ChairmanDavey's challenge to become a strong scholar!

[Nolondil]

This is my first challenge with NF, and I'm really excited to get stuck in. This challenge coincides with a big change in my life too - I'll have just moved to London to start a PhD, so I'm looking at this as a new start or a blank slate, and a chance to move away from all the bad habits and routines I've gotten into whilst I've been at home over the summer. Logically, my challenge will focus on establishing patterns, routines, and a healthy outlook which I think will be easier to stick to if I make it part of my 'London experience' to begin with, rather than later adapting my life to fit around fitness goals. I need to incorporate flexibility into my challenge, because I'll be working at the uni bars, sometimes until 3am, and I know that going for a swim at 8:30 the next morning just wouldn't happen.

 

Motivation! I'm running the Wimbledon Commons HM in October, aiming to do the Santa Pola HM in January, and I have a target to do a triathlon in 2015. My motivation for this challenge is to get fitter for these challenges, and hopefully smash some PBs! 

 

Main Quest:  Establish the fitness base to be a strong triathlete.

 

Quest 1 - Fitness: Stick to my weekly workout routine (3 runs, 2 swims, 3 bodyweight sessions)

Measurement: A = 44 - 48 workouts over the 6 weeks, B = 38 - 43 , C = 30 - 37, D = 20 - 30, E = <20

A = 3 STR, 2 DEX, 2 STA,

B = 80%

C = 60%

D = 40%

E = 0%.

 

Quest 2 - Diet: NO FIZZY DRINKS - I've recently really upped my intake of these, and they make me, my skin, and my mouth feel horrible. I tell myself because they've got no calories in I'm ok, but can feel the negative side effects raging in my body!

Measurement: A = 38 - 42 fizzy drink free days, B = 34 - 37 FDF days, C = 30 - 33 FDF days, D = 26 - 29 FDF days, E = <26 FDF days

A = 3 CON,

B = 80%

C = 60%

D = 40%

E = 0%.

 

Quest 3 - Socialise: Try out the university running and swimming clubs, and if they're not for me, then local groups. If they're not for me, then hey ho, at least I tried! I think this is quite an important goal for me because I've never seen myself as sporting, athletic, etc. and have always felt like I wouldn't fit in teams or sporting groups. This is a prime chance to banish those thoughts and prove myself wrong! Also, they offer coaching sessions and such which would increase my technical ability (hence WIS points).

Measurement: A = tried a running and a swimming group, B = tried either a running or swimming group, C = tried neither

A = 3 CHA, 2 WIS, 

B = 66%

C = 0%

 

Life Quest: I'm having a hard time thinking of a life quest, because I don't know what my PhD-life will be like - so my current life quest will just be to achieve my three quests.

Measurement: A = Achieved 3, B = Achieved 2, C = Achieved 1, D = Achieved 0.

[Big_Show]

I can really identify with your situation - I've also just moved to a new city and it's really liberating being in a situation with no set habits. Good luck finding a new set of friends as well!

[Nolondil]

I can really identify with your situation - I've also just moved to a new city and it's really liberating being in a situation with no set habits. Good luck finding a new set of friends as well!

 

I've just read your challenge, moving to Qatar is much more impressive than London! I spent two weeks in Bahrain and it was wayyyy too hot for me to run, kudos to you for giving it a go!

[blkhole24601]

London! That's way awesome. Good luck with your training!!

[lishvicious]

I am a recovering Diet Coke addict - unfortunately now I seem to drink tea all of the time instead and not just plain water. Must drink more water!!!!!

 

Good luck with your challenge - hope you rock it!

[Caramel]

I also have resolved to overcome the lure of sugary fizzy drinks! Best of luck to you in your goals, that workout mix-up's gonna be awesome!

[Nolondil]

London! That's way awesome. Good luck with your training!!

 

I can't wait! The big move is today - carrying these suitcases could easily be a workout in itself.

I am a recovering Diet Coke addict - unfortunately now I seem to drink tea all of the time instead and not just plain water. Must drink more water!!!!!

 

Good luck with your challenge - hope you rock it!

My friend is addicted to tea, he reckons he gets shakes if he goes too long without it... still, I reckon it must be better for you than fizzy drinks - especially for your teeth!

