d3li9ht's 1.5th Challenge: Walking That Lonely (but Awesome!) Path

[d3li9ht]

Here goes my 1.5th Challenge!

The Mission:
To be comfortable with my own bodyweight, and to slowly upgrade my marriage life.
Measurement: 27 yo, 49.5kg, 154cm, ? ? ?...haven't take other measurements, what should I take?)

The Main Quests:
Q1. Stick with YAYOG workout along the 6WC (Week 2 - Week 7).
Q2. Train for push up & pull up alternately for 5 days a week.
Q3. Cook for minimum of 3x a week.

The Life Quest (a very important one): Declutter The Batcave!
2 years had passed in our new apartment, but I haven't got the time to really put things in order. I need to select & throw away things, bcoz I will need the space to incorporate my new exercise habits & long term goals.


Motivation:
A. I have completed a half-challenge last time (joined in the middle of the previous challenge), to do light exercise during the weeks, and I have learned a lot of things from NF chats. So I'd like to step up the game by doing some serious workouts. I like YAYOG, it gives me structures and goals in a given time. I also like that we have a group for sharing & encouraging each others doing YAYOG :-)
I also want to work on towards my goal: push up and pull up. Right now I can only do wall push up and hang from the pull up bar for 30s. I still have some readings to do about what techniques/exercises I can work slowly on, so I'll update the exercise details afterwards.

B. I got married 3 years ago. He is a very good man, but we do have many differences which at times drive us apart. I, for one, tend to overbuy things (which lead to clutters), and does not like to cook; while he dislike shopping and love cooking. So, for this challenge, Quest #3 and Life Quest is partly dedicated to him. I know that I will need to face my weak points in a certain time in my life - so why not now? - And I'm sure by "pushing myself" to do these things, they will give plus points to our marriage life :-)

Will update with other details like points allocation etc later!


PS: Why Lonely Path?

Because... people around me now are "meh" about exercising your body. Even my slightly overweight husband. There are times when I felt "why on earth am I doing all these things and make own body in pain??" and be told "you're crazy, why would a woman lift 40 kgs weight??" and then the discouragement clouds my mind.

But then, I know that I have done the first step. To go out of my Shire. To face the Scarecrow and not be scared of it anymore. To pick the Awesome Path.

Because I can hear the Rebels' cheering along the way: I'm not lonely anymore!

Thanks for stopping by and reading my thread ;-) You too are awesome!

[Balthazar]

Hey there yayog buddy

 

I've been waiting for you to post your challenge so I can follow you along for the ride.

 

You have some great goals, just make sure you don't overwork yourself by trying to work on push ups and pull ups as well as yayog, you don't want to hurt yourself.

 

People around me aren't really in to fitness either, or rather a lot of them talk about what they're gonna do or what they should do but they never actually do it. That's the great thing about nerd fitness you have access to hundreds of like minded people

[Rookie]

Hey! You know what, if that is your husband saying "you're crazy, why would a woman lift 40 kgs weight??" I think he will change his mind when he sees all the changes in you Working out provides many positive changes... Mental, Emotional and Physical. It helps us be strong in other parts of our lives; it is not just about lifting 40kgs. 

 

Both my parents work out with a personal trainer generally 2-3 times a week depending on their schedule. My dad is very dedicated to his health and has been maintaining a 100lb+ loss for over 10 years now at least. My mum is not very dedicated in that she still continues to bring bad food into the house and have random sugar binges. She goes to a naturopathic doctor, buys organic foods, has 3 workout sessions with a trainer a week but she misses some of her sessions, and eats/drinks bad things. They don't question me working out though or wanting to eat better but they don't get actively involved either. My boyfriend is also very supportive and if I want a snack when we are together he makes me choose something healthy. Aside from that it is up to me to find my motivation and community, which is why I also ended up at NF

 

Anyways you have a great set of goals, so go out and kick some butt! 

[lullaby88]

Welcome Back D3li9ht! As an Assassin Ambassador, I'm inviting you to come by our guild and explore it. We've already lured ItsDaniel to our side.  

 

Not sure if you checked us out last time but here's a link to more information about the Assassins' Guild. We also have a Q&A chat thread for Level 1's where you can stop by and ask any questions you might have. We also have an Assassin Phonebook that lists the skills of our Assassin so be sure to check it out.

 

There's also a chat thread called the Assassins' Den where we hang out and chat. If you have any questions, I as well as the other Assassins are happy to help you out. You can reach me by using the private messenger system (click the envelope at the top right of the screen) or you can post on my thread.

 

Looking forward to your progress.

