Starpuck: New Game | Continue?

[starpuck]

 

 

 

 

I have a tendency to want to restart everything once I screw up, fall behind, or space out on it.   I've certainly done that over the summer this year in regard to my challenges and overall health and fitness goals.    It's about this point that I would usually want to pull the plug, find new gadgets and gizmos and start over.   Not this time my friends.     This time I am going to continue with the characters I have, at the level they are, and keep playing.   The great thing about NF (okay one of the many great things about it) is that I can look back at past challenges to see where I had my most success and what I was doing to attain it!    So I did that!    And... I also wrote down all the stuff that's on my mind that I want to do.   Then I plotted it out on a calendar.   

 

 

     

  

How do I know that my best bod history was basically between April and August of 2013?   

 

I found this pic of me. 

In a box.  

And I love it!!!

 

As far as I can tell by past NF notes and updates, I was around 142 here.    But that's a sharp looking 142.   (I haven't weighed myself in a while, but I think I am around 147, so not far off number wise, but way different shape wise.)    I was able to look back and figure out what I was doing at this point.  

 

Running 3x a week.

Strength training 3x a week.

Eating really, really clean.

 

So now I know what pieces need to be in this puzzle, it was just a matter of arranging them.    Ok, and adding in things like, hockey, yoga, drawing, gaming, and other things.   I also can take past experience to know that, I will NOT get a strength workout in on the weekends.  Just never happens.   I DO tend to be otherwise active on the weekends though, so no worries.    Hockey season is starting up again, so I will have hockey at least once a week, sometimes three times a week.

 

Taking that all into consideration, the plan of attack is this:

Strength Train M-W-F   (3x/week)

Run T-Th (2x/week)

Yoga T-Sa (2x/week)

Draw M-Sa (2x/week)

Hockey W-F/Sa/Su (1-3x/week)

Gaming Th-Su (2x/week)

Bible Study W (1x/week)

 

Yes, yes it seems like a lot!   But the strength training and running is always done at work, on my lunch hour.    So the drawing, yoga, hockey and gaming will be my evening activities.    If I go into it just knowing that on certain days, I do certain things, it takes some of the brain work away.     I am also going to track my food, especially as I may cut out some of the processed grains and breads again.    Last time I did that, I lost a lot of weight, but I also think I was eating far too little.   I have a vacation that starts on, and lasts through all of week four, so that is going to be really hard.   I think I'll just do my best, enjoy the trip, and not worry about it.

 

I also need to think up a way on how to organize and track, and ... oh snap!  I forgot about the other goal, lol.  Back to budgeting.    And with the idea of putting $300/month, physically, into the savings account.     Alright, the morning is getting away from me, but I wanted to get this posted before I lost track of my thoughts.

 

TL;DR GOALS SUMMARY

 

1. Strength Train 3x/week
2. Run 2x/week
3. Yoga 2x/week
4. Draw 2x/week
5. Eat Clean/Track 6x/week
6. Budget $75/week into savings.

 

I'll spew brain vomit on this thread more later.   I need fooooooood.

[Sloth the Enduring]

Strength training + running X eating very clean, a formula for success. Your new plan looks good too. Good luck.

[karinajean]

PUCK IN A BOX

 

I love your methodology on this one!

[Sandylion]

So many goals!! Awesome plan Starpuck! You'll rock it!

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[SevenFootGeek]

Ssssssssss....

 

 

sssssurprisssssssse

[joedog]

Changing from "Do I feel like X tonignt?" to "It's Tuesday. I do X on Tuesday" helps me a lot. Looks like a great plan. We may need before and after Puck-in-a-box pics. [emoji1]

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[blkhole24601]

 

     

  

 

 

I do this too. It helps me visualize exactly all that I need to do and to make sure I have the time for all of the things.

 

Here for this~

[obax]

Woo challenge!

 

(I'm so tired right now that my brain refuses to come up with more cheering than that, but I'm sure you get the idea. I shall be following along, as always.)

[Sandylion]

Caesar and Loki think your challenge is great.

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[starpuck]

Day 1 Update

 

Strength Workout - Yes

*Notes:  Shoulder is FUBARED.   Can not do ANY push or weight bearing on it.     Pull ups okay though.  Go figure.

Saw Moe after work.   She thinks it is rotator cuff and bicep tendinitis.   Gave me names to 2 docs, I confirmed they are in my plan.  Will make appt.

