CoderGatherer's Cycling Adventure

[CoderGatherer]

Hi! My name is Meg though many of you know me as CoderGatherer. Now that I can ride a bike with the help of my shiny new hips, I realize that I need to build up my endurance.This challenge I'm going to focus on one firm goal and do everything I can to achieve it. I am so excited for this challenge!

 

Life Goal: Ride My Bike Around My City

 

Quest 1: Build up those muscles

Cycle on a stationary bike 3 times a week for at least half an hour. I'll also be lifting with emphasis on back and core muscles so that I can ride unsupported for long adventures.

A = 16 - 18 workouts, B = 13 - 15 workouts, C = 10 - 12 workouts

 

Quest 2: Lighten the load

Lose weight by focusing on getting 5 servings of veggies every day. I'll also be tracking my food intake to stay within my calorie allotment.

A = 37 - 42 days, B = 31 - 36 days, C = 25 - 30 days

 

Quest 3: Get your gear

Learn how to do basic bike maintenance. I have a mountain bike and a reclaimed fixed gear that need some TLC before they can be ridden.

[CoderGatherer]

Day 1 (2/23) Review

 

Got my 5 servings of fruits/veggies in today. Strawberry banana smoothie for breakfast and atleast one serving with the other two meals. I was over my calories goal by 50 though. Curse you moscow mules! Why must you be so delicious?

 

I also got in two workouts that day. Yoga in the morning, cycling and lifting in the late evening. I shut down my apartment complex's gym. Am I allowed to say that I shut down a club if it's a health club? LOL

[CoderGatherer]

Day 2 Review (2/24)

 

I learned that it is possible to be over hydrated. I ended up staying home sick from a killer headache and nausea. After looking up my symptoms, it looked like overhydration was causing it. And yep my water intake was waaaaaaaay over what it needed to be. I was drinking 5 or 6 (4 cup) mason jars every day along with tea and coffee. To put this in to perspective, I'm not an endurance athlete. I work at a desk job and have sedentary hobbies (apart from exercising). The recommended daily intake is 64 oz. I was drinking more than twice that at 176! So I have to cut back on the fluid intake, though it's really hard. My body has gotten used to that much liquid and I'm always thirsty. Any suggestions?

 

Quest 1: Only had two servings of freggies/fregetables. Felt awful and didn't track my macros.

 

Quest 2: Rest day. Did some light stretching in the morning but nothing intense.

 

*sigh* fruity water, why must you be so addicting?

[Evermist]

I'm sorry to hear about the overhydration! I hope you feel better soon! Other than that, though, your workout progress is looking good, and it's impressive that you managed to get in a bit of stretching even between the nausea and headaches!

 

Keep up the good work!

[Odango]

Hey dearie!

 

First of all, sorry to hear that about the over-hydration, I didn't know it produced such symptoms, I only knew that it can be bad for the kidneys because they get overworked.

At least you totally destroyed your habit of not drinking enough Maybe you can have a bottle of 1L from which you drink, then you can track better how much your intake is. Also, when eating more freggies, your body is getting a lot more water as well, which might explain why you had such strong symptoms.

 

Don't worry too much about coffee, I don't know how strong (or weak ) it is in the US, but usually a cup of coffee isn't hydrating because caffeine itself is dehydrating, so unless you drink a huge cup of weak coffee, it's actually not really bringing much to your body in the end. Tea does however!

 

I'm sure you'll tame this fruit water addiction and lower your water intake

[CoderGatherer]

 

 

Don't worry too much about coffee, I don't know how strong (or weak ) it is in the US, but usually a cup of coffee isn't hydrating because caffeine itself is dehydrating, so unless you drink a huge cup of weak coffee, it's actually not really bringing much to your body in the end. Tea does however!

 

That's what I thought too, but then I read this article while trying to figure out why my head hurt so bad. I ended up having to give up my fruit water It's such a shame. The fruit is so pretty and the water was so tasty. It was a much better beverage than soda. 

[CoderGatherer]

Sorry I haven't posted in the last few days, I got a bit overwhelmed for a few days there. I have this vicious cycle of getting super excited by a bunch of things and wanting to do them all........then I take on too much. Right now I have several personal projects going on; knitting a pair of socks, decluttering my house, unraveling a sweater, taking CS50 (programming class), setting up my media server, searching for a new job, NF challenge.....you get the idea. So I took a step back and only focused on the ones that are absolutely crucial. Those were my NF challenge, my cs50 class, and knitting. 