-Lullaby

[d3li9ht]

Challenge Progress: Week 1

Mon : ---
Tue :
- Q1. Yayog W1D4 (week 1 day 4).
- Q2. pull up exercise: hanging 10s x 5, assisted pull up 1 x 5, hang till drop 30s.
Wed :
- Q2. push up exercise: wall push up (85cm distance) 4 x 10.
Thu :
Fri :
Sat :
Sun :

Yesterday, I did the pull up exercise at kids park nearby. But from now I can do it at home bcoz my Door Gym iron bar has arrived

Today's remarks: When doing wall push up, I'm still unsure how to place my palms. I tried placing it higher or lower; when placing it a little bit high I felt my elbows flare out; but I can't "lower" my body to the wall if I place it below my shoulder height. I also did the distance measurement first time today. I think previously I did the push up too close to the wall, which means easier movements.

If you have any advice for push up & pull up progression/additional exercise, please let me know!

[Blaidd]

i'm not able to answer your question about palm placement, but you're always welcome to pop into the Den that Lullaby linked in her post and ask them the question there. There are tons of Assassins who would love to assist you.

[d3li9ht]

Phew! So many pending replies!

 

Hey there yayog buddy

 

I've been waiting for you to post your challenge so I can follow you along for the ride.

 

You have some great goals, just make sure you don't overwork yourself by trying to work on push ups and pull ups as well as yayog, you don't want to hurt yourself.

 

Hey there Daniel!!! Thanks so much for waiting for me ^___^

And thanks for your concern - I'll be careful not to overwork myself; I don't want these almost-1-month effort goes wasted just because of silly injuries!

 

 

Hey! You know what, if that is your husband saying "you're crazy, why would a woman lift 40 kgs weight??" I think he will change his mind when he sees all the changes in you Working out provides many positive changes... Mental, Emotional and Physical. It helps us be strong in other parts of our lives; it is not just about lifting 40kgs. 

 

You know, Rookie... I have started to notice the positive changes, recently; in fact I've been wanting to make a post about it here For example, I was always feel exhausted and unable to get up early in the morning, resulting in a morning rush which left me tired before getting the day done. But since I found NF, became more aware about the importance of exercise and start doing it (even only light exercises) regularly, which happened since only a month ago, I'm surprised to find myself full of energy in early morning! Since then, my days felt better than the past one year or so

 

I also found, suprisingly, a change in my thoughts and feelings; I'm not so much short-fused anymore, I'm inclined to do something useful to pass time rather than snacking or mindless browsing, and many more.

I definitely will ignore all the negative voices and believe in myself - what I envision myself to be, which path should I take, and realize that the effort will be paid with smile at the end! Thank you for your encouragement, really!

 

Welcome Back D3li9ht! As an Assassin Ambassador, I'm inviting you to come by our guild and explore it. We've already lured ItsDaniel to our side.

-Lullaby

 

Hello there Lullaby! After reading your comment, I visited Assassin's thread and I have to admit that I was surprised to see my goals fit so nicely with Assassins! Thanks for tagging my thread, I definitely will check the Den because I do have some questions-- just like what Blaidd said in her reply ;-)

Andddd --- how did you know that I did the hanging attempt just like the cat... lol, nice gif

 

i'm not able to answer your question about palm placement, but you're always welcome to pop into the Den that Lullaby linked in her post and ask them the question there. There are tons of Assassins who would love to assist you.

 

Hey Blaidd, thanks for providing a direction ^^ I'll try to ask around!

 

-- long reply-post ended here ;-)

[d3li9ht]

Challenge Progress: Week 1

Mon : ---
Tue : 
- Q1. Yayog W1D4 (week 1 day 4).
- Q2. Pull up training: hanging 5 x 10s, assisted pull up 1 x 5, hang till drop 30s.

- LQ. Started "decluttering" by re-categorizing my baby's clothes. You won't think such a small body can have such large piles of clothing O.o
Wed :
- Q2. Push up training: wall push up (85cm distance) 4 x 10.

- LQ. Still working on baby clothes, done recategorizing, and I need to re-pack the old and too small clothes back. Sigh. No-- I need to keep fighting! No time for sighs!!!

Thu :

- Q2. Pull up training: hanging 5 x 15s, assisted pull up 5 x 5

- Q3. Cooking! I tried two new recipes from a Japanese recipe book. It was easy and delicious
Fri :

- Q1. Yayog W2D1: I tried hip-height navel-height incline push up and I can do it! YAY, an improvement  ))))

Sat :
Sun :

 

 

Here's W2D1 YAYOG session:

1. Push up (hands hip height): 58

2. Let me ins: 46

3. Seated dips: 40

4. Let me ups: 36

 

 

 

On Thursday, I got the Door Gym bar that I purchased from Amazon! So excited! It's pretty cheap, and I can do many exercises more easily, at my home sweet home

I did YAYOG seated dips and let-me-ups using the bar, and it helped tremendously!

