Chanda

Day 2: 17.Sep: Once again the status quo was improved upon. Quests 1 (tennis) and 2 (move): nothing done. Quest 3 (fueling): a good day. I was not sure wether to call this a good day since I skipped lunch... but then I took the time to get myself a snack in the late afternoon (resisted getting junk food). also made up for the lack of lunch at dinner. I got enough to drink. so I am calling it a good day anyway. Quest 4 (status quo): a good day. house is better now than it was this morning. i remembered to do the MIT list and got all the MITs done. kitchen is clean and I dropped off the recycling. Quest 5 (stay sane): a good day. got up earlier than yesterday and am going to bed by 10:30pm. for my me time, I allowed myself to stop "crisis cleaning" before the arrival of my mother in law and am going to bed early instead (left to do was tidying up my desk, folding 3 loads of laundry that are currently in the living room and vacuuming the house). its not like I can keep a spotless house for 5 weeks. so she may as well get the "status quo" from the beginning. accomplished today: Spoke with the kindergarden lady responsible for my oldest daughter about her current development progress. no surprises and we seem to be in agreement about her status, so thats good. Arranged a mega-play-date for Friday for both my daughters, Agreed on time for a visit to the pumpkin festival, that should be fun!Good night!

ZTD is Zen to Done... its a spin off the GTD (Getting Things Done) method but much more accessible. The simplified ZTD is explained here: http://zenhabits.net/minimal-ztd-the-simplest-system-possible/ About the shoes. I dont think what I did will be helpful to you. I got the shoes online and they had elastic laces that are not for tying up and 1 velcro strap (exactly because my daughter also cant tie shoes but likes to be independent). Unfortunately the laces made the shoe too narrow for her to get her foot in. So I cut the laces at the top end just under the velcro. Then put some beads on the cut ends and tied knots to stop the ends unraveling. That made the shoes just loose enough that she can put them on without assistance. Dont despair with your son, I was in grade 2 or 3 before I learned to tie my shoes. Somehow being left handed made it extra hard. Once I did learn I was so incredibly proud that even today I sometimes get a smile when I am tying my shoes. I am sure there are all kinds of youtube videos that can help teaching your kid to tie his shoelaces.

Day 1: 16.Sep: The status quo was kept and possibly improved upon. Quests 1 (tennis) and 2 (move): nothing done. Quest 3 (fueling): a good day. resisted getting a chocolate croissant for breakfast, had a vegetarian lunch (curried tofu and veggies), spaghetti carbonara for dinner (smaller serving than usual), 2 coffees, plenty of water and a glass of milk and ovomaltine as a snack in the evening. Quest 4 (status quo): a good day. house is better now than it was this morning. i remembered to list my most important tasks for the day and even got some done. got the kitchen cleaned after dinner and the past 3 weeks worth of recycling into my car ready for drop off tomorrow. Quest 5 (stay sane): a good day. got up later than I wanted but still in time to get girls to kindergarden. now going to bed by 10:30pm, a huge improvement on past nights. for my me time, I spent time making a list of things I accomplished today that I don't normally do... to make myself feel accomplished. I think I'll make this a habit for this challenge (thanks Evenewbie for the idea!!!) Figured out how to modify a pair of new/pretty/liked/expensive pair of running shoes to make them wearable for my daughter. They have elastic laces that were too tight for her to be able to put them on herself without assistance, I cut the laces and tied knots with some pretty beads at the ends. My 4 year old can now get the shoes on herself and she can still get them tight using the velcro strap... genius. Found empty jam jars at the supermarket so we can finish making jam/jelly from the plums we picked on the weekend (we run out of the ones we had and they had sold out at the stores we tried... seems like everyone had the same idea as us). Scheduling: Re-scheduled optometrist/dentist/immunisation appointments and made appointment to have my passport renewed and booked my Christmas days off (a whole 4 weeks). Freed up 20G from my work laptop, backed up all my emails and re-linked mail folders so that my mail program is now running at a normal speed again (not at the snail pace its been running at for the past few weeks) Got flowers for our dinning table. Started a new routine with my daughters for when we get home: snack, chores, play-school, play.

Welcome to the Druids! This is so true!!!! I look forward to seeing how you do over the next 6 weeks.

Short and sweet. I like how you kept it simple. About those 10lb, have you considered putting on muscle? I mean loose the 10lb and then replace it with lean body mass. You will be the same size or smaller but possibly weight the same you do now or even slightly more. The idea is that by having more lean mass you will burn more calories. Therefore, you are less likely to put on 10lb of fat. 500 calories of chocolate per week sounds realistic to me... that roughly my intake. Any less and I feel deprived! Glad to have you here for this next challenge and I look forward to seeing how you go!

