Becoming Commander Shepard

[Qtip]

Because if you're gonna have goals, go for lofty and impossible, right? 

 

Shepard can run really fast, lift heavy shit, box like a champ, tango, do over a hundred pull-ups and headbutt a Krogan if need be. What's not to like? Oh, and cheat death and save the universe. 

 

*Ahem*

 

At the end of January life looked like it had finally come together. I had finished a demanding master's program with honours while working two jobs on the side, landed a pretty awesome job at an organization I believe in and my spouse had landed a steady job after a period of unemployment. I was pretty beat, but optimistic and looking to start paying attention to my physical fitness (which went down the drain in the last year on account of being busy as f**ck) again. I used to be pretty fit up till about 1-2 years ago. I had way more time to dedicate to exercise when I was still in undergrad and I did pretty well all-round. I could ATG squat my body-weight, do a couple of chin-ups and I finished a pretty demanding 30k cross-country race. That all started slowly sliding when I started grad school.

 

So, in January I thought everything was settled, right? Wrong. That's when shit hit the fan. Spouse lost his new job and my company announced (very unexpectedly) that they were downsizing. I hit the wall and had to take a leave of absence and I'm only just getting back on my feet (though I did get to keep my job which is equal parts surprising and awesome). 

 

So having figuratively speaking come back from the dead in improbable circumstances I thought now was the time to get bigger, better, faster than before! But! Having almost literally stressed myself to death, I'm doing something pretty new for me: baby steps (sorry, no explosions).

 

Lofty aspirations aside I'm looking for ways to realistically incorporate daily exercise into my life, rather than rearranging my life around it. I've started a daily yoga routine and do lots of walking. Given that my job is a mere 5-7k from my home (depending on path taken) through a beautiful park my first-long-term goal is to commute run to and from work. My goal is to accomplish this by the end of summer, but I have a few milestones to hit before then. To summarise

 

Inspiration: Commander Shepard

Goal 1: Finish Couch25k program mid-may (On week 3 now)

Goal 2: 5k race end of May.

Goal 3: Run from work 3 times a week

Long-term goal: Run to/from work 5 times a week

 

 

So, with that as my guiding star I look forward to finding new and interesting fitness challenges, and hopefully make a few new friends in the process. I look forward to getting to know all of you!

 

 

[Bob the Bardbarian]

Welcome to the Rebellion!

[Flagwaver]

Welcome!  Lofty goals, indeed.  If you're looking to become more like Shepherd, I have the templates and materials lists necessary to build a full suit of N7 Armor and Assault Rifle.  It would definitely make for even more epic end-program progress pics!