 

Take a look at how I use it:

 

 

 

This bar also comes with a useful instruction (albeit funny English):

 

 

 

Can't wait for the day I can finally pull myself up that bar... (maybe a year later? hehehe)

[d3li9ht]

Challenge Progress: Week 1

Monday : ---
Tuesday : 
- Q1. YAYOG W1D4 (week 1 day 4): 25 side lunges, 27 ORDL, 48 squat 1s or 2s hold, 82 russian twist.
- Q2. Pull up training: hanging 5 x 10s, assisted pull up 1x5, hang till drop 30s.

- LQ. Declutter the batcave #1: re-categorizing my baby's clothes. 
Wednesday :
- Q2. Push up training: wall push up (85cm distance) 4x10.

- LQ. Declutter the batcave #1: packing unused baby clothes.

Thursday :

- Q2. Pull up training: hanging 5 x 15s, assisted pull up 5x5

- Q3. Cooking: tried two new recipes from a Japanese recipe book. 
Friday :

- Q1. YAYOG W2D1: 58 inclined push up (waist-height), 46 LMI, 40 seated dips, 36 LMU.

Saturday :

- Q1. YAYOG W2D2: 36 back lunges, 28 ORDL, 43 squats 2s hold, 45 swimmers. 

- Q2. Push up training: waist-height 1x10, then hip-height 3x5.

- Q2. Pull up training: hanging 4 x 25s (couldn't finished 5th rep...), assisted pull up 1x5 then 3x10.

- LQ. Declutter the batcave #2: changing old computer table to new study table, categorizing books.

Sunday :

 

 

==========

 

Woke up feeling energized today and did YAYOG session first before anything else! Push up & pull up training was done before going to bed. Actually I was already lying in bed with phone at hand browsing aimlessly, thinking that maybe I'll just do the training next day... But that feeling kept nagging in the back of my mind -- I'm curious of my own limit; I just had to get out of the bed and find out!

 

I just realized a small mistake; yesterday I was attempting waist-height instead of hip-height inclined push up, using the deep freezer. So, today I tried push up on the kitchen counter, and found out that I could not get more than 5 reps in a set ^^;

Moreover, my chest can only touch the counter (meaning: good form) if I stood at the distance of 75cm. I tried to step back further to 85cm just like when I did waist-height push up yesterday, but I couldn't lower my body enough to touch the kitchen counter. Well, one small thing to achieve before going even lower! 

 

For the pull up training, last time I did 15s hanging, so today I attempted 25s. Sure enough it left me a little breathless. And I couldn't finish the last rep because my hands kept slipping off the bar before 25 seconds

 

Yesterday I consulted some Rebels on the NF chat about progressing on pull up training (Thanks a lot Red1263, Fizban, PhotoBrandon, BenWo!). I was advised to find my max rep and increase it as further step. Last time I did assisted pull ups 5 sets of 5 reps, so this time I tried to do 10 reps. And the result was... I couldn't make it to 10 reps consecutively - I had to lower the other leg on the ground on 7th rep, and took several seconds to catch my breath on the next reps, and I couldn't do the 11th rep ^^; So I think 10 is my max rep at the moment.

 

The baby steps might be small, but surely they will get me there...

 

-- almost forget, today I did some Life Quest too! Received a big study table from a friend to replace my feeble computer table; it also has shelves for books and even printer! So I moved things over to the new table and decided to recategorizing my books along the way too (still halfway done though). I want to put the books I'm planning to read/study from on the study table shelves, and will be rotating them with the rest of books on the old shelves. Feelin' productive, yay!

[cn3wton]

I like the illustrated pictures of you workout setup. Looks sweet!

 

Keep on keeping on!

[d3li9ht]

I just got into Assassins guild! Yayy~

Blaidd moved my thread here, since I have completed half-challenge last time, although I'm still at Level 0.5 ha ha.

 

Assassin seniors, I'm hoping for your guidance along the way m(_ _)m

[Red1263]

Oh, I'm definitely following to see your progress!

[Batwoman]

Hey welcome to the Assassins and great job on week 1

[DarK_RaideR]

There you are!

[Trembriele]

*waves*. I'm glad to see your challenge going well! My hubs doesn't workout either (he has an active job though) but doesn't mind that I do because he knows if makes me feel better.

[d3li9ht]

Oh, I'm definitely following to see your progress!