 

I know what you're thinking. "Knitting? Is that really a crucial project?" Yes, yest it is. Knitting calms me and helps me with my anxiety. It helps me focus on one task and quiet my brain, its meditative in that sense. On a side note, I finished the first sock of two yesterday. It was very satisfying to cast off and weave in all the ends

 

Week 1 Progress Report

 

Quest 1: Eat yo greens yo! (Eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables)

Achieved 6/7 days. Some days I even ate over the 5 servings. Raisins are sneaky in their tiny serving sizes.

 

Quest 2: Work yo muscles! (Work out 3 times a week)

Achieved 3/3 days. A couple of those days other residents were in our tiny weight room with me. I really wish there was some music on there because sometimes it gets kind of akward with everyone huffing and puffing while they lift. I may have to start bringing my headphones.

 

Quest 3: Fix yo bikes (Fix up my two neglected bikes)

Ahhhhhhh.....yeah haven't done this yet. Next week I"ll be looking them over and listing what all needs to be done with them. There is a chance that instead of fixing my fixie (fixed gear bicycle), I may just buy a new one. I bought it used and at the time didn't realize that the frame was rusty. It was left out in the rain for days without a bike seat. If it's not structurally safe,, I won't be riding it.

 

All in all a productive week! I hope you guys had an awesome week as well. As a parting gift, I'll just leave this here....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GugsCdLHm-Q 

[CoderGatherer]

 

Today was a busy busy day. The big wigs at work were at a conference so the whole building got to have fun. My department had an epic nerf gun war and I even won a gift card at bingo. After work I went to go see The Kingsman with my husband. It was pretty good, except for the needless nudity scene. You'll know it when you see it, trust me. So stupid.

 

I only got 2 of my 5 intended servings of veggies today. I also didn't work out today, instead I'm going to work out first thing tomorrow morning.

[Asuka]

I know what you're thinking. "Knitting? Is that really a crucial project?" Yes, yest it is. Knitting calms me and helps me with my anxiety. It helps me focus on one task and quiet my brain, its meditative in that sense. On a side note, I finished the first sock of two yesterday. It was very satisfying to cast off and weave in all the ends

 

 

I totally understand. I get really really anxious too sometimes, fixating on a key thing that doesn't work, and the only thing that will calm me down is to color tiny spaces. Very boring, very repetitive, but my brain wholly focuses on the small shapes and what color would best fit inside and the rest fades away...

 

Good books work well too but only if they are really captivating (think the Hunger Games). 

 

So good to hear about the first sock! I love having an output. It is soooooo satisfying! 

 

Keep going - you're doing awesome!!!

[Teros]

 

 

 

Back in high school the principal told me that I had this and that I should try out for football but I declined. I don't think he understood what 'fat' was.

 

 

 

My department had an epic nerf gun war

 

Keep moving forward.

[astormofsparkle]

I love to crochet and plan to teach myself how to knit in the near future. It's very relaxing and a great way to keep your mind occupied while watching tv. I'm considering investing in one of those balance yoga balls to sit on while crocheting. I've read that sitting on one and keeping your balance is great for your core and muscle strengthening!

 

I've never gotten to the point of being TOO hydrated, but oh my gosh, do I hear you on feeling thirsty after you start drinking a lot of water. I use one of those huge mason jar mugs as well and depending on my mood, I'll add a slice of lemon or lime to it. Even a slice of orange if I'm feeling particularly ~fruity~. It adds bright colors, which help brighten the mood, and tastes delicious.

 

Good luck because you're rocking it! <3

[CoderGatherer]

Back in high school the principal told me that I had this and that I should try out for football but I declined. I don't think he understood what 'fat' was.

 

LOL. Actually I want to have giant legs. I probably should have made that more clear. Tree trunk legs are the goals. Big muscly legs here I come!

 

Kind of like Wil E Coyote when he took leg muscle vitamins

[CoderGatherer]

I love to crochet and plan to teach myself how to knit in the near future. It's very relaxing and a great way to keep your mind occupied while watching tv. I'm considering investing in one of those balance yoga balls to sit on while crocheting. I've read that sitting on one and keeping your balance is great for your core and muscle strengthening!

