Because I'm Still Stupid...

[LongSlowBurn]

Monday, July 31st

Fireheart. Completed Day 26 at Level I. Push-ups and Jab-Crosses. Time was running short, as was my energy, so I only did the first three sets. At least the push-ups aren't impossible anymore.

Epic Core Challenge. Completed Day 26. Twists with a 20 lb weight. Done

Calories Out: 3,028
Calories In: 2,944
Deficit: 84. Crud.

Tuesday, August 1st

Fireheart. Completed Day 27 at Level III. Core work. Once again, time is short. But this workout is shorter than most, especially the big combo days, so all 5 sets done. I'm liking the extra work on the obliques anyways.

Epic Core Challenge. Completed Day 27. Up-Down planks and holds. Tough, but doable. Wasn't looking forward to the next part after this though...

Epic Arms Challenge. Completed Day 1. I wanted to make sure I started this on the first, so there's a bit of overlap here with Core. Finished the first two sets, then got it in my head to add 3 lb weights for extra toughness. I might try to keep that up on the raise days.

Calories Out: 2,947. Long day, but not an active one.
Calories In: 2,583
Deficit: 364. Not as bad as yesterday.

Wednesday, August 2nd

Fireheart. Completed Day 28 at Level III. Combos. Its really tough to remember to step forward during elbow strikes. Finally got a pattern down here, but it still feels awkward. And my knees still aren't enjoying those kicks by the time set 7 rolls around.

Epic Core Challenge. Completed Day 27. Twists. Just wasn't feeling the weight this time. After all the core work that came with those combos, it didn't feel like I really needed the weight, anyway. Done

Epic Arms Challenge. Completed Day 2. Scissors. In retrospect, I probably could have tried this with weights. Done.

Calories Out: 3,343
Calories In: 3,102
Deficit: 241. Found a new breakfast food. Sausages in a bun didn't really keep my hunger down. At least I only have two left for tomorrow.

 

[LongSlowBurn]

Thursday, August 3rd

Everything went swimmingly today until the last two hours at work. That was the point where we found out that the fire marshal refused to sign off on our county fairgrounds because a mess of fire extinguishers were overcharged, as in they had more gas pressure inside than normal. This has never been a problem before, since standard 5 pound fire extinguishers sit at around 200 psi and are tested every 12 twelve years at 600 psi to make sure they don't pop and send shrapnel everywhere. A little extra gas shouldn't be a problem, but I guess this guy thought it was. So here I and two other guys go gathering every extinguisher we can get our hands on and refitting a bunch that we hadn't had the equipment to process until literally today (if I hadn't been processing a bunch earlier once we got the gear working, we'd have been boned) in order to get 17 five pound extinguishers to the fairgrounds before the fair opens tomorrow. Preferably in two hours. It took two and a half, all told. Fun times.

Fireheart. Completed Day 29 at Level III. Push-Ups, Up Down Planks, and strikes. Wasn't sure about finishing all 5 sets, given that I have Up DOwn Planks in Epic Core today, but I pushed through. Done, and only one more day left.

Epic Core Challenge. Completed Day 29. Up Down Planks and holds. The last couple of reps were dicey, but made it through. Almost there...

Epic Arms Challenge. Completed Day 3. Bicep Extensions and holds, with 3 pound weights. Not a problem. I might bump it to 5 pound weights next time.

Calories Out: 3,331
Calories In: 2,732
Deficit: 599. Nice! And the sausages in a bun are gone now, so that's a bonus. I'll stick to beef jerky for a while.

 

[LongSlowBurn]

Friday, August 4th

Finished up work, got home, hung out for a bit, then laid down to take a nap. I must have turned my alarm off instead of snoozing it, because I woke up around 2 in the monring. Well... no workouts today. Guess I needed the sleep more.

Calories Out: 2,589
Calories In: 2,219
Deficit: 370. Could have been worse.

Saturday, August 5th

Just a usual lounging Saturday. No special activities, at least not until I went to the grocery store, bought a box of Ritz Crackers and plowed the whole box down. Quite shocking to learn that there's over 1900 calories in one of those boxes...

Walk. Well, I need to burn some extra calories now, so I went for a walk around the neighborhood. Just to spice things up, on each half-mile loop, I did something between a jog and a run on .16 miles of that loop. According to Fitbit, I did 3.6 miles, so that makes seven loops, of which I walked the full length only once. That's better than I thought!
Distance: 3.6 miles
Duration: 55 minutes

Fireheart. Completed Day 30 at Level I. Core work. After the run and a second trip to the grocery store (looking for cereal, came home with apple sauce), the small of my back was starting to gripe at me. I could only finish the first three sets, and those were making my eyesight blurry. But done is done... and that's a badge!


Epic Core Challenge. Completed Day 29. Twists. I did one of the sets for Epic Arms first to give my back a rest, but then pumped this out. Hopefully, my core doesn't go downhill again in the near future.


Epic Arms Challenge. Completed Days 4 and 5. The Scissor Arms were easy enough, but of course I forgot the holds on the first three sets of bicep curls. Finished up, then I did three sets of 10-count holds with 10-count rests.

Calories Out: 3,119
Calories In: 3,347
Deficit: -228. There's a lot of calories in Ritz Crackers. Something to keep in mind...

 

[Fremen]

Congrats

 

[Mamatigerj]

Happy Badges Day!!

 

[Tileenah]

Congrats on fireheart and epic core!

 

[Froud]

Congrats mate!

 

[BetaCorvi]

Congrats on Fireheart & Epic Core!

 

[mavie]

Congrats!

 

[LongSlowBurn]

Thank you @Fremen, @Mamatigerj, @Tileenah, @Froud, @BetaCorvi, @mavie!

Time for a new plan! I have a week long trip in the middle of the August so I'm not sure a program will work for now. Instead, I'm going to use one of the Training Plans, specifically Knight. That will let me spread the workouts across the week and have rest\casual training days for the brutal desert and high moountain hikes I have planned for next week. I may be overreaching here, but this Check In Log is named that way for a reason. Now... for Sunday.

