EternalJourno: You SHALL pass!

[FatboySuave]

Introduction: I just completed my first successful challenge as a Rebel after three previously-failed attempts and I'm really excited about this next one. I nearly joined the Rangers because I felt like their fitness goals aligned with my own, but the Druids have always been attractive for their introspectiveness. I really want to find myself. Also, I've always had this voice in my head saying that someday it'd be nice to do yoga and meditate regularly. When I almost went Ranger, I was thinking that I could put off the yoga and meditation for another month, but I figure why not try to learn and kickstart my new prospective habits during this challenge. Really though I feel like I might be a combination of Ranger and Druid, like a wizard who's wise but can also kick some ass. And then it hit me like a low-hanging archway in a Hobbit hole: 



I want to be Gandalf the White! I'll admit that I've only seen the movies and only read "The Hobbit," but according to his origin story, his name was Olórin before he was sent to Middle-earth to help those who opposed Sauron.
 

Quote

"At first, Olórin was nervous and described himself as too weak and too afraid of Sauron. Manwë understood, and told him that that was one main reason why he should go, to overcome that fear."

I often find myself feeling the same as Olórin, but I'm here because I want to overcome my fear. In an effort to do that, I recently joined the Academy to take my fitness to another level and I'm loving it so far. I want to transform myself from Olórin to Gandalf the Grey and eventually fight a Balrog to the death (or whatever the Nerd Fitness equivalent is) to be reborn as Gandalf the White.

Main Quest: My 30th birthday is in October. I'd like to lose 30 pounds and get down to 200 by then.

Quest 1: Complete my assigned Bodyweight Level 2 exercises three times a week. I've already scheduled them in my calendar for this month. 

A = Complete workout 3 times a week.
B = Complete workout 2 times a week.
C = Complete workout 1 time a week.
D = Complete 0 workouts in a week, but do some other form of exercise or physical activity (walking, yard work or potentially yoga).
F = No physical activity.

 

Quest 2: Walk every day. On workout days, I will walk at least 5-10 minutes. On my rest days, I will walk at least 30 minutes on the treadmill. I found success with this on my last challenge while watching The Flash. (I'm almost done with season 1!)

 

A = Walk more than 6-7 days a week.

B = Walk 4-5 days a week.

C = Walk 2-3 day a week.

D = Walk 1 day a week.

F = No walking.

Quest 3: Drink less alcohol. This was a serious struggle on my last challenge, but I know I can make progress. I've adjusted slightly to give myself wiggle room and to better track myself.

A = Have no more than 3 drinks per week.
B = Have no more than 5 drinks per week. 
C = Have no more than 7 drinks per week.
D = Have no more than 9 drinks per week.
F = Anything more than that. 

Quest 4: Cook paleo-ish meals more often, eat out less. This is not just a weight loss goal but a money-saving goal. I had quite a bit of success with this on my last challenge, but I want to keep at it to make sure I'm adopting this as a long-term Hobbit — I mean, habit. 

A = Eat out no more than 2 times a week. 
B = Eat out no more than 4 times a week.
C = Eat out no more than 6 times a week.
D = Eat out no more than 8 times a week.
F = Eat out more than 8 times a week. 

 

Quest 5: Investigate yoga/meditation and find a routine that fits into my life. I used to dabble in yoga (on my Wii Fit) as well as meditation (via Buddhism — though I'm not a Buddhist), but I'm a noob. First I want to educate myself, then jump into it as soon as possible, either practicing at home or even (gasp!) taking a class locally.

A = Learn more about yoga/meditation and take a yoga class by the end of the first week (before June 19).

C = Learn more about yoga/meditation, but don't take a class in the first week.

F = Don't do anything.

Life Quest: Read more, avoid Netflix and write, damn it! I used to consider myself a writer, but outside of work I've slacked off. I want to become a writer again. Steve has been a huge inspiration with this — the fact that he knew he was terrible but kept working at it and published a book, which I'm currently reading. I've always been too afraid to really write because I fear that I'll never be good enough to get published. But I won't get better if I don't practice for 10,000 hours. I feel like I've sort of kick started this by writing here in the forums, but I want to write, with a pen/pencil and paper, beyond this and work. 

