Elsfaire Accompanies the Hobbit through Middle Earth

[elsfaire]

The first part of the Top Secret Mission I was working on last challenge was completed successfully. Operation Birthday Adventure for my Hobbit was a success! He had no idea about the adventure, nor did he know anything about part 2 of the Mission:
 
We are going to New Zealand!
 

 
        (Yes, I am just a little excited)
 
Because our trip will be happening right in the middle of this challenge, I am going to alter the challenge format to fit my life circumstances.
 
Part 1 (Weeks 1 & 2): Prepare for the trip
Part 2 (Weeks 3 & 4): Enjoy the trip
Part 3 (Weeks 5 & 6): Recover and start holiday preparations
 
I have tried to keep a kind of consistency in the goals and tracking, even though the intent changes during each part. To simplify tracking and comparison across the different sections, I am going to be using a point system. The point goals will be the same for all goals and challenge parts.
 
Fitness
Part 1: Trip Boot Camp
 
I need to get ready for this trip! In true Nerd Fitness Rebel style, we have a very active trip planned. We are doing many activities ranging from hiking to canyoning to mountain biking, to river sledging (We are going to Hobbiton and the Weta Workshop, too, though). I had been hoping to be much more fit by this point. Unfortunately, I have had a hard time developing the habits and maintaining much of my strength and aerobic fitness gains. As a result, I need to maximize the time I have and make sure I make as much progress as possible in the next 11 days. My goal is to do walking (or another aerobic exercise) AND either yoga OR a bodyweight workout EVERY DAY between now and the trip. Is that a tall order? Maybe, but it is less than 2 weeks, and I really need it. I will give myself a point for every kind of exercise that lasts longer than 20 minutes. Bodyweight workouts done in sets throughout the day counts, as long as the total time is more than 20 minutes.
 
Part 2: Keep the Balance
 
In this part, I will enjoy the trip, and balance the pre-arranged activities with yoga/stretching and BWW where necessary. I planned a variety of activities for us, but most are either hiking or a lower-body focus. To help maintain my ability to stay active, I want to make sure I stretch often and a lot, and do bodyweight exercises for upper body and core. A point for each activity lasting longer than 20 minutes, but 1 point each day needs to be a complementing activity when possible.
 
Part 3: Moving through the winter
 
By this time, I hope to have been more active than usual for about a month. I want to maintain increased fitness through the winter, but will need to adjust my habits to make it work for the regular daily grind. As above, I will give myself a point for each activity lasting longer than 20 minutes, with a goal of doing 2 different kinds of movement, aerobic exercise, flexibility or strength training each day. In the mindset of Ido Portal & GMB (Gold Medal Bodies), even just playing with moving my body in different ways will count for this. The main focus is getting myself in the habit of being out of my chair and moving more often so fitness truly becomes a habit.
 
Goal: 14 points per week
 
 
Mental/Emotional Health
This one is pretty much the same for all parts of the challenge. I need to care for my mental/emotional health so I stay more positive and calm, and am able to enjoy our adventures more! I will get points for:

• Meditating for at least 5 minutes
• Asking myself my positive questions
• Journaling (about feelings)
• Seeing how unexpected circumstances just happen instead of only being my fault. This counts even when I have to talk myself into it.

Goal: 14 points per week
 
 
Life Quest
 
Part 1: Get ready for the trip!
 
There is SO much to do before we leave. I will award myself points every time I complete a to-do item from my preparation list. I may award points for partial completions if the task takes a lot of time.
Goal: 100% packed and prepared by 11/20 (around 14 points per week should do it – depending on how I score certain items)
 
Part 2: Enjoy the trip!
 
While on the trip, I want to focus on being present – both in the places we visit and with my family – and making memories. I will award myself points for actions that work towards this end: taking pictures, connecting with the family (games, conversation, etc.), meeting new people, journaling (activities), etc.
 
Part 3: Re-establishing habits
 
There are a number of habits that I am just really starting to have established, and I want to re-focus on them upon our return. I will give myself 1 point for each day that I do one of these habits (I reserve the right to add to this list ):

• Have social time with someone outside the family, or significant social time within the family
• Defeat fear or procrastination
• Ask the kids to help with chores
• Working on my healthy pregnancy business for at least 1 hour

Goal: 14 points per week
 
 
Grading:
I will be grading this challenge similar to how I graded the Silver Lining challenge – based on need for support rather than letter grades. I kind of stole the grading right out of there:
0-3/need more support; 4-6/A good start; 7-9/Nice –keep it going; 10-13/Great!; 14-18/Wow, Amazing!; 19+/â€I am the Dragon† 
 
Just to get everyone in the mood, here is what I understand is the actual Air New Zealand in-flight safety video currently. I will let you know if it is true after we have taken the flight. Also, For obvious reasons, there will be a lot of Lord of the Rings references throughout this thread. I will not necessarily *try* to have that as a theme, but how can nerds like my Hobbit and I go to NZ and NOT talk about LOTR?  

 

[Waanie]

Your challenge is absolutely amazing again . I love it how you adapt your challenge around your holiday, it is great . Subbed of course .

