some emergency gardening on my balcony, a methodical thorough cleanup of my kitchen storage corner… delightful coming back home!

about to clean up some spiritual cobwebs by skydiving… things are spring-fresh. 3 years ago

I started out the year with no plans, because I was tired of things not working out, but my spirits were starting to lift when I asked for an invitation to this goal.

There were a couple of things that I was going to mention here, but they really belong under another goal. :)

Thank you for the invitation, Wren. :) 3 years ago

I have been doing better, though, my knees are feeling great, I have been a walking machine and my diet has also improved.

Wondrous.

April is a more artfilled month for me (my schedule of activities is ridiculous, even for me) so I am going to stick with Bootcamp in May. 3 years ago

Whoever said better late than never, I love you! Well apparently it was the Roman historian Titus Livius. I keep track of my weekly goals also for my personal coach and set some ‘fines’ to pay if I didn’t deliver a weekly report by Sunday midnight. Well, I didn’t until about an hour ago. I am recording here my last entry for March Bootcamp: it has been so interesting and inspiring to read the different goals and achievements, even just how people went about trying to live up to their own standards.

A big congratulations to all of you who participated, everyone rocked and realized the whole journey over destination importance.

My goals for the week went somewhat like this:

1. Keep getting fitter: Another great week with the P90X, although we missed the Friday workout because of Easter; was going to complete it the last weekend but cut my hand on a good hike in the park.I need to increase my sleep yet it’s coming. Ate out too much but still bought pretty healthy overall.We have one week left in the P90X then it’s time to break and hit some more cardio, do a race, join a soccer team, then hit a powerlifting routine with Mathieu. Will have a flat stomach by my date of June 1st.

2. Improve my grades even more: Scored an 90% in Geography mid-term, apparently one of four. Midterm was also worth 30% of total mark. Got full marks in GIS assignment worth 20% of total mark. Full marks in English so far with just our final technical report next week with the presentation. Getting to where I am trying to be now!

3. Get my finances in order: With good karma applied for a quick job I found on craigslist to help a guy move; had my dad’s truck and paid him the gas; made a relatively quick $200 by using initiative and helping. Paid more money to a student loan.Yeah, I get paid to go to school but have always tried to do more on my holidays; specialist pay kicks in after the course and there is a good chance I will get back pay also after the course, worth at that time about 30 grand or so.

4. Be more ballsy: I actually found myself asking myself key questions whenever I thought the old monkey mind was taking over; you know, the chatter that goes on incessantly in our heads throughout the day. Sometimes, when I think I’m having a bad day, I try to put things in perspective to buddies who have had some really bad days (Pte Matthews, from 2RCR, was waay before my time by the way). Met some great people too who remind me to strive to be that change I am and can be.However, in terms of ballsyness it was kind of a quiet week, small, steady quiet paces instead of a full-out sprint. I can handle that!

By the way, “Better late than never, but never late is better”. 3 years ago

when I’ve barely been here all month, but I guess I’ve been here in spirit – I’ve certainly kept in it mind and done various bits of cleaning and organising that I mightn’t have done otherwise. Must do better next month though – the whole point of this is to share progress and support each other, and I can’t do that if I’m not here! 3 years ago

I am going to re assess this when I am over my strep throat. I cannot go back one month to see how good I got till I am 100 % over this illness.
It has been a hum dinger! 3 years ago

I totally bombed out on this one. No 3.1 pounds lost, no 31 items of clothing decluttered.

Removing the goal since March is over, but this is still a work in progress. 3 years ago

I think I will give up on the boot camp thing! I don’t seem to get very far with these goals :0( 3 years ago

I have time to post on this goal & close it down.

Well, in measurable terms my March was not very impressive. I lost an inch off my waist but not much elsewhere. And the couple of lost pounds are no longer lost.

Since I have been exercising more regularly than ever & did eat with care this past week (& kept my promise not to indulge in sweets), I think it’s a temporary plateau. I may go back to tracking food during April, at least most days; that should help me keep on the straight & narrow.