Congrats on a year of NF! I always enjoy reading your challenges. Its all so different from what I usually attempt. Very inspiring! About measuring goal 2 and possibly 3. I subjected GOOD or NEUTRAL rating at the end of each day could work.... and you set yourself the goal of having more good days than not (or some other number that feels challenging but realistic to you).

Great challenge! This is such an exciting time. You are going in with a great attitude! When that clock goes off it does amazing things... so getting ready now is a good idea. When it was my time I barely had time to prepare. Just know also that since you are already living a pretty good and sensible lifestyle there is very little more you need to be doing... I was a stress bundle my first time around, the second time was much better because I relaxed... I had learned that body and baby pretty much take care of things. Your last 2 goals are great, between hormones and all the emotions its easy to be all over the place... but again you have it covered! Smile, relax and enjoy this time!

Great challenge setup! Great goals too. While the body is healing work on the mind. Perfect! Looking forward to seeing your TMNT skills develop!

Glad to see you back... for a second there I though your whole mission was going to be to eat pumpkin. Talk about keeping things simple!

I actually liked your idea from your second post. Adding that to mine. I am going to list the things I have done that are not part of my usual daily stuff.

Welcome to the Druids! I like your goals. They are realistic and should lead to some good improvements in your overall well being! I too am walking to Mordor... I need to add up my miles, havent done it in awhile. I am thinking of changing mine from walking to running. But thats another story. How was your first day?

*hugs* family trouble is rough... specially when it involves your own parents. Take deep breaths. You can do this. Also one hint that has helped me in the past. Don't answer immediately if you are feeling emotional. Feel free to type it up... but then wait awhile before you send it. This can be anywhere from a few minutes to days. Do other stuff in between and return to it with a fresh head. Only then should you finish your answer (edit what you wrote already, keep things short). This alone has saved me a lot of trouble in the past. Good luck finishing this challenge. I also didnt finish my last challenge... in fact I stopped about a week in. Just kinda stopped. This time around I have good reasons not to do a challenge, but here I am... determined to finish! Hope to see you finish too!

Welcome! Glad you made it to the Druids!!!! Reading threads is good for inspiration... even better is to brainstorm what you want to achieve. Pretty much any goal that improves your life balance and health is a druidy type goal! Welcome! Enjoy your time here! Congrats on finishing your first challenge and welcome to the Druids!

Sounds like your challenge is all about adjusting to what comes your way with the target to still reach your goals. Awareness and Flexibility, two very druidy things! Anyway, glad to have you back for another round with the Druids. And even more glad that you have seen benefits from yoga and meditation. Hope you get the eating-madness sorted out and survive the pre-wedding-madness! You officiated a wedding!?!?! Awesome!

Oh and here is something for inspiration:

I joined!

I signed up... I have getting to bed early enough so that I get 7 hours sleep as part of my Stay Sane quest. My husband gets up at 5:45am on weekdays. Two weeks ago he got one of those alarm clocks that simulates natural daylight. At 5:15 that cursed machine starts slowly lighting up our room. At exactly 5:22 I wake up. Normally I can sleep until 7:30. But since I am being woken up 2 hours earlier than I have to, I figure its time to make the best out of a bad situation. Plus I've been saying for years I want to become a morning person (so that I can have "me" time while my daughters are still sleeping and my brain is still functioning - by the end of the day I am usually a zombie). Time to start getting to bed early enough that I can actually get up that early. If I am getting up at 5:45, I need to get to bed between 10 and 10:30PM. Its 11PM at the moment... this is not a great start, so I am off to bed now. So thats my story! Why are you here?

Welcome to the Druids! There are not as many of us when compared to the Adventurers... but we are a friendly bunch. So I hope you will feel right at home! You have some great quests. I specially hope you are successful with your first one! Be patient and kind with yourself... but also be consistent and persistent! Long distance relationship can be really hard. But knowing that you can look after yourself is actually a very good thing. Look at this time apart from your fiancé as your chance to learn that you can be self-sufficient. Knowing that you are with someone because you want to, not because you need to is awesome. For me it makes the relationship all the better! Also, have you considered walking meditation? Its a nice alternative to standing. I can not wait to read about your progress!

Wow Eve! You are in for a big 6 weeks. If anyone can keep a strong yoga practice through it all, it is you! You got this! Hmmm, I wonder if we should be list buddies?

Your results from your first challenge were awesome and I can not wait to see how you do with this one. You are setting out to do a lot, but it is so well thought out and detailed that I have no doubt you will do it! I too love running... although thats on the back burner at the moment. I am glad you decided to join us Druids for this challenge!

