Jarric's first Challenge (sorry I'm late!)

[Jarric]

Hi all, sorry I'm late! Just joined the forums and wanted to get straight into the first challenge rather than wait for next month.

 

About me here if you're interested.

 

My Quest

To be fitter, healthier and to look better naked.

 

Challenges

Staying in the Gym (10XP) - Just started in the gym in January, so my mission is to go at least twice a week for the duration of the challenge (will be aiming for 3 times rest of life permitting).

 

Trying Yoga (10XP) - Never something I'd considered before, but I read the four starter yoga poses on NF, and decided to give them ago on Wednesday. Short exercise so the mission is 3 times per week for the duration of the challenge.

 

Caffeine Cut-Back (10XP) - No tea after 4pm daily. I'm horrible at getting up in the mornings, and if I don't then I don't have time to swim before work, so this is a little experiment to see if not having caffeine late in the day improves my sleep any.

 

Level Up your Life

Parle en fançais (15XP) - Complete daily French goal on Duolingo every day for the duration of the challenge.

 

Will keep you posted on how it goes. Thoughts/suggestions always welcome.

[Maggie-Miau]

Heyoo! Returning a visit, friend! Looks like you're doing fabulously so far!

[Jarric]

Update time; so far so good I think!

 

Staying in the Gym Went Monday, Thursday and Sunday, so success there. Also managed to get through all my sets of inverted rows on Sunday, which i struggle with, so happy with that.

 

Trying Yoga Made it so far - tried it out Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Also looking into booking a proper class towards the end of the month.

 

Caffeine Cut-Back No problems so far. Will have to wait and see whether it helps me wake up for swimming each morning as the month wears on.

 

Parle en français Had a bit of a blip on Friday; didn't get round to doing it until I got back from the pub at near enough midnight, so Duolingo broker my streak and put the points over to the following day. Still, have otherwise been up to date so I'll let myself off.

[Kellyfish]

Returning the visit :-)  For me, attending a yoga class once a week (which I began doing maybe six months ago?) made a huggge difference in how motivated I felt to build a practice--mostly because it expanded what I was getting out of it from something predominantly physical to something mental and social as well.

 

Totally unrelated, how did you get those fancy stat bars in your signature?  I've been using HabitBull to track the habits I'm trying to build but I would love to switch over to something that I could integrate with NF.

[Jarric]

Returning the visit :-)  For me, attending a yoga class once a week (which I began doing maybe six months ago?) made a huggge difference in how motivated I felt to build a practice--mostly because it expanded what I was getting out of it from something predominantly physical to something mental and social as well.

 

Totally unrelated, how did you get those fancy stat bars in your signature?  I've been using HabitBull to track the habits I'm trying to build but I would love to switch over to something that I could integrate with NF.

 

That's cool, well I hope I find I enjoy it as much as you do.

 

As far as I know you can only update the progress bars manually. You can either click on the button to the left of the twitter button, and type in the colour you want and the % complete, or you can go straight for the code. This is the code for my current ones:

Stay in the Gym [progress='#000000']25[/progress]Trying Yoga [progress='#333333']25[/progress]Caffeine Cut-Back [progress='#666666']19[/progress]Parle en français [progress='#999999']21[/progress]

The numbers in the brackets are the colours I wanted in hex, but you can just put in 'red', 'blue', 'grey' etc. if you prefer. The number between the two brackets is the % complete.

 

Hope that helps!

[Talos]

Props for sticking to those gym goals! And it'll be fun to hear what you think of yoga after you've made it through the challenge - I've never tried it, either.

[LilyLuna]

Love the quest goals : ) looks like you're doing great so far! Keep up the good work! I'll be following along.

[Jarric]

Mid week update:

 

 

Staying in the Gym Went Tuesday, going again tonight so that will clear this week. Planning to go again at the weekend as well.

 

Trying Yoga Only once this week so far, need to remember to keep doing it.

 

Caffeine Cut-Back Still on this. Woke up too late to go swimming yesterday and today though, so it hasn't helped with that (yet).

 

Parle en français Still going on this (though I forgot to do it at home and ended up doing it in the pub last night...). May have to up the goal for next month as at the moment I'm just going back over things which I learnt a while ago.

[Keldream Nebula]

Thanks for the visit! 

 

Your goals look great--very clear on what needs to happen to achieve them. I'll be following along  

 

Keep up the good work!