Sunday, August 6th

Nice, relaxing weekend day. Didn't burn nearly enough calories, but its nice to properly rest every once in a while. So, let's ramp up to a Difficulty 4 Workout!

Armory Plus Workout. Completed at Level... 2? Maybe? Definitely 1.5. I might have hit the set counter one extra time. Anyway, Full Body Strength Workout with 5 pound weights. The squats killed me Monday morning, hobbling around work like I did 50 pounds ago. Moving up to Difficulty 4 is probably a good move, challenging myself-wise.

Epic Arms Challenge. Completed Day 6. Arm Scissors. No problems, just glad it wasn't something worse after the push-ups in Armory Plus

Everyday Stretching. Added this in because I'm pretty sure I didn't stretch properly after Saturday's Walk/Run.

Calories Out: 2,522
Calories In: 2,480
Deficit: 42. But what's the real question?

Monday, August 7th

Work was work, no true problems. A lot of little things piled up to make me generally annoyed, but the worst of it was probably the chili that someone tossed on the concrete. Which led to the nastiness I found in the trash can when I went to throw the chili away. Could have been a lot worse. Today is a Rest/Casual Training day, so I'm using a walk/run, my active job pressure washing chili off of concrete, and some challenges thrown in.

Walk/Run. I tried to duplicate my walk/run from Saturday, but my glutes, quads, and knees were having none of that. Half the distance of a walk, with three stretches of .16 miles ran.
Distance: 1.86 miles, though GPS failed me. Again.
Duration: 35 minutes

Epic Arms Challenge. Completed Day 7. Bicep Extensions and Holds. I tried to forget the holds on the second set, but remembered them immediately. Done!

Everyday Stretching. I tried to find a level 4 stretch, but none really looks right for me. I'll just go with this for now, but maybe a level 3 will work better. That, or upping the length of stretch time on this.

Calories Out: 3,460
Calories In: 2,698
Deficit: 762. Woot! But I'm gonna feel my legs tomorrow...

 

[LongSlowBurn]

Tuesday, August 8th

Nothing like figuring out you broke all the fire extinguishers you thought you fixed. Easy solutions tend not to be the best solutions. Well, Knight Plan continues, and it's a Full Body Strength Workout today, keeping with the Difficulty 4 workouts to keep the challenge up.

Enemy Lines Plus Workout. Completed at Level 1. Most of this wasn't too tough, but the push-ups killed me. I started full length on the first group of 10, but had to switch to knees almost immediately. My arms just weren't there for this today. Even with knee push-ups, I had to tap out at set 3. Still, done.

Epic Arms Challenge. Completed Day 8. Arm Scissors. At least this wasn't too tough after the push-ups.

Everyday Stretching. Finished this up, then added some quad stretches at the end. My knees could use a little more give.

Calories Out: 3,109
Calories In: 2,692
Deficit: 417

Wednesday, August 9th

Two more days until vacation! Someone else can deal with the "bio" clean-up calls for a week. Today is a Casual Training day, and I find I didn't fully understand what casual training is supposed to be. I should have been doing various exercises throughout the day, which I wasn't doing. One thing, though, is that I've got a pretty active job, so that really totals up the effort put out throughout the day.

Walk/Run. This went better than last time. 3 miles means 6 laps, with a .16 mile jog in each lap. Wasn't sure about that last mile, but I pushed through. Had to dodge a guy walking his dog on a late night doo-doo run, but otherwise uneventful.
Distance: 3.21 miles. Must be slightly more than a half mile per lap.
Duration: 49.5 minutes
Steps: 5,786

Epic Arms Challenge. Completed Day 9. Bicep Extensions and Holds. Almost forgot the holds on the first set, but caught myself. Done!

Total Steps: 18,947
Calories Out: 3,475
Calories In: 3,177
Deficit: 298

 

[LongSlowBurn]

I like my boring days. I miss them when they're not around.

Thursday, August 10th

Pretty typical day. I was too wiped out by poor sleep to do much. Calling this a full rest day, but I still have the Challenge to keep up on. Oh, and there was the endless parade of cop cars that rushed by my place, lights but no sirens. That was weird...

Epic Arms Challenge. Completed Day 10. Arm Scissors. Done!

Calories Out: 3,145
Calories In: 2,947
Deficit: 198

Friday, August 11th

How was my day at work? Oh, you know, same old, same old. Walked into a room to check a fire extinguisher and immediately noticed the deceased person covered by an American Flag. The fire extinguisher was okay. Anyway, Full Body Strength Day.

Avenger Workout. Completed at Level 2. First two sets I managed with full length push-ups, but then I switched out for knee pushups. The lunge punches were surprising okay, though.

Epic Arms Challenge. Completed Day 11. Bicep Extensions with 3 pound weights, then Holds. Thought about switching up to 5 lbs weights, but didn't this time. We'll see about down the road.

Calories Out: 3,051
Calories In: 3872
Deficit: -821. The McD's and the convience store hot dog put me way, waaaaay over the top. Up shot, I finally managed to hit 126 grams of protein!

Saturday, August 12th

Active Rest day, and a boring one, too! Tried out a little more appropriate Training by Numbers. If I had started earlier in the day, my numbers would be way higher than this. The Push-Ups actually got easier as I went on.

Training by Numbers.
Push-Ups: 50
Crunches: 100
Squats: 100
Punches: 100
Next time will be better.

Epic Arms Challenge. Completed Day 12. Arm Scissors. Cake!

Calories Out: 2,678
Calories In: 2,160
Deficit: 518. 92 grams of protein, which I think is in the low end of my zone. I got some work to do...

 

[Mamatigerj]

How was my day at work? Oh, you know, same old, same old. Walked into a room to check a fire extinguisher and immediately noticed the deceased person covered by an American Flag. The fire extinguisher was okay.

Yep, boring is better.

 

[LongSlowBurn]

August 13th through 21st

Well, that was a week! Not much happened in the way of a standard workout, but I stayed fairly active all week. I say fairly because most of my week was spent driving. 1900 miles / 3060 km worth of driving... As to where?

Wallowa Lake State Park in Eastern Oregon, USA. Its the end of the Perseid Meteor shower, but it's my first time trying astrophotography. It's not like I'm gonna actually snag a shot of a--



Son of a biscuit!



