Suzaqu wants to do things!

[Suzaqu]

Week 1 Day 5

 

A good day I got my remaining training sessions in, plus was able to cycle with my toe for the first time this month, so I'm excited. I was able to do 10 pistols to the couch (in 2 sets of 5) so I think it's time to move to the coffee table next week which will put me at parallel or a smidge below.  It was a really bad balance day, so I didn't try crow pose out again. (I had to hop while halfway up from a shrimp squat to avoid falling over, it was not my day.)

 

I think if I have time this weekend, I'll throw in more stretching and possibly pushups and squats, since it's my last non-guest occupied weekend of the challenge. 

 

Tonight we're breaking out the champagne, since my husband got a bonus, so I've prelogged those drinks here.

 

Tracking:

Quest 1: 4/4, 0/4, 0/4, 0/4

Quest 2: 1/1, 0/1, 0/1, 0/1

Quest 3: 3/3, 0/3, 0/3, 0/3

Quest 4: 4/4, 0/4, 0/4, 0/4

Quest 5: 5/6, 0/6, 0/6, 0/6

[ixaera]

I think you're right about where I am for balance things, so I am avidly watching for what ends up working for you!

[Suzaqu]

Week 1 Days 6 and 7, Week 2 Day 1 

 

So not my best weekend I didn't get any other goal related stuff done and I went over on the alcohol goal. A gin and tonic also happened on Friday, and then on Saturday I went to a meetup event at a Mexican restaurant. I hadn't met any of these ladies before and everyone was having a margarita and I needed some social lubricant. That put me over, but the real problem was then on Sunday I figured that I was over anyway, so the week was already a failure and I might as well have a beer. Not my best choice. But this week will be better (partially because the in-laws arrive on Friday).

 

Today was a least a good day. I made progress on pushups, but that next step down was hard. I only got 3 in, but there's time this week to bring that up. Stretching and squats felt extra good. I got 5 pistols done off of my kitchen chairs (same height as coffee table, but more stable).  

 

Crow pose practice went amazing thanks to Hazard's idea! I got a good full second of balancing in! Having the books under my feet definitely helped me find the balance point more easily. I think I'll definitely try it out again this week, because it was so much fun.

 

Tracking:

Quest 1: 4/4, 1/4, 0/4, 0/4

Quest 2: 1/1, 1/1, 0/1, 0/1

Quest 3: 3/3, 1/3, 0/3, 0/3

Quest 4: 4/4, 1/4, 0/4, 0/4

Quest 5: 8/6, 0/6, 0/6, 0/6

[ixaera]

Alcohol goals, I feel ya.

 

Sounds like your pistols and crows are coming along quite nicely! 

 

[dancezwithkittehz]

How are you working on the pistols? Are you gradually working on pistol squatting to lower surfaces?

 

Congrats on the crow progress!!

[Suzaqu]

How are you working on the pistols? Are you gradually working on pistol squatting to lower surfaces?

 

Congrats on the crow progress!!

Thanks! I am doing them gradually to lower surfaces, but also doing rounds of beginner shrimp squats (hope to move up to intermediate this challenge) and weighted two legged squats as well. I think one of my main issues as i get lower will be ankle mobility. I can't sit in a low squat without my heels coming up, so the crow pose squat training is a nice complement to the pistol work. It hasn't been an issue yet, but hopefully it will be soon as I get lower. I think I may add in doing some sitting in the base of pistol pose while holding on to a "pole" to help with flexibility and just getting used to the position. Any suggestions?

[Suzaqu]

Alcohol goals, I feel ya.

 

Sounds like your pistols and crows are coming along quite nicely! 

 

Awwwww kitty! (I say as I drink my 2nd glass of wine for the night, oops. I'm not drinking for the next two days to make up for it, Mondays are just hard and I finished my taxes today.) 

 

[blkhole24601]

Pistols, splits, and crow pose (which I will be pursuing soon, either before the end of this challenge or during next)??? Yes, let us do the rival thing!!

 

[Suzaqu]

Pistols, splits, and crow pose (which I will be pursuing soon, either before the end of this challenge or during next)??? Yes, let us do the rival thing!!

 

Awesome! Sounds like this is gonna be a good rivalry I'm planning on carrying all of these over to the next challenge as well, since 4 weeks isn't enough to check these off my list (heck, who knows if 8 will be enough)

 

I was trying to find a Scrubs gif to reply with, and then I ended up here and I'm okay with that.

