Everyday Systems

Day 1:

SUCCESS.

Shovelglove:

Five Tibetan Rites x3

Basic Routine
Shovel x50
Chop Wood x 20
Churn Butter x20
Flip the Lever x8
Repeat
Drive Fence Posts x20
Lift Hay x10
Pick up the Pieces x40

Urban Ranger 30 minutes

NoS No Troubles

My Before Photo:

Several months old but still mostly accurate:

www.afn.org/~Bgock/d3months3.jpg

Hi Hlid! (that name is gonna kill my brain if I have to keep remembering how to write it! That's your new name from me! LOL....)

Wow, you look in fantastic shape already... I noticed you didn't really write an intro... I'm a bit curious what your personal goals are with NoS and shovelglove? I can understand the SG, as you clearly love to work out and stay fit, especially considering your recent posts about the workouts... What's your deal with diet? Are you just hoping to stay on a life plan which is easy to maintain, as NoS is, or do you feel you want to lose a couple of pounds?
You look great! Keep on truckin!
Peace,
Deb

PS.. I like the title you gave your thread! Saga!!!! Yeah~
PPS... What's AFN?

I guess a brief introduction is needed here.

I'm 28 and reside in the tip of the Florida Panhandle. I've tried various exercise prgrams and researched many more. The main problem is always the same.. will I do these exercises on a set schedule from now on? Shovelglove/Urban Ranger offer a good benefit to time investment ratio. Something I really appreciate after tinkering with long sessions of high reps with Furey/Enamait or Dragans 4x4 fitness.

As for NoS, I didn't want to wait til I was having problems (health, aesthetic or otherwise) to take a close look at my eating habits. A brief look around this area on a given day is a reminder of the results of heavy eating. The normally unhealthy traditional southern fare meets Ornish disapproved cajun cuisine at the cult of Barnhills with the expected results. I've tried various other eating systems here as well. Warrior Diet, Weston A Price, Paleo Diet, all fall short on maintainability. Either they required highly specialized shopping or were a burden socially. It was always to easy to reationalize your way towards quitting. So I'm looking for healthier with minimal weight loss now I suppose using a system I can maintain.

I've used Hlidskjalf for other things and been accused of using a keyboard mash.

AFN is the Alachua Free Net. Free internet service and web space located in Gainesville, FL.

Keyboard mash or maybe from Norway!
You write pretty well Hlid!
Thanks for the response.. You are a smartie for getting with a program you will actually enjoy!!!
Yeah, Southern food... My son was born in New Orleans...
That area isn't known for it's "Lean Cuisine"!

Keep up the good work! Again, thanks for the cool links..
Peace,
Deb

A saga! I love it.

Good preventative thinking. Not to fear-monger, but a fall from grace is still possible at the ripe old age of 28. Plus, believe it or not, even now that I'm no longer fat, it's nice not to worry any more about food or exercise. My habits are unobtrusive, well-established, and I know that they work. It's very relaxing.

Day 2:

SUCCESS

Shovel Glove:

Basic Routine
Lift the Hay x20
Swiss Automaton x5
Pick up the Pieces x40

I normally finish in around 12 minutes it seems. The additional exercises are semi-freestyle added in til the timer sounds. Normally I can do 70ish Hindu Squats but after SG my legs start to feel wobbly in the low 30s. Proof enough that SG works the legs sufficiently. The equivalent of 30 squats maybe?

Urban Ranger:

34 minutes. Today I timed. I walk around the sidewalks of my apartment complex by dark of night. It has a circuitous mall-walking feel. One lap at a brisk pace takes around 12 minutes. I'm doing 3 for now.

No S:

No funny stuff. For now I'm still not far off the dread Standard American Diet. Just eating it within the No S framework. Basically my biggest trouble was sugar. I guesstimate that 700-800 calories a day minimum were from some type of sugar. Mostly sodas with cakes and cookies added in the mix. For now diet sodas replace sugar sodas as a transition of sorts. My todays menu consisted of:

BREAKFAST:

2 slices of cheese toast.

LUNCH:

Bowl of Vegetable soup. This contained most everything it seemed from pasta and corn to okra and white beans.

