AthenaMM Repeats Herself

[AthenaMM]

Main Quest: My main quest for this four weeks is to solidify my daily habits/routines. A couple of things have thrown them off and it's making it difficult to get everything done. I've been keeping up with my challenge quests, but a lot of the typical household stuff isn't getting done. Or if it does get done, I end the day feeling cranky and exhausted. I spent the last week of the last challenge really concentrating on the routines and things were a lot better. I want to get everything back into being a habit and then I'll work on adding/increasing/changing my exercise or diet goals.

 

Quest 1: I'm going to continue doing S&S 5 times a week for this challenge. I will also continue to work on progressing with my TGU's and swings.

 

Measurement: A = 18-19 workouts, B = 15-17 workouts, C = 12-14 workouts, F = 11 or less workouts

 

Quest 2: I'm also going to continue to work on push-ups, pull-ups or planks for 5 minutes, 6 days a week. The only difference here is that I want to keep up with exactly what I accomplish in those 5 minutes so that I can better see my progress. Again as much of the 5 minutes can be rest time as I need.

 

Measurement: A = 22-23 times, B = 19-21 times, C = 16-18 times, D = 13-15 times

 

Quest 3: I really liked the 10,000 step weekly average. It keeps me moving a good bit, while still giving me flexibility in when I get the steps. I'm going to continue this as well.

 

Measurement: A = Average 10,000 steps all 4 weeks, B = Avg 10,000 for 3 weeks, D = Avg 10,000 for 2 weeks

 

Life Quest: Since I'm working on routines, I'm going to change this quest and use it to focus on my morning routine. That is the most important of my routines, so making sure I complete it will do the most good. I'm not going to list what I do in the morning routine because it changes depending on the day and is boring anyway. I can miss twice during the challenge, but no more than that since I'm working on making this a habit.

 

Measurement: A = 24-26 times, F = 23 times or less

 

 

I'm also keeping the money jar going this month. It's a good way of helping me avoid junk food without causing my inner two-year old to rebel. Again I'll be putting $1 in for every kettlebell workout and 5 minute push-up, pull-up or plank session and $7 for every week I average 10,000 steps. I'll take money out (and put in a different jar for savings) for eating junk food.

[Lightning]

I love the money jar! I'm subbing to see how it works out. Plus I keep threatening to try S&S.

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

Following again. You got this.

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

Double post gif tax

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

Triple post? Come on.

Here's another gif.

[peelout]

Found you.  Ready for your inspiration.

[Elastigirl]

Another solid challenge. Looking forward to  being inspired by you.

[Rebe_J]

Looks good. You've got the momentum; go for it!

[AthenaMM]

I love the money jar! I'm subbing to see how it works out. Plus I keep threatening to try S&S.

I really like S&S, you should try it! I would tell you to come to the dark side, but I noticed on the spreadsheet you're already there! 

 

Following again. You got this.

Thanks! Loved the gifs! 

 

Found you.  Ready for your inspiration.

Hopefully I can oblige!

 

Another solid challenge. Looking forward to  being inspired by you.

Thanks, Elastigirl! You're usually the one inspiring me though!

 

Looks good. You've got the momentum; go for it!

Thanks!

[AthenaMM]

Day 1 - Monday, February 1, 2016

 

Quest 1: I did a 30 min kettlebell workout.

              3 sets of warm-up: 5 prying goblet squats (8kg), 5 3 sec bridges, 5 halos each direction (8kg).

              5 sets of 10 two handed swings with 16 kg. My elbow is still sore, so I'm not doing any one-handed work right now.

              5 sets of TGU's on each side with 8kg. I did the complete 5 sets!! Something about these felt much more stable this time, and my forearm hurt less.

              S&S stretches

 

Quest 2: I worked on push-ups for 5 minutes. I did 5 sets of 10 incline push-ups.

 

Quest 3: I have close to 13,000 steps at this point, so a good start to the week.

 

Life Quest: I did my morning routine, though it was split up because I got groceries this morning. My morning routine has two parts with two different "triggers". One of the triggers is brushing my teeth (which I do before I go get groceries) so I did that part of the routine before I left and did the other part after I got back. I like to get groceries as early as possible when it's less crowded, so I don't really want to do the entire routine before I leave.

