SkiBlue - Daily Battle Log

[SkiBlue]

Welcome to my brand new, daily(ish) battle log! I’m your host, SkiBlue. I’m glad that you’re here; thank you for your support and interest in my quest to level up my life.

This is where I’ll be sharing my progress on what I like to call my life improvements; things that I’d like to work toward, build habits around, and will level up my life. This won’t really be taking away from me participating in six week challenges; on the contrary, the challenges will allow me the chance to hone in on specific priorities and trouble areas, while this log will give me a central place to update my progress for accountability and pursue other things outside of the challenges.

I’m greatly excited for this; I’ve always struggled with enjoying the process, and now that I do, that will be the focus of this log, since sharing it with the Rebellion in the first place allowed me to make that final leap.

Here is the most recent, comprehensive list of life improvements that I’m either currently working toward or in the process of planning to:

• reach and maintain a healthy body composition
• improve my relationship with food
• develop a regular sleep routine to build a regular sleep cycle
• become more active; get stronger and more flexible
• improve posture and reverse sitting damage
• develop money management habits
• develop habitual home management (improve adulting skills)
• develop time management skills at work and home
• include more socialization and appreciation
• include more hobby-work and skill-building

As I work down this list, I'll update the log with the specific steps I'll be taking to make these changes possible. I’m hoping that with the Rebellion’s help, I’ll make those habits transition from daily checks to ways of life.

If you’re still curious, head over to my list of concrete goals for leveling up my life, the things that this log is working toward, slowly but surely.

[SkiBlue]

Progress!

Here is where I will keep track of my progress with different life improvements (that are easily trackable).

Healthy body composition will be easy to track. Below are my current body measurements and the most recent change, along with some progress photos (whenever I remember to take them).

Spoiler

Basic Measurements (as of 1/31/16)
Weight: 174.6lb (-6.6)
BF%: 36.8% (-1.2)
Muscle Mass: 30.3% (+0.5)
Waist: 35.75 in. (+0.25) outdated...
Photos

N/A...

Posture problems and sitting damage reversal progress, I feel, can only be tracked using photos. Below are the two most recent photos, for reference.

Spoiler

N/A...

Strength can easily be tracked by testing and recording one-rep maximums. Below is a comprehensive list of my IRM’s and variations thereof.

Spoiler

Deadlift: 205lb (tested: 1/17/16)
Bench Press: estimated at 120lb
Barbell Row: estimated at 95lb

 

I'm going to start tracking some bodyweight movements here as well. Below are what I'm working on and where I'm currently at.

Spoiler

Push-ups (AMRAP):
Pull-ups (AMRAP):
Handstand: 

[SkiBlue]

My most recent challenge just ended. While it was a great learning experience and wasn’t a failure by any means, I still have a goal to accomplish. As there’s only eight days until my birthday, I’m rolling with the punches and adapting my method and goal to better suit the timeframe. For now, I’m aiming to reach 172lb by the end of the year. It’s still in line with my birthday, so I’m not selling myself short, but trying to make the goal more attainable than it would have been had it not changed.

In order to reach this goal, I will keep up with the foundation that I laid down in my last challenge, focusing on food, sleep, and movement.

I’m going to focus on quality for food; healthy and Paleo. I know what foods irritate my system (sugar, gluten grains, and most dairy), so I plan on staying away from them as often as possible. I also want to keep my carb intake a bit low, so the most carbs I’ll be getting will be from potatoes and fruit. Veggies are a must, as are three meals per day. I’ll be tracking WHAT I eat here, for accountability. At most, I’ll allow myself two meals per week of food that doesn’t meet the above requirements, and never in a row.

For sleep, I’m aiming for eight hours dedicated to sleep. Bedtime at 9pm, wake up by 5am. I’ll track times and the sleep efficiency from my FitBit to find out how much time I am asleep and adjust times to reach eight hours.

Movement will be simple enough, now that I’m enjoying it. Strength training and intervals three times a week will continue, as will stretching every day. I have a routine to follow for my anterior pelvic tilt, but I’ve been switching things up daily, so I’ll probably be logging what I do for that as well as the regular exercise. I’ll be recording and testing IRM’s for deadlift, bench press, and bent over rows during the last full week in December.