A medium sized town in Idaho to visit the parental units, then it's off to Craters of the Moon National Monument.



I can't seem to make people understand that this place is a giant rock!







...But still 100% worth the trip. I'd like to say that Darebee took me from sitting in a chair and almost breaking down crying in front of a bunch of construction guys because it hurt my knees so much to pull my boots off to hiking alone into the desert wilderness in a heavy pack. Thank you everyone in the Hive, the Community, and Darebee!

Next up was a random jeep trail, followed by Grand Teton National Park.





Finally, it's back to the parental units again, followed by the run home that led me straight into a mass of wildfire smoke. Not sure if that came from Spokane, Washington or all of western Canada (sorry, guys...), but it was pretty nasty for my area. Other than the smoke, and the crazy guy that threatened me in a McDonald's bathroom, it was a fantastic trip! Next time I try this, it will have to be two weeks.

Workout wise...

Hike/Backpack. Monday, there was a hike, but it was 15 minutes long according to Fitbit. In defense of the hike, it was at over 8000 feet elevation, so my cardio got a bit more of a workout than usual.
Distance: Not recorded. I think it was an auto record that didn't use GPS.
Duration: 15 minutes. I'm pretty sure it was longer than that.
Calories Burned: 113. Plus whatever I burned when it wasn't recording.

On Wednesday, I hiked almost 5 miles into the Craters wilderness with a 45+ pound backpack on me. The temperature was around 90 F, which wasn't bad compared to the 100+ F it was back home.
Distance: 4.85 miles.
Duration: 2 hrs 35 minutes. Desert terrain and a heavy pack kill the speed.
Calories burned: 1,285

Then on Thursday, it was the hike back out. I started recording my progress a bit after I started, but it should have been about the same as before.
Distance: 4.17 miles
Duration: 2 hrs
Calories Burned: 986

Saturday, there was a final hike around a peninsula to get the lake photos of the Grand Tetons. There was a lovely sign that told me that a black bear and her two cubs were living in the area, but I didn't get a photo of that. Or them. Or myself getting torn to pieces (because it didn't happen).
Duration: 1 hr 15 min
Distance: Not recorded. GPS failed me again.
Calories Burned: 507

Epic Arms Challenge. Completed Days 13 through 21. I missed at least two days, but made them up by doubling up on days.

Otherwise, no workouts done. Also my records of total calories in was all over the place, so it's not worth reporting. But that's okay, because the world is an amazing place and worth skipping some of the record keeping for.

edit: some pictures didn't carry over.

 

[Fremen]

Beautiful photos, thanks

 

[aku-chan]

Looks like you had a fun trip!

 

[Mamatigerj]

Beautiful photos! Welcome home.

 

[Tileenah]

Beautiful pictures! Thanks for sharing!

 

[LongSlowBurn]

Thank you, @Tileenah, @Mamatigerj, @aku-chan, and @Fremen! It was a lot of fun! Too short, as always, but a good trip.

August 21st through 27th

Everything's been screwy the past week. Work, cleaning up, poor sleep, all the usual problems, plus just getting back into the groove after my trip. I worked out some, but didn't keep good track of it. I know I did Avenger, Hero, and I'm pretty sure Armory Workouts. But I don't know exactly when I did them or how many sets I finished. I'll call them done, but that's about it. Casual training didn't go so well, either, so those were straight up rest days.

Epic Arms Challenge. Completed Days 22 through 26. Missed at least two days again, but I'll catch up on the 28th.

August 28th

Okay, trying to get back in the groove, but that might have to wait until the start of the next program. I feel like the rest days throw me off.

Armory Workout. Completed at Level 2. Nice! That makes a total of 50 pushups, all at full length, spread out over the workout, which is a nice bump.

Epic Arms Challenge. Completed Days 27 and 28. Still trying to forget the holds, but got them all this time. Almost there...

Calories Out: 3,273
Calories In: 2,417
Deficit: 856. Nice! I messed up yesterday with overeating and too much salt, so clearing a few extra calories today is a nice bonus.

 

[LongSlowBurn]

Ahh! 14% funding! If you can spare the cash, donate to Darebee!

And I thought it would be easier to keep up with the log once I started a new program...

September 1st through 3rd

New month, one without a hugh vacation planned in the middle of it, so that means new program! I also get to add extra bicyling and walking into the mix, as my car decided to have a bad water pump. I suppose driving 1900 miles in a week didn't help, but it is what it is. So until the a dealership a hundred miles away decides to ship the parts, the bus and my trusty old Diamondback are my main transport. On to the fun!

The Olympian. Completed Days 1 through 3, with 1 and 2 at Level II. It's the first time I'm making a dedicated run at a Difficulty Four program, so... challenge accepted! Day 1 was cardio with jumping jacks, so that means getting it done in a nearby park after dark. That's always a little creepy, but probably more for the people driving past who are wondering who this crazy person doing butt kicks is. Day 2 involved lots of push ups, which makes this month's challenge tons of fun. And Day 3 was tendon work. I was never really up to doing the final two sets to finish at Level III, but we'll see if my endurance increases as time goes on.

Epic Arms Challenge. Completed Days 29 and 30. Whoops. Completed on September 1st.

The Miner Challenge. Completed Days 1, 2, and 3. What? It's not Epic? Sooooo disappointed in myself... Actually, this will be nice when paired with the harder program. And if I'm up for it, which I have been every day so far, there's the optional side quest. I have so far found...
Skeleton: 1
Diamond: 1
Dirt: 6

Not the best miner in the world, I guess.

Calorie Counts have been all over the place. Turns out that apparently I want to get rid of the deficit plan if I want to build muscle. Add weight on, with a focus on protein, for a while, then go back on the weight loss. Unless someone wants to tell me why I'm wrong, I'll give that a try for the next while.

 

[Fremen]

Congrats

 

[BetaCorvi]

Congrats on Epic Arms!

 

[Mamatigerj]

Congrats on Epic Arms!

 

[Tileenah]

Congrats on epic arms!

 

[LongSlowBurn]

Thank you @Fremen, @BetaCorvi, @Mamatigerj, and @Tileenah!

