3rd time is the charm

[Aldethar]

This is the third time that I am starting a thread here.

Sadly I am a person of very high self doubt and my mind keeps winning the fight of "Why do you even bother". I also tend to overthink things and stumble over my own thoughts.

In fact it is so bad that I have rewritten this intro a few times and even closed the browser window.

But you know what. Third time is the charm so here it goes:

I am currently weighing roughly 115 KGs and am as flexible as a metal rod. Stamina is out of the window as well.

My plan is train for a obstacle course that is in May next year.

So my focus this year is weight loss, flexibility and general fitness without even thinking about running. That will happen next year.

So for now I finished the 3rd day of 30 days light cardio and Arms of Steel chair edition.

In the week I am doing intermittent fasting on a low calorie diet, So I should be able to each around 100 - 105 KGs by the end of the year, if not even more as my diet was appalling.

My biggest issue is sticking to all my goals... but I am planning to take it slow.

 

[Anek]

Hello and welcome!

 

[MadamMeow]

Welcome back!

 

[aku-chan]

Welcome back!

 

[Fremen]

Welcome back

 

[Aldethar]

Thank you all for the messages. It feels nice to be back in this community.

So I finished day 4 of 30 days light cardio and Arms of Steel chair edition and I have to say the light cardio actually tired me out nicely.

At the moment it is 16h00 over there and I do work late shift.... but I will try to complete the October calf challenge as well and catch up the last 2 days.

My mood has drastically improved since I started as well.

The next thing I need to do is find a good stretch program.

 

[Aldethar]

Today was day 5 of my 2 programs.

Still in a good mood and the exercises did go a bit easier.

Issue is I am still craving sugary things high in carbs so did have something that wasnt on my plan.

I will NOT call it a cheat snack as that will demotivate me as per usual as this time I want to go in as casual as possible.

 

[Fremen]

Happy Birthday

 

[neilarey]

Happy Birthday!

 

[Obsinosterous]

Happy Birthday! :cake:

 

[MadamMeow]

Hope you had a Happy Birthday!

 

[Aldethar]

WOW!!! Thank you so much for the birthday wishes.

I had the Friday of from work and was gone for the weekend so only managed to log on back here now.

As you can imagine I did not do any exercises this weekend and woke up once again with a headache this morning. (same as last week Monday)... but no worries... tomorrow will be a checkmark on day 6

 

[Aldethar]

One day late, but I have conquered day 6 of 30 days light cardio and Arms of Steel chair edition

I also did day 8 + 9 of the calf raises.

My food is still not 100% there, but it is improving daily... today I resisted the urge to buy chocolate at the shop

 

[Aldethar]

Day 7 was a bit of a hectic day for the light cardio. In the end my shoulders burned nicely.

Also done day 10 of the calf challenge.

Is there by any chance a archive of all the previous challenges?

 

[MadamMeow]

Is there by any chance a archive of all the previous challenges?

Yep! Those three lines by the Darebee logo at the top have the links to where you can search all the previous challenges, programs, workouts, etc. https://darebee.com/challenges.html

 

[Aldethar]

Thank you so much @MadamMeow Will definitely have a look at those.

So sadly my weekends are still a bit chaotic and it will take time to get into the swing of things.

Day 8 of both programs done and dusted as well as day 13 and 14 of the calf challenge.

In general I feel more energetic, however once again my diet is my weak point

 

[Aldethar]

Day 9 for both programs done as well as day 15 for calfs.

Still looking at those other programs as I want to start another one soon

 

[WolfDreamer]

Day 9 for both programs done as well as day 15 for calfs.

Well done!

Still looking at those other programs as I want to start another one soon

Me too! They are addicting.

 

[Aldethar]

They sure are @WolfDreamer

I had a look at the programs but for now I will finish what I started and not put to much on my plate.

Day 10 for both programs done as well as day 16 for calfs.

I am considering of doing two more level 1 programs once I am done and at that point add 2 if not 3 of the programs.

 

[Aldethar]

Day 11 done for both porgrams.

Day 17 of the calfs is also done but I had to split into 2 sets.