Could someone please send me a team invitation to the April bootcamp? Thanks! Gracias to Kalibebti, who has taken care of it! 3 years ago

March has been over for a few days and I figured I’d better finish with a summary of Bootcamp:

BODY
1. 12 workouts/yoga sessions -I hit 13!
2. 5 walks on the beach in Myrtle Beach -I went for 2 walks, but I have also done 2 walks here in Barrie!
3. Keep DP to a 4 per week limit -Completely blown! What is it about that dark nector of the gods???
4. Lose 5 lbs -GRRRRR….
5. Focus on fruits and veggies -Trying to be more aware of healthy foods going into (or not!) my body. A tough one, however.

MIND
1. Cleanse my mind of guilt and envy -This goal made me more aware of how many times guilty and envious thoughts circulate through my brain. Will continue to strive for peace and gratitude!
2. Read 2 books -A success!

SPIRIT
1. Meditate 5 times -I meditated at 5 yoga classes and am being more mindful.
2. Stretch at least 5 times per week -I did stretch more than I would have if I hadn’t set this goal, although I don’t think that I hit 5 times every week. Let’s consider that success!
3. Laugh daily -Tried to laugh more. It feels really good. No wonder it’s good for us!
4. Keep a one-sentence journal -Kudos to me on this one!

I have set myself goals for April. Am still trying to strive for small improvements and release perfection. One of my new commandments is to Be Authentic, Not Perfect.

April has begun and now I need to join in! 3 years ago

My main bootcamp goals for March were:

1) To keep up the good work as far as nutrition and exercise goes.

I’ve really, really kept up with this. I’ve been eating less but well, lots of fruit, veggies, and grains, little alcohol and treats, and the water and vitamins are flowing. My sleep has been on track, and my BMI has not only been solid in the healthy zone but dropped down further.

As for exercise, I pushed that forward too, I picked up exercise shoes and a pedometer (which I’ve been pushing hard), walked, hiked, danced, done yoga, gone swimming, and tried hardcore pilates. Yesterday when hiking up the big forest hill I didn’t have to stop for a breath break halfway up.

My stamina is up and as of this morning I’m a dozen pounds down!

2) Lower tangible stress by taking care of some of those things, the ones that nag and chafe.

I’ve been all over this too, doing little tasks and things I’ve put off and starting some of the big ones that have lurked in the wings for much too long.

The gumboots of gumption continue to lovingly tap my behind forward.
April bootcamp, here I come!


^{Final steps for March
March 26: 10692
March 27: 10570
March 28: 9224
March 29: 15577
March 30: 6616 (removed pedometer to try on 100 things from my closet, which must take as much or more energy as walking)
March 31: 15100}3 years ago

Not too bad at all! I managed 22 or the 31 days doing at least 20 mins exercise (first 15 days straight until I went away for a week and hurt my knee!) so I’m very pleased with that! Maybe April will be my first 30 straight days!!

Water was up and down a bit – averaged about 3-4 glasses per day I think, which is only around half of my final goal of 2 litres per day.

Fruit and veg was pretty good, I actually think about what I’m cooking to make sure both Jeff and I are getting a decent amount of veg.

Protein… well, started okay, but the end of the month kind of let me down! I need to get more organised with my lunches and keep my breakfast routine.

Health – I’m pretty proud of my progress with keeping my sugar under control, I’ve avoided just stuffing myself with sugar thoughtlessly… and hopefully my insulin test will reflect this in a month or two!

Relaxation… I have this down I think!!!

ON TO APRIL!! 3 years ago

Exercise – 20 mins on bike

Water – 4 glasses

Fruit and veg – 1 fruit and 3 veg

Protein – dinner…

Health – tablets taken, no sweets

Relaxation – listened to CD, nice quiet night. 3 years ago

but I’m back now. I can’t recommend enough knowing a really good massage therapist – not the kind who makes you all relaxed, which is nice, but the kind who knows how to lean on a muscle and pull things hard to the side and fix you up. I was in agony on Monday – the sciatic thing was just not getting better! But Ed mashed it and it was much better yesterday and pretty much healed today. Needless to say, I’ll be very careful with any ab work that involves twisting from here on out.

