Return of the Rugger

[NicTheRugger]

Hello everyone! I'm back!

 

Sorry for my absence during the last challenge. I needed some time off to focus on getting ready for school and to spend time with my family. I was a little burnt out and wasn't really sure where to go with a challenge. But, now I'm back! (But only sometimes in black.)

 

As it were, I have a general idea as to where I want to go with this challenge, and am going to work for some new goals!

 

Challenge 1: Sash-up

I am testing for my orange sash (first level sash) on October 17th. While this means that I can't run the Tough Mudder I wanted to do, I would much rather 1) get my sash, and 2) spend $40 on the test than $180 for a tough mudder. Maybe next time. In order to make sure that I am as prepared as possible for the test, I will try to go to Kung-fu practice three times a week, health and school work permitting. I know martial arts generally falls under the Monks category, but  considering the amount of push-ups and bodyweight training that we do, I think it counts for assassin territory. Not to mention... being able to disarm someone using only my body? And then put someone in a chokehold (only if necessary)? That sounds assassin-y to me!

 

Challenge 2: Stretching

Me and stretching tend to fall out a lot. I need to get back into the habit of stretching daily, to make sure that I'm as ninja-y as possible. I will start the day with the NF dynamic stretch to make sure I stay nice and limber.

 

Challenge 3: Posting

I tend to be really bad at posting on NF. I will try to post at least 4xs a week on my own topic, and check in with friends at least 2xs a week. I will set an alarm for remembering to post.

 

Challenge 4: Clean up!

Everything. I've gotten a wee bit lazy when it comes to housework. I'm going to set one day aside for cleaning. This probably means Saturday, since I work or am at school most of the week. Alternatively, I might pick Thursday mornings to clean, since I don't have class until  pm. I want to adult better, so I'm going to try to keep a cleaner apartment.

[Mikroftt]

Welcome back!  Glad that rest and recovery went well.  Bummer that you aren't going to do the Tough Mudder but martial arts sounds like a more long term goal.  As for working on some of your habits, a bunch of us in the assassins have a group over on Habitica that help us be accountable for our habits.  Might want to check that out as a good source for items 2-4 on your list.  Good luck with this challenge!

[NicTheRugger]

Thanks Mikroftt! I've actually just signed up for Habitica. I'm still trying to figure it out, but I'm sure I will. Now I just need to remember to check into the website!  

 

Excited for the challenge to start. I think I'll start this week! Start a little bit early and hope that I stay motivated. :3

[NicTheRugger]

An update! Yaaay updates!

 

So I'm getting ready for work right now (which means that I'm still in pajamas, and finishing breakfast.) I went to the kwoon on Wednesday and got some good striking practice in. I learned tiger claw, dragon claw, eagle talon, and twin dragon in search of pearl. One of the higher levels was teaching the class, and he's always fun to learn with, because he puts more of a focus on self defense than on looking flow-y with forms. I have to say, I enjoy learning the more practical applications. 

 

I usually go to class on Thursday, but since my birthday was on Wednesday and I chose to go to the kwoon instead, my friends and I went out to celebrate my birthday a day later. It was fun, so I don't regret not going. It's nice to spend time with my friends outside of school. 

 

Today I will go to kung fu, and while it's more of a review session than a class, I certainly don't mind.

 

I realized yesterday that I'll only be able to get to the kwoon twice next week: Once on Monday, and once on Thursday. I can't do Tuesdays because I have class until 8:30 pm. While I normally would do a Wednesday session, I have a meeting that I can't get out of. I can ask my shifu if it would be alright for me to come to the advanced class on that day, even if I'm only a novice still. I would even try for another Friday session, but I'm having dinner with one of my professors. Can't get out of that. I'll just have to see if the advanced class is something that I can get away with next week. 

 

Daily stretching is going well so far. I think it helps that I have to check off a daily task on habitica. It motivates me to remember. 

 

I'll try to post again over the weekend! 

