66 Days Till a Habit

According to some friends, it takes 66 days to form an exercise habit. I’m on 12 days. So I got a long way to go!

I tried a Gamecube DDR game based on the Mario Bros series today and quickly got bored by all the text in the story mode. None of the songs are available until completing the story though, so eventually, I’ll have to plow through it. For the remainder of my real workout, I just popped DDR: Hottest Party 2 back in.

I found out there’s a Disney version of DDR, as well as a newer Konami release I haven’t picked up yet! I need these two games to complete my dance collection. Maybe I’ll pick them up in the after Christmas sales.

I’ve fallen dismally behind on my writing goal. I’m 4700 words behind, minus this post. If I take another friend’s advice and lower the daily quota – I’m thinking from 1,000 to 500 – it would put me 2100 words in the hole. This might be a smart move, at least for December.

Like the exercise habit, I can build a writing routine, working my way up to the 1,000 quota. It will also be a lot easier when I’m no longer editing at work. I find the less I write for “a living”, the more I write when I get home! It’s like work sucks the juices out of me.

Not that I’m not enjoying writing at work, of course…

I’ve given up a lot to make sure I stick to this daily exercise goal. I’m crossing my fingers by next week, I’ll be able to fit other pleasures and hobbies into my life again. There’s got to be a balance…

The other New Year’s resolution… and the lack of time.

As I put my laptop down and it bumps into these 5-lb dumbbells, I consider all the other things I have to finish tonight. It’s 10:18 PM, and this entry’ll get logged for the next day because, quite frankly, I don’t want to waste the 2 minutes needed to search for the proper time zone for a blog that’s not even supposed to be active till January.

And I have no interest in editing that previous run-on sentence.

Why? Because I’m trying to do too much at once! In addition to my New Year’s resolution to lose half a pound a week, I also dedicated myself to writing 1,000 words a day. What better way to get myself to blog about my exercise plan, right? And since there’s no way to blog 1,000 words about exercise every day, some of this goal will inevitably spill over into the book manuscript I really need to get finished.

It’s not like I can keep making just above minimum wage my whole life. Now that’d be silly. I needz teh creative planz to workz somedaeee.

I’ve also got an iPad project I’m technically “leading,” and that involves more writing than I ever intended to sign up for. So while the writing goal might slow down my ability to produce art for this game, in the end, it’s a benefit for all!

More bloggery! More book! More game making! MOAR MOAR MOAR!

Then every night, I plop into bed, feeling a little short of my intentions, and way beyond my normal tolerance for exhaustion.

The overtime doesn’t help. I have a temporary position as an editor, which includes working 9 to 10 hour days. I am used to working 7.5. It sounds minor, but this shit essentially adds up to one additional work day a week. So all of this work, combined with all of these goals, leads to a world-shattering conclusion:

Exercise takes up a fuck ton of free time.

I think this is why most people give up on it. Hell, I haven’t touched World of Warcraft in a week – shiny new transmogrify patch and all – and I am a self-proclaimed addict of the game. I know that sounds stupid. Who picks a game over their personal health?

And that’s the way it should sound. Stupid. But it’s also a strong illustration of how little time I have available.

Back in college, when I was frivolous, class-cuttin’, carefree little shit, I had time pouring out of my ears. I wrote three [unpublished piece o' shit] books. I maxed three WoW characters! Then I turned into a busy fat shit. >.>

I thought it would be my short attention span, or sheer laziness, that would deter me from all of these sweat-inducing DDR/dumbbell/crunching travesties, but in the end, it’s all about the 24/7 munchmunch next-week-repeat OMG-I-have-no-time process.

But I can’t give up.

I’m just going to have to learn to prioritize. And sleep less. (That’s a joke. Sleeping less impairs the body’s ability to burn calories.)

(Okay, maybe it wasn’t a joke.)

Oh, hey. M’love wants to go to bed. And I wrote two 500-word blog posts today! Mwah. Wah. Wah…

Mixin’ it up!

I’ve managed to keep to my daily exercise plan since the last entry. Fitocracy has me logged doing the following exercises for Dec. 4th, 5th, and 6th:

• 70 crunches [and a lil' vomit in my throat]
• 10 horizontal pulls… with some “Help me lift my butt!” assistance from my love…
• 20 Pendlay rows, using an alternative dumbbell method
• 20 dumbbell bicep curls (the video says it’s for boys, ewww :p)
• 10 rocking standing calf raises
• 75 minutes of DDR – more than 500 calories!

This is quite possibly more exercise than what I averaged the entirety of last summer.

I’m kinda starting to see how exercise can get addictive – just on the grounds it gives me something “productive” to do to justify/ignore my writer/artist blocks – but I still get bored in the middle. I think that’s obvious from how many different things I tried out in the wee span of three days.

