(shy) newb incoming

[Skittle]

Hai!

A SparkPeople friend of mine posted a link to this site - actually, to the article on Staci's amazing transformation - and I was hooked instantly. I must have looked at more than 20 articles that same day. Naturally, I didn't absorb most of the information, but it solidified my desire to come back for more, so here I am!

I'm 27, and probably one of the shortest girls you know; I'm small, but fierce!

I recently started C25K for the third time, as it's been about six months since I last ran consistently. I love yoga, and am incredibly inspired to start strength training, although I'm also incredibly intimidated by it. I am interested in learning all I can about the Paleo lifestyle, and have started my education with The Primal Blueprint.

I'm excited to be here and can't wait to learn from all of you

[Book]

Hmmm... so your nickname doesn't refer to the candy?

Welcome You've picked a really cool role model. Don't be afraid of the weights, it looks like you've been preparing yourself for them well.

[AKLulu]

Welcome! Good to have you here

[Blu]

Hello! I joined here about two years ago, but quit coming, so I'm kind of new back. Trying to figure out what to do with myself!

So, I have to ask: How tall are you? Because I'm super-short, too. Like, not quite 4 feet 9 inches short. LOL The fierceness must just be part of the package, because I have that going on, too. You have to when you're little!

[Morrigainz]

Welcome! Lots of good stuff going on around here!

[Tiara]

Welcome!!

[So Late So Soon]

Glad you found the site and welcome!

[unicornassassin]

Yoga!!!

I'm just starting to get into weight lifting, too. It's pretty awesome!

Oh, and welcome

[engineman312]

welcome. i know a lot of women that have benefited from the book "new rules of listing for women." really helps break down the exercises at gives you a great plan of attack. if you are intimidated by weight rooms, i can understand. try going to the gym during off peak hours, and take your time. do less weight then you think you can, and get form down. muscles memory is key for lifting. get a trainer if you have extra cash, but make sure they know what they are doing. don't be afraid to ask for their experience and education level.

[katscratch]

Welcome!! I was the same way, but stumbled here from a link on Marks Daily Apple and was instantly smitten! Love the people already

This is the first I've attempted to even blink at weights since high school, and I can already tell I'm gonna love it. Have fun exploring 'round here!

[Skittle]

@Book: No, not the candy It started out as a sort of inside joke, and now it's a nickname IRL.

Thank you for the welcome!

And as for Staci, well...No power in the verse, and all that

@AKLulu, MirGSS, Tiara, So Late So Soon, unicornassassin - TYVM

@Blu: I am SO MUCH taller than you. I am a whopping 5'1"

engineman: Thanks for the tips! I will definitely keep an eye out for New Rules...I've heard of it but haven't looked into much. I think for now I'm going to start with either the Angry Birds workout or the Beginning Lifting one.

katscratch: Thanks so much! I was - shocked, really, to learn about the misconceptions I've held this whole time. I am totally one of those girls who only ever wanted to "tone up" and was terrified of "bulking up" but now I see that I was going about it all wrong.

WOW! Thank you guys so much for the warm welcome! I'm a timid poster, so the encouragement is really nice!

[Blu]

@Blu: I am SO MUCH taller than you. I am a whopping 5'1"

LOL Man, you got me!

Any ideas on your strength training? Have you figured anything out yet? At our size, we really need to be able to kick some ass. Someone could just carry us off, for realz. O_O

[Skittle]

LOL Man, you got me!

Any ideas on your strength training? Have you figured anything out yet? At our size, we really need to be able to kick some ass. Someone could just carry us off, for realz. O_O

Or we could blow away.

Nothing yet, though admittedly I'm not doing that great of a job committing myself. I'm sort of (very) OCD, so I'm planning on "starting over" or, re-committing April 1. It's also a Sunday (hence the beginning of a new week) so that works for my mentality too

My issue is that I try to incorporate so many new things at once (yoga every day! strength training every other day! running on non-strength training days! no sugar! no grains! paleo diet without having any idea what to cook or buy!) that I end up overwhelming myself. Couple that with the fact that I am TERRIBLE at holding myself accountable and, well, you've got a serious recipe for inactivity!

[Morrigainz]

*nods* There are a lot of us here that are like that...just jumping in without testing the water first

April 1 is a good start date. So you have 2 days to set yourself some goals and make a plan. Goals and plans will definitely help you - and if you post them here, we can tell you "Hey get off your @$$ and get some stuff done!" or we can take a look at your goals and say "Whoa, you crazy girl! Scale it back a bit!"

