Artemis

LOTR - Eowyn

Hi Thanatos! Welcome to the Rebellion and congrats on launching your first challenge. Your goals look pretty good, but I'm a little unsure if some of them are for this challenge or longer term goals. Are you trying to lose 40lbs in six weeks? Looking forward to seeing your progress, Artemis P.s. - nice to have a fellow god on the forums.

I still can't quite believe it myself and I've been overseas for over 3 months now. So much to see and do + school makes for a busy Artemis. Thanks for the well wishes - I hope your challenge goes just as well.

Four weeks from now (!!!!) I'll be wrapping up my semester abroad. In 16 days I leave Florence and head to Greece for a traveling seminar where I'm fairly sure I will get absolutely nothing done fitness wise (well, except tons of walking), but it will be fun. After that, it's back home to the United States for summer madness. Basically, this challenge is going to be insane. My goals for this challenge are as follows: Continue improving ItalianGet all the work done!!!Be conscious of what I eatFinish exploring FlorenceStart prepping for summer fitness - establish current baselineOverarching goals: lose weightget in better shapebegin prepping for episode 7 Why Mandalorians? - Because they're awesome. No, seriously I love the Mandalorians in the EU and admire their portrayal and many of the values they represent. I also plan to get a set of armour wearable for Episode 7. I really wanted to have an elf done for the Hobbit, but never finished the costume, mainly because I never got in shape. Anyways, I have 8 months to episode 7 and plan to show up as a non-pudgy Mandalorian. This gives me 6-7 months to lose some of my extra poundage. I've also built 2 mandalorian outfits before, so V3 should come together pretty quickly once I get started. If I do begin costume assembly this challenge it will mainly be gathering pieces or maybe some basic weapon construction (since weapons don't really need to be altered when I lose 40lbs). Keeping Consistent: follow 5 other challenges in order to get constant inbox remindersupdate here once a week Mission for this Challenge - Self-Improvement Goal 1 - Keep a Food Journal n the past this has really helped me keep track of my habits and adjust my diet. I need to get back in the habit before summer (since that's when I regain 100% control of my diet), so I'm looking to make daily, consistent entries. If need be I may start a battle-log for greater accountability on this... Goal 2 – Bodyweight workouts I didn't do so well last time with the BBWW. In fact, I failed miserably. This time I'm going to try something different - mini workouts at least 5 days a week. I have discovered this app that encourages you to log daily 7 minute workouts and I'm hoping this will build an exercise habit that is more consistent. Over the summer I'll shoot for daily workouts, but while I'm abroad I'll settle for 5/7. Goal 3 – Walk 8 hrs minimum a week No more riding speeders everywhere, this Mando is going on foot. This goal is self-explanatory but my minutes only count if it's a real walk = 20+ minutes and not part of my normal to-from class routine Life Goal – Learn Italian So, the Italian is going far slower than expected and I'm really struggling in class. Something needs to change, and I'm going to fix this issue by working harder and smarter. (This one is pretty much a repeat of my last challenge) First - 4 hrs extra practice outside of regular homework/lessons. Translate the first 10 chapters of the Percy Jackson book I picked up (yes, it's in Italian). Finish 30 more lvls of Duolingo Italian. Here goes! -Artemis

Progress with this challenge has been... meh. So I'll be pretty much rehashing this for the next challenge, but I'm planning to kick it off a week early (as soon as this challenge ends). Not satisfied with the habit building, especially in regards to the workouts. Pretty much an epic fail on that front; I plan to try something new for the next challenge - mini daily workouts.

Still working on this challenge. Walking, Italian, and food tracking are all going solidly, though I have been slacking on the workouts recently. I think I'm going to have to drop the translation of 10 book chapters from this challenge and bump it back to the next one. I just don't feel I've made enough progress to accomplish much.

Midterms are over and my progress is still progressing pretty much as planned. The last 10 days were spring break, so I was off traveling the UK and pretty much off of WiFi, thus the lack of updates. Didn't get any workouts done, and I ate far too much, but thankfully I was walking pretty much everywhere and hauling 2 peoples worth of luggage (traveling with my amazing mother and giving her a hand with luggage). Back to eating a bit better and working on my Italian. It was a bit shocking how even after a short time speaking solely English it was difficult to remember my Italian. It comes back quickly, but making the switch was something I had to keep reminding myself to do today.

