Briniels first ever challenge

[Briniel]

I've slowy gotten out of shape over the last few years and it's time to change! I bought some new pants 2 years ago and didn't fit in them anymore half a year later. My main goal is to fit into these pants again, which means going down one size or two.

 

Main Quest: fit into size 38 pants again (that's german measurements, just in case you're confused ). I know this might take longer than 6 weeks, but it's the first main goal I work towards.

 

Quest 1: eat healthy! I want to cut out the artifical sugar and white flour completely. I also want to drink 2 litres of water/unsweetened tea a day (and nothing else)

A: 35 days B: 30 days C: 25 days

 

Quest 2: get up! On weekdays I want to leave the house at 7am each morning, either to go to work or to go for a walk/run for 40 minutes

A: 25 days B: 22 days C: 19 days

 

Quest 3: work out! I want to find a workout routine that suits me and do it 3 times a week for 40 minutes

A: 15 days B: 13 days C: 11 days

 

Life Quest: I want to find a new/second job, so I will find 2 jobs to apply for each week and send out my resume.

A: 10 applications B: 8 applications C: 6 applications

 

Motivation: I know I have the potential to be gorgeous and I want to get back to that. I want to look in the mirror and be pleased with what I see. I want to be fit and healthy and not out of breath from running to catch the bus. I want to be able to walk a round in a bikini next summer vacation without worrying about how my belly looks.

 

I tried to make my goals smart. I'm going to come here and write down what I did at the end of each week, so I have some social pressure to keep me going

I'm actually excited about this! What do you think? Is it too much/too little for a first challenge?

[DarK_RaideR]

Welcome and good luck on your first challenge. Do you have any specific workout routines in mind that you'd like to try?

[Yraen]

Seems like great first challenge goals. Really the first challenge is more of a learning experience than anything. Build habits, find out what you like more, and what you're capable of. Least that's how I look at it. Anyway good luck with your goals and hope you find a job.

[Briniel]

Thank you, Dark Raider! No, not yet. It would need to be something I can do without any equipment and that's not too pestering for my downstairs neighbours I'm curious about yoga but I would also like to try some bodyweight workouts. I'm really new to this stuff and don't really know where to start.

Thanks, Yraen! I've tried changing my habits before and usually gave up after a few weeks because life happens and I get demotivated. I like the idea of this 6 week challenge because even if it doesn't work out for some reason I can start over next time. And I've tried to cut me some slack and not make my A rating 100% perfect And yeah, I hope that, too. I do work two days a week and have my boyfriend's support but sometimes at the end of the money there's still so much month left

[DarK_RaideR]

Let me point out Steve's articles on BBWW and the Angry Birds workout. He also has an article on Yoga, but I'm not sure about resources. You can look up the Bodyweight and Yoga sections of the forums, as well as browse some challenge threads for inspiration and to get in touch with some people. Assassins are big on bodyweight and a lot of the yoga people are Druids, but be sure to also check hybrid cases like the Adventurers and Rangers.

[Shakeel_R]

Anyhow neighbour! You countries border is like 1 hour away Adjusting your food pattern helps a lot! So kudo's on that.

 

 

You'll get cranky if you are used to a huge sugar intake. I had the problem myself. I drank like 2-3 liters Coca Cola on a daily basis. I stopped with it on a cold turkey base. And I got so cranky. But it is all good now. I got a great tip from Determinator, he told me to add some lime, or mint to the water, so it is easier to drink.

[Briniel]

The first day went okay... I drank my two litres of water, but I didn't stick to the no white flour part of my diet - I had a concert with my choir and we got some catering afterwards which mainly consisted of lasagna, so...

I did go for a 40min walk/run this morning, but it was at 8am, because I only set the "leave the house at 7am" timeframe after I got back home.

I figured out I want to try the BBWW workout and maybe add some yoga stretching on running/walking days (thanks for all the links and input!!), but I didn't do either of those yet.

I did not tend to the Life Quest part yet.

So... looks like no points yet? Hm.

[Briniel]

So, I learned a few things today...

 

- the BBWW workout is ideal for me because it took me exactly 40 minutes to figure out how all the exercises go and to do three sets of them

- I can actually do three sets of them!!!

- I hate push ups

- lunges seem pretty easy, until you actually try to keep your back straight

- filled 5 liter watering cans make pretty good dumbbell substitutes, but they're also good for watering your bed while switching to the other hand

- it's quite convenient that the time for the plank is set to 15 seconds because that's pretty much all I can do

- my sports bra is awesome

 

I really hate push ups. Seriously, I can do like two of them in a row. And not the proper ones, mind you, the ones where you're on your knees. Is there any alternative that doesn't make me feel like a total weakling? Well, at least I pulled through, put on my hard hat and did all 30 of them (with breaks in between, but who cares).

