Brekke Climbs Back on the Wagon

[Brekketechie]

There’s a cliché about 2 steps forward and 1 step back. My friends, I am that cliché. 13 weeks of solid workouts derailed by a bout of the blues and then holiday mayhem. But, every day is fresh with no mistakes in it (thanks Anne of Green Gables!).  So today is a new day. This year is a new year. And this is the beginning of a brand new 6 Week Challenge. Scouts, I hope you'll have me along for the journey!

 

Preface: I’m in the process of discerning whether I want to stay in my job beyond the next year and a half. I’m also in the painful process of going through therapy to deal with some deep-rooted trust issues (yay being a well-adjusted adult!). I suspect these will impact my workout motivation. So, yeah, that’s a thing. Better to lay the cards out on the table now, then fill y'all in later. 

 

 

Main Quests:

Brekke hits the trails: 2+ mile runs 3x a week  +2 STA,  + 2 DEX

My goal is to race a triathlon this June. If I’m going to be serious about that, then I must start training for it now. Since I need to work on my bike (and I’m a bit short of the $$ to fix it up – Christmas was expensive!) I’m going to focus my first round of training on getting a solid run routine.

 

18/18 = A, 15/18 = B,  12/18 = C, >12/18 = Fail

 

Brekke stays strong: 2 strength routines each week  +2 STR
I want to maintain my muscle mass while upping my running. However, I know that working out every day will completely undo me.  So, 2 strength routines of my choosing – whether free weights at the gym or bodyweight workouts at home – will qualify.

 

12/12 = A, 10/12 = B, 8/12 = C, >8/12 = F

 

Brekke drinks up: water tracking  + 2 CON

I’m fairly solid about meal prep (except for when I get super busy/am not at home). So, for this challenge, I want to focus on my water intake. I think that I might be mildly dehydrated on a regular basis. So I’m going to try and get my recommended 9 cups (2.2 liters) of water a day (this is from the Mayo Clinic’s recommendation for a healthy woman). I won’t count my morning coffee or any alcohol since those are both diuretics. But water or tea will all count toward the goal. We’ll see how that goes.

 

39/42 on target = A,  34/42 = B,  30/42 = C, >30/42 = F

 

Side Quests:

Brekke Speaks Up: Practice my Spanish. +1 WIS

I want to have a strong conversational level of Spanish by this summer. So, through regular flash card practice and weekly “Spanish sessions†with friends I hope to make significant progress. My benchmarks for this are: Weekly speaking sessions. They can be in-person or through the italki language exchange website (it’s pretty cool!).

 

Pass/Fail

 

Brekke Saves Up: Keep a budget log. + 1 WIS

Christmas was damn expensive. I spent a bit more than I intended. SO, in order to reign in the spending pattern and pay off my flights back home, I am going t keep a vigilant budget log. Although I only intended to track for the month of January, it’ll probably good to track for February as well. If I stay within (ideally under) budget, then I pass. Otherwise, I fail, in more ways than one!!

 

Pass/Fail

 

 

I’m continuing my quest to get to Rivendell, even though it’ the new year. I’m happy to have a long term goal to keep working toward. And I’m going to continue finding me time regularly – which will be mostly though journaling and therapy.

 

 

Ultimately, I want to be healthy and happy. I want to have the ability – physically, emotionally, financially – to live a life of joy and adventure. I want to be able to share my love and not feel trapped by my physical capabilities, my emotional baggage, or my finances. I want to live in freedom. That’s the BIG GOAL. This Challenge is one step in that direction.

 

Let’s Do This, Team!

 

[Amdhiel]

Cheering squad checking in.... support system enabled

 

Glad to see you jumping back in and working on the important stuff. You may want to try looking at YNAB if your interested in more comprehensive and flexible budgeting. 

[Thister]

Count me in as a cheerleader and Elaine-dancer because that's about as good as my moves get. Haha!

 

Can't wait to track runs with you! I usually run the interval plan that Steve has laid out, but I do enjoy a good 5k outdoors or, if need be, at the gym from time to time. Getting a solid run routine in the winter can be rough, but you can do it and I'll cheer you through it.

 

Your goals look great. Let's rock it!

[shaar]

YES YES YES

 

 

I'm so glad to see you back in business!!  Slow little steps forward are ALWAYS better than doing nothing or losing progress... I feel you though, sometimes I feel like everyone else is making these great leaps and bounds with new and exciting things and I'm over here like... turtle-style slow!!  It can be disheartening for sure.

 

YOU GOT THIS!  We are here for you!  You deserve to rock 2015! <3 <3

[Lilia]

Happy new year and welcome back It is indeed a new year and a new day! Your quests sound cool, especially running a triathlon - that's badass! I'll be here to cheer you on  

 

 

Let's do this! 

[aeshnidae]

Subbed! And I've got Skull Crushers III up for anyone who wants in! 

[Terinatum]

Welcome to the new year of 2015!

 

We are here and happy to help out whenever you have a need. Possibly even when you don't as I talk a lot, ask anyone!

 

Hahaha  Enjoy!

[Brekketechie]

Preliminary Numbers

Weight:  155lbs (yay! Lost another 2 pounds!)

Waist:    32 ½â€

Hips:      41 ½â€

Belly:     39 ¾â€

Bicep  L: 12 ½â€; R: 13â€

Calf:    L: 15 1/8†R: 15â€

Thigh  L: 24 ½†R: 25â€

 

 

Day 1: Slow but steady…

 

Y’all I feel all wonky. My stomach has been out of sorts for a few days. It feels like a balloon is expanding inside my abdomen just below my ribs on my left side. It’s uncomfortable but not painful but it’s making me all grumpy and is just another impediment that my fragile motivation doesn’t need.*

 

That said: I went running! First run of the new year and first run in well over a month. It was a light run/walk with a good friend – and it was FREEZING (well, almost freezing) – but it was smooth and I feel really good afterwards. 2.5ish miles and I didn’t feel like I was dying. My friend Abby helped me keep pace. Actually, it was wonderful and I loved it. SO, yeah, running with a friend is great.