I did get a run in yesterday, 9,3 of the C210K program but that’s been it. I’m a bit fearful for the Friday ride. It was pouring today and I’m too a-feared of a slip to ride in rain. Oh, well.

But overall the month has been good, once it started late. Some good distance on the runs and some good rides. Lost 4 pounds though I fear today may have sabotaged that a bit.

And today was reward day. GG and I went down to SF to Sports Basement and I splurged big time: new helmet, riding tights, a riding skirt, 3 shirts, 3 bathing suits (including a bikini!), various accessories, and a fab messenger bag that will work on my bike (perfect for setting up transition areas) and on my scooter. But I need it! It’s about to be race time! 3 years ago

...except I wasn’t really successful in reducing my soda consumption, which was the only goal I had for boot camp. Oops.

I was, however, inspired by the entries here to engage in spring cleaning. Clothes and shoes I seldom wear were tossed, floors were washed, closet reorganized.

Yay, spring cleaning! 3 years ago

Today’s Log:
focused on daily habits
brush teeth: done
face wash: done
apply lotion: done
exercise n situps:done
hair care: XXXX
early waking up:done
evening walk:XXXXX
meditation: done 3 years ago

why everyone was wrapping things up and writing summaries. Ummm, maybe ‘cause it’s the end of the month? I did well with consistency this month, continuing with workouts, veggies, and getting some art done. Didn’t do nearly as well with decluttering. Will focus on that in April. 3 years ago

Edit: Chose this pic for several reasons (besides that I just like it, hehe): one, backbends are hard for me and through yoga I’m gradually improving, yay! Also, I am adding belly-dancing to the list of things I seriously am going to learn in the near future! _{There’s some sort of belly-dancing fitness class at my gym and those women make it look so easy!! I am afraid people will be laughing at me, because, well, I’m a big nerd and can’t shake my hips without looking like a confused marionnette. Wouldn’t it be funny though if after all these years I finally learned to shake my money-maker? And hey, my mate would love it too. ;D Also, I want one of those jingly hip scarves and lots of the people in the class have them; the two phenomena are obviously related.}

It’s strange to revisit the intense focus I felt about these things at the beginning of the month. Enough to say that events gave me a change in perspective; yet having had this basic practice to lean on in the name of health, community, consistency & commitment contributed to giving me some strength I’m not sure I knew I had. It was a good feeling, and while I do sometimes still get a little too wiggy about this stuff, overall I am tacking in the right direction, and with you all cheering me, providing emotional support and working towards your own Bootcamp goals at the same time, I often feel like the wind is with me! Thank you to all for your solidarity and best wishes for April !!

Personally, one thing I feel most proud of is simply having achieved someconsistency. I’ve now been at or within a few pounds of an excellent weight for my height for 5 months. I’m not used to it and still focus too much on the stuff I don’t like, and it will take probably as many months of continued consistency and probably a good deal more athletic activity for me to feel secure about my appearance, but that’s how it goes. I’ve also managed to keep really close track of calories consumed and burned every single day for some months now, and while it’s not too meaningful in and of itself, the consistency gives me a great sense of satisfaction. Practicing music is the only other thing I’ve ever done every single day like this…even writing isn’t the same because I’ve never done the same type of writing every single day. Maybe this will help me step up to that. I’ve known for a long, long time that the act of practicing something consistently is just as important (if not more) as what you choose to practice…mindfully….anyway, enough rambling!

March stats…

1. < 889 net (post-workout-subtractions) calories/day – 6/30_{These are post-workout-estimates using TheDailyPlate. It is obviously unnecessary for me to literally eat less than 889 post-workout calories per day, and yet having this as a goal seems to help me stay where I’d like to be on average. Aiming above the mark and all.}
Since last tally:
1340, 801, 1022, 1443, 390, 844, 784, 1038, 1989, 1945, 1933, 1685, 2084, 1810, 2315, 2090, 2196, 2000, 1112, 662, 1220, 1057, 988

