DFTBAmanda

Yeah... something odd happened to the beginning of that post too... I guess thats what happens typing everything on a 7 inch tablet. I just wanted to let you all know where in the world Carmen Sandimanda's been and why she hasn't been posting. I left the day after the last challenge ended for a trip through Barcelona that lasted until July 25th. When I finally got home, I left on a roadtrip with my boyfriend the next day and didn't get back until August 4th. The next day (yesterday) I took a plane to Anchorage and in 3 hours I'm taking another plane to Okinawa, Japan. Its been a busy month.

So I actually wrote an entire challenge goal post last wednesday. It took hours and I was very proud of it. Then right before I could upload it the dial up internet at Nate's parhttp://nerdfitnessrebellion.com/index.php?/topic/29416-dftbamanda-flying-an-invisible-plane/http://nerdfitnessrebellion.com/index.php?/topic/29416-dftbamanda-flying-an-invisible-plane/ents place crashed and the comouter became possessed or something and I lost everything. Remember kids, always save as you go. I was quite discouraged and gave up for the day and as will be explained in the tl; dr portion of this post, I haven't had another chance to rewrite until now. So short version goals, go! My main quest is and always has been to become Wonder Woman. Not just in terms of heroic strength but to also embody her poise, beauty, and graceful power, wich I feel are the more important aspects of her success. All of my fitness goals relate to this in some manner, and my lifestyle goal at least to me hits the overarching theme. Goal 1, Beautiful as Aphrodite: i really need to get back on track with paleo. Listen while i explain how this ties in. The first time i went completely grain free, i discovered how much my food had been hurting me before. I had the first week I could remember without horrible stomach cramps and bloating, and I had always considered myself a healthy eater. I found out that in addition to my lactose allergy I was also gluten intolerant and once I cut it from my life my whole body started to change. My skin got softer, my hair got shinier, my skin started to clear up and lose the red patches... Now in the three weeks that I've been traveling nonstop I've let gluten free grains creep back into my life in the form of sweetes and rice bread and all sorts of bad things. And potatoes. God damn those potatoes. I'm starting to feel like i used to, a bloaty acne ridden mess, and before that can change my diet needs to change. I will start out by cold turkey making my life 70% paleo and add 5% every week until I'm at 90%. I've done it before and i will do it again. Goal 2, Wise as Athena: lifestyle goal! I play the guitar, electric bass, and ukulele with some proficiency. The problem is I don't practice enough to maintain my skills and grow as an artist. I want to challenge myself to begin with the ukulele this challenge since its the most travel friendly and teach myself a new song every week. I'll practice 5 times per week and I'm toying with the idea of uploading a recording of each week here to keep me honest. This is to enhance my soul and wisdom of life, and since Diana of Themyscira is a princess, I'm sure she can still play a harp or lute or something expertly if needed. Goal 3, Stronger than Hercules: I did the basic training section of the rebel strength guide last challenge, with some excellent results. This challenge I'm moving on to Rank 1 of the body weight brigade and I'm excited about it. I'll do the workouts 3 times a week as suggested and work on my super strength. Pretty self explanatory Goal 4, Swifter than Hermes: cardio! I want to continue doing intervals, this time without being a purist about how I do them. With all the traveling its often difficult to find a stretch of road or a treadmill, so I'm going to get creative with these and up my frequency to twice a week. More travel fun to come!

I'm usually much better about updating I promise... this week has been crazy. Thanks Tateman! I'm still going to pop over to the adventurer boards frequently so don't think you're rid of me :-P Pop now! Pop now! The answer is all the bums. Every last one of em It was phenomenal! I may have gotten a bit too much into the vacation mindset though... I'll just have to hit it hard now that I'm back! Yay! Welcome to my challenge thread, I'm usually exponentially more interesting ;-) Wait no more my friend! Have you given any thought to joining Super Heroes in Training? You should check it out. Artist formerly known as Patchwolf! Good to see you back

That totally counts!

Mitch! I'm so happy you and your motivational posters are back! Your daughter is the absolute cutest thing I've ever seen.

Hey Orc! Checking in and subbing and I'm definitely going to look at your recipe thread

Welcome back misslace! I can't wait to see how your splits get along

As always, I'm channeling Wonder Woman! I'd also like to be added to the membership list, if thats possible

I'm so excited to read about your trip to Brazil, and your boxing adventures, and all the yummy food you're making! This will be the best challenge yet!

Welcome back abs! I'm definitely looking forward to seeing your challenge and love the Wizard of Oz theme

Go Tateman! We're doing some similar things with food so you better believe I'll be sending you tons of recipes

Hello all! I will definitely be participating in this challenge, but at the moment I'm on a road trip with my other half and not particularly good at interneting for the next week. I'll come back here and put up a full challenge when I have non gas station Internet, but for now I wanted to say hi and that I am definitely here

I didn't even realize boards were open! I'm so excited, this is going to be the bestest challenge in the history of challenges. Though I just got back from a lengthy stay in Barcelona, so I'll definitely be playing a bit of catch up. Orcwarrior, thanks for messaging me, or I never would have known. I'm off in East Texas cheap motel dreamland :-P

My first challenge was the same way. I came in late and by the end I knew my goals were far too attainable :-P But you have to just make a conscious effort to challenge yourself next time now that you know that. I can't wait to see what you come up with for next time!