I did however have a breakthrough yesterday and I ate in my time allotted (intermittent fasting) and only the food I was supposed to eat. So I am really happy about that

 

[Aldethar]

Day 12 done for both porgrams.

Day 18 of the calfs is also done.

Sadly I broke my fast again last night as I needed some comfort food after a rather bad day at work...

but if I can do 2 days of fasting next week I will be happy.

 

[Aldethar]

I had a look at all the programs and will be doing the following once the other 2 programs are done

Wall Push-Ups Challenge

Darebee's wall Push-Up Challenge allows you to start building up your push-up skills.

darebee.com

Better Arms Challenge

Develop better arms with this monthly challenge by Darebee. It helps you develop the daily habits necessary for a strong mind and a healthy body.

darebee.com

Easy Core Challenge

DAREBEE, darebee, fitness, workouts, visual workouts, fitness challenges, fitness motivation, exercise tips, fitness guides, fitness community

darebee.com

Square One

DAREBEE, darebee, fitness, workouts, visual workouts, fitness challenges, fitness motivation, exercise tips, fitness guides, fitness community

darebee.com

Cant wait

 

[Aldethar]

So sadly I came down with bronchitis and sinusitis over the weekend and was unable to train.

Waiting for my chest to clear up a bit more, as even moving around to much keeps me a bit winded. So will most likely wait till my meds are done (tomorrow) and then rest the weekend starting again on Monday.

Not gonna let this small setback get to me

 

[GentleOx]

Judging from your initial post, you've made some good progress here.

And getting sick sucks, particularly 'cuz it keeps us from doing exercise. You'll be okay again soon!

 

[princess_sarena]

Sorry to hear you're feeling unwell, hope you feel better soon!!!

 

[Fremen]

Healing vibes

 

[MadamMeow]

Hope you feel better soon!

 

[Aldethar]

Thank you for all the well wishes

Yesterday was a bit of a rush but I did manage to get back on the saddle today and managed to do Day 13 for both programs.

 

[WolfDreamer]

I did manage to get back on the saddle today and managed to do Day 13 for both programs

Awesome!

 

[Aldethar]

I am also glad I managed to start again.

had a bit of a bad day yesterday with a migraine, but got Day 14 for both programs done.

 

[Aldethar]

I am actually going to stop my current program and go to the other one that has the challenges in it.

The reason for this is that I miss body weight exercises and this would be a good start.

 

[Aldethar]

I finished day 1 of the following challenges:

Power Grip
Wall push ups
Better Arms
and Easy Core

The wall pushups I did against the kitchen counter and I know I will be feeling it.

Also finished day 1 of the Baseline program

Busy preparing a meal day for the next month and for now it looks close to this:

Breakfast
Oats with protein powder

Lunch
Greek yoghurt with apple and some cinnamon
3 boiled eggs
2 carrots

Supper
I pay the person I stay with every month to cook extra for me, however I might need to stop that due to finances.. so might end up with stir fry or a chicken salad.

 

[Aldethar]

So my new programs are definitely working my body harder then the previous ones.

I can feel it in most of my upper body.

Day 2 is done of all the programs. I am just glad that the Wall push ups was 3 sets of pushup hold till failure and not push ups as that would have killed me.

 

[Aldethar]

So my shift changed from 14h00 - 23h00 to a 06h00 - 15h00 shift.

Normally I train in the morning, but with the new shift I used to train in the evening which threw me a curve ball with my food and general routine.

To change it up I spoke to my HR and I have gotten a area designated where I can exercise in peace during my lunch break (basically a storage room big enough to move around.

So I finished my exercises just now and then ate around 11h00 to break my fast.

Day 3 done on all the programs... and I can already feel my shoulders pulling tight, so will feel it tomorrow.

For breakfast I am having my oats with protein powder, for lunch I have a meal replacement shake (Optifast) that I will continue to use till it is done, then go over to the eggs. I think I have another 12 or so portions left.

I have not felt this optimistic about my exercises in a while... The nice thing about exercising at work is that I am time limited due to my break time, which means I dont squirrel during my exercises and have a good 20 minutes session.

