Achaedia does the bare minimum

[Achaedia]

Challenge 04: Achaedia Does the Bare Minimum

 

inspired by this.

 

 

Achaedia crested the hill and looked out at the vista that lay before her. Glittering white sand, soft palm trees waving gently in the breeze, and beyond that: a brilliant aquamarine ocean. This would be a good place to rest, and not a moment too soon. The past months of mastering wind and water, enduring trial after trial, all had taken their toll. A measure of recovery was in order. 

She looked at the sky. The shadow of the dragon was faint, but there. It never entirely left. Still, surely a few weeks of rest wouldn't be remiss...

 

01. Achaedia moves to the beat. 

For this challenge, I will move every day. Whether I am using my rainy day flowchart, hitting the gym for some stronglifts, or going to gymnastics class, I will do at least something every day. 

 

A (+2 STR, +2 STA) - Something done 6+ Days/week

B (+2 STR, +1 STA) - Something done 5+ days a week

C (+2 STR) - Something done 4+ days/week

D (+1 STR) - Something done 3+ days a week

 

02. Achaedia eats all the things.

The first 4 weeks of this challenge, I will still be working. My plan is to pack lunch on the days I am working, both so that I will stay at work after the kids leave and get things, done, and so that I am eating well for at least that one meal (although frankly, breakfast is easy for me, so then it's just dinner that's full of danger). 

Weeks 1-4: 4+ packed lunches, eaten at work

 

Weeks 5-6 are my weeks off! So because there will be no going to work, I am going to simply require that I track what I eat, and that I make thoughtful choices. For this one I will just give myself a score from 1-10 at the end of each day. 

 

A (+2 CON, +1 WIS) - All 4 weeks 1-4 passed; self-assessment score of 8+

B (+2 CON) - 3+ weeks 1-4 passed; self-assessment score of 7+

C (+1 CON) - 2+ weeks 1-4 passed; self-assessment score of 6+

 

03. Achaedia gets some R&R.

Two things I could do to make myself healthier would be to drink water, and to get at least 7 hours of sleep a night. Because it's about to be summer, I don't think sleep is the more immediate need. So I am going to focus on the hydration part, with a couple of bonus tasks. 

 

Bonus Task 1: Put up blackout curtains. +1 WIS.  My bedroom has an east-facing window. This is going to become a bad thing very shortly. Enough said.

Bonus Task 2: Iron Lady. +2 STR. Every time I go to the doctor, my blood iron levels are lower. So if I take my multivitamin 80% of days, I will be awarded these stat points.

 

Main task: Hydration. +3 CON. I really don't drink a lot of water now (I have a weird aversion to water in a lot of situations :/) so this task will be graduated thusly.

 

Week 1 - 20 oz/day

Week 2 - 30 oz/day

Week 3 - 40 oz/day

Week 4 - 50 oz/day

Week 5 - 60 oz/day

Week 6 - 60 oz/day

 

A week will be considered "passed" if I make my water goal at least 5 days. 

 

A (+3 CON) - 5 or 6 weeks passed

B (+2 CON) - 4 weeks passed

C (+1 CON) - 3 weeks passed

 

04. Achaedia combs the beach.

I know that this is very important to me, but I don't know how to do it in a way that will help me build a habit while at the same time not setting me up for failure. So this time I am going to try to clean at least something every day. Throwing things away counts. Cleaning pee off the carpet counts. Doing a load of laundry counts. Surely I can do at least something every day, right? 

A (+2 CHA) - Something cleaned 80% of days or more

C (+1 CHA) - Something cleaned 60-80% of days

 

Pull-Up Challenge! If I manage to pull up my own body weight without assistance at some point during this challenge, I will be awarded an extra +4 STR, taken from my very first challenge! It's going to happen at some point! Maybe it will be during this challenge!

 

Measurements & Photos:

 

starting weight | 160.2 lbs

dress size | 10

pants size | 12

shirt size | L

 

chest | 39.5"

waist | 33"

hips | 43.5"

arms L | 11"  R | 11.5"

thighs L | 23.5"  R | 23.5"

calves L | 12.75"  R | 12.5"

 

before photos

I'm sorry for the lighting and the messiness of my house.  

  

Ugh I hate how the back view looks.

 

Challenge tracking: There are a lot of things to track this time, so I will be using this form to record my progress

[starsapart]

TOTORO!

 

Here for this.

[SunlitSapling]

Totally here for this! I love your theme and am kind of doing a "bare minimum" challenge myself, though I'm still tweaking the details/intro.

Wishing you the best!!

[raptron]

Totoro challenge!

 

[blkhole24601]

Yay Totoro!! My favorite animated movie!!  

 

Subbed~

[BlackTezca]

I FINALLY found you!  MUAHAHAHA!!!

