2014 TypeC Health and Exercise Challenge

[Udog]

I did a good job getting enough sleep. Not so much with diet and exercising.

However, I started logging my food over the past 2 days, and I am surprised at just how bad my diet is. I'm only getting around 30%-50% of my required protein and 40%-50% of my required healthy carbs. Fat is the only macronutrient that I'm hitting my target for.

That's... kind of shocking to me. I knew I was probably not eating enough, but I had no idea it was to that extent. It... actually explains a lot of the issues I've been having the past 4 weeks.

I did go grocery shopping this week. Honestly, my only goal this week is to position myself so that I'm eating more healthier foods. That, and sleep.

 

[Randomnity]

Week 9 update:

1) bodyweight 2/3. Missed Sun after a rough weekend, but got back on track after that.
2) yoga/stretching 0/2, heh
3) I purposefully dropped the ankle exercises because I think they may be aggravating rather than helping. bah. I'll replace them this week with hamstring stretches, which may help and can't hurt, anyway.

I happened to come across this 90-day splits challenge on reddit today, and I think I'll use that as motivation to start doing daily (weekday) hamstring stretches and maybe also to get back into the yoga/stretching on my rest days. I kinda doubt I'll be able to do the splits in 90 days (or maybe ever) since I've never even come close, but at least I can use it as a visual measure of progress. I think that's the main reason I've been struggling to keep up with the yoga - I don't really feel like I'm improving at anything and it seems completely pointless (which it may well be). I haven't been stressing it too much since the yoga was mostly an attempt to get in the habit of daily exercise to make it easier to keep my bodyweight exercise going, but I've surprisingly been doing OK keeping up with the bodyweight stuff regardless. It would be nice to be more flexible though, and if I take pictures every week or so I can see if I'm making progress in that direction, which should help with motivation.

So for next week, my goals are:
1) 3 bodyweight nights (Sun/Tues/Thurs)
2) optional yoga for the 2 rest days in between
3) mandatory 10 min of splits stretching on all 5 days, including some solid hamstring stretching

I'll see how the stretching goes this week and how quickly I get bored of it - might modify/ditch that goal next week, but will stick to it for at least a week first and see how it goes.

 

[Ivy]

Week whatever this is update:

Food stuff: pretty okay. I sort of feel like the honeymoon is over. I'm not binging or anything, I'm still tracking faithfully, but my enthusiasm is waning. I'm not even really sure what that means. Maybe it's just becoming routine and background and that's a good thing. Anyway, I'm aware of it and thinking it through. Since details-wise it was a fine week with no real dietary bumps I can't really give myself a demerit for not being Susie Fucking Sunshine about it all the time. So, 7/7.

Moving: I think this is my weak link. I hit 5K steps on 3 of 7 days, and some of the other days were pretty sad. Now, in my defense, we did have two weather events and it's hard to get steps in when your house is 1000 square feet and there's ice on every surface outside. But I'm thinking my arteries don't care if it's hard (see what I did there?) to get the steps in. Gotta find ways to do better here. 3/7.

Stress/sleep/etc: Now that I'm writing it out, I think this is the problem with both of the above. It's been a bit of a stressful week with the ice storm and power outage and everything, and when we went to stay at my parents' house things were kind of stressful because my mom was fighting with my sister who still lives at home (she's 21). I slept okay most nights but work has also been kind of hectic. I need to manage my stress better. We'll call this 2/7 this week.

Connections: Also kind of a mediocre week. We did get to spend some time with my family because of the ice storm, but a lot of it wasn't really "quality time." My mom slept a lot of the time because she's having chemo (OF COURSE I'm not complaining- I just didn't get to chat with her as much as I'd like- and when she was awake she was getting on my sister's case). My dad was stressed out because of my mom's condition and the conflict with my sister. But I tried to love on them all as much as possible. It's just a rough time for them. I had some tears a few times over the weekend just because of the conflict and seeing how affected my mom is by her treatment. (She had a clean cat scan about two weeks ago, so we're still very upbeat about her prognosis, it's just that the treatment really sucks.) I can't even really bring myself to grade this this week. It feels like I did everything I could have but things don't always go the way we want them to go.

