What are your health / fitness goals? Accountability

Good luck to you and your boy! It's nice that you get to go first then enjoy the rest of the day. I bet he has leveled up his skills in the last 7 years. Have fun!

 

33 lbs is excellent. I'm in a similar space also trying to break through a plateau. I started changing my routine each month and that seems to help. I hope you'll enjoy "Meditations." It's one of my favorites.

 

Aloha! Today was my rest day. I started a new training routine this week that I'll stick with for a month and I really like it so far.
I've read 40 / 124 books this year. I don't want to bore all of you with a super long list so I'll try to remember to talk about them as we go.
I'm currently reading:

• "The Nix" by Nathan Hill It's a Historical Fiction and I'm really enjoying it so far. Here's part of the description: From the suburban Midwest to New York City to the 1968 riots that rocked Chicago and beyond, The Nix explores—with sharp humor and a fierce tenderness—the resilience of love and home, even in times of radical change.
  
  It’s 2011, and Samuel Andresen-Anderson—college professor, stalled writer—has a Nix of his own: his mother, Faye. He hasn’t seen her in decades, not since she abandoned the family when he was a boy. Now she’s re-appeared, having committed an absurd crime that electrifies the nightly news, beguiles the internet, and inflames a politically divided country. The media paints Faye as a radical hippie with a sordid past, but as far as Samuel knows, his mother was an ordinary girl who married her high-school sweetheart. Which version of his mother is true? Two facts are certain: she’s facing some serious charges, and she needs Samuel’s help.
• "So Good They Can't Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love" By Cal Newport I discovered Newport's books at the perfect time. I was spending a ton of time online and attached to my devices because I ran online businesses, but I was also very active on social media too. I've read "Deep Work" and "Digital Minimalism" and it inspired me to want to disconnect more. Since then, I deleted all of my social media accounts, shut down my 7 year business, and opened a new business that is just as successful and practically hands off. This allows me to not need to be on my computer anymore.

On another note, the last 6 months have been a bit tense and every month of this year has had a mild disaster. Thankfully, everything keeps working out and I have hope for April and beyond! I hope you are all doing well too! I'm focusing on everything that I'm thankful for. I'm feeling healthier and fitter than I have ever been in my adult life. My relationship is solid (going on 10 years), our two cats are healthy and happy, we have our homes, and a car, AND running water .

 

I'm tired after yesterday's workout. I definitely feel a difference now that I'm doing full body workouts. I think I need a rest day so I'll do today's workout tomorrow.

 

Today's workout took me 3.5 hours. I definitely prefer working out outside. The fresh air is so nice, the chickens are entertaining, and if it rains; I just change my hat... I could do without all of the mosquitoes though. I must not have put enough insect repellent on my ankles because they were chomping. I did tricep dips and added decline push-ups. Of course, that's not all I did. I'm so glad that I rested yesterday because I needed it and felt energized today! Tomorrow will be another rest day.

 

I went 1 and 1 with a weird first match. I lost 0 to 0 on ref’s decision. Rats. My second match ended when I subbed the guy with a Cobra Clutch. Lol. Just like Sgt. Slaughter used in the WWF. Lol. The boy went 2 and 2. Overall a good day with room for improvement before July.

 

@Meat great job! I think wins and losses are equally important and part of the leveling up process! It means that you're doing a lot to get to that point and that's more than most. What a great start!

 

4 sets done and 1 more to go!!! I'm feeling strong today!

 

I'm still doing my workouts! I rested yesterday and did total body today. The days with unilateral moves take me a lot longer. We are going to get some jump ropes tonight. Hopefully there's an area in my driveway that is even enough for jumping.

 

Four of us at Jiu Jitsu this morning. Myself, the boy and both SIL’s. We have enough for a tag-team match at Thanksgiving now.

 

@Meat That's dedication! Especially at such an early hour.

 

This is the 3rd week of this specific routine. I think I've shifted to a M/W/F/Sat strength training schedule. I definitely need more rest now that I'm doing total body workouts each time.
Today’s Workout: 5 x 30

• Bodyweight glute bridges
• Single arm bent over rows
• Bodyweight box squats
• Dumbbell Bench Presses
• Romanian Deadlifts
• Side lying leg lifts
• Plank 120 seconds
• Side plank lt 60 seconds
• Side plank Rt 60 seconds

 

Yesterday was a rest day. I started jump roping and practicing yoga this week and so far I've done both 2 days in a row. On the first day I jumped for 10 minutes and yesterday I went for 20 minutes. It's a fun workout that really gets my heart pumping. Today I'm supposed to do one of my long strength training workouts, but I'm feeling a bit tired, unmotivated, and overcaffeinated. We shall see how I feel after lunch. How are you moving today?

 

Is that 10 or 20 minutes in a row? I used to do 1-2 mins with a rest in between....20 mins would be a killer!

 

It's a much as I can without stopping. When I trip on the rope I catch a quick breath. I was going to ask how people go about jump roping. I can do the basic bounce, jumping jacks, and I'm starting to learn the boxer shuffle. I can't do high knees yet though and when I try to cross my arms my rope gets stuck afterwards. It's fun and a challenging workout.

