AThousandWords keeps rollin' along

[athousandwords]

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away....

 

 

 

This challenge is all about rolling up the positive changes I made last month and keeping the good work going. I'm mostly focused on exercise this challenge, because I want to get my body as fit as possible for pregnancy, whenever that happens. My whole family joined a gym this week, and I want to be the cheerleader who gets everyone going regularly! I'm excited to get to workout with barbells and go to yoga classes again, and to workout with my husband. Plus, I started playing Pokémon Go, and walking and biking have never been quite this enjoyable!  I want to take this inertia and transform it into a habit of movement and positive energy.

 

And who better to symbolize that than the most upbeat bot in the galaxy?  

 

○◍○◍ Movement (2 STA, 2 STR, 2 DEX) ◍○◍○

 

 

 

Sometimes you're rolling through the never-ending desert of Jakku.  Sometimes you have to do some heavy lifting to make sure your ace pilot doesn't crash his X-Wing while trying to take down the Starkiller.  Sometimes you have to sprint after that thief who definitely took your master's jacket!

 

I’m using the Primal Blueprint Fitness Pyramid to guide my exercise this challenge.  I’m focusing on being more agile: anything goes as long as I keep rolling. Examples of exercise are listed below each movement type.  I’ll be recording time spent, with total time counted at the end of the challenge.

 

Move Frequently at a Slow Pace (STA)

Goal: 5 hours per week  = 20 hours total

• Walking / Hiking
• Cycling
• Yoga
• Aerobics Class

 

Lift Heavy Things (STR)

Goal: 1.5 hours per week = 6 hours total

• Body Weight workouts
• Barbell/Dumbbell workouts
• Rock Climbing/Bouldering

 

Sprint! (DEX)

Goal: 10min/week = 40 minutes total

• Sprinting!
• Intense hills while cycling

 

○◍○◍ Fuel (2 CON) ◍○◍○

 

 

Astromech droids get off pretty easy - they fuel up for the job and aren't tempted by what's being served up in the mess hall. They follow their programming and get the job done.

 

My programming is going to be: eat clean and low-carb. I'll be following the Primal Blueprint Carbohydrate Curve recommendation to stay between 50g – 100g of carbs a day.  I’m using the Banting Green/Orange/Red lists as a guideline; each food has a cost in points:

• Green List: 0 pts (free!)
• Orange List: 2 pts per serving *
• Red List: 5 pts per serving

* The servings on the orange list can be large (i.e. 1.5c of butternut squash) so a half portion is only 1 point

 

Goal:  2 points per day, +5 points per week = 75 points total

 

○◍○◍ Bullet Journal (2 WIS) ◍○◍○

 

 

Yeah… I’m hopping on the BuJo train.  Last challenge I started writing a to-do list for work every day and it was really helpful! So want to extend this to other parts of my life.  I plan to make a daily list of all the tasks I need to get done at work, home, and otherwise.  I earn 1 point per finished task.

 

Goal: 5 points per day = 140 points

 

Tracking Spreadsheet

 

 

Reward

 

I've never tried a reward system during a challenge before - I always felt like health was it's own reward / or worried that I'd just give myself the reward anyway, even if I failed.  But I'm going to try it out this time and see if it helps motivate me to get better grades on this challenge.  I'd like to get a little BB-8 toy or art for my office or home, but normally don't buy that kind of thing because it's a bit frivolous.  But if I get all As for this challenge, I'm going to reward myself with some fun BB-8 or Star Wars swag!  

 

Decided!  For each category I get an "A" in, I can pick up an adorable Force Awakens Tsum-Tsum:

 

I have my eye on Rey, Poe, Finn, and BB-8 for sure.   And they're only $5.95 each, so not going to break the bank!

 

 

 

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

Following to watch you win a BB-8

[fleaball]

Hooray!

[NeverThatBored]

Oh man! Another super cute bujo maker! That is a great looking page. 

[Raze]

following along!

[Rurik Harrgath]

That must surely be the most inspirational usage of BB-8 gifs I have ever seen...