Tomorrow, since I’m working overtime and have a Massage Envy appointment at 9 PM, I won’t be able to dedicate so much time to my exercise plan. I’m going to try out some quick weights though, including the Standing Shoulder Dumbbell Press…

…and I need to do 50 crunches straight for another Fitocracy quest! Buahahaha…

As far as my eating habits, while I could’ve demolished that pop-in-the-oven pizza today, I only had 1/3 of it’s delicious cheesiness. IIRC, it was a little over 500 calories for dinner. Not too shabby. I still stand by this whole eat-the-same-but-less suggestion my friend made, which is 300% better than trying to cut something out completely. My boyfriend mentioned a broccoli diet his coworker bud was on once. Yeah, not in a million years.

I try to remind myself if I want to look the way I did at 20, I need to eat the way I did at 20. Which is like a bird. As my friend would say, it’s glorious!

But Starbucks is a bitch. While I’m no longer ordering 400-calorie Venti monsters, I know that 220-calorie tall Cinnamon Dolce Latte still packs a punch. And when I finish DDR and see the 260-calorie accomplishment, I think, “Daaamn, you could’ve had this nearly for free if you’d give up your fuckin’ coffee.” But then, my calves wouldn’t be pulsing with newfound, dancin’ strength, so it’s a wash.

I wouldn’t really be standing by the eat-the-same-but-less diet if I quit my daily pleasures, right?

In other news, m’love is now downloading Umbrella by Haley Hunt, courtesy of listening to me play DDR2 too much. I’m askin’ him to download Just Believe, since it’s the one I seem to hit the beats to the most.

Fitocracy… best social network site ever!

So one of my awesome friends from work sent me an invite to this site called Fitocracy. It’s a fitness social network that fuels workouts with quests, achievements, and level ups.

I almost purchased an iPad app that did a similar thing, but I was afraid it’d be pointless without someone to share it with. Part of what makes achievements so win in World of Warcraft is the whole strutting your success with your friends.

Since I already had a friend with the invite, I figured, “What the hell?” Man-oh-man, am I glad I joined! I got so worked up with all these quests I almost met the requirements for (“I must find a way to exercise my calves!”), I ended up doing way more than I originally intended tonight.

Not only did I do a 60-minute DDR 2 workout (skipped exercise yesterday, so double dipping today!), I learned how to do a barbell squat and rocking standing calf raises. There’s another quest for doing the same exercise 10 times… so I have 9 more DDRs to log!

Now on to my 1,00o-words-a-day writing goal… with 200 already down.

DDR: Hottest Party 2 Continues.

Continued the DDR routine Sunday, Monday, and today, at 30 to 45 minutes of playtime. It’s harder to keep track since I switched to Dance Dance Rev: Hottest Party 2; I have to complete the challenge modes to unlock all the worthwhile songs. At the previous 30:50 ratio though, this is averaging 18 to 27 minutes of exercise, at roundabouts 151 to 226 calories.

Since an average pound of fat is 3500 calories, it takes 250 calories to lose a pound every two weeks. This means that the last few days have been “under calorie”, while the first one was slightly over. To counteract the slight loss of caloric exercise the last few days, I have to pick up the exercise the later half of the week.

My thinking is if I exercise tomorrow and Thursday for 45 minutes – than Saturday and Friday for 60 minutes – this will give an “even” amount of caloric exercise for the 45-min session, and counteract the shorter 30-min sessions.

I started this week at 152 lb. If all goes according to plan, I should be at the 150 lb. mark at the end of December, in time for my New Years Resolution to begin.

2011 Headstart – DDR!

Going to get a head start on the exercise goals, courtesy of my mother taunting my butt size.

I DDR’d 30 minutes worth of playtime today, over a 53-min span. (I take a long time to drink water and pick songs.) Totaled 267 calories of straight-up dancing! Started on expert, but dwindled down a step after 20 minutes.

Which game? Dance Dance Rev: Hottest Party 3! I haven’t had the chance to try any of the Just Dance series yet.

Most unoriginal New Year’s resolution ever.

This 2012, I plan to lose 26 lbs, or one pound every two weeks.

According to USA.gov, weight loss is one of 12 popular New Year’s resolutions “year after year.” And getting fit is right up there, along with drinking less alcohol, a weight-gaining culprit.

It’s easy to lump them together; like taking Theraflu, throat lozenges, and sleep simultaneously to fight a cold.

So at 150 lb, 5 foot, and 26 years old, I’ve decided to sign up for the bundle package. My plan is to shed one pound every two weeks in 2012, bringing me to the 125 lb. range of my early college years. Most dietary victims are after a pound a week. I’ve set quite the realistic bar to hurdle my fat ass over.

But there’s an enemy up against me.

My seeming birthright in front of flashing games, shiny gizmos, and instant fast food gratification has turned me into a sourpuss when it comes to exercise. If I don’t approve something, it lasts two weeks tops before I’m bored and off to Plan B. If there’s a Plan B.

Which there usually isn’t.

In an effort to combat this New Year’s Resolution 2012 Beast, I am blogging about all the different exercise routines I’m going to try. I’m hoping this will keep things fresh and, more importantly, keep them daily. If you would like to join me in losing 26 lbs this year, feel free to follow my blog!

But this is really a self-serving tool for an English-savvy bum, so don’t expect miracles or gimmicks. You’re really just reading my daily announcement to not be an jerk and give up on my goal.