 

$2 went into the jar and none came out!

[Elastigirl]

Do you do warm ups, and stretches for your elbow? Can't find a video, but I do some joint warm ups. Standing up, just bend your arm at the elbow in circles, or get on all four and twist your elbow in and out. 

 

Edited to add : One other thing I remembered; Once you start again with the one handed, make sure you don't let the bell pull you forward. Stand up straight. If you let it pull you, that torques your elbow and back. And do you have a lacrosse ball? I roll that around  inside my elbow and down my forearm. And one other thing, that maybe I already said, but farmer carries are good. They help build up the grip and forearm strength, which will help build up the tendon muscles. The two arm swing should do a good job of that too. The reason I backed off the 44lb kettlebell was I wasn't strong enough (yet) and it was tweaking my elbow and back.

[AthenaMM]

Do you do warm ups, and stretches for your elbow? Can't find a video, but I do some joint warm ups. Standing up, just bend your arm at the elbow in circles, or get on all four and twist your elbow in and out. 

 

Edited to add : One other thing I remembered; Once you start again with the one handed, make sure you don't let the bell pull you forward. Stand up straight. If you let it pull you, that torques your elbow and back. And do you have a lacrosse ball? I roll that around  inside my elbow and down my forearm. And one other thing, that maybe I already said, but farmer carries are good. They help build up the grip and forearm strength, which will help build up the tendon muscles. The two arm swing should do a good job of that too. The reason I backed off the 44lb kettlebell was I wasn't strong enough (yet) and it was tweaking my elbow and back.

Thanks for the ideas, Elastigirl! I'll try the stretches and try to find a ball for rolling as well. I was working pretty hard at not letting the KB pull me forward, though I wasn't always successful. It seemed to be during the "hike" back and the start of the swing back up that was bothering my elbow though. It felt like I didn't have my arm in the right place, like it was coming in contact with my body in a weird way or something.

[AthenaMM]

Day 2 - Tuesday, February 2, 2016

 

Quest 1: I did a 31 min kettlebell workout.

              3 sets of warm-up: 5 prying goblet squats (8kg), 5 3 sec bridges, 5 halos each direction (8kg).

              5 sets of 10 two handed swings with 16 kg. Elbow is still bothering me. I may take tomorrow as my rest day to see if that helps.

              5 sets of TGU's on each side with 8kg. These are still feeling a lot more stable. Not sure if I'm doing something different or if my muscles have just acclimated.

              S&S stretches

 

Quest 2: I worked on planks for 5 minutes. I started with one 60 sec plank, rested, a 40 sec plank, rested and another 40 sec plank. I thought this would be the easiest on my elbow.

 

Quest 3: I finished with 10,199 steps. This was actually the first time since the start of the year that I actually had to work to get all my steps at the end of the day.

 

Life Quest: I did my morning routine.

 

I put $2 in the jar and took none out.

 

Day 3 - Wednesday, February 3, 2016

 

Quest 1: I did take today for a kettlebell rest day. It had less to do with my elbow and more to do with the fact that I was running around all day and was really tired once I finally had time to do the workout.

 

Quest 2: I worked on push-ups for 5 minutes. I did 30 incline push-ups for the mini, then rested and did 2 sets of 10 incline push-ups.

 

Quest 3: I have over 11,000 steps at this point. No problem getting these today.

 

Life Quest: I did my morning routine.

 

I put $1 in the jar and took none out.

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

I bet that jar is getting really full.

[Elastigirl]

Your step consistency is an inspiration to me. Cool that the TGUS are getting stronger too.

[AthenaMM]

I bet that jar is getting really full.

After the first day of this challenge, I replaced all the ones with 3 $20 bills so I would have space for this challenge. That also meant I didn't have to go get a bunch of ones this month since I can just reuse last months.

 

Your step consistency is an inspiration to me. Cool that the TGUS are getting stronger too.

Thanks, Elastigirl. I was never this consistent until I made it part of my challenge. I also think it helps a lot that I give myself one day a week where I don't worry about how many steps I get. It seems like I've found the sweet spot of where exactly to hold the 'bell over my head now. Before it seemed to take a lot of effort to keep my arm from swaying. Now it just seems to stay straight without a lot of trouble. Now if I could make the same kind of progress with one handed swings, I would be very happy.

