Rivanariko Posted February 23, 2015 Report Share Posted February 23, 2015 It's been a rough winter for me. Not for any concrete reasons, I've just been full of self-pity and excuses. I had a firm discussion with myself about a week ago though, and reminded myself that the only person in charge of my success is me. If I don't have time to ride my horse after work, I need to go before work. When I was a working student, I go up at 5am so that I could run before I had be at the barn at 7 to start riding my docket of horses for the day. I don't have be at work till 9 most mornings. The "I don't have time" excuse needs to end. So here we are, ready to start again. Main Quest Line:Horse show this summer, earning the requisite first level scores towards my USDF bronze medal Goals for the Challenge: Ride the Damn Horse:It's unlikely that I'll be successful at showing if I don't ride my own horse on occasion. I get in my requisite rides on client horses, and teach all of my lessons, but riding my own horse gets pushed to the back burner, and since he is the one I would be showing, I need to make sure both of us are in shape and work out some "kinks" in our current routine. So:I will ride the Loki-Monster at least 4 days a week4 rides/week X 6 weeks = 24 ridesA: 24, B: 21-23, C: 18-20, D: 15-17, F: <15 Develop Strength and FlexibilityContrary to popular belief, riding is a lot of work. Particularly in my chosen discpline (Dressage). Serious strength training will definitely be a part of my routine as I work my way back up the levels, but in my past experience, Yoga has been one of the most useful for developing the base of functional strength and flexibility I need. So:I will practice yoga 3 days a week3 yogas/week X 6 weeks = 18 yogasA: 18, B: 15-17, C: 12-14, D: 9-11, F: <11 Lose Weight by Managing DietI'm not sure if my show clothes would fit at the moment. They were on the loose side when I was in college, but my activity level was a bit different then! When maintaining your scholarship depends on successful showing, that's pretty good motivation! For the first three weeks, this will mostly about closely examining where I am right now. So for the first half othe challenge, my goal is simply:Track food intake through MyFitnessPalHalfway through the challenge, I'll re-evaluate and see if I need to start modifying my diet, but honestly, the act of recording tends to make me eat healthier. If I know I have to be accountable for it at the end of the day, I make better choices. This is a pass/fail. Life Challenge - Increase side-incomeHorses are expensive. Very expensive. Currently, all of the money that I make off of traning rides and lessons that I teach goes into my "horse fund," as it is additional to the income from my "real" job. But between hoof care, lessons and clinics, show fees, it's amazing how fast that disappears. I'm not looking to increase my horse income too much right now, as time really is an issue with that, so I'm going to start trying to start freelance writing in the evenings to earn a bit more that can go toward my equestrian goals. So:I will complete my registration on Texbroker and pitch for 12 jobs. Quote "I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that leads to total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain." -Frank Herbert, Dune Link to comment
CyclingMimi Posted February 23, 2015 Report Share Posted February 23, 2015 Oh, I love horse back riding! I can't afford it, but it's one of my favourite things. All the best to you in this! Quote Michelle, aka "CyclingMimi" https://instagram.com/mejkreations/ http://www.myfitnesspal.com/profile/michellenrgzed http://www.graceinsmallthings.com/profile/MichelleEJKnowles Link to comment
Rivanariko Posted February 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 It's an expensive sport, for sure! It's been my passion for as long as I can remember though, and is a part-time job right now. The ultimate goal is for horses to become my career, but that's a long road to get to that place! Right now I'm making enough to cover most of my expenses, but I can't really expand my riding and training business while still working my day job because of time constraints. My hope is, if I can eventually transfer a significant portion of my income into writing and working from home, that will afford me the flexibility to devote more time to my equestrian goals. But like I said, it's a process! Quote "I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that leads to total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain." -Frank Herbert, Dune Link to comment
Rivanariko Posted February 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 25, 2015 Day one went well. I ended up not working today, so I had plenty of time for everything. My schedule is pretty erratic. But I did 30 minutes of yoga this morning (and decided I really need a new yoga DVD...) and rode the monster-horse (who was a jerk today... but that's besides the point.) So far I've tracked all of my food intake, though I still have dinner to go,. As long as I enter that, I can call today a success! Yippee! I should go get a cheap calendar that I can put stars on when I do everything I'm supposed to do... It is surprising how motivating stickers still are as an adult. Quote "I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that leads to total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain." -Frank Herbert, Dune Link to comment
Rivanariko Posted February 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 25, 2015 I should probably make mention of making my goals SMART for the weekly mini-quest, eh? I think they're pretty well honed. I spent an entire course doing nothing by writing goals and objectives in college thanks to my instructor program, so I've got some practice with the formula. Plus, I've got a list of failed challenges behind me, so hopefully I've managed to whittle down to a formula that will equal success? Worth a try at least! Quote "I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that leads to total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain." -Frank Herbert, Dune Link to comment
