UnquietBones brings the SCIENCE!

[UnquietBones]

This year's challenges haven't gone so well, mostly due to unexpected issues popping up and derailing me. 2017 is supposed to be the year that I start focusing on NerdFitness and all the joys of the forums, but so far I'm still slipping gears. I haven't figured out How To Assassin yet, but I'm not giving up the fight!

 

So this challenge I'm still going to be chasing the AIBARNs (Am I Being Assassin-y Right Now), but I'm going to be focusing on how I am getting those small wins. The goal is to figure out what I can do to rearrange my life to encourage them! So it's SCIENCE! in the experimental sense and I'm going to make you all suffer through my experimentations! MWHAHAHAHA!

 

General Experimental Themes

1. Eat Better

 1a. Eat Less

2. Move More

 2a. Kick butt in the Mini!

 

Current Historical Constants

• I am very easy to derail into focusing on other things
• I stress eat
• I don't do daily tracking well
• I overcommit and run out of time

[UnquietBones]

Experiment #1 - Overcommitting

 

Hypothesis: Overcommitting makes the To Do List seem overwhelming and nothing gets done.

Prediction: If I reduce my commitments then I will have less time constraints and I will be able to focus more on eating well and being Assassin-y.

Experiment: For the length of this challenge, refuse new commitments and reduce existing commitments.

 

Existing Commitments to Other People (with deadlines)

- Painting/sculpting multiple custom model horses for an existing order

- Researching and Leading a discussion on publishing (high level) for the library writers group (June 7th) - Canceled by Group Leader

- Formatting and uploading my line-by-line critique/reader's review of a novel

- Mailing out model horse live show donations - Done!

- 6/2 Paint at least 10 more dolphin magnets (by October) - The requestor changed their mind

- 6/4 Sculpt more fat animal magnets (no due date)

 

Existing Commitments to Myself (daily)

- Family/Pets/Chores/Work/aka Normal Life

- NerdFitness!

- Non-commission artwork

- Creative writing/Blogging

[UnquietBones]

Experiment #2 - Eating Dinner In

 

Hypothesis: I am eating out because it is the path of least resistance.

Prediction: If I stock the house with quick meals I won't eat out.

Experiment: Attempt organized meal planning for dinner for the length of the challenge.

[UnquietBones]

Experiment #3 - Kicking Mini Butt!

 

Hypothesis: I fail at Mini's because I do not make participating in them a priority in my day.

Prediction: If I have a plan for daily participation for mini challenges and setup reminders, I will be more successful.

Experiment: I will create a plan for the Munchkin Challenge and set up some system of reminders that the plan exists!

[UnquietBones]

I think three experiments are enough for now... if I end up succeeding BEYOND MY WILDEST DREAMS then I will add more.

[Mike Wazowski]

Science!!!!!!!! Love the hypothesis structure, following along!

[UnquietBones]

Because I worked a 14+ hours day on monday I'm taking today as a pseudo-vacation day. Which means plenty of time to earn some points for the mini!

 

Using this post to keep track and I will total it up later (Including all of this week's counts on it because I am lazy. :p)

 

Wall push-ups: 10, 10, 5, 10, 10, 11, 10, 10, 5, 9, 10, 10, 10, 10

Arm Circles (seconds): 8, 5, 10, 10, 10, 7, 12, 2, 5, 3, 8, (and yes I was just rounding things to 10's ), 10, 10

Calf Raises: 3, 3, 3, 3, 3 (sadly I did not go up and down the stairs much this week) ((I stop and do these each time I take the stairs))

[UnquietBones]

Tomorrow is the first official day of the challenge and I am soooo not prepared! *scurries about*

 

Ignore that!! Here have pictures of reeeeeally old custom unicorns I did instead! *deploys the Image Chaff*

 

 

[Manarelle]

On 5/23/2017 at 6:58 AM, UnquietBones said:

Hypothesis: Overcommitting makes the To Do List seem overwhelming and nothing gets done.

