I realize that I didn’t finish up blogging my hard-hat challenge that closed end of September. I failed to post my progress in the 3rd week going into the 4th…and those last few days I got derailed on the food side of things.

However, I’m glad to say that I’ve also kickstarted my own morning jogs into the daily gear, now that I’ve ended my PBT kickboxing and strength training classes. I do miss the strength training in particular; and I’ve been diligently researching olympic bars and bumper plates for my own home gym. But I gotta love the cooler outdoor temperatures now that we’ve come to the end of summer.

Speaking of home gym, I’ve also been feverishly house-hunting in the last six weeks. It almost came to a close last weekend when I thought I found my house; only to have the government shutdown and a foreclosure auction spoil my plans.

The whole situation forced me to take a long hard look at my credit and plan some changes. Being fit and healthy both physically and financially makes so much more sense now more than it has ever been. 

• Obviously it makes better sense to build my own home gym rather than throw money away on gym memberships.  At one time, the trips to the gym were a crutch to get me into the mindset to work out everyday. I’ve done nearly 2 years of cardio/strength classes to help me get in this mindset. I think I’ve graduated to self-programmed fitness.
• Obviously I need a bigger house to fit my home gym; at my current 1200sf rental, I have yet to find space to have a private room for workouts and fitness equipment. The condition of my hand-me-down set of DP bench and bar is dangerous enough to make me not want to leave them out for any length of time.
• Obviously to afford a new/pre-owned house on my own, I have to bolster my credit, pay down my debts, incur less debt, and just manage my money better overall. Better eating has led to less dining adventures out, less fast food spending, and cheaper, home-cooked/prepared food. It was amazing to see, using a free money-management app, how much money I blew away on dining out. I’m now on a budget and watching what I spend and how I spend it.
• This obviously results in me spending more time on myself, rather than spending more money on myself. Experience trumps material goods, paying dividends in personal equity.

It’s been a few days since I logged my Hard Hat Challenge statuses. I’m having to go over my diary just to figure out what I’ve done over the weekend. House hunting had me on a tear as of late, so I haven’t been as studious in journaling my challenges. Also, I’ve been feeling a twinge/slight pain in the pinched nerve area again. The steroids ran out so I suspect a recurrence of inflammation. I’m taking it easy from the pushups for a bit.

Sept 19:

1. Fish Oil
2. Attended PBT class
3. 100 pushups done! 

Sept 10:

1. Fish oil
2. Completed another Codecademy section.
3. 100 pushups done–trying to do them in sets of 20 now
4. Got an appt with an orthopedist to look at my neck/shoulder pain that has persisted for 3.5 weeks 
5. Attended PBT class

Sept 9:

1. Got my fish oil
2. Got my 100 pushups
3. Got in a walk/jog to the video store despite that I missed my evening PBT class.
4. Got an appointment for my Doogie to see the vet on Thursday
5. Finished HTML Basics 2 and Social Networking Profile chapters @ Codecademy.com

Did poorly on the diet–Wingstop undid me.

I’m also hunting down an orthopedist to look at this neck/shoulder pain I’ve been enduring for the last 3 weeks.

Not sure I can go the non-meat route, but this article provided good reading on how to optimize the fat-burning state. 

This weekend went a little rough.

Sept 7:

1. Got my fish oil 
2. Morning strength workout at PBT
3. Protein powder coffee (hadn’t had one in awhile)