Rivanariko Posted February 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2015 Good day today, I rode the Loki-Monster this morning (I love morning rides if I can manage to drag myself out of bed. They're so peaceful and I love when the barn is completely empty.) and logged all of my food today. Tomorrow is yoga again. I think I've decided that if I get all three yoga sessions in this week, I get to buy a new DVD. Hopefully one a little less lame than my current one. But if nothing else at least it would be new. Quote "I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that leads to total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain." -Frank Herbert, Dune Link to comment
starsapart Posted February 26, 2015 Report Share Posted February 26, 2015 Welcome to the Rebellion! With the mobility work you're doing, you've attracted the attention of the Assassins' Guild.... but don't worry, I'm here in a supportive capacity! Even if you ultimately don't join us, we'd love to help you along on your journey, and there are a lot of people working on goals similar to yours within our black-clad ranks... If you think you might like to check us out, I hope you'll come by the Assassins' Den chat and say hello! We're very welcoming killers-in-black, really. You can also check out the Assassin Guild Info & Announcements for more info about what's going on with the guild. Pretty soon, we should also have our Assassin Phonebook up to date as well, which will allow you to find people who are working on similar skills to yours. And though we may be the bodyweight guild, we're also a guild of extreme variety - we do a bit of everything! Additionally, if you like what you see, I encourage you to go introduce yourself on the Level 1 Assassin Initiates Q&A/Chat thread as well! There are a lot of fun people hanging out as they consider whether to join us - and you can make new friends, ask questions of guild leadership, post awesome gifs (we wouldn't be Assassins without gif parties) and more! I hope to see you there soon. If you ever need anything, feel free to PM me or catch my attention by quoting one of my posts. Otherwise, I or one of my colleagues will be stopping by to check in on you and celebrate your successes as the challenge goes on. Now get out there and crush those goals! Quote current challenge challenge archive: 19 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 instagram | goodreads "Let us read, and let us dance; these two amusements will never do any harm to the world." - Voltaire Link to comment
Rivanariko Posted February 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2015 Thanks for the welcome, Starsapart! I'll definitely check it out! Found a free video for Yoga online this morning, and while it was a more strenous work out than my "beginner's AM and PM yoga", there's a reason why it was free. It was hard to follow, and my palms were aching by the end of the 20 minute video since the majority of the work was on all fours. It was good to try something new though. I'll have to keep looking around. I submitted my writing sample on textbroker, and should get my rating within a week. I'm not thrilled with what I wrote, but I needed to get it done and submitted. Have to start somewhere. I have a few other avenues I want to explore to see if I can pick up writing gigs, but I figure this might be a way to "get my feet wet" so to speak and just get back into the mode of writing. Teaching a lesson tonight, so I won't be riding the Monster-Horse, as he has to cart around a beginner for an hour. Quote "I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that leads to total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain." -Frank Herbert, Dune Link to comment
brutalbears Posted February 27, 2015 Report Share Posted February 27, 2015 Glad that you are on here, I really miss riding myself. I liven in a town when I was a kid where all the stores had spots to tie up your horses, and we would ride our horses everywhere. (ya, I know that is the most stereotypical thing for living in Kansas) But, living hours away from my grandparents farm I haven't rode in years. I hope that the Rebellion can help you out on your quest! I am rooting for you! Quote Challenges: R: Winter is Here 20|19|18|17|16|15|14|13|R|12|11|10|9|8|7|6|5|4|3|2|1 “I swear by my life and my love of it that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine.” -John Galt Link to comment
Amdhiel Posted March 1, 2015 Report Share Posted March 1, 2015 Looks like you're having a good week so far! I've taken some dressage lessons and man is it a challenging and demanding sport mentally and physically. I'd really love to get into it seriously at some point but finding and getting to a barn is neigh impossible with out a car. There are a lot of good free yoga classes on youtube. You may want to look at Erin Motz and the 30-day yoga challenge from doyouyoga or Yoga with Adrienne. Keep up the good work! Quote Assassin Battle Log | MFP: Amdhiel Challenges: Current, #7, #6, #5, #4, #3, #2, #1 "Why do we fall sir? So that we can learn to pick ourselves up." Alfred - Batman Begins Link to comment
Elastigirl Posted March 1, 2015 Report Share Posted March 1, 2015 Looks like you are starting the challenge well. Quote Wisdom 22.5 Dexterity 13 Charisma 15 Strength 21 Constitution-13 "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind' Luke 10; 27 Link to comment
