Day 455: Mission 5 Ends! Injuries, Absence, Sailing…and A Silver Lining?

G’day,

An inner voice has been bugging me for the last six weeks…with good reason! 

This voice has basically been saying, “Bro, what’s the deal? Are you gonna get back to weekly accountability anytime soon? Or are you going to cop out? Are you going to use injuries as an excuse to end your two-year accountability project nine months early? Either way mate, you have to make a decision!” 

Yes, these kind of internal conversations have been constant since my last weekly accountability post on Day 414 (September 22, 2022). I also know full well that my track record for weight maintenance without an accountability system is not good (see the 12-year abyss in the header graphic as “Exhibit A”).

Down…But Not Quite Out!

So, as I’ve turned up again on Day 84 of Mission 5 (and thus decided to continue this 2-year journey) I should probably explain my absence! As you may have noticed from my prior post on Day 407: Walking Wounded I was battling injuries on two fronts. The first was my right wrist and the second was my right knee which flared up after a squat session.

Thankfully, after a little a time off from squats my knee returned to normal, though I have not gone “heavy” on squat rack since. My job being what it is I just cannot risk any knee issues or injuries. As it stands I am still doing in excess of 20k steps per day in the normal course of my work.

My Wrist Injury Persists

In regards to my wrist, it is still not good. The “de quervain’s tenosynovitis” still persists to this day. In the last four months I have been to the doctor multiple times and had it treated with pills, creams and steroids all to no avail. The real kicker was when I severely knocked it on Day 413, this put me out of commission for four days.

My wrist was so bad that I couldn’t even do the most basic of tasks, like grabbing, lifting or typing on a keyboard! With my new predicament I decided to skip my weekly accountability post due on Day 414. Missing this one week really bent me out of shape and as a result I ended up missing subsequent weeks even though I could have eked out a paragraph of two. 

A Silver Lining To My Absence?

However, there was a silver lining to missing the last six weeks of accountability! After I missed the second week I realised that I had kept my weight in check, in spite of “zero accountability”! As strange as this may seem I have never been able to keep my weight under control without some kind of daily or weekly accountability, this includes the 2006-09 era.

So, I then made a decision to test my resolve (and my daily habits) and attempt to keep my weight under control for the remainder of Mission 5 without any accountability posting. Even though I have been severely restricted in weight training with my wrist injury I am pleased to say that I have met this goal! In the end my weight only crept up a fraction over the entirety of Mission 5 in the midst of all this calamity.

Mission 5 Results

Fast forward to today, Day 455 (November 7, 2022) I am ending this Mission at 92.6kg (204.1 lbs) and still within “striking distance” of my ideal weight and physique. I am also booked in for some “cutting edge” treatment on my wrist in the next week, so hopefully I’ll be right to go for Mission 6 soon.

So, where to from here? Put simply, I have made a vow to resume weekly accountability for the next 39 weeks until Day 732!

Until next time,

AJ

P.S. I have adjusted my weekly accountability score to reflect the missed pictures, posts and workouts (169 points deducted for a final CAPS score off 79.0%). This is the lowest score I have posted for a completed Mission! 

P.P.S. One thing I did manage to do for Mission 5 is follow through (with great difficulty!) on my twin sailing challenges. I did a “laser dinghy” course at the start of this Mission and a full day of “learn to sail” on a catamaran on Day 83!