AthenaMM Finds Her Strength

[AthenaMM]

Main Quest:  Continue working on finding the eating and fitness plan that lets me feel my best, but focusing on strength in the fitness plan. 

 

Quest 1: Do a strength training session twice a week. I'm not going to designate a specific strength training workout even though I'm currently doing the BBWW. If I'm too sore, I want to be able to change up the exercises and stay on track. As long as I do at least 2 sets of at least 3 exercises it qualifies.

Measurement: A = 11-12 workouts, B = 10 workouts, C = 8-9 workouts, D = 7 workouts, F = 6 workouts

Reward: A = +3 STA, +2 DEX, B = +2 STA, +1 DEX, C = +1 STA, D = 0.5 STA

 

Quest 2: Be able to do 5 real push-ups by the end of the six weeks. I'll be working on these during the 2 strength training sessions as well as one other day probably. I don't want to overwork the muscles and make no progress though, so I'll see how it goes.

Measurement: A = 4-5 pushups, B = 2-3 pushups, C = 1 pushup

Reward: A = +3 STR, B = +2 STR, C = +1 STR

 

Quest 3: Eat at least 6 fruits and veggies every day. I know that I feel much better when I eat more fruit and veggies. I usually shoot for 7 when I'm trying to do this, but that is hard to hit if I eat out at all so I decreased it a little to make it a little more doable.

Measurement: A = 90-100% of the time; B =  80-89% of the time, C =  70-79% of the time, D =  60-69% of the time

Reward: A = +3 CON +1 WIS, B = +2 CON , C = +1CON, D = +0.5CON

 

Life Quest: Do my evening routine (clean up the kitchen, wipe down the counters, and wet "swiffer" the floor) every day.

Measurement: A = 90-100% of the time; B =  80-89% of the time, C =  70-79% of the time, D =  60-69% of the time

Reward: A = +3 CHA, B = +2 CHA, C = +1 CHA, D = +0.5 CHA

 

Motivation:  I turned 40 this year and I want to stay healthy and capable for as long as possible.

[jrosto]

Awesome job setting the goals for this new challenge. Looking forward to your "I did the push ups" post

[AthenaMM]

I'm crossing my fingers that I can actually get there, jrosto. A goal like that makes me a little nervous! Ha! So I guess I did something outside my comfort zone this week too!

[ninjakitten]

I'm sure you can manage! It's a great goal. I always like seeing those measurable fitness goals. But I am still so bad at estimating how long it takes me to improve that I wouldn't know how to come up with a realistic one. 

[ElemHH]

How close are you to the 5 push-up goal? Can you do any full push-ups at the moment?

[AthenaMM]

Yeah ninjakitten, I carefully studied past progress to come up with the best number. . .NOT! [emoji13] I pulled a number out of thin air and I'm crossing my fingers that I can even get close. There is every possibility that I will fail miserably. But I didn't want to make it too easy and not have it challenge me. So I decided to make it harder than I thought I could do to see if I can really push myself. In fact, if I hit the goal of 5 too early I will make the goal higher.

And to answer your question ElemHH, nope I can't even manage one, but I don't feel that I'm too far from being able to do one. In fact, I feel like I should try to do one now, to make sure I'm telling the truth. Okay so I just tried. With my hands set too wide, I can actually do one. When I moved my hands where they should be I couldn't, but I'd also just done one with them wide. So like I said, I don't think I'm far from being able to do one. And for the record I didn't realize I'd set my hands too wide till I was in the middle of the push-up.

My thighs are still sore from the BBWW on Wednesday. I haven't decided if I'm going to skip all leg exercises today and just do arm and core work or try to find some easier leg exercises.

[ElemHH]

I was asking incase you were weeks away from a full push-up and didn't have enough time to build up to 5.

 

Do you have a method/technique you are using to hit your goal?

 

Have you heard of "Greasing the groove"? It is a training  technique where you repeat what exercise you can do confortably, several times a day, every day and get stronger and improve your reps because of it.

 

It is a technique I thought might be helpful.

 

Alternatively Paul Wade advises placing a basket ball (or similar sized item) under your chest if you aren't strong enough to do full push-ups. You go down until your chest touches the ball/item, then go back up. Work until you can do your 5 reps, then pick a smaller item and repeat the process. kepp going for smaller items until you have worked up to the full range of motion for push-ups.

