So, in case it wasn't horribly apparent, this blog has been on an extended, unintentional hiatus. I've been in a pretty poor headspace for a while, including the unique irritation that comes from being injured once you've grown used to a certain fairly high level of physical activity. Thankfully, I'm back on the horse with exercise, and taking a different tack to it. I noticed that my overly aggressive pace seemed related to my desire for variety: in a lifting program, improvement just means bigger numbers, which is boring to me. In a calisthenics/gymnastics/movement-focused program, improvement means entirely new techniques and skills in most cases.
My desire to push on ahead to some of the truly amazing feats currently out of my reach needs to be tempered with a realistic progression scheme. So, I'm dialing back the intensity on my strength training and rebuilding my foundation, but I'm also putting more emphasis on shoring up weak spots (grip strength and core strength) and building more flexibility, mobility and balance.
My biggest physical concern in the physical department is, honestly, meeting my daily caloric needs while keeping costs down. I'm a hard-gainer to be sure. Based on the results of my current diet and the results, I'm aiming for 3200 kcal every day, with the following break down:
Carbohydrates: 8 to 15% - 256 to 480 kcal - 64 to 120 g
Protein: 16-22% - 512 to 704 kcal - 128 to 176 g
Fat: 67-76% - 2144 to 2432 kcal - 238 to 271 g
Doing that on a budget is not the easiest thing in the world. Making sure I get my necessary micronutrients from produce (with low calories-per-dollar ratios) while doing so is a challenge. Coming up with things that can be made in bulk to save cooking time each week is not quite so hard, but becomes much harder when you also add the stipulate of trying to make it tasty. Oh, and I'm also trying to make this work with an intermittent fasting plan.
On the larger life-goals front, I've rethought my strategy with regards to writing--again. I'm still pinning most of my hopes on novels and other long-form works, but having come across Patreon, I'm no longer thinking of smaller works as a total wash. Instead, I think they can return to being useful projects to keep my momentum up and keep me thinking while also still yielding some financial return. My intention is to create a regular online literary supplement of sorts, featuring short stories, poetry, and serialized work, and to offer that up for free while encouraging Patreon and/or PayPal Donation support. It can serve as a way to generate immediate buzz and thereby strengthen my position when the time comes to start publishing larger works, and also to chip away at my financial woes and free up more time for the things I want to do.
Realism demands, of course, that I acknowledge that Patreon is still relatively unknown (compared to its large-project cousin, Kickstarter), and that writing is no match for music or video content in the popularity department, so I do not expect the staggering returns that a few of the most well-known Youtube creators are seeing through the service. Even so, every bit helps towards building a personal brand.
This week is going to be a bit of a calibration process as I figure a few variables out, but regardless it's good to be back in action. Cheers.
Learning again,
~L
Monday, August 5, 2013
Monday, July 8, 2013
Day 32: Evaluation 4
So, after three consecutive weeks of injuries (in the same region, no less), I've made the decision that I should have made the first time, which is to re-assess my workout progress and roll things back a bit. It's best practices with physical fitness to rest and retry when you reach a failure point, and scale back the difficulty on what you're doing if you fail a second time.
The thing is . . . I think it might be time to scale back on some other aspects of my life (not even just my specific endeavors), get back to my roots. But I don't know how.
I know this is evaluation day, but I honestly don't know what to say right now. It's not a bad feeling at all. I just need to adjust to some things this week.
Still learning,
~L
The thing is . . . I think it might be time to scale back on some other aspects of my life (not even just my specific endeavors), get back to my roots. But I don't know how.
I know this is evaluation day, but I honestly don't know what to say right now. It's not a bad feeling at all. I just need to adjust to some things this week.
Still learning,
~L
Thursday, July 4, 2013
Day 31: A River, Its Mist
I spent a marvelous day hiking a trial that runs along and through a river gorge, marveling at the cool spray rising off the most turbulent ridges, the rich green moss that hung so thick on the gleaming-wet faces of rock. The smells and sounds through the whole chasm were utterly entrancing, and I kept thinking to myself, I must find such a place to build a home.
