Even a fall on your face is technically a step forward

[Thyra]

To whom it may concern:

 

I'm giving my fittness battle (yet another) fresh start - that's a fancy way of saying I'm going to the gym tomorrow. A real gym with weights and a person to tell me what to do with them and what not. At 7 a.m., by bike. Then I'm going on to work and later back home, again by bike. If this remains the only post in this topic by tomorrow evening, it was as bad an idea as it seems written down and I'm biting the dust somwhere alon the way. I swear, it sounded a lot less crazy in my head . So, wish me luck and hopefully, see you tomorrow.

 

Love,

 

Thyra

 

[marymama08]

It is an awesome idea. Good luck!!!!

[Thyra]

I survived! And I feel great I must enjoy it now because I will be sooo sore tomorrow

 

Just a short summary of today as it is an hour before midnight here and I need to get my beauty sleep:

 

• Worked out for 1 hour. I plan to log my workouts in Fitocracy if I ever find out what is all the crazy stuff I did today called
• Biked about 35 km (a bit less than 22 miles)
• I didn't eat anything I should not have, partly because I knew I would have to write it here

I'll add details tomorrow, good night

[marymama08]

22 miles in one day!!!! Dang, I am impressed when I do more than 5

[Thyra]

22 miles in one day!!!! Dang, I am impressed when I do more than 5

 

The key is to have a soft seat I don't go very fast and I've always had fairly strong legs as I was swimming with a monofin for about 10 years when I was a child and teenager. Cycling is my main means of transport now as it takes about the same time to go to work by public transport as by bike - I don't have to wait and can use shortcuts

[Thyra]

A good battle log obviously needs a list of what I'm aiming for. So acording to this article (warning - strong language and unconfortable truths) http://www.cracked.com/quick-fixes/the-60-second-guide-to-bullshit-free-life/ and this simple yet awesome idea https://todoist.com/blog/2014/06/increase-your-motivation-4-ways-to-have-non-zero-days/ I'm listing here my set of goals and will do my best to do at least something to reach each of them every single day.

 

I want to:

1. be smart. Right now that means to get my degree in engineering.
2. be healthy. Exercise every day, eat a clean primal diet and hopefully loose some weight in the process.
3. be a happy person. Do something to make the world a nicer place - even if it's just tidying up our place Also, appreciate all the nice things in the world - there's something to be thankful for every day.
4. be finantially independent. Easy - earn money, do not buy stupid stuff.

Let's see how I did yesterday:

1. Nothing I didn't have time but I should have made it. I'm so demotivated it almost hurts to even think about school but obviously, the best way to get rid of it is to finish it.
2. Workout and bike and clean eating I even resisted a sweetened lemonade when I went out with my sister in the evening. Instead we shared a jug of unsweetened lemonade made of pinaple, limes and basil in soda water - must try to recreate it at home.
3. "Installed" a TV for my mom - conected the new box with programes and made it work. I got paid though - in salad and I helped make it, so I think I can count it here Also tried to fix an internet issue but we have to have the modem exchanged (task for Monday). What made me happy? My mom & sis and the new gym I went to
4. Went to work for about 5 hours - I get paid by the hour and have a more or less unregulated schedue but I should aim for 8 hour a day as I want to stay there after school.

If I were to give it points for a 6-week challenge, that would be 0/3 for school, 3/3 for health (1 point for workout, 2 for eating), 2/2 for happines and 1/2 for finance. Not too bad but not too good either, should try to get full point especially for school.

[Sloth the Enduring]

Subscribing. Good luck with your goals.

[Thyra]

Subscribing. Good luck with your goals.

Thank you Same to you

[Thyra]

Today's report on my goals progress:

 

1. Smartness 1/3 points. I actually did some work on my thesis today, but not much. I started at 10 p.m. (I am good at putting off tasks I feel unconfortable about) and now I'm too tired to continue. But at least I kept the non-zero rule
2. Health 3/3 points. Ate right, even had my sis to join me for supper - and she liked it As for workout, I did my stretching routine: http://www.sportsscience.co/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/whole-body-stretching-routine.png. I am exactly as stiff and sore as I expected
3. Happiness 2/2 points. Did some tidying up, more waiting for tomorrow. But I've got a cool audio-book to keep me company so I'm actually looking forward to it. What made me happy? Well, my sis came to see me and liked my cooking Plus, I'm quite pleased with number 4 down here.
4. Finance 1/1 point. No money earning during weekend, so that's 0/0 points. However, I did manage to save about 15 EUR when shopping by deciding I need neither an onion holder (who cares about what shapes its cut into as long as it tastes good?) nor analgetic gel for my sore muscles (I remember it didn't work last time I tried one).

Ta-daa

[Thyra]

I kind of didn't get to post here the last two days, mostly because I didn't have much to brag about.

 

I am doing quite well on my goals 2 - 4 but I didn't do anything for school. Is there an expression in English meaning you aren't able to do something but it's completely your fault? Anyway, it's 0 points for Sunday and Monday and 1 for today. I'm going to work in the afternoon tomorrow so I have all morning and the evening to finally DO SOMETHING about it. I'd better, I'm too old already to spend my days anxious about my incompetence.

