Elsfaire, It's time to wake the Dragon

[elsfaire]

Yes, I am posting this challenge very late. I have had this theme in mind since before the challenge officially started, but I decided that there were other things that needed to happen more urgently than posting my challenge. Now I have waited long enough…
 
Also, this challenge marks my 1 year anniversary on the NF boards doing challenges. I think this is a great challenge to mark my Nerdiversary (I was a month late in that challenge, too).  :-D
 
Those of you who have been following me for awhile know that I have spent a considerable amount of effort on digging out my baggage, doing some positive focus and gratitude rescripting, and so on. Near the end of the last challenge, I started getting the sense that it is time to stop playing around with making progress, and just decide to CHANGE. It is time to just be me – the true authentic me – and stop hiding. It’s time to wake the Dragon.
 
So what is the Dragon? The Dragon is my name for my powerful, confident, authentic self. If you are familiar with Jungian (?) psychology, the Dragon is my version of the King – the part of self that is the benevolent ruler and ensures that all other parts of self are playing their roles and not trying to be in charge when it is inappropriate. The Dragon has mostly been sleeping for decades, allowing my Inner Child and other parts of self to run rampant.  I am ready to wake the Dragon.
 
 

 
What Has Already Happened This Challenge

• I have been keeping up with bodyweight workouts through the Game of Thrones PVP that I designed. I think it is fun and helpful. Though I have not been participating as much as I would like, it is helping encourage me to do more than I would be doing without it.
• I finished S-corp tax accounting for our 2 companies.
• I set up our staff for my husband’s company as employees and ran our first payroll.
• I finalized our worker’s compensation policy and got a quote for a new general liability and business personal property insurance policy.
• I walked on fire. Really. Our whole family (my Hobbit and the kids and I) attended a Tony Robbins Unleash the Power Within (aka UPW) weekend. The first night there, we all walked barefoot across 12 feet of hot (as in around 1200 degrees F) coals. My older son got a single small burn spot, but I had nothing but soot on my feet.
• I dug out and DESTROYED an old limiting belief I had about no one wanting to know the real me (also happened at UPW).
• I held a handstand for about 5 seconds. J

Goals for the rest of this challenge
 
Maintain State
There are 3 key ingredients in controlling our state of mind: physiology, focus (what you think about), and meaning. I have generally been in a fantastic mood/state since returning from UPW, with a few exceptions.  I will continue to work on managing my focus and the meaning that I assign to events, and add managing my physiology. This will include dancing, jumping, meditation, and other activities.
 
Goal: maintain an appropriate positive state most of the time 5 or more days per week. Recovering from a negative state counts. J
 
Discover my Strength

• Bodyweight workouts 3 times a week, increasing in AMRAP and/or intensity each week. Ideally, I would like to improve the AMRAPS I had from week 1 of the challenge by 50%.
• Spend at least 20 minutes bouncing on the rebounder daily to “Lymphasize†and work on aerobic capacity. Goal of 6/7 days per week.
• Stretching or yoga for at least 10 minutes, 3 or more times a week.

Tap the Well of Abundant Energy
This is the “other health†section. There are SO MANY things I could do here, but I am just picking a few for now.

• Eat a maximum of 1 “bad food†a day. These include concentrated sugars (sugar, palm sugar, maple syrup, honey, etc.), potato chips, and such. The chips I crush and put on my salad do not count at this point.
• Do at least 1 set of “energizing breaths†daily. This is a set of 10 pranayama-type breaths.
• Drink at least 50 ounces of water or non-caffeinated tea daily.

Goal is 6/7 days per week for each of these.
 
 
Even though I am late in posting, I have already been kicking butt this challenge. And in the spirit of this, here is my new theme song:

 

[Elastigirl]

Yay, glad to see you. I knew you were doing stuff, since you are my arch enemy in game of thrones  but way cool to hear about all the other awesome stuff. Did I ever tell you what hubby and I are planning on doing next year for our anniversary? We're going to New Zealand. It has long been a desire for both of us, but your trip really made me plan to make it a reality instead of just a dream.

[elsfaire]

Yay, glad to see you. I knew you were doing stuff, since you are my arch enemy in game of thrones but way cool to hear about all the other awesome stuff. Did I ever tell you what hubby and I are planning on doing next year for our anniversary? We're going to New Zealand. It has long been a desire for both of us, but your trip really made me plan to make it a reality instead of just a dream.

