Nymeria's 10th: Nothing is true, everything is permitted.

[cobaltsword]

Phew!

Oh why haven't they invented birth control for dudes yet...?

 

it's coming, they're working on it. They've entered the human test phase and it's doing very well up to now. Patience ^^ I would still prefer that than the big V though Oo

[cobaltsword]

Let's play with weapons!

 

I totally babble way too much in these videos, but here they are:  

Basic strike tutorial

 

Directional strikes tutorial

 

A few more comments:

-technically, a bo staff should be a little longer than your height, but it isn't a huge problem to use something shorter.  Use a broomstick or whatever you can find.  It's okay

 

-Finding the right weight for a staff can be tricky.  If it's too heavy, your speed and power will suffer.  If it's too light or flimsy, it will break on impact.  

 

-I'm only showing most of these moves on one side.  It's a good idea to reverse things and try from the other side, too.  For the directional strikes, I started them with the staff on my right hip, but all of the moves are mirrored when the staff is on the other side.

 

-Make sure you have A LOT of space.  Otherwise, you'll hit the ceiling, light fixtures, or other things.  Yeah, I'm working in a tight space, but I have a pretty good sense of how much space I'll sweep out with my moves.  If you haven't done this before, you won't have that sense. 

 

-These are just the basics with only one grip type.  I'll try to do more tutorials with other grip types and more complex moves.

 

yes yesYEEES, thank you for these Nym, looking forward to any other video's you'd think of posting on the subject.

good luck on talking with your husband. And to be honest, a little neurotica never hurt anyone, it's a defense mechanism to protect our bodies XD

[Nymeria]

Yay!  Lots of people might try the staff.  Weapons are so much fun!

 

BO STAFF SO EXCITE.

can't wait until after my next conf call and I am so watching these.

 

They're probably going to be things you already know.    I started with the really basic stuff.  If there's anything you'd like to see (and if I know what you're talking about), I'll whip up a little tutorial on it.  

 

I guess next up on the bo staff agenda will be strikes with a reverse grip (flipping the dominant hand from the grip in the tutorials), pokes, and basic spins.  

[Nymeria]

Week 3, day 5:

 

Exercise:

-I played with my bo staff a bit and made overly talky tutorials.  -

-I learned a new flow and a new hand balancing move.  Thanks to Lex for once again having some great content for me to steal.  

 

And, after that, 20 minutes of stretching and mobility.  

 

Cleaning: I did a massive decluttering session (worth 2 cleaning points).  Yay.

Still good with alcohol.  Since it was a Friday night, I didn't need to worry about electronics.

 

Week 3, day 6:

Climbing - Man, do I have some horrible claw hand going on.    My fingers are so stiff.  I made some good progress on some routes, and I'm getting better with trusting my knee.   I'm becoming more comfortable with taking higher falls.  I'm still stuck at the exact same point on that 5.11.  Ugh.  

 

So, I'm at 105 minutes for mobility, 8 cleaning/adulting chores, 1 drink, and 1 night up too late for the week, so far.  I'll have to grind out another 15 minutes of stretching over the next 2 days (should be totally easy)

[lyranedara]

My son watched your bo staff tutorial with me. He needs one now.

[KB Girl]

Thank you for all the videos! I'm definitely going to try the bo staff. Yes you talk a lot, but it's really clear at least. Thank you  

That flow is also awesome.. Probably harder than it looks too, right.

[Red1263]

I can't until you get your title of "Assassin's Weapons Instructor" Your videos are awesome!

[Nymeria]

Week 3, Day 7: 

Exercise: Combo yoga + additional stretching for a total of 25 mobility minutes.  I also did some misc hand balancing and some more of those Sonnon flows.    

 

I also took my daughter to her parkour class.  I tend to watch the classes very carefully and take a lot of mental notes.    They actually had the kiddos climbing up and jumping down from 8' high walls, which was pretty cool.  

 

Cleaning: I sorted through and inventoried the winter clothes.  I also organized our mail/bill system.  10 chores done!

 

Alcohol: So, Saturday I had some wine while at my Doctor appointment.    I'm glad I did, since the wine helped mellow me out and make me not want to throttle Clara so much.  It's weird.  I normally like the character, but she's really starting to grate on me.  She seems to have poor chemistry with #12.

 

Week 3 summary:

Alcohol: I had 2 drinks, so I was over the limit.  I'm still having fewer than I would have if I weren't trying to limit alcohol, though.  I'm beginning to think that these half measures for cutting calories aren't very effective.  If I'm going to cut, I need to just completely do a cut.  Anyway, I'll give myself a B-.