 

I also have resolved to overcome the lure of sugary fizzy drinks! Best of luck to you in your goals, that workout mix-up's gonna be awesome!

I'm sure you can do it, my tactic is to just not have any around me (going to be hard in work though, where we can get it free on tap!)

[lishvicious]

Yep definitely better for the teeth - and that counts big time in my books - going to the dentist is not fun!

[T2sarahconnor]

Welcome to the Rebellion!

I think your life quest will reveal itself as you settle in a new place!

Great challenge. If you are looking for an accountabuddies group I have a Matrix themed one, but there are plenty to choose from.

Check them out!

http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/53850-level-1s-take-the-red-pill/

[KayDubEff]

I am probably 5 months into being soda free, and it is SO LIBERATING.  I basically drank Mt. Dew like it was water, and any time I went without it I felt crummy.  I have some bad addictive tendencies, so I had to go cold turkey.  Best of luck!!

[Blaidd]

wow!  A marathon or three and a triathlon.  I have those on my bucket list too (but i'm way off that goal for a while still).

 

You might notice that i've added a Scouts' tag to your thread.  This isn't to pigeonhole you into particular guild, but rather to bring one of their ambassadors here to offer you encouragement, support or advice.  Your goals this challenge fit well with the overall spirit of their guild and you are more than welcome to pop into their Tavern and introduce yourself to them.  You are also more than welcome to pop me a message anytime. 

 

Good Luck

AB xx

[Nolondil]

Welcome to the Rebellion!

I think your life quest will reveal itself as you settle in a new place!

Great challenge. If you are looking for an accountabuddies group I have a Matrix themed one, but there are plenty to choose from.

Check them out!

http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/53850-level-1s-take-the-red-pill/

 

Thanks, I will do I think that's where I'm lacking, I'm doing this solo IRL so it's all down to me. Luckily, I'm pretty stubborn, but NF accountability helps so much.

 

I am probably 5 months into being soda free, and it is SO LIBERATING.  I basically drank Mt. Dew like it was water, and any time I went without it I felt crummy.  I have some bad addictive tendencies, so I had to go cold turkey.  Best of luck!!

 

I'm going to have to go cold turkey too, which is doubly-hard since my new place of work has it free on tap. They also let us have free Starbucks coffee... I don't want to replace one addiction with another :/

 

wow!  A marathon or three and a triathlon.  I have those on my bucket list too (but i'm way off that goal for a while still).

 

You might notice that i've added a Scouts' tag to your thread.  This isn't to pigeonhole you into particular guild, but rather to bring one of their ambassadors here to offer you encouragement, support or advice.  Your goals this challenge fit well with the overall spirit of their guild and you are more than welcome to pop into their Tavern and introduce yourself to them.  You are also more than welcome to pop me a message anytime. 

 

Good Luck

AB xx

 

Thanks I was torn between the scouts and the rangers, but it was the bodyweight and bit-of-everything mentality that drew me here. Will be popping into both though! 

[newstart]

 

Posted Yesterday, 08:28 AM

I am a recovering Diet Coke addict - unfortunately now I seem to drink tea all of the time instead and not just plain water. Must drink more water!!!!!

 

Good luck with your challenge - hope you rock it!

 

 

If you really cant escape the sweetness, try searching online for Slender Sticks. Add them to bottled water 

[oromendur]

Subscribing to contribute graduate school commiseration; I'm one year in myself, with one to go for my MA and then one more plus dissertation for the Ph.D. It's kicking my butt right now and my fitness has been, ah, significantly impacted  You've got some amazing goals. Good luck!

[Nolondil]

Subscribing to contribute graduate school commiseration; I'm one year in myself, with one to go for my MA and then one more plus dissertation for the Ph.D. It's kicking my butt right now and my fitness has been, ah, significantly impacted  You've got some amazing goals. Good luck!

 

Ah, I feel you. Training for a marathon and doing my MA was bloody difficult! I lost 99% of my social life, if I didn't have a part time job I'd not have spoken to other people at all aha!