DINNER:

Curried Lentils with Basmati Rice
Creamed Spinach

I have no aversion to meat it just didn't fit into todays schedule.

I agree completely that the only system that could be maintained would be one that could become habit. These are the habits I want to form now before any issues arise.

Hi Saga Guy!!!

Once you decrease your intake of sugar you will lost the cravings. It is very strange but for some reason that seems to have happened to a lot of us here.

Just eat real food (make sure you get some form of protein) at every meal and your body will say "Thank You"

Dru

Day 3:

SUCCESS

Well.. an S day. So a win by forfeit. I plan on breaking the strict S day pattern though. I work 3p-11p in the dark depths of the health care industry.
I'm a nightowl by nature so my day runs 1p-6a. My schedule is set on a two week rotation with every other weekend off.

Monday Tuesday - Work
Wednesday - Off
Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday - Work
Tuesday - Off
Wednesday Thursday Friday - Work
Saturday Sunday - Off

My plan is to take the S days on off days. I'm off today.. so S day.

Wow Hlid,
That does sound a bit dark and stuff..
I don't know how people like you manage graveyard shift!
I personally wouldn't recommend four S days a week.. Not sure if that's your plan or those are just the days you have as options..
Anyhooo.
Have a nice day off!
Peace and Love,
Deb

Well it's not 4 S days a week actually. It is 3 one week and 1 the next. More a matter of social convience really. You'd be suprised how dining out options decrease after 11pm in a city of 350k.

You'd be suprised how dining out options decrease after 11pm in a city of 350k.

Well, if you can find a Denny's, Perkins, or Waffle House though, you're set.

We have:

Dennys
Waffle Houses (around 25 of these)
Whattaburger
IHOP
Blimpies
Krystals
Steak N Shake

All have lost their appeal though sadly. Maybe boredom is fueling my move towards healthier fare.

Time to learn how to cook Hlid
Deb

Day 4: SUCCESS

S-Day.

I cook a bit. There is room for improvement though. I'll experiment with a few recipes I've seen on here. Like Betsys Sausage Lentil soup. I'm going for gradual change here. A moderate form of moderation. I like the battle cry of olde tyme strong men such as Charles Atlas and Lionel Strongfort.. TRAIN DON'T STRAIN!

I'm looking into a Dr. Weil inspired No-S. In 8 Weeks to Optimal Health he states that specific time frame to be ideal for the development of new habits. I guess it would be 3 twenty-one day cycles here. With each week he adds a new element to the diet, exercise, supplementation, etc regimes of the health seeker. A Stone Soup approach to health. As I work out the specifics I'll post.

Day 5:

SUCCESS

Five Tibetan Rites: 4x

Shovel Glove 10lb Sledge:

BASIC ROUTINE
Shovel 50x
Churn Butter 20x
Chop Wood 20x
Flip the Lever 8x
Each Side

3 minutes or so left..

Stoke the Oven 20x
Pack the Earth 20x (waist high churn butter)
Draw the Bow 6x

14 minutes up...

Pick up the Pieces 45x

I reposted the basic routine as I had switched Chop Woods and Churn Butters order. Sledge Hammer dyslexia.

Urban Ranger:

35 minutes brisk walk.

No-S:

No issues. No funny stuff. Portions are getting under control. Now to work on nutrition..

Breakfast:

2 slices cheese toast

Lunch:

Beef Stew, Stewed Squash and Onions, Biscuit

Dinner:

Red Beans and Rice with Sausage

I also started something new today..

Supplements:

This is Weston A Price inspired.

Dessicated Liver
Vitamin C
Vitamin E
Sea Kelp
Cal/Mag/Zinc
Bee Pollen
Cod Liver Oil

Liver capsules! Good source of iron... are they "antibiotic" free?
You are doing great Hlid!
Like your posts... they're funny!
Love,
Deb

Today was overall a:

SUCCESS

but I feel things were suboptimal So I should list this as:

SUCCESS*

I'll elaborate..

