Blackstroke

Awesome update!

This just in: I SURVIVED FINALS without have to retake anything! (Actually, my last one which I wasn't sure on, I did way better than I though) I have busted my hindquarters the last 3+ weeks and stayed afloat. In the last 3 weeks, I have been up by 4am every day except for 2 or 3 days. To get extra undistracted study time. Coffee is my new best friend. I haven't exercised but we've eaten okay. I've been at a standard 6 hours of sleep every night, which is my absolute minimum. I have a buddy at school who does bodybuilding/physique contests. We are kinda bros. It's cool.

Master Windu would probably destroy muay thai. He'd be the exception though, not the rule

Update: I'm doing very well this challenge! I've been staying very busy and trying new strategies for studying. Finals are right around the corner (after turkey day break). --- Actual organization hasn't been so effective, but it definitely hasn't gotten worse. What I have been doing is trying to study more in depth and more structured. I've been utilizing the Pomodoro strategy (http://tomato-timer.com/) and prioritizing what to study based on 80/20 system as well. I haven't perfected it by any means, but have been doing much better. Now as long as I stay ahead of everything my stress level is low... I've tried to go away from isolation from my fellow classmates a bit, one friend in particular (does that scream "introvert" or what?). We have a surprising amount in common and have similar senses of humor. He competes in amateur physique competitions, and is pretty cool all around. We have eaten quite a bit better the last few weeks. In addition to the tea I mentioned in my first post, I have also acquired a Celestial Seasonings box of "Morning Thunder". Umm yeah, the one with the buffalo on the front. It has some caffeine, but still less than any coffee I would drink. I like strong full flavored tea if it is black tea and as long as I don't over-steep this, its excellent --- Since I am on a little break this weekend, I got to spend more time with my wife and son the last few days. It has been wonderful. I was feeling a bit stressed yesterday about people in our house and all of the setup. Well... my son has been having lots of trouble with teething and we haven't been able to get him to stay down for naps. It makes my wife a little crazy because as a SAHM she doesn't feel like she gets anything done. (And she, ladies and gents, is a do-er!) The trick has been that he will usually stay asleep much longer if someone holds him. So I had the opportunity to hold him in a quiet dark room for about 90 minutes just reading about anything I wanted to on my phone, without having to think about school or homework or set up. I got snuggle time in, and it was so quiet! My wife was delighted to get to do her decorating too! Thats all for now. I don't know if I will reply much here as I will be pushing hard to study for finals.