September 4th through 7th

The Olympian. Completed Days 4 through 6, with 4 and 5 at Level II and 6 at Level I. I missed a day in there, I believe having to cook a large supply of dinner for the next week. Day 6 was at level 1 because, frankly, my arms and legs just felt done for the day. There was a little more table and chair moving during the day than I'm used to, plus this program is hammering on my knees a bit more than I'm used to as well. The cardio run on day 5 was particularly tough. But, all completed.

The Miner Challenge. Completed Days 4 through 6. Hey! I'm keeping track of the holds better this time!
Mining Quest:
Skeleton: 1
Diamond: 1
Topaz: 1
Amethyst: 1
Dirt: 14
That's a lot of dirt.

Bicycling. The 5th and the 6th, I missed the bus which means a ten to fifteen minute bike ride to work. The ride home is always short, but that's a little extra at the start of the day. the 6th and 7th also saw trips to the grocery store, which is nice, fast, and downhill getting there, but a slog getting back up. Every little bit helps.

And now... sleep.

 

[LongSlowBurn]

September 8th through 11th

Four days. I'm still working on my regularity here. At least most of my car parts showed up. At this rate, I'll be able to put them in on Saturday or Sunday. Until then, there's bus and bicycling to do.

The Olympian. Completed Days 7, 8, and 9. I think 7 was at Level 2. No idea if I'm meditating correctly, but I gave it a go. There were no levels on Day 8, just lots and lots of backfists. The 10th, I took a rest day, mostly because I wasn't looking forward to the cardio on Day 9. Too many high knees and jumping jacks pound my knees more than I'd like. But on the 11th, I did them. Completed at Level 2.

The Miner Challenge. Completed Days 7, 8, and 9. I was going to do Day 9 on the 10th, but it just didn't happen. Still doing a good job on remembering the holds!

Mining Quests:
Skeleton: 1
Diamond: 3 (win!)
Topaz: 1
Amethyst: 2
Ruby: 1
Dirt: 16
The gems are adding up!

Ahhh... time for precious sleep.

 

[Mamatigerj]

 

[neilarey]

Happy Birthday

 

[LongSlowBurn]

Thank you for the birthday wishes, @neilarey and @Mamatigerj ! I'd been planning on going back to checking in once things settled down at some point over the last... wow, five months... but they've never really settled down enough to get back into my groove. My weight's back up over 200 lbs and my BF% is around 26%, so it's been a bit of a time. But, over the course of February (after getting a tooth pulled two days before my birthday, hoefully the finale of the last five months), I completed the Recovery Program, Foundation Light, and I think the Power Squats challenge!



Hopefully, I'm back enough to keep things up for a while!

March 1st, 2024 - Friday

Okay, hopefully those last programs gave me a bit of tone back, because here we go.

Cardio and Abs Program - Day 1. Time to lose some weight... and oof, my heart, knees, and sweat glands felt that. Completed at Level 3, but it was close. Wanted to cut it at Level 2, but the gym I started using was closing in ten minutes. Time to hustle...

Lower Body Blast Challenge - Day 1. Looks like a split between tough and easy. Calf raises go pretty quick for me, but my knees have been bothering me at work, so the split lunges will hurt/help. Finished the lunges..

March 2nd, 2024 - Saturday

Cardio and Abs Program - Day 2. Abs day, which isn't as hard on the heart, but the Reverse Crunches were nearly impossible for me. Clearly not enough flexibility/strength there. But, done at Level 3.

Lower Body Blast Challenge - Day 2. Calf raises done. I need to add weights.

Hard Reset Strength Program - Day 1. I needed a bit more workout today to make up for that XL candy bar I ate, plus I'd like to work on that body fat percentage a little more, so I'm adding this program on. It's meant to be done alongside Hard Reset Cardio, so hopefully Cardio and Abs will work as well. Completed at Level 3 using 15 pound weights. 15 was about right, so I should kick it up to 20 tomorrow.

Annnnnndddd... yay, I burned enough calories for dinner!

 

[Deadoks]

Welcome back

 

[Fremen]

Congrats

 

[Mamatigerj]

I completed the Recovery Program, Foundation Light, and I think the Power Squats challenge!

Cheers!

It is nice to see you again; welcome back!

 

[LongSlowBurn]

Thanks, everyone! It's good to be back!

March 3rd, 2024 - Sunday

Cardio and Abs Program - Day 3. Cardio. Three kinds of jacks, followed by shoulder and high taps. My legs are not happy about those jacks at the start, but completed at Level 2.

Leg Extensions. On cardio days, I go to a gym, since doing jumping jacks in my apartment will shake the whole building. While at the gym, I also hit the leg extension machine in order to strengthen up my knees. 10 extensions, followed by a 10 count hold at half extension. 3 sets at 55 lbs. Weight needs to go up by 5-10 pounds next time. Yep, legs still not happy.

Lower Body Blast Challenge - Day 3. Split lunges, 16 count. This a lot of leg work today. Hopefully, that doesn't come back to bite me later.

Hard Reset Strength Program - Day 2. Scientific American says that doing strength and cardio back to back negates the gains from either, so one should wait six hours between workouts if done on the same day. I didn't review the studies, so not sure how accurate that is, but I can wait 4 hours to do the strength workout. <4 hours later> Okay... crap. It's leg day. The lunges with weight are just not happening, but 5 lbs or none it's barely doable. Two 15 lb weights on the calf extensions and goblet squats. Completed at Level 1.

Calories In: 2592
Calories Out: 3345
Deficit: -753. Yay!

 

[Deadoks]

Calories In: 2592
Calories Out: 3345
Deficit: -753. Yay!

You count all your calories? Respect for that!
I stopped doing this some time ago it was taking way too much time and effort.
But as I eat mostly the same things with experience I can tell if I'm in deficit or not. Depending of activity done also.

 

[LongSlowBurn]

You count all your calories? Respect for that!
I stopped doing this some time ago it was taking way too much time and effort.
But as I eat mostly the same things with experience I can tell if I'm in deficit or not. Depending of activity done also.