ShovelGlove:

Five Tibetan Rites x4
Basic Routine
Drive Fence Posts x20
Paddle x15 (sitting on a foot stool no swiss balls in sight)

So far so good? Well around here I forget to do any Pick up the Pieces. Why? Voodoo most likely.

UrbanRanger:

Here I'm outside and realize my legs are feeling funny.. wait.. no squats.. they feel too fresh. So I try squats in shoes on a sidewalk outside with a slight incline. It barely works for a clumsy:

Pick up the Pieces x30

Walk 35 minutes.

No S:

Here my portions are right. I'm happy with how uncomplicated this has been so far. After quite a few false starts recently even this amount of progress is a triumph. No overpowering sweets cravings to report.

Breakfast:

2 small frozen burritos

Lunch:

Chicken Pottage (i don't know what it is either) Steamed Carrots Roll

Dinner:

2 small burritos Handful of Chex Mix

My plates are not full but this is not ideal I know. Too many burritos not enough hm food. Tomorrow is one of my heretical S days so I shall grocery shop and menu plan a bit more carefully.

Supplements: Yes.

Hoodoo Voodoo Youdoo.......
LOL...
Analysis:
YOU Are
Doing great!

Suggested advice:
Keep
It
Up!!!

Chicken Pottage
Whuuu?????
Have
a
Great
Day
Dude!
Love,
Deb

Day 7:

SUCCESS

S-Day as well. Five N-Days coming up to balance out this S-Flood.

I like the structure and routine of these Everyday Systems. I find various e-learning materials here and there and am looking for a sane way to work them into my schedule on N-Days. I'm thinking of a set period post exercise when the mind is alert. Also there's the mention of music while 'Gloving. I've seen reports of music while exercising compounds the Mozart effect. I might try to put all these together and see how it goes.

Day 8:

SUCCESS

ShovelGlove:

5 Tibetan Rites x4
Basic Routine
Bail the Hay x20
Scratch the Back x20
Pick up the Pieces x45 (a bit shakey overall though)

UrbanRanger:

35 minutes. Nice walking night.

No-S:

No troubles.

Breakfast: Oatmeal with butter
Lunch: Chili Dog, Macaroni and Cheese, Green Beans with Onions
Dinner: Pasta with Marinara sauce, Garlic Bread, Broccoli

The Breakfast was not as filling as the cheese toast option so I'll tweak it a bit.

Supplements: Taken. The Liver pills are hormone and antibiotic free as well. A delayed reply.

Sounding great on day 8 - keep up the excellent achievements.

Day 9:

Shovel Glove:

5TR x 4

Basic Routine
Drive Fence Posts x20
Stoke the Oven x20

No squats. I'm reevaluating this exercise. For now I'm getting a decent leg workout it seems from walking and SG. I might hold off on these til the intermediate level.

Urban Ranger:

20 minutes. Two laps at a bit brisker than normal place.

No S:

No troubles but a definite hint of temptation..

Breakfast:
Something a lot like beefaroni..

Lunch:

Bean Soup, Peanut Butter Crackers.
Lousy lunch. I have been eating lunch at work because well.. it's free. Today though was Tuna Salad Deviled Eggs Potato Salad.. Yuck.. so I made do. I think this was the cause of the temptations later. I checked the menu tomorrow is better.

Dinner:

Chicken and Rice, Broccoli.

Supplements:

Yes.

Well let's just say today was a failure.

I've been finding it harder to keep my routine and today flopped all together. I'm going to take a day to regroup and try to correct a few issues and restart monday.

Regrouping is okay Hlid..
It's an S day anyway.
Plus with all your weird hours, you are putting your body through so much already, maybe it's just a needed "flop" break.
The rest of your week seemed good, so don't feel bad!
Peace and Love,
Debbie

Hi Hlid...,

Sounds like you were doing really good. You're not only NoSing but also doing exercise. I can't seem to get back in the groove with that. Please don't beat yourself up about the failure. You had 9 successful days in a row. That's more than a week. That's really good!!!
I eat hospital lunches too and sometimes they leave much to be desired. When my lunch isn't too satisfying I find that if I plan a good supper I can make it through. Last week I had fun trying out new recipes just to make supper more interesting. It's just a thought. I'm sure you'll regroup and figure it out.