Blaidd Posted March 3, 2015 Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 good start. It seems like we have quite a few equestrians here this challenge. You might notice that someone has added a tag to your post. This is not to box you into a corner but rather because your goals or lifestyle have links to the guild you've been tagged and we'd like to bring you to the attention of one of their guild ambassadors. These ambassadors will be able to offer you advice, encouragement and support on your goals. You don't even have to wait around for them to come introduce themselves to you, you are more than welcome to pop into the Rangers' board and introduce yourself to the guildies there. I am also around to answer any questions that you might have so do not hesitate to PM me. Good Luck with your challengeAB xx Quote Half Faerie (Sidhe) Scout | Black Belt Kitchen Ninja "A positive attitude will not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort" - Herm Albright You're welcome to skype me (audriwolf) too but let me know who you are My challenge Link to comment
Rivanariko Posted March 3, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 Thanks for the encouragement everyone! It was a busy weekend and I didn't spend much time near my computer, but I think I pretty confidently crushed week one. Yay! Now to keep that momentum going. Week 2 and 3 are usually where I find myself flailing. Thanks Amdhiel, for the recommendations! I'll definitely check those out! Quote "I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that leads to total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain." -Frank Herbert, Dune Link to comment
Rivanariko Posted March 3, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 You know what is not helpful while doing yoga? Cats. Quote "I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that leads to total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain." -Frank Herbert, Dune Link to comment
Evermist Posted March 8, 2015 Report Share Posted March 8, 2015 Oh man, cats and yoga really don't mix How's Week 2 going? If you need anything, just holler, and a friendly Assassin will be with you shortly. All the best! Quote Link to comment
Rivanariko Posted March 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2015 Week 2 went pretty well, but not as great as week 1. I got all 3 yoga sessions in (yay!) and resolutely logged all of my food (yay!) I only rode my horse twice though (boo!). I'll have to schedule more carefully this week to make sure I get all 4 rides in. I'm still waiitng to get my rating for my submission on TextBroker, but should have it in a few days, then I can move forward with that. I'm planning on riding the monster horse after work today, since I haven't replaced my afternoon client that graduated two weeks ago yet (hopefully that will happen soon! Or I'm really going to need the money from the freelance writing that I'm not doing yet!) So a tentative schedule for this week might look like: Monday: Ride after workTuesday: Yoga in the monring. Ride before work.Wednesday: Ride before work.Thursday: Yoga in the morning. Ride client horses, teach on the Monster horse (neither counts toward my goals)Friday: Ride after work (no afternoon client Fridays either yet!)Saturday: Yoga in the morning, Ride client horses, teach on the monster horseSunday: Lesson on the monster horse, maybe client horses? Depends on client schedule. So that's 5 days of riding the monster horse, which gives me some wiggle room if I end up having to miss one of the days. If I get all 5 in though, then Monster horse doesn't get a day off this week, but he'll be okay. He's not working that hard right now, he can go every day. 1 Quote "I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that leads to total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain." -Frank Herbert, Dune Link to comment
starsapart Posted March 13, 2015 Report Share Posted March 13, 2015 Hope this week went according to plan! Sounds like things are hectic but you're keeping up! Quote current challenge challenge archive: 19 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 instagram | goodreads "Let us read, and let us dance; these two amusements will never do any harm to the world." - Voltaire Link to comment
Rivanariko Posted March 16, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2015 Eh, week three was kind of a bust. I only rode twice (boo!) and didn't do any yoga (Fail!), but I did keep up with my food logging, and finished my registration with Textbroker. Daylight Savings time caught me off gaurd this year and my body refused to adjust to the time change, which meant doing anything before work wasn't going to happen. I think I'm back on a good schedule though. I got up this morning and had a great ride before work today, so hopefully I can come back strong! Quote "I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that leads to total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain." -Frank Herbert, Dune Link to comment
starsapart Posted March 22, 2015 Report Share Posted March 22, 2015 Eh, week three was kind of a bust. I only rode twice (boo!) and didn't do any yoga (Fail!), but I did keep up with my food logging, and finished my registration with Textbroker. Daylight Savings time caught me off gaurd this year and my body refused to adjust to the time change, which meant doing anything before work wasn't going to happen. I think I'm back on a good schedule though. I got up this morning and had a great ride before work today, so hopefully I can come back strong! Glad to hear that week 4 started more smoothly! Hope it wrapped up the same way. Quote current challenge challenge archive: 19 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 instagram | goodreads "Let us read, and let us dance; these two amusements will never do any harm to the world." - Voltaire Link to comment
Elastigirl Posted April 6, 2015 Report Share Posted April 6, 2015 How did your final week go? Quote Wisdom 22.5 Dexterity 13 Charisma 15 Strength 21 Constitution-13 "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind' Luke 10; 27 Link to comment
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