Rebuilding the Batcave

[brianhicks]

Greetings, fellow Assassins!

 

After a rough previous challenge period, I'm going to do a rebuilding challenge - not really respawning, but rebuilding my body so that I can be better prepared and more anti-fragile. Flexibility, both physical and mental, are going to be important for the rest of the year (lovely wife and I are adopting).

 

Food: I'm going to try the No S diet. In a nutshell: no sweets, seconds, or snacks except (sometimes) on days that start with S. It's a simple rule system by the same person that invented shovelglove. My scoring is going to look like those 3 points every day, and bonus points if I manage to do the same on weekends. The grading from last challenge worked, so I'm going to steal it:

• 85% towards score goals: A and 25xp
• 75% towards score goals: B and 20xp
• 65% towards score goals: C and 15xp
• 55% towards score goals: D and 10xp
• Below 55%: Failure and 0xp

Exercise: I really need to focus on flexibility so that I can get back to doing weighted exercise (even bodyweight is doing bad things to me right now.) Therefore, YOGA TIME! I'm going to do this every day that I don't go into work, so that's 19 sessions.

• 16 of 18 workouts: A and 25xp
• 14 of 18: B and 20xp
• 12 of 18: C and 15xp
• 10 of 18: D and 10xp
• Less than 10: Failure and 0xp

Life: Meditation. I love it and hate it at the same time. It really helps, but only if I do it consistently. So, my goal for this time is to meditate at least 10 minutes a day. Here comes consistency, I hope.

• 25 days: A and 25xp
• 22 days: B and 20xp
• 19 days: C and 15xp
• 16 days: D and 10xp
• Less than 16: Failure and 0xp

In addition, I'm going to try and post here every day. Knowing that people are reading what I'm writing is a wonderful motivator, and it keeps me accountable to myself even if nobody else reads. ðŸ‘

 

The boss battle for this challenge is going to be a trip to Chicago to give two technical usergroup talks in two days. I've never been to Chicago, so I'm looking forward to it. But travel has historically been trouble for my fitness and health goals. I learned from the conference last challenge period, and I'll do better this time!

 

LET'S GO CHALLENGE #3!

 

[Jothra]

Since Shovelglove stuck so well with me, I paid actual human money for the No S book to thanks Reinhard Engels for coming up with both. I may try to use No S a try, too, just to see what it does to my daily calorie intake.

 

In more important and less Jothra-centric news, I like the cut of your jib, and am following your challenge.

[brianhicks]

Hah! Thanks! I may have to buy that book too, shovelglove is intriguing too, but probably after I can do it without joints popping every which way.

 

As in previous challenges, I'm keeping my challenge progress in a spreadsheet. Here's this month's: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dnlIhIAPUGWFvlo8f9yJX1l3Fu9Quoi6aD1XJSyIJ5c/edit?usp=sharing(Brian Hicks: putting the Nerd in Nerd Fitness since 2015 )

[Platzhalter]

It's always good to see others struggling with their challenges as well but also trying to get better and never giving up

So... regards from another one following

[brianhicks]

Day one update: found a new cave for the bats, drawing up plans.

 

Foods: 3 for 3 on no S! I didn't realize how much food I wanted until I got it all on a plate at once. I guess that's part of the point.

Yoga: off day

Meditation: went and sat in a chair for 10 minutes and followed my breath. Not a huge change so far.

[Platzhalter]

Still better doing something with little change than doing nothing at all

[Hazard]

Exercise: I really need to focus on flexibility so that I can get back to doing weighted exercise

 

Lack of flexibility is an unusual reason not to do weighted exercises.   What's going on with your body?

[brianhicks]

Lack of flexibility is an unusual reason not to do weighted exercises.   What's going on with your body?

