Spockgrrl Starts Again.

[spockgrrl]

Hello, I am Spockgrrl and this is my second attempt at my first challenge.  I took a break from my fitness journey and really discovered how much I need to commit to this.  

 

Main Quest: To reach my "goal weight" of 155 pounds by this time next year. (I currently weigh 195 pounds, so that's 40 pounds to lose) To have a healthy relationship with food. 

 

Quest 1: Exercise at least 5 days a week, and do an active recovery day (yoga, a light walk, etc) at least one day a week. 

 

Quest 2: Meditate at least 5 days a week, and keep a journal.

 

Quest 3: Record all of my food and exercise. This includes checking in with my accountability partners and Nerd Fitness community members on a daily basis. Last time around, once I stopped doing this, I did an acrobatic fucking pirouette off the wagon.

 

Life Quest: Meet some new people, and generally be more social.

 

Motivation: I've wasted too much of my youth twisting in the wind. It's time to find some peace and be happy.

[Tzippi Longstockings]

Welcome back to the rebellion! I fell off my first challenge, too - just completely abandoned it in week three. But this last time, I was much more active on the boards and that kept me going!

Sounds like some challenging goals - do you have a sliding scale of what "exercise" means, or do you always do the same workout/program/etc? Meditating and journaling sounds like a wonderful idea! 

 

Here we go . . .

 

[spockgrrl]

Thanks Tzippi! I have a set of DVDs that has a work out for every day of the week, and I love all of them, so I'm planning on using those at least for the few weeks. If I begin to tire of them, I'll start looking for something else. I prefer working out at home, so I'm going to see how long that's effective.  

[princessamypants]

Yeah spockgrrl you got this!! (You're my kind of person, I dressed as Spock for Halloween this year.) 

 

DVDs are awesome, I love using those to get in shape. I'm always careful of stuff I find on youtube, but Yoga With Adriene is the best online source for Yoga videos I've ever found. She walks you through a pose each day and has some guides to breathing, too.

 

Good luck! 

[spockgrrl]

Great tip! Thank you so much!

[madambones]

I have similar goals to you. I also have failed at other challenges, but this one will be different😀. We got this!

[Blaidd]

acrobatic pirouettes off the wagon are epic and then you get back on again.  Welcome back.

 

You might notice that someone has added tags onto your thread.  This is not to pigeonhole you into a specific guild, but rather to attract the attention of the guild ambassadors because of your lifestyle or a grouping of goals, so that they might be able to motivate, encourage and advise you of anything during your challenge with us.  You don't even need to wait for them, you're welcome to pop into the Adventurers to say hi and introduce yourself and to see what they're about. Also you are more than welcome to drop me a line at any time if you need anything.

 

Good luck

AB xx

[spockgrrl]

Hey guys! Yesterday went well. I had a good workout, ate well. I had a good food day. I didn't meditate, but I have the rest of the week. Here's my food log:

[robozebra]

Hey, spockgrrl, looks like we had a similar experience. I too fell off the fitness wagon and am back to try again. You have some great goals, I love that one of your overall goals is to have a healthy relationship with food. That's a really great thing to work for and a really good way of putting it. You seem to be off to a good start, too, so good luck with the rest of the challenge!

[jaimeottele]

Hi! I too have the same goals. I was doing so well and am finishing what can only be called a sugar bender. I am around your weight and have the same weight loss goal. I too need accountability.

[Bekah]

heyyyyy  

I saw your "yoga" and "meditation" tags and stopped in. I'm the Druid Ambassador, and even now, after 2 years here...I have epic fallouts every 3rd challenge or so...it's actually very common and it's my job (and the other Ambassadors too) to help keep you here and posting so that you don't feel alone and get too close to the edge of the wagon  

Soooo...that being said, what are you doing for meditation? I am really boring and just sit and try to clear my head and think of water to be able to let go of control of every tiny thing in my world...nothing spectacular, but it works. What are you doing for your exercise/diet stuff? 