For me maintaining "status quo" when stuff is going on all around me is incredibly difficult. So we will see... Priority is enjoying the time with the family anyway. The rest is all a great big bonus. Me too! Hopefully I will be around more for this challenge. I'll go check yours out as soon as its up.

Its almost a year since I started on my fitness journey. I've lost 8kg (actually I lost 10kg and gained 2kg back) and went down 1.5 dress sizes. I am stronger and have more endurance than I did before. I am marginally more organized. I've become much more aware of what my priorities are and why I do what I do. This is all great stuff and I am very happy and proud of the progress I have made. Over the past couple of months I have not made any new progress. In fact, I even forgot about the last challenge after the first week. In the past I used to see these times as failure. Over time, I learned that, wether I like it or not, planned or unplanned, for me these times of doing nothing are a necessary part of the improvement process. A time of stability to adjust to my new reality and to re-assess what I want to do next. My main quest is still: The next 6 weeks are not a good time for "reducing" or making progress. My mother in law is visiting for most of this challenge. The focus will be on making sure she spends as much time with my daughters as possible. During this time we will also have a small holiday and a 6 day visit from some friends. Plus, I also have a several big work commitments that will make life very challenging. With all that is going on, it could be very easy to fall back into old habits and loose some the progress I have made. For this challenge my main quest is to maintain focus on my own health and fitness. Main Quest Supporting Missions: 1. Hit the Sweetspot (+3 STA) - I've signed up for tennis lessons. If you knew me in person you would realize just how crazy this is! I have terrible hand-eye coordination and duck/close my eyes if a ball is thrown in my direction. But since I recently learned that I can actually get a basketball to go through the hoop, I figured why not try tennis... the game I am most likely to suck at! I will be away a few times during the next 6 weeks. For this mission I will aim to attend all the classes that take place when I am not traveling (thats a total of 5). Scoring: attend 5 classes = A, 4 classes = B, 3 = C, 2 = D anything less is an F. 2. Be Like Bamboo (+3 STR, +2 DEX) - Bamboo is both strong and flexible. Do strength training 2 times per week and/or yoga 2 times per week (20 to 30min sessions). Scoring: 24 times = A, 20 times = B, 16 times = C, 12 times = D, 8 times = E, anything less is an F. 3. Fuel like a Pro (+3 CON) - Make good food & drink choices more often than not. This means applying what I learned when I was counting calories and doing things like: more vegetables and protein during main meals, less dessert, less fried stuff, more water and less snacking in between meals. Scoring: 32 good days = A, 27 = B, 22 = C, 17 = D, 12 = E anything less is an F. Side Fitness/Diet and Life Quests: 4. Keep the Status Quo (+2 WIS) - Basically I hope to at least maintain the current status of progress made in my home through the next 6 weeks of crazy family and work life. To do this I will apply Do it Now to: keep my Home tidy, follow ZTD method and letting go of unnecessary things when I notice them. Scoring: 32 good days = A, 27 = B, 22 = C, 17 = D, 12 = E anything less is an F. 5. Stay Sane (+2 CHA) - Take time to do something enjoyable most days (read, stitch, drink a good cup of tea, etc) and keep good sleeping habits (go to bed on time to allow for at least 7 hours sleep and get up when alarm clock goes off). Scoring: 32 good days = A, 27 = B, 22 = C, 17 = D, 12 = E anything less is an F. I do not plan to make progress over the next 6 weeks. My battle plan is to not loose any ground. Now I just need to remember to do these things while the madness of the next 6 weeks goes on around me...

Back to report this challenge is a DNF. Embarrassing to admit it but after the first week I pretty much forgot to keep it going. My Missions were: 1. Reduce weight (+3 STA): My weight is the same as it was at the beginning of the challenge. I am happy to be maintaining. 2. Reduce body fat (+3 STR): my body fat percentage is the same as it was in the beginning of the challenge. 3. Reduce clutter (+3 DEX): I did do a few decluttering sessions, but to be honest, the stats is pretty much the same as it was at the beginning of the challenge. 4. Reduce Stress (+1 WIS, +2 CON): Stress level is also the same it was at the beginning of the challenge. I do think work is more stressful, so I must be doing something right for the stress level not to have increased. 5. Reduce mess (+2 CHA, +1 WIS): House is not a neat as I would like it. But it is better than it was... still a long way to go. Overall I would say the status of things is pretty much the same, so although I did not finish this challenge, I also did not back slide. So I am going to call that a win. No leveling up or points for this one!