[Lightning]

Saw you over at the Gryffindor Group! Yes, please sign up and play with us . We are going to mostly focus on healthy eating which doesn't seem to fit your challenge but might be a great accompaniment!

Plus one for daily stretching! I don't have any specific stretching routine but I have plenty of body parts that let me know they are tight.

[Wild Wolf]

Happy belated birthday! And welcome back! Subbing for a little Rugger Fight Club action going on! It sucks you wont be able to do the Tough Mudder but a cheaper option AND learning self defense sounds like the better option anyways

 

Wolf

[NicTheRugger]

Saw you over at the Gryffindor Group! Yes, please sign up and play with us . We are going to mostly focus on healthy eating which doesn't seem to fit your challenge but might be a great accompaniment!

Plus one for daily stretching! I don't have any specific stretching routine but I have plenty of body parts that let me know they are tight.

I usually keep healthy eating as a challenge in the back of my head. But I can always keep improving! Thanks for having me along

 

Happy belated birthday! And welcome back! Subbing for a little Rugger Fight Club action going on! It sucks you wont be able to do the Tough Mudder but a cheaper option AND learning self defense sounds like the better option anyways

 

Wolf

Thanks! Good to see you (well, you know) again.

[NicTheRugger]

WEEKEND UPDATE

 

Guys, the challenge starts tomorrow!! I'm so excited. I think I've gotten off to a good start for the challenge. I have to say, I'm looking forward to it.

 

I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to get to kung fu three times this week. I can do Monday, and hopefully Wednesday, but my friend's birthday is on Thursday, and I have a dinner with a prof. on Friday, so... unless my friend wants to do something Friday or Saturday instead, then I might have to do some quick negotiating, or only go twice. Sadness.

 

Kung-fu Friday night was awesome. I'm still sore, and I have a nice bruise forming on my arm somewhere from making a hard block. I'm pretty pumped for the test, but a little nervous because I have NO idea what to expect. Looking forward to getting better though. I think I have almost all of the basics down that's required to move to orange sash (9th lower level-- unsashed, where I am, is 10th lower level), so now it's just practicing and refining everything. Eep.

[Leimanu]

Yay, Nic's doing a challenge!

 

I skipped out on the last one too.  There's only so much personal development one can do, lol.

 

I remember in your past challenges when you goal was just to find a martial art and begin, and now you're testing for a levelling-up.  *sniff sniff*  So proud of you follow-through!

 

Glad to see your also rocking lawyer school.

[DJtrippyT]

Heyyyyyy! You're back! 

[NicTheRugger]

I'm back!!

 

Leimanu, are you doing a challenge this time around? 

 

 

So, Challenge Day 1:

Started off the morning with a stretch. Was pretty stiff though, as I must have slept oddly. I was pretty exhausted during the day, as I not only slept weirdly, but didn't sleep well. Not much that can be done about it though. I had a great time at kung fu last night, and now have bruises all over my forearms. We were doing forearm conditioning and I was paired up with one of the black belts... ouch. Setting my forearms down... in pretty much any position right now hurts. 

 

Challenge Day 2:

Woke up. Oww upper body. Everything hurts. Stretching was rough. I was so stiff from yesterday that I could barely touch my toes. Focused more on upper body stretches because that's where all the stiffness is. Since it's morning, haven't done all that much yet. I don't have class until 1, so I can lounge around in sweats around the apartment for a bit. I think I'm going to get a ratatouille going in the crock pot for dinner, and maybe a loaf of zucchini bread for breakfast. I usually go with a smoothie, but considering it's currently 45 degrees Fahrenheit outside, and I have all of my windows open to keep letting in fresh air for as long as possible, it's a bit too cold for one. I also have to finish my reading for my classes for today. Oops.

 

I'll try to check in on everyone tonight to see how the challenge is starting off for you guys!

[NicTheRugger]

oof. Week 1 has had some mixed results so far.

 

Kung fu: I've only been able to go once this week. I had more going on than I expected, meaning that Monday was the only day I could make it to Kung-Fu. I might try to practice a little bit before I have dinner with one of my profs, either in the backyard with the bo staff (counts, right?) or just practice my breathing exercises and review some moves and stances to make up for not being able to go to class. I'll try to do some practice over the weekend as well.

