Myrdinn Sets Out

[Myrdinn]

So I've been dutifully plugging away in my battle log (well, for about four days) and now the time comes to set myself a challenge.

 

Totally inspired by/stolen from this really excellent post by SkyGirl I'm choosing to picture this as the opening to my own personal fantasy epic - standing in the smoking ruins of the tiny village where I've spent my sheltered life, surrounded by new and exotic companions, looking towards the horizon with eyes like chipped granite and swearing I will conquer all or die trying. Who knows what the future holds, but we can be sure that it won't be boring and that nothing will ever be the same again ...

 

I am giving myself some stretch goals too - I find it helps me to hit goals if I am really pushing to do something slightly more ambitious instead. 

 

Diet #1: Eat breakfast at least 5 days a week. I am terrible at this and want to have a real go at making it a habit.

Stretch Goal: Every Day

Diet #2: I drink too much coffee and not enough water, so replace all coffee on workdays after 2:30pm with water.

Stretch Goal: 2 Litres of water a day and no more than 3 coffees.

Fitness: Alternating the beginners interval training and beginners bodyweight workout, exercise at least three times each week.

Stretch Goal: 5 times a week

Level Up My Life: Embarassing to admit but I'm a 34-year old man who rarely cleans his teeth twice a day. I am very good in the mornings and terrible in the evenings. So clean my teeth twice a day, every day.

Stretch Goal: Floss at least three times a week too.

 

[durfette]

Hey welcome! It looks like your goals are practical and workable. I think having stretch goals is great! Best of luck! 

[Myrdinn]

Thanks. I am trying to get my foundations right with this one before I get a bit more adventurous the next time around.

[Traxex]

awesome set up! Good luck! 

[Guzzi]

Nice goals @Myrdinn!

 

Have you considered how you're going to grade your progress?  This is a good thread to see how to grade your progress Pyrotech0001.  He gives himself one point for each day he reaches each goal and 3 bonus points for reaching them every day for a week.  It's a really good way of grading your challenge and stops you losing motivation if you miss a day or two.  

 

Lots of people create their own characters and use their challenges to gain XP to level up their character, like ZenLara does.  There's a good post explaining it here.  If you like the idea of having a character and developing a story then here's a couple more posts that might give you ideas Tanktimus and Iatetheyeti.

 

I totally understand your problem with teeth brushing.  My mum wasn't on op of stuff like that when we were kids so I didn't ever develop the habit.  I swear to God, every night i go to the bathroom and think "Oh maybe I don't have to do it tonight...." or "Maybe I could just do a quick brush" but every night I set the timer and brush for the full two minutes then rinse with mouthwash.  You can get 2 minute egg timers on ebay of amazon for buttons and that really helped me.  Also, when I don't brush my teeth at night I admit it to my bf. Every time.  That is quite a motivator to get brushing!  

 

Good luck with reaching your goals and remember to come back regularly and keep us posted on how you're doing, that makes a big difference too.

 

Ps. Are you watching the Moto GP tomorrow?

[Myrdinn]

Thanks @Guzzi. How is your healing process going? Hope you're feeling good. I have never watched Moto GP, to be honest. Rugby and cricket are my main sports. I may give it a go on your recommendation though. Cheers for the links, I'll take a look. I am definitely planning to build a character - amongst other things I am an old-school pen and paper roleplayer so that kind of thing comes quite naturally to me - just feeling my way into how to use the site at the moment. 

 

So, just a quick progress report:

 

Eating Breakfast: I have done this all three mornings since the challenge started. At the moment I'm eating yogurt and granola, which might not be the healthiest option around but is tasty and quick, which are my two priorities. I've eaten that with a sliced banana over it two out of the three days too.

Coffee: Failed on this yesterday purely due to forgetting I was supposed to be doing it and saying yes to a colleague who offered to make me a cup. On the plus side I've definitely upped the water intake (I don't really have much choice as London is having a heatwave at the moment!)