 

On 5/23/2017 at 7:37 AM, UnquietBones said:

I think three experiments are enough for now...

 

Fast learner....  You've got this. 

[UnquietBones]

So, work has upped it's 'pay to walk' program to the point where I will need to walk 14,000 steps EVERY day in order to attain the top prize ($125 every three months). This is a significant change to the program (basically doubling the required effort), so I spent the workday taking random walk breaks in revenge. *grumps*

 

But that means I'm a bit more motivated than I was to walk so... good thing? Not sure if it's going to just be frustrating or not, getting 14k steps on a daily basis seems pretty much impossible right now and I think the math only allows for missing that goal maybe two days out of every 90 day challenge window. 

 

Anywho, I am home and trying to catch up with the mini. I've done maybe 30 wall pushups all week (I need to check my notes) so I'm off to the races today! (I'll be updating this post as I do things).

 

Wall Pushups : 8

Calf Raises : 5

 

[Mr.Six]

1 hour ago, UnquietBones said:

I spent the workday taking random walk breaks in revenge.

Hahahaha, stick it to them!  Even though 14k is pretty huge, you've got my support!

 

 

[UnquietBones]

I've been bad about updating this thread, arg! Anywho here are the experimentation results so far...

 

Experiment #1 - Overcommitting

Apparently I do this without thinking about it. Thankfully none of the new commitments are due any time soon, but I agreed to three more art projects. *sighs* I only remembered about this experiment after I had said yes. The due dates for these are out in the future, but I'm a little stumped as to how I'm going to keep this experiment in the front of my mind. I'm a bit scatterbrained as a rule, so unless I have someone following me around interrupting my conversations... gah! *flails about*

 

 Experiment #2 - Eating Dinner In

I haven't done meal planning or proper fridge-stocking, but on those days where we have the materials at hand dinner has been cooked! So if I put a little more priority on this, it should get better. I have lunch to bring all this week, so win!

 

Experiment #3 - Kicking Mini Butt!

Horrible, horrible failure so far! Mostly because I have been distracted by a thousand other things. I even forgot to log my points for last week!!  We're up for battle this time, so I need to make sure I get things done. *rolls up sleeves and goes to post numbers from yesterday*

 

------------------------------------------------------------

 

Phooey on looking silly at work, I'm starting these early today!

 

Wall pushups: 10

Arm circles: 10 seconds

 

------------------------------------------------------------

Experiment #1 - Overcommitting

Oooo... idea! I can make a 'commitments list' for all the projects so I have a better idea of what I've promised to get done each month. If I can get in that habit, then when people ask me I'll check the calendar... and remember!  Maybe? ... To Google Docs!

[Manarelle]

3 hours ago, UnquietBones said:

Experiment #1 - Overcommitting

Oooo... idea! I can make a 'commitments list' for all the projects so I have a better idea of what I've promised to get done each month. If I can get in that habit, then when people ask me I'll check the calendar... and remember!  Maybe? ... To Google Docs!

 

Sounds like a good plan. That way even if you're overcommitted for a given time, you can suggest a different time instead of just flat-out saying no, if that's what's causing you to be overcommitted. Also, have a plan for if someone asks you and you're not in a place to check your commitment sheet - will you say you need to check your sheet, or ask them to email you so you can check later and reply? Put them on hold while you look it up? Have a plan ahead of time!

[UnquietBones]

Experiment #1 - Overcommitting

I'm still hammering out the formatting of the 'things I've already committed to' spreadsheet. It was a good idea, but when I sat down to make it I ended up with a much more complex layout that still doesn't quite work. I'm hoping to have it hammered out by the end of the week. *crosses fingers* In an unrelated note, I got to check off one of the items because the group leader changed the scheduling around, so yay?

 

Experiment #2 - Eating Dinner In

This experiment has had a 100% success rate! ...As long as something else doesn't come up and interfere with it.  We've had dinner at home multiple nights in a row and it hasn't felt at all like a burden. (To be fair, hubby has been doing a lot of the cooking so far, but he's on summer vacation.) I'm very pleased with this and I'm hoping we can keep it up!