 

Today I went to the first session of a swimming group. That's a pretty big deal for me, since i'm always embarrassed about being crap at sports in front of people - and that's exactly what happened. Today was breast stroke day, and I've never swam that before. I was the slowest, and my technique was AWFUL. Still, I stuck to it and by the end I was about 1% better. Then, I got invited to the pub with a couple of the guys, and they basically told me they all have weak areas and I really don't feel so bad about it now. I'm going to keep going and hopefully I'll look back in a year and see how far I've come!

[Nolondil]

Today is another achievement - I went to a runners group for the FIRST TIME! Ok, so a few things went wrong - like running for 4 miles to get there, then doing a 10k (6.2 miles) at a fast pace (or what felt like it)... then forgetting my towel for the post-run shower, so having to dry myself with my t-shirt and paper towels... IN A COMMUNAL CHANGING ROOM. But apart from that, I kept up with the mad pace, and I was one of the first finishers, and it seems like everyone is really friendly! Also, I think that because I'd already embarrassed myself in the shower, I got a few glasses of wine bought for me, and so I'm feeling prettttyyyy good. 

 

I've had a bit of a confidence boost over the past two days - whether it's from going to two different groups, or because I've been forced into using communal changing/showering rooms twice in two days (basically, more in the past 48 hours than ever before in my life), but I feel a lot more calmer about my move.

 

The only problem I'm facing now is that my room backs on to a busy road, and it really does keep me awake at night - I only managed three hours sleep last night, which I can see will get me down. Hopefully tonight will be better!

[Brekketechie]

Today is another achievement - I went to a runners group for the FIRST TIME! Ok, so a few things went wrong - like running for 4 miles to get there, then doing a 10k (6.2 miles) at a fast pace (or what felt like it)... then forgetting my towel for the post-run shower, so having to dry myself with my t-shirt and paper towels... IN A COMMUNAL CHANGING ROOM. But apart from that, I kept up with the mad pace, and I was one of the first finishers, and it seems like everyone is really friendly! Also, I think that because I'd already embarrassed myself in the shower, I got a few glasses of wine bought for me, and so I'm feeling prettttyyyy good. 

 

I've had a bit of a confidence boost over the past two days - whether it's from going to two different groups, or because I've been forced into using communal changing/showering rooms twice in two days (basically, more in the past 48 hours than ever before in my life), but I feel a lot more calmer about my move.

 

The only problem I'm facing now is that my room backs on to a busy road, and it really does keep me awake at night - I only managed three hours sleep last night, which I can see will get me down. Hopefully tonight will be better!

 

Good on you! And folks who can laugh off goofs are the people you want to stick around.

 

Ear plugs, srsly. Will change your life. What fora heavy tapestry you can tack to the wall to help muffle the noise. 

[matty_mcfly]

So awesome! 

 

I moved to a different state with the girlfriend, but I couldn't imagine moving to another country...alone.  So much potential for great experiences. Take advantage of it.

 

I recently completed my first triathlon (only a supersprint) it was an amazing experience and I'm sure you'll kill it.  Looks like the run will be "easy" for you and the swim won't be too bad. The bike is by far the easiest leg.

 

The only piece of advice I could give would be to train in the body of water you will be competing in.  Pools are nothing like open water.

 

Anyway...kill it man

[Nolondil]

Good on you! And folks who can laugh off goofs are the people you want to stick around.

 

Ear plugs, srsly. Will change your life. What fora heavy tapestry you can tack to the wall to help muffle the noise. 

 

I already use them, it's still really loud! I've got a plan for tonight though - putting my room heater on (without the heating element) to generate a pretty loud monotonous sound which should block out the noises from outside. It's strange for me, I can sleep with some noises in the background - like cars, rain, thunder etc - but I find it really hard when it's something that has a pattern, like music, or talking.

 

So awesome! 

 

I moved to a different state with the girlfriend, but I couldn't imagine moving to another country...alone.  So much potential for great experiences. Take advantage of it.

 

I recently completed my first triathlon (only a supersprint) it was an amazing experience and I'm sure you'll kill it.  Looks like the run will be "easy" for you and the swim won't be too bad. The bike is by far the easiest leg.

 

The only piece of advice I could give would be to train in the body of water you will be competing in.  Pools are nothing like open water.