[Leothil]

Love your challenge, and did I mention how jealous of your trip I am? The part about being present during the trip is extra important, because far too often people focus on what they'll be able to show when they're at home instead of just enjoying the trip and the places for what they are. I think Randall Munroe nailed it in this comic:

Tapatalk has no idea what I'm doing.

[Lara]

To New Zealand in two weeks! Wow, THAT is a challenge!! Wish you'll have an amazing time!

[Strickland5]

DId I mention earlier that I'm jealous? 

[annyshay]

Yay!!!

[bluecarfuffle]

Elsfaire, this is SO AWESOME.

 

Enjoy NZ. I hope you post photos here too, but first and foremost enjoy it for yourself and your family and that lucky, lucky Hobbit.

 

You probably have tons on your pre-departure to-do list, but I would say, try to get your hands on some binoculars. If you can, also get a book on flora and fauna (if that's your thing, of course). The reason is that the flowers and the birds are incredible. While you are there, please blow a kiss to a fantail for me, and if you see a tui, give him a smile and a wink.

[The.Introverted.Goddess]

Great challenge! And I too am jealous of your trip!! Have a great time! Props for dividing your challenge up to encorporate your trip!

Sub'd

[Elastigirl]

Another epic challenge. I love how you've arranged it around your trip. And I love your trip goals, to be present and make some wonderful memories. I also like how you have reestablishing old habits and plan to keep working on them. One of the things I found has been that 6 weeks is a good start to making a habit, but it can also be easy to drop those habits while working on others.

[Twilight]

Fabulous!

[Lil_Red_Devil]

*looks at her less-than-furry feet* well, I suppose I'm more dwarf than hobbit, but I can still fold up to fit in your luggage, I promise Best of luck with your challenge, and enjoy your time in kiwi land x

[elsfaire]

Your challenge is absolutely amazing again . I love it how you adapt your challenge around your holiday, it is great . Subbed of course .

Thanks - part of learning to be gentle on myself is learning how t set realistic expectations. Being adaptable is a great skill, and I am enjoying developing it more.

 

Love your challenge, and did I mention how jealous of your trip I am? The part about being present during the trip is extra important, because far too often people focus on what they'll be able to show when they're at home instead of just enjoying the trip and the places for what they are. I think Randall Munroe nailed it in this comic:

 

This is a great comic! I was trying to share it on Facebook, but can't find a URL.

Anyway, I know that I need to remind myself to be present sometimes. It is so easy to just concern myself with occupying my brain and forget to BE. I don't want to occupy myself out of this experience!

 

Another epic challenge. I love how you've arranged it around your trip. And I love your trip goals, to be present and make some wonderful memories. I also like how you have reestablishing old habits and plan to keep working on them. One of the things I found has been that 6 weeks is a good start to making a habit, but it can also be easy to drop those habits while working on others.

Thanks. I do notice some of my good habits starting to slip already. I am trying to be accepting of the fact that this will happen, and just build in ways to revisit the habits instead of getting mad when they slip.

[Elastigirl]

 

Thanks. I do notice some of my good habits starting to slip already. I am trying to be accepting of the fact that this will happen, and just build in ways to revisit the habits instead of getting mad when they slip.

Being an old timer, I can say from experience, yea just expect to revisit the habits. At least  for me, it takes a while to really establish the habits.

[elsfaire]

To New Zealand in two weeks! Wow, THAT is a challenge!! Wish you'll have an amazing time!

Thank you! I am trying to stay excited instead of stressed about the timeline.

 

DId I mention earlier that I'm jealous? 

Maybe...    I am usually the one who is jealous of trips. This is the first time we have ever done an extended vacation that was not just visiting family, and only my 4th time leaving the US (2 of those were day excursions to Canada, and the 3rd trip was a year ago on a cruise).

 

Yay!!!

Glad to have you here!

 

Elsfaire, this is SO AWESOME.

 

Enjoy NZ. I hope you post photos here too, but first and foremost enjoy it for yourself and your family and that lucky, lucky Hobbit.

 

You probably have tons on your pre-departure to-do list, but I would say, try to get your hands on some binoculars. If you can, also get a book on flora and fauna (if that's your thing, of course). The reason is that the flowers and the birds are incredible. While you are there, please blow a kiss to a fantail for me, and if you see a tui, give him a smile and a wink.

I know we will take lots of photos, though I am not sure how successful I will be at posting them from NZ. I am arranging a temporary cell phone with data, and I know we will have some down time.

 

Great idea to bring the binoculars! We have a couple of pairs, but I had not thought about bringing them. One of the excursions I want to do is "Zealandia at Night" in which they say you have a high chance of seeing a kiwi. I might try to see if there is an info channel on the flora and fauna on Air New Zealand so I can learn some on the flight. I do love nature.

 

Great challenge! And I too am jealous of your trip!! Have a great time! Props for dividing your challenge up to encorporate your trip!

Sub'd

Thank you for the well-wishes, and for joining me here.

 

Fabulous!

Thanks!