 

:) 

[Jarric]

Update at the half way point:

 

Staying in the Gym Went Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, so still on this. After really struggling with it during the week Sunday was much easier, so feeling good about that. Gonna try and add some weight to something by the end of this week.

 

Trying Yoga Managed my three times by doing it after each time I got back to the gym. Need to make more of an effort to do it on non-gym days as well.

 

Caffeine Cut-Back Still going. Had a great swim this morning (with a couple of new PRs!) so hopefully that will inspire me to keep getting up in the mornings.

 

Parle en français Still going well, putting a bit of additional time into it as well so all good.

[Jarric]

So the latter half of this week is being a bit rubbish. I'm meeting all my goals on here (technically), but struggling a bit otherwise.

 

Yesterday I had a very stressful day at work, and drank 5 cups of tea (I still stopped by 4pm by downing the last one, but it's not really in the spirit of the challenge). Then I went home, had a huge meal followed by a delicious (and highly calorific) valentine's desert from my fiancée. Then out to play snooker, during which I had 6 pints of Guinness, a scotch egg and 4 little finger sandwiches. Then I stayed up 'til gone 1 in the morning watching TV.

 

Somehow got up and went swimming this morning, so that's something at least. Have badminton tonight too, but then I'm missing the gym tomorrow night to go out with a friend so I'll have to find some time and make sure I slot in one session over the weekend.

[CJ the (soon-to-be) Mighty]

It sounds like even though you are struggling a bit, you are still making yourself work towards your goals.   I am very impressed with getting up and swimming before work after a night out.  Good work!

[MandyM]

Dude, you got up and went swimming after a night out, that's awesome! - we all slip sometimes but it's nice to see you're focused and keeping up the momentum =)

[Jarric]

It sounds like even though you are struggling a bit, you are still making yourself work towards your goals.   I am very impressed with getting up and swimming before work after a night out.  Good work!

 

 

Dude, you got up and went swimming after a night out, that's awesome! - we all slip sometimes but it's nice to see you're focused and keeping up the momentum =)

 

Thanks for the support guys, it really helps actually.

[Jarric]

Three week update:

 

Staying in the Gym Went Tuesday and Saturday, so all good. Going to book in an appointment with a trainer soon to get an updated gym programme together for next month.

 

Trying Yoga Failed, unfortunately. Only went Tuesday and Saturday (after the gym both times). On the plus side I've booked in for me and the Mrs to attend a yoga-esque class on the 29th, so that'll be interesting to try out.

 

Caffeine Cut-Back Failed this one too; a mate at work offered me a tea at quarter past three on Friday, and I didn't actually get it until gone 4! So I drank it anyway... at lest I don't get up early to go swimming at weekends!

 

Parle en français Still going well. Once again I broke my streak by completing it drunk after midnight (Friday night), and once again I'm still going to let that count.

[Keldream Nebula]

Looks like, though some things may be difficult, you are really putting in the effort to keep going, even if its not a consistent plan.

 

I look forward to seeing you in the next challenge, and I hope your class on the 29th is good! 

 

 

Woot! Nice work for jumping into a challenge part-way through and just starting  

 

~Kel

[Jarric]

Had a couple of irritating fails this week. Wednesday I didn't do my Duolingo (no reason, no excuse, I just completely forgot about it). And then yesterday at work at about half 4 I went to the loo, came back and someone had made me a cup of tea. I'm far too British to throw away a cup of tea someone else has made for me, so there's that.

 

Still, gym tonight will complete that goal, gonna reward myself by booking an appointment with a trainer for next week.

 

Will do yoga afterwards so I can complete that one before the weekend too. It's starting to get a bit easier, but I imagine the classes will still kill me!

[Jarric]

End of challenge round-up:

 

Staying in the Gym All good, at least 2 times per week and 3 most weeks.

 

Trying Yoga Missed one day one week I think (need to keep track better), so that's 3/4 or 11/12 depending on how you look at it.

 

Caffeine Cut-Back Missed 3 times, and started on the 4th anyway, so that's 22/25.

 

Parle en français Missed two in the past week (no excuses, I just plain forgot!). Started on the second so 25/27 in total.

 

Will put up my next challenge shortly, and link to it below in my sig.

[Keldream Nebula]

Good job!

 

You definitely hit those goals pretty hard, I look forward to seeing how your next challenge goes!