[athousandwords]

On 7/12/2016 at 11:08 AM, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

Following to watch you win a BB-8

 

Yay!

 

21 hours ago, fleaball said:

Hooray!

 

 

1 hour ago, NeverThatBored said:

Oh man! Another super cute bujo maker! That is a great looking page. 

 

Oh man, I wish I could take credit for that page, but I totally got it off google.  My BuJo will probably look a lot more like this:

 

1 hour ago, jcsimmons said:

following along!

 

Thanks!  I totally lost track of you during the last challenge!  - how'd yours go?

 

20 minutes ago, Rurik Harrgath said:

That must surely be the most inspirational usage of BB-8 gifs I have ever seen...

 

He's an inspirational little droid 

[NeverThatBored]

Mine looks more like that too.  

[Raze]

15 hours ago, athousandwords said:

Thanks!  I totally lost track of you during the last challenge!  - how'd yours go?

 

Well I made like 3 posts and then never posted again. how most of my challenges have been lately. Overall it wasn't too bad. I didn't get anywhere with my weight goals, but despite a week and a half of drinking and tons of food each day I did manage not to gain any weight due to the shear amount of miles I did. I averaged close to 5 miles a day on leave and that's without Pokemon Go being out at that time.

[athousandwords]

15 hours ago, NeverThatBored said:

Mine looks more like that too.  

 

No shame in that, as long as it works!  I'm still trying to find a notebook that's the right size to tuck into my purse.  I have my eyes on this one, but my local Target is sold out!  D:

 

2 hours ago, jcsimmons said:

 

Well I made like 3 posts and then never posted again. how most of my challenges have been lately. Overall it wasn't too bad. I didn't get anywhere with my weight goals, but despite a week and a half of drinking and tons of food each day I did manage not to gain any weight due to the shear amount of miles I did. I averaged close to 5 miles a day on leave and that's without Pokemon Go being out at that time.

 

I guess as long as you keep coming back every challenge, right?  Congrats on still maintaining - that's where I ended up last month too, which is why I'm cracking down a bit more this month.  And nice job on the walking!  I used to think it was near impossible for me to manage 10k steps a day with my schedule... then Pokémon Go came out....

[athousandwords]

Question Time!

 

Have any of you worked with a Personal Trainer? What were the main pros/cons for you? What were you looking for and what did you get out of it?

 

My hubby and I went to an evaluation with a PT last night; part of the signup process for the gym we just joined. I went in thinking: I have a pretty solid ST plan in mind; I'm self motivated; I'd like some help correcting my form for a few exercises, but on the whole I don't really need to work with a personal trainer. Moreover, I feel confident enough to help Hubs build a workout plan, and we can help each other check form and correct when needed.

 

The actual evaluation had me questioning myself though. I agreed with the PT on a lot of things: nutrition, a strength-training focused approach (she agreed that hubby and I get enough cardio through cycling/walking/hiking), and integrating core work into each exercise, rather than doing a whole ton of crunches/etc.  When she evaluated our movements, she told me that I'm overcompensating on my right side when squatting, and my left side is a lot weaker.  Which, aside from being a blow to my ego (since I've always considered squats to be my best exercise), made me worry that I did a lot of training last year with improper form.  And truthfully - part of what kept me from leveling up to different exercises like clean and press, military press, etc, was fear that I wasn't doing them correctly and was going to injure myself.

 

Unfortunately, while we agreed on a lot of things, she advocated for learning on machines first (she had us working on chest press using this thing) which goes against everything I've read about working stabilizer muscles.  She did say she progressed to weights after we learned the move on the machine and built up the muscle memory, but it still didn't sit right with me.  

 

Hubby still thinks we don't need to work with a PT, but I'm a little concerned now about really being able to progress without some external help.  Maybe not this particular PT, since we seem to disagree about using weight machines, but finding someone who could teach us with proper form and recommend a correct path toward increasing strength without injury.  Where do you all stand?  Have you worked with a PT, and did it help? If you didn't, how did you build your workout plan and progress with correct form?

