[Anpuankhses]

Save the streak!

It turns out that I'm a very stubborn guy, and when I start something, I try to turn it into a habit and keep it up indefinitely. As was to be expected, this is happening to me with my streak, to the point that I'm starting to get scared of making plans that involve being away from home for too long in case I lose it.

So I need a little guidance or reassurance:
Does the streak mean never missing a single day of exercise?
Setting a goal and sticking to it, allowing for rest days in between, like exercising Monday through Friday and resting on the weekend?
Can everyone set their own concept of a streak?
Or is the streak much more permissive and refers to the training season in general, even if you happen to skip some days from time to time if you need to? Like, “it's not always continuous and I take little breaks, but in general I've been training for two years,” for example.

Is there any way to allow yourself to freeze the streak? Like if you go on vacation for a week or something. Or even some kind of compensation exercise, like, “OK, you skipped two days, but if you do this, you can keep your streak going!”

Am I overthinking this? I don't want anyone to feel like they're working hard to maintain a perfect streak and then suddenly I come along and claim the same credit for doing less.

 

[Set Monje]

Admittedly I got a little attached to my streak, so I planed for challenges I could do while on vacation (one minute plank I could do when I rolled out of bed, and calf raises I could do while standing in lines).
But I don't see an issue with people setting their own rules, it's not a competitive site.

 

[Fremen]

I agree with @Set Monje : make your own rules, tailor-made, that work and that you're happy with.
Darebee is a very free place; no one will tell you what's right and what's wrong.
I lost my four-year workout streak after one day without training, and I realized I no longer cared about keeping track of the days, months, or years; I still train every day.

I've seen that you gamify training, so why not give yourself some rules like that? Like lives, bonuses, etc.

 

[JohnStrong]

I don't know if you're overthinking it, but I do know this is a mental game I've played with myself.

I just take whatever path brings me peace and shows shame the door. For me, this is a lifetime habit I developed — which means it's always progress over perfection. Life happens. My problem with streaks is the number can quickly become my boss, and then I bully myself into maintaining it. And that's how a fresh negative association to exercise begins.

Plus I tend to think a higher number is better and if I reset to zero, then what, I'm zero? If I break a streak, it sounds like I've 'broken' something — when that's not the case at all.

I come back to the idea that "it all counts". Some missed days here and there don't mean squat to how fit I am in 10 years time

 

[Anpuankhses]

@Set Monje @JohnStrong I feel exactly the same way. Loosing my streak feels more like I've lost all my progress that I just lost a mere counting number.

@Fremen Gamify training, huh? All right, let's do it!

Gamified Streak! (Free to everybody to use!)

1. Getting started.
(It's alive! It's aliiiiiiiive!!!)

In this version, half RGP half rogue-like, the streak is represented by a number of lives, like a video-game!

What determines the number of lives you have? Easy! You're new in DAREBEE? You have ONE life! MAKE IT COUNT, MORTAL!

2. Losing a life.
(This is nothing but a scratch!)

What makes you lose a life? Whatever you consider it makes you lose your streak!

I'll use my case as example:
I've divided my routine in 3 acts: Act 1, Act 2 & Special Stage!
Act 1 & Act 2 are divided in a combination of workouts, exercises, programs and challenges. For me I consider I've done a day if I complete at least ONE thing in each act.
The Special Stage it's a series of optional exercises that doesn't count for the streak.
If one day I can't complete at least one thing in both Act 1 & Act 2, I lose a life.

If you run out of lives, you lose your streak!

3. Losing your streak.
(My death was... greatly exaggerated.)

If you lose all your lives and your streak, start a new streak from scratch again!
You restart with all your lives restored!
You keep all the prices and advantages that I explain in the rules below. You ONLY lose your streak.

4. Increasing you lives MAX.
(The force is strong with this one!)

Each time you complete a program, you increase your lives max by 1!
It only have effect the first time you complete a program. (Or, in other way, each time you earn a new badge from a program!)
So you can't increase your max completing the same program multiple times.

Example: I started with one life, but since I've completed Baseline and Foundation and got both badges, I have now three lives!

5. Healing.
(MEEEDIIIIIIC!!!)

5.1. Perfect Days.
(Do. Or do not. There is no try.)

Increasing your streak doesn't heal you, BUT, completing all your list for one day does! Each day you complete all your daily list you restore one life!

Returning to my own example: If I complete both acts and the special stage COMPLETELY (that means, doing each workout, program day, challenge day and exercise in all of them), I will restore one life!

5.2. Health Potions.
(Drink Me!)

Find a Health Potion:
Each time you complete a challenge, you get a Health Potion!
And, in this case, you can complete the same challenge as much times as you want and still getting one Health Potion from it!

