sozzielou goes to Amsterdam

[sozzielou]

To achieve Level 8, I will be continuing working towards a more balanced self. I have some loose ends to tie up before I holiday in Amsterdam with my SO and BFF and a crowd of other dolly people. My Amsterdam trip will happen during the last 2 weeks of this challenge.

 

My main quest is to fit comfortably into size 14 trousers by losing body fat. To move towards this achievement, I have set the following quests for this challenge:

 

1. Handstands! STR+1 DEX+2

As a much younger hooman, summer lunchtimes were spent out on the fields doing cartwheels and handstands. Now I have all but overcome my shoulder injury, the time has come to revisit those carefree days. Using Chris Salvato's method as a guide, I will spend 5 minutes per day on handstand practice (continued from previous challenge).

 

A = 28+ days of handstand practice

B = 25-27 days

C = 22-24 days

F = 21 days or fewer of handstand practice.

 

2. New Moves! STR+1 DEX+2 WIS+2

After being introduced to kettlebells last round by the Rangers mini-challenge, I found I enjoy learning new things and incorporating them into my circuits. So using sources such as Girls Gone Strong and Lift Weights Faster, I plan to learn new exercises I can put into practice.

 

A = 15 new moves or more

B = 12-14 new moves

C = 9-11 new moves

F = 8 new moves or fewer

 

3. Spreadsheets! WIS+3 CON+1

My employers have provided me with an advanced course in Excel, all paid for, but I need to find a few hours a week to learn it, practice it and take an exam. I want to take the exam before August.

 

A = Learned, practiced and exam date agreed

B = Still practicing but nearly there

C = Still learning; will sit exam but not sure if I will pass

F = Nowhere near ready, have to defer the exam

 

4. Floor! CON+2 CHA+1

Now my wardrobe is tidy, I want to make use of the mirrored doors and the space in front of the doors. I need to make a space on my floor for my exercise mat to fit. In order to see that bit of floor, I need to put things away and keep them away.

 

A = Plenty of space for my mat

B = Mat fits but clutter is creeping back

C = Mat just fits but I trashed everywhere else

F = No space for a mat to fit

[Grizzy]

Amsterdam sounds exciting! What are you going there for?

[sozzielou]

Amsterdam sounds exciting! What are you going there for?

 

It's such a fun place to be. I am attending a Blythe doll convention (they are dolls like the one in my avatar) and combining it with my summer holiday this year. My BFF has never been to Amsterdam before whereas I've been loads of times so I think it will be fun to show her around the sights. She is also celebrating her 50th birthday when we are there.

[Lil_Red_Devil]

*jumps into your luggage* Can I come with, please please PLEASE??   Sounds like you've got a lot going on hun, and your goals looks awesome.  Best of luck with them, especially the spreadsheets, they make my head hurt lol.

[Tearose]

Following!

[Chris56Ryan]

I love Amsterdam granted I wasn't there for any reason as innocent as your own   

[Elder]

Hurray for vacations!!!!

 

Looks like you've set up an awesome challenge, love that you're bringing in more kettle bell stuff.  I also think EVERYONE should know how to use Excel in the advanced level.  I love it and use it almost everyday.  

[Paisley]

Good luck this challenge - sounds like your gearing up for a fun trip. Love the goals -I love playing around in excel it's actually something I used to do for fun at work when times were slow - learn new ways to use excel and word. will be following along.

[sozzielou]

Week 1 assessment

 

1. Handstands!

I'm definitely bendier than I was and can achieve a proper 'downward dog' position now. I have achieved 3 practices this week. I could have tried a bit harder and done at least 5. Definitely room here for improvement.

 

2. New Moves!

I have learned and practiced 3 new moves this week. I'm really enjoying the variety the new moves bring. Should do it a bit more though.

 

3. Spreadsheets!

I have done my weekly 2-hour class and 2 other practice / revision sessions besides and am happy with the progress. I have also had a chat with the tutor regarding the assessment so learned a bit more about what to expect. Talked to my boss about spending a bit more of my working time practicing and he says that is fine. So happy with the progress here.

 

4. Floor!

No progress, in fact there is more crap on the floor so I have made the problem worse.

 

Overall then I have just about scraped a satisfactory C grade but need to put a bit more focus in and ensure I balance my efforts better between all the aspects of my challenge, so as not to leave anything out. I also completed the Rangers' mini challenge for week 1.