 

Workout Details

Pull Ups

3 x 5

 

BW Squats

20# - 3 x 15

 

Plank

3 x 45"

 

J. Jacks

3 x 45"

 

SL DB Deadlift

2 x 10 (8#)  *each leg

1 x 10 (12#)

 

Hold/Negative: 45"

 

Draw - Yes

*Notes:   Not as terrible as it could've been after not touching the sketch pad for 3 full months.  Bad Starpuck!  Don't do that again.  

Drew a picture of my D&D tiefling warlock, who was /very/ grumpy because, while parlaying with the Drow mistress in this terrible tower, the arrogant woman insisted on touching her horns!!!  

 

Budget -  Yes

*Notes: Tracked my grocery purchase this morning.

 

Eat Well - Yes

*Notes: Everything tracked and accounted for and ate at a deficit.

[Raxie]

Ahh I totally just ordered a physical calandar so I can start doing the same thing! Seeing stuff IRL and not just on the internets really makes all the difference sometimes. I absolutely love your idea of going back and looking at successful challenges and making notes.  Seriously, one of those totally genius-why-didn't-i-think-of-that things.

 

Sending good thoughts to your shoulder!

[starpuck]

Day 2 Update

 

Run - Yes

*Notes: Quite happy with this actually!!  I've not run in weeks, and when I last ran- it was not running consistently.   I did my usual route.   I was sore, very sore.   So I "took it easy" going back into this running business.

• Walk (warm up) 5 minutes
• Run (oh god) 16 minutes!
• Walk (regroup) 5 minutes
• Run (srsly?) 10 minutes!
• Walk (cool down) 5 minutes

 

Yoga - Yes

*Notes:   Today was first day (finally) doing NF yoga.   I didn't hate it!   I forget to breathe, and I have no idea if my joints are where they should be, but I did it!

 

Bonus Pic!

How fitting eh?   I needed something to hold down my mat because it kept wanting to curl.  >.>   

Can also double as a block!

 

Budget -  N/A

*Notes: No purchases, all good.

 

Eat Well - Yes

*Notes: Everything tracked and accounted for and ate at a deficit.

 

Yesterday's Tiefling Pic!

Sad grumbly Kiska does not want her horns touched!

 

I am pretty satisfied with my attempt to make it look like she has horns under that cloak!  

I was totally winging it!

 

TOMORROW?

Scary meet new people all by myself day.   Wish me luck!

[Cheechoe]

STARPUCK IN A BOX GOING TO SHIP HERSELF TO MEEEEEEEEE <3 <3 <3

[StarGazer]

I'm here! We stars have to stick together. We'll be our own little binary star system

Go team eat and do stuff!

[starpuck]

Day 3 Update

 

Strength Workout - Yes

*Notes:  Avoided all shoulder/pushes.   Sooo hard to work around that.   Also, still have all the leg doms.  From ... SUNDAY. >.<  Took it easy on the leg stuff because of that.  And also because I have hockey later.   Let's be crazy sure, but not DUMB.

 

Workout Details

Pull Ups

3 x 5

 

BW Lunges

1 x 20 (10 each leg)

1 x 20 (8#)

1 x 20 (12#)

 

Side Plank

2 x 30/30

1 x 35/35

 

Step Ups

1 x 20 (10 each leg)

1 x 20 (8#)

1 x 20 (12#)

 

Reverse Crunch

3 x 12 (straight leg throughout)

 

Jump Rope

36"

46"

45"

 

Hold/Negative: 46"

 

Study Group - Yes

*Notes:   It's later tonight, but I am for sure not backing out of it.   I will update on how it went tomorrow, but I wanted to get my Habitica checkmark for updating NF- and I won't make it in time if I wait until after hockey.  

 

Budget -  Yes

*Notes: Tracked my McDonald's breakfast this morning. 

 

Eat Well - Yes

*Notes: Everything tracked and accounted for and ate at a deficit.  Even with McD's - Honestly!  It was part of the plan because I knew I'd need to EAT like 2000 calories today to account for workout + hockey.

 

Hockey - Yes

*Notes: Totally going.   I miss playing with these guys.