 

I have a yoga ball that I use at work. It totally does work your core. I noticed that it also helps me stay concentrated. I mentioned this to my mom and it turns out they give yoga balls to kids with ADHD in her classroom for this very reason. It lets them burn off extra energy while allowing them to focus on their work. Who knew right?

[CoderGatherer]

Ermagherd ermagherd ermagherd! Guys I am so excited for this weekend!

 

Friday morning I get to take a tour of the sheep learning center at the local university. That's right, I get to meet sheep! That gets me one step closer to my life goal of owning a hobby fiber farm.

 

 

After that my husband, his parents and I are checking out an elk resort for the rest of the weekend. They actually do horse drawn sleigh rides around the park so that you can see the elk in their natural habitat. On the way up, we are going to stop at all the craft breweries and yarn shops we see. I don't know what to be most excited about; yarn, beer, sheep or elk?

 

[Evermist]

Ermagherd ermagherd ermagherd! Guys I am so excited for this weekend!

 

Friday morning I get to take a tour of the sheep learning center at the local university. That's right, I get to meet sheep! That gets me one step closer to my life goal of owning a hobby fiber farm.

 

 

After that my husband, his parents and I are checking out an elk resort for the rest of the weekend. They actually do horse drawn sleigh rides around the park so that you can see the elk in their natural habitat. On the way up, we are going to stop at all the craft breweries and yarn shops we see. I don't know what to be most excited about; yarn, beer, sheep or elk?

 

 

That sounds incredibly fun! I hope your weekend is nothing short of awesome - then again, with sheep and elk and animals all around you, how could it not be?!

 

Week 1 looks great! Keep up the awesome work, and holler if you need anything.

[Odango]

Elk!!!

 

Or horse-drawn sleigh.... or beer.... 8D

Such a great week-end Coder! Tell us how it went once you're back!!!

 

I didn't know this was your life goal though, that's awesome! You're very pro-active about shaping your life, that's beautiful and super inspiring! (really is inspiring me to face my fears and move forward!)

[amandolin]

HAVE SOOOO MUCH FUN!!!

Your entire weekend sounds AMAZING.

Enjoy it!!!

[Cathelas]

 

Sorry I haven't posted in the last few days, I got a bit overwhelmed for a few days there. I have this vicious cycle of getting super excited by a bunch of things and wanting to do them all........then I take on too much. Right now I have several personal projects going on; knitting a pair of socks, decluttering my house, unraveling a sweater, taking CS50 (programming class), setting up my media server, searching for a new job, NF challenge.....you get the idea. So I took a step back and only focused on the ones that are absolutely crucial. Those were my NF challenge, my cs50 class, and knitting. 

 

I know what you're thinking. "Knitting? Is that really a crucial project?" Yes, yest it is. Knitting calms me and helps me with my anxiety. It helps me focus on one task and quiet my brain, its meditative in that sense. On a side note, I finished the first sock of two yesterday. It was very satisfying to cast off and weave in all the ends

 

Week 1 Progress Report

 

Quest 1: Eat yo greens yo! (Eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables)

Achieved 6/7 days. Some days I even ate over the 5 servings. Raisins are sneaky in their tiny serving sizes.

 

Quest 2: Work yo muscles! (Work out 3 times a week)

Achieved 3/3 days. A couple of those days other residents were in our tiny weight room with me. I really wish there was some music on there because sometimes it gets kind of akward with everyone huffing and puffing while they lift. I may have to start bringing my headphones.

 

Quest 3: Fix yo bikes (Fix up my two neglected bikes)

Ahhhhhhh.....yeah haven't done this yet. Next week I"ll be looking them over and listing what all needs to be done with them. There is a chance that instead of fixing my fixie (fixed gear bicycle), I may just buy a new one. I bought it used and at the time didn't realize that the frame was rusty. It was left out in the rain for days without a bike seat. If it's not structurally safe,, I won't be riding it.

 

All in all a productive week! I hope you guys had an awesome week as well. As a parting gift, I'll just leave this here....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GugsCdLHm-Q 

for les

That was a great first week!  The bike thing - repairs can add up fast $$.  I got really fortunate in December on Craig's List, found a virtually new road bike for less than half of retail.  Last year's model which had been ridden a few times. SO WHAT!  I just need the temp to get into the 40's to get on the dang thing.  I have to say, used bike is working for me, but maybe I just got super lucky.  Some of the local bike stores around me have been selling year old models at a decent discount too.  