Other things that I’m working on are budgeting and hobby time. I’m still testing out YNAB in trial, and as I’ve been falling back on using the budget numbers instead of the balance in my account as a guide, I’d say that the software would be worth investing in to help get my finances in line. Hobby time has shifted to gaming with the husband instead of sewing. There’s a good deal of sewing projects still to finish, so maybe during the holidays I’ll find some time to work on those.

That’s it for now. Stay tuned for more updates.

[SkiBlue]

Monday, 12/14

 

Out of Bed @ 4:55AM

Breakfast @ 5:30AM
- two egg muffins (made with protein powder, red bell pepper, spinach, and bacon)
- one serving tea (half scoop protein powder, half tbsp gelatin, half tbsp coconut oil, half tbsp butter, fourth tsp honey)

Stretching @ 6AM
- deep lunge/hip flexor stretch 2x15s.
- standing quad stretch 1x10s.
- frog stretch 2x10s.
- glute kickbacks x15
- squat w/ glutes active 1x30s.

Lunch @ 1PM
- one Thai chicken cake
- one cup baby carrots
- one banana

Dinner @ 5:15PM
- possibly too much brisket
- 1/3 cup cole slaw
- one medium sweet potato

- salad with cucumbers, carrots, and eggs

In Bed @ 9PM

My watch timer was still set for 3 hours from chili cooking yesterday, so I only used Pomodoros (25 minutes sitting and working, 5 minutes break and movement with hip stretching) half the day.

I left work early (around noon) so I could help the husband drive his project car to Kannapolis to get it fixed and tuned. When we dropped it off, the gentleman doing the tuning assured us that some of the things that we thought were problems were actually normal. At least it’s in line to get tuned so it can be driven safely.

The husband and I picked up dinner on the way home; all you can eat protein! I seem to have come out of fat adaptation slightly, as I’ve had a mild headache since lunchtime and have been hangry on and off most of the day. Not surprised, but I’m glad that I’m countering it. Looking at my food list, seems pretty clean for me today.

Apparently, my deadlift sets were quite heavy; I feel like I did pull-ups yesterday. The husband helped work out the sore spots with the roller (my hamstrings are so tight still that foam rolling them on my own isn’t enough).

[SkiBlue]

Tuesday, 12/15

 

Out of Bed @ 4:53AM

Sleep Efficiency: 95%
- time in bed: 7hr 54 min
- time asleep: 7hr 20 min

Pre-workout Snack @ 5:25AM
- two servings tea (1 tbsp gelatin, 1 tbsp butter, 1 tbsp coconut oil, full scoop protein powder, 0.5 tsp honey)

Workout @ 6AM
Bench Press
  1x5 @ 65lb
  2x4 @ 75lb
  2x3 @ 85lb
  3x3 @ 95lb
  4x1 @ 105lb
3 Rounds:
  Pause Bench Press x5 @ 85lb
  Shoulder Press x8 @ 45lb
  Cable Pull-down x10 @ 74lb
  Kettlebell Swings x10 @ 40lb
  Prone Cobra x40s.

Stretching @ 7:15AM
- deep lunge/hip flexor stretch x2 @ 20s.
- frog x2 @ 15s.
- standing quad stretch x2 @ 10s.
- chest stretch w/ door frame x2 @ 10s.
- lat stretch w/ resistance band x2 @ 15s.
- shoulder stretch w/ resistance band x1 @ 10s.
- leg curls x12 @ 42.5lb
- glute kickbacks x10

Post-workout Snack @ 7:30AM
- protein shake (full scoop protein powder, ½ cup pumpkin puree, ½ cup water, ½ cup ice, pinch cinnamon)

Lunch @ 11:45AM
- â…“ cup chili (beef, peppers, onions, tomatoes)
- â…“ cup baby carrots
- banana

Snack @ 1PM
- 2 (stupid) Christmas cookies

Dinner @ 6:30PM
- steak
- ½ cup broccoli

After Dinner Snack @ 7:30PM
- 12 count chicken nuggets
- â…“ cup cole slaw
- 2 stupid waffles