Also, I feel great now. Weak and shaky and like my legs are made of jelly, but great  
Oh, and you know those quests in WoW where one person tells you to get them 15 pig's bristles and the other person tells you to kill 20 boars? My quests are kinda like that... after the workout I drank about half a liter straight

 

So, eat healthy: 1/35, get up: 1/25, work out: 1/15, life quest: still 0/10

The day is technically not over yet so I could still flunk on the eat healthy quest and I do have a party to attend tonight, but since I already awarded me that point I really can't slip up now because then I'd have to get back here and edit this and all you guys would see and that would be embarassing

[MightyMutant]

Nice work Briniel sticking with it! :-)

 

I appreciate the new learnings. I hate push ups too :-)

[Yraen]

For an easier version of pushups you can put your hands up on something and only lower to that. And yeah I to hate pushups.

[Zacsmith3]

Awesome and specific goals. A lot like mine right now too.

[Briniel]

Thanks everyone!
I woke up in a really good mood today, my muscles are a bit sore but not as bad as I thought they would be. I filled up my two water bottles for the day and will meet a friend later to do some workout or yoga or skating (if the weather turns for the better). I also want to tackle my life quest today and either send out a resume or find two open positions to contact on monday.

Yraen, thanks for the suggestion, I'll try that next time

[Briniel]

Week 1 Mini quest: Make sure your goals are definitely SMART.

1. Is your overall quest achievable (over a short or long period of time)?  Is it reasonable? Yes, I fit those jeans before, I can fit them again. I don't know if it's possible to do so in these 6 weeks, but that's okay.

2. Do your 3 quests all build towards your main quest in little ways, or are you taking on too much? Do your quests have sub-quests or is it just one thing to focus on? Yes, my 3 quests all build towards getting fitter and slimmer. I've broken them down to the basics, but some of them include a combination of things. I don't think it's too much but I'll adjust (this challenge or next) if I see I miscalculated.

3. Are your main goals realistic? Can you scale them to smaller steps to fit your life better, even if it will make it take a little longer to achieve them? I think so. I could break them down even more, but I think they're okay for now and fit my life quite well.

4. Are your goals able to be measured and tracked?  What will you use to track them? Yes, I made sure of that because you can't manage what you can't measure. I will post here daily and also keep track of my work-outs and walks/runs in an excel spreadsheet.

5. How are you grading your goals?  Are they pass/fail (“every dayâ€, “not even once over the six weeksâ€)?  Is there a reward for the effort, or are you only grading yourself on whether or not you “lose the weight†or “run the distanceâ€? They are pass/fail for each day but I incorporated A-C rankings to make sure I won't completely fail the challenge because of one or two days of slacking. I didn't include rewards yet, I'll thinkg about that.

6. What is your plan for continuing/altering/grading those goals if you become ill or injured? I will adjust the quests accordingly - the eat healthy part should always be possible (unless a doctor tells me otherwise), I won't get up early, but make sure to go for a walk if possible, and I will do yoga or some light stretching for the stay fit part, depending on how much I'm capable of doing. In case I'm hospitalized or something I will take the number of days that I'm out of order out of the equasion.

7. Did you take into consideration any special occasions (Labour Day, Independence Day, birthdays, anniversaries, etc) that may occur during the challenge?  What modifications do you need to build into your goals for those? Nope. No excuses for special occasions. I'll have to decide between having that yummy piece of cake or being one step closer to my goal. That's okay.

8. Do any of your main goals conflict with each other? Will one goal make it hard to do another? No, as mentioned before they actually compliment each other

9. Do you already have the time in your schedule to actually complete the goals you’ve set?  If not, what are you planning to do to make time for them? I have plenty of time. Even if I'll find a job quickly, my goals still won't take too much time, so I think I'm good.

10. Are you trying to build multiple habits, or is all your energy focused on your main quest? I do work on multiple things at once in my three quests, but they all build towards the get slimmer/fitter scheme of things. Does that answer the question?

Yay for smart goals!

[weaver]

Gooooo you! I'm trying to work towards 7 a.m., too, but maaaan, it's hard!

 

Vieeeeeel Glück! (I lived in Germany for a few years - hooray, Germany!)

[Briniel]

Dankeschön weaver! I get up at 6.15 when I have to go to work without problem so I figured I should be able to get up early to go for a run. It's weird how my motivation changes depending on wether I do stuff for work or for myself.

 

Today I drank my water, avoided my sugars and white flour and went scating with a friend for 1,5 hours (at a moderately pace, we had a lot of catching up to do, but it's something ). I searched for available work opportunities online but didn't find any that fit what I want to do. I'll write up two initiative applicaitons tomorrow, and do the workout that's due. So... eat healthy: 2/35, get up: 1/25, work out: 1/15, life quest: 0/10

[Ole]

"- lunges seem pretty easy, until you actually try to keep your back straight"

 

I laughed out loud, thanks for that!!

Sounds like you are well on your way, I hope you have a great day tomorrow and wake up at the time you would like to.

 

From Alberta, Canada to you in Germany, High Five!!

