QuietRiotGrrrl: The Adventure Begins.

[QuietRiotGrrrl]

Heya!  I've been in NF for awhile but just discovered these boards!  Did I mention I'm distracted by shiny things?  So, while I'm late, here goes my first ever challenge.

 

Main Quest:  To Run.  Specifically, I want to start with a 5k in September and the Zombie 5k  when it comes around my area next year.  I ran track in junior high but really haven't run at all since.  I recently started working through the Zombies 5k training app with a friend and now, remembering how much I love to run, I want to run better and at least 2-3 times a week.

 

Quest 1:  Run 2 times a week every week.  I'd like to run up to 3 but with scheduling conflicts my running buddy and I have had a hard time getting together.  So I'm challenging myself to run at least twice per week, whether its by myself on a treadmill or out with my buddy.

 

Quest 2:  Do a bodyweight workout twice per week.  I've just started and so far have only managed the bodyweight workouts once a week.  I will make this twice per week starting today to the end of the challenge.  

 

Quest 3:  Breakfast of Champions.  I will eat a good protein (no breads) breakfast every day.  No bagels, no matter how much I crave one after a run.

 

Motivation:  I want to be happy. Pretty general but very basic.  For me, right now, this means I'm taking care of myself.  I'm enjoying trying new things and challenging myself in little attainable ways.  I was excited last night to tell the boyfriend I'd done 40 pushups.  I'm also regaining some of my old flexibility and learning how to run again (this time as an overweight 32 year old so it takes some extra work).  My joy comes from making this a new adventure and finding new people to adventure with along the way.  When I was a teenager my nickname was Spunky because I had a hard time sitting still or standing in one place for any length of time.  I suppose I want to get back some of that energy.

[Karma Krishok]

Looks like a great start! Four workouts a week is more than I dared to commit to when setting my goals. It can help to set little rewards for when you fulfil your quests at the end of the challenge, whether these are stat points or gifts in real life. I love shiny things too so getting a shiny new thing to play with for my next challenge will definitely help me stay committed and dive right in the next one. You can also think about setting some grades for your quests: e.g. run twice a week for the four weeks left is 8 runs. That's an A. 6 runs is a B and 4 runs is a C. In that way when you miss one run, you don't feel like you've failed immediately. If you're sensitive to that, it can help dropping out all together!

 

Good luck! And let's hope we can both successfully join the scouts at the end of this challenge .

[Tyburn Lil]

Sounds good!

[theophilus]

Looks like some great challenges. Happy Questing!

[QuietRiotGrrrl]

 

Looks like a great start! Four workouts a week is more than I dared to commit to when setting my goals. It can help to set little rewards for when you fulfil your quests at the end of the challenge, whether these are stat points or gifts in real life. I love shiny things too so getting a shiny new thing to play with for my next challenge will definitely help me stay committed and dive right in the next one. You can also think about setting some grades for your quests: e.g. run twice a week for the four weeks left is 8 runs. That's an A. 6 runs is a B and 4 runs is a C. In that way when you miss one run, you don't feel like you've failed immediately. If you're sensitive to that, it can help dropping out all together!

 

Good luck! And let's hope we can both successfully join the scouts at the end of this challenge  .

Thanks, Karma Krishok!  I've been doing 1-3 runs, 1 body weight and 1 gym weights for a couple weeks now on my own, so the hard part for me is sticking to doing these each week and not slacking. I'm also working on yoga twice a week.  That one is less of a challenge though since its so so nice to follow up a morning run with an after work yoga session, so its not on my list.

I have been setting up my rewards as workout gear!  I started very small:  my first workout tank was a prize just for actually sitting down and making my workout goals on a calendar for tracking, along with my warm up, cool down and a post running stretch routine on boards to pull out when its time.  I've found the boards (with pictures) are helpful so I don't have to check a paper for what I do next.  Just glance at the pictures and go.  It just works for me that way.  My second reward shirt (rainbow NF tank) is coming once I've completed the calendar I've got written out (just about 3 months) and set up the next one with new weekly workout goals.  I've got one already waiting in the wings for my eventual first ever 5k attempt.  And I've got one more that does not have a goal set up yet.  Its just waiting to be assigned.Maybe I'll get it when I finish this challenge or maybe I'll wait until the next since I got started late.  

And don't worry!  I am probably not hard enough on myself when I don't hit my goals.  I just keep going and having fun either way.  Sometimes I think I should be harder on myself, but I like making it more of a game.

