13 in 13 Post #4: March Review and February Goals

March has been quite a crazy month for me. My main struggle this month was an emotional/mental one.  I seem to have hit some kind of wall and I was having trouble pushing past it. I still went through the motions of daily exercise and healthy eating, but I felt empty while doing it. It was, as I said, just going through the motions. While continuing with good habits may keep me physically lighter, it weighs heavy on my heart and mind and thus the happiness and excitement I was getting from improving my life just wasn't there. I felt empty and heavy at the same time.

Anyway. That was then ... right now, I feel much better and I can say that overall March was a good month for me. I kept up with my checklist - it's working quite well - though because of a change in my routine (again) plus travel, I wasn't as diligent keeping track in the middle of the month.

One of the major changes this month was the lack of MMA training because my trainer has left Kuwait (he went on vacation and never came back!! I have yet to find a trainer to work with. In the meantime I'm practicing on my own though it's not the same ...).

A second change is that I've restarted CrossFit and have been going to spinning class regularly. I've now established a routine, but I am still eager to find a way to incorporate MMA training into my plan. How ironic that it's actually the only thing I really, really want to do yet the one thing that I can't seem to move forward with. Oh well, in the meantime I'm going to just stick to what I've got.

My routine for April kinda looks like this:
- Cardio: RPM, treadmill, rowing machine, outdoor track (5-6 times a week)
- Weights: New Rules of Lifting (3 times a week)
- CrossFit: strength, endurance, HIIT, skills (3 times a week)
- Flexibility: Body Balance and yoga (2 times a week)
- MMA training: mostly working on technique and trying to incorporate some sparring (2-3 times a week)

Here's where I stand:

March Targets	Accomplishment
Lose weight each month, no matter how much	1.4 kg (3 lbs) lost this month 1.5% loss of body fat 4.4 inches lost total
Burpees: 20,130 by the end of the year	625 completed this month 2,665 completed total
Daily stretching of 15 min/day	31/31 days completed
2 outdoor runs	3 completed
Week 7 of C25K	2 days completed; 1 day left
4 body balance/Pilates/yoga classes	4 completed
10 cardio sessions	15 completed
10 weight training sessions	10 completed
10 MMA training sessions	3 completed
ISSA Final exam	started but haven’t completed
4 recipes – post	---
1 chapters & 4 articles to read	only 2 articles read
AAAL Paper	done & presented
Organize bookshelf & cubbies	No! Room is in a bigger disaster!

Despite my schedule disruption, I had planned for about 40 workouts for the month and I managed to get in 45. This is not even including those days when I just did the bare minimum for the Whole Life Challenge (10 min stretching/10 min active recovery per day). I'm pretty pleased with that.

Our task for the month of March was to try something new -- I think for me it would be headstand practice! I'm getting much better at doing it; I can get into a full headstand position on my own - and slowly, not just shooting up; the control feels great - and I can hold myself up for a second or two, but I am eager to really establish my full balance on my own!

I need to organize my time better so that I can work towards my other targets as well. Sometimes I feel like I'm so busy working out that I don't have time to do anything else.

I have to remember it's all about balance. That's definitely going to be my focus this month.

Our task for the month of April is about money - thinking about money & how we spend it. I think I'll write up a separate post for that as there are definitely a few spending habits that I have changed along with the other lifestyle changes I've been making lately.

Again, most of my goals for April are quite similar to those of the previous months. This month instead of breaking down my workouts into a specific type, I'm just going to put a general target of how many workouts I want to do this month and on the side list any specific targets (e.g. C25K).

April 2013 Goals

1) Weight loss: End the month lighter than what I started
2) Exercise: Complete 40 workouts this month
3) Nutrition Studies: Complete the final exam (the deadline is April 12th so I don't have a choice)
4) Cooking: Post my recipes!!!
5) Academic: Work on chapter abstract; get some reading done
6) Burpees: Continue working towards the ultimate goal of 20,130
7) Yoga/Stretching: Reintroduce yoga in the morning & do a minimum of 15 minutes of deep stretching daily
8) Other: Get my room organized; de-clutter; and catch up on emails

Lots to do, so let's get it done!!

I'll leave you with my favorite pix from March :)

 Front squat sequence (3 sets/10 reps; 50 kg/110 lbs)

Boxing practice with my new UFC gloves