Thanks! Rome is amazing! I can't recommend it enough and there's plenty to keep travelers busy for quite some time. In major cities you can do well enough without much Italian, at least as long as you stay in the more touristy areas. That tends to be where all the main attractions are anyways, so I can't say Italian is 100% necessary in the big cities. If anything, knowing some Italian mannerisms is probably more important. For instance, you have to ask for the check here. Without the direct question, the waiters will simply ignore you and I've definitely seen tourists who expect the check to appear on it's own and then sit there for an hour waiting. If you don't ask, it doesn't come. You also don't tip in Italy, since the waitstaff gets paid a living wage and the tip is automatically factored into the cost of the food. Some of the more touristy restaurants will hide the charge, since they know that American's will likely tip, but it is NEVER necessary to tip in Italy. Some small things like that are different and can cost you some time/money if you're unaware; however, unless you're venturing off the beaten path you don't have to know the language. Would I recommend learning a little bit? Yes, since the best places to eat/shop/hang out tend to be those where no one speaks English. You don't have to know a whole lot, just maybe some numbers, bathroom, how to order, etc. In many cases, even broken Italian will buy you some good will as most Italians appreciate the effort to learn the language. I've met my fair share of waiters who, though they admit they speak some English, are more than happy to coach you through the Italian and will even teach you a few new words. They appreciate the attempt and cultural respect. Reading is helpful (and probably easier to learn), but not strictly necessary. Some museums split their placards into English/Italian, some don't. Most of the major ones do offer both languages and if not, many carry audio guides in English (obviously not free though). You may run into some museums that only have information in Italian and those are a bit harder, but if you're packing a thorough guide book it's more than ok. Some restaurants also split their menus, but often the better ones don't. You won't be totally stuck as many foods cross over nicely (risotto, lasagne, etc), but knowing some vegetables and meats can help out a bit, otherwise what comes in the meal might be a bit of a mystery. I'd say overall a few key words are necessary in reading/speaking, but you'll do okay with a limited knowledge (even just 50-100 important words). If you choose to drive over here however, i'd recommend learning the road signs. For some reason, this seems to get overlooked a lot and they're a bit different here. If traveling solo, I wouldn't even bother with a car, as you can get everywhere by train/bus, but with a family a car would be cheaper.

I'm currently studying abroad in Florence, Italy and am having the most amazing adventures of my life!! While this has been awesome, it has also come with some challenges that I want to tackle in this challenge. For one, I'm staying with a host family and am thus struggling with my food intake since I don't control most of my meals (compensating by mostly avoiding seconds, though Italians tend to really believe in multiple courses here). I'm also failing majorly at this new language. I know enough to get by, but it's admittedly a bit harder than expected and much more work is required to bring me up to par. Mission for this Challenge - Self-Improvement Goal 1 - Keep a Food Journal In the past this has really helped me keep track of my habits and adjust my diet. I need to get back in the habit before summer (since that's when I regain 100% control of my diet), so I'm looking to make daily, consistent entries. Goal 2 – Bodyweight workouts This must be a minimum of 3x per week and cardio by itself doesn't count. I want this goal to apply specifically to strength training. I’ll be focusing on the BBWW and adjusting difficulty levels as I progress. Goal 3 – Walk 8 hrs minimum a week Self explanatory, but it only counts if it's a real walk = 20+ minutes (back and forth to class/errands does not count). Life Goal – Learn Italian So, the Italian is going far slower than expected and I'm really struggling in class. Something needs to change, and I'm going to fix this issue by working harder and smarter. First, 4 hrs extra practice outside of regular homework/lessons. Translate the first 10 chapters of the Percy Jackson book I picked up (yes, it's in Italian). Finish 30 lvls of Duolingo Italian/ Here goes! -Artemis

So, Progress was kind of slow, but even slow progress is better than none. Total Grade - C Goal 1 - Eat Paleo./Be concious of what I consume - I get a D on this one, since I changed goals part way through and was only mostly good about watching/recording my intake. Lack of consistency. Goal 2 – Bodyweight workouts - F. This did not happen on a regular basis. Better effort next time Goal 3 – Walk/Bike 4 hrs minimum a week - A. Life Goal – Learn Italian - I'm giving myself a B on this one, since I did advance many levels on Duolingo and even started playing around with some other free programs to really solidify my understanding. I get a B as opposed to an A, since I didn't get all the progress I wanted

And again, I'm being pretty bad at updating here. Some progress has been made. I have finished some Italian lessons and have been doing my walking. The BBWW on the other hand... Fail. I just haven't been making time., which I'm going to need to change since 15-20 minutes really isn't that long. I've also had to adjust my Paleo goal to something more along the lines of concious eating. Until winter break starts I'm just going to focus on being aware of what/how much I'm eating and try to be as health concious as possible. I'll reevaluate this once break begins.