 

I'll have an hour to kill between study group and hockey time, so I am debating on either taking my sketchpad to the rink and chilling there for a bit (they have a nice lounge area) or taking my tablet and using that hour time slot as a 'watch new anime series' time.    We'll see how I feel at the time.  

 

Hanging in there despite all the doms and ouchies and stuff.

[starpuck]

Day 4 Update

 

Run - Yes

*Notes: Still pretty okay with how this is going.   I had a very late night, limited sleep and super intense high HR activity late last night.   In retrospect, my arrangement of what happens when in my week schedule is probably not all that bright, but I can't find another working solution.   Anyway.  Run breakdown.

 

• Run (jumped right in) 22 minutes! / aka 2.01 miles
• Walk (cool down, chill time) 16 minutes / aka 1 mile

I am very pleased that, having not worked on running with any consistency in MONTHS, that I was still able to go from no running to ... running over 20 minutes without a break.    True story:   In highschool, I was excused from even running the mile for testing purposes due to exercise induced asthma.  So this late life thing to tackle is a pretty proud success story for me.

 

D&D - Yes, tonight!   I can't wait.  I love this group/story!

 

 

Other things to report in on....

 

So, last night I went to the church study group.   It was fine.   I say 'fine' because I think I am really hoping to find people in MY age group to connect with.   Which, given that I walked in and the older couple there asked me what college I was going to (hah, God bless you sir, really) might be a challenge.    I'm 38.    And I routinely get carded and perceived as some mid-twenty-ish young woman.   Not that I am complaining about that, really!  I love it!      But the more I meet other people the more I realize how strange I am.   Being the baby of the family by a long shot (siblings are 18, 17 and 12 years older than me) and having to, for my whole life, hang with adults - I have on one side a maturity and wisdom that lets me keep up with people who are my seniors.    And on the other side, a love of life, fun, silliness and following what passions your heart has (aka anime, video games, rpg, hockey, and general "funness") so I can ALSO be perceived as far younger than I am.    

 

TL:DR - Is it too hard to ask for people my age with similar personalities as myself?   Can we have an adult discussion on budgets and finances and the state of 'those darn whipper snappers' then follow it up with, "OMG DID YOU SEE THAT ANIME?"  

 

((Yes, I realize that is EXACTLY what NF does, but I only have a few local NF peeps.))

[And Maigrey will attest to, that I am TERRIBLE at even getting together with.   I should fix this.]

 

After the study group I raced off to hockey, which ran from 10:20-11:20.     Sooooo late.   It jacked my sleep so bad.   I love playing with those guys, and now, with the way the women's hockey rosters shook out (I'll explain below), this is really my only avenue for playing at a higher level where I can develop my skills.     But.  It makes for Thursday terribleness.  I NEED to find a way to unwind on the drive home, then get straight to sleep, without waking up a zillion times just due to adrenaline taking it's sweet ass time to leave my system.

 

Hockey Drama

Our women's league covers four states and about 20 organizations that fill out to about 50 teams across 5 skill levels.    Novice (never skated before) green.   Up from there is blue (started late, or only skated a few years), grey (5+ years of skating, maybe skated as a child but took years off), white (now you guys are starting to look pro), and red (college hockey level).

 

The team I've been on is comprised mostly of 30-45 year old women, who took up the sport in their LATE lives, and have never skated before.    We began at blue, and then settled in to be competitive at grey level.  2 years ago we won the Grey Division.   Last year, we finished 1st place in the season, but took 2nd in playoffs.    Great personalities, the right level of skill for our grey competitors, great atmosphere, encouraging, wanting to win, but not CRAZY psycho MUST win.

 

Well, I guess success brings in more interest.  For the first time EVER, 90% of our newcomers were grey or white level skaters.    And being crazy women, they came with drama.   This group of 3, will only play here if they skate together.   Ok, you're on grey then.  "No, we must be on white or we will quit."     Fiiine, ok, let's move our slightly weaker grey skaters to grey, (the rest of us were moved to white division this year) so as to have room for new white skaters.   Veteran grey skater who is not as good as new skaters, "Well if I can't stay white with so and so I'll quit."    Ok, fine move this person down.    Now that person goes, "I don't want to skate down, all my friends are on white!"   Ok, so move this other player (aka me) who should be white, down to grey to keep the natives happy.    

