Tag: nutrition

I came home from CIC 2 and rested a little bit before getting back on the road for Bonnaroo.

That trip involved a lot of walking and dancing (my fitbit logged over 20K steps one day!). The multiple climates, elevations, and pollens were unkind to me, so I have a sinus infection (it started bothering me on Day 2). Other than that, I had a great time and saw a lot of amazing acts!

Fyi, when I left for CIC 2, I weighed 202.2 lbs. When I came back, I weighed in at 201.2 lbs (keep in mind that I was carrying some water weight). After Bonnaroo, the scale read 195.4 lbs. I think I may have been a little dehydrated from the road, and I know I was walking off more calories than I was eating because festival food is expensive, and most of the camp food was fruit. That being said, if I can stay below 200 lbs and make sustainable changes to my diet and exercise, I think I can make some permanent changes to my body and health.

I had a good time at fencing last Friday, but I don’t feel like I actually did much fencing.

Last weekend was rainy, so no beach walks for me. I guess we had a lazy day on Saturday, but I lifted on Sunday. Here’s a set list.

Because we’re sharing a car, Nik has time to lift before and after fencing because I drop him off, go to Krav, and then pick him up. Rusty was in charge of class this Monday night, and I was able to assist and participate.

Today instead of doing cardio right after my office hours, I came home for lunch. After our food settled, we lifted weights. Here’s another set list.

I’m doing a pretty good job of paying attention to my calorie budget while still eating varied and flavorful foods.

I think that’s all I have to report for now. I’m wicked tired, and I need to hit the hay if I’m going to make it to the gym before the beach tomorrow.

Yesterday instead of going back to the gym, Nik and I took a walk outside. After that, I took the cat in the back yard on her harness so that she could pretend to be a big forest cat in the tall grass. We even got some yard work done.

Today Nik dutifully got up and went to the gym. He told me I deserved to sleep in, so I did.

When I did get up, I had my weekly weigh-in. I am down 3 lbs from last week (and down 5 lbs from my fitness assessment Tuesday, but I take that with a grain of salt because I was not weighing in under my usual controlled circumstances). I knew that being diligent in the kitchen and actually going to the gym would help, but I didn’t think I’d see such a change in a short period of time.

I intend to go to fencing practice tonight.

Krav on Monday night was productive. We all warmed up together. Then Eddie taught the class while the rest of us covered most of the material in P1. Then we did the closing actions together.

I finally made it to Body Fat Tuesday! My day percent is up to 37.5. I hit the elliptical after class (with the mask). I was hangry and didn’t like the particular elliptical I was on, but I did the thing.

Nik and I lifted weights yesterday morning. I got lightheaded at one point even though I’d eaten breakfast. It passed. I don’t know what was up with that. The only thing I can figure is I went too fast. Here’s the set list.

Last night was my turn to teach at Krav. We covered mounted chokes on the ground. Everyone was huffing and puffing at the end of class, and everyone was doing the technique, so I’ll call it a win.

Today I was starving after class, so Nik and I came home for lunch. I’ll get some cardio in later – our schedule is wide open today.

Since Monday, Nik and I have been making a more concerted effort in the kitchen. We’re eating lots of veggies and chicken. The meals are great. What really hurts is the moratorium on sweets. We’re cutting sweets and alcohol (entirely) until I get home from CIC.

I meant to post sooner, but honestly, waiting only four days instead of a whole week or more is progress, and that’s really what this blog is all about.

On Monday I started tracking my food again. So far things are going well on that front. Fortunately I’ve been able to make very minor changes – primarily, I’m being mindful of what I’m eating. I’ll let you know how that pans out in a few weeks.

I’m not entirely sure how to measure progress since my goal here isn’t necessarily to lose weight or inches (though it would be nice to have a nicer fit in some of my dress pants). I’m trying to improve performance in a field that i find hard to measure. In running or lifting, you can measure speed, reps, or weight. With fighting, it’s a little more subjective. I figure the more “good days” I have training, the better I’m performing.

Anyway, Monday was the first day I really got to teach in Krav. It was a little bit nerve wracking, but your first day teaching always is. It helps that I’m learning how to teach this skill in a friendly environment with people I know. I expressed to Kita that I’m still learning which types of errors to look for. For example when I teach fencing, I know that new fencers tend to roll the ankle when they lunge, so I pay special attention to their feet when they learn this skill. I’m working on figuring out some “common errors” for Krav. More importantly, I’m working on finding ways to make warm-ups dynamic and appropriate for the exercises we’re about to do. This is all awesome and exciting; the bad news is that I don’t really get to work out on class nights anymore.

Tuesday was a yoga night, but I need to work on cardio, so I hit the pool after my night class. I was on the swim team in high school. That was a long time ago, and I wasn’t very good to begin with, but I really enjoy swimming. I managed to keep at it for half an hour – not too shabby by my book!

Last night was another teacher night. I spend about an hour teaching P1s, and then after they leave, I have about a half an hour to work on my own P3 training. We’re working on finding some days to meet and train outside of class.

Scheduling Krav practice time for the next two months will be difficult partially because of my schedule and partially because I have a HEMA event coming up soon, and I really want to participate in longsword. I want to learn enough that I won’t embarrass myself in front of the other fencers.

I don’t expect to update tonight, so I’ll tell you now that I plan to hit the gym after work and use their punching bag. If the gym is closed, I’ll come up with something else to do. If all else fails, I still have the Dreaded Exercise Bike at home.

Nik and I have made the decision to attend UWF fencing practice on Friday and then drive to Birmingham(ish) right after for a weekend SCA event. That drive should be fun. I’m looking forward to fencing with my friends on Saturday. There won’t be practice on Sunday.

I did not, in fact, push through and go to Krav, but that’s also the last class I’m skipping for a long time. Now I’m focusing on getting ready for civilian instructor certification level 1 (CIC1) in April, so I can’t afford to slack off. I’ll be moving into a more active teaching role in my own little Krav school (I feel like a Krav TA) before I head off.

I did go to yoga on Tuesday, and I made it back to Krav on Wednesday. The calf is still sore, but moving around and stretching helps.

Thursday was a rest day, and Friday I (finally) made it to UWF fencing practice. We had a special guest for that practice – Prissy got some teaching experience by warming us up with some yoga. I focused primarily on rapier during that practice, but the room was busy with rapier, dussack, and ringen.

Yesterday I went to the beach, took a walk, and did some sun salutations. The jellies were out, so I elected not to swim. Nik and I took a Poke-walk on the beach after lunch. 

Today, SCA fencing practice is cancelled. We lost one of our own last week, so all local SCA activities are cancelled, and we’re spending time with our loved ones.

I believe that’s all I’ve been up to this week. Looking forward, In addition to getting ready for CIC1, I have a big fencing event coming up in November, and I want to participate in as many tournaments as possible, so I need to tune up my dussack and long sword skills. November is a big month for me in general. I have somewhere to be (involving fencing) every single weekend that month. I’m excited, but I also expect to be exhausted.

I’m hoping that some of the adjustments I’m making to my diet and fitness levels for CIC1 will help me make it through that month. I’ve installed MyFitnessPal on my new phone, and I’m keeping track of what I’m putting in (again – I use this app in phases). I’m considering getting a fitness tracking device, but I’m not entirely sure which one I want. They’re pricey, so I want to make sure I get the right one!

I think that’s it for now. I’ll try to update more consistently. I really hate these weekly walls o’ text, but my schedule has been hectic. Thanks for bearing with me.