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rigelmejo · 4 years

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language goals are mostly on hold right now. as usual for me, my month didn’t actually go as expected.

i did realize what I’ll likely be doing for the next few months though:

listening to japanese quicksleur will likely continue, as it’s super easy to just do during ‘level grind’ time when playing a video game. likewise, if i replay 2 particular games, i’ll turn the japanese voices on and just get used to hearing them again. this particular part of ‘remembering what i used to know’ has been easy to do again. i made some progress this past month. I imagine I’m only doing this as desired, because I still want chinese to take priority.

reading chinese novels will likely continue. i didn’t do it as much as I liked - usually one chapter every 3-5 days, except on days I got into a groove. I still want to finish Tian Ya Ke within a few months. I am not reading as fast as desired, but this is a very doable task for me currently so I’m going to continue.

Starting to Listen-Read Guardian may start in February, regardless of if I finish Tian Ya Ke. I’m still not sure yet if I want to wait to get farther into Tian Ya Ke/finish that novel first. I do think the time drain listening-reading takes is the biggest factor. I’m very busy lately, so I wouldn’t be surprised if I can’t start this until March.

So... not actually much change in the plan. Just that I’m doing it slower than I expected, so listening-reading might have to be pushed back. I’m 27/80 chapters through Tian Ya Ke, so about 1/3 through. If I keep at this pace it’ll be 4 more months to finish ono I am hoping to get some long reading sessions in though, so that I’m looking at more like 2 more months. I would LOVE to know when I’ll hit that sweet spot of ‘chapters become faster to read’ lol. On language forums I see people talk about reading harry potter in their target language, and at first one page takes them a half hour a piece. Then later, they get through full chapters much faster. When is my reading speed gonna leap like that? Or is priest difficult enough that my reading speed of 30-40 minutes a chapter... not going to improve much?

what happened this month:

first, i was able to focus on video games - which is where a lot of this urge to re-learn what japanese i knew came from, and when i carved out the time to do some japanese study. I did not manage to read much of the textbook i planned to. I just wasn’t feeling like it. if i go back to video games relatively soon (we’ll see), then i’ll keep doing it. otherwise not sure where this is gonna fall.

second, i shifted into a reading mood afterward. a very strong reading mood. I’ve finished 5 books since 2021 started. Which is an accomplishment for me ToT. A lot of these books are mental health ones I’ve been meaning to read eventually, so I do consider them well worth the time spent. Some others are fiction books I’ve had and never made the time to actually read - so I’m enjoying going through them. Reading is, realistically, cutting into a huge chunk of my time. I’m not even watching tv anymore, or playing video games. At the most - I have time for an episode or two some days. So a lot of this month has been spent catching up on a lot of things in english I haven’t been finishing. As long as this reading mood continues, I plan to just keep going with it. So I imagine reading chinese novels is likely the ‘main’ productive study I’ll get done in the next few months. I’m not reading the novels very fast, but I am managing to read them every few days at least, so I’m maintaining some regular exposure to the language. I realize it might mean I just stall progress for a while. But I’m hoping I just don’t backslide in what I can comprehend. I really do have... a huge trove of books I’ve been meaning to read eventually. So i’m not going to be surprised if this continues distracting me from study for a while.

Also, while i do not plan to study this way, i won’t be too surprised if i dive into extensive reading some chinese novels even though that’s not a primary study plan of mine for a while. I just got Love and Redemption’s novel in the mail, I’ve got some priest books on the bookshelf, and while its a bit draining to follow without a dictionary ;-; its been really enjoyable lately to just pick up novels and go through them without a dictionary. I don’t plan to do this, because I think my popup dictionary intensive reading of Tian Ya Ke is what I want to FINISH and it’ll distract me to start something HARDER from scratch at the same time. But I also know I’m prone to doing whatever the fuck I feel like. Also I’ve been feeling an itch to find out just how much I can follow and figure out without a popup dictionary to rely on - both because I think it’ll go much better than 8 months in when I tried to read Mo Du, and because I’ve been reading chinese only every few days now so I get a bit overly worried I’ll start forgetting things.