Fitness: Was lame and didn't exercise over the weekend, but went for an interval run last night. I am planning a bodyweight session this evening too.

Teeth: Done both nights since the start of the challenge.

 

 

[Myrdinn]

Next progress report:

 

Breakfast: eaten all four days.

Coffee/water: Success on yesterday although I think I still need to up my water intake. It is HOT in London right now so I am dehydrating fast.

Fitness: did the bodyweight routine last night, so 2/3 sessions for this week done.

Teeth: done all three nights.

 

[HappyCat]

Well done! Youre doing great!

[Butternut]

Hey @Myrdinn! I've seen you posting, and really like your input.

 

Loving the simplicity of your goals.  

 

Coffee is my go to, you've inspired me to look at my coffee intake  

[Guzzi]

Looking good!  Hottest day of the year yesterday, I hope you got your water intake, lol!   Sorry about the Moto GP question, I must have gotten confused and asked the wrong person. Oops!  

[Myrdinn]

@Guzzi No need to apologise! I am terrible at drinking enough water but trying to make a real effort. I'm getting there, but slowly.

 

@Butternut thanks very much. I have always been a full-on caffeine addict but I cut it out completely for about 6 months last year and felt so much better for it. I#m back to drinking quite a lot now but trying to keep it under control. I need my sleep!

 

@HappyCat thanks!

[durfette]

On 7/19/2016 at 7:05 AM, Myrdinn said:

At the moment I'm eating yogurt and granola,

There are much worse things to do!

 

Weird thing about coffee and caffeine intake, is once you're off it you don't always notice a difference. But if you have caffeine again after a long stint without, you really notice what it's doing to your body. It's probably different for everyone, but I went three years with zero caffeine. Now every time I have caffeine I am crazy emotional about everything. Think: crying at the end of Sharknado crazy. 

 

You're doing awesome with your challenge so far! and your presence on the boards is deeply felt. Thank you for all your input on the boards!

[Myrdinn]

2 minutes ago, durfette said:

You're doing awesome with your challenge so far! and your presence on the boards is deeply felt. Thank you for all your input on the boards!

 

Thanks loads, that's a lovely thing to say

[Myrdinn]

Quick update:

 

Breakfast: I am smashing this one. Have made it every day so far. It takes two seconds to dump some granola in a bowl and throw some yogurt on top, and I can actually eat it while I am ironing my shirt for work so it doesn't really add any time to my very rushed morning routine. If I want to move to something slightly healthier (I've got a feeling there's a lot of sugar in the granola) I am going to need to find an equally quick and cheap alternative so suggestions are welcome.

Coffee: Doing pretty well on the coffee intake - I have stuck to the 2:30 rule 4/5 days so far and the one day I slipped up was pure forgetfulness. Less well on the water, but baby steps so I am fairly happy.

Fitness: I am on 2/3 of those workouts and planning another for tomorrow morning, so still on track for this week.

Teeth: 3/5 days so far. I've had two late nights in a row and when I'm late going to bed I'm particularly prone to skipping this. Room for improvement on this one I think!

[Guzzi]

There are some low-er sugar granolas on the market. I quite like this one but it's not particularly cheap.  Tesco's own brand "everyday value" muesli has no sugar added, and before you think "yeah, but I don't like muesli" (I mean really, who does?) that's probably because you've been eating it the British way, which is rubbish!  The Swiss, who should know a thing or two about the stuff, prepare it overnight with fruit juice and then serve it with yoghurt and fruit.  Waaaaaay better!  Here are some ideas for different ways to prepare muesli, and it makes a really filling breakfast.  

[Traxex]

I think you're doing pretty darn well. Keep it up!! 

[Butternut]

On 7/22/2016 at 9:07 AM, Myrdinn said:

It takes two seconds to dump some granola in a bowl and throw some yogurt on top, and I can actually eat it while I am ironing my shirt for work

I'm not sure if I'm proud of you for being bad ass with all your goals or the fact you iron your own shirts....  Right on @Myrdinn !  Keep it up! 