That's fantastic, Elastigirl! Do you know yet if you will be going to North Island or South Island? People told us it was crazy to do both in 2 weeks, but I am glad we did. Going back, I think the only thing I would have changed from our schedule of locations would have been to skip Wellington. Since we are more outdoorsy, the capital city just was not that interesting for the time it took to get there. Though we did find a cool Wellington beach to hang out on for half a day. [emoji1]

I can't promise I will post much, but I just couldn't stay away from NF challenges anymore. Now that I am mostly caught up on everyone's threads (though I did have to decide to just not read anything from weeks 2-3), it will be easier to check in on Tapatalk.

And you had better watch out, Stark. Nothing can stand in the way of the rise of the dragons! [emoji14]

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[annyshay]

Yay! Welcome and way to kick butt!!!

[annyshay]

Yay! Welcome and way to kick butt!!!

So excited, I posted twice.

[Waanie]

You're back . I agree that these challenges are very addicting... Looking forward to seeing the dragon rise!

I love your goals, although I have no idea what lymphasizing is .

[karinajean]

zomg you are so exciting. your challenge is so exciting! for real, you sound so positive and so empowered. I LOVE IT.

[DJtrippyT]

Hey! So glad to see you back!

[elsfaire]

Hey! So glad to see you back!

Hey, DJTrippy! Atlanta people are going hiking this afternoon. Check the Atlanta Area thread link in my signature and join us if you can!

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[Lara]

Glad to see you back! Good luck for your change challenge!

[DJtrippyT]

Hey, DJTrippy! Atlanta people are going hiking this afternoon. Check the Atlanta Area thread link in my signature and join us if you can!

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I was supposed to ride my bike but my car broke down so no fun for me next time though!

[elsfaire]

I was supposed to ride my bike but my car broke down so no fun for me next time though!

And next time you will have more warning.

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[lucky fire dragon]

saw dragon and had to peek, saw authenticity and bodyweight workouts and wham, now you have me 

This is such an exciting challenge and woweeee to all the things you've rocked already!!

 

Have walked on fire twice a few years ago and remember the exhilarating, empowering effect it had, it is so cool (if that can be said about glowing coals...)

 

YES to Titanium Dragons 

Keep rocking

[Twilight]

Fantastic!!

[elsfaire]

You're back . I agree that these challenges are very addicting... Looking forward to seeing the dragon rise!

I love your goals, although I have no idea what lymphasizing is .

I love the challenges. They help keep me focused on forward movement, and keep me from just getting stuck in the work (i.e., sit-in-my-desk-chair) have-tos.

 

Lymphasizing is a term used by Tony Robbins to mean bouncing up and down on a rebounder (mini trampoline) in a way that helps move your body's lymph fluid around, therefore helping aid the natural detoxification process.

 

zomg you are so exciting. your challenge is so exciting! for real, you sound so positive and so empowered. I LOVE IT.

Thanks! I am not always feeling empowered, but I think i know how to get it back now. More when I update.

 

Glad to see you back! Good luck for your change challenge!

Thank you!

 

Yay! Welcome and way to kick butt!!!

So excited, I posted twice.

Glad to have you back! That is pretty excited.

 

saw dragon and had to peek, saw authenticity and bodyweight workouts and wham, now you have me 

This is such an exciting challenge and woweeee to all the things you've rocked already!!

 

Have walked on fire twice a few years ago and remember the exhilarating, empowering effect it had, it is so cool (if that can be said about glowing coals...)

 

YES to Titanium Dragons 

Keep rocking

I know what you mean - anything "dragon" usually at least gets me to investigate further. I have been like that since 7th grade.

 

I am very happy to welcome another Firewalker to the thread.

 

Fantastic!!

Thanks!

 

Will update tomorrow. Need to go to bed now. So much happening!

[elsfaire]

Yeah, so "tomorrow was a bit on the busy side and an update did not happen. I want to share some awesome news, though-

I can do a chin-up and a neutral-grip pull-up!

They are not true deadhang -ups because I am doing them from standing with slightly bent arms (doorway pull-up bar), but I am soooooo excited! Hello, Dragon!

