Quest Log

[cartwheelskeleton]

Day Eighteen.

 

Just discovered that there's a "Daily Battle Logs" forum. How did I not come across this sooner? No matter. I've been keeping a log of my meals/snacks and activities elsewhere, specifically a goofy notebook with "artsy"-looking horses on it (affectionately named, "Pony Book"). I'll start keeping track on here, too, so I feel a bit more of the accountability I'm looking for.

 

Foodstuffs

Breakfast: Apple + almond butter (homemade; delicious)

 

Snack: Assorted nuts (cashews, pecans, walnuts, almonds)

 

Lunch: Pulled pork

 

Dinner: Apple (apparently addicted to them today), green beans & pearl onions

 

 

Activity

Hour walk after breakfast

52-minute bike ride (moderate)

Fun fact: that bike ride was as long as the Demon Days album by Gorillaz (plus the very last chorus twice because it's just that good)

 

 

Thoughts/Struggles

When I began my Nerd Fitness quest, I was getting up around 5 AM to work out before going to work (7:30 AM to 5:30 PM, weekdays). Last week, I had a really hard time getting out of bed in time, and I was often "too tired" to get in a good work-out after coming home. I cheated on my diet a few times, which I'd been doing well with for about two weeks (nearly all paleo). Basically, I just kept making excuses.

 

I took this entire week off from work because my brother's home from Japan (only for a week, sadly), so I'd really like to take this time to get back on track. Unfortunately, I slept in this morning, so I'll be doing my workout after I type this.

 

Another struggle I'm having is that I don't really have much of a support group, and I'm also kind of terrible at making friends without feeling creepy. So if you're reading this, hello. Let's be friends. (That's basically how it worked when we were toddlers; why shouldn't it work now?)

 

I was so excited when Steve posted the article on how to deal with haters, because that's one of my biggest issues. I don't have many friends who live in the area, and those that do aren't really the healthiest of individuals. I get a lot of typical comments: "You're not eating grains or dairy? That's a little extreme, don't you think?" "You can afford a little leniency with your diet. It's not like you're fat." "You don't really have to work out that much, do you?" etc etc.

 

It's heartbreaking when it comes from friends/family, who I'd expect to support me for something like this. Yes, I know I'm not "fat." I'm 143 lbs and 5'9", which is pretty much average. What they don't understand is that I don't like being average; I want to be awesome. More on this later. Time to work out.

[cartwheelskeleton]

Day Twenty.

It's only 2:something, but I feel like this day has already come and gone. Weird.

 

 

Edibles.

 

Breakfast: kale and egg scramble, grapes, cuppa green tea

 

Lunch: Steamed broccoli and homemade honey chicken

 

Dinner: With all the cooking I did, I don't think I actually had dinner. I sampled some homemade sweet potato chips, ate a banana at some point. Apparently I wasn't very hungry..

 

 

Movements.

 

Started that StrongLifts 5x5 this morning. It was my first time deliberately heading to the free weights section of the gym, so I was kind of intimidated going in. Not too surprisingly, it wasn't as nerve-wracking as I'd expected it to be.

The squats weren't bad, thanks to the BBWW. The bench press was a little more difficult, but the barbell rows were awkward as hell. I kept having to look in the mirror to make sure I was doing them right, which I still don't think I was. Maybe next time I'll record myself doing them and watch during my rest period. I had watched videos of the proper form before beginning, but it still felt awkward. I'll learn, though!

[cartwheelskeleton]

Day Twenty-Two.

 

This has been one hell of a week. But so far I'm still alive, so I'll count it as a success.

 

 

Food.

 

Breakfast: Apple with almond/peanut butter, water

 

Lunch: Leftover honey chicken, broccoli, a small cup of chocolate frozen custard

 

Dinner: Steak, water

 

 

Physical Activities. (definitely started the word with "psy-")

 

StrongLifts 5x5, workout B. This is day two for me, so I added 5lbs to the squats, started the overhead press (bar only), and started with the 95-lb deadlift (which I'd already been doing in my garage--go team!). The overhead press was kind of a bitch since it was my first time. It wasn't as awkward as the barbell rows, but I was only able to get 3 reps done in the last set before my form suffered. Not a problem, as I'll just work up to it. I'll get there eventually.

 

4-mile bike ride to the frozen custard shop my brother works at. Thankfully he's one of my supporters, so he made sure I didn't have too much.

 

 

Rants.

 

Holy hell, this week has been something else. My brother's home from Japan, which is great, but also hectic and full of delicious and very tempting foods (it's also the week of my mom's birthday, so we've had endless amounts of bakery in the house). It wouldn't be so bad if I weren't under a lot of stress. I'm definitely a stress eater, so any time I'm upset or panicking or whatnot, my go-to is something like cookies or cake or a million pretzels (estimate). That's something I'll need to work on. Once I move to Athens, it shouldn't be so bad because I can just refrain from keeping those things in the house.