[Tzippi Longstockings]

 

This shirt!

 

Thought of you.

[robozebra]

 

This shirt!

 

Thought of you.

Well I can't speak for spockgrrl, but I definitely want that.

[spockgrrl]

heyyyyy  

I saw your "yoga" and "meditation" tags and stopped in. I'm the Druid Ambassador, and even now, after 2 years here...I have epic fallouts every 3rd challenge or so...it's actually very common and it's my job (and the other Ambassadors too) to help keep you here and posting so that you don't feel alone and get too close to the edge of the wagon  

Soooo...that being said, what are you doing for meditation? I am really boring and just sit and try to clear my head and think of water to be able to let go of control of every tiny thing in my world...nothing spectacular, but it works. What are you doing for your exercise/diet stuff? 

 

Thanks for stopping by! I have similar meditation techniques, I just generally try to clear my head and imagine myself in a quiet place, usually under a tree. Just focus on my breathing and think of nothing else. For me, the greatest challenge is pushing aside thoughts that try to come in, but the ability to control my own thinking is  a great victory when it happens. For exercise/diet stuff, I've been using a program called the 21 Day Fix, which is really just a habit-building 7 day exercise program with an eating plan that helps you learn to control your portions and think critically about how much of each food group your eating, etc. It's the third time I've done it, so I'm really familiar with the work outs and with the eating. Plus, my mom is a BeachBody coach so doing something to support her business is a plus for me. 

 

 

This shirt!

 

Thought of you.

Oh my goodness so cute!!! I am definitely putting this on my Christmas list so I can work out in Science blue!! <3

 

 

I've been super busy this week, so you all will get a more detailed update on my daily activity tomorrow morning during my Saturday morning lazy time. Thank you for all your support, I'll be lurking around on your challenge threads to return the favor.

[spockgrrl]

Hey gang! I'm here to talk about my week and then probably do the mini challenge later tonight (I'm cleaning my room/doing laundry so I'm using my breaks to my advantage.)

 

This week:

Exercised 3/7 days (goal 5/7) - So that's 60%. Not great, but better than nothing. I need to get better about making it easy for myself to get my workout done, and actually get excited to do it.

Meditated 5/7 days (goal 5/7) - 100%! Yay! I've been working a lot on more positive thinking outside of meditation, too. Onward!

Food log - I've logged every day, either directly after the meal or the following day. Though, honestly, when recording my food, I sort of "edited out" my slip-ups. I need to work on this.

 

Life Quest: I met a friend I've been talking to online for several months in person this week. It went really well, and I felt more at ease than usually do in these kinds of situations. I'll count this week as a plus in this regard.

 

Not a perfect start, but still making some progress, which feels great.

[Tzippi Longstockings]

Hey gang! I'm here to talk about my week and then probably do the mini challenge later tonight (I'm cleaning my room/doing laundry so I'm using my breaks to my advantage.)

 

This week:

Exercised 3/7 days (goal 5/7) - So that's 60%. Not great, but better than nothing. I need to get better about making it easy for myself to get my workout done, and actually get excited to do it.

Meditated 5/7 days (goal 5/7) - 100%! Yay! I've been working a lot on more positive thinking outside of meditation, too. Onward!

Food log - I've logged every day, either directly after the meal or the following day. Though, honestly, when recording my food, I sort of "edited out" my slip-ups. I need to work on this.

 

Life Quest: I met a friend I've been talking to online for several months in person this week. It went really well, and I felt more at ease than usually do in these kinds of situations. I'll count this week as a plus in this regard.

 

Not a perfect start, but still making some progress, which feels great.

 

Well done! And don't worry about it not not being "a perfect start" - remember that this is a challenge, so you will get better as you go, and that all of this is better than before, right? Looks like a great first week to me!

 

[spockgrrl]

Mini-Challenge Time! SMART

Here are some questions to put your goals to the test:

1. Is your overall quest achievable (over a short or long period of time)?  Is it reasonable? Yes, I believe my quest is achievable over a long period of time, and that it is reasonable. "Having a healthy relationship with food" is a bit vague on the surface, but I definitely think that I can measure it based on my eating habits, emotional eating/binging desires and how well I can make a more positive choice.

