Cephalopod_Dreams Rededicates Herself

[Cephalopod_Dreams]

So, the last couple of challenges have been slow going. Rather than losing weight I have gained it, and there's no way on earth I'll be ready for my next grading in two weeks. It's time to make up for that lost distance.

 

I think one of the reasons I'm struggling with these challenges is that I'm not dedicating myself properly. I'm too easily distracted and since my OH is not into fitness I am too often convinced to stay in and drink wine when I should be at the gym.

 

This time, I'll be revisiting my January respawn goals, since I didn't achieve them first time around.

 

 Quest 1: 

Go to Karate 3 times a week. Now that I've leveled up I will not progress further without more intensive training. 

 

Goal: A = 3 lessons a week. B = 2 lessons a week. C = 1 lessons a week.

Reward: A = +2 Str, +2 Dex, +1 Sta. B = +1 Sta, +1 Dex. C = +1 Dex

 

Quest 2:

Strength training twice a week. This can be at home, but ideally will take place at the gym. It's the FIFTH challenge where i've wanted to focus on strength and it's time I got serious about it. 

 

Goal: A = 2 gym sessions a week . B = 2 sessions a week (home/gym). C = 1 session a week.

Reward: A = +2 Str, +2 Sta, +1 Dex,. B = +1 Sta, +1 Str. C = +1 Str

 

Quest 3:

Have at least 2 alcohol-free nights a week. I actually managed this last challenge so let's see if I can keep it up. 

 

Goal: A = 3 nights a week free. B = 2 nights a week free. C = 1 night a week free. 

Reward: A = +2 Wis, +3 Con,. B = +1 Wis, + 2 Con.  C = +1 Con.

 

BONUS: continue mood tracking. 

 

[Daryl of the Pines]

I'm glad to see a fellow karateka here on NF. I like that you are incorporating strength training as part of your routine, and not just letting the karate be the only active thing you do. It is a challenge to pursue such things when the other people in your life don't share the same goals, but it is possible. I like that you've committed to it anyway.

[Kishi]

Back up and at it, huh? Cool. All right, then.

 

Has your body recovered enough to allow you to strength train, then?

[Cephalopod_Dreams]

I went to another Karate session on Thursday and stayed for all 3 lessons - almost 2 hours of practise! My elbow is rather sore today, but it was really great to get some solid practise in. I actually felt like I'd improved by the end of the session. 

 

I haven't started the strength training yet, I'm waiting to see how my elbow adjusts to regular karate training. I'm going to do my best to get to my third lesson on Saturday, but if I cant do that I will go to the gym and give strength training a try.

 

As for the wine, I have had two days alcohol free and two days drinking - but only one glass of wine per night. That's two glasses this week so far, which is previously what I would have consumed on a Monday night. So yay for that! Cocktails with girl friends tonight, but I'm going to try and keep it sensible so I can get up for my classes tomorrow. 

[Daryl of the Pines]

I went to another Karate session on Thursday and stayed for all 3 lessons - almost 2 hours of practise! My elbow is rather sore today, but it was really great to get some solid practise in. I actually felt like I'd improved by the end of the session. 

 

I haven't started the strength training yet, I'm waiting to see how my elbow adjusts to regular karate training. I'm going to do my best to get to my third lesson on Saturday, but if I cant do that I will go to the gym and give strength training a try.

 

As for the wine, I have had two days alcohol free and two days drinking - but only one glass of wine per night. That's two glasses this week so far, which is previously what I would have consumed on a Monday night. So yay for that! Cocktails with girl friends tonight, but I'm going to try and keep it sensible so I can get up for my classes tomorrow. 

 

Sounds like you are off to a strong start. Just make sure to listen to your body and don't overdo it. 

[Cephalopod_Dreams]

I had a boozy Friday night, cocktails with the girls, but I didn't over do it and still got up to go to the gym on saturday (with some help from my SO). Saturday night was date night so booze again but I made good food choices apart from that.

Then tonight I walked into town and back to stretch out the doms and I made a healthy lunch choice. We had people over for gaming today and usually that means booze and snacks. But I'm so proud of myself because not only did I ignore the sweets on the table but I also didn't have any wine even though other people at the table were drinking!

Here's hoping this is something I can keep up!

[Cephalopod_Dreams]

I realised that I didn't do a summary of my gym workout, so here it is:

 

warm-up

stretching, body weight squats, incline press up (I did like 2 then my elbow went out ) 

 

3 circuits

10 x squat (10kg barbell)
10 x row and press (10kg barbell)

 

I ached soooo badly on Sunday, I'm still aching now so will see how I do at karate. It's great that I've had a whole week of exercise though. 