 

You're no longer safe from me and the power of the gifs!  Though you certainly have plenty of gifs here!  Yay!!

Awesome challenge; well balanced overall!  Following!

[Achaedia]

TOTORO!

 

Here for this.

Yay!

 

Totally here for this! I love your theme and am kind of doing a "bare minimum" challenge myself, though I'm still tweaking the details/intro.

Wishing you the best!!

I found your challenge! 

 

Totoro challenge!

 

 

Yay Totoro!! My favorite animated movie!!

 

Subbed~

Woooooo~

 

I FINALLY found you!  MUAHAHAHA!!!

 

You're no longer safe from me and the power of the gifs!  Though you certainly have plenty of gifs here!  Yay!!

Awesome challenge; well balanced overall!  Following!

[Achaedia]

So it turns out the assassins mini sign-up is already up, and... it's harry potter!!!!

 

 

And I already signed up, of course. I picked:

 

• close-hand push-ups (a.k.a. gymnastics push-ups)
• band-assisted chin-ups
• duck walk
• hanging leg lifts (both to work on hanging things, and because eventually I'd like to do toes to bar)

 

These are all things I can't necessarily do well, but which I would like to work on. Yay, I'm excited

[Chris-Tien Jinn]

Subbing, of course. I am totally "in" with the summer slacker mentality and hope you can embrace it while finishing up work!!

[SunlitSapling]

I can't wait to sign up! I'm just gonna do wide-stance squats, incline push-ups and elbow planks because they fit my daily goals too but also door pulls since I've never done those before. Can't wait to get home and test my AMRAP for that one.

What house are you interested in? I'm honestly a full-fledged Gryff but I've always wanted Hufflepuff instead lol ;

[Achaedia]

I can't wait to sign up! I'm just gonna do wide-stance squats, incline push-ups and elbow planks because they fit my daily goals too but also door pulls since I've never done those before. Can't wait to get home and test my AMRAP for that one.

What house are you interested in? I'm honestly a full-fledged Gryff but I've always wanted Hufflepuff instead lol ;

I'm a pretty standard Ravenclaw but I liked Slytherin best as a kid (because villain complex, and I have the same birthday as Draco Malfoy). I'd be OK with either of those  

[starsapart]

I can't wait to sign up for the mini!  Of course I'll be participating as well as writing.

 

I am still waffling a bit on my core exercise of choice, though.  Can't decide between toes to bar and ankle hang sit-ups.

[Achaedia]

I can't wait to sign up for the mini!  Of course I'll be participating as well as writing.

 

I am still waffling a bit on my core exercise of choice, though.  Can't decide between toes to bar and ankle hang sit-ups.

Of course and I bet you want Ravenclaw, too. 

 

I can see either toes to bar or ankle-hang sit-ups being useful for aerial. I personally think toes to bar is more fun but yeah. Core has a lot of good choices. 

[starsapart]

Of course and I bet you want Ravenclaw, too. 

 

I can see either toes to bar or ankle-hang sit-ups being useful for aerial. I personally think toes to bar is more fun but yeah. Core has a lot of good choices. 

 

I do want Ravenclaw!  But who knows if I will end up there?  I am not immune to the fickle Sorting Hat's whims.

 

They're of about equal difficulty for me, though the problem with ankle hang sit-ups is I can only do them at the aerial gym..... so that makes it hard to test my AMRAP on some random day of the week.  Hrm.  Toes to bar gets me weird looks at the gym, though, so..... yeah, dilemmas!

[miss_marissa]

I'm super jealous of the assassin mini this go around!!!!! I kind of want to participate because it sounds AWESOME and because of my love for Harry Potter. (And Ravenclaw.... obvi)

[starsapart]

I'm super jealous of the assassin mini this go around!!!!! I kind of want to participate because it sounds AWESOME and because of my love for Harry Potter. (And Ravenclaw.... obvi)

 

I mean......... you could do one challenge in the Assassins' Guild if you wanted.

[Chris-Tien Jinn]

LOL - those core exercises sound so exotic! 

[Achaedia]

Day 01

 

As well as the challenge, today began the last week of actual school. The cumulative project in second grade is an Invention Convention, which was today. So we spent all day finishing projects, and then I stayed at school until 7. All I want to do is go to bed, but I am updating because I am a dedicated person with tons of willpower. Also because it's like 8pm. 

 

01. No ;_; so tired. 

 

02. Yes, but all I brought was a protein shake because I'm sort of only eating one real meal a day to keep my calories down. I wonder if I should change this goal. Tomorrow I want to wake up early enough to eat a breakfast of fruit "cereal". I have so much delicious fruit to eat and so little time. 

 

03. 40 oz drank, once I finish my current iced green tea. 

 

03-2. Multivitamin taken. 

