Jormungand: Challenge I

[Jormungand]

I've been reading Nerd Fitness for a while now, but this is the first time I've become actively involved in the community and challenges. I love what I've seen from the Rebellion so far. 

 

Main Quest: Ever since I went over the weight of 200 pounds, I've never been back under it. This was over 10 years ago. I've been working out and eating better since last January, and now I am down to around 207 lbs. I've been stuck there for several months (give or take a couple pounds), and I'm using this challenge to give my routine a jump start. 

 

First Quest: Go for a run at least four days a week. I consider a run anything faster than a walk and longer than a mile. 

 

Second Quest: Do not drink alcohol Sunday through Thursday. 

 

Third Quest: Do strength training at least two days a week. While I do small spurts of body weight exercises throughout the day (like push-ups), I consider strength training to be anytime I go to the gym for weight lifting. 

 

Life Quest: I want to get better at playing the guitar. I play bass in a band currently, but I have some ideas I'd like to hack out separate from that. So, rather than sit and watch TV on my downtime, I'd like to be practicing some power chords. 

 

Motivation: My wife is my motivation.

 

That's all I have for now. All of this is the beginning of my yearlong training regimen for World's Toughest Mudder 2016, Tough Mudder's final event of the year. It takes place in November, so I'm giving myself 12 months of training to lead up to it. I did two Tough Mudders earlier this year, and I am hooked. My wife and I are already planning out some more races for next year. If anyone is ever on the fence about doing one or not, I would absolutely encourage you to try it or some form of obstacle race. For me, it was life changing. 

[MrsFeistyPants]

Hi! I really like your idea of doing small bursts of exercises throughout the day. I may have to incorporate this strategy!

 

I'm totally impressed you have done Tough Mudders! I think they are fun to watch and am amazed by those that actually do them. Yearlong training regimen - wow!!! Good luck!!

[Jormungand]

I find that the bursts of exercise throughout the day help immensely and would highly recommend it. That way, I'm getting used to the idea that fitness and training are a commitment and a way of life. Plus, it helps me say no to any random food temptations if I just did five push-ups or body weight squats.

[briaa]

I definitely agree on the random bursts of exercises. I've recently gotten in the habit of doing squats whenever I'm (alone and) standing around waiting for something like the microwave. It's weird, but you know...why not?

 

Those Tough Mudders look really fun, and since you've already done a couple, I'm sure with a year you'll destroy WTM2016. 

[Jormungand]

Quick update, partially just so I'll remember. Got my running in Monday and today. Yesterday, I had a workout session that included bench press, triceps dips, towel pull-ups, and farmer walks. I also did plate pushes (I don't know if this is what they're technically called, but it's what I've always referred to them as.) I pushed a 45 lb. plate across the indoor track at our gym for about ten yards. Doing these down and back a few times is brutal. They are one of favorite/least favorite exercises.

 

So far, so good. Plus, I'm still alcohol free for the week.

[InPursuitOf]

I've been reading nerdfitness for a while too. Looks like now is the time for both of us!

 

The Toughest Mudder looks intense! I had to google it ;-)

24 hours is a LONG relay! Vegas sounds like a good place to recover though Pools and outdoor drinking till it stops hurting!

[Koaladle]

First thing I saw: "My wife is my motivation"

 

AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW! And now I'm done flailing.

 

Congrats on no alcohol for the week! I replaced my beerlove with water and have been surprised at how much better I feel! How have the last few days gone?

[jrosto]

Participating in the World's Toughest Mudder 2016 is an awesome goal and makes for a great Epic Quest.  You goals for this challenge look like they will help you reach that goal, and your goal of getting back below 200 lbs.  That is one milestone that is really great to achieve.

 

 When you are spreading out lower reps of body weight (or any exercise really) throughout the day you are Greasing the Groove with that movement.  That is a really nice way to master a movement and minimize the potential for injury.  

 

How has the rest of your first week turned out?

[InPursuitOf]

How'd it go? I hope you enjoyed your two nights off of not drinking and are well on track for an epic week!