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? All 3 quests are focused on building habits in the healthy lifestyle I wish to lead. I'm hoping that the frequency of each goal (5+ days a week) makes exercise, meditation, and mindful eating a regular part of my life rather than a struggle.

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? I think they're realistic for now, but I am willing to adjust them if that changes.

4. Are your goals able to be measured and tracked?  What will you use to track them? Yeah, they're pretty much "yes or no" type of items that can be tracked easily - I either check it off or I don't.

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€? I am grading my goals weekly. Right now, I'm not building in rewards - I've always been pretty good at indulging/rewarding myself, so I"m not sure if they would motivate me properly.

6. What is your plan for continuing/altering/grading those goals if you become ill or injured? If I became ill or injured, I'd shift the focus to the mental and nutritional aspects of the challenge, probably making those more strenuous. 

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? The main focus for me with the holiday season is trying to have one indulgence meal a week, and never skip a workout on that day. Rest is good, but not on the same day as a feeding frenzy.

8. Do any of your main goals conflict with each other? Will one goal make it hard to do another? I don't think so.

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? I have time to do these things, but they will cut into my netflix time. Not a tough call there.

10. Are you trying to build multiple habits, or is all your energy focused on your main quest? I am trying to build three habits, one per mini quest.

[Tzippi Longstockings]

 

 The main focus for me with the holiday season is trying to have one indulgence meal a week, and never skip a workout on that day. Rest is good, but not on the same day as a feeding frenzy.

 

Truth.

[Thister]

Way to go on your goals, Spockgrrl! 

[spockgrrl]

Hey friends! I've had a great day today.

I got out of bed a bit earlier than usual, got ready and out the door very efficiently, still found the motivation to work out after a late return from work and dinner and watching Gotham (totally guilty pleasure) and pushed myself in my workout.

I've recorded my food for the day, contacted my IRL accountability buddies and now I'm checking in on you guys before curling up with a book and a cup of tea. I feel very accomplished, especially since yesterday was a really bad day and I have bounced back without any emotional eating, and that's a huge step. Hoping to keep this momentum going.

 

[Tzippi Longstockings]

Hey friends! I've had a great day today.

I got out of bed a bit earlier than usual, got ready and out the door very efficiently, still found the motivation to work out after a late return from work and dinner and watching Gotham (totally guilty pleasure) and pushed myself in my workout.

I've recorded my food for the day, contacted my IRL accountability buddies and now I'm checking in on you guys before curling up with a book and a cup of tea. I feel very accomplished, especially since yesterday was a really bad day and I have bounced back without any emotional eating, and that's a huge step. Hoping to keep this momentum going.

 

Good for you! After that great day, you have definitely earned some tea-and-book time! 

 

And I'm especially impressed with your getting past a tough day without it having a measurable impact on your eating. I tend to stress-eat, and justify it because "I don't have time to cook", or "I shouldn't have to all the time" or what have you.  

 

[spockgrrl]

Also, not that it matters really to anyone but me, but I've been doing some thinking, and I believe my future home will be with the Rangers, not the Druids.

[Tzippi Longstockings]

Nice! Come hang out in the Tent and introduce yourself, if you haven't yet! Being a Ranger is great!

[spockgrrl]

Hey all! Pretty good day today. Ate well, didn't work out, but spent some extra time meditating. 

 

Now it's bed time for Bonzo. Hope everyone had a good day!

[spockgrrl]

Howdy friends!

 

Another very good food/introspection day, but I didn't work out. I'm not feeling great and it's freezing in my poorly-insulated house, so it's hard to get motivated to do anything but be under a pile of blankets! However, I've used up my two rest days, which means I have to get back into it tomorrow. Thursday is my Pilates/Bodyweight workout, which is one of my favorites, so I don't think it will be a problem.

 

Onward.