[Elder]

Great job so far!  It will definitely get better from here....as long as you don't put a single thing more on your floor!  

[Chris56Ryan]

Sounds like more than a C to me well done.

Sent from my nokia 3210

[sozzielou]

Week 2 assessment

 

1. Handstands!

It feels like I am really making progress with handstands this week. I am getting pretty strong and flexible. I have definitely noticed my muscles in my arms, chest and shoulders developing. Five practices completed this week.

 

2. New Moves!

I went on to YouTube and found Jen Sinkler's "hibernation" workout which is full of new moves and is mainly bodyweight so ideal for me to learn in the gym. I just couldn't do the sit throughs ... my arms and legs didn't seem to want to move that way ... but 7 new moves learned and practiced. I am really feeling the new moves taking effect particularly around my thighs and bum.

 

3. Spreadsheets!

I have done my weekly 2-hour class and 4 other practice / revision sessions besides. My tutor thinks I could even get my exam in BEFORE my holidays. I have a couple more bits to learn and practice but am doing well with the things I have practiced and the learning seems to be sticking in my head. If I am confident to get my exam in w/b 30 June then I will do it because I will be away for 2 weeks and without practice I will have a lot to revise when I am back.

 

4. Floor!

I have cleared away and tidied up the crap I deposited in week one so essentially I am back where I started.

 

Overall I am pleased with week 2 and have achieved a good balance of results this week, much better than week one. So it's an A for this week. I also teamed up with three other lovely people to complete the Rangers' mini challenge for week 2. All round happy

[Lil_Red_Devil]

Way to go hun!  What exactly is this "hibernation" workout?  I've not heard of it before...

[sozzielou]

Way to go hun!  What exactly is this "hibernation" workout?  I've not heard of it before...

http://youtu.be/NLShfZWv0yk

 

I love Jen Sinkler's workouts. She is the one who does the "Lift Weights Faster" programme and I think it is really good. If you haven't looked at Jen's YouTube channel yet, you should definitely check it out!

[Chris56Ryan]

Sounds like a great week 2 to me

Sent from my nokia 3210

[Paisley]

Great week - Glad to hear the handstands are going well that must be exciting.  Good luck getting the spreadsheet exam in before your holiday - one less thing to think about whilst enjoying yourself.

 

Keep up the good work for week three - and don't put any ore stuff on that floor.

[sozzielou]

Week 3 assessment

 

1. Handstands!

Good progress. I can do proper push ups now. According to my SO, my "guns" are developing nicely! I am definitely improving my balance and stability. Five handstand practices achieved this week.

 

2. New Moves!

Three new moves learned this week, with varying degrees of enjoyment and success.

 

3. Spreadsheets!

I have done my weekly 2-hour class and 3 other practice / revision sessions besides. I have finished learning the whole syllabus and am concentrating on revision with a view to doing my exam on Thursday 3rd July or Friday 4th July.

 

4. Floor!

Tidied a bit of space and took a bag of stuff to the recycling. I can definitely see some carpet!

 

Well done all round, so it's an A again this week. For the Rangers mini-challenge this week I have been doing hill climbs and have climbed nearly 100m up so got a good view! All round happy

[sozzielou]

**NEWSFLASH**

 

At 1330 today I took my spreadsheets exam

 

I was allowed one hour and finished after 36 minutes. I took 15 minutes to go through and check all my work. Results to come by email within 6 weeks, but I feel confident about this. It's 75% to pass and I think I achieved better than that unless I did something absolutely totally and completely wrong (like I worked on the wrong file or something.) So now I can go to Amsterdam without having to remember or revise all the spreadsheety stuff I have been learning over the last few weeks. Yay!

[Elder]

Awesome!  It will be nice to have time off and not have to think about all the technical things, even if it's something as fun as spreadsheets!  

[Lil_Red_Devil]

**NEWSFLASH**

 

At 1330 today I took my spreadsheets exam

 

I was allowed one hour and finished after 36 minutes. I took 15 minutes to go through and check all my work. Results to come by email within 6 weeks, but I feel confident about this. It's 75% to pass and I think I achieved better than that unless I did something absolutely totally and completely wrong (like I worked on the wrong file or something.) So now I can go to Amsterdam without having to remember or revise all the spreadsheety stuff I have been learning over the last few weeks. Yay!