Create a Health Potion:
Just ONE TIME per day, if you complete one or more exercises with Extra Credits (Whatever they are for you: Using weights, no resting between sets...) you roll a 1d4 dice.

Each number is an ingredient for the potion:
1 = Sacred Water
2 = Mushroom
3 = Sun Drop
4 = Phoenix Feather

You find and collect the ingredient equivalent to the result of your dice roll.
You can store as many ingredients as you want, and when you have a combination of all four, you can spend one of each to make a potion!

Use a potion:
You can use just ONE potion for day.
To use it you must complete the Health Potion Workout.



With a combination of a potion and a perfect day, you can restore up to two lives at once!

5.3. Divine Favor.
(The gods may throw a dice, their minds as cold as ice.)

I you earn a achievement badge (50 Push-Ups in one go, 100 Burpees in one go...), the gym gods themselves notice you and grant you a FULL RESTORATION of all your lives!
This only works the first time you earn a achievement badge or when you upgrade one.
If you have an achievement badge upgraded to his MAX, if you complete the achievement again, you can trow 1d20. Getting a 15 or superior will grant you the divine favor and restore all your lives again.


And that's all! I hope you all like it!

 

[Fanta]

Where is this streak people speak of?
I've only seen trackers under challenges and programs.

 

[Anpuankhses]

Where is this streak people speak of?
I've only seen trackers under challenges and programs.

If you go to "Edit profile" and scroll down, below the challenges you'll see a section named "Consecutive days of exercise", where you can mark and get a badge with your streak.

 

[NightWolf714]

Where is this streak people speak of?
I've only seen trackers under challenges and programs.

Adding on to @Anpuankhses 's explanation, most people who do it just kinda keep up with it in their log. I don't think there's a plan on Darebee itself to keep up with it.

 

[NightWolf714]

I just started keeping up with a streak. For me, that means at least some exercise every day. (And for me, I mean beyond the average day-to-day stuff.)

That "some" part for me is doing some heavy lifting. There's been a day where I just get my warm-ups and a little bit of yoga in. For a con I will be attending at the end of the month, that'll mean me taking the stairs instead of the elevator at least part of the time I'm there. It doesn't have to be a full workout, but at least a little bit extra can help.

And I really like that gamified streak idea!

 

[Molten Rainbow]

@Set Monje @JohnStrong I feel exactly the same way. Loosing my streak feels more like I've lost all my progress that I just lost a mere counting number.

@Fremen Gamify training, huh? All right, let's do it!

Gamified Streak! (Free to everybody to use!)

1. Getting started.
(It's alive! It's aliiiiiiiive!!!)

In this version, half RGP half rogue-like, the streak is represented by a number of lives, like a video-game!

What determines the number of lives you have? Easy! You're new in DAREBEE? You have ONE life! MAKE IT COUNT, MORTAL!

2. Losing a life.
(This is nothing but a scratch!)

What makes you lose a life? Whatever you consider it makes you lose your streak!



If you run out of lives, you lose your streak!

3. Losing your streak.
(My death was... greatly exaggerated.)

If you lose all your lives and your streak, start a new streak from scratch again!
You restart with all your lives restored!
You keep all the prices and advantages that I explain in the rules below. You ONLY lose your streak.

4. Increasing you lives MAX.
(The force is strong with this one!)

Each time you complete a program, you increase your lives max by 1!
It only have effect the first time you complete a program. (Or, in other way, each time you earn a new badge from a program!)
So you can't increase your max completing the same program multiple times.

Example: I started with one life, but since I've completed Baseline and Foundation and got both badges, I have now three lives!

5. Healing.
(MEEEDIIIIIIC!!!)

5.1. Perfect Days.
(Do. Or do not. There is no try.)

Increasing your streak doesn't heal you, BUT, completing all your list for one day does! Each day you complete all your daily list you restore one life!

Returning to my own example: If I complete both acts and the special stage COMPLETELY (that means, doing each workout, program day, challenge day and exercise in all of them), I will restore one life!

5.2. Health Potions. View attachment 7712
(Drink Me!)

Find a Health Potion:
Each time you complete a challenge, you get a Health Potion!
And, in this case, you can complete the same challenge as much times as you want and still getting one Health Potion from it!

Create a Health Potion:
Just ONE TIME per day, if you complete one or more exercises with Extra Credits (Whatever they are for you: Using weights, no resting between sets...) you roll a 1d4 dice.

Each number is an ingredient for the potion:
1 = Sacred Water
2 = Mushroom
3 = Sun Drop
4 = Phoenix Feather

You find and collect the ingredient equivalent to the result of your dice roll.
You can store as many ingredients as you want, and when you have a combination of all four, you can spend one of each to make a potion!

Use a potion:
You can use just ONE potion for day.
To use it you must complete the Health Potion Workout.

View attachment 7713

With a combination of a potion and a perfect day, you can restore up to two lives at once!