[Jormungand]

Thank you very much to everyone for being so encouraging. I accomplished all of my goals for the first week. I went for a run on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Also, I did various weight lifting regimens on Tuesday and Thursday at the fitness center. I mostly did triceps dips, bench press, goblet squats, and farmer walks. I did make one slight adjustment on the alcohol abstaining quest, though it was intentional. We had a cookout yesterday (Sunday), so rather than go Sunday through Thursday without alcohol, I went Monday through Friday and just switched days. I plan to readjust back to the original quest for the remainder of the challenge.

 

So, with that being said, I consider this past week a success. I've not been on the scale since Wednesday, but I might wait a bit before checking back. I get pretty obsessive sometimes when I track too often, even though I know that the body fluctuates from day to day. I'd rather just be pleasantly surprised from seeing a downward trend.

 

One thing I will say is that I still need to be mindful of eating/drinking on the weekend. I know that I won't completely sabotage my goals from one meal, but I want to be to the point where, no matter what situation I'm in, I'm able to follow the path I'm trying to forge. While I've allowed myself to have some beers from time to time during this challenge, it's easy to slip back into the eating habits I had back before I started making these changes. For example, my wife and I got pizza after everyone left yesterday. I know that eating a pizza isn't going to kill me, but I want these fitness trends to be sustainable for the rest of my life. Maybe I'm being too critical, but I want to not even be aware that I'm making these positive decisions. I want to get to the point where these positive choices are second nature to me.

[Koaladle]

Being mindful of what you're consuming is a good thing! It's awesome that you want the your healthy choices to be second nature, but it doesn't happen overnight. I wouldn't say that you're being too critical, but i also wouldn't encourage you to beat yourself up. Learn from the experience and improve on your reaction next time. :-)

[jrosto]

Congratulations on your successful Week 1!

 

I know what you mean about weekends, beer, and food choices.  That's why I decided to do my official weight ins on Mondays back when I was in weight loss mode.  Knowing I had to step on, and acknowledge what the scale indicated on Monday morning helped keep me on track over the weekends.  That's a habit I continue now that I've reached a healthy weight.

 

You are developing great habits, and attitudes about food. That's going to go far in your quest for a fitter body.

 

As you can see by my avatar,  I'm one of the Assassin ambassadors.  Let me offer you an official invite to come check us out 

 

Here is our recruit thread for Future Assassins, and this is where we keep all the important guild info.

 

This is the Den where all the Assassins hang out, and have fun.        Sneak on in and say hello (or lurk, you know whatever).  The Assassin phonebook is a cool place that we keep updated with who is working on what.  You can check out their threads or ask questions.

 

Here is the Assassins' Scullery food chat thread.  It is full of good Paleo, Primal and conventional recipes.

 

I'll continue following along, so please ask any questions you come up with.

 

Here's to an awesome Week 2!

[Jormungand]

So, I want to celebrate a victory that I had today. Some friends, my wife, and I ate lunch today at a bar that they'd been wanting to take us to. They are vegetarian, and this place's vegetarian and vegan menu options were pretty stellar. I ended up getting seitan buffalo wings, which were delicious. Also, all of us had the day off today. On the way there, I was thinking about my goals, and one of my quests is no alcohol on days that aren't Friday or Saturday. I started talking to my wife about this, which was mostly just me trying to rationalize with myself out loud: "Well, maybe I will just have alcohol today and not Friday." I should also mention that this place has an above-average beer selection. I reasoned that if I was intentional with my changes, I'd be alright, but I also didn't want to be doing the same thing on Friday night by saying that I just wouldn't drink on Saturday, etc. On another note, these challenges are supposed to be just that - challenging.

 

By the time we got there, I still wasn't sure what I was going to do. I ordered a water to start with. Then, when it got time to order drinks, I found myself just saying "No, thanks." It wasn't even that difficult. Nobody even noticed. Heck, I barely noticed. The only time that it came up was when my friend offered me a taste of his beer. Again, I just said "No, thanks." They asked if I'd given up drinking, and I gave them the 10-second version of the 6WC. I told them that I have some long-term goals, and these quests are helping me reach them. They thought it was a pretty cool idea, and that was that.

 

So, I was pretty proud of myself. I can honestly report that my quests are still on track, and I feel like I'm ready to continue soldiering on. I hope all of you out there are finding similar successes. Keep fighting the good fight.

[jrosto]

That is a very awesome victory, good on you.  The best part is "It wasn't even that difficult.  Nobody even noticed."

