[embra]

Motto

it's a marathon not a sprint

step by step

(content note: I'll be talking about weight(loss) and food/diet on here some times so tread with care if those are topics you might be uncomfortable around)


Hullo, everyone!
I'm embra (he/they), 30 years old, and just getting back into working out regularly

I work as a gardener, I keep a pet cat and like to spend my spare time reading fantasy novels, getting busy with union work, or tackling some hand-embroidery projects.
Most days I go to work by bike (which is a distance of nearly 12km) so for a long time I assumed I was doing alright, fitness-wise.
Well. My endocrinologist, whom I'm seeing regularly for hrt, recently diagnosed me with hashimoto's, insuline resistance, and some other unfortunate blood levels :/

Turns out no bike ride can save me from a diet that's anything but well-rounded and widely varied, and a spare-time couch potato lifestyle!
All of the issues my blood levels told us about should be reversible, I've been told - if i manage to stick to the therapy plan we've come up with.
And while we naturally talked about diet adjustments, doc also recommended me to get started with strength workout to help my metabolism and circulation along as well as to prevent osteoporosis (I suspect regularly working out will probably also help my back issues...)

So when I discovered that Darebee not just offered workouts and challenges but also a forum to get in touch with others and keep track at my leisure, I was delighted! For me it's usually easier to stick with projects if I can keep track of things somewhere and share with like-minded others. And contrary to just buying/cooking/eating "the right things" working out feels like something I can DO to fix my state.

My two main goals therefore are:​

1. stick with new diet which mainly means: avoid rice, corn and glutinous grains as well as lower my sugar intake as much as possible​
2. 1 hour of strength-focussed workout at least 2x/week - currently planned for tuesday and thursday​

That being said: Looking forward to getting to know the community and finding my way around here! Take care everyone, and so long!

 

[Nox]

 

[embra]

Sunday 18 October 2026

Whew! Did an hour of working out today that felt like much longer x.x I watched some tv while I worked though so as to have at least some distraction from the sweat I built up

I used a 5kg weighti in each hand which were occasionally exhausting to wield but otherwise fine, I felt like I could maintain proper form while exercising (as much as one can maintain proper form anyway if not used to exercising regularly).

I started with the Full Body Tone Workout first. The squats were fairly exhausting but the renegade rows came in as a close second. Not sure I did the deadlifts right because I barely felt anything but I did enjoy the shoulder presses!

Afterwards I moved on to the Iron Maiden Plus Workout with 3 sets each. While the thrusters came surprisingly easy to me, the split lunges gave me a good burn in the thighs. The punches still proved to be the biggest challenge but I managed. They're a fun exercise though so I'm looking forward to having an easier time with those as I progress!

Finally, I finished with the Osteoporosis Fix Workout which seemed like a gentler bunch to top the hour off with. (Little more than an hour actually, all in all.) I modified the wall push-ups to chair push-ups and did 10 of those as well. I struggled most with the seated leg extensions bc I could barely extend my leg to straight level: I should probably add a stretching-focussed workout in the future!