13 in 13 Post#3: February Review & March Goals

Overall I think February went quite well for me. The two things that kinda threw me off guard this month were coming down with the flu (so tired of getting sick!) and the 10 day holiday over which I still worked out but not in my regular routine.

Of course the biggest change for me this month has to do with starting the Whole Life Challenge. You can read about my progress in my other blog that's just dedicated to my WLC progress here.

Due to the holiday there were a number of cancellations in my MMA training classes & I didn't go to the gym as often as I had liked but resorted to either working out at home or going to the outdoor track to work on my running so I didn't hit all my targets for the month. However, I do think I did a good job in some areas.

I'm glad the weight loss goal I set for myself for this year was to end each month lighter than what I started. My weight fluctuates through the month, especially right around the time I'm getting my period. However, things tend to normalize for me by the end of the month which is why that's the number I'm going by. Given the ups and downs on the scale it felt like I had lost quite a bit of weight this month, but actually in comparison to how things started off on February 1st, my weight loss has actually not been that much. Still, my aim is to make steady progress towards reaching my goal & not moving backwards at all.

Here's where I stand:

February Targets	Accomplishment
Lose weight each month, no matter how much	1 kg (2.2 lbs) lost this month 1% loss of body fat 3.5 inches lost total
Burpees: 20,130 by the end of the year	1,040 completed this month 2,040 completed total
Daily stretching of 15 min/day	25/28 days completed
2 outdoor runs	3 completed
Week 7 of C25K	--
4 body balance/Pilates/yoga classes	4 completed
10 cardio sessions	8 completed
10 weight training sessions	8 completed
15 MMA training sessions	13 completed
3 nutrition studies quizzes	5 completed
2 new recipes	2 completed, none posted
3 chapters & 4 articles to read	--
AAAL Paper	¼ done
Organize bookshelf & cubbies	Bookshelf almost done

Losing a total of 1 kg for the month is frustrating to see, but it's ok. My body is changing, and I'm happy with the progress that I'm making. I just have to keep working at it.

I'm really pleased with my exercise for this month. I completed a total of 34 workouts, not including any days when I did a workout at home or did 100 burpees as my exercise for the day. I haven't worked out a 'category' to put those exercises in! I'll include something in this month's checklist. Of course C25K has still been an utter fail. I really need to put my fear and apprehension aside and just bloody well do it!

The checklist idea, by the way, has been terrific. It's so simple yet so effective. It's on my desk and at the end of each day I fill it in. I've got an immediate visual reminder of what I've accomplished and how much more I need to do to get to where I want to be.

The part where I struggled the most was with my extra academic stuff. I think I was caught off guard with the amount of grading that I had to do - that plus good old-fashioned procrastination has been my downfall. I have to get a move on with my work! This is something that I said last month ... I can't have myself repeating this at the beginning of April as well!

I am pleased, however, with the progress I made with my nutrition studies. The quizzes are all out of the way now it's just down to taking the final exam, which is 45 pages long! It's really detailed, mostly multiple-choice but also includes a case study and an essay portion. I definitely need to set aside a chunk of time to finish that off.

Our task this month is to try something new. I haven't decided what it is that I'll be trying. I have something in mind ... but I want to wait a little before I announce it. Many of my goals for this month are the same as last month, with a few modifications:

March 2013 Goals

1) Cardio Focus: 10 sessions [including 2 outdoor runs & Week 7 of C25K]
2) MMA Training: 10 sessions
3) Weight Training: 8 sessions
4) Flexibility Sessions: 4 [minimum 45 minutes each]
5) General Workouts: 5 [any other type of workout e.g. Core Domination; home workouts etc.]
6) Nutrition Studies: Complete the final exam
7) Cooking: No new recipes - but post the previously tried recipes on the blog
8) Academic: Complete the paper for the March conference; complete the outline for next month's writing task; read 1 chapter and 4 articles; continue research interviews
9) Organization: Organize the bookshelves, box shelves, and new storage units
10) Weight loss: End the month lighter than I started
11) Burpees: Continue working towards the ultimate goal of 20,130
12) Yoga/Stretching: Reintroduce yoga in the morning/complete a minimum of 15 minutes of stretching every day regardless of other exercises


My biggest challenge for the month will be fitting in those MMA training sessions since my trainer is on vacation and dealing with my trip to Dallas later this month. Not only will the travel disrupt my routine, but the jet lag also wreaks havoc with my sleep as well as energy levels.

I'm also nervous about how I'll manage to stay on track with the Whole Life Challenge while I travel. I will be out of my element and have no control over what I can eat since I'll be staying in a hotel (and I obviously can't pack food from Kuwait and carry it with me for a week!). I guess it'll be an interesting test to see how healthy I can remain while being away. I know that last year when I went to Germany, I managed to stay completely Whole Life Challenge compliant except for the wedding dinner - if I could do it then, hopefully I'll be able to do it now!