In which Sarah Barr explores more new lands and does Science to them.

[Sarah Barr]

Challenge Nine! NINE! Blimey. Wanderlust is upon me as usual and it's getting warm(ish) enough(ish) that I can go do something about it! It's adventure tiiiime!

 

 

Last time:

- I worked out the number of calories I need to eat in order to start losing weight in practice as opposed to in theory (1400, which surprised me too).

- I managed to maintain almost a challenge long workout streak (then my knee did funny things and I missed two sessions right at the end).

- I poured a litre or more of water into my facehole every day

- I converted my crafting pit into a tiny laboratory

 

This time:

- I miss the hobbity adventures I went on in about my third or fourth challenge. I also miss writing about them, so I'mma do that again this time; I need some endurance exercise anyway.

 

So, GOALS:

 

Main Goal: Hobbit about, do things that make me feel healthy, be happy. Not that specific, I know, but it's less of an overarching goal and more of a target trajectory for life.

 

 

Goal 1: 

Stick to 1400kcal/day.

- By consulting the list of my own calorie-counted recipes

- By replacing dull filler foods like bread and rice and pasta (which I spend lots of unnecessary calories on) with nutritious alternatives like not-having-bread, and vegetable mash, and courgette fake-pasta.

- By making sure I do proper shopping every week instead of rummaging round the corner shop for pot noodles whenever I run out of healthy food.

- By drinking at least a litre of water a day (this was pretty easy last time, so I'm incorporating it into my food goal)

- Bonus protein shake on training days. The ones I have are about 150kcal.

+5 CON

 

 

Goal 2:

Keep going with strength training, 3 x a week

- I realised that I should have swapped every other deadlift set for a power clean set a while ago, so current routine looks like this:

- Warm up

- Front Squat, 3 x 5

- OH Press or Bench Press, 3 x 5 (alternate days)

- Deadlift or Power Clean, 3 x 5 (alternate days)

- Cool down.

- My main motivation for this is the terror I am filled with if I get to go to the April Fort William meetup and the Crossfit instructor we visited last time sees I'm not even 10kg above my start weight on the deadlift. Meep. Also, strength training is very satisfying. But mostly fear.

- Need to watch form so I don't hurt my knees. I know this. 

- Bonus yoga once a week if I can find the time. 

+4 STR (or +3 STR and +1 DEX if I can do all six sessions of yoga)

 

 

 

Goal 3:

Go out, into the outside, into the place that is not inside, and remain in the place that is outside the place that is inside for a continuous period of a couple of hours every week. Hoof about in that place, and then write a short adventure story for that place that is completely different to the ones you wrote last time. EVEN IF IT IS RAINING. You have waterproofs! And scarves! And a snorkel from Poundland if it's really that bad!

Places to visit:

- Cramond Island

- The Hermitage of Braid

- Portobello beach

- Figgate Park (I had no idea this even existed until recently and I can't believe it's in the city)

- Somewhere in the Pentlands (which will be an adventure because I have absolutely no idea where to go)

- The Water of Leith walkway (I put the Botanic Gardens here first but honestly, if I go there, I will just walk about for five minutes and then eat scones.)

+2 STA, +1 CHA

 

 

Life Goal:

Do science to those outside places.

- I want to look at what aquatic microorganisms are where. So I'll be collecting a few vials of water from each place and examining the tiny, flagellating and pootling things within.

- I want to see how community compositions differ between comparable sites (I bloody love community ecology). That'll be a study for another challenge, but I can lay the groundwork for it in this one by learning about what species there are, learning how to identify them, and wistfully wishing I had a boat and some Niskin bottles instead of leaky boots and some old camera film tubs. 

+3 WIS

 

 

 

 

Monitoring:

Using HabitRPG because I want presents, and it's easier to keep track that way. Must get over a 60% completion rate to pass each goal, must pass all 3 challenge goals to win challenge.