Motivation: I feel like my lack of self confidence is a big obstacle that gets in the way of enjoying life and taking chances. I'd like to look good, so I can feel good and live life to the fullest. 

[Jormungand]

Really great to see you tackling another challenge. I'll definitely be following along. You've got some aggressive goals, and I'm looking forward to seeing how it all plays out.  

 

I can appreciate the desire for quiet introspection. Here lately I've been trying to carve out a few minutes of my work day to just sit and reflect. I really enjoy that, and I'm trying to be more intentional with it. You're definitely in the right place for that, but feel free to poke your head into the Ranger guild if you get a chance. 

[Kvedulf]

Hi! Awesome challenge. Loving the theme! You're going to rock it.

Following.

[Kiki Dee]

Ambitious but attainable!  I like it. 

 

Following, obvi.    Smash it, EJ!

[Leimanu]

Welcome to the Druids!  I popped in for just one challenge and now I've been here all year, lol.

[FatboySuave]

Thanks for the support, everyone! All of your energy and encouragement is definitely helping me keep going. 

I have a few side quests I'm working on that I forgot to mention. And I'm not really grading myself on these. I'm just doing them. Warning, word vomit is about to ensue. I just feel like since the last challenge ended I have so much on my mind to unload, lol.

 

First is my caffeine intake. I kicked the Rockstar habit about two months ago and moved on to Crystal Light energy drinks, which have very few calories and no sugar. But I knew they weren't ideal because they have so many chemicals. So I decided to try switching over to black coffee. And for most of my life, I've been an anti-coffee person. I've always liked coffee-flavored things. Sugary coffee drinks, cool. But actual coffee was never my cup of tea (ha!). So I was sitting in the office this week and just up and got a cup of coffee from the break room. I was prepared for disaster, especially because all my coffee-drinking coworkers/friends have told me how awful the office coffee was. It was bad, but it wasn't like spit-out terrible. And I actually finished the cup. So I decided to start exploring making coffee at home. I bought a single-cup brewer, but it didn't work so I returned it. Then I talked to my roommate and she offered to let me use her French press, which is perfect because it only makes one cup, 6-8 ounces. I've used that two days in a row and I can see myself making this a new habit. I was expecting it to take a month before I started liking black coffee, but I can already feel my taste buds changing. 

 

Speaking of changing taste buds, they're starting to like my omelet muffins or I'm actually getting better at making them. This past week I've actually enjoyed them, still with a whole mess of hot sauce, but enjoyment nonetheless, which makes my mornings that much better. 

I've always wanted to pull back on my Facebook use. I know that it's an addiction whenever that notification goes off. So I blocked the site on my work computers, as well as YouTube, to try to stay more focused and be more productive. However (and this is a good however), I've been hanging out on the forums more. And I realize it helps quench that thirst for notifications, lol. But these are more positive notifications. Even on Facebook, I joined the Academy's men's group and those posts are flooding my news feed, making me feel good and motivated. 

 

I'm drinking a lot more water too. My town has a terrible water supply, so I have to buy it myself, but I've come up with a new plan. I was getting packs of water bottles, but it felt so wasteful with all the plastic. My town barely recycles, so that's another habit I'm not used to but I'd like to develop. Now, I'm getting gallon jugs and then pouring 25 ounces into my water bottle (aiming to drink 3 liters a day, so a little more than 5 full water bottles. Then I plan to recycle the jugs.

I feel like my brain chemistry is actually changing as I develop a new mindset about exercising and eating. I almost don't recognize the old version of myself. And I'm just talking about a few weeks ago. I feel so different. I somehow feel physically taller. I just feel good. And I gotta give you all credit again for being there to support me and sharing your own journeys.  

[Kiki Dee]

Took me a while to make the switch from white to black coffee. For about a year my policy was "get black coffee if you know the quality is good, otherwise play it safe and drink a flat white". One day I realises the milky coffees were starting to taste a bit off to me - from multiple sources! So I just switched, and discovered that now even bad coffee tastes better to me black. Good luck letting your tastebuds adapt to your new habit!

