Anamal turns herself into an Animal.

[Anamal]

While backpacking this weekend I had an epiphany: My backpack probably weighs 20lbs.... and that's probably about how much weight I need to lose. Damn, 20lbs is heavy! I'm sick of carrying this around.

 

My problem (and please don't take this the wrong way, everybody has a different body and a different idea of what is healthy for them)... but my frame can hold an additional 20 lbs pretty easily. I gain weight evenly all over my body, and most people wouldn't call me fat. Some people wouldn't even call me over weight. But at 5'4" and 165 lbs I know that I'm not as lean as I would like to be for my athletic goals. I want to be able to run faster, hike further, and rock climb better. I want to be a fit little outdoor animal with endless energy who can scale mountains. I wouldn't mind looking better naked too, but that's not really my main motivator.

 

All of these will be easier if I have less mass to move around. So I'm starting a challenge, I'm calling it 100 days at 100%. I'm not going to focus on a number on the scale or a pound goal, instead I'm going to work my butt off for 100 days, working to build better habits and lose fat. Then I'll go into a maintenance phase and see where that puts me. I'm also going to work in four week segments with every 4th weekend being a "break" where I can stop tracking my food for a few days, relax my eating a little, and just give myself a mental breather. So ultimately it will be a little more than 100 days, and will end on November 4th when I hop on a plane for Peru. 

 

Challenge Goals:

 

1a) Don't Get Injured! - Prehab

How: Foam rolling, stretching calves, running warm ups.

Note: I've been doing some of these for a few weeks already, but I need to be more consistent. After having to take off nearly six weeks due to a running injury this spring I'm putting more emphasis on injury prevention moving forward. 

1b) Don't Get Injured! Strength training 2x weekly.

How: Follow bodyweight workout from NFA and mix in some kettlebell training.

 

2) Increase weekly running mileage while maintaining aerobic zone.

How: Week 1 - 13 miles, Week 2 - 14 miles, Week 3 - 14.5 Week 4 - 16 Heart rate Sub 150 bpm.

Note: Roughly 10% increase each week. Also, I can skip some milage if I go on a long hike (hike mileage must be double what run mileage would have been) since right now I'm really working on training my aerobic zone so I can ultimately run faster at the same heart rate.

 

3) Eat at a caloric deficit.

How: 1800 calories on rest days, 2100 calories on training days. Fit in more walks to increase total caloric burn in a mellow way.

 

4) Personal Goal: Get a new job!

How: Finish updating website by end of week 1, then ask any/everybody for leads, and send out all the resumes! It's hard to say if I'll be able to accomplish this in one challenge, but I feel I've hit a progression ceiling at my current job and it's time to move on.

[Anamal]

Off to a good start with two perfect days!

 

Monday 1796 cals - rest day

Tuesday 2016 cals - 1 mile run, 20mins yoga, 1hr rock climbing.

 

The only thing bad I can say is that I'm really dang tired! Like sleepy, end of a long day, you just need your bed, kinda tired. I'm not sure what that's about. It could be just lingering fatigue from backpacking this weekend (3 days and 40 miles), or it could be my body readjusting to real food and a caloric deficit after spending a week eating whatever and however much I wanted around my birthday. Whatever it is I hope it clears up for this weekend because the boyfriend and I are going backpacking (again!) for a belated birthday present. 11 miles each way to a hot spring  Should be fun. 

 

My personal goal is going well too. I'm on track to have my website done before Friday.

[Anamal]

Week 1 Round Up!

 

1a) Foam rolled several times this week, but could be more consistent. I'll give myself a B, good, but room to improve.

1b) Strength train 2x. CHECK!

 

2) This week I only ran 6 miles, but then I backpacked 26, so I'm counting that as good. But for the week coming up I'd like to hit my mileage goal since we likely won't be traveling this weekend.

 

3) Eat a caloric deficit. CHECK!

