I'm back (for real this time)

[princess_sarena]

Monday, September 23rd, 2024

Meditations slipping. Forgot a couple days, and lost my streak. It's okay, I got up to forty - I can get back up there by starting again.

Day #5 of arms of steel, seated. It still feels easy but my arms feel strangely sore after such simple exercises. Is it working? Am I becoming The Woman Of Steel? Day #7 of wall pushups. I got lost on the salad challenge, but will start again Tuesday. Even if I missed a couple days in the middle, I'm still eating way more vegetables than I used to, so I've decided to take my progress and run rather than dwell on the setbacks. Still going strong on the no buying drinks challenge, I got some instant coffee, one of which is a cold brew mix, so I can just add milk to get an instant dose of sugarless caffeine. One is caramel, maybe yummy even sugarless. Migraines, I gotcha covered.

Oh also - it was just too hard to drink NOTHING but plain milk and water, so I decided on a fair compromise. Flavored milk is fine too. Better drink a glass of milk with some added sugar than a can of soda. It's a compromise so I don't break all the way and go back to massive amounts of sugar with no nutritional value whatsoever.

Hopefully last update, I told the girls I was uncomfortable and leaving one of our servers. I stayed in the original server to give them the chance to still talk to me, they took advantage of the opportunity to keep me around just to give me the silent treatment. I watched in amusement for two days then left and blocked all the participants. Weirdos. Dunno what grown adults were hoping to accomplish with that game, but not my problem - just made it easier to leave them behind.

Day #28

 

[princess_sarena]

Tuesday, September 24th, 2024

Day #6 of seated arms of steel, which means my knee has had almost a week off. It's time to get my legs back in the fitness game. Tomorrow, I'll be off on my first run in a week. Day #8 of wall pushups. Day #12 of the salad eating challenge. I really have been doing the absolute bare minimum, partly because of not sleeping well. Pull out old sleep mask. Sleep better. Do better tomorrow. Also, if I'd known seated arms of steel was so easy, I don't know I would have picked it as a sufficient replacement, but I'm not going to look back. Now that I know, I can keep it around for days when I'm more active and want just a little more.

Smart move of the day, ask a relative to pick up more bottled water for me weeks before I would run out, so when she forgot I'd have a few more opportunities to ask her. I do my own shopping by bus, but bottled water is much too heavy to carry back. (I drink tap, the bottles are a good weight and size, convenient to grab when I'm lazy, and usable more than once.)

OMG DAREBEE I LOVE YOU, when you start typing and navigate to a different page IT KEEPS YOUR TEXT so you don't lose everything if you close it by accident

Day #29

 

[princess_sarena]

Wednesday, September 25th, 2024

Day #21 of 8 weeks to 5 km. Finally, finally back in the game! At sweet last! I did it even though it was the hardest timing yet. So close to running a 5 km.

Day #13 of salad eating challenge, me guesses.

Back at one meditation a day.

#30

Thursday, September 26th, 2024

Wanted another run, but I've been waking up at 4 AM and it's not okay. So I was too dead tired to do more than seated arms of steel day #7. Salad challenge, day #14.

I cannot BELIEVE just how fast time flies. It's wild.

#31

Not last update - a couple of the girls reached out to explain they were just sad and didn't know what to say and were afraid of losing me. One through a backdoor I'd left open, the other through the front door once I'd unlocked it again. To be fair to me, that's a reaction I've not gotten before, so how was I to know there was a fairly innocent explanation for the lack of kicking me out but no words? The silence was still weird, but I was willing to believe their explanation and keep them around. At the end of the day, it would have broken me to have to lose them.

 

[princess_sarena]

Friday, September 27th, 2024

Day #22 of 5 km. Another run. I think maybe that was it? Can't remember now. I keep forgetting meditations. Ugh.

Saturday, September 28th, 2024

Day #23 of 5 km. Never feels like much, but if darebee says it's a full day's workout, then heck it's a full day's workout, who am I to argue.

Falling on the drinks thing, had a soda and another soft drink, is what it is and I'll try again this week.

My knee is better but the squats still don't feel right. I did a sort of edited version with my hand on my knees to stabilize them a bit better. Do not know WHAT I am doing wrong. Maybe I'm just not a squats girl? Idk -

Also, upgraded a badge, and took an eyeshadow palette as a reward. Maybe was a bit above pay grade, but I really wanted it and had an excuse! I also took a pair of athletic leggings for the thirty day achievement.

#32 & #33

 

[princess_sarena]

Sunday, September 30th, 2024

Day #24 of 5 km, day #14 of salad eating challenge.

