Badger cautiously leaving the burrow....

[Bookish Badger]

I've been lurking around NF for a few weeks now, and love the sense of community and support enough to do something I hardly ever do: join! 

 

First, the basics. I'm 48, 5'2", and as of my last weigh-in, 238 lbs. I didn't start out overweight. While I never considered myself athletic, and my jr. high and high school gym teachers guaranteed that competitive sports lost all appeal, I was active enough that I was always healthy. That changed after college when I began sitting at a desk 8-9 hours a day. My and my husband's poor eating habits guaranteed that the weight packed on, not-so-slowly and surely. I know what I need to do to lose weight and get back into shape. Consistency has always been my main problem. I'm hoping that participating here will help me develop the sustainable habits I need to build and keep my momentum.

 

Main goal: Don't get injured. I am prone to Achilles Tendonitis in both ankles and when it flares, I can barely walk for weeks or even months. I've done that many times before by pushing myself too hard with exercise. I'm going to be smarter this time and back off on the mileage anytime I sense problems starting. Slow progress is still progress, and I'm not in a race (yet, see below).

 

Long-range goal: Lose approximately 100 pounds. 

 

Medium-range goal: Run in the Warrior Dash in 2017. I first became aware of OCRs a few years ago when I saw an episode of Comic Book Men and the guys participated in a Run For Your Life run. It looked so awesomely fun! Then the next day at work as I wheezed my way up the stairs, I realized: I can barely walk, there's no way I can run or heft my fat ass over an obstacle. So now a goal is to run one before I'm 50. A year and a half should give me plenty of time to build up a reasonable strength and endurance base so that I can complete the race without injury (see main goal above).

 

Nerderies: As the handle suggests, I read. A lot. Fantasy fiction, particularly ASOIAF, Jim Butcher, Jacqueline Carey, Joe Abercrombie, and others. One of my goals is to read my way through bestfantasybooks.com's top 25 list, and as many of their other lists as I can manage. (Why that list? Why not?) Also, folklore, mythology, and history and historical fiction. Oh, and cognitive science, adult learning methods, and management techniques - mostly for work but also for me.

 

Thanks for reading, and I'll see you around the boards!

[Grymm]

Welcome aboard!  Will your husband be joining in on the action?  It's probably easier as a tandem, but quite doable solo.  I have a lot of friends who do the warrior dash, tough mudder, color run, or other themed/obstacle running events.  They are a lot of fun.  I've also done a serious bought of tendonitis in both Achilles once after having been in an imobilization boot for 3 months.  It's awful and difficult to work through.  Best of luck!

 

Have you picked up on the guild/class system they use to group people with like-minded interests?  It's a good way to get a head start on the specifics of what you are interested in but flexible enough that you can still chart your own path.

[Bookish Badger]

Thanks, Grymm! My husband is settling in to a new job that requires a lot of travel and isn't mentally ready at the moment. I don't want to be that nagging, annoying spouse so I won't pressure him. He will eat better, though, since I do the cooking!

 

I figure I'll do a Rebel challenge or two that focus on my dietary habits, then join the Rangers. "Functional Strength" resonates a lot with me, as having the strength to function sounds very good right now.

[Dagger]

Bookish! That sounds like my people.  Although I'm currently working on the habit of reading fiction daily. The last five years or so I've only binge read every few weeks. Fantasy fiction is my main love. Right now, I'm exploring a lot of mystery because I recently realized how much I love that genre (I should have realized from all the crime shows I watch...).

 

My favorite fantasy authors are Patricia Briggs and Tamora Pierce.

[Bookish Badger]

Finding time to read as much as I'd like is one of my biggest frustrations. Audiobooks help a little - I have a long drive to and from work and they help fill the time, but listening isn't the same as reading. I'm hoping to convince my boss to let me work from home a day or two a week. Besides saving on fuel, that would free up a couple extra hours that I could spend reading!

[Kiki Dee]

On Tuesday, May 24, 2016 at 11:03 PM, Bookish Badger said:

Thanks, Grymm! My husband is settling in to a new job that requires a lot of travel and isn't mentally ready at the moment. I don't want to be that nagging, annoying spouse so I won't pressure him. He will eat better, though, since I do the cooking!

 

I figure I'll do a Rebel challenge or two that focus on my dietary habits, then join the Rangers. "Functional Strength" resonates a lot with me, as having the strength to function sounds very good right now.

 

We have so much in common!  My husband isn't travelling, but he is in a situation at work right now where that's his focus and he's not really interested in the diet/exercise side of things. But he's really happy for me that I am.  We've got two small people so it's actually a large commitment from him just to be home enough for me to go out and exercise.  And he's stoked about the healthier meals.  

 

 

I love your goal of the obstacle race!!! I always look at those and think "oh man that looks so awesome, if only I wasn't fat/unfit/bad back etc"... You're inspiring me to maybe work towards something like that myself!  (Maybe 2018 for me though - 2017 is going to be uber-hard for our little family!)

 

Already following your challenge thread.

[Bookish Badger]

1 hour ago, Kiki Dee said:

 

... he's not really interested in the diet/exercise side of things. But he's really happy for me that I am.  

Same here! Mine is 100% supportive and never tries to undermine or sabotage me. When he's ready, he'll start exercising again. I hope sooner rather than later because a little exercise and diet renovation would do wonders for his health & I'd like to keep him around for another 30 or 40 years, but me harping on it won't do any good. A resentful spouse doesn't make for a happy household.