Operation Arm Flaps: The Final Chapter

i did it. It wasn't pretty, nor was it particularly successful, but i did it.

Mostly.

Original goal was focus on upper body work, built around the push up challenge, and to alternate days with core/lower body work. In the end, i stayed with just the push ups...

Minor moral victory? Let's just cut to the wrap-up.

Final measurements: EXACTLY THE SAME AS WEEK 2.

Yep. No additional shrinkage in the last 2 weeks. But perhaps more tone. There's that. And i can definitely do more push ups! Starting 'exhaustion test' had me at 10. i can now drop and give you 30! Stronger. That is good.

Comparing my first "bingo wings, week 0" pic vs "bingo wings, final" shot? Biggest difference is that my shirt is a little rattier (hey, it's ALWAYS laundry day here...).




Why was this second round of "30 Days" so much harder for us all to stick to? i dunno. The novelty had perhaps worn off... Distractions abound, don't they? We seemed to lose a lot of energy around week 2.

Rather than lament what didn't work, however, i'll cheer for what did... We slogged through. We at least felt guilty when we didn't... And for me, i do feel stronger. And the arms are perhaps marginally less likely to take me airborne in a stiff breeze...



Here's to finding ways to keep stretching a bit. To hold ourselves accountable, even without communal accountability. And to the seemingly endless 'little things' we can all find time for that can make us a bit better...

Operation "Arm Flaps": The Quest Continues!

Although i'm deep in the midst of a holiday dive trip - where i've been trying hard to get in a massive number of dives before the end of the week. This means 4 dives/day for the first 3 days. i'm tired. But....

Managed to get in my Friday push up sets on Sunday morning (Saturday was a travel day) and just busted through my Monday sets on Tuesday evening. So the schedule is a little blown, i'm still working it...

Didn't have a chance to do the measurements/picture, but will do that for my final post -- which should be next Monday, if my 30 day count is correct!

And since i had to work terribly hard at Week 4 of the challenge? i'm repeating it - with a few more reps in each set. Progress. At the end of this series, i will do one final exhaustion test -- to see how far i've really gotten in the past 30 days...

So, not letting the holiday be an excuse... but i'm mildly derailed as i chase fish!

Operation "Arm Flaps" - Week 3 Wrap Up

i'm still at it... and feeling marginally stronger. Haven't done much more than the push up work, and the alternate day abs/core stuff has slid - but i've been bicycling and hiking on those days, so i think i'm still making some progress.

The metrics this week: 13 1/4" / 34 cm

Miniscule progress, but i believe it is becoming real...

In hindsight, i think i should have come up with a different measurement technique. Perhaps something to do with timing the resonance of the flaps? Give 'em a push and see how long it takes for the flappage to stop?

Also, an action shot... A day on the water, playing in river kayaks. Definitely got an extra upper body workout. Not so much from the paddling, but from lifting my drink bottle filled with Crystal Light Lemonade and Vodka. Lunch. Yay...

Operation "Arm Flaps" - Week 2 Wrap Up

And we're still battling the bingo wings!

Did my first "exhaustion" test, and was a little disappointed, but will continue the program. 20 push ups, on my toes, reasonably good form, without resting. My first attempt, 2 weeks ago, was a puny 10, so there has been improvement. i shall be winning no bar bets just yet, however...

Circumference of Arm Flaps: 13 5/8" / 34 1/2 cm.

EXACTLY the same as last week (sigh). i knew it would be infinitesimal progress. But c'mon, i DID it this week, damn it!

Some lessons learned along the way...

- DON'T attempt push ups after backpacking adventure.

- DO attempt push ups earlier in the day.

- DON'T attempt push ups after getting hammered during a theater event.

- DO wait til the next morning and do it when you are hungover and have a terrible headache.

- DON'T skip your abdominal workouts just because you are tired, working longer days, have activities every evening that keep you out late, or are lazy and a slug...

- DO remember that you are accountable to your comrades out here in the blogosphere....

i give myself a C this week because i only did the abdominal work ONCE. Grrr....

Mid-week "Flap Update" ("flap-date"?)

i am on track.

but i learned a lesson the hard way last night.

Wednesday nights have evolved into my 'practice backpacking' night, as well as an 'upper body' night. After kicking my own ass on the hiking trail* (25 pound pack, just an hour, but i'm in start-up mode), i returned home and still had to do my push ups.

i did them.

but i was in a bit of discomfort. not the upper body, but the lower back.

Next time? Do the upper body work BEFORE the hike. D'uh. Seems obvious.

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* And perhaps spending a post-hike hour at the wine shop, conveniently located in between the trail head and my home....

Operation "Arm Flaps" - Week 1 Wrap up

Managed to complete the push-up challenge for week 1, which was 3 workouts (M, W, F). Stuck in abdominal/core operations T, Th... but failed on Saturday because i was out of town farting around (not an excuse, really).

Only did the extra arm work on M, which needs to change. And the ab/core work is quite necessary - as i'm feeling the crunch of the crunch, and know that i'm weak in the midsection.

