Goal + Action = Reality

TopNotch

TopNotch

Well-known member
Ranger from Australia
Posts: 2,119
"Motivation is temporary. Discipline is forever."
First Thing Pushups - day 29
Epic Arms - day 28
Dead Hang - day 27
Benchmark run. Gave this another go but running seems to be out for me still. Even though this was very short - only 5 minutes - it set my foot to aching/stinging/screaming all day and it hasn't let up yet. Looks as though a visit to the physio is in my future. At least things other than running don't seem to have such a marked effect on the darned thing.
Powerbuilder - Day 1. Didn't do the full 18 reps of the bicep curls because I was using my heavy weights. Made 16-16-14-10-8 which I thought was pretty good and I look forward to improving that. Did the calf raises while holding onto the barbell which was a bit of fun. Isn't it funny how 30 seconds whips past when it's a rest period, but when it's something like a hollow hold, it takes forever?
Unbound - Day 1. Thought it would be good to do this after Powerbuilder but I'd forgotten that every second day of PB is a stretching day so I guess every second day I'll have a lot of stretching!
Power Hold Challenge - Day 1.
Knee extensions - 50es. Have to work on rehabbing those knees.

I had thought about having a go at the new HIIT programme but then I reminded myself about that whole don't-do-two-programmes-at-once thing and really, the HIIT didn't fit in with my current goals so - perhaps another time. I wanted to try it because I don't really do any HIIT.

Tried to do more sorting out today. Opened a cupboard and then left for a moment. Came back to this:
20240101_101555.jpg
And this:
20240101_101601.jpg
And then they both got onto the top shelf behind the closed door and curled up on a blanket there. They slept there for the entire day so I couldn't possibly do anything because that would have disturbed them, right? :LOL:

Started the Impossibles puzzle I got for Christmas.
Reading: Finished Operation Black Key, started Blackout.

A corollary of yesterday's question:
Why are you afraid?
 
MadamMeow

MadamMeow

Well-known member
Fae from Central NJ
Posts: 1,618
"I see my vision burn, I feel my memories fade with time, but Im too young to worry..."
Love the kitties! Happy New Year to all of you (and sorry to hear about your foot).

New Year Cheers GIF by Pure Leaf


So, why am I afraid?

Well I am looking to make big changes in my life career wise. I'm afraid to take the leap in case it doesn't work out. Little in any area has actually worked out, but I'm not trying to let that stop me.
 
MadamMeow

MadamMeow

Well-known member
Fae from Central NJ
Posts: 1,618
"I see my vision burn, I feel my memories fade with time, but Im too young to worry..."
TopNotch said:
To that, I could say - what's the worst case scenario? And conversely - what if it does work out?
Click to expand...

Exactly, and it doesn't help that one of my worst traits is the ability to play Devil's Advocate to every situation...lol.

:devil:

But I am working hard to make things happen, so trying to keep my eye on building the best case I can. :cool:
 
TopNotch

TopNotch

Well-known member
Ranger from Australia
Posts: 2,119
"Motivation is temporary. Discipline is forever."
First Thing Pushups - day 30
Epic Arms - day 29
Dead Hang - day 28
Powerbuilder - Day 2
Power Hold Challenge - Day 2
Walk - 3km.

I've put Unbound on hold for every second Powerbuilder day - the stretches are so similar, but I want to continue with Unbound on other days because I want a formal stretching routine for after Powerbuilder and I know it's best for me to have something in place that I can easily follow rather than design one for myself. Given I'm lazy and all.

Sorting continues and another 3 or so dozen books have hit the reject pile. There was one that had me perplexed about where exactly to shelve it - gardening: pest control; novel writing: creativity (or research); or perhaps it should just go under general entertainment...

20240102_144938.jpg
Sometimes I wonder about my selection of books...

Just for fun, I thought I'd count up how many books I read last year. I am a little disappointed that I only read about a dozen non-fiction among the 165 books I read, and I have vowed to redress that situation this year. On my way to my nonagenarian duty, I was listening to a song which had the line "like Hannibal over the mountains" and I thought, aha! that's what I'll read. Hannibal has always been one of my favourite commanders. Once upon a time I had intended to write an article or two about him, expanding on stuff I'd already done, but I never got around to it. But that means I still have some books about him. :)
Reading: started American Assassin (fiction), and Hannibal's War (non-fiction).
 