Around the beginning of this month, upon starting to revisit japanese, I got as similar overly worried feeling about my French. So I picked up one of my french novels and attempted to read it. I wanted proof I’d either somehow retained my french level of comprehension, or else that I’d forgotten some. The first couple minutes I had forgotten a little, and context helped me quickly recognize those words again. And a few words the entire time I knew looked familiar and were problem words I’ve looked up often before but still wasn’t sure on. But overall? Within 2 pages, I was reading easily again and even potentially having an easier time than the last time I read longer chunks of french text maybe a year ago. So my french comprehension - still there, still solid, still as easy as it was and potentially getting easier. I don’t need to worry about it. Although to be fair, my google/linkedin/coursera/google-affiliated sites are all automatically in french so I do see some french daily... its just I rarely read long chunks of French unless I’m seeking it out on purpose. So I imagine if you totally avoid french, you might not recall quite as much back so easily. Or if your french wasn’t as solid when you stopped seeing it often - my japanese is coming back quick grammar wise, now that I’m hearing the grammar points again, but a lot of words I’ve totally lost and need to relearn mostly just because I haven’t heard them in so long or barely remembered them when I stopped studying japanese a couple years ago.

#January progress #January Goals #update #rant

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phatjosh180 · 7 years

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Time to commence -- Operation Half Ass

I love organizing my fitness. I love mapping it all out. And, I love working toward those goals. Working toward these goals — whether their weight-loss or running related — is something I love and need.

After my ‘More Grease for Greece’ campaign that I did from August to November to help me lose 35lbs. with the keto diet, I feel the need to hone in on my diet and workout regime, especially now that I know what I’m dealing with regarding my ankle.

I am still doing the keto diet. I’ve been on it ever since I got back from Europe. I’ve lost about another 5lbs., but for the most part I’ve stalled a bit. And, I know why. I need to refocus myself and be more meticulous with my approach, numbers and intensity. I’ve been here before and I know what it takes to get past these plateaus.

But, these last 20lbs. toward my goal weight will be the toughest. It’s going to take a lot of discipline and focus. And, to help me I divided my focus into three specific areas … weight loss, diet and training.

They’re all listed below with a bit more detail. But, the goal is to really focus in on these three areas for the next six weeks — leading up to my next half marathon (Riverton Half, March 24). I won’t be ready to run a killer half marathon, but I’ll be in a better situation than I am right now.

So without further adieu, here are my three focus areas in what I’m calling ‘Operation Half Ass’ …

FOCUS #1: LOSE 20LBS

I have stalled in my weight loss since December. This was kind of expected and I am not too worried about it, because my workouts and runs have been less consistent and intense with my injury recovery. But, I feel like I am turning that curve, especially now that I know how to tackle my recovery.

I am sitting between 245-250lbs. — depending on the day — and I really want to get back to the 225-230lbs. range. When I was at my “best” — I was in that range. My lowest ever — well, in my adulthood — was 218lbs., but that 225-230lbs. range was where I peaked with my performance.

I’d like to get back to that.

That means I need to lose 20-25lbs. to get there. Which will be tough. The last 20-25lbs. of any weight loss goal is tough. And, this is the part of the game that I am going to have to do things differently in my running and workouts than I have the past 4-6 months. Which is fine. But, that requires a change in focus, mentality and commitment.

I’ve been here before — which helps. The key like anything in life is sticking to it and being tenacious with your goals and focus.

FOCUS #2: COUNT TOTAL CARBS

Being a keto discipline is tough. For me, it’s not so much avoiding carbs, but it’s how in I fuel myself with the needed carbs throughout my day. Most of my carbs come from vegetables — namely salad — lettuce, green peppers, onion and the carb here and there that you can’t avoid in most foods.

Depending on who you ask, some ketoers count total carbs, while others only count net carbs (total carbs – fiber). I’ve always counted net carbs. It’s worked for me as I keep my daily carb total at 25-30 net carbs.

Is that too much?

Probably?

In reality I am probably getting 35-40 total carbs. I’ve been in ketosis, but lately it’s been a struggle keeping myself there. After talking to a few keto friends — this is probably why. So, I am switching from counting net carbs to total carbs.

The thing I do have to watch is my carbs — most ketoers shoot for 20-25 grams a day, but my doctor wants me to be around 25-30 grams because of my Hashimoto’s Disease. Being the Google stalker I am, I’ve seen that suggestion all over online for Hashimoto Ketoers — and since the goal is to have a healthy thyroid and not necessarily get cut and lose weight, I feel that I should follow those guidelines.