 

I also decided that I'll be attending Camp NF in September, which is super exciting if I don't think about my bank account. Or the fact that I'll be missing two days of school. I'm not too worried about the latter, as I can always make up any work I miss (or just do it all ahead of time). I hope I'm not too painfully shy. Something to work on.

[CelebrateCeleste]

Hello, I'm new.  Let's be friends!  I struggle with excuses too, and the fact that the world has so many other things to do, and to eat....

[cartwheelskeleton]

Hi! I know the feeling for sure. If you'd like an accountabilibuddy for that, I'm totally down =]

[cartwheelskeleton]

Finally back to my computer after some very hectic days. Here's some catch-up info:

 

Day Twenty-Three (7.19)

Yeah, kind of got drunk this night. I mean, really drunk. I was pretty annoyed with myself, but nothing I can do about it now except to not be an idiot next time.

 

Eats.

Breakfast: Apple, bacon

Lunch: Salad (spinach, lettuce, pecans, lemon juice)

Dinner: Steak, iced tea

 

Moves.

3-mile bike ride

15-minute flexibility yoga

30-minute relaxation yoga

 

---------------

 

Day Twenty-Five (7.21)

Back on track with StrongLifts! Had I not been super tired (but miraculously not hungover) on Sunday, I would've continued then. I was so excited to go back to the gym. Never, ever thought I'd feel that way. One of the million Mirror Bros was there this morning, curling some weights and flexing in the mirror to no one but himself. So silly. I minded my own business and got through StrongLifts for the third time (second time with A). I got through all 5x5s (Squat 55lb, Bench 50lb, Row 60lb), and I was honestly super eager to do more. I don't know why, but I really enjoy lifting. More on this later.

 

Also, this was my first day back to being a nanny after my nice week-long vacation. I care for a 7-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy every weekday from 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM. I'm usually exhausted by the end of the day, so I try to get my StrongLifts workouts done before I go (I got up at 5 this particular morning, which worked well). While I can usually sneak in some sort of physical activity with them like bike rides or yoga, meals are a completely different story. They like fruit smoothies and fruit in general, so snacks aren't a problem, but they also love typical "kid foods" like macaroni and cheese, pizza, Spaghetti-O's, etc. Basically, grains and cheese. Unfortunately, I also really like grains & cheese, so it's difficult to not join them in their feasting or taste test everything. Most days I'll pack a lunch, which I eat because--if nothing else--I feel obligated to not waste the food I packed. It's working now, but I don't know how strong my willpower is.

 

Food.

Breakfast: Banana, medium carrot, two eggs, green tea

Lunch: Salad (lettuce, spinach, pecans, chicken), apple & peanut butter

Dinner: Corn on the cob, bit of chicken, cookie, water

 

Activity.

StrongLifts A

1x10 one-arm rows (20lbs!), each arm

 

---------------

 

Day Twenty-Six (7.22)

Guys, all I want is pasta. Like, super cheesy, super delicious pasta. Make it stop. Also, for those of you Clevelanders/etc who may or may not be reading, my friend was talking about Melt today, and that became another craving. For those of you who don't know what it is, Melt is a restaurant here in Greater Cleveland that specializes in all sorts of grilled cheese sandwiches, from regular ol' grilled cheese to more elaborate creations like their The Dude Abides (homemade meatballs, fried mozzarella wedges, basil marinara, provolone, romano) or Parmageddon (potato & onion pierogi, napa vodka kraut, sauteed onions, sharp cheddar). Keep in mind that all of those ingredients are part of a sandwich, you know, on bread (which I honestly end up discarding most of the time because it's always too much). It's crazy. But some of them are soo good, it's kind of hard to pass up.

Also, my little brother just started making pasta sauce from scratch. What is this life?? x_x

 

Also++, I'm gradually going into a more paleo diet this time, as opposed to the abrupt switch I tried at first. I think this will work out much better.

 

I Ate This Stuff.

Breakfast: Banana, grapes, green tea, nuts

Snack: Carrots, watermelon

Lunch: Smoothie (strawberries, blackberries, OJ), carrots, slice of turkey and cheese rolled up (at least it was only a little cheese)

Snack: Half a chicken breast, frozen custard with the kiddies

Dinner: An apple, corn on the cob, some homemade paleo meatballs with a pinch of sharp cheddar

 

I Did These Things.

Shortest bike ride ever (<5 minutes)

Carried a 50-lb 7-yr-old home from the site of the bike crash (maybe 100 yards?)

