LiserFrenche - slaying the perfection dragon

[LiserFrenche]

My quest for the 6 week challenge

 

My overall quest is still to become stronger and fitter. Because I have not been finishing my challenges, I have not gotten as far was I would have liked.  I have two things that seem to work against me.  My perfectionism gets in the way - when I mess up I start over, instead of just looking at it as a bump in the road. So I never finish a challenge. The second is the "shiny new object" syndrome where I try something different almost every week, not giving anything much of a chance to take hold.

I picked quests that are really doable and anything I do extra will help in my quest to become healthier.

 

Q1- some type of movement 10 minutes everyday.  I suffered two injuries recently, I twisted my knee and stubbed my toe.  Neither is very serious, but both are still sore and need time to heal. So intense cardio is out of the question this week (at least cardio involving my legs like step class).  

 

Q2 - 5 fruits/veggies per day.  I rarely eat enough of them especially my veggies. Just thinking about what fruits and veggies I will eat for the day will force me to plan out my meals

 

Q3 - track in myfitnesspal and on NF daily. The key is checking my calories on MFP before I eat my evening meal so I don't eat too much. Reporting back here will keep me accountable as well. 

 

Grading for my quests A - 7 days, B- 5-6 days C- 3-4 days; D 1-2 Days and F - no days. 

 

side quest - my side quest as completing the challenge no matter how well or poorly I do.  I don't need to do these quests perfectly, life gets in the way sometimes and just working on the quests I picked with set up some really healthy habits. 

 

life quest - write up my Level 50/Epic list.  I wrote a list of the 12 things I want to accomplish this year, but I still need to write up my list of things I would need to accomplish to level up my life to where I want it to be.

 

 

[LiserFrenche]

Day 1 - Monday 2/23/2015

Q1 - i did 10 minutes of strength work

Q2- yes- had 4 fruit and 1 veggie

Q3 - yes tracked both at mfp and at NF

 

Overall I ate too much, mostly because I counted my calories up after I ate.  I was happy to have made all my quests today.  Plan to balance out my fruits and veggies better tomorrow. 

 

accomplishments - completed day one, almost done a big project at work, have another one I am way behind on that I need to tackle asap. Going to bed in a few.  Trying to get to bed earlier so I am not so tired.  I tend to eat poorly and procrastinate more when I am overtired.  I crave sugar when I am tired, though it does not really help.  

[LiserFrenche]

Day 2 - Tuesday 2/24/15

Q1 - I did 10 minutes of clean-up shoveling when I got home.  More snow expected tomorrow. 

Q2 - I ate 3 veggies and 3 fruit...Yeah!!

Q3 - tracked in mfp (and stayed below my calorie limit - just barely) and reported back on NF. 

 

accomplishments - finished up a big project I was working on.  I set up my 6 week thread and completed my daily quests and am looking into doing the adventurer mini's. 

 

plan for tomorrow -  i will probably have to shovel before I go to work which might make me late, so i may not prepare an adequate breakfast/lunch.  I'll get it ready tonight.  Overall tomorrow will be a busy day.  

[Quill]

I hear ya on perfectionism. Luckily it keeps my OCD in check. ;-)

 

For fruit, one thing i like to do is freeze some mango and blueberries, and youc an measure out a portion of each and baggie 'em together. Defrost partially, and you have perfect sorbet if you mash it up.....and its healthy! no need to add anything.

 

Following you back

[shaeon]

Sounds like you've got some good goals! 

 

I've considered doing 5 fruits/veg for a challenge. It's something I try to do every day, but it's really easy to let it slide. But such a healthy choice to make!

[LiserFrenche]

Quill - I love frozen fruit.  If I am craving something sweet and frozen at night and don't want to get into the ice cream I grab a cup of frozen cherries and mangoes.  yum.  Your frozen fruit idea sounds great.  I'll have to give it a try.   

 

Shaeon - I usually do well with fruits, veggies are a different story.  However, I am not above grabbing a sweet pepper and eating whole (like you would an apple) or grabbing a can of string beans to eat for lunch.  So I can do this, if I plan out my day and take a little extra time in the morning.   

 

My day is going well so far.  I did eat too much during the morning so I will be bumping up against my calorie limit tonight. I'll have something light for supper if I end up feeling really hungry tonight.  

