Mediaguy learns to blend into the wind...

[mediaguy99]

Welcome to my next six week challenge!  This time around, I am starting off feeling pretty good about my body.  I weigh a pretty consistent 155-160 lbs, and don't have a lot of fat left to burn.  Of course the last time I checked I had a 16.8% body fat measurement, and that seemed alright by me.  BUT, I'd like to reduce it, while building up some muscle.  I also know that the weakest part of my aerial work is my flexibility, so that is going to be the focus of this challenge, all while building and maintaining habits to keep me healthy and strong.  Since I'm an assassin, I intend to become more deadly.  With that in mind I want to become deadly accurate with my bow.  The following goals will help me with these things, and become a better embodiment of my assassin hero, Garrett (from the Thief quadrilogy of games), an assassin so stealthy that he could come and go without a trace, easily blending into the wind.

 

 

Goal 1:  Increase flexibility

 

 

For the first two weeks, I want to start and or my day with 10 min of stretching, focusing on the legs and back.  Week three, I'd like to up that to four days a week, and for weeks five and six, I want to up that to five days a week.  I'll log days I stretch in this topic, as part of the daily updates.  Also I will attend two yoga classes per week.

 

Week 1-2: Stretch 10 min/day, 3x/week, + 2 yoga classes

Week 3-4: Stretch 10 min/day, 4x/week, + 2 yoga classes

Week 5-6: Stretch 10 min/day, 5x/week, + 2 yoga classes

 

Goal 2:  Wear more black.

 

 

Enough said.

 

Goal 3:  Maintain and build strength

 

 

I'm going to continue to work out in the gym and build my endurance.  I'd like to have one day for lower body, one day for upper body, and one day for full-body.  I'll continue to log my progress both on Evernote and here in the forum.  Also, I'm going to continue to endurance train.  Most likely this will mean running, as the days are getting cold and bike rides are hard to get in.  Three days a week, minimum.  Finally I want to bust out pull-ups in a major way.  I want to work up to 15 pull ups in a row.  In summary:

 

Weights workout:  3x/week

Endurance: 3x/week

Pull ups:  15 in a row by challenge end.  20 equals a bonus.

 

Goal 4:  Fuel the progress

Getting the right kind of fuel into the system.

 

Eating Paleo has been a godsend for me.  I almost never need to eat Tums to turn off my acid stomach.  So, I'm going to continue with this plan, and up my goals so that I'm truly 80/20.  With that in mind, instead of simply practicing weekends off, I will allow myself one breakfast, one lunch, and one dinner "off" paleo every weekend, and one free meal.  If all other goals have been met, I can also have one dessert on Saturday or Sunday to celebrate the previous week.  Weeks begin on Sunday and end on Saturday.  Also, I need to start drinking more water.  I will drink two liters of water per day, and consume .5 additional liters for every hour of workout.

 

Paleo meals: 17 out of 21 meals per week.  One free dessert if all physical goals met.

Water:  2 liters a day + .5/hour of workout.  Decaf coffee counts.

 

Goal 5:  On target

Make time to practice with my bow.

Sometime during the first three weeks of the challenge, I will go to an indoor archery range and sight in my bow again, for 10 and 20 yards.  During the challenge I will get to the archery range to practice at least four times total.

 

Target practice: 4x in six weeks

 

Life Challenge:  Train the apprentice

I have a three year old son (who will turn four in a matter of weeks).  It is time to begin his training in the art of assassination.

 

 

I will read to him three nights a week, minimum.  My wife usually handles the nighttime routine, but I think I can convince her that I can do it three nights a week.  

I will cook with him three nights a week, minimum.  He loves to stand on a chair and watch me make dinner, so now it's time to get him involved.  I'll try to get him to measure out, pour in, mix, and stir whenever it's safe (that is, not over the frying bacon, not over the pot of boiling water, but definitely stirring the sauteed veggies and possibly helping to flip the chicken on the grill).

 

Reading 3x/week

Cooking 3x/week

[mediaguy99]

Week 1 Summary

Stretching: III Complete!

Weights: III Done!

Endurance: III Complete!

Yoga: II Complete!

Archery: Too cold.

Apprentice: II

Food (NP meals): 4 (3 actually, but had some cookies yesterday so am counting those as a meal...)

Week 2 Summary

Stretching: III

Weights: III Complete!

Endurance: IIII Complete! Bonus round!

