kamen rider SkiBlue Keeps Fighting for the Power Up

[SkiBlue]

When you first get your Driver and become a Kamen Rider, the path is never always crystal clear. You may win a few battles here and there, but there's an element of struggle. You're not sure how to use this power that you've been given. While you're struggling with that, your battles keep seeming easier and easier until you hit your first hurdle; a new opponent who's stronger than you. That's when it becomes clear; all those previous struggles were meant to prepare you for that first power up in order to defeat said opponent, so you can find your purpose.

 

Sure, I feel like I've won a few of these first battles last challenge, but a few opponents that ran away before have returned, and they brought friends. I'm not at that hurdle yet, but I know it's coming. It's time I focus on what I'm really struggling with this month in order to be ready for my soon-to-come power up.

 

 

Goals for this challenge are as follows:

1. Continue to attend class a minimum of two times each week and stretch daily. I did well with class attendance last month, but I relied heavily on gaining that sticker to do so. Going to add it again so it becomes a habit that no longer needs a sticker. Stretching didn't go so well, so it's back to get better.
2. Continue to journal daily and track all food and drinks in MFP. I did well with the journaling, but it followed the same as the one above; get dat sticker. I'm keeping it until I don't need it and adding my tracking to it as well. This is something I started recently, but it's been sporadic, and I don't want it to be, so there.
3. Follow elimination protocol for caloric drinks, especially coffee-containing substances. I feel like I got a handle on my treats, so I'm moving on to a sub-par habit that I've picked up. I've been drinking the not-optimal coffee options for caffeine (see this chart for reference; I'm mocha and frappuccino -.-). This usually only happens when I succumb to Big Food, but I'll need to be extra conscious about it for when I do. Typical protocol; toss 1/4 for first two weeks, then progress to 1/2 for the second.
4. Eat a home cooked or prepared meal for breakfast AND lunch a minimum of three times a week. Yeah, I know I was working on vegetables last month, but I really noticed just how badly I struggled with just EATING the food I brought to work and being too lazy in the morning to get up early enough to eat at home. It hurts my gut, waistline, and wallet, so I'm going to focus on this for now. It doesn't need to be squeaky clean, but it should still increase the quality of my food and decrease the quantity.

I'm set with my strategy, now it's time to implement! Here comes Week Zero!

 

 

Spoiler

Completely off topic: CHECK OUT THE NEW REBOOTED SPACE THEME SUPER SENTAI (POWER RANGERS) THEY LOOK SO AWESOME!! And here I thought I'd stick with just Kamen Rider... http://super-gif-taihen.tumblr.com/post/156710483222

 

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

Following along again.

[Marauder]

Yay stickers!

[tourennatrix]

<3 yaaaay

[SkiBlue]

21 hours ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

Following along again.

 

21 hours ago, Marauder said:

Yay stickers!

 

21 hours ago, tourennatrix said:

<3 yaaaay

 

Y'all are the best! <3

 

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

The Challenge starts today, I hope you have a big pile of shiny stickers for all the awesome you're about to do.

[SkiBlue]

On 2/12/2017 at 11:18 AM, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

The Challenge starts today, I hope you have a big pile of shiny stickers for all the awesome you're about to do.

 

DANG IT THE CHALLENGE STARTED SUNDAY DIDN'T IT?! >.< I guess that means MY challenge will run an extra day to make up for it.

 

Week Zero was a good test of the water, at least for the breakfast and lunch goals. The Husband and I are on the same page there; we should really just focus on eating stuff at home that we know we'll actually eat, then slowly transition to making it cleaner. Life is always better when we're working together!  However, I will be honest; I was playing far too much Story of Seasons and Warmahordes last week, so all those other goals that I was trying to turn into habits were forgotten. But that's okay; I wasn't going to be earning stickers for Week Zero (this time; thinking I might challenge myself next time). 

 

Monday Recap:

• Class & Stretching: Double Check! 
• Journal & Food Tracking: Check!
• Elimination Protocol: Miss.
• Prepped Food Consumed: Double Check!

