2013: The Year of Me Getting It Together

[jakebruno]

Greetings, Rebels.

I'm Brandon. I'm here with jofalltrades.

2012 was an interesting year. I got the guitar I'd been lusting after for almost a year, got my first tattoo, got a wonderful girlfriend (well, technically two days earlier in 2011, but you get the point), moved across the country, got a promotion, was asked to officiate one of my best friend's wedding... mostly things are going pretty well.

But for some reason, lately, I've been kind of unhappy with things. It took some serious thought on my part, and seeing Jess start to get motivated to work out more for me to realize that I'm unhappy with unhealthy and say "Enough is enough. Time to get off my ass and do this."

I've dieted/worked out in the past, and went from the heaviest of my life (210) to the lowest of my adult life (180ish). That was just me eating a bit better and working out lots. Since then, I've come back up. Not all the way, but closer than I'd like. Now that I have a plan - a real, solid, PLAN - and a community to lean on for accountability, I know the sky's the limit.

I eat junk food a lot, and I'm not a gym rat. That's partially due to me being lazy, and partially due to my messed-up schedule (example week - Sunday: 11-8, Monday 2-10, Tuesday/Wednesday off, Thursday 2-10, Friday 9-5, Saturday 1-9)... yay retail. So I googled "body weight exercises" because I know that's something I can force into my schedule, and found the Batman Bodyweight Workout. I'm a nerd, so it took me about .03 seconds to click that link. And then keep reading this site. And then start to look at the Paleo diet. And then Mark's Daily Apple. And then... it was nearly 2 am and I had to go to bed. So we talked the next day, and looked into it, and with the new year right around the corner... we're going for this. Paleo diet, primal lifestyle.

The biggest roadblock I can foresee is my schedule. I often don't get home until 11 or after. It's going to be rough for me to get up early and make breakfast (and then go work out). It's going to be rough for me to get home and not want to snack. Anyone else with weird schedules have any advice on this? I'm hoping that going primal will help me get some of the energy that I've missed, but... I'm worried that my tiredness will present a major stumble.

Anyways, I ramble on quite a bit. I'm ready for this. Rebels - let's do this.

[JessOfAllTrades]

Glad to see you posted your introduction post.

[Laureleye]

There is a great breakfast thread, that includes a bunch of pre-cooked mini-omlets. I just cook an extra portion of dinner and take that for my lunch the next day. I also take fruit and portion-controlled bags of nuts with me for snacks. If you don't come home famished it's easier to eat smart. I think it's great that you've joined together. Welcome to the rebellion.

[Defrock]

It's so great that the two of you are doing this together! I'm very envious!

While I have a pretty weird schedule, though not as weird as yours, I can't be of much help to you because I work out during my lunch break. It's in the middle of the day so I have a fair amount of energy, and my boss is nice enough to let me eat my lunch at my desk those days, that or she doesn't really know. But I hear you on morning workouts. I'm not a morning person. But I did manage to force my butt out of bed to make a 6 a.m. stocking shift when I worked at a cafe on campus. Lifting gallons of milk bags gets to be pretty tiresome at that time in the morning.

[Aqweei]

Greetings, Rebels.

I'm Brandon. I'm here with jofalltrades.

2012 was an interesting year. I got the guitar I'd been lusting after for almost a year, got my first tattoo, got a wonderful girlfriend (well, technically two days earlier in 2011, but you get the point), moved across the country, got a promotion, was asked to officiate one of my best friend's wedding... mostly things are going pretty well.

But for some reason, lately, I've been kind of unhappy with things. It took some serious thought on my part, and seeing Jess start to get motivated to work out more for me to realize that I'm unhappy with unhealthy and say "Enough is enough. Time to get off my ass and do this."

I've dieted/worked out in the past, and went from the heaviest of my life (210) to the lowest of my adult life (180ish). That was just me eating a bit better and working out lots. Since then, I've come back up. Not all the way, but closer than I'd like. Now that I have a plan - a real, solid, PLAN - and a community to lean on for accountability, I know the sky's the limit.

I eat junk food a lot, and I'm not a gym rat. That's partially due to me being lazy, and partially due to my messed-up schedule (example week - Sunday: 11-8, Monday 2-10, Tuesday/Wednesday off, Thursday 2-10, Friday 9-5, Saturday 1-9)... yay retail. So I googled "body weight exercises" because I know that's something I can force into my schedule, and found the Batman Bodyweight Workout. I'm a nerd, so it took me about .03 seconds to click that link. And then keep reading this site. And then start to look at the Paleo diet. And then Mark's Daily Apple. And then... it was nearly 2 am and I had to go to bed. So we talked the next day, and looked into it, and with the new year right around the corner... we're going for this. Paleo diet, primal lifestyle.

The biggest roadblock I can foresee is my schedule. I often don't get home until 11 or after. It's going to be rough for me to get up early and make breakfast (and then go work out). It's going to be rough for me to get home and not want to snack. Anyone else with weird schedules have any advice on this? I'm hoping that going primal will help me get some of the energy that I've missed, but... I'm worried that my tiredness will present a major stumble.

Anyways, I ramble on quite a bit. I'm ready for this. Rebels - let's do this.

 

Sounds like you know what you want and are going to get after it. I used to suffer from the retail schedule woes (burn Walmart BURN) and then I finally went 3rd shift just so I could have a set schedule every night. The Fiance didnt really like it but luckily within a month I was offered a new job with an awesome schedule. Keep your head up and maybe your schedule will work out as well! 

 

I am also looking forward to making 2013 an even better year than 2012 was. I think you guys are going to rock this challenge! I know for me personally it is much easier for me when my Fiance is also trying to better herself because we can lean on each other for support. Good luck!