zenLara wants to do all the things (again)

[Lara]

1 minute ago, deftona said:

 

I'm just going to assume everyone cried at everything I wrote when I get that notification. It simplifies everything. 

Omg, I didn't know whether to laugh or like it. Decisions, decisions.

[Lara]

omg, stop reacting to my messages!!! *getting crazy*

[SymphonicDan]

23 minutes ago, WhiteGhost said:

It's still working for me

 

I never realized there was a "quote this" function! I've always been quoting and truncating all these years  

 

Anyway, at least we don't have "NF stories" yet like on FB Messenger....

 

I feel like I should like the new darker theme, but tbh it needs tidying in a few places where they still have white borders, and then need to change the text colours so it's not dark grey on darker grey, which is annoying to read...

 

Maybe they finally fixed the activity feeds though? Although now I'm used to the workaround of just following everything I post in.

[Lara]

8 minutes ago, SymphonicDan said:

I never realized there was a "quote this" function! I've always been quoting and truncating all these years  

I got it back!!

 

8 minutes ago, SymphonicDan said:

at least we don't have "NF stories" yet like on FB Messenger....

I don't even know what that is. Sounds messy though.

 

8 minutes ago, SymphonicDan said:

Maybe they finally fixed the activity feeds though?

I remember you had trouble with that when the forums changed, but I thought it was solved as for everyone else.

[WhiteGhost]

14 minutes ago, SymphonicDan said:

Although now I'm used to the workaround of just following everything I post in

This is the only method i have for following everything...

[Lara]

Challenge is supposed to end today. I was thinking about extending it for another week, but I am not sure yet.

 

By now, let's have a recap:

 

Everyday meditation +2 WIS. I get all the points. I have meditated every day, most days morning and evening.

Lots of freggies and supplements +2 CON. All the points again. I don't seem to conceive meals without vegetables anymore. Even if it is just a carrot with some olives with a snack, vegetables are there everytime.

Daily music practice +1 CHA Excellent work here! Even with the extreme temperatures we're having I work on my technique at least 1 hour everyday, near 2 hours some days.

Cross country run +1 STA Not good. It is true that it is so hot it makes the activity difficult. Other years I've solved it going earlier in the morning, but for some reason I don't get up so early this summer, so when I am ready to go it is plain insane to do it. I don't get my point here.

Parallettes +2 STR. Not bad. Not regular enough, at least not as much as I expected in the beginning, but I have made progress. Half the points would be ok.

Floor +1 DEX Started well, lost momentum half challenge.

Sink push-ups +1 STR This has been good. Being in the PvP challenge made me take the effort of doing them everyday, and I guess that's why I made some progress with real ones. However, my arms have spent all the time being cranky this challenge, so I'm taking a rest now.

Self-defence +1 DEX ; +1 STA Not bad. After a long pause in may and june, I feel I am getting back to it. Maybe half the points is ok.

Stop reading the news +2 WIS It started better than it ended, but anyway I have considerably reduced my exposure to stressing news. I'll keep the site blocked on my computer and tempting readings on my phone.

Icelandic + 1CHA Nope. I've done some work, but far less than what I really wanted. No points.

[SymphonicDan]

1 hour ago, WhiteGhost said:

This is the only method i have for following everything...

 

You can set up a custom activity feed for all topics that you've ever posted in, but after January 2016 it broke to only show you topics that you posted in within the last 7 days. If I didn't reply for 7 days then I'd lose contact with the discussion or the forum member until/if I specifically remembered/searched for it.

[WhiteGhost]

25 minutes ago, SymphonicDan said:

 

You can set up a custom activity feed for all topics that you've ever posted in, but after January 2016 it broke to only show you topics that you posted in within the last 7 days. If I didn't reply for 7 days then I'd lose contact with the discussion or the forum member until/if I specifically remembered/searched for it.

Interesting, I will have to try and see if I can set that up

[Lara]

Now, what do I want to do next challenge.

 

This new habit I am having of taking cold showers made me take a look to the Wim Hof method @Wolfen talked about a while ago. Reading about it I found several interesting ideas that made me seriously think of taking his course. I still feel skeptical and I am sure it is not a "cure", but there are some valuable points.