Hey, Assassins! Here for this challenge. I'm going to try some different things for this challenge. I want to make it really easy to not fall out on this one. I'm digging into some personal growth work I've needed. I've been looking at it as having to come out of a whole I've dug, but a lot of it has not been totally my fault and a lot of it has to do with growing up. I will not feel shame or allow self-hatred to continue to grow. Purpose: I see a Sage as someone who uses wisdom and knowledge to grow and keep themselves alive. They move towards preserving their life and being at peace with themselves so they may love others well. This doesn't seem very assassin-like in name only. But just as we are called as assassins to master our physical bodies through manipulation, willpower, and difficult bodyweight movements, we should be the masters of our emotions. Maybe not by becoming a pacifist or rejecting anger and fear, but not letting these things rule us and hurt others. (someone read up on Mace Windu!) -------------------Explanations------------------- 1. I've been struggling with a lot of stuff lately that hasn't really affected me before, or I haven't noticed. I've always been a pretty happy and positive person, getting by on just what I need and taking care of myself. I've always been 'safe', often allowing myself to coast when I know I'll get through, and sort of turning myself off when I perceive that I am not needed. But: I've been struggling with school this trimester, though the past 2 or 3 weeks have been very excellent and successful. I had to work my butt off to get back to where I need to be. I've recognized distractions and procrastination and have looked to correct them. My motivation for correcting them is the fact that 1. I feel like crap if I don't try hard. and 2. My wife and son need me. If I'm not trying to be my best all around, my family life suffers. I have responsibilities to others besides myself. I'm not saying I haven't been doing what needs to be done, but doing just enough for survival doesn't work, especially in growing relationships. 2. Been dealing with a lot of anger/anxiety stuff. My wife and I have had frivolous arguments that we haven't had before, and nearly every one has come down to one of us being stubborn, being mad at other life circumstances, tired, or not listening to each other and getting defensive. We realize by the end every time that its directly correlated to something else. A. I recognize a lot of fear I've allowed to grow in me. Fear of failure in school, fear of not providing for my family, fear of my son getting hurt -especially when I am on watch. Fear of losing my family.Fear of too many people in a store, afraid of fireworks on the Fourth of July while out with friends. Much of it is irrational fear. B. I recognize a lot of anger and judgement I've cast over others. Many times unfair judgement stems from self-hatred. Angry at my wife for something that isn't a big deal and that isn't even her fault. Note: I worked a job last year for about 4 months. It was in a period of time we had no idea where our next months rent would come from. I wasn't good at the job, and hated every second of it. Afraid to go to work. But it was all I could find even though I have a Bachelors Degree in computer programming. It was 4 months of hell which I feel is what started a lot of the negative emotions. I would come home and sit on the couch and eat and push myself as far from reality as possible. I was so emotionally drained that everything would upset me. I'd bring my failures from work into my home life and feel like a failure in everything else. 3. We have been lazy with food and I've been paying for it. Dairy, Carbs, Processed food, too much caffeine. I have found that a certain way of brewing coffee has caused my heart to race and makes me feel crazy for hours after. --------------------------------------------------------- This challenge I am taking a break from physical fitness to work on emotional and mental fitness. This challenge will be graded mostly in a subjective manner. I will be working towards SELF-HEALING, BUILDING COURAGE, and EMPOWERING MY MIND. 1. Prioritize and Organize: A. Schedule my life in time increments like I have before B. Prioritize what is important and pursue that first C. Make ALL the lists D. Have a daily to-do list. Not sure where I will go with this one yet, but I have currently made one for what I could do with my car in the realm of maintanence. E. Eliminate the distractions that get in the way of my studies, my family time, or pursuing interests. F. Keep a notebook near me to record stray thoughts or important thoughts. G. Find an end-game 2. Self-help A. Positive uplifting thoughts B. Positive imagery C. Pursuing inspiration (TEDtalks?) D. meditation --- Meditation to be mulled over for a bit. I feel that some purposeful introspective time to release negative emotion is important. Journaling, who knows? 3. Eat better! A. Say no to junk food B. Meal Plan C. Little/No caffeine --> The exception here if I am up early to study. D. Drink more water! E. Drink more tea! --> Thanks to Cobaltsword for some friendly conversation on favorite teas, I've picked up some pretty good quality loose leaf organic rooibos tea infused with blueberry and schnozberry (schisandra berries). Its very good and smells even better. Ps. I'm going to be working really hard to rock the rest of the trimester before christmas time. I'm recognize that when I study several days in a row very efficiently, I feel like I can absorb things more easily. I want to call this BEAST MODE but I'm sure its a real psychological thing. PPs. I read an article today stating meditation may actually affect you on a cellular level. Mind-Body connection.

Subbed ----Will post a challenge this weekend. Several tests last week and 3 big ones this week. Tomorrows is HUGE! Get after it!

Its been a few days! This week I didn't do a great job of working out, but I've been working through some stuff. Had a tough test and while I didn't rock it, I did well enough to be happy with the score. Been dealing with some anxiety/anger stuff the last few months. No idea what has caused it, but I definitely don't have equilibrium. Looking into some meditation stuff as well as essential oils. Part of the problem is when I drink too much coffee the anxiety gets stimulated. I'm also an introvert and a bit of a perfectionist. So being around too many people for too long (introvert) + not feeling like I have studied enough (perfectionist) + who knows what else = crazy anxiety. 3 tests this next week. If I study well (get off all social media, have no distractions) I will do pretty good. If not, this could be a tough week. Ugh.

What? Let me get this straight, you can't gain muscle doing exercises that are easier than a full pushup?

