A Shy Hello

[alannamoonlight]

Hi, all! I'm going by the name Alanna Moonlight here because I love the Lioness Quartet by Tamora Pierce. And, while I'm hesitant to post much identifying information for the moment, I realize it might help to paint a picture of me: I'm a librarian and avid needlecrafter, so a lot of my time during the week is peaceful and quiet, but very sedentary! Some of my favorite books are A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and several Tamora Pierce series, I love both Star Wars and Star Trek, but also old-fashioned comfort shows like Little House on the Prairie.

 

I have been wanting some sort of fitness accountability or tracking system for a while, as I've found that during periods of my life when I am getting good exercise, I'm much happier, less anxious, and I sleep soundly and can bounce out of bed better in the morning, but being busy with work, school, and family life, I don't prioritize it enough. FitBits are great, but honestly, stats alone have never motivated me to stick to schedules or goals.

 

I'm not an unhealthy weight, but I do lack muscle tone and general bodily fitness. I would love to get comfortable with a regular routine of resistance/weight training, and just generally be more sound of body long term. I also am working on improving my diet and sleep patterns. (Working on day 2/28 of no caffeine!) Currently the only thing I have done consistently since May (when I had a break in semesters and was going to the gym regularly) is go horseback riding, which I love dearly, and want to maintain as part of my balance, breathing, and bodily exercise.

 

I have myself marked down as a Rebel right now, since my preferences for exercise and activity include cardio, walks and hikes, horseback riding (mostly in an arena), yoga, and some baby steps in weight training when I get guidance from my husband. I'm tempted to call myself a Ranger because that's my favorite class to play as in Guild Wars, and it seems to suit my long-term ideal picture of myself, but feel I have yet to earn it in real life! 

 

I've set some modest goals for myself in the Level 1 4-week challenge, and I have brainstormed a few more that I think would be good to tackle with the right accountability...one thing at a time, though!

[JustChris]

Welcome aboard! I just love the sound of that sedentary lifestyle. Sounds so nice and zen-like.

 

If you ever need someone to chat to in regards to weightlifting, do give me a shout! It's a fantastic thing to add to a resume of fitness and everyone, man or woman, benefits greatly from building some strength (and lets be real, we wanna look awesome aswell :D)

[alannamoonlight]

8 hours ago, JustChris said:

Welcome aboard! I just love the sound of that sedentary lifestyle. Sounds so nice and zen-like.

 

If you ever need someone to chat to in regards to weightlifting, do give me a shout! It's a fantastic thing to add to a resume of fitness and everyone, man or woman, benefits greatly from building some strength (and lets be real, we wanna look awesome aswell :D)

 

Thanks! It is definitely zen, but I can't claim it's that healthy! *corrects slouch*

 

I just might in the near future! I have some very light free weight stuff on my own, including this morning, but am looking at putting together some sort of consistent set of exercises (A "routine," you might say...what a concept) that make sense rather than plucking ones from a list that I can remember proper form for.

[JustChris]

Well, the best advise I can give that I wish someone gave me when I started is simply, keep it simple! And by simple I mean focus on the main compound movements ie. Deadlift, squat, bench, pullups. Also, I found it so much more beneficial to go with hard and short workouts rather than light and long. Many women are under the misconception that they'll look like Arnold if they look in the general direction of a dumbell. Sad truth is, we gotta work twice as hard to gain half the results of the fellas Also saves a lot of time. 3 hours in the gym every day? Aint nobody got time for that!  ... Well I do cause I'm on sickleave, but thats not the point!

[Wobbegong]

Hey Alanna! I stopped by earlier today but got distracted before I could welcome you to the fold.  So welcome! 

 

On 10/23/2017 at 12:23 PM, alannamoonlight said:

I have myself marked down as a Rebel right now

You should totally join Rebel, we are the best. Not that I have any particular bias... of course...   

 

It looks like you've already gotten set up with your first challenge over with Hazard in the Lv1 guild, which is fantastic and a great place to start. I'll be on the lookout for you in Rebel next challenge! Don't forget! 

 

10 hours ago, JustChris said:

Many women are under the misconception that they'll look like Arnold if they look in the general direction of a dumbell.

Preach. Even without weights, you can have great success with bodyweight workouts to get started. Or you can go ahead and jump into weighted training if that's convenient. There's no better or worse, just different.

 

On 10/23/2017 at 12:23 PM, alannamoonlight said:

I love the Lioness Quartet by Tamora Pierce

I've been meaning to reread this series lately... thanks for the reminder. I'm gonna go get started right now. 

Best of luck with your fitness journey, and feel free to reach out to me or anyone else on the forums, really, if you need anything! We're a friendly bunch and always happy to help.