Of course, that's far off, but it's one more reason for me to set my feet to the world's road, one more thing to search for. Ah, the allure of the journey!
~L
Of course, that's far off, but it's one more reason for me to set my feet to the world's road, one more thing to search for. Ah, the allure of the journey!
Goals:Still learning,
Weekly Income From Creative Endeavors - $5/$500
Adhere to Daily Schedule - No
Write 5,000 Words/Day - 0/5,000
No Artificial Ingredients in Diet - No
115 to 135 g of Protein - Yes, 126g
Weight of 77 kg, 8% Body Fat - 70.9 kg, 12% Body Fat
Practice Singing - No
HTML/CSS/Javascript - N/A
~L
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Day 30: Voodoo
Closing out a day with an excellent album--Voodoo by D'Angelo--as one does a thorough job of household maintenance. Certainly, I can think of worse fates! Though I do not find anything particularly therapeutic about menial chores, I do find that it's a nice balance of immediate productivity and mental freedom to toy with story ideas. It's a welcome reprieve after a day spent harassed by that particular breed of headache that sits directly behind the eyes, causing you to strain at the light.
That being said, there's not really anything particular to show for today outside of my freelance jobs. Ah, well. Tomorrow.
~L
That being said, there's not really anything particular to show for today outside of my freelance jobs. Ah, well. Tomorrow.
Goals:Still learning,
Weekly Income From Creative Endeavors - $5/$500
Adhere to Daily Schedule - No
Write 5,000 Words/Day - 0/5,000
No Artificial Ingredients in Diet - No
115 to 135 g of Protein - Yes, 131g
Weight of 77 kg, 8% Body Fat - 70.9 kg, 12% Body Fat
Practice Singing - Yes
HTML/CSS/Javascript - Started writing script for first video.
~L
Monday, July 1, 2013
Day 29: This State is Not Solid
Technical difficulties are frustrating under the best circumstances--when they have no lasting consequences, only a five-minute interruption in which one may walk around, tend to laundry or read a few pages of a good book--because they represent a disruption in workflow, which is often delicate, especially in creative contexts. When they result in several extended interruptions, interruptions which cause irretrievable loss of work which requires it to be redone . . . yes, well. The rage is strong with this one. I have now taken suitable steps to alleviate the issue until such time as I replace my ailing Solid State Drive (likely this week), but still.
Little else worthy of observation today.
~L
Little else worthy of observation today.
Goals:Still learning,
Weekly Income From Creative Endeavors - $5/$500
Adhere to Daily Schedule - No
Write 5,000 Words/Day - 152/5,000
No Artificial Ingredients in Diet - No
115 to 135 g of Protein - Yes, 115g
Weight of 77 kg, 8% Body Fat - 70.9 kg, 12% Body Fat
Practice Singing - Yes
HTML/CSS/Javascript -HTML sections tags
~L
Day 28: Evaluation 3
Despite my addled brain and injured body, I managed some positives on the project this week. The new undertaking for the week was HTML self-education, which I decided I would further by producing video tutorials on the subject. First off, the general review went well, and I developed a clear picture of how the videos will flow. On the other hand, I did not adequately prepare for the actual recording process, and found myself, to my surprise wishing for a script. Certainly, it would have been trivial to record myself haphazardly throwing together the sample HTML and ramble on with improvised audio, but first, there are hundreds of coding/programming tutorials like that already, and I find them a nuisance to watch. Second, part of the advantage of doing these videos is that it also allows me to practice video and audio production techniques; the thing about editing is that it's always easiest and most fruitful when you start with solid material. I'd rather take the time to put together a good video. So, with that in mind, I've started writing out scripts for the first two videos. It's best to get into this habit now, because this will be especially helpful when I start working with actual programming languages and their significantly greater complexities.