 

Stretching: This, I have been able to keep up with. Stretching is always done in the morning, even if it's after breakfast, rather than right after I wake up (sometimes, I'm just too groggy to remember how to function until I get a glass of water or a cup of tea in me). 

 

Better posting: Somewhat successful? I posted on various boards, so I'm definitely trying to be more mindful in that regard. Because I haven't done this much otherwise, I haven't posted on my board as much.

 

Better adulting: tomorrow is cleaning day! That means light dusting, cleaning the bathroom, and mopping the kitchen floor (and maybe the bathroom too). I've gotten better at cleaning dishes right after I use them, rather than letting them sit in the sink. The only exceptions are when something needs to soak for a while because food got burned onto the dish or something like that (baking equipment comes to mind). Since better adulting includes better eating, I've been really good about cooking food this week. I made meatloaf on Sunday, as well as zucchini bread. The zucchini bread accompanies breakfast smoothies, and the meatloaf has been alternating as dinner or lunch (it's especially delicious in a grilled cheese sandwich). I also made ratatouille in my crock-pot, so I've been alternating the meatloaf with that (mm, veggies). 

 

I've cut down on my caffeine intake (via black tea), but it's been really hard. The changing weather messes up my sleeping habits, so I'm more tired than usual, and all I want is a cup of tea and a nap. Ah well, what can you do. 

 

I hope everyone will have a lovely weekend!

 

(... Less than a month until supernatural starts back up! I can't wait!)

[DJtrippyT]

oof. Week 1 has had some mixed results so far.

 

Kung fu: I've only been able to go once this week. I had more going on than I expected, meaning that Monday was the only day I could make it to Kung-Fu. I might try to practice a little bit before I have dinner with one of my profs, either in the backyard with the bo staff (counts, right?) or just practice my breathing exercises and review some moves and stances to make up for not being able to go to class. I'll try to do some practice over the weekend as well.

 

Stretching: This, I have been able to keep up with. Stretching is always done in the morning, even if it's after breakfast, rather than right after I wake up (sometimes, I'm just too groggy to remember how to function until I get a glass of water or a cup of tea in me). 

 

 

Stretching and mobility work is key. It'll keep you up to par when you can't get to your proper classes, so that when you do go you're not all stiff and restricted. I am absolutely obsessed with my 15-minute mobility thing in the morning.

 

 

 

Better adulting: tomorrow is cleaning day! That means light dusting, cleaning the bathroom, and mopping the kitchen floor (and maybe the bathroom too). I've gotten better at cleaning dishes right after I use them, rather than letting them sit in the sink. The only exceptions are when something needs to soak for a while because food got burned onto the dish or something like that (baking equipment comes to mind). Since better adulting includes better eating, I've been really good about cooking food this week. I made meatloaf on Sunday, as well as zucchini bread. The zucchini bread accompanies breakfast smoothies, and the meatloaf has been alternating as dinner or lunch (it's especially delicious in a grilled cheese sandwich). I also made ratatouille in my crock-pot, so I've been alternating the meatloaf with that (mm, veggies). 

 

 

 

 

 

 MEATLOAF IN GRILLED CHEESE OMG PUT THAT IN MY MOUTH RIGHT NOW.

 

(nomnomnom)

[obax]

I stopped by to see if the 'rugger' part of you name related to rugby, and I'm guessing from you pic it does. Then I thought I'd stay for the bendiness, since I'm working on that too. And the kung fu, since that's something that interests me (sadly I don't have the finances to take it up, though).

[joedog]

I was scrolling through, saw Obax's mention of rugby. Then I saw Wolfenstein's "rugby fight Club" and I knew I was in the right place. I'm a former rugger turned boxer. Hi!

Sent from my SM-G920R4 using Tapatalk

[Lightning]

Hello Gryfindarling!  For battling the caffeine demon with delicious tea, water, and maybe some naps... you have earned the illustrious Aguamenti Badge!!!!!