[AthenaMM]

I pretty much have NO plan other than working on it during my strength training sessions and probably one other time. However I like both of your suggestions. I think I might combine them. The negative push-ups are difficult and I usually lie there for a second before I do the push-up every time. So maybe keep doing the negatives during strength training but do the partial range of motion ones a few times a day, a few times a week.

Hey I might manage this after all!

[ninjakitten]

Yeah ninjakitten, I carefully studied past progress to come up with the best number. . .NOT! [emoji13] I pulled a number out of thin air and I'm crossing my fingers that I can even get close.

 

Hey, that's usually MY approach to... everything! And it works more often than you'd think. (But I was too scared this time. Maybe next time.)

[AthenaMM]

Here's hoping it works this time ninjakitten!

Okay so I did the BBWW a little while ago. I left off the squats and lunges and did deadlifts instead. It was only the front of my thighs that was still sore so I thought that would let me work my legs while leaving my quads out of it completely. It seems to have worked well. My thighs didn't hurt at all, but my legs still felt shaky when the workout was over. I did the negative push-ups again. They made my shoulders a little sore by the end, but they had been sore up through yesterday so that was expected. The only other thing I changed is that I increased my planks to 35 sec. I had to lay on my face for a few seconds at the end of the last one, but I did it!

I think I might need to swap the walking lunges for split lunges or reverse lunges or something if I'm going to do the BBWW twice a week. The lunges are killing me, but that means I need them, so I want to be able to do them, in some form, in both workouts.

[Snarkyfishguts]

I really like your goals. Especially your cleaning up goal. *looks around messy room* yeaaaaaap, I could follow your excellent example there. And a full push up! I am a few months from that so I'm going to be fangirling over here when you reach your goals!!

[AthenaMM]

Yeah, it's sooo much nicer to get up to a clean kitchen every morning. I was doing at least part of this most nights, but never all of it all nights, so it seemed like a good goal.

[AthenaMM]

It looks like the deadlifts were very effective. Now my hamstrings are sore. Well, at least my quads are no longer sore because that would make moving very difficult. The yoga this morning seemed to help. I'll stretch a couple more times today and maybe it will be gone tomorrow.

[ninjakitten]

Sounds great!  

I like warm baths in those situations too! But at the moment it's just to warm most days  to truly enjoy them.

[Princess Pineapple]

Great goals Athena! Hope the muscle pains wear off soon!

[DreamDancer]

And a full push up! I am a few months from that so I'm going to be fangirling over here when you reach your goals!!

My full push ups are scheduled for the November challenge - IF I manage to pull off this challenge and the next.

I am taking epsom salt baths to try to manage the muscle pain. I am thinking of trying homeopathic remedies (arnica and /or rhus tox) as well. Biotone massage cream has arnica in it, but I also concoct my own massage creams /oils from coconut oil and essential oils. Ginger, wintergreen and black pepper work well for muscle ache.

And then there's the totally DIY version - - powdered turmeric, cayenne and ginger! I have made it and it's quite effective if you don't mind turning sort of fluorescent yellow. (I am Caucasian so that's the effect it has on my skin anyway.)

Scroll down to #3 'Little Bit Extra Cream'

http://everydayroots.com/arthritis-pain-relief-cream

[AthenaMM]

I also haven't been trying warm baths but I think I'm going to need to, ninjakitten. I'm really sore today. Hamstrings started being sore last night and are still sore today and my shoulders got in on it at some point today.

 

Thanks for the suggestions DreamDancer! I never think about using anything like that. If it makes some of the pain go away I don't mind being fluorescent! Love your goal in your signature by the way!

 

Thanks Princess! It nice to have you here!

[DreamDancer]

Thanks for the suggestions DreamDancer! I never think about using anything like that. If it makes some of the pain go away I don't mind being fluorescent! Love your goal in your signature by the way!

I adopted my goal from Parker in 'Leverage'. It just works, doesn't it? (Works even better if you know me :-p)

Oh - you can also make turmeric tea. Or scramble it in eggs. Turmeric is my go-to anti-inflammatory. I buy big bags of it at the Indian grocery. (My counters are often a bit yellow too, but a dash of hydrogen peroxide takes care of that. It can stain clothing though, when it's mixed with the oil.)

I got to thinking about it and maybe fluorescent isn't a bad look for a superhero....

[jrosto]

...Oh - you can also make turmeric tea. Or scramble it in eggs. Turmeric is my go-to anti-inflammatory....