So total carbs it is.

FOCUS #3: BALANCED TRAINING

I think the thing that went against me the last 4-6 months in my training was the skewed training balance. I was trying to train for my 100 mile run, I was running way too much and had a half marathon (or two) every weekend.

I won’t lie — that put me out of whack in my training.

Granted I had weight training classes during the week and I was getting miles in. But, the balance was off and not completely in line with my goals. And, then considering my injury recovery that just further threw off my balance, because I couldn’t physically do what I need to do to properly prepare myself for my 100 mile run.

I really held onto the hope that somehow, one day, I’d miraculously wake up pain free and be able to do what I needed to do. Well, that day never came. And, reality finally sunk in — eight months after my injury.

While I’m glad that I never gave up to the hope things would get better, I also wish I came to the realization earlier. It would have probably sped up the recovery process quicker. Either way, we’re here now and there’s no changing that.

So the plan of attack is balancing my fitness — that means more strength training, less running and focusing on my flexibility while maintaining my needed physical therapy stretches for my ankle. I know that might sound a bit confusing, but the past couple of years running was the fat kid on the other end of the seesaw — I can’t have that any more.

I need balance.

Having ten more races until Race #180 is really a blessing in disguise, because that forces me to not be running a half marathon every weekend. I will have a couple back-to-back weekends with a half marathon, but that’s twice and very doable considering I am sweeping one of the two races.

Not only am I not running 13.1 miles every weekend, I am also not running every weekend. Each month I have one weekend that’s specifically for cross training — boot camp, swimming, long hike and what not … just no running.

I’m doing that so I won’t wear down throughout the year — and because I want/need that balance. I need to feel okay with not feeling the guilt of not doing a long run once a month. Plus, it allows me to explore other areas of fitness.

Just don’t ask me to get on a bike. But, that’s a post for another day.

Anyways, balance. Balance. Balance. Balance.

WORKOUT REGIME

I am a creature of habit. But, I also love varied — everyone once in a while. When I started out my weight-loss journey in 2009 I made it a point to switch up my diet and workout routine about every 4-8 weeks. I need to get back into that habit.

I found that the more I changed my approach and routine the easier it was for me to break through plateaus. I think that’s what really helped me lose over 100lbs. within a year.

I want to find a way to do that with my keto diet — which I’ll research in the next couple of weeks, but the focus right now is the workout regime. I’ll blog about this in more depth in the next couple of weeks, but I want to share with you my workout regime for the next eight weeks.

(CLICK TO ENLARGE)

My focus is not only balance, but under my doctor’s direction — recovery for my ankle. This will lead me to the Riverton Half Marathon on March 24th. The running won’t prepare me for a fast race — but, that’s okay. I know I can grind out 13.1 miles — no matter now ugly it might look.

But, I really want to not only cut some more weight off the gut, but I really just want to give myself a good solid base to my fitness. A base that will help me moving forward with my health and weight — and keep my ankle happy and recovering.

My goal running wise isn’t necessarily to get fast this year — just faster. And, really that will come with the focus on training, diet and the way I balance that. But, in 2019 when I’ve solidified that base my focus will be on getting fast as I hopefully hone in on getting a sub-two half marathon time.

That’s a lot of info to process, so I might have to save all of that for a post for another time? Either way, I’m deliberately being strategic on my approach. I HAVE to be smart about it, especially in how I balance my goals with my reality.

And, I’m extremely excited about it all.

A post shared by The Runcast (@theruncast) on Jan 10, 2018 at 5:34am PST

Time to commence — Operation Half Ass was originally published on PhatJosh | My Life Running.

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fitbyarthur-blog · 7 years

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How to Start When it Comes to Fitness.

A lot of people get lost and don’t know where to start, when they get the motivation and will to start living healthy and become fit. I had the same issue and I would like to try and devote this post to that exact topic. Hopefully, as a result of it, I can give a comprehensive suggestion of where to start.

