Mediaguy99 seeks the holy grail!

[mediaguy99]

 

This morning I completed the big quest worksheet.  It was useful to put my "big goals" down and really think about them.  The thing is, I've already started on this quest, since it was new years weekend and all, and I had decided that I want to really punctuate the changes I need to make in my life by starting them on the new year.

 

One of the biggest issues, that I often prefer to avoid thinking about, is that I've got chronic reflux disease (GERD).  Most everything I eat gives me acid reflux.  I was taking some very un-helpful medication for that condition for about 12 years, when a few studies came out linking that medication to a lot of really nasty complications.  So, with a doctor's guidance, I quit using that medication and started managing the condition with diet.  Interestingly, when I started eating paleo, I stopped having any issues with GERD.  I mean, it literally became a non-issue.  Except, unfortunately, I have a very hard time sticking to a strict paleo diet.  A review of my previous challenges just shows me that diet is really the hardest thing for me to do.  I honestly don't have a hard time exercising.  But if I look at why I started exercising in the first place, it really had to do with me wanting to maintain a non-sustainable diet by exercising enough to keep eating the way I was eating.

 

Flash forward to the present day.  I know what I need to do to not give myself esophageal cancer (that's the end result of years of GERD), and I need to learn how to do it.  So, I started back with the Paleo diet on 1/1/17.  But I know that's not a long-term solution.  I'm going to have to learn exactly what, and in what quantities, I can eat outside of that strict plan, without triggering my GERD.

 

So, what, you might ask, does this have to do with the Holy Grail?  Well, for me, the Holy Grail is a sustainable eating practice that works for me in my life.  Paleo is a good place to start for me, because I know it's healthy for me, and will even help me drop a few pounds.  I'm up to 174, which is a little high for me (I'm 5'10" and 45 years old, and I'm built like an aerial dancer, just with a little belly now...) and so I'd like that too.  But here's the catch:  Once I've got a good baseline of eating paleolithically, I'll need to start experimenting with adding new foods in.  Not in a whole-hog kind of way, where I say, "OK, I'm going to eat corn now" and then pig out on corn chips and cornmeal mush and cornbread and tortillas and corn on the cob and popcorn and CARAMEL CORN and everything corn... but rather where I keep a handle on things as I add them very slowly, keeping my portions under control all the while.

 

So, that's a long winded explanation of my current goals which are:

 

1.  Seek the holy grail!  The holy grail is a sustainable eating practice.  This month, this means eating paleolithically.  6 days out of 7, I will stick to the paleo diet.  On day 7 I will count calories instead, and write down anything I eat that triggers my GERD. 

2.  Ride the length and breadth of our land!  While Arthur rode the length and breadth of the land in search of knights who would join his round table, I am working towards running a 10K again by springtime.  Of course, if PT doesn't work out and I need to get surgery that might go on hold for a bit, but in the mean time, that's what I'm working towards.  To this end I'll be continuing with my PT (6 out of 7 days) and putting in time either interval running (as directed by my PT) or on an elliptical trainer or stationary bike.  3 days per week.

3.  Grip it by the husk!  OK, I'm not a swallow, but I would like to keep getting stronger.  This means at least two strength workouts per week.

 

I would like to add meditation/yoga to the list but that's enough for now.  Too many things to keep track of and I stop keeping track of anything.

 

I'm already three days into eating paleo, and it's going alright.  I haven't had any acid reflux, and I haven't had to take any Tums at all.  I'm going to hide my scale though, since I tend to get a little obsessive about weight once I'm restricting my eating habits.

[mediaguy99]

Oh, and, get this:

I've got an 11:30 AM audition for a local production of Spamalot! on Jan 21.  I'll let y'all know how that goes...

[Manarelle]

56 minutes ago, mediaguy99 said:

Oh, and, get this:

I've got an 11:30 AM audition for a local production of Spamalot! on Jan 21.  I'll let y'all know how that goes...

 

!!!! That's really cool. Break a leg! 

 

Really neat challenge, overall. It's not easy doing things you know you have to, even if it's "for your own good." I have faith in you, though. You can do it. 