2. track weight, inches, energy level & strength wt 3/31: 126.6, E on 3/29 = 9/10; strength=5/10_{have not measured inches at all this month, but my muscles, observed during yoga, are puny little things and need some cultivating. Energy is measured by how relatively fired-up I feel when required to climb hills or stairs or walk briskly through sand. I am happy with my weight, unsure how to feel about my energy because my anxiety levels hit a serious peak this month (with every situational excuse in the world, however, so I’m not concerned that this is some more-than-my-usual chemical imbalance) and I can’t always tell the difference between high energy and high anxiety; I’m disappointed that I didn’t get more exercise this month & gain strength, but it’s understandable, and I got at least some exercise most of the time, so that is satisfying. I did sort of wonder whether I’ve finally managed to raise my resting metabolic rate or whether anxiety burns calories; either way, I was happy to see a slight weight loss instead of the gain I’d been dreading after all the comfort foods.}

3. 8-12 yoga classes in March – 4/12 : )_{3 mar, wed; solo yoga while traveling, 12 mar; weird yoga led by my sister-in-law, 13 mar; back to gym yoga 29 mar. Not nearly what I’d aimed for, but it could have been worse, and just traveling with my yoga mat and doing it myself one morning (without sis-in-law barking at me) was highly sustaining. Had planned on every day but there were a lot of family demands, unsurprisingly, and we all did a good bit of walking so there was that….}

4. 30-60 min some level of cardio every day, including: one morning walk/week, one hike, one bike ride, one REI event & one Sierra Club event in March – 17/30_{I may return and fill in the specs on this. I’m not sure I’ve done any true cardio (heartratewise), and need to work back up to including that in my workouts. Probably averaged one morning walk/week, but the goal was literally once (at least) every week. No bike rides this month. :( No REI or Sierra Club events, but did one Sunstrides event (the hike), sort of (didn’t run it!), which also accomplished one more check on the goal of exploring new local hikes : ).}

5. do better at giving up bagels, Panera-type sandwiches, tortilla chips & pizza for Lent – 16/30_{“If I can do this for half the month then I’m going to add “and anything not whole grain”…well what do you know, half the month. Pizza, cake and bagels cut a 2-week swathe through my March so counting up my number of successful days actually surprised me. Ok, let’s see if I can stick to 100% whole grain carbs in April!}

6. shop 10 times this month for fresh fruits/veggies, tofu, & whole-grain low-carb alternatives_{You know, I don’t even remember. I like this goal, though. I do know I ate no tofu this month, but procured fresh veggies once or twice and in addition managed to pick up some whole grain low-cal tortillas when I really wanted a bag of bagels: progress! haha}

7. buy fresh flowers and/or produce @ 3 local farmer’s markets_{Did not make it to a single farmer’s market this month!!} However, my lovely mate brought me roses for a very specific reason on Monday. Highly unusual, an interesting step, and very much appreciated…also they smell great :D. _{Also the blue carnations and a sprig of Black-Eyed Susans from the bouquet from Mom’s wreath I schlepped through 2 airports along with the OED are still hanging in there as we speak! (the hydrangea and irises were pretty delicate and didn’t survive long past baggage pickup, but I had them for the trip : )))}

8. strut it regardless – 29/30_{Well, I got knocked on my ass mid-month, but am allowing myself a very broad definition of strutting it. I kind of need to do the laundry, though. I will say I did very well during the family visit, which if you’ve ever had to sit around with siblings handing you fat-pictures of yourself from 20 years ago they just dug out of a storage unit, or greet people whose unerring greeting for nearly the past two decades has been a surprised-sounding, “Oh, you look so fit!” (groan, eyeroll) you know how important keeping up appearances can feel. As for the post-sibling meltdown, hey, my mate is very loving and accepting of me (if a little too non-verbal about it) and that is awesome. I also had insanely good luck with thrift-store clothes this month. Betsey Johnson skirt: $5, Juicy Couture skirt: $7 and yeah they fit!! hehe Also: really nice yummy brown thick soft funky wool sweater a bit too small but entirely wearable, $2.50}

9. Are my legs sore? : Weight-train w/focus on legs (to exhaustion) 2 x week – 1/3 quad reps R&L 3/10 30; hamstring reps R&L 2/10 Um, okay. April!