5.3. Divine Favor.
(The gods may throw a dice, their minds as cold as ice.)

I you earn a achievement badge (50 Push-Ups in one go, 100 Burpees in one go...), the gym gods themselves notice you and grant you a FULL RESTORATION of all your lives!
This only works the first time you earn a achievement badge or when you upgrade one.
If you have an achievement badge upgraded to his MAX, if you complete the achievement again, you can trow 1d20. Getting a 15 or superior will grant you the divine favor and restore all your lives again.


And that's all! I hope you all like it!

Absolutely LOVE this concept!!

 

[Molten Rainbow]

I'll be honest here, my relationships with streaks as a concept is rocky at best and absolutely toxic at worst.
Having ADHD already makes me very susceptible to an unhealthy "all or nothing" kind of approach and maintaining a streak can become an obsession rather than a tool to help motivate me.
And that's not even considering the toll it can take on me when I lose a streak and feel too bummed out to continue anymore. It can really feel like I've failed whatever goal I was working towards and when it really gets me BAD, it will feel like I AM a failure.
So yeah...I have gently placed the idea of strictly maintaining streaks off to the side.

Besides, our bodies need time to rest and recover as well! Not every day can be as intense and heavy as the days before, sometimes we all need a bit of a break. So I'd argue, that it's okay to take those rest days, and do something gentle for yourself. Do some stretching or a brief 2 minute yoga routine or something. Maybe go for a short walk instead of a big workout.

Those more gentle ways of working towards being healthy and happy, are just as important. And I'd say that those self-care/rest days are no reason to lose a streak because of exactly that.

 

[Anpuankhses]

I'll be honest here, my relationships with streaks as a concept is rocky at best and absolutely toxic at worst.
Having ADHD already makes me very susceptible to an unhealthy "all or nothing" kind of approach and maintaining a streak can become an obsession rather than a tool to help motivate me.
And that's not even considering the toll it can take on me when I lose a streak and feel too bummed out to continue anymore. It can really feel like I've failed whatever goal I was working towards and when it really gets me BAD, it will feel like I AM a failure.
So yeah...I have gently placed the idea of strictly maintaining streaks off to the side.

Besides, our bodies need time to rest and recover as well! Not every day can be as intense and heavy as the days before, sometimes we all need a bit of a break. So I'd argue, that it's okay to take those rest days, and do something gentle for yourself. Do some stretching or a brief 2 minute yoga routine or something. Maybe go for a short walk instead of a big workout.

Those more gentle ways of working towards being healthy and happy, are just as important. And I'd say that those self-care/rest days are no reason to lose a streak because of exactly that.

I completely understand the feeling. In my case, I'm autistic with a high intellectual capacity, and I'm literally incapable of leaving anything halfway. I have a toxically high sense of perfection and don't let anything slip. That's why I wanted to create a Streak concept that allows me to have a little more leeway in terms of allowing myself days off without feeling like I'm going off the rails. This way, if I lose the streak, it'll be because I've actually gone several days without exercising, and it will feel like I've truly stopped and must start over, not like I've failed miserably just because one day I couldn't be perfect.

 

[astro_lizard]

For me, I definitely count stretching/light yoga as a way to maintain my streak when I can't do my entire routine becuase of tiredness/soreness/lack of time. Once I just did a few calf raises and called that good enough. I also had a pretty toxic relationship with my streak years ago and would get so in my head about it that it was impacting my ability to continue my workouts because I was like, "well I broke my streak yesterday so what's even the point". Now, I consider my streak unbroken as long as I do something for my mind/body. Since there are days in some programs that are soley meditation, I even count just days where that's all I can manage as a continuation of my streak.

I really like your lives/potions/ingredients stuff that you've added to further gamify your streak-ness and it's making me want to do something similar. I really enjoy the way you've set up your thread in general. Best of luck and I can't wait to see how your thread progresses

 

[Anpuankhses]

@NightWolf714 @astro_lizard Thanks for pointing that out. I had considered doing some exercise, even if it was something relatively simple, to keep up my streak. For example, just going for a walk if I don't feel like doing anything else one day. But of course, once again I was struck by the doubt: "Man, you already walk every day when you take your dog out. Does something that is implicit in another activity and that you don't do with the express intention of exercising really count as exercise? When you go to see your partner in the next town, will you also count the trip as exercise?" And really, it's a very narrow-minded way of thinking on my part. I don't have to separate every action I do into categories! I exercise when I walk my dog, when I clean my house thoroughly, or when I spend the afternoon playing Beat Saber, and that's fine and valid. I don't have to be so hard on myself all the time. Thank you for helping me see that.

Oh, and @astro_lizard, if you do something similar to my gamified streak, please let me know. I love seeing how people personalize ideas and create new things from them!