 

[NicTheRugger]

 MEATLOAF IN GRILLED CHEESE OMG PUT THAT IN MY MOUTH RIGHT NOW.

 

(nomnomnom)

IT'S SO GOOD. I can't eat it all the time though, because it feels a little decadent, to be honest. Thus, I'm still working my way through the meatloaf. I'm hoping to finish it off this week. 

 

I stopped by to see if the 'rugger' part of you name related to rugby, and I'm guessing from you pic it does. Then I thought I'd stay for the bendiness, since I'm working on that too. And the kung fu, since that's something that interests me (sadly I don't have the finances to take it up, though).

Yup! I played rugby in undergrad. Sadly, had to give it up while I'm in law school, mostly because I'm worried that an injury will really knock me off track with my studies. =( I miss it though. I'm hoping to play with a local league once I graduate and move back home.

 

I was scrolling through, saw Obax's mention of rugby. Then I saw Wolfenstein's "rugby fight Club" and I knew I was in the right place. I'm a former rugger turned boxer. Hi!

Sent from my SM-G920R4 using Tapatalk

Former ruggers unite!

 

Hello Gryfindarling!  For battling the caffeine demon with delicious tea, water, and maybe some naps... you have earned the illustrious Aguamenti Badge!!!!!

 

oooh, it's so shiny. Yay! I won a thing! I never win the things. 

[NicTheRugger]

Week 2:

Okay! Week two is starting. 

 

So those things I said I would try to do over the weekend? Except for the cleaning, those didn't happen. Whoops. My shoulder was unusually sore over the weekend, so I'm wondering I slept weirdly on it or something. 

 

I did my morning stretching! Yay! 

 

I'm thinking about reorganizing my challenge just a little bit. Same general goals, but with some more assassin-y-ness to it. Stay tuned. Kung fu today! I'm so excited. I need it, considering I only went once last week. Going to have to stretch really well beforehand to make sure I don't suffer too much as a result.

 

Also, if anyone is a Doctor Who fan... how was the episode? No spoilers! Just... was it good? Or should I mentally prepare myself for disappointment? 

[NicTheRugger]

Okay. So I've been thinking (while I've been cruising around on the site, checking in on everyone).

 

I'm re-vamping my challenge. Just slightly. So it's more... assassin-y.

 

Mission 1: It's the way of the Platypus!

(Don't tell me that Perry the Platypus is not the coolest character on kids tv right now. He's a platypus with awesome kung-fu moves and the best gadgets. Seriously, this show, while for kids, is smart, funny, and cute. There are so many subtle-- and not so subtle-- nerdy references for adult viewers. I love it.)

So. This is the kung-fu aspect of my challenge. But I'm breaking it down into "sub-challenges" so I can get back into the assassin mindset.

Mission Objective 1:

Attend kung-fu classes 3xs a week. 4 = awesome. 

Mission Objective 2:

Conditioning is a big part of what we do in class. Many, many push-ups and crunches. I can do the crunches just fine, but the push-ups... I struggle. There are a lot of push-ups. My goal is to be able to get through a full set of fifty by the end of the challenge. We usually do 3 sets of 40-50 in a class, in various styles (various punch push-ups, diamond push-ups, downward-facing dog push-ups, both with feet back and on knees). Right now, I can almost keep up, but after a while, my arms just give out. Push-ups are on Mondays and Wednesdays for classes, so if I don't go to class on Wednesday, then I must do as many push-ups as I can at home. Same thing with Friday. If I don't go to class on Friday, then I must go do push-ups.

 

Mission 2: Being Elastigirl... Almost.

(Can you tell I'm in a Disney mood right now? I definitely had Disney's Robin Hood playing in the background while I did homework yesterday)

While I can't expect to be as bendy as Elastigirl, I can work to improve my mobility and flexibility. So, sub-challenges.

Mission Objective 1: The Daily Stretch

Basically what this particular challenge started as. Do a warm-up stretch in the morning.