 

Quill/Shaeon, thanks for checking in. We can do this!!!

[LiserFrenche]

Day 3 - Wednesday. 

Q1 - no movement

Q2 - yes, 3 veggies and 2 fruit

Q3-  yes, tracked and reported by in both places. 

 

Unfortunately, yesterday I woke up with a migraine.  It disappeared before I went to work.  It was starting to come back last night so I talked myself out of doing any exercise, then I ate to feel better (that didn't work so well either). The things I learned from all this is I still eat to feel better even when it doesn't make much sense and slid into the "I ate too much already, I might as well eat more).  ~sigh~  Good news is I recorded it all and am trying to come up with ideas to help when to get my exercise in and to prevent overeating.  My initial thoughts is not too eat all my food and calories before dinner.  Even when I don't feel hungry at dinner, I feel deprived if I don't eat. Maybe a mini-meal would work or a big salad. Secondly, I am going to start exercising first thing in the morning again.  This worked well for me in the past and it would finish up one of my quests first thing in the morning.

 

gotta go...bbl  

[LiserFrenche]

week 1 Day 4 - 2/26/2015 thursday

 

Q1 - I did 10 minutes of strength training

Q2 - I got 5+ servings of fruits and veggies in today.  I am definitely eating better since I started trying to incorporate fruits and veggies.  Yeah!

Q3 - reported by to mfp and NF. Stayed below the cal limit in MFP.  

 

Overall a good day. Feeling better today than I have been.  My toe/foot feels better too so I will be able to start doing some low impact cardio. yippeee!!! 

Looking at a long day tomorrow.  Packing a good lunch and snacks will be crucial to keep me from eating unhealthy food.  

[rgbb]

I have "shiny new object" syndrome as well . . .     I have a really hard time sticking to routines and get bored easily!  

 

What types of veggies and fruit do you eat?  I just started my first challenge and am just going for one fruit and one veggie per day.  I get really stuck in the same foods and am looking for something "shiny and new" to mix it up!

 

I love the daily updates, I'll follow along!  

[LiserFrenche]

I am so sad, Leonard Nimoy passed away,  He was my favorite character in the original Star Trek series and help shape my love for logic, science and math. He was one of the ultimate nerd heroes.    

 

Live long and prosper

[Quill]

It grieves me. But i'm glad he didnt' have to suffer end stage COPD for longer. That stuff is nasty.

[LiserFrenche]

Day 5 - Friday - 2/27/2015

 

Q1- 5 min warm-up + 20 min strength (calf raises, squats, dumb bell rows, bent over rows, dead lifts, bicep curls, overhead press, wall lunges, walking plank and plank) + 5 min stretch.

Q2 - 5 fr/v - yes, egg muffin cups with froz veggies, strawberries, dole mandarin orange cup,  wrap with chicken and grilled veggies and a small side salad, I had frozen cherries and mangos as a treat.  Unfortunately, it did not keep me out of the ice cream.  I don't think I can have any in the house - it calls to me

Q3 - yes, logged to mfp, was a little over my cal limit.  Logged into NF a few times during the day. 

 

weekends usually throw me for a loop because of the lack of routine.  Hopefully reporting back in mfp and here will keep me honest. I plan to do yoga today and maybe some clean up shoveling to get in some cardio.  They have not cleaned off the sidewalks yet, so walking outside isn't really an option.  Maybe I need to take my snowshoes out for a spin. 

 

I completed me first mini - I have made at least 3 new friends.  One can never have too many friends.  

[rgbb]

You're rocking this challenge!  Weekends are tough, but it looks like you had an awesome day.  I was tempted with some ice cream yesterday but knowing that I was posting on here made it easier to resist.    Good luck with today!  

[LiserFrenche]

Day 6 and Day7 - the weekend

Q1- 10 min of exercise per day - yes on both days.  Did 15 min of yoga on Saturday; took a 15 min walk on Sunday and shovel the deck (40 min)

Q2 - 5f/v yes on Saturday and no on sunday.  

Q3 - reported back on mfp on both days; logged into NF on both days.  

 

did okay on the first week of the challenge.  Yippeeeeee

[rgbb]

Hooray for making it through the first week!  Here we go for week two!  