[mediaguy99]

Week One totals:

Seek the Holy Grail: 6/6 ...and there was much rejoicing!

Ride the length and breadth of our land:  cardio: 3/3, pt: 6/6 ...and there was much rejoicing!

Grip it by the husk:  2/2 ...and there was much rejoicing!

 

Week Two totals:

Seek the Holy Grail:  5/6 Not bad for being SICK SICK SICK!

Ride the length and breadth of our land:  Cardio 2/3, PT 4/6.  Cutting myself slack because I was SICK SICK SICK!

Grip it by the husk:  2/2 ...and there was much rejoicing!

 

Week Three totals:

Seek the Holy Grail:  6/6

Ride the length and breadth of our land:  Cardio 3/3

Grip it by the husk:  2/2

 

Week Four totals:

Seek the Holy Grail:  5/6

Ride the length and breadth of our land:  Cardio 3/3 (counting 4 hours of skiing towards that on Friday AND Saturday...)

Grip it by the husk:  2/2

 

Overall point adjustments:  Seek the holy grail = +2 Wis, +2 Cha; Ride the length and breadth of our land = +3 Sta, +2 Con; Grip it by the husk = +3 Str

 

 

You're the best.  Thanks for chiming in!

On 1/3/2017 at 9:49 AM, Manarelle said:

 

!!!! That's really cool. Break a leg! 

 

Really neat challenge, overall. It's not easy doing things you know you have to, even if it's "for your own good." I have faith in you, though. You can do it. 

[mediaguy99]

So, yesterday was a yoga/rest day.  Today I've got PT in the afternoon, a planned indoor run and weights session at lunch, and a freebie karate class with my 6 year old tonight.  Oh and it's dumping snow out!  Tomorrow I'm hoping I can take the day off and go ski at our local mountain while the kiddo is in school   We'll wait for my boss's decision on that... 

[Manarelle]

Neat that you get to do karate with your young one! The snow, though, is all you - I would be hibernating indoors if it were snowing here (thank goodness fro treadmills!). Good luck, I guess? 

[sylph]

Things that are good for us are rarely easy. Good luck as you hunt the Grail.

[mediaguy99]

On 1/5/2017 at 6:15 AM, sylph said:

Things that are good for us are rarely easy. Good luck as you hunt the Grail.

 

Hey look at you!  Commenting and stuff....  Thanks for the wishes.

 

It's amazing.  Six days full-on paleo now and not one instance of GERD.  I mean, am I just an addict when it comes to wheat, corn, and dairy, or what?

 

Yesterday was a terrific powder day.  School for the kiddo was cancelled, work for me was cancelled, and yet the ski resort just 25 miles from my house was open and it was DUMPING!  Banner day.  The apprentice didn't like all the powder so my wife and I spent the day swapping off being in the lodge with him, or out on the bunny slope with him (the only groomed run on the mountain), or hitting the deep powder in the trees.  Just amazing.

 

Karate the night before was fun though I can't believe how expensive that is!  I mean, they want $180/mo and a $300 enrollment fee for the apprentice (he's six).  I could go to two aerial classes a week and it wouldn't cost that much.  I think we're going to take him to as many of the classes as we can squeeze in, in the free two week trial period, and see if he burns out or loses interest.  Then consider our budget.   

[Manarelle]

2 hours ago, mediaguy99 said:

 I mean, they want $180/mo and a $300 enrollment fee for the apprentice (he's six).  I could go to two aerial classes a week and it wouldn't cost that much.  I think we're going to take him to as many of the classes as we can squeeze in, in the free two week trial period, and see if he burns out or loses interest.  Then consider our budget.

 

O.o That's ridiculous. The parkour place nearby only charges $140 per month, and that covers any class they offer (for a couple different activites). Good luck? 

 

Grats on the Paleo/GERD success! As far as being an addict, part of it is that those things are delicious.... but also partly that they're everywhere and they're cheap to produce, so there are more tasty things made with them. It's a conspiracy! Glad you got to go skiing - we got about half an inch here. Just enough to make things look pretty but not enough to mess with traffic.  My kind of snow. 