 

Oh, using the french press: I can't recommend highly enough getting your own small grinder, if you don't have one already. You'll be amazed at the difference in quality!

 

I am so with you on the FB addiction being replaced by the NF addiction! I'm spending at least an hour a day reading articles, posting battle logs... Probably healthier for us overall though right?!  

[FatboySuave]

15 hours ago, Kiki Dee said:

Oh, using the french press: I can't recommend highly enough getting your own small grinder, if you don't have one already. You'll be amazed at the difference in quality!

 

I've been thinking about grinding my own coffee, but I think I want to explore different stuff for now to figure out what I like. I recently bought a bag of this stuff and I genuinely like it so far! I'm willing to take suggestions for types of coffee too. I really don't know anything about the types of beans and whatnot, but I'm starting with lighter roasts because I'm assuming they're smoother flavors (?).

In other news, I wanted to share a quick achievement! I summoned the (20 seconds of) courage to ask my Facebook friends where I can take a yoga class locally. For some reason I felt really nervous about doing just that. Maybe it's the thought of actually following through and how this initial step will lead into an actual yoga class. Well, I got a lot of responses, and one of my friends teaches a yoga class at a time that fits perfectly into my schedule. So I sent her a message and told her I'd be there Monday (to force myself to commit to it). I even gave her permission to harass and shame me if I don't show up. I'm actually excited, but also kind of terrified, lol. But I WILL go.

As for other achievements, this past week I've been messing with my belt to see if I could go down a hole, and I've actually been wearing it tighter without any issues! So that's really, really exciting. As part of the Academy, I recently took my measurements. I figure I'll measure myself again in about a month when my challenge with my buddy will end. I have a feeling he's going to lose more weight, which is the primary challenge, but I want to be able to prove that even if my weight doesn't fall significantly, I have the measurements to prove that I'm getting slimmer and gaining muscle. Oh, and we got two of our other friends to join in the challenge. So I'm starting to form my own local Fellowship!

[SnowOwl]

11 minutes ago, EternalJourno said:

In other news, I wanted to share a quick achievement! I summoned the (20 seconds of) courage to ask my Facebook friends where I can take a yoga class locally. For some reason I felt really nervous about doing just that. Maybe it's the thought of actually following through and how this initial step will lead into an actual yoga class. Well, I got a lot of responses, and one of my friends teaches a yoga class at a time that fits perfectly into my schedule. So I sent her a message and told her I'd be there Monday (to force myself to commit to it). I even gave her permission to harass and shame me if I don't show up. I'm actually excited, but also kind of terrified, lol. But I WILL go.

So exciting! I hope you enjoy your class!

[Leimanu]

Coffee?  Sit down and learn!  Lol

 

Actually, I did a coffee challenge last NF challenge, where I tried to wean myself off.  Overall, I drink a lot less and I drink more water now.  So yay.  I decided it was a really important part of my day, and 1-2 cups is fine for me.

 

I agree on the french press and grinding your own.  I think if you even just get a little nut grinder, that'll work.  Freshly-ground coffee is wonderful enough on it's own without adding sugar and creamer.

 

Trader Joe's has some nice coffee to try, and you can pretend that you're traveling the world, lol.  Columbia, Bali, Hawaii (that's the most expensive, so of course it's my favorite), Ethiopia.  Then there's light roast, dark roast, espresso, etc.  My Dad swears by Folgers, and since we're both daily coffee drinkers and I'm a snob, I pour in a little hazelnut-flavored coffee, also to save a little money and stretch the flavored stuff.

 

And when you really get into paleo, you'll learn about putting unsalted, grass-fed Kerrygold butter into your coffee for a couple extra calories and fat   That's another story.

[FatboySuave]

@Leimanu, unfortunately I live two hours away from the closest Trader Joe's But my local coffee shop is doing a sort of "Around the World" coffee tasting for a few weeks, so I've been wanting to try that.
 

In other news: I just lasted an entire day of work today WITHOUT any snacks or more caffeine, which has been a major challenge for me in the past month. I did splurge a bit on dinner. I didn't feel like making anything and I ran out of leftovers, so I got some Panda Express, just veggies and chicken. Oh, and I even made the time to walk this afternoon between my work shifts. So I feel really accomplished right now.