 

Great job keeping on track with your quests, and fighting the good fight.

[Koaladle]

How are things going for you?

[Jormungand]

Week 2 was a success. I ran four days this week; including a 5.2 mile run on Friday and a trail run on Saturday that went a little over a mile. I lifted weights twice last week, and I only drank alcohol on Friday and Saturday. I slacked a little on my diet the past couple of days, but it was pretty tight throughout the week and I don't feel as bad. I am looking forward to getting back into the groove this week.

 

On a side note, World's Toughest Mudder just wrapped up today, so that means tomorrow marks the first day of my yearlong training for next year. Let's do this.

[jrosto]

Awesome job with Week 2.  You can accomplish a lot in a year, you are going to rock the Toughest Mudder!

[Koaladle]

AWESOME JOB. jrosto is totally right; much can be done in a year.

[Jormungand]

I came to a sort-of realization today. I've been trying to only check my weight on Wednesdays. Honestly, it usually gets checked a few times a week, but I at least always try to weigh myself on Wednesday first thing in the morning. When I first started the challenge, I weighed 207 pounds. My main quest is to get below 200 pounds. Seven pounds in six weeks sounded very doable. I didn't care if it was 199.9. As long as I got to finally move the big weight on the scale to the 150 pound slot and slide the small weight back up to the top of the range, I felt like that would be enough.

 

So, as many of you on here probably already know, weight is a fickle thing: too much water weight, hormones being hormones, the moon having too much of a pull on gravity, it doesn't matter. For whatever reason, you step on the scale, and things just don't go the way you'd expected. I don't know about you, but this has happened to me on more than one occasion. Like today. I made it into the fitness center early this morning for a quick run, and I did my weekly check. I was down to 206, though only a couple of days ago (I know, but I was curious), I had made it down to 204. So, being the type of person that I know that I am, it sort of bummed me out.

 

Since that moment this morning, I've put a lot of thought into some of the articles on Nerd Fitness that talk about slaying your dragon. For me, my dragon was 200 pounds. For others, it might be a marathon, a 5k, or, for some, it might be a big, dangerous guy who wants to kill us. So, I thought about that dragon. A dragon that I've been staring at for over a decade.

 

Then, I realized two things.

 

First, the dragon could win. There is a possibility that, at the end of this challenge, I might succeed with all of my side quests and still not succeed with my main quest. It happens. Sometimes you grind levels, buy new weapons and armor, stock up on health potions, march up the tower, and get smacked right back down. Whether it's Sephiroth, Kefka, Ganon, or Handsome Jack, sometimes the dragon wins. That's no reason to give up though. The story doesn't end when the dragon wins (at least in most video games). You realize where you went wrong, redouble your efforts, and start right back up that tower. The dragon will be there when you get back. It's not going anywhere. At least, not until you slay it.

 

The second thing I realized was fairly personal and, I understand, a slightly different train of thought from above. Why am I calling this my dragon? Is it necessarily losing if I work out consistently for six weeks straight, cut down on my alcohol intake, and possibly create healthy habits that could carry with me my whole life? I hope not. Regardless of how this turns out, right now, as I am writing this, I feel better than I have felt in over a decade. My wife and I are eating better. We are more active. We are consistently looking for events and races to keep us motivated. We are spending time with people who are equally active. Then I thought that maybe I've already slain the dragon. Maybe now I'm just making sure that the countryside stays free from anymore raids. It's possible.

 

This has gone a little long, but I've decided to just avoid the scale until this is over. I feel great when I go in and lift or head out on a run, and I'm not going to bother worrying about the number that may or may not be there. It is what it is. There are more important things to measure against.

[SaltyDragon]

Whoa, way to get all philosophical on us! I trust you are speaking metaphorically about slaying dragons and such things, right? Right? Seriously though, you make a good point about goals, and how sometimes it is beneficial to sort of step back and really evaluate things.

 

For weight loss specifically, a lot of people focus in on a number – and you're right – that may not be the most productive way to go about it. The key is to figure out what works for you, and to look it in a big picture way, too. In my case, I have made a lot of changes in the past two months. I know what I weighed before. I don't know what that number is now, and I don't really care. I know how I feel, how I look and how much I have improved. That's more important to me. It sounds like you may feel kind of the same.