[Myrdinn]

On 23/07/2016 at 3:18 PM, Guzzi said:

There are some low-er sugar granolas on the market. I quite like this one but it's not particularly cheap.  Tesco's own brand "everyday value" muesli has no sugar added, and before you think "yeah, but I don't like muesli" (I mean really, who does?) that's probably because you've been eating it the British way, which is rubbish!  The Swiss, who should know a thing or two about the stuff, prepare it overnight with fruit juice and then serve it with yoghurt and fruit.  Waaaaaay better!  Here are some ideas for different ways to prepare muesli, and it makes a really filling breakfast.  

 

Bircher muesli is a great shout, I keep meaning to try that. Thanks @Guzzi, I'll try that when the granola runs out.

 

@Traxex cheers m'dears, right back atcha

 

 

On 23/07/2016 at 7:34 PM, Butternut said:

I'm not sure if I'm proud of you for being bad ass with all your goals or the fact you iron your own shirts....  Right on @Myrdinn !  Keep it up! 

 

I'm an enlightened 21st-century guy! Although i can't help thinking if I was a grown-up I probably wouldn't iron shirts literally two minutes before I walk out the door. I still have the morning routine of a student - up, showered, breakfast, iron shirt, clean teeth, run out the door all in about 20 minutes. Although when I was a student I'd probably have smoked two cigarettes in that time which I am very glad to be rid of.

[Myrdinn]

So week one done

 

Breakfast: 6/7 days. Skipped Saturday so fell at the last hurdle! Moving on to bircher muesli next at @Guzzi's suggestion. This feels like real progress though.

Coffee: 4/5 days. Feeling good about this one, although I really want to focus on drinking more water in week two as that's the real point of the goal.

Exercise: 2/3 workouts. Disappointed with myself here. Friday was a write-off but I could have done that extra workout on Thursday or Saturday and didn't. The challenge for me isn't really forcing myself to do the exercise, because I enjoy it, it's just not letting life get in the way.

Teeth: 4/7 days. Quite pleased with this. It's short of the goal, but it's definite progress on the last few months so I'll take that.

 

I haven't been sleeping well recently and was thinking last night about how useful I am finding the experience of logging everything on here - and getting support from everyone here too. It's starting to feel really important to get on top of my lifestyle, health and fitness as I hit my mid-thirties, and I'm really keen to make some significant changes and make them soon. This is starting to feel like I'm on the verge of doing so, although in my past experience actually sticking to some of these changes is another thing.

 

So for week two:

 

Breakfast: Keep up the good work. Try and find something less sugary, starting with some home-made bircher once the current batch of granola runs out.

Coffee: Shift this goal to being more about drinking 2 litres of water a day which is what I really want to achieve.

Exercise: Hit that 3x a week goal. I should be able to do tomorrow and Wednesday, and then either Friday or Saturday, so I just need to prioritise this and not let myself get distracted.

Teeth: Again, keep up the good work. What gets me on this is going to bed late, and I can get round that by either doing my teeth as soon as I get home if I'm coming home late (I missed Saturday because we had a late finish and I just went straight to bed and crashed out) or doing them earlier in the evening on nights when we're just hanging out at home.

 

Looking at this and my battle log I think future goals need to include something be about getting to bed on time, something about how much alcohol I drink and something about how I manage my finances, as I'm overdrawn YET AGAIN this month (aargh!)

 

[Guzzi]

Looking good!

 

4 hours ago, Myrdinn said:

 

I haven't been sleeping well recently and was thinking last night about how useful I am finding the experience of logging everything on here - and getting support from everyone here too. It's starting to feel really important to get on top of my lifestyle, health and fitness as I hit my mid-thirties, and I'm really keen to make some significant changes and make them soon. This is starting to feel like I'm on the verge of doing so, although in my past experience actually sticking to some of these changes is another thing.

