do my Strength Squad check in on Saturday morning as I'm not sure what kind of internet access I'll have while gone.

[Seabright]

Hi Laura! Just checking in with my strength squad team mate. Love your goals! Another person working towards the elusive Big Boy pull-up! (I figger I'm about 4 months away from this.)

I relate to the ravenous hungries you are experiencing. When I started doing the body weight workouts regularly, I was freakin' STARVING ALL THE FREAKIN' TIME! The people at Shopper's Corner feared my approach and flung themselves to the sides of the aisles as I rushed the vegetable bins and meat counter. I basically ended up eating the same things but doubling all portions. Massive amounts of food all the time. You'll find the right rhythm and portions for you, I have no doubt.

Rock it, Rebel!

[dracopervicax]

Laura -- how you approaching your posture goal? i've got a similar one, and I confess I don't know how to approach it and/or measure it other than "oh, shit, I need to sit up straight."