ShadowCat approaches

[Raven ShadowCat]

Hi Rebels,

Just a quick headsup that I've arrived on these boards. There is a certain something that makes me prefer oldstyle boards to facebook groups. The pace is lower, and messages are being preserved and not just shoved to the bottom of the pile within hours because of "hey, look at this monkey eating a banana while waterskieing".

I've been pacing the perimeter of these boards since a few months. Since I often keep to myself, I started by joining the academy, am currently reading Steve's book, and generally doing my own thing. After several years of chronic illness that came from a bout of mononucleosis that I treated with caffeine for the first several months (spoiler: that doesn't work) until I completely totalled my health. I'm blessed with a GP that combines alternative and regular approaches and in januari she gave me green light to start exercising and eating on a caloric deficit again. It was needed, because I'd inflated to a startling 138 kilo's on 163 cm in the last years (mono messes up your liver, which messes up your metabolism, but eating loads of cheese and cookies didn't help either). I know that I fair well on a paleo-ish diet so I've dusted off my knowledge and started experimenting with cool recipes again. I'm working out 4 times a week since januari, currently on a upper-lower split, mostly freeweights, but some machines and bodyweight exercises are in it too.

I track my food using the weightwatchers app that emphasises high-protein too, so that works out for now. I've started tracking macro's for a few weeks now too, just to get a better insight on what I'm chomping down each day.

Since januari I've lost more than 28 kilo's already. I don't have a goalweight perse, but I figure that I'll be fine when I get around the 75 kilo'ish area. Fatpercentage and wellbeing will be the determining factors though.

I've changed my guild from warrior (because hey: weights) to assassin. I figure i'll end up a assassin-druid-monk hybrid. Hey, I'm even a "real" druid since I study Druidry

My origins story:

The 7th decade of the 20 century, mondaymorning a darkhaired babe is born. On many mondaymornings darkhaired babies are born, but this one was special. This one, was me. Not that I'm special, by any means.

This girl was the scrawny, short, brainy kid with glasses. The one that always got picked last in gymclass. I never understood really: I wasn't that bad, but for some reason everyone expected me to not be able to climb a rope, do a highjump or even win a game of dodgeball. So no one bothered to show me how, put me in a good position, or even congratuate me if I did succeed. After winning a dodgeballmatch for my team, I got ridiculed for being to small a target to hit. There was no pleasing those folks.

Expectations are a funny thing, you somehow do live up to them. So, when the glasses where joined with torturous braces, my body decided to grow an early and rather impressive set of boobs, and gain some curves in other places too, I somehow gave up and fell into the roll that was expected of me: carrier of classbook, knower of answers, pet of teachers.

After a tech-oriented highschoolperiod I decided to go to lawschool, just because, why not. But lawschool eroded the last sense of a just and balanced world slowly out of me. I got some meh-jobs and to be honest, I never tried really hard to un-meh them. I don't do well with having someone else telling me what to do. Think "Wesley Gibson" or "Peter Gibbons" and you have me at my job.

But yet, inside of me a storm was brewing. In highschool I spent many a time, in the back of chemistryclasses, brewing up all kinds of mischief. I knew everyones secrets, who dealt drugs, who was skiving, whatever. I was invisible, but saw all. At the job too, I saw, I knew, and I went my own way while maintaining a mainstream facade. This silent strength in me grew. Somewhere inside brewed the power of the assasin*, the secret agent.

The difference between daily grind and internal world was growing: with me becoming out of shape, unhealthy and depressed. Until it somehow clicked: I'm the only one running this show and it's up to me to take care of me and make my life one worth living. So here I am, battling obesity, gaining skills worth learning and generally not giving any fucks anymore about other peoples expectations.
 

* Disclaimer for NSA, Big Brother, Illuminati, MI6, or who ever is reading along: I've never killed someone, nor do I plan to do so: this is as exagerated work of fiction**.

** Unless you have a job for me, then it is totally real. Contact me at midnight password "Cookies".

[Tyrgal]

Welcome! Sounds like you're already doing very well, congratulations!  

[imprimis5]

Greetings! Beannú na déithe's n'aindhéithe ort.

 

Glad to hear the WeightWatchers app is working out for you. My boyfriend has put a lot of time and effort into it. :-P

[Raven ShadowCat]

19 hours ago, imprimis5 said:

 My boyfriend has put a lot of time and effort into it. :-P

 

Wow that is cool to hear. I'm using the dutch version, don't know if it's the same everywhere on the globe. The framework probably is though.