I was solid through the week, but kind of sabotaged myself on our backpacking trip, not because I over ate, but because I way under ate and was absolutely dead by the end of the first day. As my boyfriend said "you can't diet on the trail." And he was totally right! I dragged my butt into camp on Saturday and it felt like I just had zero energy. It sucked and was not very fun, and I seriously wondered how I would get out of the canyon we were camped in. The next morning I ate basically a double breakfast, then a snack even when I wasn't hungry, and forced myself to snack again when I started getting tired. And it was AWESOME! I hiked so well and felt amazing! I was nervous about logging my food today given that I was sure I'd ruined everything. But you know what? I only ate about 3000-3200 calories on each of our backpacking days. And given that I burned 2500+ each day, in addition to the 1500 cals it takes for me to just live I'm totally fine with it. Plus, when I eat more on the trail it's actually way more fun because I have more energy. It also drove home the idea to me that hunger is largely mental. Like when I'm backpacking I'll get tired, and my muscles feel like they're totally exhausted, but I won't actually be hungry if it's not near a normal meal time. And yet clearly my body needs fuel during those moments. But when I sit on my butt all day at work I get hungry when 1pm rolls around. Bodies are weird man.

 

4) Personal Goal: Get Website revamped and up and running. CHECK!

Now this week will be the start of actually applying for jobs (Something I totally dread).

 

Onto week 2!

[Anamal]

Week 2 feels like it's already off to a great start!

 

Monday - A much needed rest day after our weekend backpacking.

 

Today (Tuesday) - I ran (slowly) 4 miles and felt pretty good, aside from tired legs and the humidity that we get along the coast. Oh well, it was nice to be off the track. I'm still really nervous about re-injuring my foot, so I'll be slowly transitioning off of the track, and onto the streets.

 

Tonight we'll go rock climbing, where I'll hopefully burn another 200ish calories to round out a "medium load" training day. I've recently begun working with the ETP group, and filling out my trend sheet. So I'll be wearing my HR monitor and checking cals burned (in addition to cals consumed) more closely during this challenge.

 

As for my personal goal, I just got a big list of recruiters from a friend of mine, so it's time to start bothering people into giving me a job.

 

[Anamal]

Wednesday - Today was a low (calorie) day and I definitely felt it. I did my workout in the morning, and then added on some gymnastics hold moves and made a pass at the NFA bodyweight level 3 boss. Didn't make it, but I was really really close, I think. Need to keep working those assisted chin ups. The workout felt good, even fun. However, the rest of the day I was basically hungry. But I know there will be some discomfort when it comes to weight loss so I'm willing to accept it. Besides I like stacking my calories towards the end of the day so I go to bed full and sleep through the night better. I'd rather be hungry around/after lunch than before bed.

 

I know I said my website was up and running as of Monday, but if I'm being fair I actually just finished it yesterday. I wanted to get some work uploaded that was unfinished, and re-write my "about me" page. So now it's live, and I have a good list of recruiters to reach out to. Time to get down to work. Speaking of work, I'm really feeling burned out at my current job, it feels like everybody is always asking me for favors, and yet I'm never getting anything in return. Of course the field I work in is a lot about how well you're liked so I can't burn any bridges by telling people to fuck off and do their own shit. Still, it feels like a lot of giving, not a lot of receiving, and even less like I'm ever going to get a chance to move out of my current department and into the job I really want. Yep, definitely time to move in.

 

The boyfriend and I decided not to do anything epic and I'm really really grateful for that. I'm tired and need the sleep. 

[Anamal]

Thursday -

4 mile run in the morning. This felt kinda terrible, and I think the morning after a low-cal day I need to eat something before my run or else I'm really low on energy.

Hour long bouldering session at night. This workout felt much better after eating more during the day.

 

Stuck to my calories, and getting closer to figuring out this whole macro thing! Even though I had to cut guacamole from my burrito bowl  Sacrifices! 

 

Reached out to two recruiters with my resume, and my website is officially up and live, fully updated, and I'm pretty proud of it! Overall I'd say it was a good day.