I feel... like I can't believe it's been over a full month since I first came back to Darebee. I've made a lot of progress, and then I've lost some of it again. I haven't missed a day of exercise, even if some days were a lot less challenging than I would have wished them to be. I've missed almost a week of meditation. I need to fix up my sleep schedule, waking up earlier in the morning, and actually committing to my meditations.

Day #34

 

[princess_sarena]

Monday, September 30th, 2024

Just day #25 of 5 km. It's getting very challenging, still doubting if I can get all the way through, but I've gotten decently far already. That was it. Of course a stretch, always a stretch after a run.

Day #35

Prize day. Prize to be picked.

 

[princess_sarena]

Tuesday, October 1st, 2024

Day #1 of October challenge. This I'll ace!

Day #25 of 5 km. I think my previous records were off by a day. I finally gave up doubling every single day. The upper body work is just gonna be single from now on.

Wednesday, October 2nd, 2024

Day #26 of 5 km. That's all I'm up to so far - I gotta get ready for the upcoming holiday. I'll be offline for a few days, but I will keep exercising and I'll report back after the holiday!

Day #36 & #37

 

[princess_sarena]

Thursday, October 3rd, 2024

Day #27 of 5 km. Day #2 of October challenge.

Friday, October 4th, 2024

Day #30 of baseline. Day #3 of October challenge.

OMG OMG OMG OMG BADGE DAY, this is my THIRD ever program badge and the first since My Grand Return!

Day #38 & #39

 

[princess_sarena]

Saturday, October 5th, 2024

Day #28 of 5 km. Half hour run. Day #4 of October challenge, done way past midnight, but oh well. Day #15 of salad challenge - I am SO off track with that one. Salads are hard. Vegetables are tricky to keep fresh.

Day #40

Prize day! Prize day! Prize day!

 

[Maegaranthelas]

Happy Badge Day

 

[MadamMeow]

Congrats for Baseline!

 

[Fremen]

Congrats

 

[princess_sarena]

Sunday, October 6th, 2024

Thanks everyone for the well-wishes on the badge! I've decided to order a Wanda Maximoff sweater as a sweet reward for that one (I need a new sweater anyway, that one is just extra cool). Here's to all the badges to come!

Day #29 of 5 km. Accidentally went out in a thunderstorm and managed to finish the entire run before I gave up and came back inside, all sopping wet. But I did it! I am officially more than halfway through the program, and capable of running a half-hour non stop.

Day #8 of arms of steel, seated. Arms still well away from being made of steel.

Day #5 of October challenge. Easy peezy.

Day #8 of wall pushups challenge. Getting hard.

I took a fidget spinner ring for day #40 prize day.

Day #41

 

[princess_sarena]

Monday, October 7th, 2024

Day #30 of 5 km. Day #6 of October challenge. Day #9 of wall pushups. Day #13 of daily dares.

[Planned for later: day #8 of zen, a ten minute meditation]

Day #42

 

[princess_sarena]

Tuesday, October 8th, 2024

Today will be a full report.

First - finally made my donation to Darebee, an (under)estimation of how much I've saved from not buying drinks at work and then a little extra because of the status. That'll be it for a while, but I hope it helps! Wouldn't be where I am now without darebee and our community. (KITTENS)

Meditation - starting to get back on track, slowly slowly. Three days in. Let's see how long I can keep it going this time.

Fitness -

Day #31, 5 km. One of my best workouts yet. Ran 5 km in, I'm estimating about 50 minutes or so, because my running app is sorely underestimating distance. I remember how panicky I was about running four minutes straight, thought I couldn't do it, and now here I am running six minutes easy. I also felt a muscle I've never felt before, in all my years of running - running was always pure cardio for me, but here I am finally running fast enough to build some muscle too.

Day #9 of wall pushups.

Day #9 of arms of steel.

Day #16 of salad eating challenge, and bought enough vegetables to last the rest of the week (I hope), and some apples and baby carrots for snacking between or after meals.

Day #14 of daily dare - I LOVED this one, it was so fun, and I even wore my 1 pound weights for some spice.

Rewards - bought some more rewards, plus an adorable denim skirt that I can maybe save for a program reward later. I like the rewards for programs being new stuff I need anyway and will wear weekly or daily for a long time, like a sweater or skirt. It makes the new piece of clothing feel extra special every time I wear it, knowing what I put in to "earn" it.

Day #43

 

[Maegaranthelas]

Whoah, well done on your running progress! Tenacity paying off for sure

 

[princess_sarena]

Wednesday, October 9th, 2024

Thanks @Maegaranthelas!!!

Meditations progressing nicely. Back to twice a day.

