Up for round two - Briniel joins the Adventurers

[Briniel]

Helly everyone, this is my first Adventurer Challenge. After starting in recruits last challenge I still haven't quite figured out where I fit in guild-wise and since I want to do a bit of everything this time, I guess the Adventurers are for me.

A bit of a background: I'm 28 years old and live with my boyfriend and two cats in a nice not-so-little town in Germany. I started Nerdfitness 6 weeks ago when I looked at photographs from a vacation with friends and really didn't like the way I looked in them. My starting weight was 70kg (154 pounds) although it's not as much about losing weight as it is about toning up and getting fit. I have been quite the couch potato for the last years (almost all my life, when I come to think of it) and although I tried running and swimming and badminton at some point, nothing really stuck. I love singing, drawing, baking and currently play a lot more ESOTU (Elder Scrolls Online) than I should

 

Last challenge I learned I'm capable of a lot more than I thought! I can run for 40minutes straight, if I want to, I can do a 40min workout at 10pm if I put my mind to it, I can easily leave unhealthy stuff out of my diet, I can drink 2l of water a day, if I put it right in front of my nose all the time (which I should do right now, brb). I couldn't do any of that when I started out, or maybe I didn't know I could so I never tried. I learned that doing things that are good for me lead to doing more things that are good for me I pampered myself more, I felt better in my own skin, I did more than was required by my challenge goals in certain ways... I've been feeling really good emotionally and physically during the last six weeks.
I also lost about 0,5 kg each week on average (1,1 pounds) but more importantly, I look a lot slimmer. So much that my friends noticed, some of my coworkers noticed, my boyfriend constantly tells me... I did some progress shots after 4 weeks and the improvement is much bigger than I thought it would be in that little time.

I'll give you a bit of a summary of how my last challenge went and what I want to change about it for this one. For the tl;dr version, just scroll down to my current goals.

 

The easiest thing (surprisingly) was the diet part - I abstained from industrial sugar and white flour without much problem. Sure, sometimes I was very tempted by sweets or bread or cake, but most of the time it was easy to tell myself "No, I can't have that right now. I don't want to have that right now!". Since my first slip up from this rule resulted in stomach pains and a general feeling of un-wellness, it was surprisingly easy to resist temptation from there on (I still treated myself to cake sometimes, but it was planned and decided beforehand, not a spur of the moment decision, which is fine by me). I also noticed that I resisted other things that were not necessarily forbidden by my rules but I still deemed unhealthy and therefor didn't want to eat despite their yummyness - nachos for example. I definitely want to continue this challenge this time. I feel better, my skin is better and my eating habits fit those of my boyfriend better (who does atkins most of the time), which saves time and money (yay!).

 

The drinking part has been an important one for me. My fluid-intake is way too small for the most part, especially now that a heat-wave has drenched Germany in sweat. Sometimes I forget to drink and there were days when I didn't even reach one liter of water. The last six weeks have definitely changed that. I fill up two bottles of water each day and empty them before bedtime. This works very well as long as those bottles are in my line of sight. Out of sight, out of mind. I want to keep this habit up, too, which also includes not drinking my calories.

The next challenge included to get up early and go for a 40min run three times a week. I started out great with this one and then gradually lost motivation, especially on the get up early part. My bed is way to comfy. However, I managed to go from alternating walking an running every 100m (109 yards) to running 40 minutes straight, which is something I still can't quite comprehend I want to continue this quest because it's the one where I saw most progress and which made me feel good about myself. Especially when I did manage to get up early, it was an awesome feeling to already have accomplished something that day. I nursed the idea of going on a 5k run sometime soon. My current running distance is 4,2km (2,6 miles) and is quite manageable. I'll use the one week break to see whether there are any runs at the end of the challenge period and figure out how to join one.

 

The most difficult main quest for me was the workout quest. I followed the Nerdfitness bbww (beginners bodyweight workout) and have become better at it (holding planks for 30s, doing 15 dumbbell rows each side with 10kg (22 pounds), doing 10 wall push-ups in a row instead of... three) but it was the most exhausting one of my quests and therefor the one that gave me the most motivational issues. However, the strechting I did afterwards also gave me one of my biggest motivational boosts, since I'm finally able to touch my toes with my fingertips while standing up with my legs straight, which is something I haven't been able to do in forever! I do want to continue with this but I think it will help to keep better track of my progress. If I really write down how many reps at what stage I have been able to do and try to up that number next time, I think i'll be more motivated because I'll have a better connection to my improvement. At least I'll try

My life quest was to apply for jobs. I failed this one miserably. I currently work part-time and would like to either get a second part-time job or a different full-time job closer to me (I currently commute 50 minutes one way). I sent out one application to a company I've worked with before who are looking for support from september to january next year and that was it. I feel pretty confident that I will get that job since they already know me, my current job is pretty close to what I'll be doing with them and the invited me to a job interview so I felt like it would be weird to send initiative applications to other jobs only to then tell them I won't have time to start until next year... I don't know. The interview is on the 6th of August so I'll see what happens then.