Great Druid Book of Yoga Poses: We have a colaborative project during this challenge. You can participate by entering your favourite yoga poses and sequences in The Great Druid Book of Yoga Poses. Your entries must include at least 1 link to a site describing how to do the pose. If you also link to a good video for the pose even better! You can enter as many poses or sequences as you like. The only rule is that you must be capable of actually doing the pose! If you have added 6 poses or sequences to The Great Druid Book of Yoga Poses you can award yourself a +1 wisdom attribute point. The list can then be used as a reference and will continue to be available for future challenges. For added fun, you can post a picture of yourself doing one of the yoga poses to this topic (optional!) Lets see how many poses we know as a guild! For those Druids that don't practice yoga (and yes, there are also good Druids that don't do yoga!): This is your chance to get a bit of an insight into what poses exist.

You wake up suddenly. Your heart is racing. Something is different. "Where am I?" You try to get up and fall down. "Where did all these legs came from?" You try to get up again and hear a strange sound when your feet touch the ground. You look down and are shocked to see hooves at the end of a set of long, thin and very hairy legs. "WHAT AM I?" You manage to get control of your four legs and make your way to a mirror. You look into the mirror. A pony looks right back at you. You rear up on your hind legs and let out a big "NEIGH" before loosing your balance and falling down again. "Stay calm. This must be some kind of freaky dream. Relax." You head out the door trying to figure out what is going on. You trot around for a bit enjoying the feeling of the wind in your mane. You encounter other ponies and observe then with intense curiosity as they go about their day. You soon discover you are in a place called Equestria. The other thing you notice is that every grown pony has something called a "cutie mark". When you ask about it, you learn that a cutie mark magically appears on the flank of a pony when he or she discovers their special talent. You wonder what your cutie mark is and rush back to the house where you woke up. You study yourself in the mirror. "Where's my cutie mark?". You twist in very direction trying to get a better look. To no avail, your flanks are blank! You do not know what happened to turn you into a pony and relocate you to Equestria. Nonetheless, as a good NF Rebel, you know its your duty to make the best of a strange and unexpected situation. You decide you are going to be the best darned pony you can be, at least until you find away to wake up from this strange dream. First thing you need to do to fit in as a pony in Equestria is to to earn your cutie mark. If nothing else it will give you something to do while you figure out what is going on. Cutie Mark Tiny-Quests: There are six My Little Pony inspired tiny-quests for you to pursue over the next 5 weeks. The rules are: Complete all 6 tiny-quests to earn yourself 1 attribute point. You can choose which attribute earns the point. All 6 tiny-quests are posted all at once in this post, instead of 1 at a time. The reason for this is that it will give you your best chance of completing all of them based on what is going on with life and to make the best use of whatever opportunities come up. You can complete the tiny-quests in whatever order works best for you. Try to complete 1 tiny-quest every few days, instead of doing them all at once. Try to complete your tiny-quests sooner rather than later... You want the last week to be free so you can focus on your own challenge! Enter your name and details of each completed tiny-quest here: Cutie Mark Quest Log Book For extra fun you can give yourself a Pony name (optional). You start by trying out some of the talents of the other ponies you have met:Twilight Sparkle: is studious and represents the element of magic. Find a good book or other information source for a topic you have been meaning to learn about or an area you want to improve yourself. When you act with knowledge... the results feel like they are magic! Applejack: is reliable and represents the element of honesty. Complete a task you have promised someone else that you would get done and have been procrastinating about. Pinkie Pie: is playful and represents the element of laughter. Do something that is a lot of fun and brings you to happy carefree laughter. Rainbow Dash: is brave and represents the element of loyalty. Use the 20 second berserker mode to do something you have been to shy or afraid to do. Alternatively, do something/anything much faster than you normally do it (but not so fast that you hurt yourself). Rarity: is stylish and beautiful and represents the element of generosity. Do something to improve the way you look or to bring beauty to a room in your house or workplace. Fluttershy: is sweet and calm and represents the element of kindness. Find a place where you can meditate, reflect or simply do nothing, a place you can visit when you need to restore your calm and ground yourself. if you already have such a place... make a point of using it more. Or find an additional such place (for example one you can access at work). Alternatively, do something/anything much slower than you normally do it (but not so slow that you fall asleep). Hint: you can choose to do the same activity from Rainbow Dash but very slowly. The Great Druid Book of Yoga Poses: You also learn that Princess Celestia has asked Twilight Sparkle to document the yoga poses known and used by the Ponies in Equestria. You jump for joy when you hear about this project. Like most good Druids, you know your yoga and this is something you can help your new friend Twilight Sparkle with. Go here to find out more about The Great Druid Book of Yoga Poses! For those Druids that don't practice yoga (and yes, there are also good Druids that don't do yoga!): This is your chance to get a bit of an insight into what poses exist.