 

As far as my goals, I'm scheduled to run with my buddy tomorrow morning.  I am also planning to do a bodyweight workout tonight and I've got breakfasts premade and ready to go for the week!  Started on that one this morning.

[QuietRiotGrrrl]

I suppose I should get on that mini-quest that was week 1 then 

 

Here are some questions to put your goals to the test:

Is your overall quest achievable (over a short or long period of time)?  Is it reasonable?

Yes!  Might not be ready at the end of this challenge or even by the September 5k to run a full one, but I will walk/run it and I'll keep going until I reach my end goal.  I'm almost half way through the training app now, despite running buddy scheduling issues and a few training aches and pains.  I've already taken some stretching advice and I just got a foam roller (with a workbook) and tried it out a couple times to help with the aches.  I don't remember is being this hard when I ran track in junior high.  What a different 15 years or so can make!

 

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?

Breakfast is just for health in general, but it should help me with energy levels which will help with my smaller and larger goals.  Running regularly and working on bodyweight should also help with building me up for my big running goal.

 

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 set my goals up to be more of steps than a final outcome, so they will just help me prepare for my big running goal and whatever comes next.  If the running gets too hard on me, I could always change the running/walking ratio when I go out.

 

Are your goals able to be measured and tracked?  What will you use to track them?

I've got the Runkeeper app and My Fitness Pal which I am using to track my runs and food.  Runkeeper won't do treadmill runs, but the Zombies Run app tracks as well and they do work with treadmill runs.  I've also got a board/calendar set up to track my workouts so I can see when and how often I do the body weights.  

 

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€?

I hadn't really set up a grading system.  I'm just planning to do my best.  I don't think I will have a reward for this first challenge as I started late.  I'm taking this more as a training/practice challenge to get me ready for more later on.  All my goals are countable, so that is how I'm tracking my progress.

 

What is your plan for continuing/altering/grading those goals if you become ill or injured?

If my legs start hurting, I'll make sure to spend more time on the stretches and I'll change my walk/jog ratio to rest them a bit.  I've got 2 "free" days set aside each month on my workout plan, mostly so I could take a couple days off if needed for illness/injury or shark week.

 

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?

My current goals can all be handled anywhere.  Food choices might need to be planned ahead for but bodyweight and running are easier to move around with me anywhere.

 

Do any of your main goals conflict with each other? Will one goal make it hard to do another?

I think my goals are all set up to support each other.  I just need to watch scheduling so I'm not trying to run against DOMS or something.  But those have mostly gone away on the current BW workout.  I think I'll switch that up soon, just want to do a bit better on pushups first.  I'm still on knees for those right now.

 

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?

Are you trying to build multiple habits, or is all your energy focused on your main quest?

The only thing that might affect my scheduling towards the goals will be school starting up again at the end of the month.  I work full time so adding those in last semester made working out more difficult, but I'm taking one less class this semester so that should help.

[Karma Krishok]

Thanks, Karma Krishok!  I've been doing 1-3 runs, 1 body weight and 1 gym weights for a couple weeks now on my own, so the hard part for me is sticking to doing these each week and not slacking. I'm also working on yoga twice a week.  That one is less of a challenge though since its so so nice to follow up a morning run with an after work yoga session, so its not on my list.

I have been setting up my rewards as workout gear!  I started very small:  my first workout tank was a prize just for actually sitting down and making my workout goals on a calendar for tracking, along with my warm up, cool down and a post running stretch routine on boards to pull out when its time.  I've found the boards (with pictures) are helpful so I don't have to check a paper for what I do next.  Just glance at the pictures and go.  It just works for me that way.  My second reward shirt (rainbow NF tank) is coming once I've completed the calendar I've got written out (just about 3 months) and set up the next one with new weekly workout goals.  I've got one already waiting in the wings for my eventual first ever 5k attempt.  And I've got one more that does not have a goal set up yet.  Its just waiting to be assigned.Maybe I'll get it when I finish this challenge or maybe I'll wait until the next since I got started late.  

And don't worry!  I am probably not hard enough on myself when I don't hit my goals.  I just keep going and having fun either way.  Sometimes I think I should be harder on myself, but I like making it more of a game.

 

As far as my goals, I'm scheduled to run with my buddy tomorrow morning.  I am also planning to do a bodyweight workout tonight and I've got breakfasts premade and ready to go for the week!  Started on that one this morning.

 

The rewards really work . What are the boards you have set-up? Is it the program on a sheet of paper or in an app? Or do you maybe have a picture of it? I might try that as part of my next challenge. I have been trying out some bodyweight exercises and I really liked it (although my muscles don't agree yet). I want to keep doing it and making my prep as quick as possible will really help.

