It has begun

[Michael_Blacksmith]

The time has come to take control and make my first steps forward toward the better me. I decided to more or less follow the challenge format, but consider the remaining time to be more of a prequel and wake up for my body, and forming the new habits that I desire. Consistency and following through with a plan is always the hardest part since I am self employed and constantly feel the pressure to be working instead of taking me time. This year is my year of change. Change my surroundings, change my attitude, change my goals, and change myself. My goals are modest, but a good start.

 

Diet: No fast food, or delivery foods

        No coffee

        No flour products

        No refined food like substances

        Keep a food log

 

Fitness: Work out every other day (boot camp routine)

             Up my reps by at least 1 every week

             One hour of Yoga on off days

 

Level up/Qualify: Successfully implement pattern welded inlay

                            Successfully forge weld an 8 core viking sword with no flux

 

A touch to clarify my level up goals. I have been supporting myself as a sword maker for the past 5 years and am pushing toward applying what I have learned to start a production line. I am also one of those tall skinny guys so I have my eyes set on operation bulk up.

Should I succeed in my diet goals I will +1 CONS.

Should I be at least 85% successful with my fitness goals I will +1 CONS and +1 strength

Should I succeed in both as well as level up then I can start at level 1

 

My challenge ends on Feb. 15

 

Time to get to work!

[Flex Luthor]

I commend you for taking the first step towards becoming healthier. I wish you all the success in the world but my honest opinion of this change is that it is too much too soon. Anytime I've tried a radical change like this it has failed. There's a reason challengers are limited to 3 fitness/diet goals and 1 life goal per challenge. It's really really hard to change more than that at once. You have 10 goals there. I would suggest getting that down to the recommended amount and doing multiple challenges. You could accomplish all of those goals in 3 challenges which would take less than 1 year and it would be in a much more realistic fashion. Again not trying to be a downer, just trying to set you up for success. If you don't see it that way and think I'm a dick then great. Prove me wrong.

[jehan60188]

i agree that slow and steady is better than drastic change

drastic exercise will result in injury

drastic dieting will result in cheating, or abandoning

 

steadily increasing exercise will strenghten your joints to help avoid injury

steadily improving your diet will make it not seem like a diet at all

[Mordechaj]

Do you perhaps frequent some blacksmithing forums?

 

EDIT: p.s. I'd like to see your work.

[Michael_Blacksmith]

Thanks for the feedback and thoughts! I don't think I am aiming too high, I think the goals are fairly modest for someone who is really looking to make positive changes and doesn't have limitation holding them back. I stay pretty active it my work, I make my own schedule, and live out in the sticks so there are very few distractions. I don't really expect to meet all of these 100%, I always shoot high, but by the end of my mini challenge I think I will be in excellent shape to gauge where I am at and set some concrete goals for the next up and coming challenge. So far the one goal I'm slacking on is a food log since I'm still working out how to document how much of what I eat. I suppose I should ease up on trying to be super exact and do the best I can... Is it better to say 1/2 head of kale, 3 pieces of bok choy, or should I be trying to weigh out the amount before it gets cooked?

 

Hey Mordechaj, I do frequent a few boards, mainly myarmoury.com, and Don Fogg's forum. I don't know what the policy is on uploading pics or sharing links to none fitness related content and I am still programing my website so I'll try to send you a private message with some links in the next day or so.

[Mordechaj]

I'll be happy if you send me your nick for DonFogg's.

 

Oh, I don't think they are overly prude here.

[Laureleye]

Everyone has a different style Michael.  Most people do seem to find the small changes working better, but there are a few of us that like to just sweep the decks clean and start from scratch.  At any rate, you've got a 2 week trial run; so as long as you're willing to readjust your plan if you need to, I think you're okay.

 

Having said that, I do want to ask if you're taking at least 1 day off/week in your fitness regime.  Smithing (is that the right word?) has got to be fairly hard work so I'm sure you're not a wimp, but everyone's joints and muscles need some down-time.  I'm not sure what your boot camp routine entails, but be willing to start easy in and build up. 