10. slow-kick form work and kick/strike practice on heavy bags, with or without faces, and fist planks, 2 x week – 1/30 April!

11. sleep @ 10pm on 12 weekdays; post-midnight < 5 days_{I have no idea.}

12. REWARDS ! : find 10 lost things_{For the love of God could I just do this already??}...sauna 1 x week; organize & easify daily supplements_{probably about 50% with the supplements, once with the sauna : )}

13. Water intake: 16-40 oz water daily_{Will probably return to quantify this later. Doing ok but should drink more water most days.}

14. Fat percentage 30 or below daily_{Will come back to record this later.}

15. Average 15 resumes sent daily, 15 interviews this month_{This was certainly ambitious, but even so I haven’t measured up…most success probably in networking, this month. Stay tuned. My life can’t continue to fall apart indefinitely, after all.} ; )

16. Keep my own counsel – 30/30

Yang Metal Dog ; )

17. Eat more tofu & legumes._{This has not been a tofu- and legume-filled month.}

April goals…at this point I don’t have the faintest idea how or even why to incorporate the “2 a Day” concept, so will probably read over others’ entries before I decide & formulate a game plan for April. I must be a month behind in more ways than one because April seems like a great time for Spring Cleaning to me! I mean, Spring just started, right??

:D 3 years ago

My goals for this past month:
1. tighten up existing habits – done.
2. exercise Abigail regularly and help her lose weight – done
3. Seek balance between fitness and the rest of my life – made significant progress, and will continue to improve.

Overall, this month was a success, but I really didn’t have specific, tough goals to reach, it was more of a bit of a honing and balancing month after a couple of more hardcore ones, which has its merits. It was needed.

So, onward to April. Its riding season. Its on. No more coasting, its time to get fierce. Rawr!

^{note to self: list specific, challenging goals for April. Its BootCamp, baby. Its not supposed to be just a log of repetitive entries. Work for it. Keep doing what you’re doing and you’ll keep gettin’ what you are gettin’ ;)}3 years ago

Well, the main benefit of the March bootcamp is that I became very focused on where my spring cleaning is needed – in my psyche! I started dealing with that via hypnosis on Monday, and the work will be ongoing.

Also is March, I lost zero pounds. On the other hand, I also gained zero pounds. And I started a new workout program that is focused on heavy weight training.

So that is it for March. Onward to better fitness progress in April! 3 years ago

Exercise – 20 mins (hooray!)

Water – 4 glasses

Fruit and veg – 1 fruit and 3 veg

Protein – crap… missed lunch AGAIN. :-(

Health – tablets taken, no sweet snacks. Even though I’ve been offered easter eggs, cake and chocolate ALL BLOODY DAY!!! Hahaha!

Relaxation – CD listened to, had a quiet night… bit flat. 3 years ago

(boring to read, for my own logging purposes, so sorry)

Spun like crazy to compensate for slower speed for new folks, so I still got my heart rate up there. Took a long pull solo up the hill to increase it further. Ended up ok.

Avg. heart rate 82% Max 177
934 calories burned, 30% fat
1.25 hr, with beginners needing 3 stops.
13.5 mph avg. 17 miles 3 years ago

Breakfast – Banana and dates on the fly.
Snack – Mary’s Gone Crackers quinoa-flax-rice thingies. Addictive as heck.
Lunch – Shiratake noodles and stir fry veggies from last night.
Snack – more cracker thingies, did I mention they were addictive?
Dinner – I’m skipping the socializing after the ride tonight, so I’ll cook at home. No idea what, but it’ll involve the tempeh I failed to cook last night.

Riding about 20 miles tonight, if we get to leave on time. I’ll be glad when the days get a little bit longer.

Abigail has been sticking to her diet, and growling less about the lack of treats. She’s enjoyed the increased lovin’ and praise. She’s back down to her fighting weight, looking trim and fiesty. On the days that I’ve not gotten home in time, Mr. Grace has been running her around the yard and playing catch, so she’s looking good! I wish I could lose weight as fast as my dog. Grrrr. 3 years ago

Weight work this morning. Felt strong.