MadamMeow

MadamMeow

Well-known member
Fae from Central NJ
Posts: 1,618
"I see my vision burn, I feel my memories fade with time, but Im too young to worry..."
Congrats & great job on all of that reading! I'm currently only getting a chapter a day in, but started up last year after a way too long hiatus.
 
Last edited:
TopNotch

TopNotch

Well-known member
Ranger from Australia
Posts: 2,119
"Motivation is temporary. Discipline is forever."
@Fremen @Laura Rainbow Dragon @Mianevem @Anek @Nevetharine @MadamMeow @Mamatigerj @mavie @Lady Celerity @NancyTree
Jack Nicholson Thank You GIF


@PetiteSheWolf unfortunately, postage would be a bitch!

Epic Arms - day 30
Dead Hang - day 29
Scapular Pulls - 3 x 10
Australian rows - 3 x 10
Power Hold Challenge - Day 3

Bit of a slack day. Woke up to a text from the mother of the Lad's mate, the one he's been having playdates with for the last week, saying that the boys had arranged to come to my place today and was 10 o'clock all right? What??! Not all right on two counts: one, I'd decided that, as we didn't have much food left in the house, I had to go shopping; and two, I hate people coming into my house. But the Lad had been going over to their place every day so I figured it was time to reciprocate. :( Whenever the children have friends over, though, I don't do much exercise. The training room is at the foot of the stairs, the waypoint between downstairs and upstairs, and I hate training when people are running in and out. As a result, I didn't do today's stuff, except for things I could squeeze in. These things happen.
 
TopNotch

TopNotch

Well-known member
Ranger from Australia
Posts: 2,119
"Motivation is temporary. Discipline is forever."
@Nevetharine @Fremen @Laura Rainbow Dragon @Mamatigerj @Mianevem @Anek @Haleth @Silent Wolf @Lady Celerity @MadamMeow @mavie
Once again,
Cats Thank You GIF by Nebraska Humane Society

I really ought to arrange my challenges so I finish them on the same day instead of one after another, because...

Dead Hang - day 30. I may be jumping the gun here, but I reckon I can just assume the congrats and you all can assume the thanks. :LOL:
Power Hold Challenge - Day 4
Plank Hero Challenge - Day 1. I know this is a bit of a cheat but it's one of my favourite challenges. What can I say - I like planks.
Daily Kicks Challenge - Day 1. I'll be fiddling with this one a little, sometimes doing just chambers, sometimes doing four-count kicks (chamber - extend - rechamber - down, a couple of seconds each position), sometimes doing fast or high or slow or double or... well, whatever comes to mind, depending on the kick. I did chambers (with a hold) today, really pushing through the hips, and noticed a bit of tightness in my left inner thigh that I'd better do something about.
De-stress Challenge - Day 1. Doing this one because I want to work on the speed of my punches. And because it's fun.
Powerbuilder - Day 3. Love eccentrics. Counted 5 for the push-ups and limited them to 10 or I'd have had nothing left for the holds. After the holds, I added 20 step-down heel taps with a nice slow 3-count - a slight variation of a knee exercise from my physio.
Unbound - Day 2. By the time I got to this today, my arms were really shaking from fatigue and all these poses were with the arms! Phew!

Before I went to sleep last night (okay, this morning. I think it was just after one), I followed my watch's Breathwork activity. I was surprised in the morning to find that it had been automatically posted to Strava and I'd garnered kudos just for breathing! :LOL:

Reading: Finished American Assassin, started Kill Shot.
 
Laura Rainbow Dragon

Laura Rainbow Dragon

Moderator
Moderator
Bard from Canada
Posts: 2,705
"Striving to be the change."
TopNotch said:
Dead Hang - day 30. I may be jumping the gun here, but I reckon I can just assume the congrats and you all can assume the thanks. :LOL:
Click to expand...
Yup. But I'm going to say it anyway: Congratulations on completing the Dead Hang Challenge!

TopNotch said:
Power Hold Challenge
Click to expand...
Ugh! This looks like something I need to do.