[QuietRiotGrrrl]

I don't have a picture but if you want I could get one tonight to post tomorrow.  Its nothing crazy or pretty, just a list of what I need to and some cheesy stick figures.  But its big and colorful and therefore easy for me to use quickly.  I just pull out my stuff and go.  I just have to flip pages from warm up to work out to cool down.

[QuietRiotGrrrl]

OK, so I did NOT do my BW workout last night.  Shark week has descended, so I stretched a bit, but mostly knit and went to bed early.  DID get up at 5 for running this morning.  My running buddy however, who was supposed to drive today, overslept.  So I ended up driving and we ended up doing a previous week since we only had about 35 minutes to run.  So while I did my running, we did not advance the story at all and I'm not moving my training challenge bar.  I managed my Breakfast of Champions this morning (not so rough when I've got bacon/egg cups premade) but then I forgot my lunch at home.  Luckily Mike the boyfriend will be bringing my salad to the office later.  So glad it was all prepared and ready to go!  

 

I'm planning to stretch tonight (legs are always a bit tight after a run day) and do my bodyweight workout tomorrow before work.  Right now, my running buddy has tentatively scheduled me in for a Friday run.  If not, then I'll run Saturday morning with or without her.  Whichever day I don't run I will make my second BW workout this week.

[QuietRiotGrrrl]

Did just a little foam roll stretching last night.  Shark week was angry and I had to take a bath (which, I'm a shower girl-I hate baths, so you know it was bad) and went to bed early.  Today I got up at 5, did BW1A and my mom came over to do my cool down and some yoga before work.  Feeling much better today. And once again, Breakfast of Champions was a breeze.  Mornings are better once I've had coffee and food.  

 

I ended up getting NF Yoga last night. I'm thinking I'll either start that tonight or tomorrow.  Tonight is weekly Zombie Knit night so I might not have extra yoga time.  We're typically done around 10-11 so I go right to bed so I can wake up at  again without too much trouble.I look forward to Zombie Knit all week, so yoga will most likely get pushed to tomorrow.  Should work out great this way since its a scheduled running day.  I just have to contain me desire to try my new shiny NF Yoga!

 

[Noname123]

Awesome challenge! What kind goals do you have for your diet btw? Before cardio for a little carb boost I always chow down on a banana, though that's not the best if you're trying to do low carb. 

[QuietRiotGrrrl]

Awesome challenge! What kind goals do you have for your diet btw? Before cardio for a little carb boost I always chow down on a banana, though that's not the best if you're trying to do low carb. 

Well,  I've kind of half slacked on changing my diet in that I haven't set specific max goals for the day.  But I am doing my best to change what I buy and cook.  

 

So, my current challenge is protein for breakfast.  This week I've got bacon/egg cups I made Sunday and some hard boiled eggs (I like those, but I do miss having a bagel with raspberry jam on run mornings) and on weekends I make eggs and bacon at home, sometimes with veggies mixed in.

 

Outside of breakfast, I just had beef/pepper stuffed zucchini for lunch (made also this past weekend) and when I get home, I'll have chicken tortilla (minus the tortilla) soup for dinner.  I am still allowing myself 2 pieces of Dove dark chocolate after lunch most days and last night was a bad shark week event and I had some ice cream.  But in general, I'm trying to have less snacks and when I do need a snack, I have the aforementioned hard boiled egg, mixed nuts, or whatever veggies/fruit I've got lying around.

 

I do use My Fitness Pal and some days I actually end up way under my calorie goal for the day.  Some of those days I visit my mom and have tea and cookies.  Other days I'm a good girl with added veggies/fruit.  (Less good girl though and more cookie time, I must admit).

 

So, that was the very long possibly way too detailed answer  I'm trying to eat better but I haven't sat down and set up strict guidelines for anything but breakfast at this point.  I figure I'll start here and work my way farther into the day.

[Noname123]

I asked because I've had (and still have!) issues with that myself (Pumpkin Beer, why must you be so delicious?!) 

 

However I demonized carbs for a good part of starting challenges and realized that as long as you get enough protein to maintain muscle, they're not so bad if you eat them normally and not like the cookie monster(which was my issue ) 

[QuietRiotGrrrl]

I asked because I've had (and still have!) issues with that myself (Pumpkin Beer, why must you be so delicious?!) 