Have you done the primal/paleo research? What do you think?

[AKLulu]

April 1st... only problem with that is it's a week before Easter.... just sayin'.

[nickls]

Go for it Skittle!

My issue is that I try to incorporate so many new things at once (yoga every day! strength training every other day! running on non-strength training days! no sugar! no grains! paleo diet without having any idea what to cook or buy!) that I end up overwhelming myself.

Definitely something to be said for making one major change at a time. Maybe you can map out a schedule where you add things in one at a time. For example, yoga three times a week for the first month. Then cutting down sugar for the next month or adding in some strength training.

For the accountability part, there is a lot of power in making commitments. If you decide the first thing you really want to do is do yoga three times a week, then say "I will do yoga three times every week for the next month. I will plan to do it before work on Tues/Thurs and once over the weekend." I think having a specific plan for where/when/how you will accomplish it helps. Then post this commitment in a blog, tell your friends and family and say "I want you to help me to stick to this". Even better would be to have a buddy to go with (you can possibly make one in the gym/yoga studio). Now all of a sudden you're not just accountable to yourself, so you have a lot more incentive to keep up with your plan.

[Skittle]

@MirGSS - I actually spent a chunk of time yesterday making a "workout" calendar for the month of April. It looks like a lot at first glance (almost every day has something on it) but at the same time, it's never more than half an hour to an hour of time spent, so I think it will be manageable. I'm going to take a picture of it and post it either as a blog entry or somewhere in my profile so that (hopefully) some of ya'll can keep me in check!

I haven't done too much research; basically what I know of it I know from NF, and two friends who are almost, if not entirely, paleo. On the one hand, it seems like it could be totally doable with more research (one of my goals this month is to read two books on the paleo/primal lifestyle, starting with The Primal Blueprint), especially since it's not a far cry from what I eat now anyway. The difficulty comes with moving away from processed foods, which makes up a huge part of my diet. So does pasta and other grains. I'm hesitant, I think, because I went vegetarian around this time last year, but didn't do it right. I had all the knowledge and resources available to me, but was so intimidated by the idea of cooking food that I never really put anything into practice. I am so not a cook, so it's kind of intimidating to both switch my eating habits semi-drastically AND have to learn what to do with all the food I should be eating!

@AKLulu - Easter's not really a religious thing in my family. I don't participate in Lent, and it's really just an excuse for us to get together and watch the kids hunt for eggs and then crash an hour later from the sugar high. I'm not saying that this is the right way or wrong way; just that, for me and mine, it's just another day of the week, really. In this case, it works out well for me

@nickls - I can't justify any kind of membership at this time, but thank you for your suggestions! I am planning on posting a pic of my workout schedule for April, and hopefully some of you will be kind enough to hold me accountable! I totally agree with your comment about making commitments. I am so much more likely to be successful when I have a set plan for the week ahead, than if I just wing it!

[Morrigainz]

Looking forward to seeing the workout schedule!

It does get kind of crazy with the eating well and the cooking, but I try to do most of mine on the weekend which helps tons. I'm getting really sick of chicken though; I'm going to try to come up with another recipe for this week that uses something different

[Skittle]

So, I either can't figure out how to properly load a picture into an album on my profile, or something with the site is glitching. It's a shame, because it is a very pretty workout calendar

This is what I've planned for this week:

-Sunday: Yoga & Beginner Body Weight Workout

- Monday: Run (er...jog...) for 30 minutes

- Tuesday: BBWW

- Wednesday: Yoga

- Thursday: BBWW

- Friday: Jog for half an hour

- Saturday: Yoga & BBWW

I have a 5K on the 14th, and I'd sort of like to be able to at least jog the entire thing, so I don't have a full rest day scheduled until the 15th...but honestly, yoga might as well be a treat/reward for how much I loooooove doing it, so I'm not too worried

What do you think? I think it'll be manageable, because I'll feel like I'm getting something accomplished every day, but it shouldn't be too overwhelming or time consuming (yoga took 23 minutes today, BBWW took 22).

[Morrigainz]

I have trouble with the photo uploader too...try uploading them to photobucket or something and then linking. That's what works for me.

I think it sounds good...and although I tend to tell people not to exercise every day, it seems like a good plan. If you find yourself getting especially tired or whatever, you might think about having a rest day, but if you can sustain it, go for it! I can't wait to hear about your progress!