[Suzaqu]

Week 2 Days 2 and 3

 

Not much exciting to report. I got squats in yesterday and pushups and stretching in both yesterday and today. So I'm on good track to take the weekend off. I also got some good "in-laws are coming" level cleaning done today, not challenge related, but definitely felt good. I'm also back on track on the alcohol, so I'm feeling good!

 

 

Tracking:

Quest 1: 4/4, 3/4, 0/4, 0/4

Quest 2: 1/1, 1/1, 0/1, 0/1

Quest 3: 3/3, 2/3, 0/3, 0/3

Quest 4: 4/4, 3/4, 0/4, 0/4

Quest 5: 8/6, 2/6, 0/6, 0/6

[blkhole24601]

Awesome! Sounds like this is gonna be a good rivalry I'm planning on carrying all of these over to the next challenge as well, since 4 weeks isn't enough to check these off my list (heck, who knows if 8 will be enough)

 

I was trying to find a Scrubs gif to reply with, and then I ended up here and I'm okay with that.

 

Oh, I hear you. One thing I do like about the 4 weeks is that I get to chuck a quest that's not working for me a lot sooner than I could've with 6 weeks, and that I can build off the ones that are working for me sooner. That said, I still feel like 4 weeks is too short, but we're all making do.

 

And you know. That is also an acceptable Scrubs gif.

[Suzaqu]

Oh, I hear you. One thing I do like about the 4 weeks is that I get to chuck a quest that's not working for me a lot sooner than I could've with 6 weeks, and that I can build off the ones that are working for me sooner. That said, I still feel like 4 weeks is too short, but we're all making do.

 

And you know. That is also an acceptable Scrubs gif.

That's a good point on kicking bad goals to the curb. I do also like the "new month new goals" element to it because my goals do change with the seasons/weather.

[Suzaqu]

Week 2 Day 4

 

Oh man, I didn't want to do anything today! So I bribed myself with a chocolate, peanut butter, and greens protein shake and got it done.

 

I did happily re-discover how much I like truly weighted squats. I was doing them with about 10 pounds, and was just having trouble getting down, getting up, and not falling over. But double the weight and I'm much happier and squatting like a champ. I need to figure out what my best weight is, because last time I really did squats was with an unmarked kettlebell, so I don't really know what my good weight is. Good goal for next week.

 

I also think I need to find a new lower surface to pistol onto, I've gotten lower than all of my chairs, so this will require more creativity.

 

Non-fitness-related rant follows, ignore if desired  

So the inlaws are coming tomorrow, and of course my mother decides that she needs to email me just to remind me to keep her in mind when we are scheduling visits with the inlaws for holidays, because she wants to see us too. Mothers are masters at the guilt trip, they just know how to get you. She, of course hasn't made any plans to come visit us, whereas my inlaws have, and it's all just super frustrating. So I've been debating all day replying to the email and wondering if I should just ignore that. (And unrelatedly, my husband made a slightly snarky comment last night about how his parents actually visit us, which doesn't help either.) So I think that's the real root of my funk that required bribery to get through. And it's beautiful out, I might just need some outdoors this afternoon, that could help as well.

 

 

Tracking:

Quest 1: 4/4, 4/4, 0/4, 0/4

Quest 2: 1/1, 1/1, 0/1, 0/1

Quest 3: 3/3, 3/3, 0/3, 0/3

Quest 4: 4/4, 4/4, 0/4, 0/4

Quest 5: 8/6, 2/6, 0/6, 0/6

[ixaera]

I've been awkwardly using my old college textbooks for lower surfaces. It works... questionably XD

[Suzaqu]

I've been awkwardly using my old college textbooks for lower surfaces. It works... questionably XD

Is it weird that I spent so much time with my textbooks that i have grown attached to them and don't want to sit on them? Maybe I'll use my husband's textbooks, no attachment there

[dancezwithkittehz]

Thanks! I am doing them gradually to lower surfaces, but also doing rounds of beginner shrimp squats (hope to move up to intermediate this challenge) and weighted two legged squats as well. I think one of my main issues as i get lower will be ankle mobility. I can't sit in a low squat without my heels coming up, so the crow pose squat training is a nice complement to the pistol work. It hasn't been an issue yet, but hopefully it will be soon as I get lower. I think I may add in doing some sitting in the base of pistol pose while holding on to a "pole" to help with flexibility and just getting used to the position. Any suggestions?