 

Way to go, sweetie!  Nothing feels quite as good as walking out of exam knowing you have it in the bag.  Now go enjoy your holiday, can't wait to hear about it when you get back

[The Most Loathed]

glad to hear that the test went well.

[Tearose]

Hey Sozzie! Sorry I have been missing ion action, I hope all is well!

[ShadowLion]

Help, Sozzielou!  We Need You!

 

We need Rangers to jump in on the last part of the mini-challenge.

 

We're killing murderous, bourbon swilling imps via pullups and burpees (modifications allowed for fitness level and injuries).

 

Check it out here. And contribute your kill stats here.

 

Level One Rebels/aspiring Rangers are welcome, too, so bring friends!

[sozzielou]

I'm back from Amsterdam!

 

Whilst I was away, I was able to do some workouts in the hotel gym. I managed to get in 5 days of handstand practice but I didn't try out any new moves. When I got home I unpacked my cases and put everything away, which involved some floor tidying but not as much as I would have liked. Here is my end of challenge review:

 

1. Handstands! STR+1 DEX+2

As a much younger hooman, summer lunchtimes were spent out on the fields doing cartwheels and handstands. Now I have all but overcome my shoulder injury, the time has come to revisit those carefree days. Using Chris Salvato's method as a guide, I will spend 5 minutes per day on handstand practice (continued from previous challenge).

 

A = 28+ days of handstand practice

B = 25-27 days

C = 22-24 days

F = 21 days or fewer of handstand practice.

 

I just scraped a pass in the handstand challenge with 22 days of practice, so therefore a grade C.

I could have got a better grade if I had done more handstand practice when I was on holiday but realistically it was difficult to fit it in and so dropped off my list of priorities.

 

2. New Moves! STR+1 DEX+2 WIS+2

After being introduced to kettlebells last round by the Rangers mini-challenge, I found I enjoy learning new things and incorporating them into my circuits. So using sources such as Girls Gone Strong and Lift Weights Faster, I plan to learn new exercises I can put into practice.

 

A = 15 new moves or more

B = 12-14 new moves

C = 9-11 new moves

F = 8 new moves or fewer

 

I learned and practiced 17 new moves so am pleased to have a achieved a grade A in this challenge.

Learning new moves has been fun and given me a renewed interest and motivation. I will continue with new moves for sure!

 

 

3. Spreadsheets! WIS+3 CON+1

My employers have provided me with an advanced course in Excel, all paid for, but I need to find a few hours a week to learn it, practice it and take an exam. I want to take the exam before August.

 

A = Learned, practiced and exam date agreed

B = Still practicing but nearly there

C = Still learning; will sit exam but not sure if I will pass

F = Nowhere near ready, have to defer the exam

 

The syllabus was learned and the exam taken before my holiday so this one is more than achieved! I haven't had the result through yet but I am confident about it. Definitely a grade A for this one. After a summer break, I will be embarking on the advanced database part of the course. It has been really good to study something again and this is really useful for my work so that's a bonus!

 

4. Floor! CON+2 CHA+1

Now my wardrobe is tidy, I want to make use of the mirrored doors and the space in front of the doors. I need to make a space on my floor for my exercise mat to fit. In order to see that bit of floor, I need to put things away and keep them away.

 

A = Plenty of space for my mat

B = Mat fits but clutter is creeping back

C = Mat just fits but I trashed everywhere else

F = No space for a mat to fit

 

There is (just about) space on my floor for a mat to fit but everything else is pretty much trashed. I have done my laundry from holidays but that needs to be put away. Therefore a C grade will be awarded for this part of the challenge. Realistically, I think I bit off a bit more than I could chew for this one; it would have been better to do this when I had the full 6 weeks to spend some time on. As it was, it was all a bit overwhelming to fit into 4 weeks when I am working full time. I can understand very well the principle of spending a lot of time and tidying all at once but I think this method is not wholly suited to me and I would be better off approaching the task by spending a few minutes each day and tidying gradually. This element will therefore carry on to my next 6-week challenge.

 

So overall I am pleased to say I have passed the 6-week challenge and levelled up to a level 8 Ranger

I completed all 4 Ranger mini-challenges I was here for too!

[Lil_Red_Devil]

Well done, souzzielou, especially you were trying to fit a 6 week challenge into 4 weeks!