I pushed through the sludge in my body and brain yesterday, even though it kinda sucked. Woke up a little late, but made myself eat something (and pack lunch) before leaving for work. Got hungry for lunch earlier than usual and completely forgot to dump a bit of the soda out of the can before I sat down. -.- Made it all the way home to eat dinner before class. This year's Winter Games are at the end of this week, so I pried myself away from my 3DS and got my butt to the BAC, even though I felt no where near capable of doing anything. Jotted a few thoughts and goals down right before promptly passing out afterwards. I'm not sure if it was all the gaming last week, or hormones, or what, but holy crap I felt like a rusty robot who's been booted up after hibernating for several months. I survived, and I'm glad I went.

 

Class Rundown:

Spoiler

No one showed up for the beginner's class, so Zumbi was all hyped and ready to go for OUR class. -.- I did my best to keep up with the jogging, the backwards high knees, the sashays, and the hip twisting runs (while making sure my feet picked up off the floor high enough so I didn't spiral down to the floor... again). At one point, Troy got behind me and wouldn't continue his warm-up without me. His moral support is very uplifting. <3 Thankfully, we ended up doing some kick drills and queda de rins drills (you'd have loved it, @tourennatrix). He started us off by doing a dodge combo: esquiva baxia, switching feet into an opposite negativa-rolê, then jump switch (them jumping lunges are for something other than torture!) into a compasso. It then evolved into esquiva baxia, negativa-rolê, but where you did the compasso, you swung your leg up, pushed down with your arms into a queda de rins into another negativa-rolê. We drilled the side-to-side queda de rins first, and it was all relatively difficult for me, but I tried my best. My forearms are really taking a beating and I'm honestly not sure how to help them at the moment. We had a relatively smaller class than normal, so we had extra roda time at the end, in which Zumbi played with us. Because Acrobatics is one of the classes I show up regularly for, or because he wanted to push me, or both, before Zumbi played with me, he had me try doing the aú se mão in the roda (I should try to get videos tonight). Everyone was really nice about it too; they cheered (after I figured out what Zumbi was trying to pantomime) and I got a few compliments. Sigana even told me that we need to go back tonight for more back handspring drills (OMG I FORGOT TO TELL YOU GUYS ABOUT THAT; remind me to do that sometime after work). It felt like everyone had a taste of the summer weather from the weekend and wasn't letting it go despite how cold it got afterwards. It was fun, even if it took the entire hour for me to get the hang of everything again. 

 

[tourennatrix]

Oh queda de rins, be still my heart

 

Sounds like you're rocking class. I'm totally jealous

[SkiBlue]

Proof that I'm not dead still working behind the scenes!

 

 

While I wasn't focusing a whole lot on ALL of the goals I'd set for myself this past week, I was at least aiming for one of the pair each day. Not bad, considering how crazy this week as been. Winter Games started on Thursday, but I couldn't make it because I'd forgotten about a research seminar at work (and the fact that they pushed back the times on those now), so I got home at like 7:30pm. Weekend was FULL OF CAPOEIRA AND SAMBA OH MY GOD <3. I even think I bruised the bottom of my left heel and the tendons in my forearms are feeling quite rough, but it was a great time, even if half the guest instructors for our workshops only spoke in Portuguese. 

 

Either way, now that that craziness is over (and Reba gave me a SMALL event shirt; it fits, but it could fit better  ), it's back to your regularly scheduled programming. And more goal hitting. 

[SkiBlue]

Achievement unlocked: amidst a strep throat epidemic around here, I have tonsillitis. I got antibiotics today and have been taking it easy (a few sick days from work). I've been hitting most of the goals this week though; mainly the food, elimination, and tracking. Obviously, I've not been to class since Monday (which is where I think I got it from), but it's been going. Just wanted to say I'm still here and missing class while I'm trying to swallow around golf balls.

[tourennatrix]

Ooh hoping for a speedy recovery! (Is this a thing where only one of us is allowed to go to class regularly? If so, we must have been propelled into the anti-twinsies universe and must find our way back )