 

However I demonized carbs for a good part of starting challenges and realized that as long as you get enough protein to maintain muscle, they're not so bad if you eat them normally and not like the cookie monster(which was my issue ) 

I'm either a soft rose wine girl or a Kraken chick.  I love Kraken.  Best part is making people yell "release the kraken!" before they can have their shots.  I only really drink on special occasions though, so alcohol is less of a problem for me than bagels and ice cream.  I always want bagels on run days and ice cream at shark week.  Sugar stalks me once a month. 

 

I don't think all carbs are evil, but I am trying to break the bagel obsession.  For now, no bread items at breakfast.  I still sometimes end up having one on run days if I'm still craving at the end of the day and not over my calories on MFP.

[Noname123]

Bagels are sneaky. Oh I look like 2 slices of toast? How about I pack about 6 slices worth of calories into you!

 

Have to admit I was slightly horrified to find that the work bagels available on bagel day were tipping the scales at 500 cals. each. Awesome that you recognize your weakness for them and are nipping it in the bud. 

[Karma Krishok]

I asked because I've had (and still have!) issues with that myself (Pumpkin Beer, why must you be so delicious?!) 

 

However I demonized carbs for a good part of starting challenges and realized that as long as you get enough protein to maintain muscle, they're not so bad if you eat them normally and not like the cookie monster(which was my issue ) 

 

I've been a champion in changing my diet. And changing it back again. Mostly because I tried to go from unhealthy to healthy in one go. So I'm trying it different this time around. I decided I have two moments in the day where I tend to binge on snacks (which is my most unhealthy habit and makes me feel bad every time it happens): late afternoon when I'm getting hungry and it's not quite yet dinner time and after nine while watching tv. So in my first challenge now I'm trying to not give in to the temptation at those moments. I have replaced the unhealthy snacking with an apple at four and simply (at least on paper) don't allow myself any food after nine. It works great so far. Best thing is that I can still have an unhealthy snack every now and than, eat all the chocolate I want, binge if I really had a bad day and still feel I'm improving my diet a lot. It has really worked so far, being conscious at those moments has made me more conscious during other times as well (e.g. more appropriate portions for dinner). In the next challenge I will change something else. There was an article on Zenhabits this week that kind of describes what I'm doing, or at least trying! What have you been trying? And what worked and didn't work? I've been 'trying' to change my diet for years so any tips are welcome .

[QuietRiotGrrrl]

We did NOT run this morning.  Running buddy overslept again.  Tomorrow is Saturday, so I'm going with or without her.  I need to get my second run in for this week.  I was still up at 5 though.  I waited until 520 for her then started my warm up.  At 550 she texted that it was too late to run today.  Its frustrating.  But maybe she is not getting enough sleep and needed it.  I told her to go back to bed.  I breathed.  Then I invited my mom over for breakfast and I made us eggs and we had coffee together.  So, it was a nice, if not active, morning.  

 

My plan now is to get started on the NF Yoga tonight.  In the morning I will run with or without my buddy for at least 50 minutes.  I may do my second bodyweight workout tomorrow evening, if not I'll get it on Sunday.  Then Monday is a while new week.  Hopefully my running buddy will be able to get up and run easier after some weekend sleep.

 

I have a birthday party to go to this weekend and they just yesterday requested baked goods.  So I made a pie last night:  grandma's pie crust recipe, peaches, raspberries, and just a little bit of flour and spices to make the innards pie like.  I like knowing what's in the pie, so I didn't mind making it.  Going to do a little final bake just before the party to brown the crust up and make sure its warm to take over.  The worst thing in this pie it the white flour, so I'm pretty happy to say I'll be eating birthday pie and not avoiding some crazy chocolate birthday cake all evening.

[Noname123]

Is your buddy good at being accountable if there's something at risk? I bet miles against my running buddy a few years ago. We both ended up falling off the wagon, but if I was up and she wasn't when we had a run date she would have to run double the miles I ran that day and vice versa if I missed one of our dates. People aren't always accountable and eventually I did what you're doing now- I'm gonna do it, if people want to join, GREAT! If not, that's ok too, just do your thing  

 

Also your pies sound amazing. (Since we're getting close to that time I'll follow your posts closely to see if you have any delicious healthier alternatives to pumpkin pie...I'm a pumpkin addict ) 

[QuietRiotGrrrl]

Is your buddy good at being accountable if there's something at risk? I bet miles against my running buddy a few years ago. We both ended up falling off the wagon, but if I was up and she wasn't when we had a run date she would have to run double the miles I ran that day and vice versa if I missed one of our dates. People aren't always accountable and eventually I did what you're doing now- I'm gonna do it, if people want to join, GREAT! If not, that's ok too, just do your thing