Day #32 of 5 km. Those pushups are still a little hard, but I'm conquering them one at a time. Glad no reverse angles. I really didn't like those as my room is squishy and I kept knocking into things.

No wall pushups challenge, because I don't like doubling down on pushups. They were included in the workout.

Day #9 of zen. I love zen so much. I put on Dan Gibson's solitudes and just quiet down and enjoy the stretch. I feel so rested and healed afterwards. It's such a lovely add on to do after a hard workout.

Day #8 of October challenge (I know I'm a day off, it's okay, we have 31 days this month).

Day #17 of salad eating challenge. I didn't finish all the salad cuz I made too much and got full faster than usual, but I had a big bowl, and I'll probably eat the rest when I get home from work anyway. It's good to have food all ready and prepped and easy to eat.

Day #15 of daily dare.

The main reason I started on this journey was because I've always hungered to do the Hero's Journey, but I never felt fit enough to approach it. I wanted to work out more so I could be fit enough to play fitness games. Today I discovered that I'm already there: I had so much fun doing the daily dare that for once I was disappointed when the timer rang. Fitness IS fun, even when you're not making a game of it.

Rewards: Pokemon pack day!!!

Day #44

 

[princess_sarena]

Thursday, October 10th, 2024

Meditations... okay, at least once a day, mostly twice, but not if I'm too tired at night.

Day #33 of 5 km program. I'm debating taking some time off again as my knee was acting up yet again.

Day #9 of October challenge.

Day #18 of salad challenge.

I was tired out from waking up too early in the morning and just wasn't up to doing as much as I normally would have done, but at least I got the basics done.

I had a migraine at work yesterday, and decided that any caffeinated beverage purchased and consumed for the sole purpose of ending a migraine falls within the category of medicine and not food. Drinking coffee bitter and black is not within my best interest while I'm already in pain. Best decision I ever made - I felt back to myself within an hour, right as rain.

Rewards - I'll hold onto it for now and carry it over til day 60, and then pick two. If I make it to say 60. I will.

Day #45

 

[princess_sarena]

Friday / Saturday, October 11 - 12, 2024

Okay so for these I barely remember but I'll do my best. Yesterday was Yom Kippur, and I try to do a medically and rabbinically approved semi-fast of just occasional sips of boost drinks, so I adjusted my fitness schedule around the day to keep Yom Kippur itself fully clear of any strenuous exercise. I did a small upper body workout, but carefully and little else.

So, over those two days:

Day #34 of 5 km.

Days #10 & 11 of October challenge

Day #16 & 17 of daily dare

Day #19 of salad challenge

Day #10 of arms of steel (seated)

Think that was basically it. At least I kept myself going.

I pulled my day #50 prize early because my knee was desperate for cushioning and support and I had some knee pads handy to open.

Day #46 & 47

 

[princess_sarena]

Sunday, October 13th, 2024

Well, I cheated for the first time in my life. I had one last day of zombies run to complete for the community run, and I was so dead tired after six hours at work I was also dead set against going out for a run. So I set a half hour timer and decided to listen to the episode at home while doing a light workout instead. Instead of picking a "meantime" program to do while unable to progress on 5 km, I just decided to get a head start on the next program I'll choose. And what I chose was both foundation AND foundation light.

See, I used to take programs real slow, trying to enjoy and savor them for as long as possible. I've ditched that attitude, and to the better. Now I'm trying to get through all of darebee's programs and challenges as quickly as humanly possible without overloading myself. So if I can collect two badges at once, I'll do it, instead of "saving foundation light for later." When later happens, something else good will come along.

Easy core & one minute plank - day #1

October challenge - day #12

Daily dare - #18

Salad challenge - #20

Wall pushups - #10

Foundations - #1

And I learned that skipping days are impossible. I don't need to do a super challenging workout every single day, some days just fifteen minutes of stepjacks are plenty enough.

#48

 

[princess_sarena]

Monday, October 14, 2024

Easy core - day #2

One minute plank - day #2

5 km - day #35

October challenge - day #13

Daily dare - #19

Tuesday, October 15, 2024

Easy core - day #3

One minute plank - day #3

Foundations - day #2

October challenge - day #14

Salad challenge - day #21

Day #49 & 50

 

[Maegaranthelas]

Whooh, 50 days!

 

[princess_sarena]

Wednesday, October 16, 2024

One minute plank - day #4

Easy core - day #4

5 km - day #36

October challenge - day #15 (HALFWAY THROUGH)

Daily dare - day #20

Salad challenge - day #22

@Maegaranthelas thank you!!! Onto the next achievement!!!