Thanks! I'm kind of the same in that I eat the same sets of food pretty much all the time. The trick is that if I don't keep track of my portions, I start overeating, especially if I'm in a stressful period at work. Once I'm tracking my portion sizes, its easy enough to just punch it into an app. It just seems to be what works for me.

March 4th, 2024 - Monday

Cardio and Abs Program - Day 4. Abs. Various twists, leg, and back movements. Not much focus on the six pack like last time. Completed at Level 3.

Lower Body Blast Challenge - Day 4. Calf Raises. No problems.

Hard Reset Strength Program - Day 3. I'm thinking I won't have time early in the day to do these workouts, at least not early enough to give six hours rest. This one was a Leg Hold kind of day, so I did it anyway. I might do the same tomorrow, but I'm probably going to have to find an add-on deal that keeps the focus on Cardio.

Calories In: 3004
Calories Out: 3396
Deficit: -392. Less yay.

March 5th, 2024 - Tuesday

Cardio and Abs Program - Day 5. Cardio. I looked at the workout and realized I'd be driving 3 miles there and back to the gym to do sets of Split Jacks. Instead, I substituted Step Jacks. I also had to substitute elbow plank rotiations for the plank rotations, as my wrists were acting up. I didn't burn as many calories as I would have if I went to the gym, so I don't want to make a habit out of this, but I still broke a sweat. Completed at Level 3

Hard Reset Strength Program - Day 4. This day was a little unclear. No rest period, no sets. I wound up seperating the lifts by a length of time, to give myself a bit of extra rest. And the splits, maybe I could have gone a bit deeper, but I was shaking by the end. I'm calling that one good and cut this program off, so as not to cause problems with my cardio. But what will I replace it with... searching... ooo! Unbound! I could use a bit of flexibility, especially in my accursed knees. Never get old.

Lower Body Blast Challenge - Day 5. Split lunges, 18 count. Knees are killing me. I might need a rest day.

Calories In: 2942
Calories Out: 3807
Deficit: -865. Makes up a bit for yesterday. Weirdly, eating popcorn (air popped!) helps. Lots of fiber, more filling than a lot of other post workday snacks.

 

[Deadoks]

Thanks! I'm kind of the same in that I eat the same sets of food pretty much all the time. The trick is that if I don't keep track of my portions, I start overeating, especially if I'm in a stressful period at work. Once I'm tracking my portion sizes, its easy enough to just punch it into an app. It just seems to be what works for me.

If it works then of course do it!
Nice job with the program and challenge! Continue that way.

 

[LongSlowBurn]

March 6th, 2024 - Wednesday

Okay, looks like I've done Unbound before. Also, I have a new idea. A Strength-based Workout on my Abs days would give me that muscle building period and not interfere with the Cardio. I just have to find a way to pick workouts...

Cardio and Abs Program - Day 6. Abs. Crunches of various kinds. The circle crunches were the killer, though. My body just didn't like moving that way. Completed at Level 3.

Lower Body Blast Challenge - Day 6. Calf Raises. No problems.

Toned Arms. Random number generator, plus the Workout Filter, turned up this workout. Upper body only, so that was nice. I might work that into my plan for the future. The only real change I would make, though, would be doing tricep dips somewhere other than the floor. The position just didn't give me as much range as working off a counter top might, or putting my feet up on a chair.

Calories In: 2516
Calories Out: 3362
Deficit: -846. Yay!.

March 7th, 2024 - Thursday

Well, that Day 7 Cardio program shows a lot of jumping around, so off to the gym I go!

Cardio and Abs Program - Day 7. Cardio. Jumping jacks, no problem. Heel taps, no problem. Plank jacks, no problem. Heel clicks... yeah, that took some practice. My coordination could use some work. And Plank jump ins? Not happening. I substituted 30 Climbers for that. Completed at Level 2.

Lower Body Blast Challenge - Day 7. Split lunges. Knees aren't happy, as always, but done.

Leg Extensions. 3 sets of 10 at 55 lbs, plus 10 count holds I tried it at 65, but my legs weren't having it, not after all the cardio work. But, done.

Calories In: 2875
Calories Out: 3614
Deficit: -739. Almost perfect. Turns out sitting on the couch and watching a movie doesn't quite burn 50 calories in half an hour.

 

[MadamMeow]

Heel clicks... yeah, that took some practice. My coordination could use some work.

I have to do two bounces before I do the jump click myself. They are something, lol.

 

[LongSlowBurn]

I have to do two bounces before I do the jump click myself. They are something, lol.

Right?! Yeah, that just doesn't feel like a natural movement.

March 8th, 2024 - Friday

Do I need an tough workout today? Probably not. Scraping moss off of concrete for four hours is plenty tough. Buuuuutttttt.... Man I'm going to need a rest day one of these days.

Cardio and Abs Program - Day 8. Abs. Its been a few days, but I remember the crunch kicks being the worst part. Completed at Level 3

Lower Body Blast Challenge - Day 8. Calf Raises. I upped the holds to 15 count, still no problems.

Leg Extensions. Pretty sure I did these, at 3 sets of 10 and 55 lbs, with 10 second holds, but I don't think the lifts were to full extension. Well, this is how we get stronger, right?

Calories In: 2947
Calories Out: 3561
Deficit: -614

March 9th, 2024 - Saturday

Cardio day, with lots of jumping. To the gym!

Universal Warm-up Workout. When I go to the gym, I usually do 5 minutes at fast walking speed (3.5 mph, approx) on a treadmill to warm up. Trick is, that doesn't really work. The first set of Cardio and Abs still hurts. So I did this warm up routine after the treadmill. I think it helped, but my knees were just not having it when it came time for the lunges.

Cardio and Abs Program - Day 9. Cardio. After the warm up, I was able to move into the cardio workout without too much problem. Still stiff at the start, but most of the exercises loosened up pretty quick. Except the reverse lunges. Those hurt my knees the whole way through, forcing me to barely dip at all. Completed at Level 3, but... ouch.

Lower Body Blast Challenge - Day 9. Split lunges. The gym closed on me before I could get to this, so I wound up doing it at home well after the Cardio and Abs. That proved to be a mistake. My body was completely cooled down by that point and the lunges that were difficult before are basically impossible now. Finished it, but when I get my Full Body workout tomorrow, you can bet that lunges won't be on it.