 

*looks at her less-than-furry feet* well, I suppose I'm more dwarf than hobbit, but I can still fold up to fit in your luggage, I promise Best of luck with your challenge, and enjoy your time in kiwi land x

You are at least the second person to ask to fold up in our luggage. We would have to buy all our clothes there and have very heavy bags! Thank you for stopping by!

[Leothil]

This is a great comic! I was trying to share it on Facebook, but can't find a URL.

Anyway, I know that I need to remind myself to be present sometimes. It is so easy to just concern myself with occupying my brain and forget to BE. I don't want to occupy myself out of this experience!

Here you go! http://xkcd.com/77/

Tapatalk has no idea what I'm doing.

[elsfaire]

Here you go! http://xkcd.com/77/

Tapatalk has no idea what I'm doing.

Awesome! Thanks!

[elsfaire]

Week 1, Days 1-2

 

Well, I did not exactly have an ideal start to my challenge. I had a busy day on Monday trying to get the accounting for my Hobbit's business caught up and in to the accountant for review. Tuesday was pretty good, but no catching up from Monday has happened yet.

 

Fitness:  2/14 points

Monday: Well, uh, kind of nothing. 0 pts

Tuesday: Walk, yoga. 2 pts

 

Mental/Emotional Health:  3/14 points

Monday: Did my positive questions, though it was hard. 1 pt

Tuesday: Did meditation and positive questions. 2 pts

 

Life Goal (Trip prep!):  1/14 points

Monday: Looked for new hiking shoes for me, but did not find any. 0 pts

Tuesday: Took an inventory of our nutritional supplements so I know what to buy. 1 pt

[Leothil]

Mental/Emotional Health:  3/14 points

Monday: Did my positive questions, though it was hard.

 

Well that's really what counts! By trying it should get easier to do when it's hard in the future as well.

[Lara]

Such a trip can feel like a bit overwhelming to prepare, but do as you said: focuse on the thrill, the impatience... the trip's already began!!

[elsfaire]

Well that's really what counts! By trying it should get easier to do when it's hard in the future as well.

 

 

Such a trip can feel like a bit overwhelming to prepare, but do as you said: focuse on the thrill, the impatience... the trip's already began!!

Thank you both. For some reason, ever since the evening after the party and reveal I have had a lingering sense of apprehension. I think I am afraid that I have messed something up, or will mess it up. I am afraid that we will not have a good enough time to justify the expense, or that my boys will go into surly teenager mode, or that someone will get bored or burned out partway through the journey, or that the long plane ride home will diminish the good experience of the trip. I am probably being unreasonable, but it is really weighing on me lately. I am sure that getting a 1-week-early attack of the ladywhatnots on Monday has not helped. :/

 

 

Week 1, Day 3 Update

 

Wednesday was better. I guess I need to stop thinking that suddenly my life and schedule will be different just because we have a trip coming up soon.

 

Fitness:  4/14 points

Wednesday: Stationary bike, yoga. 2 pts

I also tried to do BWW, but only ended up with 30 mountain climbers and 2 sets of 2 pullup/chinup negatives because I kept getting delayed. Decided to forget it and try again today.

 

Mental/Emotional Health:  5/14 points

Wednesday: Did meditation (while on the stationary bike - surprisingly effective) and positive questions. 2 pts

 

Life Goal (Trip prep!):  1/14 points

Wednesday: Lots of partial prep (listing snacks to bring to help with all our food allergies, started a meal plan, brought Thirteen to buy a few additional clothing items for the trip, made a list of the few remaining items to book before we leave), but nothing completed, so no points.

 

Today is mostly focused on ordering anything else we need to get before the trip, and preparing to teach a private childbirth class tonight (oh yeah, and work). It is the first time I will be teaching in about 7 years, and the class format is very different, so I am rather nervous about that, too.  I will probably be feeling better tomorrow.

[Waanie]

You are too hard on yourself. I understand your worries, since I always think like that as well . However, in the end it always turns out to be alright, especially if you're working as hard for your trip as you are now. Calm down, you are doing great .

[Leothil]

You are too hard on yourself. I understand your worries, since I always think like that as well . However, in the end it always turns out to be alright, especially if you're working as hard for your trip as you are now. Calm down, you are doing great .

 

Agreeing! You're getting a lot done, no matter how unfinished it might feel to you. I hope your lesson went well!

[Elastigirl]

Very exciting that you are doing a childbirth class. I'm sure it will go amazing. Tell us about it tomorrow.

I think all your lists count as prep time. Getting the stuff isn't near as hard as figuring out what you need to get and organizing that.

[Lara]

I understand your worries, but you can't know the future. Those are only guesses, thoughts, and they have no value. You can't foresee everything, and maybe what you think could happen won't happen, and maybe other things will. So, you can't know. Your mind is messing with you. Don't let it do that, it is not good for you. You have done a lot of planning, now it's time to let it go, it is not on your hands if they will have fun, if not, how will they feel the plane flight, if they will be in this or this other mood... You've done your work, a very good one in my opinion, and now it is time to enjoy!

 

And again, OHMYGODYOUREGOINGTONEWZEALAAAAAAAND!!!!!!!

 

[elsfaire]

You guys are awesome! Thank you for the pick-me-up. Now it is time to go teach!