Turmeric is one of my near daily must haves also. Works nicely in all kinds of dishes.

[ElemHH]

I also haven't been trying warm baths but I think I'm going to need to, ninjakitten. I'm really sore today. Hamstrings started being sore last night and are still sore today and my shoulders got in on it at some point today.

 

Thanks for the suggestions DreamDancer! I never think about using anything like that. If it makes some of the pain go away I don't mind being fluorescent! Love your goal in your signature by the way!

 

Thanks Princess! It nice to have you here!

 

The advice I was given last week was stretching, which I know you are doing and foam rollers and tennis balls.

 

I thought the stretching would be one good stretch session and done, but I had to keep stretching throughout the day or my muscles got tight again.

I didn't have foam rollers, so I used a can of deoderant to roll over my muscles. It did help loosen it when it was at it's tightest, but wasn't a long term fix either. Both together should help you move around more easily, until your muscles heal a little more.

[DreamDancer]

The advice I was given last week was stretching, which I know you are doing and foam rollers and tennis balls.

I didn't have foam rollers, so I used a can of deoderant to roll over my muscles. It did help loosen it when it was at it's tightest, but wasn't a long term fix either. Both together should help you move around more easily, until your muscles heal a little more.

The massage school I went to used this book to teach trigger point therapy. It's like the encyclopedia of how to use a tennis ball.

The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook

http://www.triggerpointbook.com/

I use a foam roller at the end of every workout. I have a 24 inch wide 6 inch diameter one. I'd be lost without it. I have a great ebook manual on foam rollers and tennis balls - but the original link isn't working. I will see if I can upload it and provide a link.

I read somewhere on the rebel forum, probably under equipment, that people are getting large diameter pvc pipe and padding them (or not) because they felt that the foam roller wasn't firm enough. I like the foam, but I have fibromyalgia and have to be careful not to over do deep massage techniques.

I had trouble working on my arms and lower legs until I got a small width paint roller and shoved a bit of pool noodle over it in place of painting part. I had tried small diameter pvc tube, but couldn't get the right leverage.

[ninjakitten]

Hope you're better today and will have an amazing start! (Also so many great tips... I'm sure we'll all need them along the way. )

[AthenaMM]

Thanks for all the tips and links DreamDancer! Now to start adding turmeric to recipes and figure out trigger points! I also like the paint roller idea.

What sort of foods do you add turmeric to, jrosto?

I had read the suggestions you got in your thread and I've been using a tennis ball, ElemHH. I also plan to buy a foam roller but I haven't yet. The tennis ball does help loosen the knots better than just stretching but it doesn't keep it from coming back either.

Thanks, ninjakitten!

I'm still pretty early in day one, but it's going okay. I had trouble staying asleep last night again so my energy is low, but my determination is high, so I'm sure I can power through. I probably won't get a chance to post today's progress till tomorrow since this is probably the only free time I'll have. Don't you love it when the day after poor sleep coincides with a really busy day? I actually went to bed early to prevent this. Oh well. Thanks for all the tips and support everyone!

[jrosto]

What sort of foods do you add turmeric to, jrosto?

 

 

When I make an egg scramble in the morning, I saute up the veg and maybe protien first.  About a min. before the saute is done, I add the turmeric and let it incorporate into the veg for a min before adding the eggs.  Extra good if there are mushrooms involved for some reason.

 

I add to my broth soups depending on the protein.

 

For me it needs to be cooked into a dish.  It's not a spice that I would dust as a finishing flavor.

[Rowan Caldecott]

Here's hoping it works this time ninjakitten!

Okay so I did the BBWW a little while ago. I left off the squats and lunges and did deadlifts instead. It was only the front of my thighs that was still sore so I thought that would let me work my legs while leaving my quads out of it completely. It seems to have worked well. My thighs didn't hurt at all, but my legs still felt shaky when the workout was over. I did the negative push-ups again. They made my shoulders a little sore by the end, but they had been sore up through yesterday so that was expected. The only other thing I changed is that I increased my planks to 35 sec. I had to lay on my face for a few seconds at the end of the last one, but I did it!

I think I might need to swap the walking lunges for split lunges or reverse lunges or something if I'm going to do the BBWW twice a week. The lunges are killing me, but that means I need them, so I want to be able to do them, in some form, in both workouts.

 

Lunges are evil, yo. I currently do the assisted split squats. Any variation of lunges is evil. I only do them because I am determined to conquer them.