 

To quote Jens Voigt. "Shut up legs!"

[Cathelas]

Weather is breaking - time to get the bike ready!

 

[CoderGatherer]

Weather is breaking - time to get the bike ready!

 

Yay for spring! There's an end in sight. Today it got up to 40! Definitely going to start working on my bikes this week

[CoderGatherer]

Elk!!!

 

Or horse-drawn sleigh.... or beer.... 8D

Such a great week-end Coder! Tell us how it went once you're back!!!

 

I didn't know this was your life goal though, that's awesome! You're very pro-active about shaping your life, that's beautiful and super inspiring! (really is inspiring me to face my fears and move forward!)

Awww you always say the nicest things. Thank you!!

 

[CoderGatherer]

I'm back! This weekend was absolutely amazing!

 

Friday I visited our local sheep learning center. They are in the middle of lambing season so we got to hang out with baby sheep! So freaking cute! It turns out that the college is having a seminar on raising sheep and goats for small hobby farms next weekend. And guess what? My mom and I are going! Eeeeeeeeeeeeee I can't wait!

 

Unfortunately I was so enraptured by the sheep that I forgot to take pictures. They looked very similar to the ones in this picture though.

 

 

After visiting the sheep, we packed up our car and started our 4 hour mini-road trip. We were fortunate enough to find a cute little yarn shop where I picked up a skein of yellow (my favorite color) sock yarn. We also found a family owned pub that only served beer they make in house. We could actually see beer being brewed in the room right next to the bar area we were sitting at. My husband got a flight to sample all of them while I just got a rich creamy stout. Mmmmm stout.

 

Shortly thereafter we continued on our way to our inlaws. It turns out that we would be staying with them during the weekend rather than the resort. I was so relieved when I heard this. I'm naturally anxious about staying in places I don't know and I rarely ever get to see my husband's family. We were both happy to be able to spend more time with them. 

 

Saturday morning arrived and we took off to scope out the local yarn stores. For being such a small town, they had two well stocked stores. One had indie dyed yarns that I would have loved to buy, but they were out of my price range. The other had much lower prices and focused more on locally grown fiber. I bought a couple skeins of baby alpaca yarn to make a pair of slouchy beanies.

 

After the yarn shopping, we checked out an unassuming beer store. My husband was really excited to check this place out. Apparently they get the entire craft beer allocation for the whole region. Working in the beer industry, he said that it's really rare to have that happen. He was able to find a few six packs of beer he can't get down state and even a few that he sold out of within minutes of stocking in his store.

 

Giddy with our purchases, we headed back to bundle up for the evening sleigh ride. We drove about an hour our to the elk reserve then boarded giant sleighs pulled by Belgian draft horses. The owners provided horse blankets so we stayed toasty warm despite the cold weather. The elk are beautiful creatures! They can weigh up to 1000 pounds and the males have huuuuuge antlers. We were able to see some from only a few feet away. The sleigh ride was followed up by a 5 course meal at the resort's hunting lodge. 

 

 

To work off that fabulous 5 course meal, we decided to take our dog for a hike through the woods the following morning. So this morning I woke up bright early (a hard thing to do on the first day of daylight savings) to walk in the cold. We stomped through the knee high snow and got a good workout on the way. My legs will be sore tomorrow, that's for sure. Not that I'm complaining, this weekend was amazing! I'm so glad that I was able to enjoy all of this amazing adventure without any health issues or pain. So so glad that I was able to go on this awesome trip.

[astormofsparkle]

That looks AMAZING! And it sounds absolutely lovely!

 

I plan to learn how to make socks soon as well. I'm almost finished a scarf I've been working on and I'm really proud of it!

 

I'm glad you had such a wonderful time. Yay for fun and fantastic trips!

[Cathelas]

Awesome pic of the elk!  Next time include beer pics too 

[CoderGatherer]

Today I went for my first bike ride since my surgeries! Yay! After looking over my bikes, I determined that they're both in pretty good shape. I tested both out with a quick ride around the parking lot. I was so excited that I rode my fixie around the block on, wait for it, the road....where cars were. *le gasp* Scary and exhilirating. To put this in perspective, I haven't been able to ride a bike since I was a little kid. I tried a couple of times a few years ago but it was too painful and I ended up falling. Not this time! Mission accomplished. It was so much fun that I'm thinking about doing it again tomorrow.