 

Friday - Rest day!

 

I was definitely feeling run down this morning and could use the extra sleep. I think anytime I start to get frantic about getting enough sleep it's a good sign that tomorrow needs to be a rest day. The only thing I'm worried about now is how I'm going to get my 2nd strength workout in, and the remaining 6 miles run.

 

Also, already heard back from a recruiter! Sadly it was to tell me that she doesn't have any openings at the moment, but at least I know I'm not shouting into the void.

 

I'll be offline this weekend as we're driving up to Big Bear tonight to relax, escape the heat, and rock climb this weekend! Wee! I'm so excited!

[Wild Wolf]

Hi Anamal! You have a good looking challenge here and seem to be keeping up with it no prob  

 

8 hours ago, Anamal said:

Hour long bouldering session at night

 

Love me some bouldering! How long you been doing it? I haven't bouldered in...close to 2 years now. Sad, lol. Maybe you'll inspire me to get back to solving some problems...

 

8 hours ago, Anamal said:

Also, already heard back from a recruiter! Sadly it was to tell me that she doesn't have any openings at the moment, but at least I know I'm not shouting into the void.

 

I'll be offline this weekend as we're driving up to Big Bear tonight to relax, escape the heat, and rock climb this weekend! Wee! I'm so excited!

 

Sorry to hear about the recruiter, but like you already said... "but at least I know I'm not shouting into the void." Good mental fortitude and positivity regardless of the lack of openings..that says a lot about you already! Have fun at Big Bear! Super jealous but maybe take pics?

 

Wolf 

[Wild Wolf]

Also, @Nymeria boulders/climbs and is a parkour queen-you might check her out cuz she badass and about 98% of the Rebellion want to be her when we grow up lol

 

Wolf

[Elastigirl]

Hope you have an awesome weekend! Way to go on cutting guacamole from your burrito bowl, that took amazing strength of will. 

[Anamal]

 Week 2 Round Up - Overall, week 2 was not as strong as week 1, but it wasn't a disaster either.

 

1a) Foam roll or stretch daily - Eh, lets give it a C. I still did run warmups, and stretched some, but need some more quality foam rolling time.

1b) Strength training 2x weekly - Sadly in America 50% is still an F, so I guess I got an F. I struggle with balancing all my hobbies and between being tired from backpacking last weekend, and traveling for climbing this weekend I only got one strength session in. Booo.

 

2) Running - weekly goal 14 miles - Achieved 8  not impressive. Again, I was just tired at the beginning of the week, and then didn't get much more than maybe 3 miles of total hiking this weekend going to and from the crag. So I guess this one might be a D, since it was slightly more than 50%.

 

3) Eat a Caloric deficit - Mon-Fri I was on a roll, and even started daily weigh-ins so I can track weight fluctuations and have a more direct view of what certains foods do to body composition and water retention. However, Saturday I did terribly, eating nearly 3,000 calories, and definitely not exercising enough to counteract it. Sunday I did much better, and if nothing else I tracked everything in MFP. I'll give myself a C and strive to do better this week. In two weeks my sister comes to visit and I know eating will be a little more lax then, so I want to do really well in the lead up to that.

 

4) Get a New Job! - Website is up from week 1, and I reached out to two recruiters towards the end of last week. My goal from here on out will be to send 10-20 e-mails each week (that's really only 1-2 a day) until I start to exhaust my options. Last week was a B. Mostly since I didn't really accomplish my week 1 goal, and as a result couldn't be as aggressive in reaching out to companies as I would have liked. My mini-challenge for week 3 will be to speak with three existing contacts who can help me find a job.

 

Aaaaand Go!

[Anamal]

On 7/29/2016 at 8:36 PM, Wild Wolf said:

Love me some bouldering! How long you been doing it? I haven't bouldered in...close to 2 years now. Sad, lol. Maybe you'll inspire me to get back to solving some problems...