[sylph]

That is a slightly insane amount of $$ for munchkin karate. Ouch.

[mediaguy99]

14 minutes ago, sylph said:

That is a slightly insane amount of $$ for munchkin karate. Ouch.

 

Agreed.  But then everything is expensive in Boulder.  I feel like we're nearly on par with NYC or SF at this point, as far as living expenses go.

 

1 hour ago, Manarelle said:

O.o That's ridiculous. The parkour place nearby only charges $140 per month, and that covers any class they offer (for a couple different activites). Good luck? 

 

 

 

Yeah, I'm not sure we're going to do it.  I mean, we did get a break this year because daycare went from $1000/mo for a full day, to $485/mo for Kindergarten "enrichment" which covers the half day he's not in Kindergarten.  But we were enjoying SAVING that money and occasionally going out on DATES instead of spending it on more activities...

 

Ah well.  Must figure out family priorities.  If the classes would keep him occupied for 2 hours at a time, it might be worth it to be able to drop him off and go do errands, or hit my own gym, or, well, you get the idea.

 

Busy day at work but really want to go work out at lunch hour.  I think I'll be more productive if I go

[Manarelle]

Ahhhhh, Boulder. I lived outside of Boulder while I attended CU because holy price gouging Batman. From what I hear, it's gotten worse after the legalization issue. Again I'll say, good luck. 

 

So how'd week 0 go for you? 

[mediaguy99]

 

On 1/8/2017 at 7:55 AM, Manarelle said:

Ahhhhh, Boulder. I lived outside of Boulder while I attended CU because holy price gouging Batman. From what I hear, it's gotten worse after the legalization issue. Again I'll say, good luck. 

 

So how'd week 0 go for you? 

 

Yeah, Boulder is so expensive now.  I mean, it's always been expensive, because it's a great place to live, but it's SO BAD now.  Google moved in, and they're just expanding, and paying everyone loads of money, and that helps drive up real estate prices.  Not to mention, the fact that we're kind of land locked. Decades ago, the city bought all the surrounding land and made it into city parks.  That's totally great, since we have all kinds of outdoor recreation opportunities that most places don't have.  But we can't expand, and they're not able to build enough new houses to accommodate all the new residents, so the prices just go up.

 

What did you do at CU?

 

Week zero was great.  I went seven days on strict paleo, lifted three times, and got three days of good cardio in.  I have incorporated my PT into my workouts, though last week I got a new routine that's basically a 20 min pilates workout and I need to get that one more consistent at night.  Like, I only did it once.  So, as last night was the first night of the challenge, I'm already behind the ball .  But I didn't get home until very late and there were many things to do to get unpacked and ready for work today, and it was either sleep or workout by the time I was done, and sleep won.  Still didn't get a full eight hours in but it was close. 

 

Anyway, today I forgot most of my lunch so I'll have to buy something.  I feel much more comfortable when I bring my own, than trusting myself to find something healthy and paleo within walking distance.

[mediaguy99]

The thing I have to say about yesterday, though, is that I didn't eat Paleo and it HURT!  I have no idea exactly what triggered the reflux response, but I was out on a hike when it hit and there was nothing I could do about it.  Felt awful.  But, I'm more committed because of it.

[mediaguy99]

Today's workout:

 

30 min of run/walk; 3 min on/1 min walk.  Felt good though my ab is still bothering me a little.

 

For the strength workout, I tried to incorporate the new challenge exercises AMRAPs.  I'm doing something other than squats because of PT.

 

Strength workout stats

Pull ups 7, 3,3,3,3 (AMRAP for first set)

Push ups 26 (AMRAP)

OHP 3x8x55

Side leg swing 1x8x12.5; 2x8x10

Hanging knee raise 15

Single leg lunge off a box 10,27 (AMRAP)

Push ups 26 (AMRAP)

Abductors 3x10x95

 

Unfortunately my lunch is at home in the fridge.  So I had the pleasure of eating a banana before the workout, and an apple with peanut butter for lunch, followed by a protein shake.  I should say, that for me peanut butter is "close enough" to paleo to count.  Plus it doesn't trigger my GERD so it's OK.  Protein shakes are clearly NOT paleo but I don't know if I could eat enough meat to get enough protein, so I bend the rules for that stuff too.  There's actually a bunch of little short cuts that live up to the spirit and results of what I'm doing paleo for in the first place.  I'm guessing I'll be a little hungry for the next few hours but I get off at 4 so I should live....  There's always my emergency can of pineapple chunks....  No really, it's sitting on my desk WAITING for an emergency.