 

04. I stripped the sheets off my bed and tossed them in the wash, then replaced them with clean sheets. Because I wanted clean sheets. I may also take a bag or two of trash outside, and (this isn't really cleaning but) I plan to cut up some bananas and throw them in the freezer for smoothie bowls and smoothies. 

 

I think this is about all I can manage today. Tomorrow should be easier because I only have to teach math and phonics and poetry and possibly art. No more inventions. 

[BlackTezca]

I hope tomorrow is easier cause wow!  Sounds like a hectic day!  Then again...when you're surrounded by children...

 

At least you were able to post a status and it looks like you got a bit done too!  Hopefully today is much easier

[Achaedia]

I hope tomorrow is easier cause wow!  Sounds like a hectic day!  Then again...when you're surrounded by children...

 

At least you were able to post a status and it looks like you got a bit done too!  Hopefully today is much easier

 

We kind of did it to ourselves. No one made us have an Invention Convention the last week of school. It turned out so cute, though. And today was much easier, just because we did math and art and writing and no inventions

[Achaedia]

Day 02.

 

I haven't actually done anything yet, so I am doing things while I post to make sure I get everything done. That's allowed, right?

 

01. I will check my handy-dandy rainy day flowchart...

 

 

I was too old for that show but I watched it anyway during the summer when I was home during Nick Jr...

 

Okay, I don't have any reason for not going to the gym except that it's 9pm. So I guess I'll do a bodyweight workout. 

 

I did:

• Warm-up: jumping jacks, the sideways ones, and duck walks
• 20 body weight squats
• 20 walking lunges
• 20 jump step-ups (on a step stool.... this was trepidatious) 
• 5 pull-ups (neutral grip)
• 5 chin-ups (this one I didn't repeat, because after this I couldn't do anymore)
• 10 couch tricep dips
• 10 push-ups (close-hand, on knees)
• 30 second plank

Other than the warm-up and the chin-ups, I did those 2 times. Then I did my flexibility work:

• 3x10 ea. spinal combined motions
• 3x10/side supine dynamic hip rotations
• 3x10/side shoulder internal rotation in extension
• 3x10/side lounge chair

 

02. I did not pack my lunch today because I ran out of time this morning. I ended up going to Taco Bell for lunch. But I did have a chicken fresco burrito supreme which, other than the high sodium content, isn't too bad health-wise. No idea what I can bring tomorrow. My kitchen is such a mess, I don't even want to go in there. 

 

03. I took my multivitamin and I drank over 20 oz of water. 20 oz isn't that much water, actually. I still feel thirsty. But: 

• I had to start small so that this challenge wouldn't be too stressful
• I actually drink less than 20 oz of water most days. 

So, that's probably a sign that this is a necessary challenge. 

 

03-2. Multivitamin taken. Also I took my other medications in the morning before work

 

04. I cleaned a few parts of the carpet. 

 

 

 

Misc. Adulting: 

• I actually ate pretty healthy today.
• I mailed some books for bookmooch. Even the one that goes to Finland
• I wrapped the next books I need to send for PaperBackSwap.
• I bought some frames for the ink drawings I bought in London in 2010. I need 2 more but the 8x10 will work even though they aren't a standard size. 
• I spent a ton of money at the craft store buying frames and a bunch of stuff I do not need. I feel a little guilty about that. 
• I pre-signed the yearbooks for my students so I won't have to tomorrow. 
• I posted in the forum for Module 2. 
• I took my before photos for this challenge. 
• I got the board games ready for tomorrow (I'm doing board games during our work cycle for the last day of school. Also I said I would play a movie but I might just play A:TLA.)
• I paid my mortgage. 
• ​When my nephew was born I told my sister that I wanted to give him piano lessons before he turned 7 (because the brain benefits are heavily diminished in children older than 7) with the understanding that if he ends up liking it, he'll need a real piano teacher at some point. Anyway my nephew turned 5 this spring and I decided he's old enough to start. I ordered the books and my first piano lesson with him is next Tuesday! So exciting

 

Anyway I still feel like things are out of control. Working out helps a little, but hopefully I can make time to sort of get things back to "normal" over the next few weeks. 

[miss_marissa]

I would think that finishing up school this week will help tremendously! Best of luck today

[Polgara19]

Well done on drinking the water!  Have you figured out what temp you prefer your water?  Unless I'm absolutely parched, I really prefer my water chilled to fridge temp.  Otherwise, I tend to drink my water in tea form?  Not sure how that lines up with your goals, but slightly flavouring the water with herbal tea might help?

 

Looking forward to watching your progress!

[raptron]

Oooh, girl. Excellent at home work out and that is quite a lot of adulting!

[BlackTezca]

Awesome bodyweight workout!  Nice and sounds painful and yet fulfilling.  Also awesome adulting!  That's really exciting to teach your nephew a bit of piano!  I hope he enjoys it!