 

Tonight may be tricky. I'm going to a friend's place for game night. I'm planning to pick up some berries or something to snack on if I get the urge. I'm gonna try to avoid alcohol, but we'll see what happens.

[SnowOwl]

Good luck tonight, I like your strategy of bringing your own healthy snacks. 

[The Borg Queen]

Nice challenge. I think posting on NF forums is good replacement behavior for quitting facebook

[Jayniana Jones]

Following. I'm an assassin, adventurer, and druid all rolled into one.  

 

Your plan looks doable and you've definitely thought things through. Congrats on committing to trying a yoga class. Sometimes getting over that first hesitancy is all that's needed  to continue on. I hope you enjoy it on Monday.

 

If you love to write, let yourself play with it. I'm a writer too and finally decided to stop daydreaming about it and get my fingers moving along the keyboard. Deadlines are nice motivators especially when I tell people what I'm up to. Sometimes, just writing helps build your comfort and ease with yourself.

 

Good luck on this round of the challenge. 

[Jormungand]

I'm gone for a day or so, and I come back to you flat fucking killing it. Black coffee, snack-free work days, one more notch in the belt, and a yoga class to top it all off. You, sir, are smacking this challenge right in the mouth. That is awesome to hear. Way to come out swinging. I can't wait to see how these next few weeks go. 

[Kvedulf]

Holy crap! You are killing this challenge. There's so much good stuff happening here, I don't know where to begin. You've even got the omelette recipe right

 

Awesome work man, you're an inspiration!

[Kiki Dee]

2 minutes ago, Kvedulf said:

Holy crap! You are killing this challenge. There's so much good stuff happening here, I don't know where to begin. You've even got the omelette recipe right

 

Awesome work man, you're an inspiration!

 

What he said.

[FatboySuave]

This might be the coffee I had with dinner tonight that's got me staying up late and feeling so energetic right now, but I have even more achievements to add and I have to get them off my chest ASAP! 

Game night: I only had two beers (Slice of Hefen). I had two pieces of mushroom bread and some handfuls of dried mango, but a friend ordered pizza and I totally resisted! I only snagged a pepperoni, lol. 

 

Hiking: My local accountabilibuddies had talked about hiking this week and I knew it was the perfect opportunity to get back into it. I hadn't heard from them all week so I took the initiative and invited them to do it today. Roundtrip the journey was 4 miles. It felt so good to complete and I did some cool-down stretches after, but I'm sure I'll feel super sore when I wake up, lol.

 

 

ArtsCrawl: The monthly ArtsCrawl was tonight. I went early to get a delicious ahi tuna salad for dinner from a local coffee shop that was celebrating its one-year anniversary. I also tried a new coffee roast as part of their Summer Tasting Tour. They suggested a cold brew with cream and sugar, but I explained I'm cutting back on those things so they gave me just a lil' cream. Then for the rest of the night I resisted so many snacks — pretzels with beer cheese dip, frybread, Jamaican jerk chicken, FREE egg rolls.

Zumba: Then a crazy thing happened. We were watching people do Zumba, and for some reason (probably the coffee) I was really feeling the music and was kinda dancing along. Then one of my friends said she would go out and dance if I did it. I immediately wanted to say no, but I gave it some thought and the 20-seconds-of-courage mantra popped into my head. Before I would allow myself to say no, I told her, "Why not," and we went out and danced for a song. It was actually a lot of fun. Which then led to my other friend inviting me to come with her to Zumba class. Again, I didn't allow myself to say no, and I committed to joining her Wednesday night!

American Bar: Afterward, per tradition, we all went to the bar. I tried something new. I got tequila on the rocks (1800 reposado) with some lime. It was actually pretty good. It was obviously strong, which helped slow me down. So I only ended up drinking two of those! 

One more nerdy thing: I met the Native American version of Boba Fett tonight! 
 

 

Killing it: One of the reasons — probably the main reason — why I've been able to kill it so far is because of all the support you guys have given me! This forum has seriously inspired me so much and all of your kind words give me the push I need to keep going. Thank you all very, very, very much!  Especially you, @Jormungand. I was recently looking back at my first challenge and you've been there for me from the start! I don't know any of you, but I'm starting to feel like family here. 