 

New quests this challenge:
I want to start yoga. I really enjoy the stretching and gymnastics stuff I did and I want to give yoga a try. I'll look around for suitable online resources and find one I like. Maybe I'll do the 30 days of yoga routine during these 6 weeks. Or maybe I'll find a few longer routines I can do on weekends. I don't know yet. If anyone knows any free videos that focus on the movements and not so much on the spiritual aspect and connecting with everything, that would be great

I need a new life quest. Since there are so many things I would like to do I think I'll make a list of different activities and try to do 3 of these each day. They will probably range from household scores that only take 10 minutes to practicing my singing for 45 minutes so I can adjut which ones I do to how much time I'll have that day. However, I think it will be good if I decide the day before which ones they're going to be and maybe I won't repeat one I've already done until I have done all the other ones, too (kind of like twelve-tone technique ), but I'm not sure about that yet. I'll figure that out when I've written my list.

 

Goals for this challenge:

Main quest: I want to get back in shape, fit in my old jeans again, be able to run to catch the bus without being out of breath, be more flexible and agile and generally look the way I feel again. I feel better about myself if I'm fitter and more active and I want to stay on that path.

Quest 1: get up! - I want to get out of bed earlier. Right now I still have days where stay in bed the whole morning and feel like I've already wasted half a day by noon. I want to see what happens and how I feel when I actually stick to this for 6 weeks. So I will get up not later than 7am on weekdays. I can sleep in on the weekends. 0/30 (ommited in favor of "no unproductive internet usage between 8am and 8pm" )

Quest 2 1: run for it! - I want to run at least 40 minutes two times a week. Three times a week turned out to be a little much, especially now that I want to add yoga to the plate. I'll find a 5k run to join towards the end of the challenge. 0/12 (bonus if 5k completed)

A: 12 runs, B: 9 runs, C: 6 runs, F: less than 6 runs

+2 STA, +1 CON

Quest 3 2: more power! - I want to do the bbww two times a week and track my progress in detail. I will also try to do more reps or harder versions of the exercises each time. I will finish the session with strechting and/or gymnastics for a total of at least 40 minutes. 0/12

A: 12 sessions, B: 9 sessions, C: 6 sessions, F: less than 6 sessions

+2 STR, +1 STA

 

Quest 4 3: go yoga! - I want to find a yoga routine that I can stick with for 6 weeks. Details will follow when I've taken a bit of a look around the ressources out there. 0/? I will do a daily yoga stretching routine (no excuses) and follow as many of the 30 days of yoga with Adriene videos as I can. 0/42, 0/30

A: 42 sessions, B: 31 sessions, C: 21 sessions, F: less than 21 sessions

+2 DEX, +1 WIS, +1 CHA, secret bonus reward provided by boyfriend if I actually do all 30 videos

 

Quest 5 4: stay healthy! - I want to continue with my no artificial sugar, no white flour rule. I will allow myself 6 plus days during the challenge period where I can eat and drink what I like. I will also drink 2 liters of water every day, without exception (if I don't drink enough on a plus day, it counts as a fail). 0/36, 0/6 plus days taken

A: 36 healthy days, B: 27 healthy days, C: 18 healthy days, F: less than 18 healthy days
+1 CON, +1 WIS, +1 CHA

Life quest: 3 a day! - I'll make a list of things that I want to do more of and do three of these each day. I will plan the day before what those three things are going to be based on how much time I'll have, what needs to be done and what I haven't done for a while. I will allow myself a rest from this on sundays. 0/36

A: 36 days, B: 27 days, C: 18 days, F: less than 18 days

+1 WIS, +1 CHA (it's a smart thing to do and having my shit together will make me more attractive. That's how this works, right?)

 

bonus reward provided by boyfriend if I finish all of these quest with at least 85% (yes it's ambitious, but I can totally do it!).

 

 

Looking at it like this it seems like a lot, but I think it's manageable. I reduced the times I want to run/workout because I noticed it was a bit too much last time. I also split the getting up and going for a run quests, but put the eating/drinking habits back in one again. I think it will work better this way. At least I hope so. What do you guys think?
Oh, I'll also try to update this thread every one or two days. I noticed that slacking in my quests lead to not writing here which lead to more slacking...
I actually can't wait for the next challenge to begin, it's been a lot of fun and so rewarding to change my habits. My feeling of self-efficacy is over 9000

[SomeGuyFromScotland]

Following along again. Good luck!

[deftona]

Following along with you. It might look like you're trying to do a lot goal-wise but I think it's definitely manageable because you're building on good habits you already built, and of course there's this:

 

Last challenge I learned I'm capable of a lot more than I thought! 