 

Electronics off at 10: I stayed up late to watch my Packer game.  Oh well.  Grade: B.

 

Not taking life too seriously: It was kind of hard this week, but I handled things better than I would have in the past.  I'm getting better at developing good coping mechanisms and laughing when I need to do so.  Grade B+

 

cleaning/adulting: 10 tasks done.  Right on track.  Grade A.

 

mobility: 130 minutes.  I've been really pleased with focusing a bit more on the flexibility.  My shoulders and wrists are in better shape now that I'm taking good care of them.  I'm also increasing my flexibility as well as my knee ROM quite a bit.   Grade A+

 

I'd love to do more staff tutorials today, but the little kiddo is home all day.  Weapons + little kids don't really mix.  I might do another knee progress video instead.  

[Mad Hatter]

Excellent work this week, even when things got hard! Good stuff. Glad the mobility work is working out for you.

[MasterOfCows]

I'm not sympathizing with Clara's point of view very much, which isn't very good when her character is trying to make me do that.  I feel like she just doesn't "get" it anymore, which is weird, because out of all the companions, she should "get" it the most.

 

I still love Capaldi though.

[KB Girl]

You seem to be in a pretty good place! Even with all the stressy things going on. 

I love the sound of that parkour class.. Would totally want that for my kids! 

[Nymeria]

Week 4, Day 1:

Exercise:

 

Today was a lot of knee PT type stuff.

 

Flexibility Yoga - 30 minutes (25 toward mobility goal)

 

Ring dip -> L-sit tucked hang -> negative dip (getting closer to full ROM on the dip).

skin the cats

deadhang pull-ups

box jump 18"

single (surgical) leg box jumps 9"

step ups

box jump downs into 2 and 4 point landings 

jump lunges

handstands with weight shifts

 

for mini challenge:

pike push-ups

switch mountain climbers

 

Some screwing around with the staff (the little guy took a nap, so I was free for some weapons work)

 

I'll eventually make some tutorials for these spins.  I'm annoyed that I'm rusty enough with the helicopter that my staff is crooked.  Grrr.

 

And here's the 3rd tutorial:

[Twilight]

Yeah.  I tend to freak out, hop on the internet, google my symptoms, and then convince myself that I have cancer, MS, or whatever else the internet tends to tell you that you have.  I try to come up with ways to procrastinate on actually seeing a doctor, and I spend the time between the symptoms and seeing a doctor having relatively high levels of stress.  So maybe your way is actually better.  

 

So, everything is normal, and my doctor even scolded me for being neurotic.  

But, the one issue is that the only solution to my weird symptoms is to get off of hormonal birth control.  Now I have to try to convince my husband to go for the big V, since I've already done my part for the last 15-ish years.  

 

I'm never going on hormonal birth control again, I tell ya. Husband got the snip a couple of months ago, too.

 

Phew!

Oh why haven't they invented birth control for dudes yet...?

 

They have, and it's cheap and reversible http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reversible_inhibition_of_sperm_under_guidance

[Balthazar]

I had to look up skin the cats, I had horrible images of some sadistic and bloody exercise

[KB Girl]

Those swings are still impressive.. how long did it take you to learn?

[Nymeria]

Week 4, Day 2:

 

HIIT circuit: 6 sets of:

-20 jumping jacks

-20 high knees

-5 burpees (6 count)

-10 cross tap mountain climbers

 

10 minutes of mobility.

 

Ugh.  I'm not sure whether it's due to the germs and illnesses in my area, the drop in temperature, my female issues, or the fact that my rest day yoga sessions are still really intense, but I've been feeling really burned out and a bit depressed this challenge.  My muscle recovery and energy levels seem pretty poor.  I kind of just want to curl up and play video games, but then I feel guilty for being/(wanting to be) so unproductive.  

 

I'm just going to do some light stretching and maybe hooping for the rest of today, and then I should be able to do a full rest day tomorrow.  So, hopefully that will give my body what it needs.

 

Cleaning: decluttering; deep scrubbing the main floor bathroom.

[MasterOfCows]

I had a serious case of the "I don't wannas" on Friday.  Usually I can power through and at least do physio, but it was making me seriously cranky.  So I didn't.  And it was amazing.  My headspace was so much better.

[Mad Hatter]

Sometimes curling up and playing video games is exactly what we need! No need to feel guilty.

[KB Girl]

Jup, sounds like you really need that rest day! Maybe you should do a guilt-free day of curling up with some video games. Hope you feel better soon

[Elastigirl]

You have a good habit of working out and enjoying it, so when you don't feel like it, its your body telling you to rest. Great week 3, especially the improving not taking life too seriously.