 

 

This^^ is great!  I always think one of the main reasons people succeed in making such amazing changes is because of the support they get from the rest of the community here.  I know I would never have made such progress myself if it wasn't for the support I received.  I hope you find being a member here as beneficial as I have. :D

[Myrdinn]

3 minutes ago, Guzzi said:

I hope you find being a member here as beneficial as I have. :D

 

Yes absolutely. You've been a big contributor to that too, so thank you.

[Guzzi]

[durfette]

10 hours ago, Myrdinn said:

Looking at this and my battle log I think future goals need to include something be about getting to bed on time, something about how much alcohol I drink and something about how I manage my finances, as I'm overdrawn YET AGAIN this month (aargh!)

I think that's honestly where the real meat of these challenges is for me. At the start I'm all "I need to work on this!" and halfway through it illuminates other areas to focus on that will really help set me up for success. As I work on things I'm often shocked by the root cause (i.e. not going to bed early enough! not having a filing enough breakfast! having too much access to sweets!). good for you for re-evaluating. Sounds like you're doing a great job! Good luck with week 2!

 

 

Hey @Butternut! My husband always irons his own shirts. But that could be due to my inept in domestic abilities. 

[Myrdinn]

So I'm a few days into week 2 and here's where we are:

 

Breakfast: This is successfully becoming a habit. I actually skipped it on Monday and Tuesday but really missed it both days. Knowing I want to eat something before I leave the house is helping me get out of bed a bit earlier too. Only actually 2/5 days since Sunday, 8/13 days since the beginning of the challenge, but I feel like I'm achieving something with it. The big challenge will be making sure I make the switch to Bircher as planned when the granola runs out - having the food in the house is the big one for me on this one.

Coffee: Not doing so well on this. I am definitely drinking more water - coming up with strategies like downing a glass before I leave the house and making it the first thing I do when I get to the office/get home is helping - and I am getting through at least a .75l bottle most evenings, but coffee in the office is a really ingrained habit and meeting people for coffee is a big part of my job. Any suggestions for cutting it back would be useful - I don't want to cut it out completely but down to say 2 a day would be ideal.

Exercise: I'm on 2/3 for this week and 4/6 for the challenge as a whole. Planning another bodyweight session tonight and might even fit in an extra run tomorrow/Saturday morning to get myself back on track for the challenge as a whole. As with breakfast I am feeling good about this one. I actually enjoy the exercise, particularly when I get to do it outside, so it's pretty easy to push myself to do it.

Teeth: Flat-out winning at this one. Every night this week. Trying not to get too self-congratulatory as the rest of the adult world doesn't need to sign up to an internet challenge to get themselves to do this, but I'm on track so far. 8/11 for the challenge overall.

[Wobbegong]

On 7/28/2016 at 9:01 AM, Myrdinn said:

Coffee: Not doing so well on this. I am definitely drinking more water - coming up with strategies like downing a glass before I leave the house and making it the first thing I do when I get to the office/get home is helping - and I am getting through at least a .75l bottle most evenings, but coffee in the office is a really ingrained habit and meeting people for coffee is a big part of my job. Any suggestions for cutting it back would be useful - I don't want to cut it out completely but down to say 2 a day would be ideal.

 

Can you do water instead of coffee in the office? In my office, there's a water dispenser right next to the coffee machine, so socially I can still stop by the break area to chat with my coworkers even if they're drinking coffee and I'm having water. Another option is having a glass of water along with every cup of coffee. That way, you always have something to refill if someone asks and you'll probably want less coffee anyway. 

 

For meeting people out and about, it's a bit more difficult to replace with water, as it can often make people feel awkward if you're not buying anything. You could try switching to decaf or getting tea instead, depending on what your reasons are for cutting down on coffee. Not sure if size is a factor/issue in London the way it is in the States, but you could always try downsizing to a small if you've been getting a medium or large. If you're visiting Starbucks, I know they don't display the "short" size (8 oz, smaller than Tall) on menus or cup displays in the States, but it's available for every hot drink. Might be the same in the UK. 

 

Good luck!