A wild introduction appears!

[katamac]

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My name is Katie, and I'm a nerdaholic.

 

My Inspiration

After moving away from home three years ago so I could pursue my dream and go to art school (Woo! Arts!) I find myself dreading coming home. Everyone talks about "turning into your parents", and as much as I love them, it makes me terrified. My father has ruined his body through years of hard labour and poor eating. at 50, he pushes himself too hard and suffers badly for it. My mother is obese and pre-diabetic at 52. She spent the better part of my childhood yo-yo dieting, but after an injury a few years ago, she gave up on herself. Their typical grocery list consists of several litres of pop and bags of chips. Their relationship with their deep fryer scares the hell out of  me. My older brother who still lives at home has turned a blind eye to this and because of his high metabolism has adapted the "not my problem attitude".

 

I refuse to turn into my parents, at least physically. They really are amazing people, they just don't treat their health as a priority. I am still up in the air about ever having my own spawn, but I know my brothers want to eventually. I want them to be around for the next generation. I am taking inspiration from this to better myself. I want to be the Captain America of my family, I want to inspire and help them to get better and take care of themselves so they can be around for a long, long time.

 

My stats

height: 5'7

weight: 180 lbs

bmi: 29

measurements: 43-35-43

diet: 80% paleo

health: lame

I have a bunch of fun health issues, including:

> clinical depression

> asthma & environmental allergies

> manic-depression

> dermatographic urticaria (cool, but super annoying)

> epileptic seizures (cause still unknown)

> degeneration in my lower vertebrae (pain and suckiness)

 

My goals

> I am currently teetering on the edge of overweight/obese, and I refuse to get any heavier. The only way to go is downhill from here. ("She chose down?" "She chose down!")

> I turn 22 in April, so as a spectacular birthday present to me, I plan to weigh at least 22 lbs less.

> continue to enjoy the Paleo lifestyle, nothing gets me out of bed faster than knowing that I get to make myself something delicious and healthy

> be able to do 10 proper push ups (for the first time ever)

> walk up the eight flights of stairs to my apartment without wanting to curl up and die

> wean off of unnecessary medications (I'm sick of carrying around so many pills)

In conclusion

I am tired of seeing myself and the ones I love put health on the back burner. 

I will become stronger, both physically and mentally.

 

tl;dr

Another recruit for the rebellion, deal with it 

Also, CANADA FTW

 

[Fiction]

Great post...Couldn't help but reply. Welcome to NF, fellow n00b here. I am going to use TM 'carb flu' as an excuse for not getting the 'she chose down' reference. Enlighten?
Hope you blast off those 22lbs at the speed of light!

[gobot90]

AWZM!!!

 

I can totally relate to the family stuff. It's heartbreaking watching people you care about make terrible choices. The hardest thing for me, watching my mother refuse to give up on her lifelong pack-a-day smoking habit, watching my father slip into a deep post-retirement depression, is having them scoff at me when I suggest the tiniest adjustments to their lifestyle. I don't know, maybe I'm being pushy about it...but their response is always to treat me like some new age weirdo/conspiracy theorist. All because I suggest that they not eat foods with high fructose corn syrup. (My mother teased me for years about how I always have a bottle of water in my hand, and how, I don't know, Yuppieish it is to do that? Or something. Then she got a kidney stone, and I was not happy to see her in so much pain, but I do hope she learned some kind of lesson from it.) Anyway, over time you realize it's their journey and they're going to make their own choices. The only thing you can do is be nice, love them, and keep reminding them that baby steps are all it takes in the beginning.

 

But keep on keepin' on, Katie! The understanding that mind and body are linked in ways we can never fully comprehend is, I feel, a crucial first step toward full on Jedihood (is that a word?)

-David

 

And I'll see you in my other post!

[citizenkade]

Welcome to the Rebellion, Katie!

 

This journey is yours to make, but take heart: Your parents might see your transformation as an inspiration. It could save their lives, even. Here's to a successful battle! Go kick some butt!

[katamac]

I am going to use TM 'carb flu' as an excuse for not getting the 'she chose down' reference. Enlighten?

I think I might have over-geeked It's from the movie Labyrinth (Jim Henson, 1986). That movie got me through some tough times after I moved away from home, I think I've seen it over 200 times. David Bowie, glitter and goblins, Oh my!

 

Thank you all for such a warm welcome. For now I think my biggest challenge is going to be surviving the holidays at home. I come from a Scottish/Newfoundlander family, so naturally the house is brimming with sugary shortbreads and most meals are some variation of meat-potatoes-carrots. I tried to do some cooking and made a paleo version of a family favourite, mince and tatties (basically shepherd's pie), but apparently no one liked it, and were quite vocal about it.   I guess I'll have to stick it out on my own meal-wise and hope for the best.

 

I have been building myself up with the beginner's bodyweight workout, but I still am struggling to get through it more than twice. Although I see some serious improvement already and I love how my body seems to just sing! My planks are great, 20-30 seconds and squats no longer make my everything hurt for days! I do have a question though. Push ups are my major weakness, I have never ever been strong enough to do them properly, even from the knees is a huge struggle. Are there any other exercises I can do to help strengthen these muscles? I have been doing the push-up motions against a wall, hoping to develop some muscle memory.

[sophienatasha]

Hey Friends. I'm new here. Can anybody help me with beginners tips for starting a simple fitness campaign?

[Urzie]

I have been building myself up with the beginner's bodyweight workout, but I still am struggling to get through it more than twice. Although I see some serious improvement already and I love how my body seems to just sing! My planks are great, 20-30 seconds and squats no longer make my everything hurt for days! I do have a question though. Push ups are my major weakness, I have never ever been strong enough to do them properly, even from the knees is a huge struggle. Are there any other exercises I can do to help strengthen these muscles? I have been doing the push-up motions against a wall, hoping to develop some muscle memory.

 

Hi and welcome!! 

 

What helped me go from knee push ups to real ones was convict conditioning. A great book imo. You start off with wall push ups and gradually lower yourself to the floor. Skip the knee push ups completely. I spent a month taking at least 10 wall/table push ups every time I went to the bathroom at work. Kitchen counters are perfect for when you've mastered the wall. Then stairs and finally floor. Use slow and controlled movements. Try two beats down, then two beats up. Keep at it! It sounds like you're doing great already!  

[Faust]

katamac uses NERD REFERENCES

It's super effective!

 

welcome katamac!  

 

I can't imagine what you are going through but from my own experience I know how sometimes that bad stuff feeds other suckiness and it leads into an infinite loop of fail.  It is awesome seeing a person reaching through that fog and trying to better themselves and those they love.

 

Try not to get discouraged (not that it sounds like you have this problem right now with all the planks and squats lol) and don't be ashamed to start out "slow" or "easy".  "Easy" isn't always so easy and it might be just the right amount you need to get going and actually do stuff. Your body will let you know what you can handle.  

 

Anywho, hope all that wasn't too out of line.  I just wanted to wish you good luck and to tell you to keep on keepin' on.