[Raven ShadowCat]

21 hours ago, Tyrgal said:

Welcome! Sounds like you're already doing very well, congratulations!  

 

Thank you so much...

 

Today two random folks I do see around in the gym but never really talk to complimented me on my progress <3

 

[imprimis5]

2 hours ago, Raven ShadowCat said:

 

Wow that is cool to hear. I'm using the dutch version, don't know if it's the same everywhere on the globe. The framework probably is though.

 

That's a good question. I don't know how localisation works for things like that.

[Raven ShadowCat]

Just to put some things together: This is my big why. I shared it on the FB-group too but there it's gotten buried under tons of other posts by now.

I've come to the academy after a long previous journey... as such I'm finding that the academy helps to put a lot of things together for me. This collage in essence is my "why"... It's about being free, free to be who I am, free from the burden of emotions that were eaten away many years ago, free to hike, ride, swim, fly, live and love. It's about not being in my own way, and no longer holding back. I've reached the point of ultimate "f* it" and am just doing things my way now...
 

The text on it reads
THE WARRIORESS She’s arriving into present time. This is the Gift of her deep work. She has been healing her pain, embracing her shadows, claiming her body & womb Temple, releasing her shame, clearing the victim/opressor, facing her fears, walking out of dishonouring spaces & so much more. She’s a warrior. She stands steady, anchored inside herself. She’s let go her history. Her cellular

memories are cleaned out, and she’s no longer trapped in the past. As she connects to her divine longing & her passion, she deepens her surrender. Her future is exciting. She’s becoming relaxed about where her life is heading. She’s free & uncluttered, & she’s travelling light. Her energy is no longer sucked into the past, or running away into the future. She feels powerful & abundant. She’s fully present. She’s amazed at how relaxed and alert she can be at the same time. She could easily pass through the eye of a needle.
~Sukhvinder Sircar

 

[Raven ShadowCat]

The other quote is:

Nothing lasts

Nothing ends

Nothing is perfect

The dragon is the design of a tattoo that is on my left arm.

 

[Raven ShadowCat]

And my goals for now are:

Be able to do a full pullup
To do so I will have to both lose weight and gain strenght. I will start with trying assisted pullups in each upper-body workout (two times a week) starting tomorrow september 1th 2016 and progress to barhangs and eventually partial and full non-kipping pullups.

Regain a healthy weight, based on bodyfat
Right now I'm about 50% made of lard. A healthy woman of my age should be around the low 20% made of lard, so I will have to lose a lot of bacongrease. Sauna doesn't help. I'm eating high-protein paleo-ish and exercising to keep muscleloss to a minimum and promote fat-loss. Every 6 weeks my trainer takes a readout on a highend scale, and I take take to keep the other measuringfactors as equal as possible (time of day, eating the same, not working out before, same type of clothing.

Be able to ride a horse
When I'm at 95 kilo (14 kilo's to go) I can ride a strong horse again. I will also fit in my riding pants again probably by then. I will seek out a good stable and pick up riding as a regular exercise.

Be able to climb a mountain
Next summer I will visit a mediumhigh or higher mountainrange in Europe and walk from valley to the top without dying. The top has to be above the tree-line. To do so, less weight and better cardiovascular health by exercising, are a daily work in progress. As of now I'm able to walk 8 km on a rather even ground without a break at 4 km/h. 9 Months ago that was only about 3 km's with three breaks.
 

Get delt-caps
Completely vain but I'm a sucker for strong shoulders, I've even placed my tattoo in anticipation of those babies. So, iron, here I come.

[Raven ShadowCat]

My Epic Quest:
https://www.nerdfitness.com/character/102787


Feedback would be appreciated

[Raven ShadowCat]

Just an additional woot: I just joined the yoga-thingy too. I've done Hatha yoga for several years but around here there is only choice between mom-yoga (aka chatting on a mat) sessions and "whooohoooospiritual" yoga. Neither are my thing, so I'll be doing my own thing.