Crazy weekend! Took two very long walks with hills with my son this weekend and had his birthday. Didn't eat too much at the party either Got a new (refurbished) 2012 MacBook Pro. Can now watch movies to relax after our busy weekend, my wife and I are watching the new captain America while the little guy sleeps

Got my (short) workout in today!

Short update: I read my first post on this page. It seems a bit sad. I feel better and have for a few days. More positivity, less negativity. I've done quite well staying on task with school stuff lately. To get my little dose of video games in, I've just watched a little bit of gameplay (AC, Diablo 3) and read a little lore. Been doing it basically during breaks, this is improving. ////////// Does anyone else play mmos or role playing games and either do the analysis or find another persons analysis to optimize your characters gear, damage output, etc? I do. ////////// Should get a few grades back soon, both on tests I felt very confident on had a test last week... A very tough lab test... And did quite well on it. Planning to exercise this afternoon fairly soon actually. Just a short one, but It is part of the building! EDIT: 3 A's on those tests, 2 of them lab tests and 1 a lecture test. That's a good feeling.

Tiny update: Sunday I was quite efficient with my study time, except for a 40 minute period of time. This was an improvement for me recently. The test that was today went very well. I for sure got a B, maybe an A. The test was in my Histology class, on identifying connective tissue types, types of cells, and cell organelles just by seeing. I am pretty pleased with my perceived difficulty as it is supposed to be one of the most difficult tests we take in the class!\ Today was that test. In addition to that, I told myself to start slowly and build up until the next challenge. In order to do this, I completed do the BBWW posted on the main NF website. I wanted to just do some kind of workout. It seemed the best starting point as it was all laid out for me. So I did the exact workout one time (using a 20 lb kettlebell instead of a milk jug). It is checked off on my list, and I am okay with saying I accomplished today's workout goal. Nailed it. Studying for another test for tomorrow and listening to AC4 soundtrack. My norm is the Skyrim theme on repeat, but I have a really hard time reading text while listening to music with any words... even if they are in dragon speech. My wife is making bacon-wrapped meatballs. You jelly? //PS: Been thinking about the next challenge, and I think I want to do it. I plan to do some sort of discipline goal, though it might be subjective aka how I perceived my study time, etc. This will be in addition to workouts, food, school, etc. My little helper/imagery today was the Monk class from Diablo III. Maybe not so much for the martial arts of our rebellion monks, but for the discipline and strength in the ideals of the passion and philosophy of monks. I imagined a little jedi knight in there too.// NOTE: This is NOT to say the Assassin's have none of these qualities. Just looking at some imagery

It really is awesome!!! Our dog got to run around back there a few times in the last 24 hours, he is so happy! He found something and started digging holes and rooting around.

This is very intriguing!

Short update: Still haven't worked out. But I did get a LOT of exercise in today... Our house manager (basically our landlord) was supposed to take care of fallen tree limbs and take trash (old rugs and towels, plastic tubes, old tire, etc) that were in the back yard when we moved in in March. Let's just say very few of the house maintanence things he is supposed to do have yet to get done... 7 months later. So we haven't been mowing, weeding, or maintaining our backyard at all. Fast forward to now, and we have 10 foot weeds and thick grass and sticks... An overgrown nasty forest in our yard. We are having our sons first birthday party next weekend and decided to start cleaning it last weekend. We wacked all the weeds and made limb piles last weekend... And today worked some more. But it was going to take hours and hours and maybe still not get done. I took a chance today and instead of raking ( in my opinion the worst chore there is) mowed it in hopes we could mulch everything in 5 or 6 hours instead of rake, piles stuff, then mow... 4-5 hours of non stop mowing and I won. I won it all. It looks amazing! I'm estimating close to 10 miles of walking or more. HURRAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Enjoying reading your challenge, keep it up!