One idea I found interesting was about breathing rate at rest. When you have more than 12 breathings per minute at rest, it means that your body is not actually resting, but feeling like it is working. This is a common issue for, and is related to, people that have floating anxiety and fatigue (that would be me). I checked, at different times of the day, and I am at about 18-20 breathings per minute at rest (breathing without any "intervention" on my part). Then it seems that the level of energy consumed is so high it could be at the origin of sweet/carb cravings or overeating (I have both problems. Hopefully my metabolism, or genetics, or whatever makes me look thin, but sincerely I eat a lot).

So, I tried one of the breathing exercises the method proposes, to slow your breathing. I mean, not to slow it while practicing it, that is something I can already do, but an exercise that in the long run is supposed to make your breathing better. I did it, and after it, as well as 1 hour after it, I checked and I was at 8-10 breathings per minute (right now I am back at 20 so the effect is long gone). Also, the exercise includes one part where you expel all of your air and stay there until you feel the need to breath again. My guess is that, as you have been oxygenating yourself a lot right before, you can manage to stay without air for a rather long time. I can usually hold without air for about 15-25 (this last number can be attained through some pain), but with the exercise I can hold there for about 90 seconds, which is quite a lot, without trouble or any discomfort. This is fascinating to me.

Also, there is this "brown fat" thing I had never heard of. I don't seem to have any of it  

And finally, I am sick of my cold feet in winter. It has grown to be a real problem. The feeling is intense, more than unpleasant, and persistent. I spend around 5 months of the year with my feet completely cold unless I am asleep or under hot water, and I am tired of it. It seems the combination of both cold exposure and breathing can improve circulation to the point this can totally disappear.

There are people making other claims that I am skeptical of. Some may have base, like someone with asthma saying he has gone from using his inhalator 1-2 a day, to 1-2 a week (explainable by the breathing exercises?), or the mood/energy level improvements (consequence of cold exposure?), but other people claim they are now far more strong (from 30 to 90 push-ups in one month, or from a few inclined push-ups to 12 actual push-ups in a few days in the case of one woman), and/or incredibly flexible (from sciatic nerve pain not allowing them to bend to doing the splits). All this makes me suspicious about a possible scam, or at least these being fake comments from people with economical interests.

In any case, I am curious now. Very much.

 

On a different view, I was thinking about doing a self-love challenge, after stumbling upon a post at raptitude explaining loving yourself is not about how you feel about yourself, but about which actions you take in your life to love yourself. Like, affirmations are ok, but hey, do that workout, eat better, don't indulge that much and build some self-respect by acting respectfully towards yourself. I was tempted to try that approach for my next challenge, but now I'm mulling over all this breathing-cold shiny thing.

[Mad Hatter]

6 hours ago, SymphonicDan said:

I feel like I should like the new darker theme, but tbh it needs tidying in a few places where they still have white borders, and then need to change the text colours so it's not dark grey on darker grey, which is annoying to read...

Also it's butt ugly.

 

Nice challenge Lara!! You set out to do so a huuuge number of things this challenge so even if you didn't complete all of them it's still an impressive result.  

 

[Lara]

1 hour ago, Mad Hatter said:

Nice challenge Lara!! You set out to do so a huuuge number of things this challenge so even if you didn't complete all of them it's still an impressive result.  

Thank you! I did (almost) all the things!

[karinajean]

On 8/6/2017 at 1:33 PM, zenLara said:

Thank you! I did (almost) all the things!

 

and with style! and panache!

 

seriously I love your challenges, you're so fun, and do so many interesting things, and I'm glad we're internet friends.

[Lara]

While I decide what I do next, here, a parallettes workout:

 

· jump to bent arm 2x8+10. I thought I would not be able to do the move, but I can. I jump low, but the beginning point is better than I imagined.

· one leg shoulder stand 3x6. I can even extend my leg.

· tuck swing to L-sit 3x5. It is not like I can hold the L-sit, but with the impulse of the swing I can at least stretch both my legs for a millisecond before they fall down.

· assisted inverted press 3x3 why, oh why, do these things exist.

· dive bombers 3x3+2. More difficult than they appeared. I can do the forward move fully, but when I go backwards I need my knees on the floor for the last part. Hard.

 

I'm liking phase 2. Most of moves are fun (well, ALL of them except push-ups and inverted press. Did I mention before that I hate them?)

[Lara]

14 hours ago, karinajean said:

and do so many interesting things

Haha, that is a big compliment coming from a knitter-runner-bikerider-with-a-black-belt  Thank you!

[Dagger]

Fun challenge and great job!

[Lara]

Here we are!