Let's just say several months of failure. I'll blame it on this:

'I have taken and hidden the Hammer of Thunder Eight miles deep, way under the ground: Henceforth no god shall get it back Till you fetch me Freya for my future bride.'

See that really muddled the mixture.

Monday is a new N-day.

Hi Hild
Good to see you still here!
I highly doubt you had entire months of failure...
Possibly days or even weeks, but not entire months...
There had to be a few good days or half days...
Or even moments...
The holiday season is a tough one for all... You are, as I remember, in pretty great shape already, so consider yourself ahead of most people..
Forgive yourself and go and marry that Freya chick...
Whoever she is! LOL...
(I'm guessing somethng to do with Nordic or German folklore tied to Thor.. am I right? LOL..)

Have a wonderful New Year friend!
Peace and Love,
Deb

After X days of failure I'll prepare to restart tomorrow with a new before photo. I'm the younger one:

http://www.afn.org/~Bgock/DTJB.jpg

You don't look a bit overweight to me!
LOL..

Wait.. I think you just felt like using NoS as a maintenance plan that wasn't too overly weird and restrictive...
Is that a family member with you or a patient you are friends with?
I think people in caregiver positions tend to have a lot of sympathy and also tend to seek the "sweet" in life... It can be challenging and sometimes draining...


I'm going to report each day, and keep track of my percentage of success/failure on my thread.. I usually only achieve 75% at best.. But I'm going to really try and crank up my enthusiam again and see if I can start dropping real weight again... Yoga starts again this week so that should be very helpful too! And I'm feeling recovered from my illness..
Okay, this is your thread, not mine! LOL...
Good luck hlid, and see you later! Hope you have a good percentage of success in your day...
Making the effort is worthy too!

Have a nice New Year!
Peace and Love,
Deb

Day 1:

SUCCESS

NoS:

Breakfast - 3 Bananas Multi-Vitamin
Lunch - Small Pizza (4" diamer frozen variety) 2 bites of untasty soup.
Dinner - Whole Wheat Rotini with Sugar Free Lean Meat Sauce

UrbanRanger:

30 minutes Treadmill (winter here is rain, rain rain)
Just over 2 miles.

ShovelGlove:

Task Complete.

Shovelx50
Churnx20
Chopx20
Flipx8
x2 each side

Oh and the elderly gentleman is a resident in a nursing home where I am semi-gainfully employeed.

Day 2:

Success.

NoS:

Breakfast - 3 Bananas
Lunch - Chicken Breast with Alfredo Sauce, Mashed Potatos, Stewed Okra/Tomato Concoction, Roll
Dinner - Cold Cut Sub, Chips

UrbanRanger:

30 minutes Treadmill

ShovelGlove:

Shovelx50
Churnx20
Chopx20
Flipx8
X2 Each Side

Hi H.S.K. Jalf...
3 bananas a day will keep the doctor away!
(Or cause you to regress into a primate)

Have a nice day today!
Keep up the good work..
Peace and Love,
Deb

Day 3:

Success

NoS:

Breakfast - Uncle Sams Cereal/Soy Milk
Lunch - Generals Chicken, Fried Rice, Fried Dumplings, Egg Rolls
Dinner - Sesame Coated Tilapia, Honey Carrots, Wild Rice

UrbanRanger:

30 minutes Treadmill

ShovelGlove:

Basic Routine.

I've had ups-and-downs with everyday systems. All will power related. Shouldn't I at least get through 21 days here at some point? Geez.

Day 1:

Success.

No-S
Exercise (of the multiple push up variety)
Walking

1-0

Welcome back.

I know what you mean about ups and downs, and willpower. That's been the story of 2006 for me thus far. But I have a new resolve, I'm a few days into my refocused program and so far it seems to be holding strong.

As I recall you didn't have much weight to lose, so it shouldn't take you long to get back into the swing of things.... If you can manage a 21 day stretch you should be in good shape (heh heh).

I want good habits. A bit of self control. Something that would make Marcus Aurelius proud. An official 21 days might be a start.