[Maigs]

6 minutes ago, athousandwords said:

Have any of you worked with a Personal Trainer? What were the main pros/cons for you? What were you looking for and what did you get out of it?

I have worked for a couple of months with two different trainers. The first one was a bit of an idiot (but he was free, employer perk). He started me on free weights, taught me how to clean and taught me a few good stretches that I still use. I might have gotten more out of him but I hurt my wrist and just stopped going.

 

The second one was better but he also wanted me to start on machines like yours. I think the fear is that if they have you start on free weights you might hurt yourself early and never workout again (plus liability issues) so they want to get an idea of what you can handle with "safe" tests where it's hard to immediately hurt yourself and then move to free weights. I might have kept working with that one but he decided to give up individual training right as my passes ran out. Since it was at a paid gym I didn't like as much as my free gym I just ended my membership instead of finding a new trainer. I got some good exercises from him as well as an idea of how to plan my workouts

[fleaball]

I'm pretty sure @Sylvaa has worked with a trainer?

[NeverThatBored]

Could you tell the PT you're not interested in using machines and ask her just to start you on free weights instead? Or did she seem like she wouldn't compromise on that?

[Sylvaa]

4 minutes ago, fleaball said:

I'm pretty sure @Sylvaa has worked with a trainer?

 

This is true. 

 

My blanket statement on trainers (YMMV):

If you are new to weights or have a specific competition goal in mind - get a trainer.

If you are not new to weights, pick one of three options - short term trainer: have them show you specific moves to do and create a specific plan for you OR

occasional trainer: do your own routine and go in for specific sessions to focus on difficult exercises / form when questions arise OR no trainer: take form correction videos / use youtube, etc...

 

I ultimately stopped working with my trainer because I didn't feel like I was getting enough out of it to justify paying him. He left nutrition, cardio, core, all to me and we focused on strength and performance (he's an athletic trainer by default). At the end of our time, I had him put together a personalized plan for me that I still use on occasion. The biggest benefit I've ever had to a trainer is that they push me harder (and I don't want to disappoint!) than I would push myself. When I worked with him, we did a combination of all different types of exercises including using both free weights and machines. They do have some point in workouts. 

 

FWIW, there are some great beginners strength training programs available either online or fairly low cost (I've been looking into a number of them for my husband). Most of them start with either just the bar or very low weights so that the movement and correct form is emphasized. If it were me, I would look into these as a starting point and if necessary ask for form checks and the like as you go along. 

 

If she is concerned about you having a weaker side, Hammer Strength machines are good for strengthening that weak side. Because each side moves independently, you can't "help" yourself like you can with traditional machines or a barbell. You can also do the same thing with dumbbells, however you need to start at a lower weight (something that people have issues with when thinking of "strength"). It might be that this was the rationale behind that specific machine, however not explaining that is silly.

 

20 minutes ago, NeverThatBored said:

Could you tell the PT you're not interested in using machines and ask her just to start you on free weights instead? Or did she seem like she wouldn't compromise on that?

 

Absolutely this. While they are a professional, you are paying them for their help. I personally would ask the rationale behind only using machines to begin with and how progression would go. 

[Dusk]

Ohai there, teammate! Your goals sound great - I used the primal blueprint for a while at one point, and it worked great. And BB-8 is sooooo cute!  

 

I second what Tank said - you're GOING to win that BB-8 swag! And we are going to be here the whole time to watch and cheer you on!!!  

[Maggie-Miau]

*Rolls _{lol get it?} in*

 

Okay first of all this theme is adorable. The whole layout is so beautifully organized. <3 Love the goals, love the BB-8, love the journaling plan.

 

Second: YAH You're going to win that BB-8, and it's going to be epic! You win your desk-swag, your trophy of awesomeness! You can do it! *Cheers*

 

Edit: Oh, and there's this:

 

 

 

[athousandwords]

On 7/14/2016 at 10:15 AM, Maigahane said:

I have worked for a couple of months with two different trainers. The first one was a bit of an idiot (but he was free, employer perk). He started me on free weights, taught me how to clean and taught me a few good stretches that I still use. I might have gotten more out of him but I hurt my wrist and just stopped going.