In Bed @ 9:10PM

I was hungry today. Pre and post workout were fine. Lunch got me in trouble. The chili I made has no flavor somehow (it smells wonderful), so I only ate half of what I was supposed to. I went to put the Christmas cookies in the main office so that other people would eat them before I could, but ended up eating two as consequence. I hate those cookies; they taste okay, but if it’s frosted sugar cookies I want, I should wait until Christmas. It’s always been a family tradition since I was little to decorate Christmas shaped sugar cookies with my parents and brothers (with frosting and sprinkles and such). It is ALWAYS a damn good time, and after the decorating day, the frosting softens the cookies, and they are awesome. I would only take a few. That’s probably why I end up eating those dumb cookies from Harris Teeter; they taste similar.

Dinner was insane; the steaks were the right proportion for proper dinner, but both the husband and I were still hungry afterwards. Like idiots, we went to Chick-Fil-A to get extra protein, I got more veggies, and then the husband cooked the last of his waffles (from his bulking season). SOMETHING from dinner did not agree with me, so halfway through dinner snack, my stomach just rioted. I was in pain from that point until I somehow managed to fall asleep. It was awful.

Workout was fantastic though. Made it a point to do a full workout today, and it was quite worth it. I also think it’s time to bump up my bench press numbers; I just need the husband to wake up with me for it so I have a spot. The pause benching seems to be making a difference. Last week, doing 5 reps at the same weight was rough; this week I might’ve been able to do 6 reps, but with the husband still in bed, I wasn’t going to risk it.

However, after I was done and getting ready to leave work, the husband got into the gymarage after me and started his workout. My influence has finally reached him! He told me the other day that, while it sucks, he’s much happier when he wakes up early and lifts before work; that way it’s done, he can enjoy it without stressing about work, and take his lunch to eat. I knew it.

[SkiBlue]

Wednesday, 12/16

 

Out of Bed @ 5:05AM

Breakfast @ 5:35AM
- two cups tea
- cup lemon water

Lunch @ 12PM
- Tod Num Chicken Cake (Well Fed 2)
- baby carrots

Snack @ 2:30PM
- apple
- almond butter (homemade)

Dinner @ 6:15PM
- two chicken thighs (Practical Paleo)
- medium golden potato (cubed and pan-fried in ghee)

Stretching @ 7PM
- deep lunge/hip flexor stretch 2x15s.
- frog stretch 2x15s.
- standing quad stretch 2x10s.
- glute kickbacks x15
- leg curls 2x10 @ 42.5lb
- bro-curls 3x10 @ 10lb (in payment for the waffles from yesterday)

After Dinner Snack @ 8PM
- GF oatmeal w/ protein powder, banana, & strawberry preserves

In Bed @ 9:55PM

I completely forgot about my Pomodoros at work today. I got up and stretched/moved around a few times, but totally forgot to keep the pattern most of the day.

Food was good, despite the cravings. I was quite proud and pleased at how much willpower I found today. I’m okay with the oatmeal, as it doesn’t irritate my gut and isn’t too terrible with its ingredients. I added the protein powder to it (I have flavorless for this reason), so it wasn’t as carb-heavy as it usually is.

The husband is struggling with his deadlifts; due to his inflexibility, he has to do sumo-style form. For the past few weeks, he can’t seem to get the form right and ends up hurting his back during warm-up, even with his belt. I’ve watched him a few times; we both can’t figure out what he’s doing wrong that puts the strain on his back. His form looks fine, to me at least. I’m tempted to post the video of his reps for form-checking, but not without his permission (he’s more self-conscious than I am).

Either way, halfway through his workout, he got insanely angry because the DLs weren’t working. I felt terrible; he loves to lift, it helps him relax and de-stress (which he needs a lot more of in my opinion). So to see lifting cause him such anxiety was upsetting to say the least. He calmed down a lot after dinner and followed me into the gymarage to do some pull-ups to make up for it while I stretched and submitted payment for eating the waffles yesterday.