[LiserFrenche]

Week one in review

Q1- I missed one day. So I get a "B" for this quest

Q2 - Freggies - I missed one day where I did not eat 5 fruits or veggies.  A "B" here too

Q3 - reported back at both mfp and NF. - A !!!

 

I am happy with my first week.  I succeeded with my first mini ( +1 Wis) and did well with my quests.  I want to get more cardio in this week and I want to really watch my calorie intake.  

[LiserFrenche]

Week 2 - Day 1 - Monday 3/2

Q1 - signed up for the yoga shred on doyouyoga. It was 12 minutes so I got my 10 minutes in. Yeah!  The session wasn't bad, I need to make sure I keep up the intensity even when I feel the burn.  I did 15 lunges today; working toward the 100 lunges in this weeks mini. 

Q2 - 5 Freggies - raisins, salad (2 serv), a pepper,  mandarin orange. I think the pepper is making me feel bloated.  Ugh. I still like the taste though.  

Q3 - reported back to mfp and NF. Stayed below my calorie goal. 

 

I get a fitness assessment done tomorrow. It is part of a wellness program I and enrolled in.  I really hope my fasting glucose is okay.  I have been flirting with being pre-diabetic for a while.  Oh well, it is feedback on how I am doing (or not doing).  I need to take it as such and not beat myself up if the numbers don't go the way I want them to. 

 

I want to rock week 2 of this challenge!!!

[rgbb]

You are so going to rock week 2, you're already doing it!  Even though you gave yourself a few B's for week one, it's only because you missed ONE DAY of two of your challenges - that's awesome!  Reporting every day is so helpful and I'm glad to see the updates.  

[LiserFrenche]

You are so going to rock week 2, you're already doing it!  Even though you gave yourself a few B's for week one, it's only because you missed ONE DAY of two of your challenges - that's awesome!  Reporting every day is so helpful and I'm glad to see the updates.  

 

In the past if I did 6-7 day/week of a daily quest I would get an A...but this time I felt that an A should be something hard to get, so when I get an A, it is a big deal.  Maybe I am being too hard on myself.  

[rgbb]

I think it's okay to give yourself no cheat days - I'm doing that, too, because if I have one cheat day, I'm much more likely to start allowing myself more.  I was more just impressed that it was only one day!  That's great!  

[LiserFrenche]

thanks!

 

Week 2 - Day 2 Tuesday 3/2

Q1 - did a 6 min fitness test walk and 13 minutes of yoga shred.  I also did my 15 lunges (30 total so far this week)

Q2 - 5 freggies - craisins in my oatmeal, strawberries, baby carrots, lentil soup (2 veg servings), and string beans

Q3 -yep, and stayed below my calorie limit. Yeah me. 

[Quill]

that perfection dragon is a beast! I find the mantra 'I'm going for progress not perfection' helps me a lot.

 

And it looks like you're doing great!

[LiserFrenche]

Week 2 day 3 - Wednesday 3/4/15

 

Q1- yes! 20 min of shoveling snow (will it ever end), and 11 minutes of yoga shred.  I did 15 lunges; weekly total = 45

Q2 - freggies - blueberries, fruit smoothie, salad, baby carrots, string beans, grapes

Q3- report back at mfp and here - yes!  and was below my cal limit on mfp. GS cookies arrived today.  I couldn't resist, I had two cookies.  I also had a white chocolate truffle.  None of these taste as good a dark chocolate truffle though.  I need to remember that next time I have the urge for gs cookies. 

 

so far so good on this challenge.  Didn't want to exercise tonight, but I have been on track with the yoga shred challenge and did not want to fall behind. My abs are so sore. 

 

Thanks for the encouragement Quill!

[rgbb]

Right on!  GS cookies, mmm.  I discovered that Keebler makes a cookie very similar to Samoas (my favorite), so I don't feel the need to buy them anymore when they come out  I was a GS for a long time, and always loved this time of year!  

[LiserFrenche]

week2-day 4  thursday 3/5

Q1- yes, 50 min step class, 10min abs, 10 yoga shred

Q2- yes raisins, tomato soup (2 serv), clementines, baby carrots

Q3 - yes - ate pizza tonight, always ate too much of that when I order it.