 

Now, to be fair, my friend who runs the club ASKED me if I was okay with it.   I said yes.   And what we did was take 5 of last year's successful grey people and left them at grey and moved the other 5 up to white so new white skaters coming in had enough.    It sucks.  I wanted the same exact team as last year.  No change, no nothing.  The trouble is, you HAVE to get a certain number of skaters to agree to play, in order to afford fees, ice time, refs, etc etc.     So while it'd be great to say, "These are the teams, deal with it or find the door."   If too many 'find the door' now we're screwed because we cant afford to have a team at all.

 

So I am skating at a level lower than I should be.    Thus, my need to always do this Wednesday skate with the boys where I can challenge myself and push my boundaries and get better.    I am still trying to deal with this, and I'm just now sure how it's going to shake out.

 

I am glad I chose to do the super color coded calendar of coordination thing.   Because I am having a hard time keeping track of all the stuff coming up in the future here.    I can't believe I'm just 2 weeks shy of my vacation.   Holy crap.

 

Also - in other good job on the adulting news, I have an appt Tuesday morning to see a shoulder guy about my ... 6 month old injury/not getting better/ limiting my activities thingamabob.     And the guy I get to see?   He is the ortho for the Chicago Sox and Bulls and STARTED as the ortho for my beloved Pittsburgh Penguins!!!      How cool.   Mostly I am just excited to get the first step underway in getting some relief.   I dislike telling myself 'no you can't do that because ... shoulder.'

 

Ok, long ass post!  Sorry all.  Carry on carry on.

[blkhole24601]

That sucks about the hockey stuff, I'm sorry. Reading that, I can't help but feel like you were dealing with a bunch of high school/college students. And while it sucks that you have to play at a lower level, I respect that you decided to solve problems instead of creating more by moving down. Good thing you have another, more challenge venue to improve! (And I completely understand the feeling of wanting to stay with the same team, especially if you guys had that awesome of a dynamic. That's difficult to replicate!!)

[Sandylion]

Doood dat was a long ass post!

 

Ugh, I hate drama.  Thats lame.  But hopefully you will still have fun and play with cool people.  

 

I use repetitive reciting of quotations to slow my spinning brain when I need to try to calm down.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.  And you can only recite the Lords Prayer so many times before you're sure no one is listening anymore I used to have the entire first chapter of Genesis down to a science as well but I get lost now...

 

Sorry for rambling on your thread...I need to go to bed.  Or get checked in the head.  Know anyone named ted?  And with that being said...

<3 Love you!

[joedog]

That is always the hassle with women's sports. There just aren't enough of us to tell the drama queens to shove off. 

 

Sandylion made me laugh with saying the Lord's Prayer so many times that no one is listening. I also like the Serenity Prayer and the St Francis Prayer. I have said, "Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace" through clenched jaw many times. 

[starpuck]

So last night D&D was fun ... but two craft beers (plotted for) at 7.9% alcohol each, plus friend bringing homemade schnitzel and cupcakes and omg... I ate 1300 calories between 8pm and 11pm.   (After I had already eaten a reasonable 1200 that would have allowed me a single beer and a single fun snack.)

 

What's worse, is that with the late Wednesday night hockey + no sleep, and now the Thursday debacle, I am 150% sick to my stomach, not feeling well, oogy meh no appetite or energy blargh!

 

I have hockey tonight and was planning on my 3rd strength routine for the week- but maybe I should take my own advice that I've given to other rebels, and freaking listen to my body.   Skip the strength today, and maybe feel better by hockey time.   

 

I just want to nap...

[starpuck]

So last night D&D was fun ... but two craft beers (plotted for) at 7.9% alcohol each, plus friend bringing homemade schnitzel and cupcakes and omg... I ate 1300 calories between 8pm and 11pm.   (After I had already eaten a reasonable 1200 that would have allowed me a single beer and a single fun snack.)

 

What's worse, is that with the late Wednesday night hockey + no sleep, and now the Thursday debacle, I am 150% sick to my stomach, not feeling well, oogy meh no appetite or energy blargh!

 

I have hockey tonight and was planning on my 3rd strength routine for the week- but maybe I should take my own advice that I've given to other rebels, and freaking listen to my body.   Skip the strength today, and maybe feel better by hockey time.   

 

I just want to nap...

[karinajean]

aw sleepy kitten!

I hope your stomach feels better. are you doing anything for it? sometimes peppermint tea helps me, or drinking lots of seltzer, if you can handle the bubbles.