It's okay to have an off week, right? This journaling really helped me pinpoint why it was so hard and forgive myself for not feeling awesome about the diet & exercise parts of things. It has to be okay for those things to go on the back burner when life gets bumpy, right?

 

[kyuuei]

I'm a little off the radar but I'm checking in!

I've been doing this weird blend of not so bad for you food and great for you food.

Sunday I did nothing exercise wise, I tweaked my ankle a bit somehow Saturday night. All I did was hike a bit of woods for like 15 minutes. Yesterday I shot a shot gun, hiked up hills and climbed rocks all the way to some waterfalls. Then I went dancing for an hour.

Today more waterfall hikes and some exploring of caverns. And probably more dancing.

Bahahaa.

Your updates are making me crave coconut water!

Haha! I love coconut water so much! Nothing beats it post workout.

 

[INTJMom]

Checking in... last week's report...
I stayed on task with everything, except I have had to curtail weight lifting until my shoulder heals.
So when Saturday rolled around, I did my exercises, but had to be careful not to further injure my left shoulder.

I wore the 1 lb. ankle weights again, and I recovered a lot more quickly from the sore muscles this week!

 

[Firebird 8118]

Oye vey... what a week. Midterms really screw me over, every semester.

So I lost some sleep over my exams over this past week, neglected my health in the process (I even tried to give myself a sugar high in order to stay awake for my evening exam two days ago), and as a result have called my family doctor at one of his clinics for an appointment this Saturday. I don't remember if I mentioned this last time, but now I've got this weird chest pain where it feels like my heart is being squeezed, and my sleep apnea has also worsened a bit.

All that aside, I did try to at least drink more water and walk around during my study breaks. And if everything checks out all right at the doc's appointment, I can start training with my dad and brother from Sunday onward, for the half-marathon we've got in May (if I remember correctly).

 

[Randomnity]

Week 10 update:

1) bodyweight 3/3. It feels a bit shaky this week for some reason, though. Hard to get everything done. I haven't been sleeping well so that may be why.
2) optional yoga didn't happen, meh
3) mandatory 10 min of splits stretching on all 5 days, including some solid hamstring stretching - done, except that I started the program on the second day of the week, so I only got 4 days in.

I think I'll stick with the stretching for next week despite how long it is (~20 min on top of bodyweight, or ~30 min on its own since I need to warmup and stretch more). Not really seeing any progress there yet but that's normal after just 4 days. I'll see how it feels next week.

 

[Redbone]

I'm doing this now to save [MENTION=4722]Udog[/MENTION] the trouble of tapping me on my shoulder (which I do appreciate!).

Current: Okay, I went on a total binge for two or maybe three days this week. I was very depressed and unhappy, didn't eat for a couple of days, then totally went nuts on junk food. Cookies and chips. I love to eat fatty and sweet things when I'm very stressed. I didn't put back on any weight from it but it made me pretty sick. So, I straightened up yesterday and feel better about it. I also picked up my exercises with doing more wall 'push-ups', squats, crunches, and plies (I took ballet and jazz for years!).

What's Next: I'm going to look for a dance class and hope I can afford to pay for it. I think it would do me a lot of good--physically and mentally. It's too bad I can't afford the pool fees over here. I tried yoga and I'm not really cut out for it. It's not beneficial when I can hit a pose because my range of motion is abnormal. I'd like to try it again after I learn better body mechanics and gain more muscle tone to stabilize my joints. My PT is going to recommend some braces for me so I can walk without some of the issues I've faced with it before. This is really important to me because I'd like to start hiking especially since the weather will be getting warmer soon.

 

[Kasper]

Cardio

Cycling	Distance	Time
Mon 10-Mar	-	-
Tue 11-Mar	5.8	23:00
	5.8	17:45
Wed 12-Mar	5.6	21:05
	5.8	18:25
Thur 13-Mar	-	-
Fri 14-Mar	5.7	22:15
	5.8	18:00
Sat 15-Mar	23.8	1:21:30
Sun 16-Mar	-	-
	58.3	3:22:00

1. Log 40 bike rides by 7 April: 25
2. Ride to work minimum 3x a week:

3. Log minimum overall distance of 45kms per week:

Want to take my bike to some of the MTB parks we have here and have a play around so that'll be my next goal.