It was a bit of a late night; I wanted to watch The Phantom Menace before bed, and we played Magic on and off during the movie. I’d been dying to play both my decks against each other; it’s a close call between the two of them, as they tend to bounce back and forth during a single game. They just seem pretty well-pitted against each other. However, it allowed the husband to suggest something for my life gain deck that should make it pretty unstoppable (so long as I get the right cards).

[SkiBlue]

Thursday, 12/17

 

Out of Bed @ 5:35AM

Breakfast @ 6AM
- two cups tea (taste tested the husband’s new chocolate peanut butter protein powder, needs more peanut butter flavor)
- one cup lemon water

“Lunch†@ 10:45AM
- two cups hot apple cider
- two pieces peanut brittle
- two Dutch chocolate gingerbread cookies

Workout @ 3PM
 Bent Over Barbell Rows
 - 1x10 @ 35lb
 - 1x5 @ 45lb
 - 2x4 @ 55lb
 - 2x3 @ 70lb
 - 3x3 @ 80lb
 - 4x1 @ 85lb
 2 Rounds:
 - Assisted Dips x10
 - Assisted Pull-ups x5 (green & black bands)
 - BW Bulgarian Split Squats x10
 - Plank x 30s.

Stretching @ 4PM
- hip flexor stretch 2x15s.
- frog 2x15s.
- wall quad stretch x10s.

Dinner @ 6PM
- 12 count chicken nuggets
- medium waffle fries
- root beer

In Bed @ 10:45PM

Late night caused me to wake up a bit late. I opted for getting to work early and doing my workout after I got home, since I was leaving work early anyway.

Workout was all right. I did it, but it needs more work and consistency. Barbell rows are the exercise that I have the LEAST amount of consistency with (read: I skip this day the most). My rowing power is stronger than it looks on paper, but the rest of my body needs to catch up to holding myself in that position for so long. That’s honestly the point of doing that exercise like that; they’d catch up faster if I was more consistent (I’m done using that word now). I only did two rounds of my interval, as I felt like my dips and pull-ups were pretty weak (read: not as effort-inducing), and SOMETHING (I think the squats) were making my lower back hurt bad. I had the problem that the husband had the other day and got super frustrated with the pain that I kinda just left it at that.

Lunch was some munchies from the faculty/staff holiday party at work, and dinner was planned to be not at home due to seeing Star Wars at 7:30pm (after getting the husband’s hair cut finally). Tomorrow will be clean to recover. There’s a bit of prep needing to go down tomorrow anyway. My parents are coming down to visit on Saturday, so I’ve gotta get cleaning and laundry done tomorrow and make time on Saturday morning/afternoon for grocery shopping.

[QuietRiotGrrrl]

[SkiBlue]

 

[tourennatrix]

Awww, maaaan...

 

I saw over on your epic quest that you were planning on going to camp in 2017 and I was all "SWEET I WANT TO GO THEN TOO we can totally both go and meet up and break into mini jogos and kick each other and it'll be awesome!!!" and then I realized you were talking about ranger camp and I went damn. I mean, 2017 is still a ways away, and Camp Nerd Fitness is a little pricier than husband and I are comfortable with, but with enough time to save up, wouldn't that be cool?!

 

(I may have been ultra excited to sign up for CNF 2016 before realizing it was that far over my price range. Still tentatively hopeful for going the next year if I can save enough, etc)

 

<3

[SkiBlue]

Awww, maaaan...

 

I saw over on your epic quest that you were planning on going to camp in 2017 and I was all "SWEET I WANT TO GO THEN TOO we can totally both go and meet up and break into mini jogos and kick each other and it'll be awesome!!!" and then I realized you were talking about ranger camp and I went damn. I mean, 2017 is still a ways away, and Camp Nerd Fitness is a little pricier than husband and I are comfortable with, but with enough time to save up, wouldn't that be cool?!

 

(I may have been ultra excited to sign up for CNF 2016 before realizing it was that far over my price range. Still tentatively hopeful for going the next year if I can save enough, etc)

 

<3

 

I feel ya on the price for Camp NF. It sounds like an incredible experience, but it's one of those things that I'd need to save up for, and there's quite a few things on my list between now and then that take priority over it. That's one of the reasons why I figured Camp Ranger Fitness would be a better option, as it's just a trip out to another state to meet up with them fellow crazy Rangers.

