Themeattics

I am a slow walker, but I never walk back.

Abraham Lincoln

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to each of you lovely Dwellers. I’ll probably end up making a more new-year focused post next week, but figured it was worth the mention here regardless. And yes, before you ask, I do plan to more or less stop post specifically about this 4×40 plan after this one. Probably one more midway and one as a recap, but I thought a 1-month check in and the obvious symmetry of it allowed a relevant review. Relevant and ultimately short on this fine Monday evening.

To that end, where do things stand? How has the first month treated me?

Forty by Forty

Considering I just got off the Christmas break, wherein I did literally nothing to track or hold to any form of diet besides “Hey, let’s try not to eat everything at every moment,” I’d say my first month has been a pretty raging success. Christmas also had the added benefit of my youngest kicking me when I was down with a little bit of his own version of a gag gift that has me ready to run full-steam back on the wagon. He got me a little plushy of a piece of toast and said that he wanted me to bring it to work so that when I got hungry because I wasn’t eating, I could look at it and be even hungrier. I’d only planned to do that no-food-til-dinner thing for one week and hadn’t been on it in a while, so he said it wouldn’t work like he wanted it to, but getting that got me thinking I should start to do it again. Only a few days a week, but still.

The little jerk.

• 10/40 pounds lost (25% to target)

Fit by Forty

I managed to go overboard here and injured myself. The joys of being fat, out of shape, and old, amirite? That, plus being on vacation for a bit, really had me in a stalemate. This week is really the first time since the last check in that I’ll be doing anything. Not a ton of progress here, obviously.

Struggling a bit to figure out how best to try and mark off these benchmarks while also doing normal workout routines due to the overlap. Like, it’s going to be tough to find out the best time to sneak in 40 consecutive pull ups when I’m doing major upper body programs every other day. Another case where I’m just going to have to suck it up and make it happen.

• 5 Mile Run (1/2 mile. 10% to target)
• 7:30 Mile (11:15 mile)
• 100 Consecutive Push Ups (50. 50% to target)
• 40 Consecutive Pull Ups (10. 25% to target)
• 40x10x3 Curls (40x5x3. Can do 40x10x3 but with longer breaks than 1m. Weirdly, it’s my left forearm that’s giving me the biggest trouble here.)
• 180x10x3 Squats (160x10x3. Haven’t even attempted 180, but I think I could probably manage it. Will try this week.)
• The Challenge: 20×40 (6×12.)
• The Crucible: 100 (20. This is actually what injured me – some combination of dumbbell jump lunges / jump goblet squats / sprinter hops and sitting for prolonged periods of time at work royally jacked up my flexor.)

Finished by Forty

Again, holidays and weekends are my bane. They are, truly, my main hurdle to smooth progress now. That, and lack of sleep. At least the latter is easier to fix for me. Which is why I’ll be heading off to read and pass out shortly after I publish and share this.

• Rewrite (16/35)
• Edit (0/35)
• Alpha Read (0/5)
• Edit (0/35)
• Beta Read (0/5)
• Edit (0/35)
• Agent Hunt (0/X)

Faithful by Forty

Turns out I’m not so hot at learning a new language. Struggling big time with Latin and the similarities of words in close succession (dimitte nobis debita nostra / nos dimitiimus debitoribus nostris, etc.), but I’ll get there. I do wonder if I should be pushing for another angle besides just rote memorization and repetition. Something to consider. Also, I plan on pushing through to the lectoring this month.

• Listen to the Catechism in a Year by Fr. Mike Schmitz. (Caught up, keeping at one a day)
• Become a lector at the church. (Not yet started to pursue)
• Learn the Rosary in Latin. (Still struggling with 2 lines in the Our Father. 3/10 total prayers)
• Complete a yearly devotional. (Caught up, keeping at one a day)
• Never miss a Holy Day of Obligation. (2/6)

And there we have it. A month down and not unreasonable statuses across the board. A little behind in some spots, a little ahead in others. I’ll count it as a win for month 1. Now, to continue onward into the next year. 2025 will be a good one.