Yeah, I need all the daily reminders I can get! I've got some fitness podcasts lined up after I catch up on a few of my favorite podcasters. As far as study abroad goes... I'm so excited! Our center in florence doesn't have a ton of business class options, so I'm planning to go history heavy with my course load while abroad I'm primarily a business major studying Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises ( EEE), but I'm also going to be adding a second business major (debating between marketing, management, and real estate). for fun I'm majoring in European history as well, with a probable minor in Medieval and Rennaissance studies.

This is pretty much a copy of my last attempt, which I started and then totally sidelined what with midterms. I've discovered that the time when I'm so busy I'm not getting enough sleep is not in fact the best time to start new endeavors. Oops. So, we begin again. I've wrapped up a few classes, and am managing to clear some schedule space so hopefully this will go better. On the motivation side, once I start to see positive changes I tend to keep going, it's those first weeks that are hardest for me. The plan is to keep reminding myself of my goals, so my momentum continues until habits form. Things I'm doing to help with my motivation issues: - For starters, I'm subscribing to a minimum of 10 active and inspiring threads so I can see what others are doing, be encouraged, and learn more about fitness. This will keep my inbox pretty busy and since email is a huge part of my life, i'll be looking at fitness for a large part of the day. -My food journal has once again taken up residence on my desk atop my printer (it used to live there and was used regularly, then it moved to a shelf where it hasn't been touched since). -I've also stared switching out my home-screens for NF/Fitness things. My iphone now displays the logo found here: http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/41703-every-guild-logo-in-one-epic-logo/page-2?hl=+guild%20+logo -If you have any other ideas to keep this at the forefront of my mind until these changes are habits please let me know. Thanks! This mission is pretty much the same as past ones: Mission for this Challenge - Weight Loss Goal 1 - Eat Paleo. I'm shooting for 90% on this goal, so that I have some flexibility. Thanksgiving break is coming and I'll be stuck in a dorm, so as long as I plan ahead and don't give into cravings I should be ok. Goal 2 – Bodyweight workouts This must be a minimum of 3x per week and cardio by itself doesn't count. I want this goal to apply specifically to strength training. I’ll be focusing on the BBWW and adjusting difficulty levels as I progress. Goal 3 – Walk/Bike 4 hrs minimum a week Self explanatory, but it only counts if it's a real walk = 20+ minutes (back and forth to class/errands does not count). This can be done in the gym (since it's officially below freezing here) Life Goal – Learn Italian So, I only speak one language: English. (and rudimentary French, but 2 years in high school = terrible language skills). I'm headed to Florence to study abroad next semester and will be taking language classes there, but I want to have a little bit of a foundation before I arrive. So, this goal is to complete s on Duolingo (starting from 2). That won't make me any kind of native speaker, but I'll know more than I do now. Here goes! -Artemis

Another vote for anything by Brandon Sanderson. If you want larger novels by him, try the Stormlight Archive novels. I cannot recommend them enough, though I should warn you that only the first 2 books of what is sounding like a 10 book series are published. On the bright side, he is much more prolific than Martin and tends to churn out a novel several times a year, so the wait won't be as bad as that of GoT.

See if you can't find a local light-saber dueling club, I know they're out there tough I'm not sure how widespread they are. Here's a list I found real quick: http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=6739.0 I know that some of these groups are LFL sanctioned and they perform choreographed duels for various events; a lot of these star wars groups do charity work and combine their shows with costuming. I have no idea if that interests you, but hopefully it gives you somewhere to start. Good luck, Artemis

Everythinigs going great so far. Yesterday - 35 minute walk + 2 lvls of Duolngo Italian Today - got accepted into the Florence program. Now I just need approval from still the people who pay the bills. Thrilled about the acceptance so I splurged on Chipotle though I tried to at least be somewhat good and kept it to brown rice.

I'm alphabookworm over on Duolingo. Also, leaning some German is a great goal. Yay, for foreign languages!