 

However, meeting up at either camp to kick and game together sounds like awesome freaggin' fun.

[SkiBlue]

My apologizes for the radio silence over the weekend. The husband hogged the laptop a good deal of the time, and I was running around attempting to get chores done in the meantime. While I enjoy the time off from technology, updating this battle log helps keep me on track, due to the accountability.

Friday, 12/18

Out of Bed @ 5:50AM

Breakfast @ 6:25AM
- two cups tea
- oatmeal with protein powder & banana

Lunch @ 1:30PM
- steak boss wrap

- nacho griller

- Cherry Pepsi

Stretching @ 5PM
- hip flexor stretch 1x15s.
- quad stretch 1x10s.

Dinner @ 6:30PM
- half small pizza w/ Philly steak & green peppers

In Bed @ 9:30PM

Left work early to get the final pieces of Christmas shopping done before the store stampede that would be the weekend. Ended up at TB (WHY?!) in the mall in the process; apparently, getting back on the rails immediately after a deviation is still a struggle. No surprise, really. The husband also wanted pizza for dinner, so I opted for smaller portion than I usually eat in one sitting.

Mild stretching today. I forgot Pomodoros (again), but it wasn’t hard to remember to stretch at home with my right quad acting up after yesterday.

----------

Saturday, 12/19

Out of Bed @ 9:15AM

Measurements @ 9:20AM
- Weight: 177.6lb
- BF%: 37.2%
- Waist: 35.5â€

Breakfast @ 9:45AM
- two cups tea

Lunch @ 3:45PM
- 12 count chicken nuggets
- medium waffle fries
- Cherry Coke

Dinner @ 7:30PM
- steak w/ bacon and bourbon glaze
- broccoli
- potatoes
- half mint brownie pie
- strawberry lemonade

In Bed @ 10:40PM

Measurements were confusing. I didn’t think I’d screwed up that badly, but apparently I did. I need to get serious.

Stretching and such was forgotten in the midst of cleaning up for my parents’ visit. It was nice; they brought some Christmas tree ornaments and birthday presents (new Star Wars pajamas, aww yeah!). I didn’t go too free with food; tried to keep dinner basic, and stopped eating the pie before it became too much.

----------

Sunday, 12/20

Out of Bed @ 9:40AM

Breakfast/Pre-workout @ 10:30AM
- two cups tea
- single slice leftover pizza

Workout @ 11:50AM
 Deadlift
 - 1x5 @ 100lb
 - 2x4 @ 115lb
 - 2x3 @ 135lb
 - 5x3 @ 155lb

Lunch @ 3:00PM
- two servings chicken w/ veggies & rice & queso
- one small beef enchilada
- small cup beef & queso w/ chips

Dinner @ 7:30PM
- oatmeal w/ protein powder, banana, strawberries

In Bed @ 9:05PM

My head was not in the game today.

I woke up feeling fine, but the moment I started deadlifting, my head pounded, the back of my eyes felt pinchy, my eyes would water when I went to set up, my right quad was still sore, my body felt heavy, and my form felt off, even though the husband assured me that they looked fine. Possibly a side effect of the food from the weekend, but I’m not entirely sure. It was a bit disappointing, as 155lb is finally getting easier. I might be able to bump up next Sunday.

Grocery shopping was sporadic. We gathered some random stuff that would make simple lunches and dinners, but not as clean as I’d like (pre-made sauces and such). It’ll do for the last week and a half of the year though. I will probably only be going to work on Monday, and won’t be back at work ‘til January 4th.

[SkiBlue]

Monday, 12/21

Out of Bed @ 5:05AM

Breakfast @ 5:35AM
- two cups tea

Lunch @ 1:45PM
-  chicken quesadilla
- 2x chicken wrap
- half banana pudding milkshake

Dinner @ 7:30PM
- mango-chile chicken
- broccoli
- potatoes
- boneless chicken “wingsâ€
- strawberry lemonade

In Bed @ 10:45PM

I forgot to stretch, but at least I was moving a good deal at work before I left early. I helped clean up the Electronics Lab, so that when we all come back after the holiday, I can immediately start setting up for Advanced Lab.