Having a pretty productive week and feeling pretty good does anybody else do the thing where they say to themselves "I can't start exercising today, I have to start on (x)day!" I do that. My day is Monday... Really thinking I should join in the next challenge in full force - and do maintanence til then, which is not a bad thing at all. I think one good goal would be to update at least every other day to stay accountable. I also get a bit bored if I don't spice it up a little bit... I get sick of doing the same circuit(s) 5 days a week, so I'll probably pick some from Neila Rey's website. I AM thinking of doing one bww challenge, and then move to mixing in either gymnastics (planche as a final goal) or parkouring (harder to do because I don't think I have a place to go) or maybe a bit of martial arts. We will see how it goes... I think I am planning this next challenge to be based on BUILDING GOOD HABITS. I've had the. Before, but seriously flopping on them right now. I thrive with structure, so this could be good 1. Eat Well/PALEO: I'd say we are 80% of the way there right now. However, that 20% is what is causing lots of problems. 2. Exercise: 5 real workouts a week 3. Meditate/Worship: ----------------------- I'm a Christian, and all of my friends know it. I try to live a life that honors my God (I say my God because I know others even here have a God different from mine). I believe very much that choosing to live this way strengthens my spirit, mind, etc. and also helps me to have compassion for other people (something I sometimes struggle with) and remove distractions. I also call what others call 'luck' favor. This goal is my wanting to honor Him with my time during the day. Maybe everyday, maybe a few days a week and not just Sunday. This means reading my Bible or praying or journaling. Call it meditation, it helps me center me and helps to clear my brain of distractions. I will choose to respect all others here who want to follow a religion, or not. It is not my place to judge you and where you are in life. It is my place to lift ya'll up. I will respond to questions on Christianity, but I don't plan to entertain excessive or rude criticism and expect my friends here to understand that. ------------------------ 4. School: this is a tough one, and my (sort of) main priority. Need to study EFFICIENTLY. This means not looking at Facebook or NF during my scheduled study time. Also, SCHEDULE STUDY TIME! 5. Follow some kind of Chiropractic research: this goal will mostly be put in place to keep the fire burning. I've got probably 8 months still of straight basic sciences and its wearing me down. I don't get to adjust for the first time until a year from now. That sucks because that's what I'll be doing with most of my life. 6. Love my family well: dates with my wife, more time with my son, etc. more here later. This is really important. 7. Develop a hobby/interest outside of all this: I do have these, but I get distracted by trying to learn about every single subject on the planet. END: these might be more generic goals. These aren't really action plans. Good thing I have a few weeks to prep

Finally, I am caught up! Cobalt, did you know Robert Downey Jr., who played Sherlock Holmes in the most recent films in hollywood, practices Wing Chun kung fu? He was in trouble with drugs (cocaine, I think) for quite some time and says wing chun is a very big part of his rehab and helped him get control of his life. (I am a huge fan of RDJr. Iron Man. Sherlock Holmes. etc.) I have heard INCREDIBLE things about SoM from friends at school. I personally hold Aragorn's character as a bit of a role model, though he might be a bit more rangery than assassiny. His characteristics are incredibly honorable. I found Jake Mace today! Haven't had time to delve in, but I think I may try some little tenets of it and see how I like it. I am looking for something (outside of school) to gain focus. I practiced Tae Kwon Do many years ago, though it was very americanized and had a lot of things left out. Way to go, keep it up! Always impressed by your challenges. Edit: Regarding Krav Maga- KM is extremely effective, and was created by and used by the Israeli Defense Force. They are one of the most well trained militarys in the world, and train many of the United States' special forces troops. Israel had basically been at war for 1000+ years, so they seem to know what they are doing to some extent. I do realize often martial arts are used for reaching focus and calm, not just for self defense. This is the reason I am not only looking at Krav Maga. Survival is very important. This seems to be a very big part of Krav Maga. Let me clarify... There is not a peaceful part of Krav Maga because there is no peace. Haha idk, that though makes sense to me right now. Edit 2: Muay Thai is supposed to be one of the most powerful martial arts via kinesiology of strikes, knees, etc. I've heard also very intense. Very impressive.