 

Thanks~~~

 

Hey welcome to the Assassins and great job on week 1

 

Thank you for the warm greeting! I'm glad I can keep the spirit on this first week!

 

There you are!

 

He he, still a lot to do here~

 

*waves*. I'm glad to see your challenge going well! My hubs doesn't workout either (he has an active job though) but doesn't mind that I do because he knows if makes me feel better.

 

Thanks, I'll be cheering on yours too! I really want to see my hubby start exercising, but I don't wanna nag him too much or else he won't do it at all ^^;; 

[d3li9ht]

Challenge Progress: Week 1 (Recap)

Monday : ---
Tuesday : 
- Q1. YAYOG W1D4 (week 1 day 4): 25 side lunges, 27 ORDL, 48 squat 1s or 2s hold, 82 russian twist.
- Q2. Pull up training: hanging 5 x 10s, assisted pull up 1x5, hang till drop 30s.

- LQ. Declutter the batcave #1: re-categorizing my baby's clothes. 
Wednesday :
- Q2. Push up training: wall push up (85cm distance) 4x10.

- LQ. Declutter the batcave #1: packing unused baby clothes.

Thursday :

- Q2. Pull up training: hanging 5 x 15s, assisted pull up 5x5

- Q3. Cooking: tried two new recipes from a Japanese recipe book. 
Friday :

- Q1. YAYOG W2D1: 58 inclined push up (waist-height), 46 LMI, 40 seated dips, 36 LMU.

Saturday :

- Q1. YAYOG W2D2: 36 back lunges, 28 ORDL, 43 squats 2s hold, 45 swimmers. 

- Q2. Push up training: waist-height 1x10, then hip-height 3x5.

- Q2. Pull up training: hanging 4 x 25s (couldn't finished 5th rep...), assisted pull up 1x5 then 3x10.

- LQ. Declutter the batcave #2: changing old computer table to new study table, categorizing books.

Sunday :

- Q1. YAYOG W2D3: 40 incline push up (waist-height 80cm), 55 LMI, 46 seated dips, 40 LMU.

- Q3. Cooking: I cooked for breakfast and lunch, so it counted as two, yay ;-D

- LQ. Declutter the batcave #2: finished categorizing books and rearranging book shelves. Pfuuh!

 

==========

Overall.. I did 4/4 YAYOG sessions, 4/5 push-up/pull-up training sessions, cooked 3/3 times, and 4 sessions of house-reorganizing (WOW!) 

 

Week 1 quests, 100% 93.33% completed~

[d3li9ht]

MINI QUEST Time!

#1. Make sure your goals are definitely SMART.

For completing this mini quest you will receive an additional +1WIS at the end of the 6 weeks.

 

S = Specific

M = Measurable

A = Attainable/Achievable

R = Realistic/Reasonable

T = Timeous

 

1. Is your overall quest achievable (over a short or long period of time)?  Is it reasonable? [AR]

My mission is to be comfortable with my own bodyweight and to upgrade my marriage life. I've never exercise routinely before. I think 6 weeks during this challenge will give me enough time to achieve the comfortable feeling, provided that I follow my own schedule to exercise. About upgrading the marriage life, I'm aware that there are certain things being problems in our home. I'd like to take a first step to solve the problem, and I'm certain it will leads to better daily life and relationship between us. 

 

2. Do your 3 quests all build towards your main quest in little ways, or are you taking on too much? Do your quests have sub-quests or is it just one thing to focus on?

This time, I picked YAYOG as the main routine, and adding push-up & pull-up training on the side. I also try to cook more often than before (which is nearly zero). I think they will contribute to my mission greatly. For now, my focus is only on the quests.

 

3. Are your main goals realistic? Can you scale them to smaller steps to fit your life better, even if it will make it take a little longer to achieve them? [R]

I think they are realistic enough, because I'm just started to do things like push-ups and pull-ups, and during this challenge I'd like to see what I can do to be closer to the goal. That's why I didn't set a specific goal such as "being able to do a jacknife pull up" for this time; I'll do that when I'm more certain of what my body can do.

 

4. Are your goals able to be measured and tracked?  What will you use to track them? [M]

Yes. I'm using YAYOG app to track YAYOG progress, and there is also a dedicated PVP thread for it. For other quests, I'm only using notes.