 

The second one was better but he also wanted me to start on machines like yours. I think the fear is that if they have you start on free weights you might hurt yourself early and never workout again (plus liability issues) so they want to get an idea of what you can handle with "safe" tests where it's hard to immediately hurt yourself and then move to free weights. I might have kept working with that one but he decided to give up individual training right as my passes ran out. Since it was at a paid gym I didn't like as much as my free gym I just ended my membership instead of finding a new trainer. I got some good exercises from him as well as an idea of how to plan my workouts

 

That's totally a valid fear, and I get why it would make their job easier/less liability to start someone on machines, especially during an evaluation test. I think what rubbed me the wrong way was that her approach seemed to be starting everyone off on machines, regardless of their abilities/preferences, and I saw her working a number of her clients on machines as well.  Just not my cup of tea.

It seems like you really made the best of a mixed bag situation - learned what you could and put that knowledge to use.

 

21 hours ago, NeverThatBored said:

Could you tell the PT you're not interested in using machines and ask her just to start you on free weights instead? Or did she seem like she wouldn't compromise on that?

 

I'm not sure? It ended up being kind of a moot point, for reasons I'll get to below...

 

21 hours ago, Sylvaa said:

My blanket statement on trainers (YMMV):

If you are new to weights or have a specific competition goal in mind - get a trainer.

If you are not new to weights, pick one of three options - short term trainer: have them show you specific moves to do and create a specific plan for you OR

occasional trainer: do your own routine and go in for specific sessions to focus on difficult exercises / form when questions arise OR no trainer: take form correction videos / use youtube, etc..

 

Thank you, this is basically what I sort of thought, but it makes sense to hear "out loud".  I think I just needed to hear that there was an option between signing up for a full time (or 1-2x per week trainer) and completely going it alone. But your advice makes total sense, and I'll look into what I can do in terms of 1 month or a 5-session type of deal.

 

So - Hubs and I went to the second session last night, and I um, think I might have pissed off the trainer we worked during our last session? That's total conjecture - but regardless, she pulled in another trainer and asked to just train us separately. So Hubs went back with the original person we worked with, and I started training with a different gal.  Unlike last time, I felt like we clicked right away.  She had a much more functional-fitness approach. She took me to a trainers room that had huge ass tires, rope pulls, sledgehammers - a ranger's dream!  We worked out with a bunch of different tool and BWW approaches.  We didn't do any barbell lifting, but I felt like I got a ton of new ideas for different exercises to try out.

 

We still haven't decided if we're going to spring for PT or not; we're both kind of on the fence about it. I think for now, we've decided to start off on our own and try to make up a workout plan (ie: follow something that looks good to both of us) for a month or so, just to get into the habit and see where we need help.  Maybe we'll try some Crossfit WOD style routines, or go back to doing something like Stronglifts. I feel like we have a lot of options right now, and basically anything is better than the nothing we're doing currently.  And when we start stalling out or run into issues where the form just doesn't feel right, we'll take Sylvaa's suggestion of doing a short term trainer.  I feel a lot better about that after working with the second person, who I actually saw eye-to-eye with.

[athousandwords]

13 hours ago, Shadri said:

Ohai there, teammate! Your goals sound great - I used the primal blueprint for a while at one point, and it worked great. And BB-8 is sooooo cute!  

 

I second what Tank said - you're GOING to win that BB-8 swag! And we are going to be here the whole time to watch and cheer you on!!!  

 

Hello new friend!  Thanks for the encouragement!  Love seeing another Primal person on here - it's definitely worked the best, consistently for me, so I'm excited to get back to it. Looking forward to working with you for the GLORY OF THE ALLIANCE!

 

2 hours ago, MiaulinTheCat said:

*Rolls _{lol get it?} in*

 

Okay first of all this theme is adorable. The whole layout is so beautifully organized. <3 Love the goals, love the BB-8, love the journaling plan.