Two S-days are gimmes.

3-0.

Experimenting with different-ish exercise this next week.
Cryptic brevity makes it easier to keep the update habit.

Hi Hlid!
Don't beat yourself up for the 21 days.. It's not easy!
I took a full year of attempts, I think about ten tries or so, before I could do the full 21 days on habit...
But still 17 days or 15 days on habit beats 21 days, or weeks, or months, *off* habit!
Just give it your best, whatever that is now!
Good to see you again Mister Cryptic!
Still at the hospital job?
Same crap food???
LOL!

Peace and Love,
Debs

Success.

No-S. uRanger. Exercise. Not anything new. An assortment of deranged beasts. Maybe a Menagerie?

4-0

Success.

No-S. uR. Exercise.

I moved recently so a slightly different job. Maybe slightly different food. I've yet to eat it.

5-0.

"Try to become the type of person others do not normally encounter in this world.”

I'm sure this is meant to say "be kind, be generous, etc." but the first thing I thought was "be a deranged psychopath?"

Your posts here crack me up. How are things going with Freya?

Success.

NoS. Never mind what is on the plates..
uR. Slightly briefer than before but still 30 minutes.
Exercise (I need a clever abbreviation here)

6-0.

This is my best effort towards 21 so far. Sad but true.

In regards to whom you "do not normally encounter in this world" I think it is regarded as working to become exceptional in a specific area. Musashi had his quirks though. Never bathed or groomed his hair lest he be caught off guard and challenged at a disadvantage.

As for Freya.. given that my avatar is an anthropomorphic chair I'll plead the 5th with interactions with female deities.

Success.

NoS. uR. EX. (ehh good enough of an abbreviation)

No real troubles. I suppose I woke up changed into a person with will power? A more pleasant Gregor Samsa experience.

Too early to tell really but..

7-0.

hlidskjalf,

Congratulations! 7 is a numeralogically significant milestone! And uncharted territory.

Glad to see that so far the 21 day goal is yielding fruit.

Mozart with shovelglove? I like it... Wagner is the more obvious choice, but Mozart might make for a fuller body/soul workout.

Sorry it's been forever since I've popped in here. I need to come up with a system to be able to sustainably and regularly go through the checkins. The guilty irregular spurts I've been doing just doesn't cut it...

Reinhard

Success.

NoS. uR. EX.

EX is the multiple pushup routine I mentioned way-back-when in the SG forum. Now though I add 2 sets of modified (knee) pushups at the end.

Adding in weekend Luddite starting tonight. Already it seems it'll be interesting. A few emails I expected have yet to arrive. They will 2 minutes after I turn off the computer. My goal is for Monday to post with something I did that I know I would not have without WL. Might help to rationalize the "sacrifice" of computer time.

8-0.

First the S-days..

10-0.

Weekend Luddite? Not so hot. Even with computer issues I was still online. Might try this one again but I'll warn you.. past will power, not replying to emails after being known for promptness will get you burned in effigy.

Success.

NoS.
uR. (slightly injured but attempted)
EX. (started the *new* thing. will elaborate if deemed generally effective)

Past this re-installed Debian Etch due to hardware issues. Not Everyday Systems related at all. Just fleshing this thing out.

11-0.

Success.

NoS. Two meals today. Late breakfast/late lunch. No time to get re-hungry now before bed.

uR. Hampered a bit still. But a valiant effort.

EX. Looks to be maintainable. For me at least.

12-0.

I don't drink very often but I could use this to claim glass ceiling daily and pad my stats hm..

I'll save this for when/if I have future Luddite issues.

Success.

NoS. Back to 3 meals.
uR. Improvement here.
EX. The Rite of Spring is good exercise music.

13-0.

Success.

Early check in (for me.) I'm tired.

NoS. Biggish Lunch (still on one plate) skipping dinner.
uR. Muddy shoes are a downside.
EX. Check.

14-0. 2/3 of the way there.

Rite of Spring Rocks!!!

Have a nice weekend D..
Peace,
Debs

Success* Yes. An asterisk.