 

/end rant

 

What I did manage to achieve today was to set up my mom's new computer. How and when exactly have I become my family's private computer "expert"?

 

 I am a silly tiger from now

[Thyra]

I'm not very good at doing stuff regularly I hope it gets better when the next challenge starts

[marymama08]

 Is there an expression in English meaning you aren't able to do something but it's completely your fault? 

I believe you are looking for the word "procrastination". I am one of the worlds worst procrastinators. And sometimes I get  nothing done because I wait too long and then it is too late. 

 

Every time you log your stats it is a step in the right direction. Keep posting!! 

[Thyra]

I just hope I don't procrastinate myself out of school. I'll keep trying

[Thyra]

Some respawns take longer than others... :-D

Good news: I finished the school! Bad news: my lifestyle is about 3 years in the past. But I'm back to work on it!

I'm going to make one change a week in one of three areas:

1) smoking (or rather not smoking)

2) fitness (I've read it helps fight addictions so it should help with point 1)

3) eating right

I will make 3 changes a month, in the first 3 weeks. But the most important and a very difficult change starts now: I'm going to write here at least every other day. The good stuff and the bad as well. If a fall on your face is a step forward, I'm going to record every step :-P Otherwise I'm bound to lose track again.

Challenge 1.1, starts August 3rd, 2015:

Leave my cigarettes at work. I spend there 8,5 hrs a day and smoke little enough at home or during the weekend that this should not be an intimidating change. One exception: if I go for a coffee with my sis or mum, I'm going to smoke no matter what. I know what I am capable of and not doing this is not one of those things :-D

[Thyra]

Aaand it actually worked :-P Friday evening and weekend will be hard when I learn to appreciate the difference between "little enough" and "not at all"... Well, that's what you get for a relapse that you embrace as enthusiastically as me. Be warned :-)

Challenge 1.1: 1 success/1 day

[Thyra]

Another day went well. I did have a bit of a crisis this afternoon but since it never left my head I call it a win. The problem is that there is a part of me that doesn't want to quit. The part that finds the hours sitting on a bench in a park, reading a good book and smoking like a factory very enjoyable. I'll try to get that part addicted to running. What I'll get may not be so much true love as a great case of Stockholm syndrome but I don't care as long as it works :-D

So I end this day with full points.

Challenge 1.1: 2/2 points

[Thyra]

I smoked out of work both yesterday (1c) and today (3c). Both times were unplanned and my pack stayed safely at work so I'm still sticking to my plan :-D However, if this becomes a real problem, I'll include it the next round of this challenge.

Challenge 1.1: 4/4

[Thyra]

I'm officially bragging here: I took the rest of a pack with me after work (reasoning was kinda sound [isn't it always?] but lengthy and I don't have much time for writing). I've just thrown it in trash. Go, me :-D

Now I'm of to pretend it's 12th century for the weekend so I might not update until Monday - please wish me luck for my non-smoking weekend until then.

[Thyra]

Sooo... weekend over. I practically erased my proud accomplishment above by asking people for cigarettes. Alcohol may have been involved. No-one is surprised.

Also no-one likes people who "stop smoking" by stopping bringing their own cigarettes but not actually stopping... you know... smoking. I'm self-conscious enough to, if not completely avoiding this in the future, at least considerably limit this this kind of stuff. Still, this does not count as minus points for this challenge, just for common decency :-D

I did bring two cigs with me for my way home from work today and that is a minus. Bad Thyra :-\

Score for Challenge 1.1: 7/8

This week's challenge is going to be food related. It's so hot here right now that even meteorologists are freaking out and I'm not attempting sports in this weather. Not even biking to work and that is something I normally enjoy.

Meet Challenge 2.1: vegetables with every meal. Or fruit, but I don't eat much fruit, so it'll be mostly veggies. I already screwed up today, but I blame weather - I brought the ingredients to work, but I just couldn't bring myself to actually process them. More luck tomorrow :-)

Score for Challenge 2.1: 0.33/1

[Thyra]

Eating veggies went well today. I did eat bunch of other stuff that I probably shouldn't have but I'll aim for the'half-plate' ratio next month and that should improve things :-)

Also, I have realized today that I either eat my (seldom consumed) sweets with a salad, or they are automatically a fail. How the hell did that happen? Do nuts in dark chocolate count as food with veggies? Can we stretch that to 'plant matter'? This is a desperate situation :-D

Not-quite-non-smoking challenge went well today. I experienced a powerful craving in the evening with money in my pocket and a shop nearby but I managed to fight it of with 5 Skitlles :-) I don't mean 5 bags, just 5 pieces, beans, what are they called anyway? Not expected.

I have a planned failure scheduled for tomorrow - I have some errands tomorrow and I'm not going to work and I'm definitely not ready for a non-smoking work day. But on Thursday it's back to work and to being a good girl again :-)

Score

Challenge 1.1 (Keeping my cigarettes at work): 8/9

Challenge 2.1 (Eating veggies with every meal): 1.33/2

[Thyra]

Score

Challenge 1.1 (Keeping my cigarettes at work): 9/11

Challenge 2.1 (Eating veggies with every meal): 3/4

Considering sleeping in front of the open fridge