TopNotch said:
Plank Hero Challenge - Day 1. I know this is a bit of a cheat but it's one of my favourite challenges. What can I say - I like planks.
Click to expand...
This one looks fun! Definitely bookmarking this one for later.

TopNotch said:
Daily Kicks Challenge - Day 1. I'll be fiddling with this one a little, sometimes doing just chambers, sometimes doing four-count kicks (chamber - extend - rechamber - down, a couple of seconds each position), sometimes doing fast or high or slow or double or... well, whatever comes to mind, depending on the kick.
Click to expand...
This one too. I like your fiddles.
 
TopNotch

TopNotch

Well-known member
Ranger from Australia
Posts: 2,119
"Motivation is temporary. Discipline is forever."
Ah, you didn't get it! It was just so that I didn't have to do all this again. You know I'm lazy. :LOL: But since you all have done it, it would be churlish of me not to. So...
@Laura Rainbow Dragon @Nevetharine @Mianevem @Anek @Haleth @PetiteSheWolf @Silent Wolf @Lady Celerity @MadamMeow @Mamatigerj @Baryl @NancyTree
doctor who thank you GIF


Power Hold Challenge - Day 5
Plank Hero Challenge - Day 4. Yeah, I know, this should have been day 2, but for certain reasons which will be revealed below, this wasn't possible...
Daily Kicks Challenge - Day 2
De-stress Challenge - Day 2
Powerbuilder - Day 4
Bike ride - 3.88km. The Lad wanted to go out with me. He's on a littler bike so he's slower. And he also almost crashed into me twice so I have to stay far behind him!

This afternoon and into the evening I was feeling cross. With myself and with the universe in general, and then again with myself because I knew that being cross wasn't going to change anything or make me feel any better. But I'm not so cross anymore and that's a Good Thing. I think there's this thing called Acceptance. Anyway. So why?
I finally got me to the physio this afternoon because my foot is still giving me grief. Good news - my tendons and ligaments are in great nick and my balance on that foot is absolutely perfect. Bad news - I hadn't sprain my foot. I'd broken it. Got x-rays that revealed a non-union 5th metatarsal fracture. Bugger. Further investigation scheduled for next week but the fix for this is surgery, getting the bones screwed back together. At least I know why it really hurts to run, and I suppose all those jumping jacks during the Snowball Fight were probably not a very good idea... Oh well, it was fun. :LOL: Good thing I've got decent pain tolerance! It's just that this messes up my proposed training plans and that's why I was cross. But plans can be changed. The physio said (at the moment, before I've seen any surgeon or whomever) to stick to exercises where my foot is flat on the floor - so things like yesterday's weighted calf raises aren't things I'm supposed to do. Oops... Hence the change in the plank variation for today. He said I could do push-ups and planks but I have to keep both feet on the ground. Well, at least I know something now, why things weren't going as well as I had thought they would be, and I can move (alright, perhaps hobble!) forward.

Been thinking further about Big Questions. I'd asked one earlier and now I've got more for you (with music that is either a prompt or my answer where I can). Here's this week's question:
In one sentence, who are you?
 
Laura Rainbow Dragon

Laura Rainbow Dragon

Moderator
Moderator
Bard from Canada
Posts: 2,705
"Striving to be the change."
I'm sorry for the bad news re: your foot, but glad you finally have an accurate diagnosis for it.
Best wishes for a successful surgery and speedy healing, and also for as little frustration as possible as you forge ahead with a modified training plan to get through this.
 
lpf

lpf

Well-known member
Rogue Posts: 315
"“I am, and always will be, the optimist. The hoper of far-flung hopes, and the dreamer of improbable dreams.” (Eleventh Doctor)"
TopNotch said:
Ah, but who are you?
Click to expand...
If I would try to answer this in just one sentence, the sentence would end up being too long and confusing, as being me depends on many things and isn't easy to put in a few words, just like when you try to make some cookies, eggs are not enough, you need also some sort of milk and flour and something like butter or a plant based alternative and if you like chocolate cookies, you also need chocolated and if you are into nuts, you can also add nuts, sugar is also needed to keep it all sweet...

so perhaps I am a cookie
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top