 

[nostylist]

 

[Aldethar]

So I just finished day 4 of all the exercises.

They took me around 15 minutes and it was a great workout.

Yesterday was day one of also sticking to my meal plan, which makes me very happy.

I think the ability to train at work at the same time as I would train at home during my other shifts will really help me in the long run.

 

[Aldethar]

Yesterday was the second day I stuck to my eating plan... more or less. I did have a small fizzer.

Today I changed it up a bit, still doing my programs, but I changed my resting period to when my heart rate goes to 107 BPM, which is at the lower end of my Zone 2 heart rate.

This means that my resting period gets shorter on its own if I didnt exert myself during a specific exercise.

I was contemplating of doing normal pushups, but changed my mind as this is supposed to be a month where I just get used to the exercises again.. and actually DO my exercises.


Having changed my training from after work to my break was a MASSIVE game changer. I now look forward to it as soon as I get to work, rather than dread it and see it as a chore

 

[Aldethar]

Day 6 of all the programs done

Yesterday was a good day again in regards to diet... I kept my eating window and only had a few jelly sweets.

once again used me 107 BPM as a indicator to start the new round.

I can already feel it in my shoulders and upper back

 

[Aldethar]

So sadly having a few car problems today so need to leave work earlier to sort it out.

The good news is that despite the added stress I have not decided to eat junk food, or have my breakfast early. So at least my impulse control is better than what it was.. for now at least

 

[Aldethar]

So I did actually manage to work out on Friday when I got home for day 7.

The weekend was a bit quiet with no exercises as well as my fast going out of the window. I normally see my partner and kid over the weekends, so it is difficult to get everything squeezed in.

I did however do day 8 today, and from 19 minutes of workout I was able to stay in zone 2 for 15 of those minutes.

 

[gothic141]

Sorry for coming late to the thread. If you are looking to complete an OCR what you need to focus on is explosive and recovery, Explosive capacity for getting over the obstacle recovery as there is often waiting to get over the obstacle. More than the stamina to complete the who distance in one go.

 

[Aldethar]

@gothic141 the party is only getting started so you are never late. And thanks for the tips. For now I just want to get to a fitness level where I will not injure myself when the real training starts,

Day 9 done.

I just realized (again) that the alternating days for the push ups is a push up hold and not pushups till failure, which I have been doing till now

 

[Aldethar]

Day 10 of all programs done.

I am starting to feel the difference already. Although I already mentioned it, the change of training in my break really makes a huge difference.
Not only am I actually doing my exercises, but it also helps with the work stress.

Once I am back on evening shift (next month) I will most likely incorporate some walking before I do my exercises.

 

[Aldethar]

Day 11 done!!!

I am trying to do each exercise a bit slower and activate my muscles. So I am already stiff.

Food wise I am sticking to the diet as much as possible and succeeding for the most part. I will have a weigh in this weekend to see where I stand

 

[Aldethar]

Day 12 of the baseline program done.

I did it really slowly this time and I did not have the energy for the other programs afterwards. So I will stick to the one program for now.
Also will not take it in a negative way, as I can not expect years of not exercising to get better overnight. Just wondering what program I will do next.

PS: Looked now and I think I will go for Ten as well as Unbound.

 

[Aldethar]

Day 13 done.

I will be honest that today was one of the days that I was REALLY tempted of skipping the training. Weekend was way to short and the last 2 days at work were pretty rough. But I decided to go and do it anyway and it was the right choice.

I think I need to keep a diary so that if a situation like this ever comes up again that I can see that the last time I did it anyway and it worked

 

[Aldethar]

Day 14 done.

it was a lot of clenching unclenching of fists and I can feel it in my forearms.

I am glad I stuck it through this far... but I know my biggest hurdle is the second month when I do the level 2 exercises

 

[Aldethar]

Day 15 done.

I made 2 changes to the exercises.

For the first 4 rounds I did the repetition number on both sides instead of splitting it up, and from round 5 I did proper jumping jacks.

 

[Aldethar]

Day 16 done!!!

I did proper squads and did the full repetitions on both sides again