 

Also, since you're getting rid of a lot of processed food, you'll be getting rid of a bunch of (junk) calories.  Make sure you add in enough protein, fat, brown rice, sweet potatoes, oatmeal, milk, etc to make up for it. 

 

Making swords for a living boggles my mind - that is just so cool.

[MariahSnow]

I commend you for taking the first step towards becoming healthier. I wish you all the success in the world but my honest opinion of this change is that it is too much too soon. Anytime I've tried a radical change like this it has failed. There's a reason challengers are limited to 3 fitness/diet goals and 1 life goal per challenge. It's really really hard to change more than that at once. You have 10 goals there. I would suggest getting that down to the recommended amount and doing multiple challenges. You could accomplish all of those goals in 3 challenges which would take less than 1 year and it would be in a much more realistic fashion. Again not trying to be a downer, just trying to set you up for success. If you don't see it that way and think I'm a dick then great. Prove me wrong.

 

I think this depends on where Blacksmith is starting from. He says he's a tall skinny guy so cutting out fast foods and flour may not be as drastic as it would be for someone who is 300lbs and stops at Wendy's every day for breakfast. 

 

I also agree with Renegade. Sometimes cold turkey is the best way to go, particularly for something like coffee. How easy would it be to say "ok only one cup of coffee tomorrow". And then you sleep like crap and your day is hectic so you allow yourself 2-3 cups. That's not always helpful.

 

But congrats Blacksmith and welcome aboard! I'm also one of the tall-skinnies, so I'm on operation bulk up, too! Except, I'm a lady so it's more like operation strength. 

[Michael_Blacksmith]

Hi Laureleye, yup, I am certainly taking rest days Smithing (that is a proper word in my circles) actually takes up about 1/10th of the time at best on a completed project, so while grinding, polishing, tuning, and assembly there is plenty of less physically demanding work. One of the things that I can't do is half-ass anything, which is why I decided to go big, and so far I think my numbers are improving a bit and I'm not overly sore, although yesterday and today I have been feeling it! Good thing I have a sauna can I hear nerd sauna /bonfire party? hahaha! I have been keeping track of protein the best I can, I usually have about 10 brussels sprouts a day, and a chicken breast or piece of smoked alaskan salmon as well as snacking on nuts. I found out that brown jasmine rice has 7g or protein per serving so I'll be adding that, and since I'm trying to gain rice is alright! 

 

Hi MariahSnow, fast food has really only been a temptation when I am traveling to Madison to visit my friends in civilization, so now I plan on stuffing myself with food right before I drive and that solves the problem! I have been doing really well on cutting coffee, although today I was doing some programing on my website and I was getting the twitch... Good thing I threw my coffee maker away and gave away my coffee beans. I firmly believe that you can't consume something that you don't have By the way, I hope to be 155lbs. some day soon! So I thought that I would post a bit of my work out that I have been doing just to try to quantify my not so wimpy wimpy-ness

Warm up: Straight from the nerd fitness manual

Work out: Push-ups - 12 reps, 3 sets

Reverse Crunches - 15 reps, 2 sets

YTI lifts during my crunch rests - 12 reps, 2 sets

Squats - 20 reps, 3 sets

Band pulls during my squat rests - 15 reps, 2 sets

Plank - 50 seconds Back extensions - 15 reps, 2 sets

Neck pulls - 15 reps, 2 sets

 

The YTI lifts are laying face down you position your hands out above your head for an I shape, to the side for a T shape, and likewise for the Y, and lift up as high as you can.

The Band pulls during my squat rests is taking a elastic workout band, black (the hardest one) and wrapping the ends around my hands and behind my back, then pulling forward to tension the band, then slowly releasing and repeating. 

For neck pulls I use a medium band, sitting on an exercise ball I drape the band over my head while holding the ends in my hands, and then slowly and carefully pulling my head up and back.