Yeah. Food is so connected to culture. Memories. Etc. Its so hard to break the chain of stress/emotion eating. I guess food isn't just for fuel, but when you put a LOT of food which has a deleterious effect on your body... and do it on a regular basis... It really isn't healthy. I am 90% sure I have a reaction to gluten, and obviously too much sugar. I used to be able to eat WHATEVER I wanted. And thought I was pretty healthy because I didn't eat twinkies or sweets everyday. My wife pointed out it was silly to eat garlic bread when eating spaghetti. Never even thought of it as carbs and more carbs. But bread-like products are so good! I have done full paleo for a month and lost 12+ lbs with no problem. I've done a limited carb diet with lots of greens and lean protein. Eating 5/6 times a day, and went 275 --> 230ish in the 10 weeks before my wedding. And my digestive system was in much better shape. And I felt so good. And my physique was much improved. Why is it so hard to stick with it? Or make good choices? //// I have the day off today. So I am out of the house studying (talking to my assassins). I am actually off to get stuff done now for a bit. I had a really good week of studying, etc. last week after failing pretty miserably for a while. And this past weekend was just a flop again. Got get on the train and stay on it!

These words are golden! I'm trying to figure out how to even schedule it into my day. I know I waste too much time gaming and facebooking (honestly, checking it once an hour every day is ridiculous when you have tons of stuff to do lol.... this is actually very common...). Is it really possible to get a QUALITY workout in doing bww (advanced calisthenics) in a 1/2 hour? I haven't read the book but I do follow Al Kavadlo a bit. I did do bww somewhat sporadically in Jan/Feb/Mar of this year. I had to START at 10 regular pushups. Its a pretty big blow for someone who has been able to lift a very significant amount of weight in the recent past. Is the place to start just get the book? Lol.

Go Cobalt! I'm seeing perseverance as I reread some of your past challenges. This is just as important as physical strength, good work. I think you posted on it before, but where did you find the wing chun forms? Online? I'd be interested. It's between that and Krav maga. I know, very different lol. Subbed

I'm back. I should say I peek in on and off. Here's another of those "I'm too busy" posts... Or not... I am a good way into my second trimester of chiropractic school, and busy busy busy. Or I wish I could say that... Has anyone ever been negatively affected by video games? I have... No... Wait... That's my own self discipline. How about that? Has anyone ever had trouble being motivated/staying motivated? Or just chosen virtual reality over reality a little too much? Because I have. I've chosen RPGs and idle games over my studies, which then affects my time with my family because what could be family time is now filled with study time. Or affects taking care of my body. Or affects learning about something new that is important like chiropractic research, eating healthy, etc. We had homecoming at school last Friday. The speaker was fantastic in many areas. But two main points he made: 1. Food is fuel. Food should (for the most part) not cause an emotional response. Sugar and nicotine share the same biochemical receptors. Sugar is an addiction, and it illicits an emotional response (endorphins, etc.) sugar addiction is a real thing. (He talked about GMOs and organic food, but I won't get into that now) 2. In the ... Non-allosteric world? (Mainstream medicine) there had been research done showing EXERCISING IS READ IN THE BRAIN AS A NUTRIENT TO YOUR BODY. That your body and mind cannot function optimally without it... That you are not living life to its fullest without it. You MUST exercise to live a healthy life. I am from America, where the majority of all adults are obese. Not just overweight, but obese. So here I am, months after my last challenge attempt, scrambling a bit. I've neglected my family, studies, body, most other things, and even if I don't post here regularly, what I need to do is take care of myself, which I'm not doing. My emotion here isn't really desparity, even if it seems so. It's more of a swift kick in the ass. I need to set priorities and prepare for the next challenge. Not that I must report to the Rebellion, but the fact I know it'll help me stay on track means I should do it. END. ////////now for a little extra if you want to read it/////// I've had a few adverse reactions lately, more so than I was before at least: 1. Syrup on pancakes/waffles - my wife makes great fancy breakfasts on the weekends since I get to be home with my fam early in the morning. We try not to use high fructose corn syrup pancake syrup. But the last... Few months I've been having really poor digestion and diarrhea. A few weeks ago I thought... Maybe it's the liquid sugar I'm putting on my pancakes! Sure enough, no problems after removing syrup. Which makes sense. 2.Coffee - LOVE COFFEE! We drink coffee regularly on weekends, drinking Chemex to be specific. Always organic coffee too. I could drink a good portion of two pots myself. Jitters like crazy, and dehydration when drinking too much with not enough water. So my limit is 2 cups, usually 1.5 BUT! Has anyone discovered bulletproof coffee? Putting organic grass fed butter in black coffee. I use unsalted. It is supposed to level out energy levels during the day. I would say that it works for me as log as I don't have enough coffee to spike my energy already lol Last thing: we purchased a quarter of grass fed beef for the winter/spring. Delicious, and actually very cost effective. We are starting to lean more organic because the cost of conventional food is getting to the point it's not much cheaper anymore. //////////