 

I managed to do my workout outside yesterday plus 14 minutes of jump roping. I thought that I was going to rest since I got a late start and I was worried about working out in the dark, but once I got started it felt good to keep going.
I came up with a little phrase that kept me going:
"Not the best is better than not at all."
I often beat myself up for not doing "as well as I could," but yesterday I reminded myself that it's good that I showed up and still did what I set out to do even if I didn't feel super energetic.

Last week I read:

• "The Nix" by Nathan Hill It was a Historical Fiction that talked about the infamous riots at the 1968 Chicago Democratic Convention. It also covered a little bit of the Occupy Wallstreet movement. I remember when that was happening in Seattle and Olympia, WA. It quickly turned into a big mess and got spooky fast. I was happy to be able to run around the lake again when things got cleaned up. I really liked the way that the author explored the lives of multiple characters and wrote from their perspectives. Highly recommend!
• "So Good They Can't Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love" by Cal Newport Newport's books are always thoroughly researched and rich with stories, interviews, and calls to action. This was well-written, but sometimes his books make me feel like "what the heck have I even done with my life?" It was nice to read a fresh perspective. He doesn't think that we should follow our passions when it comes to our careers. It is crucial to develop "career capital" in the form of actual skills. I definitely agree with this because passion and interests don't pay the bills, but it's still important to have hobbies and interests in life.
• "The Start of Something Wonderful" by Jessica Redland I chose this book because one of the Kindle challenges for this month is to read the first book of a new series. This is a cozy romance / chick lit book. It was slowly paced, but I enjoyed the fact that it's about 2 penpals who wrote to each other over the course of 24 years and finally met for the first time.

I'm currently reading:

• "Awaken the Starlight Within: Heartfelt Wisdom to Reveal Your Personal Power" by I.C. Robledo "Tired of ‘Heavy’ Spiritual Self-Help Books? Discover *Starlight* Light Words, Full Self-Development That Matters.
  
  Whether you’re a self-help novice or a pro, this book will inspire joy in the now and spark deeper wisdom in you.
  It answers some of life’s most troubling
  Then this book is for you. Because the practical, poetic, and empowering author guides you gently through these issues and more." This book was freshly published and the author reached out to me and asked if I would read it because he saw that I was reading the "4 Agreements" series. I just started it and am looking forward to digging in. I'm always interested to read a fresh perspective.
• "Heart Bones" by Colleen Hoover It's been years since I've read a Colleen Hoover book. This one is a contemporary romance. Here's a bit of the description: "Life and a dismal last name are the only two things Beyah Grim's parents ever gave her. After carving her path all on her own, Beyah is well on her way to bigger and better things, thanks to no one but herself.
  
  With only two short months separating her from the future she's built and the past she desperately wants to leave behind, an unexpected death leaves Beyah with no place to go during the interim. Forced to reach out to her last resort, Beyah has to spend the remainder of her summer on a peninsula in Texas with a father she barely knows. Beyah's plan is to keep her head down and let the summer slip by seamlessly, but her new neighbor Samson throws a wrench in that plan."
  
• "American Gun: A History of the U.S. in Ten Firearms" by Chris Kyle I have been wanting to read this one for a long time. "Chris Kyle—fallen hero and #1 bestselling author of American Sniper—reveals how ten legendary guns forever changed U.S. history.
  
  At the time of his tragic death in February 2013, former Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, the top sniper in U.S. military history, was finishing one of the most exciting missions of his life: a remarkable book that retold American history through the lens of a hand-selected list of firearms. Kyle masterfully shows how guns have played a fascinating, indispensable, and often underappreciated role in our national story.
  
  "Perhaps more than any other nation in the world," Kyle writes, "the history of the United States has been shaped by the gun. Firearms secured the first Europeans' hold on the continent, opened the frontier, helped win our independence, settled the West, kept law and order, and defeated tyranny across the world."

The dance challenge for this month is to create a combination that is at least 2 eight-counts long. For some reason I'm struggling with this one. I get nervous and intimidated because I'm still a very new dancer and have never made a combination before. Hopefully I can do it before the end of the month.
Hope you are all doing well!

 

This first week of jump roping has been good, but I can definitely feel it. My warm ups for workouts have been really good, but I have to admit that I probably need to spend more time stretching afterwards. The left side of my lower back feels a little sore and I know why. I completed my dance challenge for the month. The one where I create a combo that is at least 2 eight counts long and I decided to incorporate floor work which was exciting and fun. It feels good to be done with this challenge early and now I can focus more on learning. I'm trying to learn a choreography to a song called Trilhos.
Even after 2 rest days in a row I still felt worn out and didn't want to do a long strength training workout since my back is still sore and I don't want to injure myself. I danced for two hours then decided to do this full body workout. After that I jump roped for 24 minutes and then we went for a 2.5 mile walk.

I'm so thankful for my health and I'm trying to find a balance between pushing myself enough to get results, but also listening to my body and resting when necessary.
I hope you are all doing well!

 

I know men should never dance, ever. At least if they’re wired like me. Lol. I’m glad you like to though.

 

I think it's acceptable to dance when nobody's watching. Lol.

 

It feels like I'm back on track! I did my total body workout followed by 30 minutes of jump rope. 1 hour of gardening then 45 minutes of dancing. I had a lot of fun today. I hope you will all have a wonderful week!