I conducted my first strength benchmark test yesterday. Admittedly, the intensity and regularity of my workouts have been variable, so I was not expecting to put up huge numbers. What I was expecting, however, was different ratios than what I got. I managed a bench press of 54.4 kg (~77% bodyweight), a deadlift of 59 kg (~83%) and a squat of 63.5 kg (~89.6%). My understand is that the squat should be MUCH higher relative to the other two, but then I find myself wondering if that ratio is often possibly skewed; while I have seen many videos of heavy lifters working through full range-of-motion on both bench presses and deadlifts, the videos I see of big squats tend to involve very wide stances with small range of movement, often not even reaching parallel, let alone going below it. The difficulty of the motion takes a sharp increase as you reach parallel and continue down further, so the fact that I always squat with a full range of motion may be reflected in the lower weight I was able to work through. Even so, it also reflects that I have probably not challenged my legs and lower back as much as I should. Something to learn from.
I was able to actually get a complete Sunday cooking session in, but the results were a mixed bag, and the whole process took too long, in my estimation. With prep time accounted for, the whole thing took 5 hours. With cleaning time accounted for, it took 6 hours. This was less than ideal as it had to come at the end of the day, and I was feeling sluggish after a big meal. Of course, this was the first time I'd actually been able to do it. Now that I have a sense of the scale of the undertaking, I can start to build new efficiencies here and there. First, some time was lost to half-hearted dawdling as I found myself uncertain of what to do with my last two dishes, a breakfast hash and a tempeh stir fry. I was committed to using the older veggies in my fridge, which would have gone past their date this week otherwise, but had not even given serious thought to what those were or how they might be best used until the last minute. Laying out a clear recipe itinerary will help with this, as well as with my concerns about the flavor and texture of the resultant dishes. Dicing up sweet potato was also a failure point in the design; peeling and dicing these tough tubers completely took nearly 20 minutes unto itself, a process which could be cut down significantly. My resultant haste with the sweet potatoes led, in turn, to my rushing with peppers, mushrooms and onions, blitzing them in a food processor, which produced unfortunately uneven results.
The biggest problem, however, is the burgers. Grass-fed beef or bison burgers, depending on availability, are a staple of my diet, a key source of the protein I need to achieve my goals. Sometimes they smoke the kitchen into oblivion and mark the grill pan with scorched leavings, sometimes the process goes completely smoothly, and I've yet to observe any meaningful correlation between factors and outcomes. I'm sure it's something obvious, staring me in the face, but every time I have to wipe down the pan between rounds of burgers, I'm losing between 5 and 10 minutes, depending on how bad the layer of crust is. Last night, I lost 35 minutes to pan cleaning. Between these bigger, obvious time-wasters, and the smaller inefficiencies in my approach, I would honestly not be surprised at all if there were as many as 2 hours to be recovered from the process working as I did. With sufficiently understood recipes, I could cook more in parallel, in which case I suspect I could find 3 hours freed up. That means some free time this week must be given over to recipe research.
Despite my grumblings, this is actually what I enjoy about maintaining this journal and undertaking this challenge. Holding myself up to scrutiny is something I have always done, but it has been the kind of aimless, derogatory self-scrutiny that someone who vaguely wishes to punish one's self without admitting to any particular failing undertakes. No, this is a concentrated criticism which can only humble my heart and hone my being.
No new endeavors to add, this week. Just going to take this week to build on what I already have laid out before me.
Still learning,
~L
I conducted my first strength benchmark test yesterday. Admittedly, the intensity and regularity of my workouts have been variable, so I was not expecting to put up huge numbers. What I was expecting, however, was different ratios than what I got. I managed a bench press of 54.4 kg (~77% bodyweight), a deadlift of 59 kg (~83%) and a squat of 63.5 kg (~89.6%). My understand is that the squat should be MUCH higher relative to the other two, but then I find myself wondering if that ratio is often possibly skewed; while I have seen many videos of heavy lifters working through full range-of-motion on both bench presses and deadlifts, the videos I see of big squats tend to involve very wide stances with small range of movement, often not even reaching parallel, let alone going below it. The difficulty of the motion takes a sharp increase as you reach parallel and continue down further, so the fact that I always squat with a full range of motion may be reflected in the lower weight I was able to work through. Even so, it also reflects that I have probably not challenged my legs and lower back as much as I should. Something to learn from.