 

Experiment #3 - Kicking Mini Butt!

This is not going at all as well as I had hoped. I keep getting distracted by other things and although I start out strong I don't keep up the effort. I'm still coming home and after a small flurry of activity, I'm sitting down and not moving much. (I did spent most of yesterday asleep due to allergy spike, but Monday wasn't much better.) I need to work hard on this one!

 

Onwards...

 

[Manarelle]

Any luck on the overcommitting spreadsheet? Glad to hear the dinner thing is working out, those pre-made meals look delicious and healthy and not too much of a bother to make. 

 

If you're looking for motivation to kick things up on the mini, this would be a good time to read up on the team thread.  I've had a lot of luck with GtG (grease the groove) small exercises throughout the day. Have a moment to stand up and stretch? Do 5 pushups real fast. Going to the bathroom? Do a quick set of knees-up run-in-place or similar. Those little numbers really add up, and it's not the huge commitment of getting changed and sorting out a workout. 

 

Hope your allergies give you a break soon. 

[Mr.Six]

58 minutes ago, Manarelle said:

If you're looking for motivation to kick things up on the mini, this would be a good time to read up on the team thread.  I've had a lot of luck with GtG (grease the groove) small exercises throughout the day. Have a moment to stand up and stretch? Do 5 pushups real fast. Going to the bathroom? Do a quick set of knees-up run-in-place or similar. Those little numbers really add up, and it's not the huge commitment of getting changed and sorting out a workout.

 

I completely second this.  I've referred to my style as guerilla workouts in the past because I don't normally have a block of time to work out during the day between work and kids.  So like Manarelle said, I throw in short, single sets of challenging exercises throughout my day.

 

Also, those pre-pack meals do look delicious I need to track something like that down.

[UnquietBones]

Experiment #1 - Overcommitting

Meeeeeeh, I am bad at spreadsheets! Or at least designing ones that are effective. I'm thinking of caving and getting a bullet journal. *pokes idea with a stick* But on a good-ish note, I haven't added anything to the piles!  (Well, okay, there was an Etsy order for a custom base that came in, but that's totally not the same thing.)

 

Experiment #2 - Eating Dinner In

I have done zero meal planning, but when we have food in the house to cook... we cook it. So win-ish? I need to get better at looking at the fridge each night and seeing what's for dinner the next day. Or, you know, meal planning. *sighs* 

 

Experiment #3 - Kicking Mini Butt!

I've actually been doing decently at the mini this time around, although I'm nowhere near the big hitters it's fun to try and catch-up with the group average!  I've gotten a lot more 'random movement throughout the day' done than I have focused workouts, but movement is movement! I'm still a bit scatterbrained with this, so it's something I need to keep focusing on in the next challenge. Mountains, teaspoons, natch!

 

So... good things since last time!

 

I built a new cardboard storage shelving for the magnets. The rails still need a little tweaking (need to add a few more pieces to them) but it's nice and sturdy. There's a panel on the back that hangs down behind the bookshelf so it doesn't tip and reinforcement on the sides. The rubberbands are just a temporary fix (maybe) to keep it from bowing. Not bad for $4.00 worth of cardboard and maybe $2 worth of woodglue!

 

Taft the Cat helped build it... because reasons.

 

I finished off a few more dolphin magnets, so the pod looks pretty impressive right now!

 

I had a short trip to Disney in which dad dragged me around to the tune of 17k+ steps a day... but I still got in my random mini exercises!

[UnquietBones]

It's the last day of the challenge... and this one went pretty well!

 

Experiment #1 - Overcommitting

Hypothesis: Overcommitting makes the To Do List seem overwhelming and nothing gets done.

Prediction: If I reduce my commitments then I will have less time constraints and I will be able to focus more on eating well and being Assassin-y.

Experiment: For the length of this challenge, refuse new commitments and reduce existing commitments.