 

Also your pies sound amazing. (Since we're getting close to that time I'll follow your posts closely to see if you have any delicious healthier alternatives to pumpkin pie...I'm a pumpkin addict ) 

We have not tried betting anything against attendance yet.  I might talk to her about it but I'm not sure she'd go for it.  She's not good with personal pressure sometimes.  By that I mean she has a lot going on already and she is very hard on herself and she tends towards spiralling. I try to just be cool when she struggles and help her out when I can.  That means sometimes we reschedule and sometimes we run less, and I'm just glad to have her out running with me.  I try to run weekends whether I run with her or not.  Saturdays are my good day for that. And I'm very much looking forward to Saturday.  I would love to go out running alone, but its a safety thing.  There have been attacks on women both directions; within a block of my home one way and 3 blocks the other, as well as several muggings and a couple attacks on the trail nearby.  I tried out the local indoor track and I did not really like it. Plus its $8 a pop and I'm relatively broke and cheap.  That leaves treadmills when I'm buddy-less.  I have managed to avoid the dreaded treadmill run thus far, but I know I'll have to cave in soon because I want to run more.

 

The only pumpkin recipes I have are cookies and pie at this point.  I'll let you know if I run across something that looks good 

[originalpiratematerial]

Sympathies - there have recently been attacks on women on my favourite running routes too [emoji29]

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[originalpiratematerial]

I like your targets though! I'm a newbie and just trying to formulate my own!

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[QuietRiotGrrrl]

OK, update time.  

1 - Friday night my friend came over and we did lots of yoga, her tape she just got and NF yoga water 1.  I really liked it, but my thighs def hated warrior.  They were angered but no weird DOMs or anything, just got a bit tired holding the poses.

 

2 - Saturday we ran.  I love getting farther into the storyline of the Zombies 5k!  Saturday night was a birthday party and there was much drinking and revelry.  I did cave in to the magical home made chocolate cake that was there, but they offered me a small piece to start with (they know I'm in avoidance of sugar mode) and I cut it in half and gave that back.  Smallish victory of sorts.

 

3 - Boyfriend took me out for breakfast Sunday but I kept my Breakfast of Champions challenge and no breads, just eggs and veggies.  

 

4 - I was still tired from the up-lateness so I laid down for a sec around 3 and slept until 6.  This lead to me not being real tired at regular bedtime and I was just going to read for a second.... started and finished a new book.  Since it was 4ish when I came up for air, I decided to just go ahead and get going.  An hour of sleep was not going to help me too much.  I did my bodyweight workout and then we went running.  I'm sure I'll be feeling that later. But for now I'm eating my hard boiled eggs and drinking coffee.

 

I think sleep was mad at me for taking that nap.  But its ok, sleep got me a nice card and we are going to make up later.  I'm thinking around 8-9 I'll be crawling in bed and we'll be buddies again, hard-core sleep-of-death buddies.  So Glad I made extra food Sunday so I won't need to cook again until Wednesday.

[zeroh13]

I've got to say that your thread is pretty awesome!

 

This made me laugh so hard XD

 

 

I've heard some good things about Zombie 5k, so I might look into that down the road. Is it pretty beginner friendly?

 

Pumpkin related recipes, have you ever tried pumpkin bread? That was one of my fall favorites growing up.

[QuietRiotGrrrl]

I've got to say that your thread is pretty awesome!

 

This made me laugh so hard XD

 

 

I've heard some good things about Zombie 5k, so I might look into that down the road. Is it pretty beginner friendly?

 

Pumpkin related recipes, have you ever tried pumpkin bread? That was one of my fall favorites growing up.

Glad you enjoy reading!    

 

I really enjoy the Zombies 5K.  I hadn't run since junior high when I started and its entertaining as well as helpful.  I need them to push me to run and tell me how long I've actually made it and such.  Plus, zombie apocalypse prep - important.    I'm still working on actually running on the free forms.  Sometimes we end up walking more than jogging, but I like it.

 

Pumpkin bread is goodness.  I really enjoy baking all things, that's one of my food problems.  I just have to make sure if I need a good baking day that I have a place in mind for the items to go.  And stay.  And definitely not come home with me in any form except an empty plate.  But cooking can be relaxing and I love the house smelling all sweet and nice and warm.  Kind of makes it feel like Grandma's house when I was little or something. Just all around nice.

 

[QuietRiotGrrrl]

How about some show and tell today for no apparent reason?

Here is the luchador I made for a friends birthday.

 

That is all.