So i'll give myself a grade of B- for Week 1. i can do better.

Circumference of Arm Flaps: 13 5/8" / 34 1/2 cm

Potentially a loss of 3/8", or 1.5 cm - but this could be within the measurement error. Expect to not see something substantial until the end of Week 4. But slow and steady...

and yes. i know that's an ugly tank top. i'm doing laundry, alright?

Press Ups Away!

It's Wednesday, and i've completed Week 1 Day 1 and Week 1 Day 2 of my quest.

In a word? "Ouch"

For my 'off day', i did a bunch of random abdominal crunch-like sets and what not after pumping up my neglected yoga ball.

i'm feeling it. Oh, i am DEFINITELY feeling it.

Three days in, and i'm on my way. Not over doing it. Just doing it.

Operation "Arm Flaps"

My arms. They look like Mom's. This is unacceptable.

Full combat assault for the next 30 days - yes, we're taking on "Bingo Wings", folks. Gonna tone 'em up, and smack 'em down!

Sunday nights i will post my progress, via measurement and photo.

You want personal accountability? Post your fat on the interwebz...

i will be working a program based on "100 Push Up Challenge", augmented with other upper body work. This is a 3 day per week thing, so i'll be doing core/lower body work on alternate days.

i'll keep you posted on progress, but Sunday will be my day to do this...

Circumference of Arm Flaps: 14" / 36 cm

30 Days - Scores and Highlights

Perpetually distracted, huge stacks of books on my night stands, yawning my way through meetings after driving to work on snooze-control.

i still have a bit of this going on, after my run at 30 days to more focused neurons and more sleep. But i'm better. Definitely better.

Finished three books - not a huge number, compared to what most bibliophiles devour in 30 days, but that is three more books than i'd read in any other month this year! Still have stacks of books on my night stands, but i will continue to poke my way through them.

Sleep, glorious sleep! Forcing myself to bed by 11pm has made that 6am alarm far more tolerable. Definitely had some days where it just didn't happen - but mostly due to a few cases of "Fun Happens!" keeping me up far too late. i will continue to target a solid night of Zzzzz's because i simply feel better when i do.

It's been a lovely exercise in communal accountability - and i'll be back for Round 2. i've genuninely enjoyed tracking the progress of other contributors, and any chance to spend time with my old friend bob? Priceless. Thank you for launching this project!

Prodigal Blogging

It's been over a week since i've reported out to my challenge mates. Better news since my last post, though! The reading has been delicious - i've finished "Under the Banner of Heaven"* and will almost immediately finish "Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk", by David Sedaris.

Yes. i know it's a short book, and an easy read. But i'm reading slowly because it is yummy brain candy and it makes me giggle!

Sleeping is more of a challenge. i made a serious tactical error midweek - accepted an invitation to an outdoor concert in a city an hour away on Wednesday night. Returning home at 1am, with an alarm clock squawking at 6am led to a bit less than 7 hours sleep.

But i've worked hard to make up for it this weekend!

Onward!

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*Just in time to track the sentencing of Warren Jeffs, who featured prominently in the book. A fundamentalist polygamist convicted of raping children in the name of faith...

First Double Fail!

The re-entry process after a two week holiday can be stressful. Even more so when your poor, abandoned, slobber-hound decides that the perfect "Welcome Home" present is to leave his version of a Jackson Pollak on your bedroom carpet.

Let's not discuss his chosen medium, ok?

Plenty of reading and sleep on Thursday - my travel day. Yesterday? Ugh.

Returned to work. Returned to stress. Returned to heat and humidity. Returned to frustrations galore...

Oh, and returned just in time to hit my favorite summer event - a three day Celtic festival. Which meant i was out the door by 5:00 pm, and drinking a cold brew by 5:30. And dancing, and singing, and eating all manner of stick-based meat products.

The 30 minutes of reading didn't happen yesterday. In bed by midnight, but tossed and turned, and didn't get anywhere near 7 hours of good sleep, before waking up to get on with the chores of the day at 7:30 am.

Today? Will be better. Although i'm back to the festival today... and likely going to the musicians "after-party". Which starts at 11pm. Which should be a blast... Better get my reading done... Sleep? Meh. Might be over-rated in some circumstances!

Chugging along....

The 30 Day Challenge train chugs merrily forward! While in NYC, i finished my first book - slow and steady progress, and generaly nailing the 30 minutes/day goal. Flying into Chicago yesterday for the next part of the holiday, i dug into "Under the Banner of Heaven", by Jon Krakauer...

The sleep portion of the game is generally going pretty well! Still averaging 7 hours/night, but augmenting that with 2 hour daily siestas. i will be loathe to give up the afternoon naps when i am back at my desk.

i did have one night of interrupted sleep - that pesky 4am call regarding a family situation that was guaranteed to keep me awake the remainder of the night. But all is momentarily resolved... and i can sleep again.

i hope...