 

[Manarelle]

Woot, grats on week 0 success! Sucks that you got hit while out hiking, but as you say, it's motivation to do better next time. And since the goal of paleo is to help your stomach, I'd say "paleo-ish that doesn't affect you" is a good benchmark.  

 

I did a double major at CU in Russian and Linguistics, minor in French. Loved Colorado, would much rather have stayed there than moved to the East Coast, but since my gentleman had a job out here and I didn't have one in CO.... alas. 

[mediaguy99]

Remembered my lunch today.  That's a win.  Last night's dinner was a win too--grilled turkey burger patty, with a ton of steamed carrots, broccoli, and red peppers, and I cut up a pineapple, and grilled two lengths of it while making the turkey burger.  I had forgotten how delicious grilled pineapple is.. MMM!!!  So for breakfast this morning I had a pineapple-spinach smoothie, instead of my usual berry-spinach smoothie.  Also so delicious.  

 

Today is a "rest" day, so I'll just be doing yoga at lunch.  It's still a gym workout yoga class, but it's not super intense and it's convenient and free, so I'll take it.  It's nice just to have an easy day--the past seven have been fairly intense.

 

Oh, and last night I FINALLY got on the ground and did the ENTIRE new PT workout.  It was actually only 15 min and I can see how doing it every day will help strengthen my core.  I am still not feeling like my rectus abdominus longus (RAL for short) is actually healing.  My PT keeps assuring me that it'll heal, and I just need to give it time, but it's been months now...  It's a tad frustrating.

[mediaguy99]

Wednesday!  Good day, though I'm not sure what the workout schedule will be for today.  I've got a film shooting over the lunch hour and I find it very hard to workout after lunch.  Should have paid more attention as there's a HIIT class at the rec center this morning, that started one minute ago.  Would have liked that but it's fine, even if I don't get a workout in I'm still on track for the week.  It's just it's the last week before the students get back and we are mostly slammed here at the University.

 

Last night was a tiny win, because I was literally getting in bed when I remembered I hadn't done my PT yet.  So, I got out of bed, threw on some sweats, and got down on the floor and did it all.

 

In other news, we went out for dinner last night.  I had garlic mashed potatoes and pulled pork, which I thought would work fine, and unfortunately it didn't.  So chalk that up to GERD.  I'm partly thinking it's just because I ate too much, which I'm wont to do when we go out because my wife eats so much more slowly than I do... and I end up eating more of what's on my plate (or in my bowl in this case) than I would if I wasn't just sitting there waiting for them to be done.  My own fault, since I am the one eating like it's going out of style.

 

I need to put together a list of all the hobbies and activities I like doing--there's a LOT!--so I can prioritize them.  I'm a little flighty when it comes to extracurricular activities, and go from one to the next without giving any of them the time they deserve.  For a few years, I had a balance between aerial work, family, work, and gaming.  Before that, I was trying to squeeze working on a musical into my life.  But these days other things seem to have caught my interest and now I'm a little less focused.  Especially since my injury, since that has kept me out of the air for some time now   BUT, I don't know how I feel about going back up!   OK enough blather about all that.  First world problems, right?  

[sylph]

2 minutes ago, mediaguy99 said:

Last night was a tiny win, because I was literally getting in bed when I remembered I hadn't done my PT yet.  So, I got out of bed, threw on some sweats, and got down on the floor and did it all.

 

 

Especially since my injury, since that has kept me out of the air for some time now   BUT, I don't know how I feel about going back up!   OK enough blather about all that.  First world problems, right?  

that is an excellent win! The chances of me getting out of bed after I've settled in for the night are slim to none.