 

Good luck with your challenge, kick it in the face! And I hope the interview goes well too.

[Snarkyfishguts]

Fingers crossed for your interview! Sounds like you've thought out your goals pretty well!

[athousandwords]

Welcome to the adventurers!  Best of luck with your challenge goals!  Sounds like you built a strong foundation during the last challenge.  

[Briniel]

Thanks everyone!

 

It might look like you're trying to do a lot goal-wise but I think it's definitely manageable because you're building on good habits you already built

 

Yes, it seems a bit daunting, but I know I can do it and I really really want to ace my goals this time

 

Sounds like you built a strong foundation during the last challenge.  

 

True, I only really added the yoga and changed the life quest. The first challenge felt like warming up, like getting started after years of not doing any physical activity (I think the last time was when I played badminton semi-regularly about 3 years ago) but it didn't go as well as I had planned, which really bugged me. So now that I have a fairly good idea of what I'm up against, I'm ready to kick some ass

I made myself a nice excel spreadsheet (shoutout to SomeGuyFromScotland's challenge for the inspiration though mine is not nearly as fancy as his) and started the list for my life quest. I also looked through my clothes and sorted them into things that fit and I still like, things that don't fit yet and I still like and things that either won't ever fit again or I don't like anymore (2 big bags to be donated to refugees). There are already some things that I can wear again and my cupboard is considerably more roomy and tidy now )

[Briniel]

So, I went for a run this morning and managed a new personal record with 5,3km (3,3 miles) in 40 minutes 
I think I might change the first quest. I guess I'm not really motivated to get up early only to be up early. I know I want to have more daytime to do productive things, but it's not really necessary to be up at 7am to have a productive day. Maybe it's a better idea to crop out unproductive things from my days instead of just giving it more waking hours. I'll have to think about this a bit, but right now I'm leaning towards setting specific times for facebook, 9gag etc. because I waste way too much time on there.

My quest for week 0:

- figure out what to do with the get up! quest - keep it, change it, loose it?
- find a nice yoga program that fits my needs
- allocate ratings and stat points to my quests
- finish the list for the life quest

- sign up to a 5k run at the end of the challenge

I think that's it. I'm excited I can't waaaaait for the cha-llenge to begin! *sings*

[Blonde-E]

I am doing the doyogawithme.com beginner to intermediate series. I would recommend it. The videos I have done so far are really nice and focused on stretching and not the spiritual stuff. I tried the post run video and dont recommend that if you are super tight. Its not for beginners and spent the whole 20 minutes being grumpy that I couldnt even get into the poses she was starting in before suggesting ways to increase the stretch. Pretty much everything I have watched led by david has been good. Good luck on this challenge. You and I seem to be in similar places and have similar goals so I will be cheering you on this challenge.

[Briniel]

doyogawithme.com confuses me, there are so many different videos, I wouldn't know which one to do first... I think I'll do the daily stretching routine on yoga.about.com and try to add as many of Adriene's 30 days of yoga videos as possible. I won't beat myself up if I don't finish all of them before the challenge ends, but I'll try to. I'll grade myself on the daily stretches and treat the longer videos as a bonus. Maybe I can come up with a nice reward if I actually finish them all.

I also came up with an evil plan which combines the getting up early thing and staying away from unproductive internet time. I will limit my use of facebook, 9gag, mindless NF-browsing and the like to the times before 8am and after 8pm. That way, if I sleep in, it's no biggy but it also means no fb/NF until the evening. Let's see if that's motivaiton enough I think I'll install a program for this which actually blocks me from accessing those pages between 8am and 8pm, that way I won't even have to put it as a specific quest for this challenge. Maybe next time I'll try to do without, for this one I think I'm safer with some external control. Can anyone recommend programs for that (otherwise I'll just google, I know I've heard about this before somewhere).

 

Sadly, there is no suitable 5k in my area during the duration of this challenge. On is next week, which feels too early and one is on a day where I already planned some activity with a friend of mine who recently had a baby and needs some down-time. If that doesn't work out, however, I asked a friend to join me on that run. I'll let you know how that works out. Otherwise, aufgeschoben ist nicht aufgehoben (german saying for "postponed isn't abandoned" or "just because I can't do it now, doesn't mean I won't do it at all").

[Blonde-E]

Good jib taking things in stride with the lack of 5 k. Maybe you can find one in october that is zombie themed? I myself am still dreaming of doung one of those even though I dont run unless its on the soccer field.

Doyogawithme cab be overwhelming if you dobt kbow what you are looking for. I am glad you found some routine elsewhere you want to try. If you try doyogawithme again I would recommend one of their "courses" they lay out which videos to do when and link you right to the video; that was the key for me to unlock the site. Also that video that miw posted is excellent if you are looking for a lower body stretching session. There is also a 20 minute version I do often. But any yoga is better tha no yoga!