[Briniel]

Thanks Ole!
Today was a good day, I stayed true to my diet and my workout plan. I finished the BBWW in 18 minutes which is awesome! I added some back-friendly stretching and strengthening exercises and actually worked out 55 minutes (instead of the planned 40) without noticing. I put the job applications off in favor of enjoying the awesome weather outside with friends. I know, I know, I really need to get going with these    As I've just read on the motivaitonal quotes post: "The time you waste today, you have to make up for tomorrow"

eat healthy: 3/35, get up: 1/25, work out: 2/15, life quest: 0/10

 

Edit: Yrean, your suggestion was great. The push-ups worked much better against the bedframe, but I still can't do 10 in a row. I'm getting there, though Question: should the ellbows stick out to the sides when moving down or should I keep them close to the body?

[DarK_RaideR]

Sounds like you're making steady progress. Congratulations on that

Edit: Yrean, your suggestion was great. The push-ups worked much better against the bedframe, but I still can't do 10 in a row. I'm getting there, though Question: should the ellbows stick out to the sides when moving down or should I keep them close to the body?

A wider base puts more pressure on the chest muscles, while keeping your hands and elbows close to the body works the triceps. Not sure if there's a "proper" way to do pushups, I guess it depends on what you want to focus on?

[silvershadows]

- filled 5 liter watering cans make pretty good dumbbell substitutes, but they're also good for watering your bed while switching to the other hand

 

That gave me a good chuckle. Hope it didn't get too watered though!

 

And you're doing awesome with those push ups! Keep at them and you'll be surprised with how much easier they get.

[Briniel]

Thanks for the explanation, Dark Raider. I'm not sure what I want to focus on, I just wanted to make sure I don't do something wrong

Silvershadows, my bed is fine, thanks for asking

 

I did my 7am morning run today (4,7km in 52 minutes walking/running and I met a friend on the way who couldn't believe her eyes to see me so early up and running ) and stuck to my healthy eating (although I was really tempted by some free cookies and nachos). I decided to give myself a workout free day tomorrow. I have done some sort of physical activity every day since Wednesday and I've probably done more in these six days than I have in the whole last year. My legs, especially, need a rest.

eat healthy: 4/35, get up: 2/25, work out: 2/15, life quest: 0/10

[Briniel]

Yesterday, I skipped the workout. I also forgot my lunch at home I didn't give up on my diet though, but bought some joghurt, fresh fruit, whole-grain bread and cheese instead. Unforturnately, I checked the labels only after I bought everything - they put caramel sirup in bread! There's more sugar than salt in it! So, no points on the diet part, due to double-stupidity. I drank my two liters of water, though, but I'm not going to start on awarding half points now.

Anyways, I startet the day with a step on the scales. It's been a week since I started changing my diet and activity patterns and it's paid off. My scales are a bit wonky, sometimes they show a different number on the first try than on the second and third and so on (although those are all the same), so I'm going to stick with the second reading for consistency. According to that I lost 1,4 kg last week. Woot! I'm below 70 kg again ))) I also finished my 7am morning run in 47 minutes and ran/walked 4,78 kilometers in that time. Which means I ran about 1 km more in the same time than in my first run on Thursday. I feel awesome!

 

I hope all your challenges are going well, I'll keep you updated on mine. I need to go and fill my two water bottles for the day

 

eat healthy: 4/35, get up: 4/25, work out: 2/15, life quest: 0/10

[fanpan]

Nice week! Congrats on you exercise and healthy eating choices.

[Briniel]

I stuck to my diet today, so that's another +1 on eating healthy I even took a look at my resume and changed some things that needed changing, but I'm still not happy enough with it to start sending out these job applications *sigh* I don't know, I feel like there's so much pressure, I get kind of anxious when I think that someone is going to read this and judge me based on it and decide on whether or not to give me a job... it feels like it's so important and my resume is never going to be good enough. Psychology me says if it's never going to be good enough I might as well send it out the way it is and see what will happen, because the worst thing that can happen is that they won't take me and I get by with my current job and my boyfriend's support. Plus, it's their loss. But I'm not willing to listen to her yet

 

eat healthy: 5/35, get up: 4/25, work out: 2/15, life quest: 0/10

[Briniel]

This morning, when I woke up, I heard the faint taptaptap of waterdrops hitting the roof. Was it raining? Yes. Was I still going for my run? Hell, yes!! So I donned my running gear, started a running playlist on spotify (I still need to get around to creating my own) and went out there to kick some ass. I was soaked within minutes but I kept going. It was so funny to see the confused looks of the people around me, hurrying for work with their raincoats and umbrellas, and to give them a smile that said "Yes, I am going for a run and yes, it's going to be awesome!" It was also amazing to see that my running track was almost empty. I think I met five runners total during the 45 minutes I was out there, on a trail along the river where I can usually see five other runners at any given time. So while everyone else decided that the weather was too bad to go outside, I sucked it up and ran the same distance as yesterday (4,78km or about 3 miles) in 2 minutes less than yesterday. I improved my running/walking ratio from approximately 1/1 to 2/1 (there's a bunch of white pillars along the track at equal distances that make good markers for when to start/stop running) and had a pretty good time. I got home, took a nice shower, counted my battle scars blisters (there's two new ones, I need better running shoes), put on some comfy clothes, fed the cats and made a fruit joghurt for myself and will now start the day with a great feeling of accomplishment.

I hope all of you have a great day!

[fanpan]

Happy rain run to you!