 

It helps when I respond to things. =P  I think these all sound like good ideas for working your way up!

 

I'm trying to remember exactly how I worked my mobility up to where it is now and I think a lot of it was just doing lots and lot of squats and depth slowly got better over time. I think holding at the bottom would be good if you can't quite get there yet.

 

What I am doing for assisted pistols is I have an adjustable height pull up bar that I will set at about hip height and I will lightly hold on to it (trying to use as little assistance as I need) It lets me get down to full pistol depth which I can't QUITE do unassisted due to lack of strength and I am able to then use the bar for the assist to get there AND get back up (yay not getting stuck!)

 

I think you could even do some assisted body weight standard squats with a bar assist as a good way to get yourself to as full a depth as possible but with added support until you have the strength and mobility to hold it there yourself!

[Suzaqu]

It helps when I respond to things. =P  I think these all sound like good ideas for working your way up!

 

I'm trying to remember exactly how I worked my mobility up to where it is now and I think a lot of it was just doing lots and lot of squats and depth slowly got better over time. I think holding at the bottom would be good if you can't quite get there yet.

 

What I am doing for assisted pistols is I have an adjustable height pull up bar that I will set at about hip height and I will lightly hold on to it (trying to use as little assistance as I need) It lets me get down to full pistol depth which I can't QUITE do unassisted due to lack of strength and I am able to then use the bar for the assist to get there AND get back up (yay not getting stuck!)

 

I think you could even do some assisted body weight standard squats with a bar assist as a good way to get yourself to as full a depth as possible but with added support until you have the strength and mobility to hold it there yourself!

 

Thanks! I really like the idea of using the assist on the standard bodyweight squats. I need to get more comfortable at the base even separate from the pistols, so it's perfect! I think I need to get a bit lower before doing the assisted full pistols, but I do have a nice pillar with a half wall/ledge that will be perfect!

[Suzaqu]

I'm backkkkk! I'm slowly working on catching up with everyone's threads, but I did want to get an update in here before I forgot.

 

The long weekend with the inlaws went well. There was a ton of walking but no fitness beyond that, but I did manage to restrict my drinking really well so I ended the week with a win.

 

Today was my first day with no one else in my house, so I was able to get back into everything. Pushups were definitely hard on the single step and my stretching lost a bit from the time off, but I think it will come back soon. I also found that my comfortable squat weight is about 25lbs, so I'll work there for a bit and then try 30. I stayed with the chair for my pistols, but decided to really focus on slowing down the decent to work on strength, because I tried a lower squat and had real trouble with control on the way down.

 

We have more guests coming on Saturday, so this week will be a crunch, but I should be able to fit everything in if I do most things every day. I'm hoping the lack of rest days won't hurt too much, I'll stick one in the middle of the squats, because they are probably the only thing that really needs a ton of recovery.

 

 

Tracking:

Quest 1: 4/4, 4/4, 1/4, 0/4

Quest 2: 1/1, 1/1, 0/1, 0/1

Quest 3: 3/3, 3/3, 1/3, 0/3

Quest 4: 4/4, 4/4, 1/4, 0/4

Quest 5: 8/6, 5/6, 1/6, 0/6

[blkhole24601]

How's the week been treating you so far? 

[Suzaqu]

22 hours ago, blkhole24601 said:

How's the week been treating you so far? 

Thank you for checking in! Every time I tried to log on, the site was down, and now I see why, it's beautiful! (Though I definitely need a new profile picture that's circle friendly.) I especially love the condensed notifications!

 

I spent most of my fitness time working on yoga poses for the mini. I was surprised by how many I was able to do. I don't regularly practice yoga (just when I think of it) but my pilates and barre work seems to have done the same poses. I got crow in and managed to hold 3 seconds, so I counted it! That was really exciting! I think the yoga also helped all of my stretching, that is feeling good too.

 

Pushups-wise, I've decided to stick it out at the first step for the rest of the challenge, just to work on form and strength. Next round I'll go down to the floor.

 

Squats are feeling really good. I was able to do 2 sets of 5 to the chair and keep them very controlled and slow. So I think next week will be a decrease in height, time to bring out the textbooks!

 

St. Patrick's Day saw me drinking 2 Guinness's but I've been careful the rest of the week with the alcohol. Last night I went to a wine and painting event and only had one drink, which I consider a success. Now I just need to keep it under control this weekend when my sister and brother-in-law are here and we are exploring NYC.