NoS. No troubles here. I should weigh in on the controversial topic and state I do like diet soda.

uR. An attempt. Some but not at my preferred pace.

EX. Good. Great. Grand.

I'm not currently shovel-gloving and what I do is less strenuous so I shall continue uR and EX on Saturday as well.

*

Well.. Everyday Systems are fine. The rest of the day was fairly sad though.

Weekend Luddite? Not even trying for now.

15-0.

Woke up feeling especially lazy. Pushing back S-day exercise a bit.

No exercise. Some extra eating. Perhaps not a great deal more but enough to have me feeling BLEH! May have to personalize my S-days a bit. But Success by default. So I declare victory. Pyrrhic Victory?

17-0.

Success.

NoS.
uR.
EX.

Brevity.

18-0.

Success.

NoS. Getting fairly easy actually. Maxwell Maltz was right about this 21 day thing.
uR. And how!
EX. To continue the noble quest for the ability to look good naked. Music Beethovens 6th.

19-0.

Success.

NoS.
uR.
EX.

Business as usual.

20-0.

NoS. Check.
uR. Check. Check.
EX. Check. Check. Check.

21-0.

21! congratulations!

Success.

NoS.
uR.
EX. Music: Dvorak. Symphonic Poems. The Water Goblin.

Since I have a new target I'm thinking I should record keep a bit differently. Maybe using a semicolon. Perhaps 21 day success *semicolon* current day count. Goal is to hit the 8 weeks plus one. Three 21 day clubs to the true assimilation of a habit. Maybe..

So..

1:1

In the sad event of a failure I'd reset the second number. Sleep then S-days. Hope everyone has a good weekend.

Tiny bit of uR.

Just an added bonus...

1:2

uR.
EX.

Trying a 6 day exercise schedule now. Only Saturdays off. Had no troubles today. Maybe eventually only have 1 S day per week?

1:3

Success.

NoS.
uR.
EX. Increased the amount here a bit. Plan to do so bi-weekly. Music: Wagner - Tannhäuser und der Sängerkrieg auf die Wartburg.

Formulating a Diabolical NoS variant. Have to test the new-found will power in some way.

1:4

Success.

NoS. Trying a 2 meal approach even. Seems feasible so far..
uR. Injury mostly healed. Much easier now.
EX. Small results noted.
Music: Sir Malcolm Arnolds 9th.

Will be AFK a bit in the Midwest.

1:5

Success.. Chicago style.

Which would involve too many toppings I suppose.

Two days with NoS, LOTS of uR, EX attracting strange looks from mouth-breathers I'll never see again. Good riddance!

1:6

and

1:7

I need to start back to the Pimsleur. I have quite a few collecting dust of sorts now..

Success.

NoS.
uR.
EX. A bit unethusiastic though. Watching Female Trouble before didn't inspire.

Taking off tomorrow to restart the uR/EX on Sunday.

1:8

Success.

1:9 A gimme...

1:10

uR.
EX. Music: Jacob Obrecht - Missa Maria Zart - Tallis Scholars

I think I've hit the stage where my body doesn't appreciate ignoring the N-day diet routine.

Success.

NoS: I'm doing fine with 2 meals these days. Breakfast is starting to be nutritious even.
uR: A late night stroll. Before cold makes this a silly idea.
EX: Good workout. Debussey - La Mer

Preparing myself for a stricter NoS come the weekend.

1:11

Success.

NoS. Holding up well here.
uR. An early walk and another late.
EX. Knocked over a CD rack. Otherwise fine. Music: John Adams - Violin Concerto - Shaker Loops

1:12

hlidskjalf wrote: uR: A late night stroll. Before cold makes this a silly idea.

1:11

You're doing great. My hat is off to you.

Re: night walking--think outside the box! I walk outdoors in the evening all winter long-bundle up in ski pants, hat and mittens, strap on a headlamp, and head outside. I love snowshoing when the moonlight is reflected off the snow. And the dogs love it.

Success.

NoS.
uR.
EX.

Thanks for the encouragement. Walking in the cold does supposedly burn more calories. So maybe worth a try..

1:13