It's 12:22, and it's time for another update.
There's been a lot of stress lately. I've been constantly lagging behind on my studies and never felt the strength to get back to what mattered to me, which includes working out. January brought along exams, which proven to be quite stressful as well because I wasn't preparing myself properly... Hell, I'm still holding myself back because of the paradoxical expectation of failure - even though I have full capability to prepare and succeed.
But I'm not going to let that break me.
Somehow, I finally got it: nothing's going to push me through life and make me thrive unless I'll put effort in. Oddly enough, as much as the message entails more work - something I'd be dreading doing - it also entails the inspiration of my life being better, which drives me through along with the newly-gained sense of worthiness.
I've said it previously that working out is no less the emotional state of the person than his physical state. Emotions can being a lot of people down or up - and they grow more capable of controlling one's living if they go undiscovered. One must tell themselves the truth about what they have, what they want and what they need in order to gain that sense of control over oneself that empowers us all.
With that in mind, I've started working out on a program that's designed to make one's physical activity into emotional one by building on the sense of being a virtual hero in one's own life; like turning exercise into an RPG, with oneself the main character. It's The Hero's Journey by Darebee (a great website to draw fitness inspiration and guides from), and I've been enjoying it so far.
It's currently Day 5 for me, and I haven't yet finished the exercise. I've been doing Level IIs (moderate amount of sets), and while it's been somewhat challenging, I don't feel like I'm under pressure or like I'm not accomplishing; in fact, I felt empowered, both physically and mentally, by the progress I've made so far, which is always a great feeling, but it also helps me set my mind straight on things that matter to me.
I've chosen Bow & Arrow as my chosen weapon (the additional type of exercise to complete at given days), which implies running and endurance. It promises to be an... interesting work, because currently, the temperature outside varies from -30 to -20 Celsius, and in the early morning - when I prefer to do the running - it's freakishly chilly due to humidity. Still, I hope I enjoy it, as running has been the first physical exercise in which I achieved visible, sensible progress. Good thing I have the winter sport suit and a scarf.
The Hero's Journey also suggests a mealplan to follow. The thing is: it's pretty hard to get those things in Russia - many of them don't even exist even in the hippest food stores, and if they do, they're expensive as hell, especially since the sanctions (both RUB:USD and RUB:EUR grew twice their sizes since then). So far, I'm hoping to get by with fruits and preproduced salads; if I can make my way to a fully healthy eating, that would be a miracle: I'm a terrible cook.
I'm looking forward to continuing exercising under Hero's Journey and, when I finished it, under other Darebee programs, which proven to be both challenging and achievable for a person of average physical shape and starting motivation. I'm also taking ice-cold showers every morning right after I wake up, which boosts my energy levels right to the maximum; after a while, despite the shock the body goes through, I've gotten both used to it and looking forward to it. Granted, one must be careful not to push themselves too hard with the showering: waking up too early and using cold water to wake up might make you grumpy for the rest of the day.
Well, it's 12:56, and the update is complete. Have fun with your journeys, and... what was the catchphrase? "Do stay healthy"?
UPD: I'll be posting my progress on the workout table from tomorrow on, and make progress updates every ten days (which I may or may not be able to post on time due to lacking access to the Internet at home).
Yep, I'm on buckwheat. Still a pain in the neck to cook it - what with the preparation sequence consisting of so many steps - but I guess I'll get used to it (and I still need a housewife). Have you tried buckwheat with sour cream? That's one of the best dishes I've ever eaten!
I would really like a post about the differences sometime, the ones that don't spring to mind. I've only known very "American" Russians. My closest Russian acquaintance wasn't a particularly interesting person but one time I mentioned Chechnya on facebook -- to someone else -- and she appeared in the comments and went off. It was eye-opening.
Despite how it's the whole point of #russiabynatives, I can't seem to find the differences on the spot easily. So far, lil has helped me a lot with topics by simply talking about the state of things. Maybe we should organize an action - a fact per a US citizen - so that I'd have something to base things on. "#russiabynatives needs you, part II", or something. Any chance I can take a look at the Chechnya Facebook incident? I'm not well-versed on the matter, but how Russia operates interestes me greatly, and all the points of view will help.
What a shame. It could have been quite an educating read. Feel free to suggest topics you'd like to have me talking on for #russiabynatives through PM. I'm always looking for interesting questions to answer about the country.I don't think you can, because facebook is basically impossible to search and this happened years ago.
Interesting use of the Hero's Journey to inspire you during exercise. Glad to see you've found it empowering! Personally I can't have too much going on in my head when I'm in the gym pretending to be a forklift. It's my place to unwind "The Flame and the Void" from The Wheel of Time series seems to be the most accurate representation of my mental layout when training. I tend to just funnel everything into one spot and let it be, not so much as a fuel but.. Compartmentalize it all and let me focus on the movements.
The exercises are still boring - up until a quest or a situation pops up. I'd usually be satisfied with Level IIs (which are pretty difficult, but far from impossible), but when something like "How many people will you save from the attacked village?" comes up, I can't but do my best by beating the most difficult (and most rewarding) option. It's inspiring to be a hero, even if it's all in my head. :)