 

Due to work related positions I've found that my posture has suffered and I've developed a bit of forward head so I am working on correcting those as I strengthen and tone my muscles! Today is my off day so food, yoga, food, sauna, food and sleep are left on my list for the day! I like that list :)

 

Hey Mordechaj, here are a few videos of me doing some of what I do, I'll post some pics via a third party server next week so that way I can share with everyone! First one is welding up a big billet of pattern welded/damascus steel:

http://youtu.be/uP-nL7ijW10

The second is pulling and consolidating a bloom of hearth steel from a charcoal fired furnace, and yes, I made the furnace, and the charcoal:

http://youtu.be/DOLymoHAsIw

[marybelle]

Wow, making swords is pretty awesome! I learned a lot from your video, for some reason I always picture blacksmiths as using big hammers to just beat the snot out of the metal. Would have never thought of machines and things (which should be a big duh since we no longer live in the Middle Ages). 

 

I am pretty new too and can't give you much advise about your workouts, but I think if you want something badly enough you can stick with it. I had failed at diets and working out in times past, but I think it was because I wasn't motivated enough to do it. You have to have a good reason to do, and motivation, and just keep that in mind all the time.  Now I do physical activity 6 days a week and have cut grains and junk food almost completely out of my diet. So I think it might work if you just stay motivated, and constantly remind yourself why you are doing everything. Also think about starting a log in the daily battle log section, it might help you get on track with that pesky food log. As far as measuring, I measure some things but don't everything, however I think measuring is a good idea. Its hard to tell what you are eating otherwise. Water is easy for me, because we use mason jars that are 8 oz. so its easy to tell! Everything else I try to either measure or do a good estimate.

You are doing awesome so far, and good luck with your goals!

 

PS: I hear ya on the coffee, I miss sweet tea sometimes and the first week without it was awful. 

[Michael_Blacksmith]

The funny thing Marybelle is they had power hammers in the medieval period! Granted they were large water powered machines and the force was distributed and delivered by a large lever, but still the same principle. Another source of power was strikers, but alas once I start putting my friends to work when they visit they don't want to come back..... Using power tools I am essentially able to do 2 months of work in a single evening. Me likes working smart!

 

I started a daily battle log too keep track of my progress.

 

I'm running on fumes as far as bandwidth so tomorrow I will go into town and upload pics of the sharp and pointy objects I have made in the past. I think I will post them as a separate topic in the pub since it seems like a fitting place  

 

Do you smell that? I do! Time for a post workout shower....

[Rooks]

1st, far as you goals go, they are big goals as some have said, but if you can do them, do it up man!  Go big or go home!    Hope all is going well and you are staying on track.

 

2nd, dude... that is epic.  I love metal working so this stuff is right up my alley!  I'm in the process of taking some TIG welding classes right now, but always wanted to take a stab (no pun intended) at doing some basic smithing.  Awesome videos!  I'll keep an eye out for your other threads to see your work!

 

3rd, love that you named your hammer "Molly".  Haha...

[Michael_Blacksmith]

Thanks Rooks! TIG welding is fun isn't it?

 

"What did you do today?"

"Welded steel with a tiny controlled lightening bolt."

 

I finally got a mini thread going with some pics of my work, feel free to swing by the pub and check it out!

http://nerdfitnessrebellion.com/index.php?/topic/24207-a-brief-intro-to-info-on-my-art-swords/?p=411316

[Michael_Blacksmith]

So thought I would do a mini update as to how I did! Here were my goals again for easy reference and how I did on each:

 

Diet: No fast food, or delivery foods                     95%

        No coffee                                                     100%

        No flour products                                         95%

        No refined food like substances                   95%

        Keep a food log                                            45%

 

Fitness: Work out every other day (boot camp routine)            65%

             Up my reps by at least 1 every week                           worked for 2 weeks prior to injuring my knee

             One hour of Yoga on off days                                      60%

 

Level up/Qualify: Successfully implement pattern welded inlay     

                            Successfully forge weld an 8 core viking sword with no flux

Did not get to finish these projects, but drastic progress in tooling has been made.

 

Overall I did about as I expected I would with the exception of issues with my knee. My main goal was to give myself a baseline to set realistic goals for the next challenge, and I think I have an excellent idea on how I should proceed with success. All in all no points, but I'll snatch those up after I rock out the next challenge