Strength/core

	Push-ups	Lunges	Weights
Mon 10-Mar	-	-	-
Tue 11-Mar	65	40	45 Min
Wed 12-Mar	-	80	-
Thur 13-Mar	75	-	70 Min
Fri 14-Mar	-	-	-
Sat 15-Mar	82	86	-
Sun 16-Mar	-	92	95 Min
	222	298	210 Min

4. Push ups every other day:

5. Lunges 4x per week:

6. Weights set 2x per week:

Have also set myself some challenges with chin ups/pull ups.


Diet

	Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner
Mon 10-Mar
Tue 11-Mar
Wed 12-Mar
Thur 13-Mar
Fri 14-Mar
Sat 15-Mar
Sun 16-Mar

7. Market shopping once a fortnight:

8. Add one new option to meal plans each week:

9. Limit beer to max 7 per week: 4

10. Consume 3 meals per day min:

Working on some diet changes still but have managed to force myself to eat small amounts regularly.

 

[garbage]

Looks like this is still going on. Good. I'm recovered enough from the ol' hip surgery to do a bit of biking and elliptical stuff (PT has me doing it anyway), but also some weights. After a bit of a lapse, it's time to get back into action. I lost a bunch of weight just after surgery, but gained a decent amount when I started to heal.

It's gonna be a bitch because it's migraine season, so I'll do what I can.

1. Sleep consistency. Aim to sleep at 12:00, no matter what.
2. Elliptical or bike 10 minutes, 4 times a week. That's twice from PT, but also two extra sessions.
3. At least two sessions of weights (during my 'extra sessions' which actually take place at a gym), focused on upper body and abs. Three different exercises per session, increasing weight or number of reps every week.
4. Another goal of mine is to set a reasonable goal for eating. Not sure what yet, other than ensuring that I cut out beef.

I use this task tracker, by the way. Awesome stuff. You can set your own goals, how often you want to achieve them, and get reminders to check the checkboxes if/when you've done them.

 

[kyuuei]

I was sort of off the radar (not by choice! kind of.. There was no internet/phone reception where I was staying all week on vacation) but I did update earlier.

To catch up to now:
- I went hiking more, walking around the city, and leisurely activity like that.
- I did get more sleep than usual.
- I did eat a higher quality of food than usual.. some of it was very very good for me (like fresh juiced green juices, fresh made sushi, teas, vegan cakes, collard greens, fresh breakfast salads, etc) and some of it was downright bad for me (half of a huge plate of truffle fries, a bottle of terrible wine, hot wings, truffle fries, a 'hogzilla' sandwich that had sausage, pork slices, and sugared bacon with bbq sauce, etc.) but the quality of the food across the spectrum was outstanding and I highly enjoyed eating an apple fresh from a farmer's market and tasting a BBQ place packed from open till close that's about to be shown off on the Travel Channel for its outstanding menu items and local farm support.

The next two months are standing pretty heavy on me--a test a week pretty much right down until the finals and HESI exams. Having a routine and a schedule is going to be more important for me now than ever this year--and I'm really in a position for the first time all year to have one.

I have some awesome P90X opportunities now, and I'm going to take advantage of the extended hours of sun too. Still aiming to work on dropping weight by May so that I can start noticing muscle tone.

 

[INTJMom]

I didn't do my exercise program this weekend.
I have a new injury in my back... don't know if it's spinal or muscular.
But I continue to do the situps every morning.
Even though that hurts in my back.
If I'm not running behind, I do 12 instead of 10.

My shoulders were in pain so I didn't do the weight lifting.
To tell the truth, all this pain is discouraging.

 

[wolfy]

I trained this morning. Bench press and some other stuff. I want to lose a couple of kg in the next few weeks so I need to be a bit more careful of my diet.

I will use IIFYM Calculator

and the Calorie Counter - MyFitnessPal app and see how it goes.

 

[Ivy]

I love IIFYM!

 

[kyuuei]

Man I just don't like thinking about food THAT much. But that calculator is incredibly awesome.