3 sets 20 reps of squat clean and jerk, 10lb dumbbells
2 sets 20 reps each side of Jefferson squats, 10lb dumbbells
3 sets 15 reps of abductor machine, 50lbs
2 sets 15 reps of adductor machine, 30lbs
3 sets 15/15/10 reps of hamstring machine, 97lbs
2 sets 18/10 reps of bicep curl, 20lb straight bar
2 sets 15 each side, cable rotations, 12.5lbs

Did another self portrait in pencil last night. This one was less me and more generic human. Did a few sketches of my mouth and eyes and nose to try to get those down. Had broccoli and cauliflower with potatoes for dinner, then a cube of tofu. Had brussel sprouts the other night. I’d forgotten how much I love them, especially with peas. 3 years ago

It’s the end of the month, and this is my first post. This month started OK, but several things occurred —particularly my trip to the beach with my aunt which came out of the blue, then postponed, and then postponed again, and which drew my schedule off, as well as my good intentions and plans.

Anyway, it wasn’t a complete loss. I have continued to stretch and do calisthenics at least five times a week, but I do need to crank them up a bit. For April, I’ll be doing twice as many repetitions (in the two-a-day fashion). I also have been waking up consistently earlier, but I have not reached my goal of rising with the sun. Of course, how can I achieve that if I’m here writing this at 2:15 am?? Next Sunday starts DST, so that’s going to throw off my sleep-wake schedule out the balcony. It’ll take extra effort to make it work.

So, in general, I didn’t feel I was in a boot camp, but more like a leisure hiatus. April must see some real discipline or else I’ll feel very disappointed with myself. 3 years ago

this job out of my life! There are things I like about it, but people who work with me are almost all volunteers and very few of them think of this place as a workspace. One of them behaves unprofessionally and people wave it off as “that’s just the way X is.” Sorry, that’s not acceptable to me. We don’t get free passes for unprofessional, rude behavior because of our nature. We all have challenges at work and I expect to be treated with respect and as a professional.

Seriously pissed off and upset, but managed not to translate that into a sugar or junk food binge. Had some sunflower seeds as a snack and avoided the junk aisle when I went to the drugstore. Forwarded the last email from X to my boss with an explanation that I was taking myself out of the conversation, as I had explained the reasons for the deadlines he’s protested several times and was no longer willing to speak with someone who has proven himself unwilling to listen. Several people have told me I shouldn’t “bother” my boss with his behavior, but I think she needs to know how it affects me and make some decisions about what she’s willing to tolerate.

UGH! In other spring cleaning news, plan to do more decluttering tonight and did a self portrait in pencil last night that turned out much better than I was fearing. I may do a second tonight if I feel so inspired. 3 years ago

It has been an interesting month.

Started off really well with gym, long walks and a lot of outdoor work. Then 2 weeks in and I somehow contracted a nasty stomach bug which has floored me right up until now. An inflamed gut is not conducive to any exercise of any sort.

The upside – those 2 kilos melted off and stayed off :D

And the other benefit – I was able to spend more time with my sewing and preserving and have caught up on a lot of things, so not a complete loss.

I have started to do gentle exercise again, so roll on April…! 3 years ago

with feeling like I was overeating…I was insatiably hungry, and it seemed like I was constantly putting food in my mouth. Thankfully, the food was good, healthy meals but I was craving tons of it and craving meat, so I gave in.

I just figured my calorie burn for Saturday’s ride, and that explains why I was so damned insatiably hungry…6450 calories burned. Whoa.

Still craving sugar this morning, so I ate a mini pack of Twizzlers on the way in, but the rest of the day has been fine.

Breakfast: Pea Protein/Almond milk/mango/banana/vanilla bean/date/smoothie

Lunch: 2% Greek yogurt, raw walnuts, banana and honey

Snack: raw walnuts

Dinner: Spicy Asparagus and tempeh saute, shiratake noodles

Getting back in the habit of having a protein/multivitamin drink before bed. Trying to decrease the meat craving and speed muscle repair. 3 years ago