Laura5490 Posted August 21, 2013 Report Share Posted August 21, 2013 I'm loving this site, especially the "Level up" tagline, and I finally decided to level up my life and get fit for the first time in nearly 25 years. I gained a LOT of weight while I was pregnant, and in the years since put on a bit more every year until now, at 5'6", I weigh about 280 pounds. I don't expect to ever be thin and svelte - my bikini days are long past :-) - but I'd be very happy to not wear plus-sized clothes and to be able to run a 10k. My Strength, Constitution and Dexterity are pretty low, but I did a Sense Motives check and it turns out that I really am ready to make a change in my life! Weapons check: a running buddy, and a smart phone with the Zombies, Run! app on itnearby park that has fitness equipment including an elliptical, stair stepper, and chest press!a husband who doesn't care what kind of food I cook as long as he gets to eat something, and who kinda-sorta wants to take a few pounds off, too.So I think this is it, and I really can make a change this time. I'm putting together a little game to help keep me going, and I'm hoping you all will have good ideas to develop it a bit further. I've got a big whiteboard (actually a white bathroom tileboard which is the same thing only it costs about $15 at the home improvement store), and I'm going to put these status bars on it: Working each bar from left to right -Points - Fill in each for pound that is lost. I'm going to set goals in 10% increments of my current weight, so my first goal will be 28 pounds. This bar stays until I meet that goal and level up.Health - Okay, I'm thinking of things to give myself points for, to increase health, and when I get enough health points, I get a bonus of some kind. I have some colored dry erase markers, so I'm going to fill it in and erase a slot each time I get a point, so that I'm starting with poor health, in the red, and moving toward green, good health. I will reset the Health bar each week. I'll get a point for -a day where I ate each meal or snack ONLY when I was stomach-growling hungryeating a salad before the meal for lunch and dinner or otherwise mostly filling up on veggiesdrinking 8 glasses of water a dayIncreasing time, number of reps, adding another activity (like a bike ride or dvd at home)Subbing out healthy options when eating out or at a friend's houseMeeting calorie goal for the day (not going over or under)Refusing dessert or an unhealthy snack when it is offeredCombat - New Me beating the Old Me to death, one workout at a time. I'm not sure if it’s better to do it as 6 daily workouts or 10 minute fitness increments, where a week has slots for a certain number of 10 minute fitness blocks. I'll reset the Combat bar each week. Bonuses - Accumulate X points and get a bonus; some small, inexpensive, non-caloric treat like a new DVD or something. Level up - meeting that particular pounds-lost goal will get me a much bigger bonus. Maybe a night out on the town or something. So... any thoughts, any suggestions to improve this? Quote Level 0 Elf AdventurerSTR:1 | DEX:3 | STA:2 | CON:4 | WIS:3 | CHA:2Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats. - H.L. Menken Link to comment
deepdarkgreen Posted August 23, 2013 Report Share Posted August 23, 2013 That looks like a lot of fun! I might add sleep to the health bar. Getting enough rest definitely affects how easy it is to make good choices. Quote Level 2 Human Druid3.375 STR / 1.375 DEX / 0 STA / 2 CON / 3.75 WIS / 1 CHA "Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better." - Albert Einstein"In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was within me an invincible summer." - Albert Camus"There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly." - R. Buckminster FullerIntroduction - Daily Battle Log - Challenges 1 - Current Link to comment
Laura5490 Posted August 23, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2013 Good idea, I will add that. Thanks! Also - now that I'm reading up on how the challenges work, I will incorporate that too. Quote Level 0 Elf AdventurerSTR:1 | DEX:3 | STA:2 | CON:4 | WIS:3 | CHA:2Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats. - H.L. Menken Link to comment
Meant2Move Posted August 23, 2013 Report Share Posted August 23, 2013 This looks terrific - great idea, and so motivating to see it in glowing color. I bet hubby will want to play soon! Quote M2M- Do something everyday! First challenge: Avoiding the Demons of Autumn Link to comment
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