 

Anyway, its always OK to do whatever works for you and makes you feel better. Good on you for knowing that. Best of luck with your challenges.

 

And, as a fellow picker, I have to ask...How's the guitar playing coming?

[Koaladle]

AMAZING POST. You're making all these positive changes, and I'm happy to hear that you can find the satisfaction of progress made beyond the scale. It's especially heartening that your wife is joining you while you guard the countryside from raids. Give her a big hug from me!

[jrosto]

Jormungand, That was a very well though out and expressed post.  I really enjoyed reading it.

 

The number 200 is a huge milestone for people on the weight loss path.  That was my dragon for a very long time, and slaying that dragon was a awesome achievement, as it will be for you.  But as you mentioned, how you feel and making healthy habits is much more important than a number.

 

You are doing awesome in this challenge.

 

I have an epic quest or two that I may never achieve, but the attempting them is making me a better and healthier person.

 

Thanks again for sharing your thoughts.

[Jormungand]

 

Whoa, way to get all philosophical on us! I trust you are speaking metaphorically about slaying dragons and such things, right? Right? Seriously though, you make a good point about goals, and how sometimes it is beneficial to sort of step back and really evaluate things.

 

For weight loss specifically, a lot of people focus in on a number – and you're right – that may not be the most productive way to go about it. The key is to figure out what works for you, and to look it in a big picture way, too. In my case, I have made a lot of changes in the past two months. I know what I weighed before. I don't know what that number is now, and I don't really care. I know how I feel, how I look and how much I have improved. That's more important to me. It sounds like you may feel kind of the same.

 

Anyway, its always OK to do whatever works for you and makes you feel better. Good on you for knowing that. Best of luck with your challenges.

 

And, as a fellow picker, I have to ask...How's the guitar playing coming?

 

SaltyDragon - Thank you for the kind words. Of course, I was specifically speaking about dragons of the unsalted variety. I've not been as diligent as I should be with staying consistent in the guitar playing. My wife worked with me on it a little bit at the beginning of the challenge. I understand that, like anything, consistency is key, so I'd like to get back into it. I am a fairly decent bass guitar player, but these other guitars have a lot more strings, though it has helped to have a working knowledge of the instrument. 

 

AMAZING POST. You're making all these positive changes, and I'm happy to hear that you can find the satisfaction of progress made beyond the scale. It's especially heartening that your wife is joining you while you guard the countryside from raids. Give her a big hug from me!

 

Koaladle - Thank you for the support. Yes, she has been amazing through all of this. She's been doing the most spearheading when it comes to us eating better. I will be sure to send some love her way. 

 

Jormungand, That was a very well though out and expressed post.  I really enjoyed reading it.

 

The number 200 is a huge milestone for people on the weight loss path.  That was my dragon for a very long time, and slaying that dragon was a awesome achievement, as it will be for you.  But as you mentioned, how you feel and making healthy habits is much more important than a number.

 

You are doing awesome in this challenge.

 

I have an epic quest or two that I may never achieve, but the attempting them is making me a better and healthier person.

 

Thanks again for sharing your thoughts.

 

jrosto - Thank you for the encouragement. It's good to be reminded that we are all in this together and that there are people out there who have been down the same roads. I know that I will get there someday. I can sometimes fall into discouragement when I've been so close for so long. However, I just need to remind myself how far I've already come. I wish you luck in your epic quests. 

[Jormungand]

Since we are transitioning into Week Four, here's an update for how Week Three went. I ran four days this week and ended up with just over 10 miles total. I also made it in for lifting twice. Not a whole lot new on the strength training side of things. I did plate pushes one of those days, but I want to include them in both sets of workouts. I never look forward to them, and they really burn me up. That's primarily the reason I need to be doing them more. I only drank Friday and Saturday and have no intentions of drinking any today, so I am calling this week a success. I am three for three for the 6WC and am feeling pretty strong. I can tell a huge difference in my running, and I'd like to have an opportunity this week to really air it our and go for some distance.

[jrosto]

 I am three for three for the 6WC and am feeling pretty strong...

 

 

That is awesome.  Here is to a great Week 4 and a very successful run when you ".. go for some distance."