IDreamofJennie

Quick update. Goal 2: Last night, I stretched and it felt sooooo good. I normally some stretching before/after a workout, but last night I took the time to really get into it and do more than normal. My left leg splits are about 2-3 inches off the ground. Goal 3: I skipped the store again this morning, so I'm being successful with that too. Goal 4: I'm over halfway through Extreme Productivity and really enjoying it. It feels good to have picked 1 book to focus on for now instead of jumping back and forth to the millions of others that I also want to read. They will still be there to choose from when I finish this one!

I watched roller derby for the first time last year and it was so awesome! I've thought of trying out to be a jeerleader, but my work schedule needs to calm down first. Best of luck with your goals

That's a great idea! I'll put the money in a jar each day I skip it and then use it for something fun. Thanks!

A friend of mine had such a good time doing the last challenge, that I decided I had to try it this time as well. I've been on a personal quest to lose weight and get back into shape since November 25, 2011 (aka the day I changed my life). As of today, I've lost 52.6 pounds, learned how small successes snowball into great big ones, and overall become a much happier person on the inside instead of just faking it for the outside. So, challenge. I'm a former gymnast (8 years), so I've decided my ultimate goal is to be in the Assassin guild, but I definitely need to work my way up to that. In the interest of tackling small, yet challenging, goals here are mine. Goal 1: Build up to doing a 3-second handstand Plan of attack: Start with headstands to find my center of gravity and get familiar with the feeling of being upside down again. Next, focus on handstands against the wall, while facing the wall to build up the arm muscles I've lost. Then do wall handstands facing away from the wall to practice the kick to handstand and feel comfortable with that. Finally, freestanding handstands focusing on form and balance and building up my time as much as possible. Goal 2: Regain the ability to do the splits Plan of attack: In the interest of starting small, I'm going to spend this 6 weeks focusing on my left-leg splits since that was my dominant side as a gymnast and I'm currently closer to getting that than my right-leg splits. Ultimately, I'd like to be able to do both as well as center splits again, but I'm focused on left-leg splits for now. The plan here is to aim to stretch regularly. I'm going to aim to do it most days of the week, at least for a few minutes before bed, but since the goal here is the outcome, I'm giving myself the flexibility (no pun intended) to do the work when I want to and not stress about missing a day since that is what ost quickly derails me. Goal 3: Stop drinking Mountain Dew Plan of attack: I normally pick one up on the way to work in the morning (at 6am) and then drink it throughout the day. I work 12-16 hour days during the week and don't normally drink it on the weekends, so as long as I can avoid stopping at the store on my way in, I should be ok. I have access to free Diet Coke at work, so if I need the caffeine, which I likely will many days, I'll drink that instead. This goal will benefit both my health and bank account, so that's extra motivation! In the interest of flexibility and not giving up at the first "failure," I will allow myself 2 slip ups over the next 6 weeks, but my goal remains to not have any at all. Goal 4: Read 3 books for pleasure Plan of attack: I almost always read on the subway, but lately I've had too many e-books checked out from the library and I keep switching from book to book without having the time to finish them before the Internet takes them back. So I'm not adding anything to my hold list. I'm going to finish reading Extreme Productivity (based on a recommendation here!), which I checked out yesterday and started last night, then finish Black Wind by Clive Cussler, which I own and have started, and THEN check out a new book based on whatever catches my eye at the time. So that's me and those are my goals for the challenge. I'm already on my way by skipping the store this morning and drinking Diet Coke at my desk!