[The lone wolfie]

hi 

welcome to the rebellion

i checked your profile. Great goals. In fact i have decided to take a deeper look later and steal an idea or two 

 

ps. you might want to  arrange your  goals a little, you know into little section based on what type of quests they are. Makes it easy to read

 

 

[Raven ShadowCat]

7 minutes ago, ajoylucid said:

ps. you might want to  arrange your  goals a little, you know into little section based on what type of quests they are. Makes it easy to read

 

Thank you for that ps... I checked your challenge and epic quest to see what you mean. And yes, I'll be re-arranging the quest-thingy soon. The way to do so got clearer after I read Steve's book. For now it's more partitioned along the segments of my life. I love your epic quest btw...

[The lone wolfie]

jump in and start a 4 week challenge if you already have not. you may be late by a day, but it still better than waiting for another month.

[Raven ShadowCat]

I did earlier today Ajoylucid

http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/89356-shadowcat-legal-assassin

 

[SpecialSundae]

Welcome to the Rebellion!

 

Love having more Euro-Nerds around. There are a few in the Netherlands and a bunch of us across the continent (I'm in Scotland and definitely European... sod bloody Brexit wankers!).

 

Are you any relation to SaberShadowKat?

 

Sundae

[Raven ShadowCat]

On 27-9-2016 at 1:19 PM, SpecialSundae said:

Love having more Euro-Nerds around. There are a few in the Netherlands and a bunch of us across the continent (I'm in Scotland and definitely European... sod bloody Brexit wankers!).

Well, yeah... don't get me started on the Brexit thingy. I've got many friends across the channel and they are all bloody sick of the whole thing...
But don't get me started on the current EU-system either because imho the whole "Bunch of Bureaucrats in Brussels"-thingy is broken beyond repair  
 

Quote

Are you any relation to SaberShadowKat?

I'm sorry no.... I had to google that name to get an idea of who/what is behind it. ShadowCat  is just a nick I've been using in one form or another for a long time.

[Raven ShadowCat]

Well folks, it's been a while but I finally got around to writing my level 50:

Translated from my Dutch notebook is says:

Quote

At level 50 I've got a strong and flexible body, that I care for with good nutrition, movement and rest. My daily life is based around simplicity and mindfulness, living from a sense of inner peace and connection to the world around me. Work is a secundairy priority and doesn't break with my core values. I live in a certain level of solitude and cultivate contentness. Yet, part of me is prepared for whatever life throws at me. I am sufficiently skilled in armed and unarmed combat, but spend more time on selfsufficiency. I'm surrounded by animals, my loved ones and nature.

If I break down these sentences the following actionable elements come out:

At level 50 I've got a strong and flexible body,
That's where NF comes in: strengthtraining, yoga etcetc

that I care for with good nutrition,

Good nutrition to me is: natural, mostly plants, not to much or "paleo-ish"

movement
Other than exercise: gardening, walking, hiking, riding horses
and rest.

Accepting the need for rest is a thing I need to learn. I've overloaded my system in the past several times, running on sugar and caffeine until I get sick.
 

My daily life is based around simplicity
I strive to minimalize my possessions and limit my footprint on the earth, without austerity though
and mindfulness,
I don't have a monkeymind, I have a gorillamind, it needs to be tamed
living from a sense of inner peace and connection to the world around me.
That would be the goal-direction of the inner work/meditation

Work is a secundairy priority
I'm a firm believer in "work to live" as opposed to "live to work", as a businessowner I am blessed to be free to shape large part of my own days
and doesn't break with my core values.
Working in the legal business will confront you with your own values. I've in the past burned out while working at the local courthouse in the refugee-court and having to send away people in need because of unfair political rulings. Now I only do cases that don't force me to go against my own grain.

I live in a certain level of solitude
I am highly sensitive to people around me and need to withdraw periodically
and cultivate contentness.
This ties in with the decluttering/minimalization. I do struggle with this twitch of needing to buy stuff because inner unbalances every once in a while.

Yet, part of me is prepared for whatever life throws at me.
Not a hardcore prepper, but I am aware that shit can happen and I hate to be dependant on a state that only considers me a tax-number.

I am sufficiently skilled in armed and unarmed combat,
I need to get my but back on the shooting range and want to study either Krav Maga or Escrima.

but spend more time on selfsufficiency
I love feeding my chickens, tending my garden and basically taking care of myself. It's my "little house on the prairy thing".

 

I'm surrounded by animals, my loved ones and nature.
Selfexplanatory

To conclude I'm quite nicely on the right track with a lot of things...