 

Anyway...kill it man

 

I'm glad you said that about the cycling, it's the bit I'm least experienced in - hopefully a fair few spinning classes will help me out with that (perhaps something for the next challenge?)

[matty_mcfly]

Yea the bike is the easiest because it's really the only leg where you can rest/coast. Spinning class is cool but I loved being out on the road/trail.

Good luck! I'll be following along. Not sure if you drink but have a Boddy for me!

[Brekketechie]

I'm just beginning to train for my first tri! Swimming is my weakest point as I no NONE of the strokes. I mean, i can swim but not in any coordinated fashion. Cycling really is great - especially if you're somewhere without a lot of traffic and you can admire the scenery - it's peaceful. If you can get a bike (rent one?) and do some riding outside the city, it's so worth it.

[Nolondil]

**Warning - long post! tl;dr? Y I HAVE NO ENERGY?!**

 

Hi guys, I’m in a bit of a funk at the moment. I was just out on a run that was meant to be 13.1 miles but I had to turn back at 2.7 miles and so only did about 5 miles in total. I’ve felt like I’ve not had much energy at all recently, and there are a few things that I think might have contributed to it, but I’d like your advice to see which is most likely. I’m getting a bit wound up about it because I’m doing the Wimbledon Common HM in October, and there’s just over three weeks left.

 

1. Diet - I’ve been trying to eat healthy, and an average day looks like this:

 

Breakfast = 3 egg omelette

Lunch = 100g of meat, 160g/240g of frozen veg, and a sauce (e.g. sweet and sour, curry, pasta etc).

Dinner = same as lunch

Snacks = bananas, oranges, natural yoghurt

 

Is this enough? I feel like I’m missing a source of slow release energy, but I’m trying to not eat pasta, rice and bread (because I know I’ll eat too much etc and it makes me feel bloated, and I’m trying to get my BF% down).

 

2. Sleep - since moving to London on Saturday I’ve not been having a great nights sleep - I mean, some nights I’ve only been getting 4 hours, and even on a good night I wake up at least once.

 

Routine - I’ve been following my workout routine quite well since I got back from holiday, and it looks like this:

1. Monday - Swim (usually 1 hour)
   
2. Tuesday - run (8 - 12 miles) followed by a bodyweight session
   
3. Wednesday - swim (1 hr)
   
4. Thursday - long slow run (12 - 15 miles) - followed by a bodyweight session
   
5. Friday - rest
   
6. Saturday - Parkrun followed by slower run home (about 7 miles in total)
   
7. Sunday - rest
   

Thanks for reading over this, I’d like to get a PB in this half (it’s been over a year since I entered one) and I’d like to feel positive about starting this triathlon training!

[ShadowLion]

Hello, ChairmanDavey, and welcome to the Rebellion!

 

I can see a couple of possibilities for your low energy - lack of sleep, for one, and another that I have run into several times is not getting enough calories. It can be a fine balance between cutting carbs for weight loss and keeping enough of them in your diet to have some energy, particularly with all the changes you've been making.

 

How are you doing now? Have you had any insights into what was causing you to feel low on energy?

[Nolondil]

Hello, ChairmanDavey, and welcome to the Rebellion!

 

I can see a couple of possibilities for your low energy - lack of sleep, for one, and another that I have run into several times is not getting enough calories. It can be a fine balance between cutting carbs for weight loss and keeping enough of them in your diet to have some energy, particularly with all the changes you've been making.

 

How are you doing now? Have you had any insights into what was causing you to feel low on energy?

 

I do think sleep played a massive part in why I was feeling so exhausted - I've had a few decent nights since then and I do feel better. Plus, I think that for me cutting out pasta, oats, and rice and having my main source of carbs as veg did deplete my energy stores, so I've started to have a bit of pasta with some meals, I've bought some oats to have for breakfast sometimes, and I'm going to look into sweet potato (by that, I mean buy some sweet potato!). 

 

I do think I've gotten to a weight I want to be at - I don't want to go any lower and I want to start bulking up, which is annoyingly a contrasting goal to longer-distance running or so I've been told!

[Nolondil]

Just a quick update: the bodyweight training is coming on really well - when I started I struggled to do 4 chin ups, now I'm banging out three sets of twelve after a 7 mile run!