 

Second: YAH You're going to win that BB-8, and it's going to be epic! You win your desk-swag, your trophy of awesomeness! You can do it! *Cheers*

 

Edit: Oh, and there's this:

 

 

 

 

OMG That is amazing!  I'd seen the gif (obviously, since it's at the top of my challenge...) but hadn't seen the song paired with it!  LOVE IT!!

 

And you all have me really freaking excited to win some BB-8 swag!  Now I gotta go peruse the internet and figure out what I want most....

[Rurik Harrgath]

This popped up on Facebook today and had me thinking about your challenge...

 

[Rhovaniel]

Hi, mini-challenge teammate! 

 

I can't wait to see how you get on with the bullet journal. I have a ridiculous amount of empty notebooks floating around, so it's something I'm considering, to kick myself into a more organised state of mind. Also, I adore BB-8! If ever you find yourself wavering, just imagine a lonely little BB-8 on a shelf somewhere, waiting for you to pick him....  

[Chris-Tien Jinn]

I love BB-8 !!!  Following along for the fun ...

[athousandwords]

17 hours ago, Rurik Harrgath said:

This popped up on Facebook today and had me thinking about your challenge...

 

 

Oh my god I just laughed so hard I sprayed tea on my laptop.  Thanks for sharing!

 

15 hours ago, ab14aeq said:

Hi, mini-challenge teammate! 

 

I can't wait to see how you get on with the bullet journal. I have a ridiculous amount of empty notebooks floating around, so it's something I'm considering, to kick myself into a more organised state of mind. Also, I adore BB-8! If ever you find yourself wavering, just imagine a lonely little BB-8 on a shelf somewhere, waiting for you to pick him....  

 

Hello!!  I definitely think it's worth trying - even if you just do the to-list system without the monthly/weekly/topics/etc.  It helps me to write things down so I don't forget them later.

Thanks for following along!  That sad BB-8 image if going to haunt me now...  

 

14 hours ago, Chris-Tien Jinn said:

I love BB-8 !!!  Following along for the fun ...

 

Thanks, party mate!

[athousandwords]

Nerd achievement unlocked: Yesterday I GMed my first tabletop RPG!!

 

I used the new 2nd Edition 7th Sea system, so it was a new set of rules in addition to my first time tackling "behind the scenes" work.  What I naively thought would take 4-hours or so turned into a 12-hour marathon of swashbuckling, trap-evading, magical, dicing, fighting heroics.  I had five players at the table, three of whom were completely new to RPGs. Pretty much everyone had a good time, except for one guy who decided about halfway though that it just wasn't for him, and took a nap on the couch.  Ah well, can't win them all. Everyone else said it went really well, and they were still interested an engaged in the action even after 12 hours, so I call that a win!

 

Overall, I had a blast figuring out the plot, coming up with NPCs (and seeing the horrified look on my player's faces when the NPCs double-crossed them), and getting to set the scene for everyone. It was kind of tough to make some 'fair' calls on rules, especially since I didn't always know the rules, but everyone took it in stride. I do think that if you have little-to-no rpg experience and want to learn, the new 2e 7th Sea is a good way to do that. It really takes out a lot of the nitpicky rules and just lets you focus on roleplaying. There's still plenty of dice-rolling and drama, but it's easier to do things like: "I'm in a tavern brawl - is there anything I can use to fight with?" "Sure, there's a heavy tankard on the table over there." "Great, I smash him over the head with it!"  The players really felt like they had a good mix of improv and creativity when going through the actions.

 

I'm so exhausted now though. I feel like I ran a marathon while screaming - my voice is shot, and my body just wants to sleep. But no rest for the wicked - gotta get to the farmer's market and figure out meals for the week!  Day 1 starts tomorrow!!

[Maggie-Miau]

Ahhhhhh the tabletop RPG sounds so fun! My brother and I sometimes jokingly wish for another sibling so we'd have somebody to play one with.

 

*WAVES FLAGS FOR UPCOMING START*