Score one for team cauliflower! I'm so proud of you, you got out there every day and did what needed to be done and as a result you're losing weight and gaining muscle at a very healthy rate. You're not only setting a great example for us, you're a great role model for your kids.

I'm so happy for you! It sounds like you've definitely picked up a lot of knowledge this round and I can't wait to see how much higher you go when you join the rangers next challenge

I think, given the amount of travel you did this challenge, you really rocked it. I know a thing or two about constantly being in a new place and I have to say you did SOOOOOO much better than I did when I started traveling all the time. My first month as a training flight attendant I gained more than 10 pounds and was always sick as a dog. You have a much better handle on it than you may think

I'm always a fan of the tangible reward. I have a list of all my goals and what I'm rewarding myself with when I surpass them. I like the stat system because it makes everything feel like a game, but I also know that when my delts are strong enough that I have a line all the way down my back, I'm buying myself a nice backless dress. When I can do pull ups, it'll be pole dancing classes. It keeps me thinking about why I'm striving for my goals to then immediately put them to use

All these things you're saying sound phenomenal, my only question is... can I be a part of it?

I've actually been ruminating over your suggestion AB, and I think I am going to take the plunge and join the assassins for the next challenge. It's going to be a whole new world, but I think I'm ready. I'll visit you at the monks, but you won't see me because I'll be wearing black :-P

Tallies for the whole challenge are as follows: Beautiful as Aphrodite: My goal was to feel beautiful and flexible by training my leg mobility every day. I wanted to work my way back to the front splits on both legs. This goal started out very well and I hit it hard, but pulling that thigh muscle after not taking the proper time to warm up during a very sleepy workout in Frankfurt really held me back and it got to be too painful to keep up with. I have noticed markedly increased flexibility in both my toe touch and butterfly so I know it isn't all for nought but I still want that split. This is something that I will continue with once that muscle has stabilized, but for now I'll give myself an F. Wise as Athena: I wanted to increase my ability to function and grow in my bedroom, which was a recurring horror of Sisyphean proportion. Those unaware of my shame should look at my week two thread. This is perhaps my biggest triumph. As of now I have a completely different room it seems, and I actually love going in there now. I can see myself coming home from a long trip and just being able to relax. When all is said and done I did an initial tidy of the room, sorted through every single one of my possessions including my closet and shelves, gave 2 trunkfuls of clothes and other odds and ends to charity, pulled down all the paintings and doodles I had done in middle and high school, removed a room spanning wallpaper border, primed and painted my room and trim an entirely different color, and rearranged all my furniture. All of the work I did over these six weeks was definitely worth it, and I would give myself an A++. Stronger than Hercules: I started the rebel strength guide basic training for this challenge, performing it 3 times a week. I actually only missed two workouts all challenge. This one was difficult to schedule with my job and with the massive room overhaul, but the great thing about body weight exercises is they can be performed anywhere. I'm also really blessed that some of my hotels had machines where I could do lat pull downs (60kgs baby!) and a good soft floor. I feel leaps and bounds stronger after doing this and I'm progressing on to level 1 during this interim week. Overall A for this one. Faster than Hermes: I wanted to start doing sprint intervals to supplement my daily walks. This was pretty easy, only once a week. I didn't see remarkable improvement with that minimal commitment, but neither did I make excuses and find ways to get out of it. Got in every single session, so A+ for me. This has been one trippy ride, especially the latter half of it. I started this challenge on the road, came back just in time for the LSAT and my best friends wedding, met the love of my life there, immediately had to go on another trip, and only got 1 week to finish everything before the end. Now I'm packing to go to Barcelona this afternoon and it begins again. I'm definitely glad I did this challenge, it's taught me a lot about willpower and motivation. Now, if you'll excuse me I have a Wonder Woman tshirt to order! :-P

Such a good mantra! Think of it this way, you don't have worry about slipping back into old-Orc habits because you're ALREADY a completely different person than old-Orc. You did that the moment you decided to try this challenge. You got this! We're in the home stretch now

Yeah! Keep on keeping on MissLace, were right there with you sad about the froyo though :-P

Hey! I've been way too MIA but I just got back in the country in time for week 6, so it should pick up a bit I'm doing pretty solid. It'll be down to the wire, but well see where week six ends up.

Welcome back!!!!! I think you'll find yoga to be a fantastic activity for all aspects of your life, not just fitness. I know we're all glad to see you back here and can't wait to see how your journey continues!