Day #51

 

[princess_sarena]

Thursday, October 17, 2024

One minute plank - day #5

Easy core - day #5

5 km - day #37

Zen - day #10

October challenge - day #16

Daily dare - day #21

Mired again in four different programs with no sight of the finish line. Of any of them. *Sigh* my ADHD mind strikes again, the same wandering instinct that has me reading fifty books at once while only finishing five before moving onto the next batch of fifty

Day #52

 

[Maegaranthelas]

I understand this feeling. Maybe we need to stagger them, start a new programme each week so we're always only a week away from finishing one

 

[princess_sarena]

I understand this feeling. Maybe we need to stagger them, start a new programme each week so we're always only a week away from finishing one

That would be smart! It's what I try to do with challenges - start the new one around halfway through the old. Can't say how it's working out yet, I've only completed huggy hugs since getting back...

Friday, October 18th, 2024

One minute plank - day #6

Easy core - day #6

October challenge - day #17

Foundations - day #3

Daily dare - day #22

Wow. These at-home cardio workouts are really something else. I should not be doing them in my holiday outfits.

Day #53

 

[princess_sarena]

Saturday, October 19, 2024

One minute plank - day #7

Easy core - day #7

October challenge - day #18

Foundations - day #4

My tendons are well tended. Onwards.

huh I accidentally pushed some buttons and now I need to find out what they do

Spoiler: just messing around

and this

Day #54

 

[princess_sarena]

Sunday, October 21, 2024

Very, very, very sad today, because I ran out of a medication critical to my health and function, and my pharmacy is closed Sundays, and the local pharmacy refused me a one day emergency supply. Their only "advice" was for me to transfer my prescriptions there once my pharmacy opens again, which is exemplary of the many reasons my pharmacy is halfway across the city and closed on Sundays. Superior customer service and higher brain cell count is worth it. Anyway, I'm trying to tell myself I only have to be miserable, exhausted, and dysfunctional a week at most and then I'll be more careful to renew my medication supply well before I run out.

Gentle with myself today. I did an amazing run, 5 km in under fifty minutes. So if I was too distracted to do some of the challenges I've taken on ... well, we can't be perfect.

5 km - day #38

October challenge - day #19

Daily dare - #23

Is that it? I did a Marvel Move Turkey trot. Never heard of a Turkey trot before today. I am not a turkey, and I do not trot. Anway, let's put that spoiler effect to good use.

Spoiler: Marvel Move [Turkey Trot]

Met with Cap. Helped him hunt down a pickpocket. Somehow having a hero by your side helps you give every kilometre your best speed. Then we bought green beans. Plenty of famous Captain America lines "I could do this all day!"

Day #55

 

[princess_sarena]

Monday, October 21st, 2024

Meditation - 15 days in a row of ten minutes minimum per day

Easy core - day #8

One minute plank - day #8

October challenge - day #20

5 km - day #39

[Edited to add: zen - day #11]

I dunno about the daily dare, it's a lot more of an exercise already included in today's workout.

Gonna reset my intention to buy only water and milk tomorrow, because I'm feeling fuzzy and exhausted due to the skipped medication and I desperately need that sugar-and-caffeine pick me up. I did order the meds from my pharmacy of choice, and they said they should be able to deliver them this evening. Hopefully that will pan out.

I wanna do this weird thing where I go through every single class option available, and pick one related achievement to hit before I can move on to the next one. But I haven't quite yet figured out how it's gonna work. No matter, we're at "none" for now

Lip smacker lanyard chosen for day #55.

Day #56

 

[princess_sarena]

Tuesday, October 22nd, 2024

8 weeks to 5 km : day #40

Daily dare (see above) : day #24

October challenge : day #21

Wall pushups : day #10(2)

I figured out sort of how my silly little Master All Classes will work. The end goal is to master the workout named for each class. I named six levels, with a secret seventh level. The first two levels are training towards the target workout, the third is mastering and then completing the workout itself, and the next four... idk. We'll see, if I ever get there. [I'll be doing only the female variants of gendered classes, not both.]

So the first level is "fledgling."

Goal for the "none" class: complete zen, easy core, and one minute plank. Just prepping myself for the challenges ahead.

Fledgling jack-of-all-trades (and soon-to-be master of all)

Zen - day #12

Easy core : day #9

One and a half minute plank : day #9

This is just me being silly and adding a little direction and rpg spice to my fitness routine.

Spoiler: Zombies Run, Season 1 Side Missions

Ran from Abel to Brunswick as a runner on loan. It feels weird being away from the usual crowd, runners four and six and eight. Janine seems to have her heart set on me staying long enough to acquire some secret mystery item from the leader at Brunswick, Ben Jones, so I guess I better stay and do my best to help Brunswick out.

Day #57