[Toshimi]

I realised that I didn't do a summary of my gym workout, so here it is:

 

warm-up

stretching, body weight squats, incline press up (I did like 2 then my elbow went out ) 

 

3 circuits

10 x squat (10kg barbell)

10 x row and press (10kg barbell)

 

I ached soooo badly on Sunday, I'm still aching now so will see how I do at karate. It's great that I've had a whole week of exercise though. 

 

 

I had problems for awhile where I was much more sore than I thought i should be for much longer than i thought I should be. Make sure you're getting enough water, sleep and protein. Some of it might be from you coming back from the injury, but making sure everything else is in order may help too. I've also found that supplementing with creatine after particularly hard workouts has made a huge difference (I use half a recommended dose of micronized creatine) 

 

Also I would strongly recommend going to karate, even if you have to take it easy. does good for the body and mind. 

 

biggest thing is listen to what your body needs, an injury is annoying, reinjury is even worse!

[Daryl of the Pines]

I hope all is continuing to go well with your challenge.

[Kishi]

Hey, looks like you've kept moving. Cool. You hanging in there?

[Cephalopod_Dreams]

I went to karate on Monday and had a really good session. I didnt make it on Thursday though as I got a cold and felt awful. Back to the gym on Saturday though for a good set and today I have a special training session at Karate. it's a Kyu grading with a visiting sensei but thanks to the accident I'm not ready yet. But I'm still going to attend the special training session. I've discovered that there's a pilates class on Tuesdays at my gym so I'm going to see if I can get to that straight after work tomorrow. 

 

Saturday's gym workout:

 

Pull up x 5 35kg assist

Chin up x 5 35kg assist

Dips x 10 35kg assist

 

Pull up x 5 40kg assist

Chin up x 5 40kg assist

Dips x 10 40kg assist

 

3 circuits

10 x squat (10kg barbell)
10 x row and press (10kg barbell)

10 x bench press (10kg barbell)

 

 

Thanks for checking in with me guys, sorry I haven't been updating as much. 

[Kishi]

You've been busy, and it's okay. Better to be busy and get training rather than be wreck't. Very good, and glad to hear.

[Cephalopod_Dreams]

Yesterday was a special training session with a visiting sensei, as it was our Kyu grading. Unfortunately I didn't get to grade but I knew that was going to be the case. The training was good though, about 90 minutes of really focusing on technique and precision. I actually spotted some new muscles in my chest when I got home! Finally feeling a bit strong. 

 

I've brought my gym kit with me to work and I'm planning to go straight to the gym after work so I can go to my first pilates lesson. 

[Kishi]

Nice! You got to train and cement things into place. Kudos and awesome! And you're ready to go train more! SWEET.

[Toshimi]

How did pilates go? 

[Cephalopod_Dreams]

I really enjoyed pilates! It was easy to get to after work and focused on core strength and stretching. I was really pleased because even though it was my first ever pilates lesson I was able to do all of the moves, so I will just need to work on improving my form.

Unlike the yoga class I went to several weeks ago I found that pilates was challenging enough to hold my interest. I know that a stronger core and better flexibility in my hips will really improve my karate, and I think pilates is going to be a great way to do that.

It's definitely something i want to add to my weekly routine. :-)

[Toshimi]

I really enjoyed pilates! It was easy to get to after work and focused on core strength and stretching. I was really pleased because even though it was my first ever pilates lesson I was able to do all of the moves, so I will just need to work on improving my form.

Unlike the yoga class I went to several weeks ago I found that pilates was challenging enough to hold my interest. I know that a stronger core and better flexibility in my hips will really improve my karate, and I think pilates is going to be a great way to do that.

It's definitely something i want to add to my weekly routine. :-)

 

Glad you found something you enjoyed! I do the occasional Pilates class with my parents, and i always think that i have semi decent core strength until about 5 mins in the class.

[Cephalopod_Dreams]

I definitely felt in on a lot of the moves! But it's good because it's something I need to work on.

 

I'm feeling really positive this week; I've kept a calendar by my desk and ticked off the days where I did a workout and I'm averaging three a week - with four some weeks! I feel happier, energetic and positive. It's actually been a really busy week for commitments at home but I'm really pleased I got the work in anyway.

 

I've started exploring protein bars as a way to up my protein intake and help me get the most from my work outs. I've experimented with a few brands and flavours and it's pretty exciting. Expensive though! I'm not sure if it might be more cost effective to try the powders rather than the bars.  

