Krioni

Update: Per my wife's request (since she's the primary shopper/cook) we're modifying the Paleo transition to be complete by the end of the 6 weeks. So I have to outline the two-week menu w/ recipies and shopping lists by the end of the challenge.I've had some illness that's gotten in the way of my exercise. I'm still pushing forward when I can.Got a couple more recruiters showing some interest.

Good quests! If you're looking for indoor alternative to running, try kettlebell/dumbbell/grip plate swings. (Do it with a water-filled bottle or jug if you don't want to buy equipment.) Just learn to do them correctly. They're not hard to learn, but soooo many people do them badly. Josh here (http://youtu.be/j1f5Ou0yIu8) is a trainer you can trust. Or just Google: correct form for kettlebell swing. Good luck on the challenge!

Ok, here's the latest. I've got a basic sketch of the exercise plan in place. Strength Training (2X / week) : Full-body, big lift circuitSquats, Deadlifts, Bent-over rows, Bench press, Overhead press, plankStarting very light weights, 8 - 10 reps, 1 set (w/ 30 s plank)Increase weight by 5 lbs every session (or every other session)Add 2nd set after week 3Walking (2X / Week) : 30 min. minimum Eating plan is started. Barely. Ground rules as follows: Paleo w/ 2 cheat meals per weekIncorporate paleo dining out options as necessary (eventually want to get away from this for financial reasons if nothing else)Has to be easy cooking for wife to manage2 weeks (14 days) of menu. Repeatable for 6 weeks. Paleo substitutions allowed.Hypnosis. Fairly easy to do, once I dial in the exercise and eating plans. Trying to incorporate the habit breaking/forming principles from The Power of Habit Side Quest: Well, I've had a phone interview and sent out some resumes.

Looking good, dude! Well begun is half done.

Main Quest: Achieve 15% BF (Currently ~40%) This Challenge's Objective: Start Exercise and Nutrition Habits Goals: Develop, implement, and follow a 2-week paleo meal plan. Follow for all 6 weeks of challenge.Develop, implement, and follow a beginner exercise plan. Follow for all 6 weeks of challenge.Develop, implement, and follow a personalized hypnosis routine to support the primary goals. Follow for 6 weeks.Side Quest: Resolve questions about current employment situation. Motivation: I want to live a long, healthy, active life with my wife and son.I don't want to be sick at an early age like my dad.

Day 27: Took my son camping with his Cub Scout pack over the weekend. It was...interesting. About 1.5 hours of sleep Friday night. Pulled muscles during a hike on Saturday. Came home early Saturday night instead of spending another cold, sleepless night out there. I'm hoping my pulled muscles heal up before the start of the next challenge. My biggest struggles with getting this well and truly off the ground are: Inertia - getting the habit ball rolling is proving to be a real chore. I enjoy the workouts I've designed for myself, but I can't seem to make the rest of my life organize itself so I can get them in at the appointed time.Busyness - I've overloaded my life with extracurriculars. Cub Scout Pack Committee, church small groups (two!) my gaming group and crafting tiles for the game I run, plus a new Meetup I've started for new gamers. This is on top of fulfilling the responsibilities of my current job and looking for a new job.Resistance - My wife has given verbal consent that she wants to pursue this change with me, yet she consistently buys, makes, or brings home food that is contrary to our dietary goals. I don't have time to purchase and prepare my own food (see Busyness), so I'm dependent on her for a lot of my success at this point. And that's not even starting to take the Holidays into consideration.I'm going to have to break this whole thing down into ludicrously tiny mini-goals if I'm going to have a snowball's chance in Hell of succeeding.

Yeah, always be suspicious of things like BMI and "Ideal weight" charts. They consistently have me at an ideal weight where I'd have to loose 20 lbs. of muscle to achieve. I need to lose plenty of fat, too, mind you. Still it's just annoying to see the "experts" touting weights that are totally unreasonable as ideals.

Could be worse....you could have mixed Druid and Monk and been a Drunk. Welcome! And congrats on your Paleo success so far!

Day 23: Happy Halloween, y'all! This is going to be harder than I thought. I'm reading through The Power of Habit (and other habit articles on NF) and looking to implement my desired changes according to plan. I'm also looking at ways to incorporate hypnosis (a recently acquired hobby) as a way to lock in new habits and blow away old ones. In the meantime, my eating and workout successes have been shaky. I need to start the habit of reviewing my quest objectives daily. Maybe posting them to a number of high-visibility spots.

Day 8: My first full week as a 0-level character. :-) I've learned a ton, and I'm looking forward to things changing. Food: Around 12.5 hours of fasting.Nuts and beef jerky - breakfast of champions.Coffee w/ half-and-half and a sugar/equal mix. I want to get away from artificial sweeteners, but I need my coffee sweeter than two sugar packets will provide. Yes, I'm aware that it probably means I'm drinking crappy coffee. It's what they provide at work.Carrot "chips" and guacamoleOmelette w/ Andouille sausage and ham, tomato gravy, and pepperjack cheese. Sliced tomatoes and fruit on the side.3 tomatoes, wedged. Turkey breast cold cuts; apple; more nuts

Days 5, 6, 7: Yikes! Travel. Family dinners. Being somewhat out of control of one's food choices. This was a crazy trip. I focused on minimizing damage and trying to jump back into the plan ASAP when I returned home. I was able to put some more thought into my long and medium-term goals. I came up with ideas for my Level 50 as well as enough for my first couple of quests/challenges. I'll formalize those and publish them soon. Past is behind me. Moving forward!

Day 4 Activity: Taking a sick day today (allergies) and working on defining my quests.May go someplace I can walk around for a while.Food: <Sound of bomb falling and resulting explosion>Yeah, the less said the better. Not a good day for the ol' nutrition change. No biggie. Tomorrow's a new day.

Hey Angie_Pheonix, Yeah, not getting responses/views kinda sucks. But kudos for not letting that turn you off and jumping back in! I see you're a LARPer. I've been somewhat fascinated by LARPing, but I'm too busy with my tabletop RPG group and other commitments to add any new hobbies. I did watch Realm of LARP on the Nerdist channel, but not sure how representative that was of the hobby in general. Anyway, keep pressing on! Looks like you're doing great things. Be well!

Welcome So-pheye-ah (Hope that's the right pronunciation)! Sounds like you've had quite the life of activity until recently! That's great! Just work your way slowly back into full tilt so your ankle has time to strengthen up. No new injuries! The tightrope thing sounds interesting and made me think of this. Might be a good step in that direction. Be well!

Congrats on the progress you're making so far! It's always tough when life puts kinks in our routine. Look at it as an opportunity to find new things to try. If you've been jogging outdoors, buy a kettlebell and learn how to swing it. Switch from barbells to gymnastics-style bodyweight exercises. What you switch to doesn't matter as much as the attitude that takes each "obstacle" and figures out how to make it an opportunity for continued progress. Be well!