Yoga: II Complete!

Archery:

Apprentice: IIII complete! Bonus round!

Food (NP meals): IIIII Boo... over by one.

Week 3 Summary

Stretching: III (Needed one more)

Weights: II (Needed one more)

Endurance: IIIII Complete!

Yoga: I (Needed one more

Archery: II (and sighted in the bow for 10 and 20 yards)

Apprentice: III

Food (NP meals): IIIII (one over again)

Week 4 Summary

Stretching: IIII Complete!

Weights: III Complete!

Endurance: IIII Complete! Bonus!

Yoga: II Complete!

Archery: I (3 total)

Apprentice: IIII Bonus!

Food (NP meals): IIII

Week 5 Summary

Stretching: IIIII Complete!

Strength: IIII Bonus!

Endurance: III Complete!

Yoga: II Complete!

Archery:

Apprentice: III Complete!

Food (NP meals): IIIIII two over stupid ski resort.

Week 6 Summary

Stretching: IIII (minus one)

Strength: III Complete!

Endurance: III Complete!

Yoga: I

Archery: I

Apprentice: III Complete!

Food (NP meals): IIIII One over, stupid cookies...

LOOT?

Ordered the folding knife and the dice. Looked at a couple of rangefinders while Christmas shopping yesterday, and saw some amazing ones. Saw some ones that cost WAAAAY too much for a family guy like me. Also, at the archery range, I got to practice for a bit with a thumb release. Which as pretty darned cool, but also SUPER expensive. I mean holy cow. It's literally just a trigger for a bow. There are firearms that cost less than those thumb releases. Anyway. Not sure which direction I'll end up going on that...

UPDATE 12/5: Actually ended up ordering a thumb release from a guy on Archery Talk. Paypal info sent but haven't received the release yet... supposed to come this week... Now I've just got to make myself EARN it!

UPDATE 12/16: Release came today. It's super cool. Can't wait for the chance to try it... maybe Saturday morning (if I've earned it)

[mediaguy99]

Apparently I need help with my prepositions too.  Can anyone edit the word "With" out of the title of this post????  Or tell me how to do it myself????

[SirCharlesWatson]

Apparently I need help with my prepositions too.  Can anyone edit the word "With" out of the title of this post????  Or tell me how to do it myself????

 

I personally would change it to "blend in with the wind"

Also for flexibility, I've found this to be pretty good.

[sylph]

Apparently I need help with my prepositions too.  Can anyone edit the word "With" out of the title of this post????  Or tell me how to do it myself????

If you edit the post and hit the um... "use full editor" button you should be able to edit your title.

[mediaguy99]

I personally would change it to "blend in with the wind"

Also for flexibility, I've found this to be pretty good.

 

Sweet!  Thanks for the link.  I think I've seen that guy's webpage for BWWs, but not for stretching.  I like it.  Simple routine.

 

If you edit the post and hit the um... "use full editor" button you should be able to edit your title.

 

Thank you!  Done

 

I'm not on this challenge yet but last night's workout fit into the theme completely.  My wife and I went for a run out at the big open space north of town, about an hour after sunset.  It was still warm (ish) out, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky.  We started with a bike light on the jogging stroller, but after about 5 minutes I realized that the moon was bright enough to run without any additional light, so I turned it off.  We ran about 3 miles around a moonlit lake in the dark, with just the moonlight to guide us.  It felt very cool.

 

Tonight I get to go to aerial hoop.  Picked up a new notebook last week at the trade show, and I'll be writing everything down in there.  Gotta transfer the last two weeks into there as well...

 

Enjoyed pancakes for breakfast today, since I'm not counting paleo meals this week

[mediaguy99]

Hoop was a blast last night!  Did some transitions and movements up above the hoop, after drawing the hoop up into the ropes behind me.  A little nerve wracking but hey, that's aerial.  Some poor girl leaned forward instead of backwards and fell about 12' to the ground, smacking her thigh on the hoop on the way down.  Ouch.  Anyway, between that and the bike ride up Sunshine Canyon at lunch I felt like I had a great day yesterday for workouts.  I've got this panicky feeling now, as the challenge approaches... I feel like binging on sweets all the time.  

 

Anyway, we have a houseguest tonight, and so I"m calling out the "special occasion" card because she wants to go to eat at a local Mexican dive restaurant.  I'll bring my tums and be glad we're not counting til Monday!