Calories In: 2600
Calories Out: 2988
Deficit: -388. Not the best for my weight loss goal, but still to the good. I'll just have to do better tomorrow (that's called foreshadowing!)

March 10th, 2024 - Sunday

Lot of lounging around, but I got out to the grocery store (plenty of walking), then went through a mud pit that doubles as a trash heap and drop off point for stolen cars so that I could water a tree I planted. I'm sure I'll do well on my calorie intake today! <hides hot dogs in grocery cart>

Cardio and Abs Program - Day 10. Abs. The toughest part of this one was the reverse crunches. Ab work has never been my strong suit, so I guess that makes this the most important, right? Completed at Level 2, because those crunches were getting pretty sloppy, and focusing on the small of my back.

Lower Body Blast Challenge - Day 10. Calf Raises. Upped the raises and the holds to 15, still no problems.
Armory Plus Workout. Full body strength workout with dumbbells, difficulty 4 . No lunges. Squats, but no lunges, so I guess that's fine. I also found that if I turned my knees outward, they hurt less. This one is one of my go-to's for strength training, so no problems. Completed at Level 1, mainly because of the push-ups. I was doing pretty good with push-ups until last fall. Haven't done them in a while, so here I am starting over. Oh well... it's not where (or how often) you start, it's where you finish.

Calories In: 3177
Calories Out: 2997
Deficit: +180. I was more than a thousand calories to the good after dinner! Too bad I hadn't figured in the four jumbo hot dogs I ate earlier in the day.

 

[LongSlowBurn]

March 11th, 2024 - Monday

Cardio day, but I'm getting a late start. No real desire to drive all the way to the gym, so I'll try it from home.

Classic Warm-up Workout. UUsed this to loosen up the joints before the jacks started. Mixed results.

Cardio and Abs Program - Day 11. Cardio. The Jumping Ts was what did it for me here. I went for the fourth set, got that far, and the knees decided three reps was enough. Completed at Level 1, though. Plus I got 17,600 steps over the course of the day, so my cardio should be good enough. But just in case...

Seated Cardio Workout. The filter only gave two workouts that were cardio and upper body, so I went with this one. Various cardio moves, only arms only. The arm scissors were probably the toughest part, oddly enough. Completed at Level 3.

Lower Body Blast Challenge - Day 11. Split lunges. I was hobbling all day, so no surprise, I wasn't getting much depth out of the lunges. My left leg loosened up some by the end, but the right was not happy the whole time. I guess the work continues. Probably will lay off the lower body, and maybe full body, strength workouts to give my legs some rest time.

Calories In: 3014
Calories Out: 3838
Deficit: -824. Yay!

 

[LongSlowBurn]

March 12th, 2024 - Tuesday

Roasted Carrots. Best guess is 165 calories, starting with the 270 grams of carrots, but it might be more since I'm eyeballing the oil. Requires 3 carrots (9.5 oz/270 grams), canola oil (2 Tbsp/30 mL), salt, pepper, cookie sheet, parchment paper, aluminum foil, oven. Preheat the oven to 375 F/ 190 C. Cut each carrot in four equal length pieces, then each piece into fourths again (or just in half if the piece is too small). Use as large a chunk of carrot as you feel you can have on a fork. Spread the chunks out on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Drizzle oil over carrots (might not need as much as I used). Sprinkle salt and pepper however seems appropriate. Cover the cookie sheet with the foil. Put the sheet in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove the sheet from the oven and let it sit for a minute or two. Lift the foil and test the carrots with a fork, and they should be tender. A longer cook time or higher temperature should result in the carmelization that these are supposed to have, but this turned out perfect for a side dish of carrots to go with my burger. I'd probably let it go for longer next time I make it.

Mmmm... carrots.

Exercise of the Day. Side Jacks. This worked pretty well as a wam up!

Cardio and Abs Program - Day 12. Abs. Knee crunches were rough, but made it through. Also anything on my hands has been pretty rough too, especially anything plank related. My wrist has been acting up. But, completed at Level 3

I Do Not Yield Workout. Completed at Level 2. Oof! I started off with 15 lb/7 kg weights, but that lasted one round of punches. Dropped down to the 10 lb/4.5 kg weight and pushed through to Level 2. That one left the arms sore!

Lower Body Blast Challenge - Day 12. Calf Raises and Holds. Went 15 raises and 15 count holds. I may have done 4 sets, I lost count.

Calories In: 3078
Calories Out: 3519
Deficit: -441. Passable, but meh. The carrots were good, though.

March 13th, 2024 - Wednesday

Apparently... I can drive a forklift. Which I did for three hours today. Neat!

Exercise of the Day. Prone reverse fly. Just to make my life worse, I used 3 lb/1.3 kg weights with it. Still, worked out fine. Completed.

Cardio and Abs Program - Day 13. Cardio. Once again, not feeling a trip to the gym. I'm just too tired after work. So, I ran the cardio at home. High knees were done somewhat slower than usual. More like high knee lifts than running in place. The split jacks were a little less energetic too, just to keep from rattling the building. Completed at Level 3, but with reduced cardio effect. Still broke a nice sweat, though.

Lower Body Blast Challenge - Day 13. Split Lunges. Still not as deep as I'd like, but they're getting better. Completed.

Calories In: 2896.
Calories Out: 3666.
Deficit: -770. Yay! No carrots, though.

 

[MadamMeow]

Try not covering the carrots to get the caramelization. I believe covering it is having them steam.

I forget what temperatures I usually use though.

 

[LongSlowBurn]

Try not covering the carrots to get the caramelization. I believe covering it is having them steam.

I forget what temperatures I usually use though.

Well, dang. This means a trip to the grocery store for more carrots.

March 14th, 2024 - Thursday

What did I even do this day? I don't remember. At least I have a record of the workouts.

Cardio and Abs Program. - Day 14. Abs. Completed at Level 3, but not as well as I would have liked. I needed weights to hold my feet down on the situps by half way through. The reverse crunches were getting a little weak by the end, as well. Still, done.