[AthenaMM]

Day 4 - Thursday, February 4, 2016

 

Quest 1: I did a 38 min kettlebell workout. I did a lot of elbow rotations/stretches before the workout. Some of the soreness is definitely just stiffness, because I could feel it being worked out as I stretched.

              3 sets of warm-up: 5 prying goblet squats (8kg), 5 3 sec bridges, 5 halos each direction (8kg).

              5 sets of 10 two handed swings with 16 kg. Elbow is still sore, but I decided to do some one handed work anyway.

              6 sets of 10 one handed swings with a 2.5lb ankle weight. I used the velcro strap to make a "handle" so it was like swinging a 'bell. I didn't want very much weight, but I wanted to try to see how I was doing the swing. It was still a little hard to tell whether I was doing it right though (too light). I decided to try again with the 8kg.

              3.5 sets of 10 one handed swings with 8kg. I was able to tell that the pain is definitely caused in the lower part of the swing and I have to be doing something wrong, because there was some pain in the OTHER elbow in the same part of the swing. Can't figure out what I'm doing though. I may have to buy a smaller KB to try to work on these. 

              5 sets of TGU's on each side with 8kg. These still felt stable, but they were harder today because my arms were tired by then.

              S&S stretches

 

Quest 2: I worked on planks for 5 minutes. I one 60 sec plank and two 45 sec planks. 

 

Quest 3: I have over 12,500 steps right now. 

 

Life Quest: I did my morning routine.

 

I put $2 in the jar and took $2 out for a big cookie. It wasn't as good as I hoped it would be, but I really wanted a cookie.

[Elastigirl]

I really like your plan of having to hit an average number of steps, and then taking a day off. Don't be surprised if I steal borrow that idea for my challenge.

 

Glad the elbow rotations help. I find it helpful to do some elbow, knee, wrist,ankle mobility above the S &S warm up, just to get loosened up. Have you taken a video of your swings? That might help you see. Or it could just be that you aren't ready for the heavier bell.Tendons aren't as strong as muscles, so maybe you just need to build more tendon strength.

[Rebe_J]

 

Glad the elbow rotations help. I find it helpful to do some elbow, knee, wrist,ankle mobility above the S &S warm up, just to get loosened up. Have you taken a video of your swings? That might help you see. Or it could just be that you aren't ready for the heavier bell.Tendons aren't as strong as muscles, so maybe you just need to build more tendon strength.

This is a good point. I know I am making strength gains faster than my old connective tissue can handle.

[Lightning]

You have inspired me to dust off my fitbit and start tracking my steps.  I haven't taken many walks since the winter weather hit but, this will give me a nudge.

 

You got some great suggestions on the KB so I won't even pretend to have any advice.  I struggle with figuring out when to rest and when to work through the discomfort.  Stretching and taking the weight down a bit sounds like the smart way to go.  Lighter weights will help you work on form too, just to be sure you are doing something to tweak those elbows.

[peelout]

Uhhhhhh, there seem to be some days missing from one of my favorite contributors and I'm feeling anxious and worried. 

Have you:

a)  been busy (happens to all of us)

b )  had something sad happen (hope thats not the case)

c) just need a kick in the azz  (that would surprise me given your drive)

 

Just my way of saying your missed.

 

 

PS:  I hate the fact that you can't type a "b" and a ")" together w/o getting a .  Glad I reread this cause it put a smiley thing next to "had something sad happen" above when I originally typed this (I had to put a space between them to get rid of the smiley).  Sometimes technology goes too far.

Engineers mantra:  If it ain't broke, it doesn't have enough features.

[AthenaMM]

Uhhhhhh, there seem to be some days missing from one of my favorite contributors and I'm feeling anxious and worried. 

Have you:

a)  been busy (happens to all of us)

b )  had something sad happen (hope thats not the case)

c) just need a kick in the azz  (that would surprise me given your drive)

 

Just my way of saying your missed.

 

 

PS:  I hate the fact that you can't type a "b" and a ")" together w/o getting a .  Glad I reread this cause it put a smiley thing next to "had something sad happen" above when I originally typed this (I had to put a space between them to get rid of the smiley).  Sometimes technology goes too far.