 

I almost almost agreed to start running model horse live shows again... but I remembered that I'm NOT SUPPOSED TO BE ADDING THINGS TO THE LIST OMG SELF! So in the end I only managed to add the 'Sculpt more Fat Animal magnets' to the workload and that has no official due date. I've got a spreadsheet hashed out that sort-of-mostly-works, so I'll be including this challenge going forward, for sanity's sake. NF needs to be my priority this year!

 

Experiment #2 - Eating Dinner In

Hypothesis: I am eating out because it is the path of least resistance.

Prediction: If I stock the house with quick meals I won't eat out.

Experiment: Attempt organized meal planning for dinner for the length of the challenge.

 

I might not have succeeded in the meal planning side of things, but so far the household has an almost 100% success rate for cooking dinner if dinner materials are in the house. And we made an effort to make sure they were there! I need to roll this challenge into the next one as well, since diet is apparently the cause of 99.999999% of weight loss. I may actually make that the focus of the next challenge... I had a lot of fun cooking with that one superhero mini!

 

Experiment #3 - Kicking Mini Butt!

Hypothesis: I fail at Mini's because I do not make participating in them a priority in my day.

Prediction: If I have a plan for daily participation for mini challenges and setup reminders, I will be more successful.

Experiment: I will create a plan for the Munchkin Challenge and set up some system of reminders that the plan exists! 

 

*dance**dance**dance**dance**dance**dance**dance**dance**dance* VICTORY!

 

Now to brainstorm the details of the next challenge...

 

Whoops, forgot the fun photos!

 

Someone Flamingo'd my lawn, starting with one bird and slowly expanding to this flock... turns out it was my hubby!

 

I've been having a lot of fun working on the custom bases (and fencing) for an order off the Etsy store so I'm thinking of doing a few more just for fun...

 

It's nice out so I've started playing Pokemon Go again... can't wait until the new gym updates are there!

[UnquietBones]

I have been thinking MANY THINKY THOUGHTS on what to do for the next challenge. What Assassin-y things shall I attempt? What new and interesting skills shall I learn??

 

Other than 'The Art of Not Eating Like A Five Year-old' of course.

 

But it's a four week challenge and I'm trying to think of something that I could learn fast enough to get visibly better at in 28 days. I don't know if there is a physical skill that improves that quickly (I've honestly never tried to learn how to do things outside of a class) so I might need to work on habit forming instead. ...But I sort of want to have a new trick to show off at the end of things! ^_^;;

 

Because of the changes to the Virgin Pulse program at work, I'm going to be spending 45min on the treadmill everyday playing Final Fantasy, so by the end of July I should have my 'look at this nifty thing I learned how to do!' street cred back for that.

 

I did join the NerdFitness Academy back in February when they had the sale... and haven't touched it since. *facepalm* That might not be a bad place to start! *goes off to look over the actually content/coursework again*

 

[UnquietBones]

After re-reading the missions for the first 12 weeks of the Academy, it looks like that wouldn't be a bad place to start. So I'm hereby declaring this to be Week 1 and it's time to start checking off some things!

 

Also, I need to get the treadmill walking thing done every day until the end of June in order to hit max level for the current Virgin Pulse challenge, so no better time to start than now!

[Manarelle]

Sounds like you learned some good things from this challenge, and are ready to put them to use in the next one. Grats on saying no to overloading yourself more, that's a huge step! Keep up the great work!

[UnquietBones]

16 hours ago, Manarelle said:

Sounds like you learned some good things from this challenge, and are ready to put them to use in the next one. Grats on saying no to overloading yourself more, that's a huge step! Keep up the great work!

 

The amusing thing is that with these wins my brain immediately wants to go into overdrive mode and try to do ALL THE THINGS again for next challenge. I was looking at the Academy stuff and I was thinking 'oh I can do a bunch of weeks at a time, this stuff is easy!'. 

 

Looks like the new challenge forums are open, so time to start my thread... *goes off to brainstorm a cool name*