Another point of view...

When i posted that i'm taking on the 30-day challenge, and my "challenge" is to read for 30 minutes and sleep an extra hour a day, i got the following comment from a friend:

"so this is a thinly veiled brag that your life is already so exciting that to try something "new", youre going to read and go to bed early. damn you."

Ouch.

But i'm doing quite well with the sleep! Holidays are perfect for that... snoozing an easy 7+ hours a night, along with a 2 hour siesta mid-day. The reading continues, but given the choice, i'd rather sleep.

Bright lights, big city, ton of books...

Managed to hit both the reading goal and the sleeping goal yesterday... And am now lying on the floor of a borrowed NYC flat, bootlegging wireless, while my travel mate for the next two weeks, nursemyra, stretches her long legs!

We've traveled together before, and we both love to read on holiday. Suitcases full of books. We'll have no trouble getting in the reading time! The 7 hours sleep, may be more of a challenge...

And what have we learned?

Friday night. Day 4 of the challenge. i'd had a rather crunchy week at work, and had to begin preparing for a 2 week holiday - not only had i not packed, i hadn't done laundry!

What's a girl to do? Get her drink on, of course! Dinner at my place with a friend, while the laundry washed itself in the machines downstairs, led to a couple tall, cool Vodka-Lemon-Sodas!

"Yay! That's a great idea!", said the Bad Idea Bears from the recesses of my brain...

Finally settling down to do my reading around 11:00pm, i succeeded in holding the book for a full 30 minutes. Read many, many pages! Turned them successfully, too! But perhaps my reading comprehension isn't what it should be when i'm liquored up...

Passed out Made it to bed by midnight, and was up at 7am, getting in my desired seven hours sleep... so i'm going to claim partial success on this one.

Prioritization!

An overnight adventure threw me yet another curve or two, but i've managed to stay the course with the book - it helps TREMENDOUSLY that "Packing for Mars" is just the right read* for me!

Trying to get home from work Wednesday, pack for an overnight, and hit the road by 7pm, while still getting in book time forced me to plop in the chair and read another chapter. Leaving my partially packed duffel bag on the bed. And the goal of getting to bed early, assuring 7 hours sleep? Check!

Spent the day on an outing with a friend - which included a zipline safari! Had a blast, but didn't get home until 10pm. Again, forced myself to drop in a chair and read - dirty laundry be damned!

Most interesting? i made it 3 days with no television, and only a bit of bootlegged internet. Services restored while i was away for the night. i am trying to continue to leave the television off, and manage my time on the internet (ie: stop being a laptop slug).

i've missed my local news presenters, though. i wonder if they've missed me? And the internet? i can quit any time i want to...

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*Mary Roach adores weird. It was the Apollo program that got me vectored toward a career in science. i think i want to have Ms. Roach's baby...

Out of the gate - with a bump!

Despite - or perhaps because of - some unexpected logistical blips, my 30 day challenge is off to a wonderful start!

A thunderstorm trampled the local area on Monday night, knocking out power. And when i lose power? i lose internet and cable television. This afforded a distraction-free* Monday evening, with my daughter and i camped out in the living room – her bathed in the soothing light of her Kindle, and me squinting my way through the first chapter of “Packing for Mars” by the fluorescent glow of a camp lantern.

To bed early as well, since there wasn’t much else to do…and my head hurt from reading under the fluorescent light! But this was the 11th – a mere practice run for the start of the 30 Day Challenge!

Power was restored in the wee morning hours of the 12th, but still no cable or internet! The opportunities for distraction were again minimized. It was a hot, steamy summer afternoon, so i opted to do my reading poolside! Finished another chapter in about 35 minutes – the extra five minutes to compensate for the time spent swatting bugs, and dunking in the pool to cool off.

After a nice evening spent with my “Pub People”, i was home, and asleep, shortly after 11pm. The 0600 alarm didn’t hurt! Only one swat of the snooze button, and i was vertical by 0605! Not a bad start…

Attempting this post from my iPad, while camped out at a local coffee shop. Until internettivity is restored at the homestead, I may be a bit random here. But I'm in... I like the communal accountability!

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* Well, the nearly constant lightning show, and the sound of large tree branches cracking in the wind just outside the walls of the condo did create the occasional distraction…

daisyfae lacks focus and sleep...

Thanks for the invitation to play, bob! i've learned value of being accountable to a workout buddy, so this seems a lovely approach.

Struggled a bit with the choice. i'm going to be on holiday for 2 weeks, so walking the dog, working in the garden, and going to the gym are out.

Given my noteable lack of focus these days, i have been trying to figure out how to get my brain re-trained to read. Really read. Not scan. Turning data into information is hard, and requires focus and thought.

Perhaps a well-rested brain would help, too.

My 30-day challenge: Read a book (e- or paper) for 30 continuous minutes each day. Go to bed 30 minutes earlier each night. Can combine this into "Reading 30 minutes before bedtime", but not required...

Let the accountability begin!