 

I may be misreading the drama, but I'm kind of ticked that everything is being disrupted for these new players? why are they getting special consideration? LEAVE MY WONDERTWIN ALONE!

[starpuck]

Nah you're kinda right KJ.    The new people came in and the rest of us have to juggle to keep them happy.    It really ends up being that if we don't make enough people happy and get their money, then we're in an even worse scenario.     I think we ended up with 35 people.   We split them into 3 teams.     If we were to lose 3-4 of them, then we don't have enough money in our player fees to actually pay for our ice and dues.    And even more concerning, we'd have 3 teams of only 10 each (that's the minimum to play or be forced to have a short bench) or we'd have to take 30 people and split them onto two teams and people would be forced into levels they aren't ready to play at or have to play 2-3 levels down from there they belong.   It's just ... gah.    WHY DID THE COSMOS BREAK MY PERFECT LITTLE BUBBLE!?

 

Also - today is not going well.   I scrapped my sammich in exchange for enchiladas and chips and salsa.  This happens EVERY time I get tired/not feeling well.

ARG

[obax]

Nah you're kinda right KJ.    The new people came in and the rest of us have to juggle to keep them happy.    It really ends up being that if we don't make enough people happy and get their money, then we're in an even worse scenario.     I think we ended up with 35 people.   We split them into 3 teams.     If we were to lose 3-4 of them, then we don't have enough money in our player fees to actually pay for our ice and dues.    And even more concerning, we'd have 3 teams of only 10 each (that's the minimum to play or be forced to have a short bench) or we'd have to take 30 people and split them onto two teams and people would be forced into levels they aren't ready to play at or have to play 2-3 levels down from there they belong.   It's just ... gah.    WHY DID THE COSMOS BREAK MY PERFECT LITTLE BUBBLE!?

 

Also - today is not going well.   I scrapped my sammich in exchange for enchiladas and chips and salsa.  This happens EVERY time I get tired/not feeling well.

ARG

 

I feel ya on the 'eat like crap when tired/not feeling well' thing, I'm in the middle of that too at the moment (compounded by stress/irritation at my test). It's amazing how hard something like willpower can be when something isn't quite right with our selves...

 

I had the same thought as karinajean about the new players getting the accommodation not being fair (how's that for an awkward sentence??) But I've also played organized sports long enough to know that's sometimes how it goes, it's growing pains. It just sucks that you have to make the whiners happy at your expense, but in a year or two when there are a few more players, you'll have the wiggle room to say 'go away' to the ones who don't want to play nice and still have decent teams to work with.

 

I also feel ya on the wanting to be challenged to get better thing, it's why I left the league I was in. I'm lucky that I found the one I'm in now, I didn't think it'd happen. But you've got the guys to play with, and you'll find the balance that you need, even if it takes some trial and error and sleep deprivation...

[starpuck]

Day 5 & 6 Update?

 

 

Yeaaaah.   Ok, so after Thursday night's business of too much schnitzel and beer, and the tiredness and not feeling well going into Friday?  I did ZERO ZILCH ZIP NADA NOTHING all day Friday AND Saturday.    I also ate like the biggest of the piggests.  It was not good.    On the flip side, maybe I legitimately needed the down time, or perhaps I was fighting off a hint of a virus.   Not sure.   But if it's my schedule causing the late in the week collapse, then I need to adjust.

 

Day 7 Update

 

Budget -  Um what?

*Notes: This also was left to the wayside after Thursday.   Damn.    My weekends are really my crumbling point.

 

Eat Well - Newp.

*Notes: Because, seriously.   If you've messed up the eating the last two days, might as well finish off the week that way, right?  >.>

 

Hockey - Yes

*Notes: Made it out to hockey at least and had one heck of a skate!   That helps!

 

Yoga - Yes

*Notes: I came home after hockey and yoga'd.   GO ME!  This was supposed to be a Saturday event, so bonus points for doubling up today to get it done.

 

Draw - TBD

*Notes:   Want to play a bit of ESO, and the plan is to shut down early enough and UNWIND with my drawing (which was also supposed to happen yesterday.)

 

If I manage the drawing - then I've only really missed 1 of my strength sessions, and, while I had 2 rest days, I will have hit all my other exercise targets.     Week 1 update to come tomorrow!