- Did you avoid bread/rice/pasta? (Habit)

- Did you stick to calorie limit? (Daily)

- Did you drink 1 litre of water? (Daily)

- Did you lift? (Mon, Wed, Fri)

- Did you go outside and stay there? (Saturday)

- Did you do yoga? (Sunday)

- Have you done food shopping? (Sunday)

- Did you collect water samples? (Saturday)

- Did you write an adventure? (Sunday)

- Did you look at the water samples? (Sunday)

- Weigh-ins on Sunday mornings. Maybe tape measurements, but I screw those up a lot.

- Also, going to make the page for the weight-loss Accountabiddlydoodlies in a bit. 

 

 

Seriously, look at Figgate Park.

 

Preeetty...

 

Time to get cracking, then!

[deftona]

Yay, new challenge! Subbed, naturally. I love that you have a poundland snorkel, (I kinda want one too now) and that park looks lovely, I am seriously falling in love with Edinburgh.

Also, bonus points for using the word "flagellating" 

[Sarah Barr]

The poundland snorkel hurts my face, I think it's for children. I really want to find a stretch of sea that isn't full of sewage so I can test it out without contracting diptheria or something! Next time there's deep snow...

[deftona]

The poundland snorkel hurts my face, I think it's for children. I really want to find a stretch of sea that isn't full of sewage so I can test it out without contracting diptheria or something! Next time there's deep snow...

 

Yeah, you take your life into your own hands in the North Sea. Get yourself to Cornwall, they're posh down south and don't have to build sandcastles amongst the effluence like us further north. 

[Terah]

Good luck with your goals, I will be following you again

 

[Cledbo]

Hobbity adventures + science = subbed

[Sarah Barr]

THE FACE ON THAT CAT! I'm dying!

 

Merry prep day! Shopping list: check! Time allotted for food shop: check! Gym kit clean: check! 

 

(Overuse of exclamation marks: yes.)

 

Frozen veg is the best. It's making everything so much easier. Also, watched Captain Planet for the first time yesterday (it's exactly the blend of cheesy mullet-wearing adventure and He-Man-Bat-Man-Style "Hey kids, remember to brush your teeth!" I was hoping it would be) and am trying to work "produce less rubbish" into my shopping. 

[deftona]

Also, watched Captain Planet for the first time yesterday (it's exactly the blend of cheesy mullet-wearing adventure and He-Man-Bat-Man-Style "Hey kids, remember to brush your teeth!" I was hoping it would be) and am trying to work "produce less rubbish" into my shopping. 

 

CAPTAIN PLANET, HE'S A HERO, GONNA TAKE POLLUTION DOWN TO ZERO. 

 

^Why do I remember that bit so vividly, yet remember nothing else about it?

 

Great work on the challenge prep, it sounds to me like you're ready! 

 

[Lag a'mhuilin]

Hey captain! Really like the hobbity adventures and science goals. Those place names already sound like locations in Narnia or something. Looking forward to this challenge. Thanks for the group!

[chiyou]

Hello, cap! Hobbit adventures sound wonderful and inspiring--subscribing in hopes of pictures of flora and fauna!

[Sarah Barr]

Morning, shipmates!

 

subscribing in hopes of pictures of flora and fauna!

 

 Ooh, good point, I should remember to bring my camera! 

[artemisia victoria]

Hey Cap! Like the hobbity adventures in place outside of the inside place. I used to live in St Andrews, lots of good walks up there if you can take a day trip! Subbed!

[Shello]

I loves me some pictures of adventures.  Happy fauna hunting.

[Gobnait]

I love the "go outside" concept, though it sounds pretty intense and scary.

[mikey08]

Great goals. Very similar to what my goals are this challenge. I am very excited to be part of your Accountabilibuddies team. I also love the idea of using HabitRPG to track habits, we should start a party. My user id is in my signature.

[Sarah Barr]

Party would be fun! I'm in a party already with my partner, though, and she's trying to convince me to do quests with her, so I'll pass on an NF party for the moment.

 

Day 2 is going great! I finally hit 62.5kg for my deadlift! Very happy! And I've been taking packed lunches to work, so it's easier sticking to calorie limit and no-bread plan so far. 