Found myself at Cookout for lunch on the way home. Not. Worth. It. Hence why I was trying to get home; I’m much more accountable for myself at home, since I can’t “sneak†any unhealthy food with the husband there. Yeah, I admit, that is a really bad habit that I have when my Sugar Dragon’s dominant. We went to Chili’s for dinner, where I can gladly make better choices. However, lunch was still weighing me down, so I didn’t eat everything.

Ended up eating out for dinner in my quest for music. I’d been listening to the Star Wars prequel soundtracks since last Tuesday, and I discovered that those are the only Star Wars OST that I own (back when I was in my teens; they’re pretty scratched up and such too since I used to take them everywhere before MP3 players became a thing). The husband also discovered that one of my all-time favorite bands, Disturbed (insert non-judgemental ninja), finally released a new album after five years. I’d been debating buying physical copies of the Star Wars OST (for ANH, ESB, ROTJ, AND TFA) on Amazon, but then remembered that stores still exist. We went looking for TFA OST; Best Buy was out but Target still had some copies. I ended up going home with that and like four Journey to The Force Awakens books. Now that I’ve seen the movie, I’ve been in overdrive mode to devour any and all new material. We also found copies of Immortalized.

I had another stomach ache fit last night when it came time to go to bed. Unhealthy food seems to be getting the best of me lately. This caused me to seriously consider my headspace and food choices for the past few months. While I did well during September and tried to build a habit of getting right back on the rails after eating something less-than-healthy, it still doesn’t seem to be working very well for me. My cravings are almost out of control again, and I’m not making slow, logical decisions about food anymore. I’d been trying to avoid the “doing it just because it’s a thing,†but it seems that I need to confront my Sugar Dragon again head-on. So, for January, I’ll be participating in another Whole30. Considering how quickly I fall back into old habits afterwards, I might need to extended it beyond 30 days. I know that I’ve wanted to the last time, but chickened out, so I just gotta put on my big girl pants and suck it up. January’s challenge will be all about the Whole30, which suits me fine, as I have some ideas as how to do it.

I’m kind of excited about it too. I’ve got two weeks to plan and prep, and the husband has been bouncing back and forth between joining me or not. Due to his stomach problems, he’s come to hate eating, period. He’d wanted to try out this liquid diet (referred to as soylent >.< ), but he’s honestly not sure. I think he knows that eating food would be better for him. We’ll see. I’m doing it, and my Sugar Dragon is going DOWN.

[QuietRiotGrrrl]

Stomach issues are never fun.  Good luck with your whole30!  I'm looking forward to hearing about it.  I've been thinking of trying sometime as well, but I haven't really had time to sit and plan to make it happen.  Maybe during the summer when there's no homework for me

[SkiBlue]

Stomach issues are never fun.  Good luck with your whole30!  I'm looking forward to hearing about it.  I've been thinking of trying sometime as well, but I haven't really had time to sit and plan to make it happen.  Maybe during the summer when there's no homework for me

 

I would definitely recommend waiting until the summertime. I never dared try one during the school semesters, as it probably would've added more stress than anything. It can get kind of difficult for me, so I like it to be my (almost) only focus when I do it. Though, I imagine this one shouldn't be as bad. The more invested I am going into it, the more successful it ends up being.

[SkiBlue]

Tuesday, 12/22

Out of Bed @ 9:45AM

Breakfast @ 10:30AM
- two cups tea

Lunch @ 2:15PM
- flat iron steak

Snack @ 3:30PM
- chocolate/peanut butter oatmeal cookies

Dinner @ 7PM
- chicken w/ cheddar bacon drizzle
- rice

In Bed @ 9:30PM

Birthday or not, I had WAY too many cookies. And carbs. And I’m dealing with the consequences in the form of emotional instability. I nearly raged and broke the trash can because I spilled steak blood on the floor trying to throw out the wrappers and sobbed because my Darth Vader glass fell in the sink and shattered. The cookies came home with me from a mopey trip to the grocery store; I’d only been trying to get more needed ingredients for my chicken soup attempt, but ended up with the fixings for french toast and cookies. I might be pawning off the cinnamon bread on my parents on Friday. Because dammit, I want to feel better. Sugar seems to get me down in the dumps, for reals.