Mission Objective 2: The Splits

Some splits training. I have a lot of tension in the hip area, because I stay seated for most of the day. Neither of my places of employment, nor my classrooms, have standing desks, meaning that I must stay seated if I want to work. Meh. To counter-act that, I want to do some splits training to get some mobility in my hips. I'm going to do this probably twice a week, on Tuesdays (since no kung-fu because of classes), and then again on either Thursday or Friday, depending on how things go.

 

Mission 3: Posting

This is going to stay the same. No changes here.

 

Mission 4: Clean up your Act! (Or, Infiltrate Society, Pretending to be a Grown-up!)

Mission Objective 1: Clean House

House Cleaning once a week. I can vaccuum on alternate weeks. Since I live by myself, there isn't that much mess on the floor, except for the kitchen, which will be swept every couple of days. Dusting... as often as needed. 

Mission Objective 2: Clean Sink

No dishes left in the sink overnight, unless it's for dishes that really need to soak. Likewise, try to wash dishes as soon as possible after using them, so they're not sitting in the sink all day. Exception: tea mugs, which will be on constant re-fill mode. Either with tea, juice, or water. 

Mission Objective 3: Clean Eating

I'm a member of the Gryffindarlings Accountabilibuddies group, which is focusing on clean eating/drinking habits. This mission objective will be changing on a weekly basis, depending on what the group is doing. General objectives though: stay hydrated, but don't over-do it on the black tea, and cut down on the amount of grains I'm eating.

[NicTheRugger]

Okay! So. It's Wednesday. 

 

Monday was good. Kung fu was fantastic, although I was certainly regretting not being able to make it at least twice last week because my arms were not happy with the push-ups. Ouch. Diamond push-ups always kill me a little, because my triceps aren't as strong as my biceps (which aren't all that strong to begin with!) Class was great, because Shifu started teaching me some more advanced stuff, in preparation for after the test. Yay! I learned my first (sort-of) throw. It's not a hip-toss, but done correctly, I can definitely stop someone for a good while. It will take a bit of practice, but it's nice to see how the basic moves translates into higher-level practical stuff. 

 

I had a hard time focusing Monday night, which led to me watching the most recent episode of Doctor Who.... which I now have a lot of strong feelings about. I'm starting to buy into the theory that Moffat just has a list of crazy ideas pulled from Tumblr and Fanfiction.net and just throws darts at them to see what the episode is going to be, and then plots how to cause extreme emotions in viewers with these weird ideas. Regardless, my inability to focus and then watching Dr. Who and then... more inability to focus meant that I didn't get nearly enough sleep. 

 

Because of this lack of good sleep, yesterday was brutal. I did get to do my morning stretches, but didn't get to put in any splits practice. (I would do this now while I'm at work at the admissions office, but jeans are not good for splits! ) I felt really un-adult-y yesterday, and just generally overwhelmed. I think part of being a better adult will have to include better methods of handling stress and time management. I still have yet to find a method that really works for me. That being said, I had a nice and early (well, my normal) bedtime at 10:30, and slept like a rock. 

 

Today seems to have a good start so far. I woke up really refreshed, which is great after how horrible yesterday was. I tried a new recipe for breakfast, and made a more-vegetable-than-egg zucchini frittata. It was okay. Top it with pesto and it became much better. (Lesson: when in doubt, add pesto). I'm currently at work at the admissions office at my school. Thankfully, only one email and that's been taken care of. I just need to finish off my homework for today (read: do my homework for today) and then if I have time before class, finish an assignment for tomorrow as well, so I'll have less to do tonight. If I do anything super fun at kung-fu tonight, I'll let you guys know.

[Mikroftt]

I like the update on the challenge.  Definitely some more defined goals with some sub goals to make it easier to track how you are doing.  I have been doing sets of push-ups throughout the day and that seem to keep me within my fatigue limit but gets them in for total numbers.  For your goal, I might try once a week doing a push-up tabata style.  Currently I am doing that with close grip push-ups doing 20 second with 10 seconds rest for 8 rounds.  Definitely gets a burn by the last few sets.  I think last week I got 56 total push-ups doing that style.  Didn't try this week yet.