[Fit JEM]

I recently started using HabitRPG too and I love it.  It's weird how much seeing a task red makes me want to go do it!  Are you hungry when you only eat 1400 calories a day?  When I count calories, I think I get a little psychotic so I'm trying intermittent fasting for this challenge and so far, so good.  I actually saw a loss on the scale today:-)

[Sarah Barr]

Day 3 went okay, work was stressy and things after work were stressy but I did not comfort eat. Well, I had a little bit of hot chocolate, but it's still within my allowance and it's certainly not the pizza I thought about ordering. Must get more freggies into my diet today, didn't have any yesterday.

Supposed to be my holiday but a disappearing boss and a crashing computer means I am going to have to go in today. Will attempt to convince him to give me Monday off because I really need a break.

Guess it does mean I have to be near the gym anyway, and it is OHP day. Dun dun dun. I'm doing my first set of power cleans today. I do power cleans every time I front squat and OHP, but I'm looking forward to working on them separately because I think they do limit the amount I can front squat at the moment.

 

 

 Are you hungry when you only eat 1400 calories a day?  When I count calories, I think I get a little psychotic so I'm trying intermittent fasting for this challenge and so far, so good.  I actually saw a loss on the scale today:-)

 

You know, I thought I would be, and often I am when I calorie count. But since I'm not eating bread, I'm having a lot more protein instead, and I've noticed that whenever I'm feeling hungry now it's usually almost mealtime or I'm just wanting something to do. Been trying to draw every day, which is pretty absorbing and is stopping a lot of the evening snack cravings. 

 

Good luck with intermittent fasting, I've seen that really work, and well done so far!
 

[ZalatwicZach]

I finally hit 62.5kg for my deadlift!

You'll be uprooting trees in no time, Sarah! 

[Sarah Barr]

Gym sucked yesterday! Tried to find out my 5RM for power cleans (turns out it is not that high) and the damn barbell snagged the underwiring on my bra, and now my bra and Iron Maiden shirt are ripped and I have a wound on my chest where the sharp steel wire tried to exact revenge. (It is tiny. I am grateful. Being properly stabbed would have been embarrassing.) Was so pissed off I couldn't even finish my workout. Still pissed off.

 

My reward for this challenge shall be a decent non-wired sports bra that fits, which I wish didn't cost so much.

 

Today I get to do science, though. It was forecast to be dry and sunny today some days ago, now it is to be rainy and blustery. Perfect weather for trying to cross a slime-covered, crumbling, mile-long causeway.

 

Watching Jaws and attempting to shake self out of grumpy mood. 

[deftona]

that sucks Sarah. Hope you shake your mood a little but if there is a proper way to rip and Iron Maiden T shirt, that is probably it, with some badass metal on the quest for awesomeness. 

 

Bruce Dickinson and Eddie approve. 

 

[artemisia victoria]

Gym sucked yesterday! Tried to find out my 5RM for power cleans (turns out it is not that high) and the damn barbell snagged the underwiring on my bra, and now my bra and Iron Maiden shirt are ripped and I have a wound on my chest where the sharp steel wire tried to exact revenge. (It is tiny. I am grateful. Being properly stabbed would have been embarrassing.) Was so pissed off I couldn't even finish my workout. Still pissed off.

 

My reward for this challenge shall be a decent non-wired sports bra that fits, which I wish didn't cost so much.

 

Ugh I know this pain! So hard to find comfortable sports bras that give you the support you need. I know Victoria's Secret has some very good 'underwire' without wire ones, but not sure how accessible they are in the UK.

[deftona]

I have this one and it's reasonably priced. I have four sports bras but this one is my favourite - they come in bigger sizes and they are really supportive. No underwire either. 

[Retxab]

Watching Jaws and attempting to shake self out of grumpy mood. 

 

I didn't want to have to bust out the big guns so early in the challenge, but here's my best anti-grumpy shot: what happens when you take a rescue dog to the beach.

[DrFeelgood]

All I can say is thank God none of my underclothing has wires.