Sorry to hear about the recruiter, but like you already said... "but at least I know I'm not shouting into the void." Good mental fortitude and positivity regardless of the lack of openings..that says a lot about you already! Have fun at Big Bear! Super jealous but maybe take pics?

 

Wolf 

 

You should totally get back into bouldering/climbing! It's actually what got me back into strength training after slowly transitioning out of the gym and just becoming a runner. And it's what got me interested in more gymnastics-style strength.

 

Yeah, job hunting is a bummer, but at this point I'm employed and not in any danger of being fired, so it's just a matter of how long finding a new job takes. I feel like if I accept that it's going to be a long and sucky process, then I'll be pleasantly surprised once it's over

 

Here is a pic from this weekend. These guys were high-lining (aka slacklining very high off the ground) like 50ft above our heads while we were climbing. It was totally insane.

 

 

 

[Elastigirl]

Oh my that slacklining looks crazy!  Sounds like even if you didn't hit all your goal you were doing awesome things that will help keep you in shape.

[Anamal]

Ok Monday was a bit of a whirlwind, but in a good way!

 

First things first, training: Morning run 3 miles, plus 30mins of strength session, didn't have the time to add on any extras,

 

Job hunting: Spent most of the day crafting my base cover letter, so I'll only have to write one paragraph for each job I apply to. Why does writing take me so long? I only ended up applying to one agency, and I need to do better today, if I'm going to make my weekly goal I need to send out 5 emails Tuesday. I was also supposed to meet with my friend who knows a lot about the job market, but we had to reschedule for later this week. 

 

Caloric Deficit: I've been working with ETP (Eat to Perform), and asked the coaches to give me new numbers for High/Medium/Low/Super training days and set me up on a rhythm pattern for eating (aka eating higher/lower on certain days to accommodate training and give the body a chance to recover). The goal is to start now and do 8-10 weeks of PFFL (performance focused fat loss) before I enter a maintenance phase. The calories aren't that different, but the macros are. This week might be a bit off since I already meal-prepped, but next week I'm going to try and be spot on. My weight has been hardcore stuck for the last few weeks and I'm hoping a change up in macros will get me moving in the right direction again.

 

Injury Prevention: Actually got my butt out of bed to foam roll for a few minutes. Win!

[Anamal]

Oops haven't checked in since Monday! This week got a little hectic and some things fell by the way side, but we're not traveling this weekend so I'll have some time to work from home and get my little life-ducks in a row.

 

Training -

Tuesday - Climbing, Wednesday - 4 mile run + strength training, Thursday - 3 mile run (hill sprints), Friday - Rest Day

 

Caloric Deficit -

ETP numbers have been a bit challenging to hit (I keep going over fat macros!), but I'm excited to try something new. Obviously what I have been doing hasn't been super successful in terms of body recomposition and fat loss, so I'm willing to try new things. So many carbs! It's actually kind of fun. And I'm excited for this weekend when I can meal-prep with these new numbers in mind.

 

Weekly Mileage - 15

So far I'm at 10 miles. This is pretty perfect since I wanted my long run (saturday) to be 5 miles. Winning!

 

Find a New Job -

Reached out to five agencies this week (didn't quite hit my goal). I don't want to send out emails on a Friday since they're more likely to get lost in the shuffle, so my plan is to prep a bunch of emails this weekend so that I can send out 10-15 on Monday and just be done with it. However I did speak to two people at work about finding a new job (they both said they'd do some poking around ) and I met a friend for drinks on Wednesday and got some feedback as to how agency job hunting works. So I met my mini-goal!

 

Aside from that I've been spending my time thinking about what I really want to do in my job. I'm not sure working at an ad agency is what I want long term and since I'm set on leaving my current job anyway now would be a good time to join a company that aligns more with my core beliefs (hint hint, it's not selling luxury cars). This all will require some thinking and research on my part. My other large concern right now is paying off my student debt. More and more I feel completely trapped until that debt is gone, and with more than $35k still to pay off I'm starting to get a little panicked. So while it's not the only thing I'll consider when moving jobs I'm going to really chase a pay raise in the hopes that I can get this debt paid off faster and then I can start living with more freedom.... and less need for a traditional job.