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[Elastigirl]

Yeah, so "tomorrow was a bit on the busy side and an update did not happen. I want to share some awesome news, though-

I can do a chin-up and a neutral-grip pull-up!

They are not true deadhang -ups because I am doing them from standing with slightly bent arms (doorway pull-up bar), but I am soooooo excited! Hello, Dragon!

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WOOHOO!

[karinajean]

YAY! that is HUGE and WONDERFUL!

[Lara]

BRAVA!!

[Waanie]

Awesome . Such a big milestone!

[elsfaire]

Thank you! I feel pretty good.

Week 4-5 Update

This has been an untraditional challenge for me, and I guess I need to do an update a bit that way. I have not really been able to track things as I usually would because of all the other things going on, but I still think everything is going generally well.

Maintain State

Goal: maintain an appropriate positive state most of the time 5 or more days per week. Recovering from a negative state counts.

I think I have definitely hit 10/10 in this the past 2 weeks. I have had a couple of days on which I could not quite shake my bad state, but I think at least 5 days a week I have been able to get to or maintain a positive state.

Discover my Strength

• Bodyweight workouts 3 times a week, increasing in AMRAP and/or intensity each week.

Also needs work. I am doing a lot of bodyweight work, but it is so spread out that it does not quite count as “workouts†much of the time. 3/3 the week of March 8, only 3/6 since. I did lots of pullups and negatives this week, though. J I kind of shirked the rest of my exercises, though. Partially, this was because I was trying to do partial pistol squats, and every time I did a set, my knee would hurt afterwards.

• Spend at least 20 minutes bouncing on the rebounder daily to “Lymphasize†and work on aerobic capacity. Goal of 6/7 days per week.

Definitely needs work. Did 4/6 the week of March 8, but only 4/12 since then.

• Stretching or yoga for at least 10 minutes, 3 or more times a week.

Out of the 6 yoga sessions that should have happened so far, I think 5/6 did.

Tap the Well of Abundant Energy

• Eat a maximum of 1 “bad food†a day. I think 11/14, though it might be more like 14/14.
• Do at least 1 set of “energizing breaths†daily. Maybe 4/14? I keep forgetting about this.
• Drink at least 50 ounces of water or non-caffeinated tea daily. Probably 9/14

Great Stuff

• I now know for certain that I am a fat-burner not a sugar burner. I recently fasted for about 2 ½ days while doing a cleanse. At one point, the center I was at had me doing rounds of exercise in between drinking glasses of solution. I only got tired after an hour and a half of these rotations, even though I had only had vegetable juice the day before, and nothing at all that day. I had my energy back within a few minutes of stopping to rest.
• I can now do pull-ups and chin-ups! I have not yet done one from a full dead-hang, but I can do 1 of each kind (chinup, neutral grip pullup and wide-grip pullup) from standing below our doorway pullup bar.
• I successfully ran our first (and second) payroll (though I was slightly late on the second one).

One more week of the PVP, and of the challenge. I am hoping to get all the taxes done this week, so I can start focusing on other things again.

[Waanie]

Great two weeks . I'm jealous of your ability to stay positive, even though I know you worked very hard for it . Sometimes it's just so hard to not become negative, you're a great inspiration for me in this regard .

Pull-ups from a deadhang are generally harder, especially if you got stronger by doing negatives. For many people, it's difficult to activate the back enough to be able to start pulling up. Chin-ups from deadhang are therefore much easier than pull-ups from deadhang .

[Twilight]

Pull ups and chin ups!! You beast!

 

It may be an unusual challenge, but you're doing great!

[elsfaire]

Thanks, Waanie and Twilight! It is great to come in here and see your encouragement.

Today has NOT been a positive day. I made a big mistake, and it is just not going away. At all. Hubby is very angry, and this mistake may cost us thousands of dollars. And, I am sitting in the parking lot with a car that is not starting. Let's just say that I want to crawl in a hole right now. [emoji20]

Well, at least the car started.

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[Elastigirl]

Thanks, Waanie and Twilight! It is great to come in here and see your encouragement.

Today has NOT been a positive day. I made a big mistake, and it is just not going away. At all. Hubby is very angry, and this mistake may cost us thousands of dollars. And, I am sitting in the parking lot with a car that is not starting. Let's just say that I want to crawl in a hole right now. [emoji20]

Well, at least the car started.

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Sorry, sounds like a hard day.