15 minutes of yoga

25-minute bike ride

3x10 leg lifts

[Mdowning]

Hi, im not new, but would still like to be friends. Lol

Stumbled onto your posts after seeing you in the camp NF forums. Looks like your doing really well but if you need someone to help keep you accountable I'd be more than happy to assist if I can.

[Elliott907]

I'm new too, let's be friends!  I genuinely laughed at your note on that, thank you for that. 

 

Go you!  I'm glad that tracking your stuff seems to be working for you.  I'm hoping it will work for me! 

 

If you're into accountabilibuddy-ing (whether over PM, comments, etc.), I'm game.  Nannying sounds fun!  Granted, I'm not a nanny, so...

 

Here's to day 27!

[Elliott907]

Also, totally feeling ya on the cheesy grains.  I'm so there.  Ugh.  Them feels. (And cravings.)  I saw Melt once on a show, probably something like Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives with Guy Fieri on Food Network - my inner cheeseaholic about exploded.  UGH. 

[cartwheelskeleton]

Day Twenty-Seven. (7.23)

Tonight when I came home from the gym, I found my bearded dragon Hugo lying on one of her branches, so relaxed that she sort of resembled one of those melting clocks in that painting by Dali. After this evening's workout, I'm pretty sure I felt exactly how she looked to me.

I usually try to get my workouts done before work, seeing as I'm often exhausted when I get home. Today, however, I had made an appointment with a trainer at the gym to make sure my form was correct. I could watch every perfect-form video that exists on YouTube, but that still wouldn't beat having someone right next to me telling me what I'm doing incorrectly, which is apparently exactly what I needed.

My trainer, Seth, was really awesome. Super friendly, super helpful. I told him I had started StrongLifts 5x5, and though he wasn't too familiar with it, he checked it out while I was doing my warm-up. Today's workout was squats, overhead press, and deadlifts (my favorite so far). There were a lot of people at the gym at that point, so the racks were all occupied. The biggest--and only, really--mistake Seth made was starting me out with the deadlifts.

Don't get me wrong; I loved it. I was supposed to be doing 105lbs today according to the SL5x5 app, but he worked me up to 175lbs, which absolutely blew my mind. The reason it probably wasn't the best idea is because I was dead by the squats, which we did next. Usually, I have no problem with the squats, but I couldn't put much weight on them today because of the million deadlifts I did (estimate... sort of). I didn't mind a whole lot, though, because this allowed me to work on perfecting my form.

The overhead press was last; this particular exercise was a struggle the last time I did it, and this time was no different. I kept the bar empty, which is where I was supposed to be anyway on the app. Eventually, it got to be tougher, and Seth noticed that there was a point at which I kept struggling. It was somewhere between my ears and the top of my head, but I just couldn't get the bar past that level without a little help. Once he helped it past that "hump," I was fine. It was tough, though. I can't imagine not being sore tomorrow.

 

Whoa, food!

Breakfast: Banana, almond butter, green tea

Snack: Carrots, cashews

Lunch: Salad w/ chicken breast

Dinner: Triple berry smoothie w/ protein boost

 

Why I Ought to be Sore.

15-minute STR yoga (morning)

5x10 inclined push-ups (afternoon)

StrongLifts 5x5 (, plus all this ridiculousness:

• Deadlifts: 1x5 @ 135lbs, 1x5 @ 155lbs, 1x2 @ 175lbs, 1x10 @ 135lbs

 

So, sorry if I die tonight.

[cartwheelskeleton]

Day Twenty-Nine. (7.25)

So remember when Wednesday happened, and I knew I was going to be sore the next day from all those deadlifts? Yep. Still sore today. It's incredible.

 

Food.

Breakfast: Banana w/ almond butter, 2 cinnamon rolls (willpower -1000000), green tea

Lunch: About 1.5 cups of steamed broccoli, peanut butter sandwich (again with the bread...)

Dinner: Paleo meatballs, spaghetti squash

 

Physical Things.

20 minutes of bike-riding

Misc Gym:

• 15 minutes walk/jog on treadmill
• 3x10 overhead dumbbell press (15 lbs) to help with the part I get stuck at during the overhead w/ the barbell (see 7.23)
• 3x10 thing-with-exercise-ball-that-resembles-the-crab-position-in-yoga (with bar) that Seth said would help with deadlifts

StrongLifts Workout A

• Squats, 5x5 @ 65lbs
• Bench, 5x5 @ 55lbs
• Barbell Row, 1x3 & 4x5 @ 65lbs (these are still very awkward for me)

15-minute flexibility yoga

[cartwheelskeleton]

Hello, world!

 

I'll be posting all of my daily battle logs in my challenge thread, which can be found here.