[Anamal]

Week Three Wrap-Up!

Going to make this quick, I have ish to do today.

 

1a/b) Don't Get Injured

Been foam rolling more, stretching more. All is good.

Got in both strength workouts this week, but didn't have the time/energy to add on extras, just the minimum.

 

2) Running More Mileage -

Ran my 15 miles, and added on a four mile hike on Sunday.

 

3)  Eat a Caloric Deficit -

The start of the week was rough as I got new ETP numbers in half way through Monday. But by Wed/Thurs I was on board and hitting my macros pretty closely. It's a bit of a challenge eating so many carbs without resorting to grains (besides rice). But things like corn/beans/cereal leave my stomach unhappy so I'll have to find options for making rice and potatoes more interesting. Oh and fruit, love me some fruit.

 

4) Find a new Job -

Honestly, I'm struggling here. I'm not hitting my goal numbers and having a hard time drumming up interest to search harder. Last week I reached out to six agencies (only one of which had an open position), and spoke to three people at my agency to ask if they knew about the job market. Decent but not good enough.

 

I think part of the struggle is that I'm not really sure WHAT I want from a career. Right now all I can fantasize about is going on a long backpacking trip and winning the lottery so I don't have student loans. I know this is somewhat beyond the purview of NF, but here is the deal: I'm really feeling trapped. I don't especially like the city I live in, but my BF is going to be here until at least June of next year, and I don't really want to live apart from him. Beyond that I feel like I'm only working to pay off my student loans, as I don't make enough money to have a solid savings account for travel, and pay my debt and living costs at the same time. And no, I don't spend a lot on extra stuff, we don't have cable, rarely eat out, I pack lunch and breakfast every weekday so I don't spend extra money there, I have a really limited wardrobe and drive an old car that I don't have payments on. The truth is I'm just really really in debt (35k+) from college. It sucks. I don't want the "finer things in life" I don't care about any of that shit. I just want adventure, simplicity, and freedom. But I need a job until I'm out of debt. But what? What combines the outdoors, creative photography/graphic design/video, and a decent paycheck in the city of Los Angeles? 

[Anamal]

Monday - Low cal day

Strength Training A - Done

Bike ride 12 mile work commute - in an attempt to burn extra cals and kick start weight loss.

 

Stretching - 2 sessions of calf stretches (one morning, one night).

 

Job - Reached out to five ad agencies with my resume

 

Tomorrow (tuesday) I'm taking the day off in an attempt to de-stress, and do some research as to what I might want my future to look like.

[Anamal]

Aaand somehow it's already Thursday and I haven't updated this! Gah!

 

Tuesday - 

Morning "Run" was more of a walk, my calves have just been killing me! 2 miles

Afternoon walk (because I was working from home that day, so why not?) 5 miles

 

Wednesday -

Strength training session # 2 of 2! Plus enough energy to add on some extras!

Bike ride - 12 miles

Afternoon walk - 2 miles

 

Thursday -

"Run" aka interval stairs session 3 miles

Afternoon climbing session.

 

Total mileage for week 12/16

 

On top of that I've been "green lighting" aka getting really close to exactly the numbers I should be hitting on my macros since Monday! So that's a win for my caloric deficit goal.

 

And with that I'm calling it on this challenge. Friday is a rest day, and my sister is visiting this weekend so I'll be using the weekend to let my legs recover. Basically I'm foregoing one of my challenges (mileage) in favor of a far more important challenge (no injuries).

 

Job hunting has been going ok (well, not that I've had any interviews or any replies other than people telling me that there is nothing open), but at least I've been putting the time in nearly daily. And I've been putting some serious effort into my 2nd job.