 

 

 

 

*I’m actually worried that it’s appendicitis. Or an epic gas bubble. Ugh, so uncomfortable.

[Raxie]

Oooh Spanish-ing! I did Duolingo for my last challenge, and am still working on it here and there.  How exciting!

[shaar]

 

Y’all I feel all wonky. My stomach has been out of sorts for a few days. It feels like a balloon is expanding inside my abdomen just below my ribs on my left side. It’s uncomfortable but not painful but it’s making me all grumpy and is just another impediment that my fragile motivation doesn’t need.*

 

*I’m actually worried that it’s appendicitis. Or an epic gas bubble. Ugh, so uncomfortable.

 

 

Hey hey, welcome to Shaarawy Has a Lot of Experience With Painful and Possibly Embarrassing GI Problems!

 

 

If it's lower left (like, your left, not the left of someone facing you... well, like, if the pain is on the side of your left hand) then it's definitely either GI upset or gas funtimes.  Stuff like that often collects on the left side of the colon in preparation to say adios and exit the body.  Gas pains are crazy man, sometimes you can feel them all the way up to your shoulder if it's intense!  It could be multiple things, most likely a shift in your diet... say, from overdoing holiday food to getting back onto a cleaner diet?  Or if you're eating something you're not used to?  The colon can be a finicky creature.  (That sounds creepy.)

 

There are actually some yoga stretches to help along pain and discomfort in the GI area, I use them OFTEN and I'll try to search for them later today!

 

Your appendix is on your right side kind of evenly spaced from your lower ribcage and navel, if it were going to get all asplodey, it'd be very sharp constant pains.

 

Source - Longtime IBS sufferer and gentle hypochondriac.

 

     

[Amdhiel]

Awesome day 1 Brekke!! I hope your stomach/gut starts feeling better soon. I'm with Shaarawy that it's most likely something related to diet changes and such. Hopefully you're not discovering a food sensitivity >.<!

[Brekketechie]

Day 2 update:

this is quick because I feel poorly an am crawling into bed. Doc thinks I have an inflamed stomach or pancreas (ugh) but blood work hasn't come back yet. Hurts to eat. Feel like I've been punched form the inside out + have reoccurring acid reflux. Skipped weight training today, hopefully can get some meds and be back in action tomorrow.

[Big_Show]

Ooh, that sucks - you rest up and get well soon!  I prescribe a boxset or two.

[Amdhiel]

Ack that sounds terrible! Take care of yourself!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[shaar]

Oh man, I had a bout of 3-4 days years ago where it hurt to eat anything... I was sobbing and miserable.  Dislike dislike DISLIKE.  Definitely take good care of yourself, sending lots of love and hugs and hoping for good news!!

[aeshnidae]

Here's to feeling better fast! I hate how so many of us seem to get sidelined right at the start of a challenge, but it's good that you're taking care of yourself. Here's some Stephen Colbert to cheer you up:

 

[Terinatum]

Hey brekke.

Sorry about the bowels. My bestie has colitis so I kinda get what you're dealing with here. Often she is reduced to toast and oatmeal, things that are bland and soft. Hurting just to eat? I'm not sure how she did that. Maybe teas like mint or peppermint.

I feel for ya that's for sure. If there are things that you can do to take your attention off the pain and the inability to exercise, I would prescribe that. Don't count these days as fails though because you are living life as you have to right now and that's exactly what you need to be doing. So as painful as it is, these are still decent days, challenge-wise.

I hope it all clears up as soon as it can.

Gentle hugs.

[Raxie]

Oh noooo! Feel better! Focus on yourself right now and getting your tummy in order, don't pressure yourself into doing anything you don't feel comfortable doing today

[Thister]

Hope you are feeling better! 

 

Just thought I'd share this as a reminder that we have a dance off to do later. Hahaha!

 

[shaar]

[Brekketechie]

Sooooo, I was in the Emergency Room for 9 hours yesterday.

 

Here's the short version: I still have mysterious, undiagnosable abdominal pain which is being treated with some kind of acid-redusing meds and super-crazy-pain-goes-away meds. But they have no idea what's wrong. HOWEVER, while doing a bunch of scans to see what was wrong with my belly they happened across a mass in my pelvis. I have a multi cystic mass on my left ovary which needs surgery. They're concerned about it bursting (and potentially being cancerous). But,they said the surgery is pretty simple.

 

WHAT THE HECK?!?! I'm 28, this should not be happening to me.

 

Anyway, I'm waiting to hear about another doctor's appointment before I take my super meds and try to sleep someone. So I'm just calling Week 1 a wash and hoping to start strong with Week 2.

 

I hope all of you are faring  far better than I. 

[shaar]

OH HONEY.

I wish I were at my desktop so I could post some huggy gifs for you.

I'm SO glad you are ok, how scary!!!!!! Please keep us posted and let us know if we can send you a get well card in the mail or something [emoji178]

[TMedina]

And by "like" I mean all the best wishes and luck for you.

[Thister]

I second TMedina with my like as well. 

 

Stay strong over there, Brekke! Do what you need to do for your health. 

[Terinatum]

Oh shit! I'm sorry brekke. You are so young, it totally sucks. 

I hope it's not cancer. I had ovarian cancer in 2010.

I am holding you in my heart, dear.

 

Surgery:

You should ask for the robotic surgery if you can. it's done with the Da Vinci machine. It leaves 5 small scars and you're up the next day. Recovery is fast and smother the the regular abdominal surgery.