 

5. How are you grading your goals?  Are they pass/fail (“every dayâ€, “not even once over the six weeksâ€)?  Is there a reward for the effort, or are you only grading yourself on whether or not you “lose the weight†or “run the distanceâ€? [M]

I have certain numbers to be achieved weekly. The reward is... hmm, for now, it's personal satisfaction :]

 

6. What is your plan for continuing/altering/grading those goals if you become ill or injured? [A]

Hmm... good question. I can alter YAYOG sessions to fit my condition, and I think push-up & pull-up training also can be modified too, and I should still be able to cook something unless I can't get up from the bed, so.. I think they're still doable.

 

7. Did you take into consideration any special occasions (Labour Day, Independence Day, birthdays, anniversaries, etc) that may occur during the challenge?  What modifications do you need to build into your goals for those? [R]

YAYOG schedule is flexible. For push-up & pull-up training, I give myself 2 days break per week. Cooking 3x in a week should still be doable. I just need to plan my week ahead in case of any special occasions

 

8. Do any of your main goals conflict with each other? Will one goal make it hard to do another?

No, they're in harmony! Haha

 

9. Do you already have the time in your schedule to actually complete the goals you’ve set?  If not, what are you planning to do to make time for them? [T]

I think I'm okay with time. So far, I prefer to do YAYOG early in the morning, and push-pull training before going to bed. Cooking is flexible, anytime I feel like it

 

10. Are you trying to build multiple habits, or is all your energy focused on your main quest? [A]

I have other things I want to achieve, but for this challenge, I'm focusing on my main quest.

 

 

Conclusion: I think my missions/goals/quests are SMART enough!

[Balthazar]

great work this week.

 

Look how much progress you have made in just one week, down from wall to hip push ups is phenomenal work

[d3li9ht]

Look how much progress you have made in just one week, down from wall to hip push ups is phenomenal work

Thank you! *blush*

Actually, it was about a month: I started my 0.5th challenge halfway last time; at that time I did 10 wall push up as part of light stretching 3x a week. It was first time of a push up attempt for me... So I did around 9x10 reps in 3 weeks; crappy form and all.

Then I started YAYOG week 1 and did 66 wall push up in the first session - I think it was when I became comfortable doing wall push up. When I attended a 3-days seminar during YAYOG Week 1, if I got sleepy, I would go outside and did three sets of wall push up to fight the sleepiness, hahaha.

All in all, I'm pretty excited about my progress! With 5 reps as my max rep for now in doing hip height push up, I'm looking forward to increase the reps

[Figlet]

I'm really excited to follow you! We've got a lot of the same goals and you're really progressing!!

[MegaShe-Ra]

Hey d3li9ht!!

I just wanted to stop by and remind you I'm cheering for you!

It looks like you're doing really well with your challenge so far.

You're doing so well, I'm so excited for you!

It's funny what you said about your habits being so different from your husbands habits. It is kind of the same for me and my bf!

He loves to cook and I used to never cook! We try to cook together now but he's still way better than me. Lol. >_<;

He is also really minimalist about things so when we moved in together I really had to try to declutter too! I know it can be hard but it actually feels great afterwards.

I also think you should take some measurements. They are a great way to track your progress.

I don't have a scale at home but I measure, bust, waist, hips, biceps and thighs. I know you can measure lots more but I think those are good basics to do.

Anyways keep up all your hard work!

[Red1263]

Don't knock your push-up progress, it's not easy, and awesome progress is still awesome progress!

[d3li9ht]

Quick update on Week 2.

Monday:

- did Yayog W2D4. Last day for Week 2 which I did 4 days in a row; my body seems to adapt better than last week. Tomorrow is rest day!

- Cooked 3 times; for breakfast and lunch and dinner! No fancy dishes, but me approaching the stove with ingredients rather than just eat whatever available is a big improvement!

Tuesday (today):

(warning! long rant)

Woke up with severe headache. Ugh. And DOMS all over my back and inside legs. Used my homemade foam roller on my back, immediately felt the headache got lighter. (Didn't realized muscle contraction can cause headache...)

Still it persisted, even after I got neck & back massaged. Ate two small slices of cake for breakfast. Staggered back to bed. 5 hrs following on & off sleeping, disturbed by baby crying & demands. Woke up for lunch on 1pm. Still had migraine... Had a japanese rice cake & a banana before collapsed back to bed in separate room. Baby is with husband. Around 4:30pm I woke up, light migraine remained, but it was a good undisturbed sleep. Feeling good enough to tidy up baby playing mess. Had a quite good dinner.

My plan for LQ decluttering home for today (it's a national holiday..) was nowhere to be seen :-/

Now going to bed hoping tomorrow everything will be fine enough to start yayog week 3 and other exercises..

/end rant

[Figlet]

Ugh. Hang in there. Having a baby and trying to get in shape at the same time is BRUTAL. I'm glad you're feeling a little better.