Skipped my workout due to emotional issues as well. I might be putting them on hold until I get myself back in gear, which starts this moment (as I’m writing this now and not yesterday/Tuesday). This is ridiculous. I’m working backwards towards my goal. >.<

[QuietRiotGrrrl]

Not situationally specific, but it made me smile.

 

Sugar is a beast!  You are going to do awesome on your whole 30!  Just keep doing your best to get through the holidays.  

 

Oh! And happy birthday!  

[tourennatrix]

Man I totally hear you on the sugar thing. Once I hit a rough patch (emotionally, energetically) and make *one* sugary decision (donut for breakfast, candy for an after-lunch pick me up) it tends to spiral out of control for a bit. Sometimes it rights itself in a day, other times it takes longer. It's almost always unpleasant, but once I break through to the other side I've noticed that first 'clean' day after a rough patch feels soooo good (though maybe only in retrospect, taking inventory of how the body and mind feels at bedtime and comparing that to the day(s) before). 

 

You'll get through it. And when you're there you can say "hey, I can pull myself out of emotional sugary spiral of doom!" because you can't always avoid it, it's good to know you can get yourself out

 

[SkiBlue]

Not situationally specific, but it made me smile.

 

Sugar is a beast!  You are going to do awesome on your whole 30!  Just keep doing your best to get through the holidays.  

 

Oh! And happy birthday!  

 

I will admit, I might look into this Supernatural business, as your gifs from the TV show look amusing even without context. However, that thing he's holding resembles Rizzo in my mind.

 

 

Thanks. I think it's just a rough patch due to an accumulation of poor food intake, but there's plenty of good food in the house to help get back in gear. I also think some cleaning/adulting would do me good. Believe it or not, cleaning helps me calm down, focus, and gather the energy to get things done. I have no idea why.

 

 

And thanks for the birthday wishes!!

 

Man I totally hear you on the sugar thing. Once I hit a rough patch (emotionally, energetically) and make *one* sugary decision (donut for breakfast, candy for an after-lunch pick me up) it tends to spiral out of control for a bit. Sometimes it rights itself in a day, other times it takes longer. It's almost always unpleasant, but once I break through to the other side I've noticed that first 'clean' day after a rough patch feels soooo good (though maybe only in retrospect, taking inventory of how the body and mind feels at bedtime and comparing that to the day(s) before). 

 

You'll get through it. And when you're there you can say "hey, I can pull myself out of emotional sugary spiral of doom!" because you can't always avoid it, it's good to know you can get yourself out

 

 

Haha, thanks! Going clean right after has always been my weak spot. No matter how often I try moderation, I can't seem to get the hang of it. Granted, the periods in between seem to be getting shorter and shorter. That's how you build habits, right? Progress!

 

 

On a positive note, I purchased the coupon for my capoeira classes a little bit early. I might sign up for classes during the last week of December instead of waiting for January. Because impatience.

 

I have no idea why I just bombed my own thread with Muppets...

[QuietRiotGrrrl]

Animal has always been my favorite!

 

And I love Supernatural.  I re-watch it possibly too much.  Well, no.  There' can't be too much.

 

I fell you on the cleaning! I'm the same.  It makes me feel together and calmer once I've got the place cleaned up.  My boyfriend is a slob, so I end up cleaning a lot.

[SkiBlue]

Animal has always been my favorite!

 

And I love Supernatural.  I re-watch it possibly too much.  Well, no.  There' can't be too much.

 

I fell you on the cleaning! I'm the same.  It makes me feel together and calmer once I've got the place cleaned up.  My boyfriend is a slob, so I end up cleaning a lot.