[Daryl of the Pines]

Glad to see you are finding new things that work for you. Regular yoga or pilates will go a long way towards avoiding injury in karate. Think of it as preventative maintenance.

[Cephalopod_Dreams]

I went back to pilates on saturday - this time I brought a friend who really enjoyed it! So I might have a pilates buddy in future  I arrived early so I got a short set on the assisted pull up machine in.

 

chin up x 5 (35kg assist)

pull up x 5 (35kg assist)

Dips x 10 (35kg assist)

 

I'm still finding chins and pulls hard, but this time I got four chins in a row and three pulls in a row before failure! It's not much but it's an improvement.  I had meant to do a gym session after pilates but I was a little hungover so I just went home. I didn't do gym on sunday either but I did get out in the garden on saturday and sunday for a couple of hours so I think that counts as activity.

 

My gym buddy is interested in geocaching and I'd love to get more walking into my life so I think it's something we're going to look into. I could even get the kids involved! 

[Kishi]

Well, with any kind of designed food, you wanna be careful. Not that they're necessarily unhealthy, but they are not all created equal. Some of them will be better than others. Labdoor.com is a great place to go looking for data on the matter of supplements, but be careful. Just because it's got active ingredients, it doesn't follow that those ingredients are good for you. I have discovered this to my detriment.

 

As far as bars go, have you looked into Quest Bars or Clif Builder Bars? I've heard those are pretty good. I've also heard of a bar that uses crickets for protein, and since it's being pushed by the Paleo/Primal crowd, it's probably quality.

 

Also chiming in to say that it's awesome that you're finding things you like to do and enjoying the process. And it looks like you're finding even more things to do! That's awesome!

[Cephalopod_Dreams]

Thanks for the information Kishi! I'll check out labdoor.com. I haven't committed to bulk-buying the bars yet as I've been trying out the various options, but Quest bars are high on my list as they come highly recommended and I like the ones I've tried. I've been debating whether to buy the bars pre-made or buy the protein powder instead, so I can make my own and control what goes into them. I'm not sure if that might be more cost effective.

 

Challenge update: I didn't make it to karate on Monday as I was feeling unwell but I was back at pilates last night and I intend to go to my karate lesson tomorrow. I know that the pilates lesson on saturday will be cancelled as the instructor is away over the easter weekend so I might go along to karate instead. I'm starting to fall behind on my strength training as I'm getting distracted by pilates, so I need to find a way to balance that all out. I still want to be able to do a real push up one day. 

[Kishi]

7 hours ago, Cephalopod_Dreams said:

Thanks for the information Kishi! I'll check out labdoor.com. I haven't committed to bulk-buying the bars yet as I've been trying out the various options, but Quest bars are high on my list as they come highly recommended and I like the ones I've tried. I've been debating whether to buy the bars pre-made or buy the protein powder instead, so I can make my own and control what goes into them. I'm not sure if that might be more cost effective.

 

Challenge update: I didn't make it to karate on Monday as I was feeling unwell but I was back at pilates last night and I intend to go to my karate lesson tomorrow. I know that the pilates lesson on saturday will be cancelled as the instructor is away over the easter weekend so I might go along to karate instead. I'm starting to fall behind on my strength training as I'm getting distracted by pilates, so I need to find a way to balance that all out. I still want to be able to do a real push up one day. 

 

Regarding food, a good rule of thumb I've heard is that food can be good, fast, and cheap. The catch is, though, you can only have two of the three, so like, if it's good food and fast, it won't be cheap.

 

In your case, looking into making for the sake of cost, well, that means good and cheap. It won't be fast. You'll have to sink time into it, and that's not a bad thing, but just be aware that you'll have to carve out some time to work on this for yourself.

 

Finding the right balance for training is hard. I struggled with it for years myself, and though I've got a semblance of a schedule figured out, at the same time, it could fall through anytime, you know? I can't tell you what the right balance is because I'm not you, and I don't know what you enjoy or what activities suit you best. The only encouragement I can give is that it's worthwhile to struggle with it and figure something out. Life is richer with this element of challenge.

[Cephalopod_Dreams]

Thanks for the advise Kishi. I'm hoping that with a bit of experimentation and adjustment I'll find a good balance, both for food an activity.

 

Today though I have failed. I have been unusually hungry all week, and today I bought a flap jack from the snack box at work: 450kcals of bleurgh. I feel so unwell *shame*

 

Better make up for it at karate tonight.

 

[Kishi]

It happens. Shake it off. You're okay.