Set Your Goals

I made a mistake of going to the gym with no particular goal in mind. Sure, I worked out at that time, but now when I look back at it, I feel that I could have increased the rate of my progression drastically, if I had something to go for. Your Gym Goals can be anything from getting jacked to losing a certain amount of weight. For me, one of my first goals was to increase my strength. I had a whiteboard at home, where I wrote down my approximate 1 repetition max weights on all the major exercises (squat, bench press, deadlift, and overhead press) and then I wrote down my goals, which was like +20 kg on every exercise. Your goals can truly be anything. Some people decide to aim for competing in bodybuilding tournaments, some people just want to feel healthier and fitter than they are. Everyone thinks differently and most people have different things in mind when going to gym.

Pick a Workout Program You Like

Once you know what you are going for, you should pick a workout plan. There are thousands of them on the internet, so it can't be that hard. I, as a broke student, opted for some free workout plan available on http://bodybuilding.com/ which is a great website not only for that, but for any other information you need about fitness. By providing your gender, age, height and main goals you get a list of suggested workout plans. Just go through them and pick one that looks the most doable and appealing to you. My first workout program that I followed step by step was Rise & Grind 6-Week Muscle Building Plan. It seemed fairly straight forward and it had a nice iOS application that I downloaded on my phone. I found the program itself to be very good for a beginner level, without going into details.

Start Taking Your First Steps Towards a Healthy Diet

If you are going with a workout plan from http://bodybuilding.com/, it comes wiith some sort of a nutrition plan you can follow. I read through it, but I never practiced it, since I had other things in mind. However, now I would definitely recommend anyone taking up a new workout program, to figure out your diet and stick to it. If you have picked a workout program from somewhere else, no need to worry - there are plenty of nutrition YouTube videos which can help you out. Hell, there are tons of articles about nutrition online. What I would suggest, if you have no nutrition plan in mind, or you don't want to completely dive into the healthy lifestyle straight away, is to just start tracking your macronutrients. Take it slow by just taking note of how many carbohydrates, protein and fats you consume daily. And as you are doing it, read small portions of information on healthy dieting. However, if you are ready to get right into the proper nutrition, I suggest you calculate your required daily intake of macronutrients according to your goals and start cooking..

Record Your Starting Position

What I found very useful, was taking pictures of my physique at the beginning of the program, throughout the process, and at the end of it. That way you can see the changes and make sure your chosen program is effective. Not only that, but you also get the joy and mental boost once you start noticing the changes. You don't have to post the pictures online with a title like "Starting my fit lifestyle from today" - it will just save the embarassment in case you do quit, which should be the least of your worries, anyways. Keep it to yourself and once you feel confident in sharing the change, go for it. People love seeing body transformations.

Stick to the Program And Stay Consistent

You have probably heard it thousand of times - you have to stay CONSISTENT. You have to have PATIENCE. And I will not hesitate to say that again if needed. Results don't come overnight or even over a week, it takes at least a month for some minor changes. It really depends on the person and on how seriously one is taking this lifestyle. Sure, if you isolate yourself from the world around you, train hard and eat right, you can see the results pretty fast, but we are talking about the regular folk journey. Most of us have lives and gym often is not a priority. Because of that, it takes time to see the result. It takes time and effort to get results - a quote I read on Tumblr as I was taking a break from writing this. As simple as it is, it is 100% true and you can read it over and over until you understand it if need be. As for the program, I have noticed that many new gymgoers give up on their chosed workout plans very fast. They follow the program for a week, they don't see the results and they try something else. Not only it discourages you, it also screws up your road to being jacked like Chris Hemsworth or whoever is your go to physique inspiration. There is a reason why most of the programs are 6 weeks long, 8 weeks long etc. The point is that you must go through the whole process and you have to stay consistent. Only then you can say that it did not work and you can move on to some other workout plan.

Do Your Research

As a part of any hobby or aspect of life, the more you know, the better you can get at it. Same thing applies in fitness. Knowledge is power, so the more you know, the more likely you are to succeed. And that applies to everything in life, not only to weightlifting, crossfit or whatever you are doing to get in shape. I, personally, spend multiple hours a day, just reading up research on weightlifting methods, bodybuilding techniques etc. Every day I try to learn something new, to know more than I did yesterday, and I am having a blast doing it. I could go on and on about starting out your fitness routes, but I will leave it for some other time. Don't be afraid to make changes in your life, you will never know unless you try it - a message I want to spread for this post.

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