[mediaguy99]

I need to quantify my goals as totals, and assign scores accordingly:

 

Stretching:  24 days total (weekly totals scale up)  

     A: +3 WIS, 22-24 days

     B: +2 WIS, 19-21 days

     C: +1 WIS, 16-18 days

     D: +.5 WIS, 12-15 days

     F: +0 WIS, <12 days

 

Weights:  18 days total

     A: +3 STR, 17-18 days

     B: +2 STR, 14-16 days 

     C: +1 STR, 11-13 days

     D: +.5 STR, 7-10 days

     F: +0 STR, <7 days

 

Endurance: 18 days total

     A: +3 STA, 17-18 days

     B: +2 STA, 14-16 days 

     C: +1 STA, 11-13 days

     D: +.5 STA, 7-10 days

     F: +0 STA, <7 days

 

Yoga:  12 days total  Reward

     A: +2 CON, 11-12 days

     B: +1 CON, 9-10 days

     C: +.5 CON, 7-8 days

     D: +.25 CON, 5-6 days

     F: +0 CON <5 days

 

Archery:  4 days total  

     A: +1 DEX, 4+ days

     B: +.75 DEX, 3 days

     C: +.5 DEX, 2 days

     D: +.25 DEX, 1 day

     F:  +0 DEX, 0 days

 

Apprentice training:  18/18 days total

     Awards are non-PC driven, and will involve going to see movies, theatre, orchestra, or dance performances with my lovely wife.  

     After 3 weeks, if all apprentice goals are met, then I get to take her out for dinner and a show.   Repeat at 6 weeks.

     And pay for a babysitter

 

Paleo:  24 non-paleo meals allowed (late night snacks or other 'cheats' count as complete non-paleo meals)

     A:  +3 CHR, 22-25 non-paleo meals

     B:  +2 CHR, 26-29 non-paleo meals

     C:  +1 CHR, 30-33 non-paleo meals

     D:  +.5 CHR, 34-36 non-paleo meals

     F:  +0 CHR, >37 non-paleo meals

     Any weight gain beyond 160 lbs will drop the final score one letter grade.  

 

Rewards:

 

GPA of 3.5-4.0:  The tools of the trade!!!  One new archery accessory (or 1/2 doz new arrows if needed), a new folding knife for work, and a set of precision edge polyhedron dice. 

GPA of 2.5-3.5:  The folding knife and the dice

GPA of 1.5-2.5:  The folding knife

GPA <1.5:  NADA

[Phayze]

Love the apprentice-training mission! If we don't start corrupti- I mean teaching them young, they'll never learn! ^^;

Mine is a little older, and starting to do bodyweight training with me. I have a good feeling about the next-gen assassins. ^^

[mediaguy99]

Good start to the first day!  Completed the first flexibility session of the session.  Polishing off my salad-in-a-glass as I type this.  Heading off to work shortly.

 

Colorado weather is nuts.  It's 61 degrees out right now (6:45 AM) but it's supposed to fall to 25 by nightfall, and start snowing.  I'm psyched for ski season but not ready for winter in the front range

 

Love the apprentice-training mission! If we don't start corrupti- I mean teaching them young, they'll never learn! ^^;

Mine is a little older, and starting to do bodyweight training with me. I have a good feeling about the next-gen assassins. ^^

 

Thanks Phayze!  After working on a play for seven of the last nine weeks, and being in rehearsal every night til 11 I really felt like I was letting my family slip away from me.  So that goal is really important to me.  

 

So, I have to see the podiatrist today.  He told me not to run last time.  I have been running.  He told me that I shouldn't be tapping.  I've been tapping.  I think I'm just a bad patient.  He's probably also going to tell me that if I want to run I need to buy some very expensive orthotics.  So there's that.  Otherwise, today is probably just an upper body day at the gym.

 

I have a gaming session tonight too.  Those are the hardest for my nutritional goals.  Everyone always brings terrible food. My plan is to stop at the grocery store on the way there and buy a 2# bag of baby carrots, which I can snack on compulsively until the cows come home.  