I was able to actually get a complete Sunday cooking session in, but the results were a mixed bag, and the whole process took too long, in my estimation. With prep time accounted for, the whole thing took 5 hours. With cleaning time accounted for, it took 6 hours. This was less than ideal as it had to come at the end of the day, and I was feeling sluggish after a big meal. Of course, this was the first time I'd actually been able to do it. Now that I have a sense of the scale of the undertaking, I can start to build new efficiencies here and there. First, some time was lost to half-hearted dawdling as I found myself uncertain of what to do with my last two dishes, a breakfast hash and a tempeh stir fry. I was committed to using the older veggies in my fridge, which would have gone past their date this week otherwise, but had not even given serious thought to what those were or how they might be best used until the last minute. Laying out a clear recipe itinerary will help with this, as well as with my concerns about the flavor and texture of the resultant dishes. Dicing up sweet potato was also a failure point in the design; peeling and dicing these tough tubers completely took nearly 20 minutes unto itself, a process which could be cut down significantly. My resultant haste with the sweet potatoes led, in turn, to my rushing with peppers, mushrooms and onions, blitzing them in a food processor, which produced unfortunately uneven results.
The biggest problem, however, is the burgers. Grass-fed beef or bison burgers, depending on availability, are a staple of my diet, a key source of the protein I need to achieve my goals. Sometimes they smoke the kitchen into oblivion and mark the grill pan with scorched leavings, sometimes the process goes completely smoothly, and I've yet to observe any meaningful correlation between factors and outcomes. I'm sure it's something obvious, staring me in the face, but every time I have to wipe down the pan between rounds of burgers, I'm losing between 5 and 10 minutes, depending on how bad the layer of crust is. Last night, I lost 35 minutes to pan cleaning. Between these bigger, obvious time-wasters, and the smaller inefficiencies in my approach, I would honestly not be surprised at all if there were as many as 2 hours to be recovered from the process working as I did. With sufficiently understood recipes, I could cook more in parallel, in which case I suspect I could find 3 hours freed up. That means some free time this week must be given over to recipe research.
Despite my grumblings, this is actually what I enjoy about maintaining this journal and undertaking this challenge. Holding myself up to scrutiny is something I have always done, but it has been the kind of aimless, derogatory self-scrutiny that someone who vaguely wishes to punish one's self without admitting to any particular failing undertakes. No, this is a concentrated criticism which can only humble my heart and hone my being.
No new endeavors to add, this week. Just going to take this week to build on what I already have laid out before me.
Still learning,
~L
Friday, June 28, 2013
Day 27: As A Child
My workout schedule has been a bit thrown-off by my recent back injury, which is thankfully healed now. But going into my exercise this morning, I did not know that, so I focused my efforts on new movement patterns. It was a truly great experience, just experimenting, guessing and failing, discovering new things about myself, finding novel and interesting ways to take on my own weaknesses. It was very humbling to realize that with some seemingly simple tasks, I was starting from square one due to my own history of lacking activity, and in spite of the significant gains I've made through my normal training. If this opens up new avenues in my training, I say it can only be a good thing.
Tired, but a good tired. Cheers.
~L
Tired, but a good tired. Cheers.
Goals:Still learning,
Weekly Income From Creative Endeavors - $5/$500
Adhere to Daily Schedule - No
Write 5,000 Words/Day - 0/5,000
No Artificial Ingredients in Diet - No
115 to 135 g of Protein - Yes, 130g
Weight of 77 kg, 8% Body Fat - 70.9 kg, 12% Body Fat
Practice Singing - Yes
HTML/CSS/Javascript - N/A
~L
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