 

Nervous about getting back into the air? I had the same issue (though obviously for different reasons). Are your main concerns re-injury or skill loss or strength reduction or? For me, I found it really helpful to figure out WHY I was nervous then decide how I was going to address that issue.

[mediaguy99]

20 minutes ago, sylph said:

Nervous about getting back into the air? I had the same issue (though obviously for different reasons). Are your main concerns re-injury or skill loss or strength reduction or? For me, I found it really helpful to figure out WHY I was nervous then decide how I was going to address that issue.

 

Thanks for your thoughts on this.  You've really gotten me thinking, and I don't know if I'd categorize it as nervousness.  I just have a LOT of things I like to do, and need to prioritize.  I'm not sure where aerial fits.  I am slightly concerned that I will encounter pain (of the wrong kind) in doing some of the things I know how to do.  Pain would mean "get off the bar now" which isn't something I'd be psyched about.  I know I'll be a bit weaker, especially through the core.  I also figure my skills/grace on the bar will be down a bit.  Plus the class is a mixed level class--no beginners, though also will include students who are at the top of their game.  And, since I haven't been in six months, few will know me except the teachers.  And of course I'll likely be the only guy, and the only 40+ year old.... so there's that special feeling...  Plus the classes are expensive, they take time away from my family, and they preclude doing other things (like D&D or live theatre).  For example, I've got an audition next weekend for a show that would start rehearsing in March for a performances in May, but if I were going to get right back in the air, I'd also like to audition for the aerial performance company (which would be tonight) which rehearses just once a week, but through May.  So... it's a question of priority, and money, and family.  And I keep putting off the aerial performance opportunity.  

 

AND, to make matters in my disorganized brain worse, one of my aerial mentors (Bob Davidson) died in December.  He was the movement coach for the National Theatre Conservatory at the Denver Center, and was one of the real pioneers of aerial dance.  I'd taken workshops with him, and been in a show that he choreographed, and had finally decided to put the money down to take his fall semester class in Denver, when I got diagnosed with my ab injury.  I cancelled taking the class--and I'm more than a little distraught that I'll never have that opportunity again, and so THAT experience drives me to want to stick with the aerial at any cost, ie, not pass up any opportunity.

 

I think I need to look at the possible rehearsal schedules for both of those shows, and see if it'd be possible to work on them both.

 

EDIT:  It's not possible.  The shows conflict this year

[Manarelle]

Sorry to hear about your mentor, and the schedule conflict. Personal opinion on the part about being the only guy, and only 40+ is... to heck with that. I'm often the only female and the only 35+ at parkour and I've decided it does the hotheaded young bucks good to have to slow down and work on form 1 day a week.  I realize there are other concerns you brought up with the aerials class, but don't let "I'll be the only" hold you back!

[otterbyte]

2 hours ago, Manarelle said:

 don't let "I'll be the only" hold you back!

 

I'm going to print out this advice and frame it so that when it's time for me to sign up for parkour later this year, I don't chicken out! -said the 47yo lady

[mediaguy99]

I generally don't let the "I'll be the only" thing get in my way.  But, sometimes there comes a point where I realize I'm old enough to be most of the women at the aerial studio's dad.  At which point it's just a little funny, in my head.

 

Today is turning out to be not the day I had hoped for.  We're super slammed at work, and I've got D&D tonight, so I'm not sure how I'm going to fit any kind of workout in, except for my PT routine before bed.  Tomorrow I can try to make up for it by running and lifting, but I'll have to be careful not to over do it as I have Aerial on Saturday and don't want to give myself the DOMS in the upper body...

[otterbyte]

18 minutes ago, mediaguy99 said:

I generally don't let the "I'll be the only" thing get in my way.  But, sometimes there comes a point where I realize I'm old enough to be most of the women at the aerial studio's dad.  At which point it's just a little funny, in my head.

 

Just don't offer to do their homework after class, and you should be okay. 

[mediaguy99]

16 minutes ago, otterbyte said:

 

Just don't offer to do their homework after class, and you should be okay.