Meta Burn Workout. Upper body strength workout with dumbbells. I used 10 lb weights for the lateral raises, a single 20 pound weight for the tricep extensions, and a pair of 20s for everything else. Probably could have gone harder on the triceps, but it all worked out. Completed at level 3, with a sweat at the end.

Lower Body Blast Challenge - Day 14. Calf Raises. 15 raises with 15 count holds, completed.

Calories In: 3146.
Calories Out: 3564.
Deficit: -418. Oh yeah, I had McDonalds for lunch. Not a good move.

March 15th, 2024 - Friday

I get one day a month to have a rest day while keeping it to one program per one month. Today is that day.

Rest and Repair Workout I guess this isn't technically active rest, but it will do. Completed at level 3, with EC since I didn't use support during the leg raises.

Calories In: ?
Calories Out: 3415.
Deficit: I stopped counting when I got home. It was a rough day.

March 16th, 2024 - Saturday

Wow! The weather is great here! So last year I had a little maple tree seedling pop up in a planter on my apartment patio. I was planning on getting rid of the planter, so I decided to try a thing: can I dig the seedling out, transfer it to a small pot, and keep it alive? Turns out, yes I can! And it also turns out... I now have a maple tree growing on my apartment patio. I'll have to do something with it, because it can't keep growing in the little disposable pot I put it in and it can't stay here. Fortunately, I know a little place behind a local park that the shady types like to dump garbage and stolen cars at. The upshot of a place like that is that not too many people hang around out there and aren't likely to mess with the tree while it establishes. So I snuck my little tree out there and planted it near a pond, away from the burned trash piles, with full sun and what turned out to be soil that looks like it was dredged from a lake (good thing I brought compost). And now, with the great weather, I got out there again, put support stakes in place, and watered it. Yay for trees!

Exercise of the Day. Side Chops. Completed, with an occasional stop to adjust stance.

Cardio and Abs Program - Day 15. Cardio. I went to the neighborhood park for the workout instead of the gym. Either that rest day really helped, or I'm better off doing this on concrete than I am on a gym floor or workout mat. By the end of the set, I was worn down but not hurting. I substituted twist jacks for basic twists, which I could do at speed without hurting myself, unlike the twist jacks. Also I started off with climbers again instead of the plank jump ins, but for the last set, I actually pulled off the jump ins. Nice! Completed at Level 3.

Lower Body Blast Challenge - Day 15. Split Lunges. Yeah, that rest day is helping. My lunge depth is slowly improving. Completed.

Calories In: 2523.
Calories Out: 3033.
Deficit: -510. Not bad for a weekend! Definitely better than yesterday.

 

[LongSlowBurn]

March 17th, 2024 - Sunday

Okay, 224 grams of carrots and four tsp / 19 mL of canola oil, the cooked uncovered at 375 F / 190 C for 20 minutes . The carrots were still crunchy, not chewy like before. But there was a very little bit of carmalization on them, so going in the right direction. Next time, 22 minute cook time.

Cardio and Abs Program. - Day 16. Abs. Completed at Level 3, but not as well as I would have liked. I needed weights to hold my feet down on the situps by half way through. The reverse crunches were getting a little weak by the end, as well. Still, done.

Epic Arms Workout. Arm focused strength workout with ten reps of dumbbell alt bicep raises and punches, repeated 5 times with no rest. This went a little screwy. The punches, no problem. That was clear enough. The first set of biceps, I used 20 lb / 9 kg weights and did 20 reps (10 per arm). That seemed a bit much. So the next two sets were the same weight and 10 reps (5 per arm). I barely finished that third set and had to do the last two sets with 15 lb / 7 kg weights. Completed, but it needs work.

Lower Body Blast Challenge - Day 16. Calf Raises. 15 raises with 15 count holds, completed. I'm thinking I'll up it to 20 and 20 next time.

Calories In: 2280. There was a big candy bar in there. Oops. But there were also carrots. Yay!
Calories Out: 2663. Sleep is good, but not a calorie scorcher.
Deficit: -383. Still to the good, but not to target.

 

[MadamMeow]

Ok, I looked up one of my Hello Fresh recipes. Do 425 F for 20-25 minutes. I usually don't need to go over 20.

 

[LongSlowBurn]

March 18th, 2024 - Monday

Trying again. 228 grams of carrots amd 3 tsps of canola oil, which turns into 1.5 tsps because of spillage. Set the oven for 425 F and let it roll for 20 mintues. They were still pretty crunchy that way, though they were showing getting a little more carmalized and withered. Tomorrow, I'll bump up the time.

Cardio and Abs Program. - Day 17. Cardio. Le's see what we've got-- Basic burpees?!?! Maybe I should have been working harder on those plank jump ins... The burpees were done in groups of three or four, but I finished them. Completed at Level 2, I think.

Lower Body Blast Challenge - Day 17. Split Lunges. Completed, the cardio loosened up my legs enough.

Calories In: 2876
Calories Out: 3668
Deficit: -792

March 19th, 2024 - Tuesday

Dinner went wonky, so it was scrambled eggs and 94 grams of carrots. Cooked uncovered at 425 F / 218 C for 22 minutes. More withering, less crunchy but not as soft as steamed, and a little more browning. This looks about right.

Cardio and Abs Program. - Day 18. Abs. Completed at Level 3, no problems.

Threshold Workout. Went with a Difficulty 4 Workout this time. 25 lb weights for most of the exercises, with 10s used for the lateral raises. I feel like I could have used 15s on the raises, but it was close. Completed at Level 2 (I think) with EC.

Lower Body Blast Challenge - Day 18. Calf Raises. 20 raises with 20 count holds, completed.

Calories In: 2730.
Calories Out: 3308.
Deficit: -578.

March 20th, 2024 - Wednesday

Ah... work's done! Come home, watch some cartoons (X-Men '97 dropped on Disney!) and eat some popcorn... and I'm asleep until 10 pm. Just enough time to walk to the park, do a whole bunch of jacks and make it home for dinner.

Cardio and Abs Program. - Day 19. Cardio. Completed at Level 3. I had to replace the split jacks with step jacks, but otherwise completed.

Lower Body Blast Challenge - Day 19. Split Jacks. Completed.