 

Really inflexible knees, specifically. Swelling, etc. I'm working with my physician to build flexibility and then strength, in that order. I do have some very light leg-press type exercises I've been prescribed to do, but specifically not squats until I'm cleared for it. Bums me out a lot too, I used to love doing weighted squats and now I can't even do bodyweight. Technically what's wrong is that the muscles in the back of my knees are so tight that they're pushing the kneecaps out, which means they slide around sideways at inappropriate times and are creating bone spurs, lots of pain, etc. Every time it happens I get closer to needing surgery, and every surgery is closer to a total knee replacement. So, you could say I'm motivated to work on this.

 

Now onto update #2. I said I'd post an update every day and I won't offer much excuse: it's been crazy but I could have made time to do it.

 

Foods: the No S diet is consistently surprising me by revealing how much I actually eat. The "no snacks" part is kind of hard but doable. But "no sweets" is killing me because it's girl scout cookie season! I ate a few this weekend on my scheduled cheat days, but nowhere near as many as I usually do since I was still in the "no snacks" mindset. Net win.

 

Yoga: We had an important client in town last week which really threw off my schedule. However, I did makeup days and so I'm only down by one day total. Every time I do yoga I can feel myself getting a little more flexible, and I'm already starting to be able to pick things up off the floor without having to think about it nearly as much. This progress excites me! I've also found a great time to do it: right after I get out of the shower my muscles are warm and it's very easy to stretch deeply.

 

Meditation: I haven't yet found a place to put this in a daily habit. Because of that, it hasn't been as effective as I think it could be. I don't want to do it too close to either waking or sleeping, but in the middle of the day I tend to be running a million miles a minute. I just need to figure out a cue (right after lunch or something) to sit down and breathe for a bit.

 

Spreadsheet is also updated if you want a blow-by-blow.

[Platzhalter]

Good you listen to your doc... there are way too many people who don't and in cases similar to yours, it won't make them stronger.

[brianhicks]

Quite right! I've done that before, and it doesn't help at all! I did forget to mention that I can also walk, so I've been doing a lot of that too, and tracking my mileage against the Hobbit's walk to Mordor... I've just gotten past the ringwraiths on weathertop

 

Yesterday's report!

 

Food: 3 for 3 on No S. My wife and I made some breakfast burritos and froze them on Sunday, and that really helps with snack cravings.

 

Yoga: Did it! Having a set time each day really helps.

 

Meditation: Still struggling here. I've downloaded an app to bug me to do it, which will probably help. I just need the prompt, I think.

[brianhicks]

Welp, it's been a bit. And a forum refresh too, how fancy!

 

Food: Doing great! I went on this month's business trip and aside from having a few beers there was nothing out of the ordinary!

 

Yoga: Less great on this one. I've kind of skimped but got enough in to count most days, but I haven't done a "full" session for about a week. Could be better, could be worse.

 

Meditation: This one has been weird. On my trip, I meditated every day. Airplanes turn out to be a nice environment for that sort of thing. But once I'm back home, the progress evaporates. A mystery!

[Platzhalter]

Good to hear everything seems to work for you

 

I personally think it's easy to meditate when you don't have anything else to do - which is what happens on planes, busses or Trains... or wherever you spend a long time travelling

[brianhicks]

Platzhalter: yes, absolutely!

 

Update time!

 

Food: Doing just OK on this. I had a stressful day and ended up eating a pint of ice cream. Not ideal. Because I've been good on the weekends and was counting them as extra credit I still have ~100% on this goal.

 

Yoga: Fallen off the bandwagon considerably, it's been about a week since I did my last session.

 

Meditation: Same as yoga, except it's been two weeks.

 

All that's a little disheartening, I'm looking forward to the next challenge to shake things up a little. These goals are not really working out well for me. :\

[SnowOwl]

Way to go on the food quest! 

 

I've found I do much better with my challenges if I create quests that require daily action and then I post updates daily. I am much less likely to skip something if I have to then post and tell everyone I didn't do it. This has actually made me get up mid-post to finish something just so I could report success. 

 

Good luck with your next challenge! Make sure to post the link to it here so we can find you.

[Platzhalter]

Hey... remember that you've learned something and keep that in mind as success (and, of course, everything else that still went well).

You'll do better next time