[NicTheRugger]

Mikrofft, that sounds... ouch. O.O I am super impressed that you can do that. Maybe once I build up a little more shoulder strength. Right now, it's just a challenge to do full pushups without falling flat on my face. 
 
It's Friday, guys!
Kung fu on Wednesday and yesterday was good. My legs are shaking still from prolonged horse-stance holding yesterday. O.o ouch. (Can that count for the mini? I know it's not a traditional squat, but...) Push-ups on Wednesday were okay. Better than Monday, but still need practice. Thankfully, today is a Friday, so practice! I'm debating whether or not I want to go to the kwoon tonight, or if I want to go and renew my gym membership and get in a lift for the first time in forever. 
 
Stretching has been happening, but this morning's stretch was focusing mostly on the legs and hips because... horse stance. Ouch. I could only manage one bw squat. >.< Splits practice was mixed with post-kf stretching, so I mostly focused on wide-leg stretching. It was needed. 
 
I definitely need to clean house tomorrow, because my apartment is slowly devolving from apartment to den. But, the good news is that I'm definitely improving with doing dishes and keeping a clean sink. Now I just need to figure out how to do that everywhere else... Adulting is hard. There are times when I realize that I feel too grown-up, and other times when I feel like a little kid. (I'm 23, for reference) 

 

(Please ignore the mini rant below in the spoiler box. I just need to rant for a bit)
 

That being said, I had one of those "I feel ridiculously mature for my age" moments this week.  I was in my 3-hour Tuesday night class, and the professor gave us a 15 minute break. Now this class is a cross-campus class with our sister campus, so a bunch of people from the other campus were in their classroom and I was in mine. I was checking emails and reviewing notes, as was one of my classmates in the room I was in (the rest were... elsewhere?). The people in the other classroom, however (classes are projected via video conference to both campuses), were talking about getting drunk. I was listening to these people (most of whom are older than me. Ignoring the 1Ls, I'm easily one of the youngest people at the school, and perhaps the youngest in my class) talking about drinking and I was just thinking... don't these people have anything better to do than talk about alcohol? These classes are being recorded. Literally anyone who listens to the recordings (Oh, I don't know... like the professor, maybe?!) is going to hear about your drinking habits. I realized at that moment that either I am ridiculously mature for my age, and I'm adulting remarkably well given the fact that I'm only 23, or that I'm really quite terrible at being a 23-year old.

 

Rant aside, everything seems to be going okay! And since I'm at my admissions job and I have everything all set for the day, provided no more emails or phone calls come in, I'm going to do homework for Monday. Like a responsible adult gosh-darnit. 

[Leimanu]

[Leimanu]

It *IS* Friday!

 

[NicTheRugger]

This. This is perfect.

 

Week 2 wrap-up.

 

I went to kung-fu 4 times this week! 4! Friday practice was fun in that it was a bit of everything: strikes, kicks, breathing exercise, and bo staff review. Only some push-ups on Friday, because Friday is more about fun stuff than conditioning. I'm quite sore from going to kung fu three nights in a row. 

 

Adulting has been going relatively well, as I managed to clean my entire house yesterday in maybe 3 hours. To reward myself, I went to a comic book store and picked up volume 2 of Gotham City Sirens. I wrote 3 of the 15 page article that I'm supposed to write for my journal. Formatting is a right pain, though. Monday's homework is done, as is half of Tuesday's.

 

Daily stretching has been going well, and I'll be doing splits training tonight to see if that help alleviates the soreness that comes from a lot of kung fu this week. 

 

I think I've gotten better on the posting front, all around. Once I get another task done, I'll post more. 

 

 

On a nerd front (because this is Nerd Fitness), I started listening to "Welcome to Night Vale." I'm not a fan of post-modernism, but I'm really digging the podcast so far. It must be because of the Lovecraftian style. I do love me some H.P. Lovecraft.