Editor lifter cardio-er gamer - hi!

[puddletheduck]

(Skip to end for summary if you like...)

 

Hello nerdy people. I've been lurking on here for a while. I LOVE the sheer common sense and approachableness of the site - the blog, the forums, everything - and have finally decided to say hello.

 

I've been on a "diet" for the past 15 years (since I was about 14) and a sporadic exerciser (a few months of crazy-intensity classes and then binge eating and no exercise for another few). I've lost the same 30 pounds more times than I can count, each time bouncing back to a slightly higher weight. For the past 2-ish years I've gradually been getting myself more educated about food and exercise and I'm very proud to be able to say that as of a couple of months ago I'm NO LONGER ON A DIET. I just eat and it's no longer a big deal. I count calories on MFP but for me that's a freedom thing - the data gives me the freedom to not worry and obsess and get all emotional about food. Oh, and I'm vegan.

 

I love exercising and am currently trying to do just about everything all at once (mostly with success!). I do some classes with an amazing instructor four times a week (spinning, aerobics, body conditioning and step). I'm also doing core and bodyweight exercises at home and one of my (very long term!) goals is to be able to do a full pull up. I like countryside cycle rides and walking up mountains whenever I find myself near any (as long as I don't have to go close to any cliff edges!). My big change recently, though, is that I finally plucked up the courage to take up a friend's offer to do lifting with him (in large part encouraged by the article about Spezzy on here). My amazing friend is a trainer with years and years of lifting experience and he's training me for free - I'm so lucky. To my surprise, I absolutely love picking up heavy stuff. I've been going for a month and am up to a squat 1RM of 52.5kg. Today I increased my 1RM bench to 40kg - yay!

 

Goals. I want to lose around 35 pounds (10 of that has already gone!) initially, and then reassess (currently 167.75). My main goals are fitness-related, though. Generally, I'm just trying to be the best version of myself that I can be. I'm about to hit 30 and intend to spend the second 30 years of my life doing all the awesome, fun, challenging things I haven't been doing in the first 30. My ultimate, ultimate goal is to do a Tough Mudder, but that might take me a few years to build up to!

 

Nerd stuff. I edit books for a living - can't get much more nerdy than that I also do genealogy and I'm a lapsed dressmaker (I used to sew loads and made my wedding dress but I haven't found space for any sewing for the past few years). I love gaming (Battlefield, Borderlands, Fallout 3/NV, Saints' Row 3, Dishonored, Assassin's Creed, Bulletstorm, Alice: Madness Returns, Enslaved, Blur and the Lego Harry Potter games are some favourites that spring to mind).

 

This was longer than I intended. So, summary: Hello. I like food. I like crazy cardio and picking up heavy things. My goals are to generally be awesome at stuff. I like sewing and reading and shooting pixellated bad guys in the head.

 

Now to find a profile pic.

[TombRayder]

Good luck to you on your goals! I am also new and was looking for another genealogy person out there. I consider myself a genealogy researcher. It is the detective in me and years of experience of hitting brick walls and looking for the supportive records and documentation that allows me to claim the title after 30 yrs. I love books and think its awesome you are an editor! I am detailed oriented and tend to do my own "editing" as such in the workplace and home- comes from homeschooling my three children maybe... I too sew and when raising my three children and we lived off the land so to speak, I made most of their clothes, curtains, bedcovers, napkins whatever around the home. I love those days. I work fulltime now as an empty nester and grandmother and alas do not read or sew and barely keep up with my genealogy as I would like. I joined this forum to share the experience with my son & his wife and my husband. We are all hoping to get more fit and focused on specific life goals. Right now I am trying to unbury myself of disorganization and get back on track. Trying to get more physically active and lose the weight once & for all- I am tired of repeating that goal of "lose weight"! I never picked up on gaming...but I am trying to start walking and hiking more. Starting on biking and doing more with free weights. I am grateful for this forum and the many supportive souls we have out there to help us! Best to you puddletheduck!

[puddletheduck]

Hello! I love your name - very apt. It's great to find another genealogist on here! I complete agree with you about loving the detective side of genealogy. It's amazing when you have a whole web of conflicting and confusing information laid out before you and then suddenly the connections fall into place. Very satisfying.

 

Amazing that you used to make all your children's clothes and so on. That must have been very rewarding. I keep telling myself I must make more time for sewing. I used to make loads and loads, but then work got in the way and I lost interest in making clothes for myself when I got fatter.

 

You mention hiking and I see you live in Virginia. Whenever I hear Virginia mentioned, for some reason it always makes me think of Bill Bryson's book about walking some of the Appalachian Trail. Do you live in a part of Virginia that gives you access to that kind of hiking? If so, that must be wonderful.

 

Very best of luck to you and your family with your goals - sounds like you have a great support system there And yes, this forum is incredible. I wish I'd discovered it 10 years ago.

 

P.S. I apologise for not replying for so long - I've only just got the hang of how to find out when people reply to my posts!