Ok, here goes another attempt. I kind of disappeared off the face of the earth during my last challenge (back in April/May). Since then no progress has been made on my weight. This is very much not a good thing, and I have no excuses (actually, I have TONS, but they're not actually viable reasons). Anyways, I've been re-prioritizing my life in the last few weeks since school started and feel that I finally have my head on straight. I AM going to lose weight and I'm starting now. I'm late to this challenge, but that's ok. Better late, then never. Here are my goals. Mission for this Challenge - Weight Loss Goal 1 - Eat Paleo. I'm shooting for 90% on this goal, so that I have some flexibility. I now have a minifridge!!!! And I've got most of my food for at least the next week. The 90% is to allow for my KIND granola bars (not 100% paleo, but I believe they're one of the healthier granola bars out there), and the fact that there are still frozen chicken nuggets in my freezer. Side rule: NO vending machine snacks (vending machines are my nemesis). Goal 2 – Bodyweight workouts This must be a minimum of 3x per week and cardio by itself doesn't count. I want this goal to apply specifically to strength training. I’ll be focusing on the BBWW and adjusting difficulty levels as I progress. Goal 3 – Walk 4 hrs minimum a week Self explanatory, but it only counts if it's a real walk = 20+ minutes (back and forth to class/errands does not count) Life Goal – Learn Italian So, I only speak one language: English. (and rudimentary French, but 2 years in high school = terrible language skills). Right now, I'm crossing my fingers for a semester abroad in Italy next year. This decision is pending acceptance to the program and funding. Anyways, if I do get to Florence I don't want to be completely helpless. So, this goal is to complete 24 lvls on Duolingo (starting from 0 and progressing to the last lesson on animals). That won't make me any kind of native speaker, but if I keep going for the next 3 months, I might have a basic vocabulary at the end of it all. Necessary stats: Current weight = 201.2lbs as of last night (9/26/14)

How I felt after finals: Okay, so that was a few days ago. Things are much better now. I'm officially back home for the summer and have managed a few days of relative relaxation (no more essays!!!). My biggest struggle is still food as I did not adhere to my planned structure during finals week and have binged a bit now that I am back home. Splurging is now officially over. I need to crack down and really get going on fitness. To start, I've invested in the Zombies!5K app and will see how that goes tomorrow. Running is not exactly my favorite activity; but hey, I'll give anything a shot for a few weeks. Sorry for disappearing for a week

Sadly Finals aren't over yet; I'm only half way through. 3 tests down; 3 essays (short ones thankfully), 1 test, and 1 business outline to go. 4 days to get it all done plus get everything packed for storage. So much to do, so little time. Stressed out, but having fun with everyone here. I am so very ready for 3 months of relative relaxation.

I guess it depends on how you take the comment/observation. When I lost a lot of weight my senior year of high school one of my friends told me her mon had mentioned that I shouldn't lose any more weight. Honestly, that comment made me smile because it told me that yes, I was changing, it wasn't just in my head. I didn't take the comment badly because I had lost weight fairly rapidly and knew people might be a bit worried that I wasn't doing so in a healthy way (Note: I just switched to eating 100% paleo, nothing crazy). The thing was, I was making changes for ME, not someone else and I was going to keep making changes until I was happy. Sure I got other comments that pissed me off, but I just brushed them aside and continued on.

Oops. Double post

Hi everyone! Week two went so-so. Cardio is going very well, bodyweight not so much mostly because I haven't been the best with time management. These last few weeks of college have gotten much busier than expected and I wasn't quite prepared for it. However, this next week should be much better as I finally feel like I'm not playing catch up. Finals also start this week, so that should be fun (not). Honestly, they're not that bad, just stressful.

Let me know if a spot opens up in the clan. I've been playing for about 10 months and would love to get in on this.

Hmmm... Ok, it kind of depends on what you enjoy listening to. I'm a fan of fantasy and history, so much of my content is in that vein. I also am a business student so I've been attempting to round out my education by doing some learning on my own. Short List: - Anything by Brandon Sanderson. He writes fantasy and builds some pretty awesome magic systems. The Way of Kings is particularly good, though you should be warned that it is 40+ hours of content and the first in a ten book series. - Shades of Milk and Honey. Description: Jane Austen + magic. If you're not a fan of Austen/regency novels I wouldn't recommend this. - Clive Cussler has some great adventure stories that also incorporate quite a bit of history. - Tom Clancy. My Dad is a huge fan of his audiobooks, while I tend to read these rather than listening to them - Lord of the Rings. Self-explanatory - $100 Startup - business book for aspiring entrepreneurs. Not super in depth, but inspiring. - Personal MBA - really informative read, to the point where I would recommend a tangible copy. Worth reading if the topic interests you, just so many lists/suggestions that I think I would have preferred to be able to make notes. Other content I listen to (AKA Podcasts) - Many of these are business related - The Suitcase Entrepreneur - Tropical MBA - The Kickass Life - The Extra Pack of Peanuts Travel Podcast - The Smart Passive Income - Beyond the To Do List. - This one focuses on productivity.