[Kiki Dee]

Woohoo!!!  Zumbalicious!!!!  How much fun is Zumba seriously?    Way to go you!  20 seconds of courage TO the MAX!!!

 

However.  Ewwwwwww tequila!!!!  Yucky yucky drink.   

 

And yeah you've got a pretty awesome little posse here.   

[SnowOwl]

Wow! What an amazing start to this challenge!

[FatboySuave]

Today was a rough official start to the challenge. Waking up to the news in Orlando really threw me off. I was incredibly saddened. I had a plan for the day that nearly got derailed. I cooked breakfast, did the dishes and wanted to jump into my bodyweight workout, but I couldn't stop thinking about Orlando and I broke down and cried a few times. I managed to do my workout, but I immediately broke down again afterward. I was so distracted I didn't even think about lunch. Then I had to go into the office to get a bit of work done. Our news clerk is gone this week so I'm picking up her duties. On the way, though, I got a whiff of Lotaburger (a New Mexico burger chain). My brain immediately became fixated. So I told myself that since I've been working hard this week I could have a burger and fries for dinner, but only because I knew I was about to head to the grocery store and do my meal prep for the week, so I know I'll be less tempted to stray this week. I did my meal prep when I got home (more omelet muffins for breakfast and some chicken breasts and sweet potatoes for lunch, which I accompany with a bag of frozen veggies). But I bought some dark chocolate covered blueberries at the store and I ate quite a bit too many. 

So today was really quite a mix of good and bad. The Orlando thing hit me hard, but I didn't want to let it become an excuse for me to avoid my fitness plan. 

 

Tomorrow I promise to kick some ass. Oh, and I bought a new yoga mat for yoga class! So I'm really excited for that.
 

@Kiki Dee, I've always been a Zumba hater from the sidelines, but I gotta say it was a lot of fun. I had no idea what I was doing, but there was this older lady who was dancing in between songs and she gave zero fucks and that definitely inspired me. So I figured, who cares if I look ridiculous. I'm prepared to look even more ridiculous this Wednesday. 

[SnowOwl]

3 minutes ago, EternalJourno said:

So I figured, who cares if I look ridiculous. I'm prepared to look even more ridiculous this Wednesday. 

Always the path to the most fun!

[FatboySuave]

Week 0 Evaluation

 

Goal 1: A (Loving my new bodyweight workout routines as well as the warm up and cool down. I'm tracking them in my daily battle log if you want more specific updates).

 

Goal 2: B- (I haven't gotten myself to walk on my workout days, which should be a piece of cake — it's only 5 minutes. That basically means walking down my block to check the mail. I will do better.)

 

Goal 3: B+ (I had five drinks this week, but that was on three different occasions, so I feel like that's an accomplishment because it means I'm pacing myself and demonstrating moderation.)

 

Goal 4: B (I had McDonald's breakfast early in the week, but I will break that habit.)

 

Goal 5: N/A (I reached out and got info about local yoga classes and committed to going today. Let's hope I follow through!)

 

Week 0 Grade: B+

[Jormungand]

It certainly has been a tumultuous week. I'm really excited to see you making gains and progress in several areas already. I know that you'll be able to keep the momentum going. Scheduling fitness events, whether it's a Zumba class or a race, has always helped keep me motivated to stick with my goals. If I know that something is on the horizon, it makes it easier to find ways to get that extra run in or do that extra bodyweight circuit. 

Great pics, by the way. I've always been a Fett fan, and that is a pretty badass version. 

[Kvedulf]

EternalJourno, man you are an inspiration. Seriously. I've not been my best the past couple of days and I come on here to see what you've been doing and it helped me step up. Thanks mate.

 

Got to agree, Zumba has never been my thing either. Hope you have fun with the class. Also, nicely done on signing up to a yoga class. I hadn't heard about the twenty seconds of courage until you mentioned it, so it made me look it up. It's an awesome concept so thanks again.

 

Keep us posted and I'm going to follow your Log as well.