Today:
- Walked to school (15 minutes of leisurely walking), and I plan on doing some P90X and stretching a bit.
- Breakfast was whole grain oats with dried black figs, cocao nibs, coconut and date sugars. Snack was a bar I made yesterday with dates, raisins, various nuts (pepitas, chias, almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, flax), coconut flakes, and cacao nibs. Second snack was a ripe banana, a mini orange, and some dried fruit (papaya, fig, pineapple, peach). Lunch was a large salad with dark leafy greens, celery, red bell pepper, tomato, lemon, and some oil and vinegar with various spices for dressing.

Breakfast, snacks, and lunches are pretty much not going to change all week since they're pre-made for me.
I have no idea what I'll eat for dinner yet. But I have chia seed chocolate pudding with banana for dessert.

 

[Ivy]

I find that if I aim for getting enough protein and enough but not too many calories, the rest of it pretty much takes care of itself. I don't worry about carbs and fat but they tend to end up where they "ought to be" anyway, if maybe a little over on the fat and under on the carbs. IIFYM just helped me figure out a ballpark of what those numbers should be. I don't aim for 1g protein per pound of bodyweight like they recommend, though- that would be a metric shit ton of protein every day. I go for 1g per pound of lean mass, so as I lose I hope to retain lean mass.

 

[Udog]

Instead of focusing on the negatives, I'm going to focus on the positive this week. After logging my food for 4 days last week, I confirmed that I'm not eating enough (healthy foods). Come dinner, I generally would have eating about 40% of my protein, 50% of my carbs, and 70% of my fats. It's not really hard to figure out why I keep on crashing, and why it takes so much freakin will power to not binge. I was basically starving myself while trying to exercise.

It's frustrating to me that it took so long to catch that, but at least I have answers to my problems that don't involve me being too weak willed to eat and exercise right.

This week, I have one simple goal: Eat all of my proteins, carbs, and fats - and keep a simple log. That's it. I will put effort into working out as well, but that's really secondary. Getting enough food and not starving myself of nutrition is by far the more important goal right now.

 

[Udog]

I love IIFYM!

Ooo, looks promising. What do you love about it?

ETA: Ah, you actually answered this. Nevermind, nothing to see here.

Also, I find protein to be the hardest macronutrient to get enough of as well. I have to really plan things out in order to make sure I get enough.

 

[Udog]

It's week 10, and rumor has it you guys are in need of a list! It's great to see so many of you still with us. With the days becoming longer and the weather becoming warmer, I suspect it's only going to get easier from this point on.

Week 10 Participation List
INTJMom
Ivy
Kasper
kyuuei
MorningStar
Qlip
Randomnity
Redbone
Udog
Urarienev

And we haven't heard from a few of you yet (possibly because I'm posting this earlier than usual), so please let us know how you guys are doing.
[MENTION=9811]Coriolis[/MENTION]
[MENTION=2]Ivy[/MENTION] (I know you posted, but I neeeed to know if you still walking the walk and destressing the stress and everything! )
[MENTION=10714]Qlip[/MENTION]
[MENTION=14015]Urarienev[/MENTION]

 

[Ivy]

This was a much better week in some respects.

Eating- Good jorb, no binges, tracked erryday. 7/7
Activity- not so hot- actually pretty terrible, only hit 5K steps twice- but we're still having the crappiest winter of all time. So I'm not beating myself up about it. I'll get back up to speed. 2/7
Sleep/Stress- good. Especially thanks to the frequent 2-hour delays at my kids' schools! Not having to get up at 7 is always nice. Stress levels WAY down from last week. So I'm considering this a catching-my-breath week and not getting too stressed out about my lower activity levels. 7/7
Connection- good. We stayed home this weekend and it was actually fairly warm on Saturday, so we spent it together, doing yardwork and walking the dog and just chilling out. Saw my younger sister and her baby, and my older brother and his kids. Didn't have much contact with my parents or two youngest sibs, though. Need to check in with Mom. She was seeming a little unhinged last weekend and I dreaded getting sucked into more of that (I don't blame her for it- she's fighting pancreatic cancer and I know that's scary- but I do get panicky when she goes into a fugue state about something). Let's call this 5/7.

Even my bad weeks, honestly, are still better than any week before I started working on my food issues and activity levels. And getting through a bad week and soldiering on without just completely giving up is.. well, for me, that's huge.