[Briniel]

I haven't seen a lot of themed runs where I live. I think there's a color run sometime, but that's about it, and there was a reason why I dismissed that, but I forgot what it was

Oooh, I didn't see the courses. I'll check again. Right now I'm happy with what I've laid out for myself but I've heard so much good about doyogawithme, it'll definitely be the page to turn to if I want to try something else.

[sterre]

Following a fellow yoga buddy! Good luck!

[Briniel]

Thanks, sterre! I adjusted my goals, added stat points and now only need to complete my 3 a day list and I will have finished my week 0 minis. I had planned to go running this morning, but my running partner cancelled and I was too lazy to go alone. My shoulders still hurt form too many army crawls yesterday (damn you, unofficial mini challenge!!) so I decided to enjoy the free week between challenges. So glad it's only one week, though, or I would probably loose momentum.

[Blonde-E]

So I was rereading your intro, can I just say I am super impressed that you can avoid flour and sugar in Germany. I feel like that was a staple of my diet when I lived over there. I bow to your awesome will power.

[Briniel]

Thank you! I knoooow, I loooove baking and I still have chocolate-cherry-cake in the freezer that I can't have, it's killing me No, it isn't. I actually found that it's easy for me to NOT do things. It's harder for me to actually DO things that I don't really want to do. But I appreciate your appreciation of all the sugary and/or baked goods we offer over here and my über-resistance-skills

[Briniel]

Due to recent events in a certain ninjakittens challenge thread I have added "drawing for 30 minutes" to my 3-a-day-list. Results will be posted here. I also need some references. If you want to see your face/pet/household object in pencil, drop me a note with a picture that's a decent resolution (the bigger the better), well lit (sunlight preferable, but not necessary) and pretty (to whatever standards applicable).

 

[Snarkyfishguts]

Drawing is the best path to world domination :-D

[ninjakitten]

Due to recent events in a certain ninjakittens challenge thread I have added "drawing for 30 minutes" to my 3-a-day-list. Results will be posted here. I also need some references. If you want to see your face/pet/household object in pencil, drop me a note with a picture that's a decent resolution (the bigger the better), well lit (sunlight preferable, but not necessary) and pretty (to whatever standards applicable).

 

 

What? When did that happen?   

 

That's awesome though! Can't wait to see more. I'm afraid I don't have to offer any recent awesome photos though.  

[ElemHH]

I'm commenting now, so your new posts will show up under my content and I can follow your progress in Adventures in Yoga.

[sterre]

Yay for drawing!

[Briniel]

Thanks everyone!
Today was awesome! I took a running start into my second challenge. Well, at first, I slept in. My alarm clock woke me at 6.40 to go for a run but since it was raining cats and dogs outside (and despite my very good run-in-the-rain-experience last challenge) I decided to turn around again and get a bit more sleep. I got up an hour later for a quick facebook check before my LeechBlock shut down all the unproductive-internet-things at 8am (yes I installed it, yes I already hate myself for it, yes I'm going to keep it that way) and then started on my yoga with a daily stretch and one of Adriene's videos. It was more difficult than I expected. That pigeon pose was killing me but I pushed through as best as I could. This is going to be fun. I did go on a run after breakfast, at about noon or so, when the rain took a break for a few hours. I also went grocery shopping, called my mom, and did a little bit of drawing, so the 3-a-day quest is fulfilled, too.

 

It's just practice stuff, but I said I'd share. I first wanted to draw grumpy cat in coal but then lost interest and did some freestyle portraits without reference. I need to get back in the swing of things.

 

And here's a picture of my lunch/supper. I usually rather eat my food than photograph it but this was so delicious-looking that I had to share. It tasted heavenly!

 

avocado-mozzarella-mango-salad with orange-chilli-vinaigrette, pignolia-rocket-salad and chicken breasts. *mjam*

 

run for it! I certainly did, 4,2km in 33 minutes

more power! nope, not today

more yoga! loooots of yoga!

stay healthy! 2l, no artificial sugar, no white flour - yup.

3 a day! absolutely

 

I feel great. It's good to be back on track after that one week pause and if today is any indication of what's to come, I'm going to rock this

[deftona]

Oh wow.... that food! 

 

[TankGrrl]

So much awesome in this post. I've used blockers before to keep me offline. Man it sucks but it works. I'll have to keep that one in my back pocket if I start slacking off.great idea.

I love how 'after breakfast' is around midday. What a life!

Sent from my SM-G925I using Tapatalk

[sterre]

I like your drawings and good job on the exercise! Looks like you're off to a great start!

[athousandwords]

Lovely drawings!  I especially like the fluid hair on the portrait in the bottom left - reminds me of anime-style.

 

Internet blockers are awesome and horrible things.  I'm pretty sure I disabled mine after a week the last time I tried it.  Hope you have better results!