 

Tracking:

Quest 1: 4/4, 4/4, 4/4, 0/4

Quest 2: 1/1, 1/1, 1/1, 0/1

Quest 3: 3/3, 3/3, 3/3, 0/3

Quest 4: 4/4, 4/4, 4/4, 0/4

Quest 5: 8/6, 5/6, 5/6, 0/6

[suzyQlou]

Great week.  Loving the crow pose!

[blkhole24601]

On 3/19/2016 at 9:12 AM, Suzaqu said:

I spent most of my fitness time working on yoga poses for the mini. I was surprised by how many I was able to do. I don't regularly practice yoga (just when I think of it) but my pilates and barre work seems to have done the same poses. I got crow in and managed to hold 3 seconds, so I counted it! That was really exciting! I think the yoga also helped all of my stretching, that is feeling good too.

 

This is a lot of my feelings, too! I don't specifically practice yoga myself, though a lot of the flexibility work I do was apparently yoga poses, which was a pleasant surprise.  It was awesome to see what I could do! And woo for a 3-second crow!!!!!! 

 

Looks like you had a good Week 3! Here we go for the final week!!

[Suzaqu]

6 hours ago, suzyQlou said:

Great week.  Loving the crow pose!

Thanks! I'm super excited for this final week to see how my video changes!

4 hours ago, blkhole24601 said:

 

This is a lot of my feelings, too! I don't specifically practice yoga myself, though a lot of the flexibility work I do was apparently yoga poses, which was a pleasant surprise.  It was awesome to see what I could do! And woo for a 3-second crow!!!!!! 

 

Looks like you had a good Week 3! Here we go for the final week!!

Yeah, I think this whole mini has been a great one for finding out how much I can do! Bring it on week 4!

[Suzaqu]

Week 3 Wrap Up

 

Ooooops.....yeah, the alcohol was a problem again. We went out in NYC and beverages were had...I have no real excuses, other than it was fun. I think I'll have to do this quest again next round.

 

We have guests here until Wednesday again, and I realize I didn't scale the final week to reflect that we don't have the weekend included, so I'll modifiy my final week goals a bit. I plan to kick butt Wed-Friday on my challenge and the final battle!

 

Tracking:

Quest 1: 4/4, 4/4, 4/4, 0/3

Quest 2: 1/1, 1/1, 1/1, 0/1

Quest 3: 3/3, 3/3, 3/3, 0/2

Quest 4: 4/4, 4/4, 4/4, 0/3

Quest 5: 8/6, 5/6, 8/6, 2/6

 

[Suzaqu]

Week 4 Days 2-3

 

I probably shouldn't have done an alcohol challenge with all the guests we had coming....We visited a brewery on Tuesday and that was my undoing. I'm exactly at goal, and will try to stick to it for the rest of the week, but we'll see. My birthday is this weekend, so Friday might be a problem, and I'm okay with that. We're going out of town this weekend as well, hence why I'm not doing a full 4 week challenge, but yay for weekend trips!

 

Fitness-wise, today was a good day (nothing happened on Tuesday due to guests). I got all my squats, pushups, and stretchign in and it felt good. We did a ton of walking this week and finally getting it stretched out was amazing, and everything that need to crack did  I took inspiration from Greyspeed and did multiple crows spread over the course of the day, a couple attempts on the hour, most hours. I also used the hourly "workout" to add to my final battle reps, and I'm feeling good about my numbers and progress. Plus, it's a great excuse to wear exercise clothes all day! I think I'll keep it up all week. 

 

I'm debating what I want to do next challenge, definitely stretching, probably alcohol, adn I want to keep up crow and pistols. Not sure if I'm adding something new.

 

Slightly-related story time: I was complaining to my husband about how sore the squats have been making me me, (stairs are not my friend) and he asked me why I have been doing them. I explained to him that I wanted to do a pistol squat and did a pathetic demo while grasping on to a railing and a wall. He then stood up and did one, having never tried one before! He did tell me that it accepted was hard because he could only do one. He is fitness blessed. He never works out and doesn't have a physical job, yet can do all the things I'm struggling with. Life isn't fair

 

Tracking:

Quest 1: 4/4, 4/4, 4/4, 1/3

Quest 2: 1/1, 1/1, 1/1, 1/1

Quest 3: 3/3, 3/3, 3/3, 1/2

Quest 4: 4/4, 4/4, 4/4, 1/3

Quest 5: 8/6, 5/6, 8/6, 6/6