Calories In: 3045.
Calories Out: 3469.
Deficit: -424.

 

[LongSlowBurn]

March 21st, 2024 - Thursday

Well, now it's late. I planned on doing an upper body workout, but work called with something... unpleasant. Well, I guess it's overtime pay for me. I got the main program and challenge done, though.

Cardio and Abs Program. - Day 20. Abs. The Dead Bugs took a minute to get the motion down, but I got it. Windshield wipers were super effective, too. Completed at Level 3.

Lower Body Blast Challenge - Day 20. Calf Raises. 20 raises with 20 count holds, completed.

Calories In: 2867
Calories Out: 3563
Deficit: -696. Pretty close!

March 22nd, 2024 - Friday

<deep breath> X-Men!

"In history's sad song, there is a refrain. Believe differently, love differently, be of different sex or skin, and be punished. We sing this song to one another. The oppressed become the oppressers. Xavier knew this and dreamed we could change, find harmony. A future where human and mutant could relinquish the past and finally... <sigh> You claim justice is overdue. Indeed... but so is healing."

Second episode hits hard.

Cardio and Abs Program. - Day 21. Cardio. The Split Jacks were Side Jacks and the high knees were a little slow, but got it done. Completed at level 3.

Lower Body Blast Challenge - Day 21. Split Lunges. Ouch. Done.

Calories In: 2814
Calories Out: 3408
Deficit: -594. Not as good, but not bad.

March 23rd, 2024 - Saturday

Another callback from work? Wow, when it rains, it pours. But, it's Saturday, so plenty of workout time.

Cardio and Abs Program. - Day 22. Abs. Wasn't as much of a struggle as yesterday, but still pretty good. Completed at Level 3.

Mave Workout. Pushups, punches, and 20 rep bicep curls. Doesn't sound tough, but my pushup game is off, so my arms got tired fast, and the curls I tried to start with 20 lb weights. Had to switch down to 15 lb really quick. I'm trying to find three regular upper body workouts to repeat over the next few weeks and this was a pretty tiring workout, so here's one new regular. Completed at level 1.

Lower Body Blast Challenge - Day 22. Calf Raises. 20 raises with 20 count holds, completed.

Calories In: 3208
Calories Out: 2972
Deficit: +236. Whoops. Let's just say mistakes were made.

 

[LongSlowBurn]

March 24th, 2024 - Sunday

It's rainy out. I probably should have gone to the gym, but something stopped me. It's Tuesday early morning when I'm writing this, so I don't know what that was, but it happened. That put me in the park, with the strong possibility of rain at any given time, to do this as Cardio and Abs requires a lot of hopping.

Cardio and Abs Program. - Day 23. Cardio. The Heel Hop Clicks, I can get maybe ten out without stopping now (yay coordination!), but all 196 pounds of me slamming into the ground isn't exactly low impact. Completed at Level 2 before I booked it inside.

Firefly Workout. To fill out the cardio, I did a second workout, though a Difficulty 2 one. Completed at Level 3, but those arm circles were a killer by the end.

Lower Body Blast Challenge - Day 23. Split Lunges. Not as much ouch, but I really have to do it while I'm still warm and flexible from the other workouts. Waiting an hour or two? Bad idea.

Calories In: 2409
Calories Out: 3206
Deficit: -797. Yay!

March 25th, 2024 - Monday

Another work callback? And another one while I'm on the first one?!?! Well, that's what happens when it decides to dump (0.36 in / .9 cm in half an hour!) actual rain, not metaphorical rain like the last callback. Between that, the junk food I picked up, and the nap I took, this won't end well.

Cardio and Abs Program. - Day 24. Abs. Cakewalk. The high crunches were weakening at the end, but got it done. Completed at level 3.

Cultivator Workout. I had a different workout in mind, Chest and Back Workout, but I couldn't figure out the pattern of reps, sets, and rests. Cultivator was much more straightforward. I started off with 15 pound weights across the board and almost finished three sets, but had to switch to tens for the Bicep Curls by the last set. I managed to finish the three sets with the 15s on the lateral raises though, which is a win! Completed at Level 1, one set of curls short of EC.

Lower Body Blast Challenge - Day 24. Calf Raises. Bumped it up again. 25 raises with 25 count holds, completed. Those holds were really starting to burn, though. I think I'm hitting my stride!

Calories In: 3372 (3432, but it was applesauce, so a bit healthier)
Calories Out: 3310
Deficit: +62. +122. Not yay! Turns out your calorie intake can bump up fast when you're chowing down saltine crackers. And that was a lot of sodium. At least most of the box is gone.

edited: calorie counts

 

[LongSlowBurn]

March 26th - 31st, 2024 - Days. Lots of Days.

Cardio and Abs Program. - Days 25 to 30. The cardio trended towards changing the exercises to be less fast paced (slow high knees and butt kicks, seal step jacks, ect). There are a bunch of reasons, but they sound like excuses when I say them in my mind. The ab workouts ran pretty well, though. I might have to go with something lower impact next month. But still...

Cultivator Workout. I had a different workout in mind, Chest and Back Workout, but I couldn't figure out the pattern of reps, sets, and rests. Cultivator was much more straightforward. I started off with 15 pound weights across the board and almost finished three sets, but had to switch to tens for the Bicep Curls by the last set. I managed to finish the three sets with the 15s on the lateral raises though, which is a win! Completed at Level 1, one set of curls short of EC.

Lower Body Blast Challenge - Day 25 - 30. Calf Raises. 25 raises with 25 count holds, and did 30 and 30 on the last day. Nice!. The Lunges were a lot tougher, though. My knees didn't really loosen up as much as I hoped.

Calories In: 13,106 for all days, minus Saturday
Calories Out: 13,887 for the same.
Deficit: -781. Considering that should be -3500, not good.

Okay, it was a rough month. I'm getting into the swing of it, though, and finding where I'm standing in terms of fitness. So, next month, Power HIIT (still looking for body fat percentage drop, since the scale isn't budging) and Upper Body Blast Challenge. Hopefully, this will keep the hard knee exercises a little more spaced out to give me recovery time.

 

[Fremen]

Congrats