[mediaguy99]

Went to tap class this morning, and the gym for lunchtime workout.  Unfortunately the black pants I wore to tap class are the only black I'm wearing today.  Need to focus on that more  

 

Here is the workout log:

 

5 min rowing warmup
Pull ups 10, 6, 4, 3 (bonus round at end of workout)
Shoulder press 50x10x1, 45x10x2
Inverse rows TRX 10,10,7
TRX rows 10,10,10
Shoulder int 7.5x10x3
Shoulder ext 7.5x10x2; 7.5x7x1
Kettle bell bicep curls 20x10x2, 15x10x1
Tricep pull downs 32.5x10x2; 32.5x8x1
Rev lunge/hi knees 10x3/side

 

Here is the workout

Lunch is an 8oz protein shake, a salad and the last of the turkey leftovers.  Of course, if it tastes funny (cause I made it last week ) I might be eating a vegetarian lunch.  

 

I have already drunk 2/3 liter of H20 today, plus 16 oz during the workout.  

[Alexandrite]

Subbing, I really love your quests! Looking forward to hearing more about the Paleo and the Apprenticeship. I have two toddlers (1 and 3) and they want to do everything I do right now, so I understand. And I'm waiting for my daughter to finish nursing but I have to take lots of TUMs myself and I really just want to do Paleo already. Cutting candy and junk food this time around.

[mediaguy99]

Subbing, I really love your quests!

Thank you!

 

Cutting candy and junk food this time around.

 

That's hard enough, for sure  With two toddlers around, I don't know how you find the time to exercise?

 

Last night went alright for food, managed to avoid the delicious-smelling pork/cheese/wheat meatballs that one of the players brought.  Focused on the snacks I brought along (grapes, a banana, carrots) instead.

 

Need to figure out what I'm doing for exercise today.  A big cold front has come through, and the temps plummeted into the teens.  I don't have running clothes with me today, and I have a 3.5 hour meeting off campus so I won't be able to go to yoga or hit the gym during my usual times.  Might be able to go row or spin for 45 min after the meeting, or at home tonight between picking up my son and putting him to bed, except my wife has her rope class and I'll be parenting.  Maybe the two of us can do a yoga video?  Definitely can't take him out for a night run when it's this cold.  Hmm.  Ah well.  

 

At least the food thing is taken care of today.  Dinner will be leftover shredded beef with veggies.  Lunch is leftovers:  Butternut squash and chicken with pear tangine!  Mmmmm!  

 

Meanwhile it looks like I'll be able to get into the gym to do some mindless cardio exercise.  Hopefully someone will loan me a tablet or something I can watch a movie on while I row or cycle.  I hate stationary activities.

[Phayze]

This sounds like a job for bodyweight hiit circuits! Brief, painful, and oddly satisfying. ^^

[Alexandrite]

I will be honest, most of my exercise happens either before they wake, or while they are pushing or climbing on me. But Im lucky to stay home with them so I dont mind. My son shows a lot of interest in martial arts moves and kicking, while daughter likes yoga and squats, lol.

- Sent from my magic Navi-powered device!

[mediaguy99]

This sounds like a job for bodyweight hiit circuits! Brief, painful, and oddly satisfying. ^^

 

The last time I did "HIIT Bodyweight Exercises" I did something called the Iron Workout and couldn't walk the next day.  I think I'm a little stronger now, and have a little more common sense.  But it still scares me.

I was fortunately able to run (5 min) over to the gym and then put in a half hour on the rowing machine, and then run back.  Even threw in some HIIT segments (ok, like three) while I was on it.  Tried to watch Godzilla on a loaned iPad but that didn't really work, because the headphones I brought wouldn't work.  Oh well.  

 

So, 40 mins and plenty of calories burned.  Back and shoulders should be feeling it tomorrow.

 

Staying home with the kiddos is more work than going to work!  I don't usually parent all day long, except on some weekends.  And then, he is perfectly content to hang out in the jogging/cycling trailer so I can do that.  He's a madman on the bike--there's this bike park near our house, with a toddler course.  He's got a "strider" bike and really tears it up!!!  Of course, when it's covered in snow...

[mediaguy99]

Not that I'm making excuses, but today couldn't have been any more sabotaged.  At least I've kept to my goals concerning nutrition.