 

Those staff spins looked great. I had so much fun today playing with my bo staff (long pole I found in the garage) I think you need to add yelling "KAPOW' into your tutorials. I find a good KAPOW makes the hit much more effective.  

 

I'm really ready for Clara to make way for a new companion. 

[jaex]

Rest is good.  I know I needed it last week when I was feeling so burnt out that instead of going to Kung Fu I just vegged at home.  And it felt great.  Just so long as you follow the "Never two in a row" rule

[Nymeria]

I had a serious case of the "I don't wannas" on Friday.  Usually I can power through and at least do physio, but it was making me seriously cranky.  So I didn't.  And it was amazing.  My headspace was so much better.

 

Usually, I can find something light and fun like hooping or some yoga when I otherwise don't wanna.  I think one of the unfortunate side effects of being strict with the PT is it made me feel guilty about taking rest days.  Also, I've gained about 5 lbs over the last few months, and as much as I convince myself that it's probably just from my quads re-growing, I feel like I need to exercise the weight gain away.

 

Sometimes curling up and playing video games is exactly what we need! No need to feel guilty.

 

I kind of miss the days before having children where curling up for hours on end with a video game was a very real possibility.     

 

Jup, sounds like you really need that rest day! Maybe you should do a guilt-free day of curling up with some video games. Hope you feel better soon

 

I'm feeling quite a bit better today.  But I'm making myself do nothing more than some mobility work and stretching.  After all, I actually need to rest for it to count as a rest day.

 

You have a good habit of working out and enjoying it, so when you don't feel like it, its your body telling you to rest. Great week 3, especially the improving not taking life too seriously.

 

Those staff spins looked great. I had so much fun today playing with my bo staff (long pole I found in the garage) I think you need to add yelling "KAPOW' into your tutorials. I find a good KAPOW makes the hit much more effective.  

 

I'm really ready for Clara to make way for a new companion. 

 

Yay!  I'm so glad you tried the bo staff a bit!  

 

And yeah.  It seems like everyone has better chemistry with Twelve than Clara does.  I'm so ready for her to shuffle off, and I'm excited that she doesn't seem to be in the next episode.  

 

Rest is good.  I know I needed it last week when I was feeling so burnt out that instead of going to Kung Fu I just vegged at home.  And it felt great.  Just so long as you follow the "Never two in a row" rule

I might have to make rest and recovery a goal for next challenge.  Really, I should have at least one day each week where I do nothing more than relaxation yoga, mobility, or foam rolling stuff.  

[Nymeria]

Week 4, day 3 - 

Today was filled with adulting, which didn't leave time for much of anything else.  I was the preschool parent helper, so I spent my whole morning with a bunch of 4 year olds.  Then, after lunch, I had to pull my daughter from school for dental work.  I'm finally home now.  As much as I'm feeling better today, I'm going to force myself to take a full rest day.

 

I've been thinking a lot about my current meh feelings, and I think a lot of my problem is that my exercise routine is not very efficient.  I climb 2 days/week, which is great.  The other days, I kind of hang out in moderate intensity, moderate strength-land, rather than having a day or two where I really push myself, and then 3 days or so where I do active or full rest.  

 

I push myself just fine for things I actually enjoy, like climbing, playing on the rings, or some yoga stuff.  But I stink at really pushing myself for things I don't overly enjoy, like HIIT, cardio, or endurance strength stuff.  Part of the problem is that I tend to bail out of holds or stop doing reps when I'm only mildly uncomfortable, rather than sticking through the whole set or time.  So, then I'm not as sore and tired as I should be the next day, which in turn makes me just do more of the same.   

 

I downloaded a few apps, just to help me keep myself honest.  If I have a specific program and a specific timeframe, I'll tend to stick with it.  If I'm just winging it, I'm not so great at bucking up and making myself hold things.  

 

And, if I'm worried about the weight gain, I need to just adjust my diet and do a cut.

 

So, tl;dr version is that I'm going to vary my intensity a bit more, so I'm really pushing myself much harder on 2 of my non-climbing days, and then pushing myself much much less on the other 3 days.  Rest days will be light yoga (and not the crazy stuff I normally do), skill work, messing around with weapons or hooping, stretching, mobility, and foam rolling.  Higher intensity days will be strength, HIIT, and/or my crazy yoga.  

[Mad Hatter]

Sounds like the right thing to do.

 

And agreed about Clara, I'm getting really bored of her too. But for the storyline I actually kind of like that there is a clash between them. Makes it a bit different from all the other gushing girls.

[Twilight]

Rest up so that you can come back stronger!

 

Good thinking and planning, yes!