 

Ick. I know that issue. The husband isn't really a slob, he just tends to be lazy and procrastinate. He'll begin working on something, then when he's done, he doesn't clean up after himself or put everything away. 

 

I'm still here! Hit a bit of an emotional bump in the road, so I gave myself a few days off of record-keeping, but I'm back to our regularly scheduled programming.

[Blue Thunder]

Hi...sorry to butt in on your journal, but I have some of the same problems with sugar.  Just a bad day and a craving and I totally lose it and go sooooooo bad into binges and it just brings me deeper down.  Glad to see you are resetting and getting back

 

I also like your goal of getting enough sleep.  I think maybe I should try to go to bed at the same time everyday.....hmmm. 

[SkiBlue]

Hi...sorry to butt in on your journal, but I have some of the same problems with sugar.  Just a bad day and a craving and I totally lose it and go sooooooo bad into binges and it just brings me deeper down.  Glad to see you are resetting and getting back

 

I also like your goal of getting enough sleep.  I think maybe I should try to go to bed at the same time everyday.....hmmm. 

 

Welcome to the Rebellion!

 

I have always struggled with "moderation." I can't do it at all. One taste is enough for me to want more; my habits are that ingrained. This year, converting those habits into new ones is going to be my primary focus.

 

Sleep is awesome.

[tourennatrix]

 

 

On a positive note, I purchased the coupon for my capoeira classes a little bit early. I might sign up for classes during the last week of December until waiting for January. Because impatience.

 

I have no idea why I just bombed my own thread with Muppets...

 

Oooh can't wait to hear about this...

 

[SkiBlue]

Holiday Recap:

Apparently, I can’t remember anything that happened on Wednesday.

Christmas Eve was pretty low-key. I was on the uphill track from the past few days (that emotional roadblock), so the husband didn’t have to coerce me too much to get me in the gymarage with him to do my Bent Over Rows.

1x5 @ 50lb
2x4 @ 60lb
2x3 @ 70lb
3x3 @ 80lb

Workout was cut short due to lower back pain and a repeat of the same conversation that the husband and I keep having about my mood swings. While I’ve been completely negligent about journaling my emotional state and all to track whether the swings coincide with shark week, it was obvious that this bout of dumps was two weeks too early to be a symptom of PMS. The husband has been with me for 3+ years and claims that I didn’t start out this way, but after it started, it hasn’t stopped. Looks like I’ll be seeing a doctor for a wellness check-up and a Q&A session on where to start/what to do after the holidays are over.

Christmas was quite hilarious, as always. My mother has finally stopped getting the random, useless surprise gifts, but she couldn’t help herself with a toy for the four of us (that includes my father). She got us this toy bow and slingshot set that we opened and were like “uhh, random, ok,†until the husband took it out and set up the targets. Then it was a good few hours of hilarious amusement.

We didn’t decorate Christmas sugar cookies, as I got a hilarious board game, which they wanted to play, and then we moved on to dinner, then Magic, then dessert. I opted not to take any of the DOZENS of cookies that my father made, but in hindsight, I probably should’ve. My Sugar Dragon is a bit desperate now that he knows I’m coming for him again.

Saturday, we spent the day with the husband’s parents for Christmas with them. The husband’s plan to get biscuits beforehand as lunch was foiled by my hunger and his mother’s plan to eat whenever. I stuffed my face on the way there, then when we realized that they’d been waiting on us to eat, I discovered a second stomach and said that we could still have lunch. Yeah, that happened. Two meals in two hours. Granted, I ate as much protein and veggies as I could during the second round.

We ended up staying with them most of the day. The husband’s plan had been to get there earlier so we could leave earlier. We stayed so late that we also ate dinner there. >.< Not sure if that had been part of his plan, but at least we got home before 10pm, which had been.

I GOT MY AWESOME PURPLE STAINLESS STEEL TEA POT. WOOT. Also some MAKE/tinkering toys for home.

Yes, that’s a multimeter and a soldering iron. There’s more, but I didn’t get to take a picture of the conductive thread and Lilypad set. The poor Lilypad box was almost destroyed during shipping, which my brother wasn’t too surprised about (he’s a supervisor at UPS).