 

The snow and sub zero temps here have made everything more difficult.  Plus my poor dog was up all night whimpering with some very unhappy condition that doesn't bear going into.  So I had to take her to the vet, my wife to work, and my son to daycare before I could even go to work.  My tap class was really poorly attended because of the roads and the weather, plus the teacher had to leave after 20 min so we were all on our own to just practice.  So not really even close to cardio, since all I did was figure things out that I had been having difficulty with (Thanks Claire!) and then do them over and over again.  Anyway, after that the vet called and I had to go pick up the dog and take her home, and then watch her for an hour to make sure she didn't have an adverse reaction to her meds.  While answering work emails, since it was nearly 10:30 and I still hadn't been to work yet.  After that, it took 2.5 hours to drive to Denver for my doctor's appointment (GERD doc, more at some other time).  And another hour to drive back (traffic had really lightened up).  So I'm here at work until it's time to pick up the son and the wife and then go home and make dinner.  Hopefully I'll have time to do a BWW or something before bed time.  Phayze, I'll actually have to look into that which you suggested for yesterday--since there's no time to go to the gym or to yoga.  And I just ate lunch (at 4PM) so my dinner schedule is all off.  And on top of it, and old filling fell out while I was driving back to Boulder.

 

Crap day.  There will always be crap days.  And I didn't even wear any black.

But, I heard a good quote on the radio:

 

"When you wake up in the morning and nothing hurts, you can be sure you are dead."

[Alexandrite]

Love the quote.

That is a lot of driving, back and forth, and circumstancial incidents. Not fun, for sure.

Heres to a better day tomorrow and healing for you and your dog!

PS. I could never get my son to do the stride bikes, he got bored way too fast with it. But he loves scooters, so...

- Sent from my magic Navi-powered device!

[mediaguy99]

Back to it today!  Yesterday was a crap day.  I got my tooth fixed and made it to yoga class for lunch.  Lots of work on Bow (yay back bendyness) and pigeon.  Tonight I get my BWW in at aerial class.  At this moment I am totally digging my lunch:  the last of the leftover shredded beef with lots of veggies, and sweet potato home fries (mmmm!)

 

Thanks Alexandrite for your encouraging words.  

 

I have a meeting off campus in 30 min so I don't have lots of time to surf around.  Still must record progress!

 

[Alexandrite]

Sweet potato home fries. WHY HAVE I NOT DONE THIS YET?!

Okay. I'm done now. Great job on some difficult poses and glad to hear the tooth was a quick fix!

- Sent from my magic Navi-powered device!

[mediaguy99]

The remainder of yesterday went off really well.  Dinner was "veggie surprise" (that's a bunch of asparagus, celery, carrots, snap peas, peppers, garlic, and onion stir fried with a little soy sauce) and a ground buffalo patty.  Followed by a handful of grapes and some cashews.  After that, I went to hoop class where we worked on a bunch of skills, some of which I hadn't done before.  The coolest one was a forward roll from seated, into seated position.  Which you can loop into a repetitive spin--super fun!  I kind of love anything that makes me dizzy....

 

Plus my instructors have agreed to ride my case about pointing my toes.  Which I need.  I can point my toes alright; I've got good ankle flexibility, but the minute my hamstrings are engaged in keeping me on the bar, my feet turn into ugly club foot-sickles.  Blah.

 

Anyway, we also did a bunch of choreography, and got to do a little performance-y thing at the end.  Not that I like that.  

 

So far this morning has been on-target.  And tonight, I'm making a big stir fry for the D&D crowd, rather than counting on them to bring food in.  Maybe next week we can order in--but tonight we all eat paleo.  Ok, I will make rice for the crowd to enjoy.  

[mediaguy99]

And look at that!  I spilled onto page two!!!

[mediaguy99]

Phew.

 

Just back from the double workout (sort of).  Yoga followed by weights.  Weights was slightly abbreviated--only 35 min to do the following:

 

Squats 50x10x1, 80x9x1, 90x6x
Pull ups 8/6/6
Bench press 50x6x3
Mil press Barx10x1, 20x6x1, 25x5x1
Hamstrings 90x10x1, 110x8x2
Mtn climbers 50/50/50

 

Lunch is a protein shake followed by a buffalo burger patty and leftover veggie surprise... plus a big salad.  Snacks earlier were an apple with almond butter and a pre-workout banana.

 

Still trying to recover from the accidental caffeine intake this morning.  Criminey!

[Phayze]

Oh geez, I've fallen behind here... ^^;

Sound like you rode through some tough times like a real champ! Glad everthing settled out fairly quickly for you.

Nice work on those weights!

[Pavelluvs2eat]

Sounds smart providing food that fits your goals rather than counting on others to bring it.