Engineers mantra:  If it ain't broke, it doesn't have enough features.

I'm finally here peelout. Up through Sunday it was definitely a. Yesterday was probably closer to c, but it looks like I just needed a break to recuperate from all the a days.

[AthenaMM]

I really like your plan of having to hit an average number of steps, and then taking a day off. Don't be surprised if I steal borrow that idea for my challenge.

 

Glad the elbow rotations help. I find it helpful to do some elbow, knee, wrist,ankle mobility above the S &S warm up, just to get loosened up. Have you taken a video of your swings? That might help you see. Or it could just be that you aren't ready for the heavier bell.Tendons aren't as strong as muscles, so maybe you just need to build more tendon strength.

I was actually already thinking the same thing. It seems like my elbows just aren't ready for the one handed, at least not at that weight. Once my elbow feels better I may try videoing the swings just to make sure.

 

 This is a good point. I know I am making strength gains faster than my old connective tissue can handle.

I agree!

 

You have inspired me to dust off my fitbit and start tracking my steps.  I haven't taken many walks since the winter weather hit but, this will give me a nudge.

 

You got some great suggestions on the KB so I won't even pretend to have any advice.  I struggle with figuring out when to rest and when to work through the discomfort.  Stretching and taking the weight down a bit sounds like the smart way to go.  Lighter weights will help you work on form too, just to be sure you are doing something to tweak those elbows.

Good luck with your walks! I think I will look for a lighter KB and see what I can do with that.

[AthenaMM]

Day 5 - Friday, February 5, 2016

 

Quest 1: I did a 29 min kettlebell workout. Even with the stretches my elbow is still sore.

              3 sets of warm-up: 5 prying goblet squats (8kg), 5 3 sec bridges, 5 halos each direction (8kg).

              5 sets of 10 two handed swings with 16 kg. 

              5 sets of TGU's on each side with 8kg. 

              S&S stretches

 

Quest 2: I worked on push-ups for 5 minutes. I did 4 sets of 11 incline push-ups.

 

Quest 3: I got 12,199 steps.

 

Life Quest: I did my morning routine.

 

I put $2 in the jar and took nothing out.

 

Day 6 - Saturday, February 6, 2016

 

Today was ridiculously busy. I was on my feet from about 8 am to 8:30 pm. Though I was standing still for a lot of it so I didn't get a ton of steps. By the time I was done with everything I was way too tired to do my kettlebell workout. I think I need to come up with an alternate plan for super busy days and for when something is sore (like my elbow)

 

Quest 1: Didn't do my kettlebell workout today.

 

Quest 2: I worked on pull-ups for 5 minutes. I did one 10 sec hang (something wrong with how I was gripping the bar and it hurt), one 25 sec hang and two 20 sec hangs. (I did these earlier in the day while I was waiting on something)

 

Quest 3: I got 11,080 steps.

 

Life Quest: I did my morning routine.

 

I put $2 in the jar and took $5 out for half a burger and some fries. I was too tired to cook and that's what hubby wanted to bring home. I could have chosen something healthier but I just didn't feel like it.

 

Day 7 - Sunday, February 7, 2016

 

Quest 1: I should have made up for missing the workout yesterday, but I didn't. I spent the day with hubby and I didn't want to interrupt it with a workout.

 

Quest 2: Rest day for this.

 

Quest 3: I got 3,187 steps.

 

Life Quest: I did my morning routine.

 

I put nothing in the jar and took nothing out.

[AthenaMM]

Week 1 Summary

 

Quest 1: I did this 4 times this week. That is one less than my goal. I had a really busy day and I currently don't have an alternate plan for that. I'm making progress in the workouts that I did do though.

 

Quest 2: I worked on push-ups, pull-ups and planks 6 days this week, which is my goal. I'm also keeping track of what I'm doing so I can see any progress I've made. I'm trying to increase by a small amount every time.

 

Quest 3: I averaged 10,624 steps this week, so I met this goal as well.

 

Life Quest: I did the morning routine every day. I'm still refining it some, but parts of it are slipping into habit. I met this goal as well.

 

Not a perfect week, but I did pretty well considering the entire week has been annoyingly busy. I'd give myself a B+ for the week.