Wow, Amar, thanks for making this post. This is me... High school athlete. Football, wrestling, track. Then track throwing in college. My peak weight was 300, though in my final year my in season weight was about 270. Very stronga in those lifts plus Olympic lifts. Fast forward two years... Married for 2 years, one little peanut, coached a track team for a year and now in chiropractic school. But I haven't kept up with my training because I am not competing. Now I'm at 270 - but haven't regularly worked out in a year. I have more aches and pains than ever, a lack of motivation, and some (minor) health problems because of poor eating (obesity and digestive problems, plus inflammation). I love spending time with my family, especially with my 25 hours in class plus another 30+hours a week for homework and studying. So I want to be at home as much as I can instead of at the gym. What I want is to transform my body to where my strength is functional, I carry less weight, and I look good. Oh yeah, and be healthy. I want to be able to workout at home without a lot of equipment. Just didn't think this would be for me... Now bc of your post I think it is. Thanks for this nugget of motivation. Its good to see it worked for someone with similar background. Consider yourself followed!

Cobalt! I suggest safety razor! I shave exclusively with one, utilizing bar soap and brush for lather. The reason I don't suggest straight is that while badass (I would say slightly more badass than safety razor) the learning curve and time requirements are much steeper than wit the safety razor. You won't be sorry about trying it out.

Hey guys - long time no see - Just wanted to drop a little message to say I won't be participating in this challenge. I've gotten really busy with classes and need to keep the focus there. Everything is going very well so far, my grades are up, up up! I have 25ish hours of class and average at least 25 hours a week doing homework as well, usually more like 35 hours would be my guess. My wife and I got a membership to costco (similar to sam's club, etc). This means better quality food for significantly reduced prices (so far my estimate is we have dropped our grocery spending by no less than 10%... or rather we can afford more and more healthy foods). Haven't eaten very well, though its usually more a cheat meal or snack that isn't good. Meals have actually been good. Been getting adjusted regularly and (aside from last night - bought some junk to eat because wife is out lol) I haven't been having headaches in a month or so. This is really significant because my normal is around 1-2 headaches a week. Usually they aren't significant at all, but being free for over a month is awesome. My real weakness (outside of ice cream of course...) has been these Dark Chocolate covered acai berries. I just can't stop eating them. They are probably really closer to milk chocolate. We usually get dark (70%+) chocolate because its easier to eat 1 square and be done. My wife and I can eat 1 bar for 4 days - a nice relief when eating pretty strictly. I can say that I love summer, and am making good friendships with peers at school. I'm recognizing this sort of inferiority complex I've had for a long time. In high school I didn't apply myself and had average grades. Early college was the same way. Late undergrad I tried and made B average. Now that I'm doing something I really am passionate about, I'm racking up the A's. And whats even better (And my wife would agree...) is that I'm slowly getting more efficient at studying and homework. I get more done in less time. I use a technique - I can't remember the name of right now - that I set a timer for about 25 minutes and do nothing but study. 25 minutes on, 5 minutes off. Rinse. Repeat. IT WORKS! for me at least. My class schedule: Spinal Anatomy BioChemistry I (This is the bear) Systemic Anatomy Cell Physiology Philosophy of Chiropractic Technique I Embryology (favorite professor! Former green beret. So funny. never would have thought a man could be so passionate about babies) I will check in periodically to see how everything is going.