Talvi

Goals 1 and 4 look on track, maybe you need to find some inspiration/motivation for goal 3?

On 4/9/2020 at 7:32 AM, Red1263 said:

Hey hey! You're here! I'm glad to see you made it! Oh man, you've missed quite a bit, I don't even remember the last time we spoke, so you're going to have to tell me where you left off and I'll update you from there!

 

Well... not to brag... but my last challenge WAS pretty awesome... pixel-wise 😉

 

Mmmmmmm......  That is a tough one.   I think maybe you were working in an Amazon warehouse and applying to do something medical?   I think there may have been a medusa in a challenge..... It is probably best I just start paying attention going forward. It'll take too long to catch up!   

Good luck in your interview Congratulations on getting the job and enjoy your game days!

Hope you are doing well, Dan!  The website looks great - you have built a good amount of content for it, so well done!

With the power of necromancy, I am revived!

Happy Birthday Red.  What have I missed?  

You're character has been leveling up for years - you must have mad stats in pixel and irl 😊

Day 1 (Sunday 14th July)

1) Exercise twice a week

I ran between 8 and 9km today around a nearby forest.  It was really good weather for it and I walked a decent part of it, when I was too tired or my knee began to hurt.

I have made a plan to go bouldering on Thursday with a colleague!

2) Eat well

I have planned my meals until next Sunday, so now I just have to stick with it and not eat biscuits.

Talvi wants to find balance

Hi there, sorry I'm a bit late but I'm in need of sorting myself out and it is better to do that sooner than later, right?  I'm a few months post-relocation and a few months into my new job.  The post is super interesting and enjoyable, but between the steep learning curve, increased responsability and the workload, I have been a bit stressed and I have stopped taking care of myself.   I don't mind getting a little obsessive about the job, but I need to strike a better balance for my longterm survival and wellbeing.  So the plan for the next two weeks is to make time for exercise, to make time for homemade food and to book a holiday for September. 

1) Exercise twice a week

I need to plan this in advance, so that I actually make time for it.  Plus this challenge should provide a little accountability.   Any exercise would great.   Running, bouldering or yoga are my favourites.

2) Eat well

Plan my meals in advance, so that I don't have to think about it when I'm hungry.   I should cook most of my own food and bring my own lunches to work.   Of course, I'm allowed to eat out if I'm not at my usual place of work or if I'm being social.  Just try not to snack during the day on biscuits and try to order less sugary things if I'm eating out.

3) Plan holidays

I have planned to take time off, but I'm being absolutely ridiculous in actually making decisions and following through with my travel plans.   It isn't good for me or my partner, so I will plan and book this September holiday so that we can enjoy it with the minimum amount of stress involved.  Plus it'll be nice to look forward to after the rubbish logistics are out of the way.

Well done on not using the snooze!  How is the challenge going Artemis? If it is difficult, then I'd focus on just one or two goals.  

How about eating fruit or a few dried fruit/nuts with breakfast?  

I have never seen a challenge format like this before, but I really like it.   It keeps your goals current and provides short-term gratification, but messing up one day shouldn't throw you off the groove so much as long as you make new goals for the next day.  Noting this down for future use!

I am planning on (re)starting some python and data science Moocs soon - what are you planning on doing with all your python knowledge?

SymphonicDan!  PM-ing you!

Good luck with your goals!

Hey Red, just checking in!   You always pick such nice goals.   I hope you have better luck with your sleeping routine than I did last challenge.  Is the no tech after 11pm helping at all?  I've heard that the bright screens can be disruptive.   How was the last week?

Thanks guys!   I might join halfway through this challenge.  There is too much going on now and I need to pull myself together.

I haven't posted the Epic Quest list for 2017 on NF this year since I haven't been that active, but I'd be happy to share it if either you of wants to PM an email address

Hey Dan!   Just checking in and my first impression is that if your level 20 is called "lost in Guatemala" then you are doing something right (unless you are actually lost then let us know and we'll mobilise the NF community to find you).

I'm with Lucky Fire Dragon that the food challenge looks tough.   I would totally succumb to McBurgerDonuts.  I actually recently discovered a place near my work that sells Fried Chicken and sweet waffles... together... with frying oil and caster sugar on the same plate.  Weird as hell...  works though!  Have you thought about trying different/new fruit/veg each day?  Make a game out of it.

How are you planning to advance in Spanish now?  Try not to fall into the trap of thinking passive input = learning. 

On 17/03/2017 at 5:54 PM, SymphonicDan said:

lively, warm, cheap, comfortable and interesting

So not Paris then...    Not really a capital city either.  Spain would fit with your language training.  Or are you sneaking back to Slovenia?

Well, the good news is that I have been thinking about the challenge over the last 2 months and it has helped me here and there.  The bad news is that, as soon as I fell off the wagon, I started dodging the NF site like a pro.

Summary of the challenge as a whole

Waking up : This was the most most demanding one and the one I failed most abysmally.  I needed more motivation to carry this on.  I can only hope that as it gets lighter that this will be easier.   I have been really busy  and so I haven't felt that I've missed out on much by not waking up at a regular early time.  I don't think I would make this a challenge goal again, but it might be worth tracking for curiosity purposes.

Exercise :  I was hoping for a quite varied fitness routine, but I didn't quite manage doing anything but a couple of yoga sessions and a few jogs.  It is better than nothing but it isn't passable.  Despite dodging this site, I did keep doing things now and then so that was okay.

2017 Epic list [3/4] : I remember doing this for 3 out of the 4 weeks.  It was easy to do and did make me more aware of my goals.  I think this would be a good thing to incorporate in other challenges.

Latest exercise was a 10km race.  I hadn't trained so I just turned up for the laughs.  It was a beautiful day and I enjoyed the atmosphere with the race time of 58:31.  Thinking of signing up to another race in a month.

On 17/02/2017 at 8:30 AM, Red1263 said:

Well, in my defense, I was sick for a solid week! I was going insane just sitting in my room unable to do anything even remotely close to exercising! I couldn't wait to have enough energy to move around! Uhhh... Well, the 'Snag' will be resolved, once I learn how to win the lotto or rob a bank without going to jail >.> Well luckily there are no interesting characters that I need to learn about, and the format of the words is actually pretty easy to get, it's just I'm missing the actual vocab  I think it's a pretty good language, just gotta learn to develop an ear for it.

 

Well, I'm glad to hear that your spanish is well enough to be able to talk. Oh French? How's that? I have no idea how to learn that, although I do tend to use Mademoiselle, from time to time. This does sound like your next challenge! In either case, I'm looking forward to it!

Are there not scholarships or other funding opportunities?  Will you be able to go back then? Can you use any of the modules or universities credits you already have in job applications?

I wouldn't get ahead of myself and say that my Spanish is even as good as yours, but it'll do for now.   If you know Spanish then French would be relatively easy to learn since its a latin language and follows a number of the same rules.   My problem with French is that I'm at a stage where I can't passively improve - reading or listening by themselves won't help.  I need to study and use grammar, increase my vocabulary and be corrected when I make mistakes.  I think I need a teacher, but I have kept resisting it because of cost and time requirements.  Pfft.

Summary of WEEK ONE

Waking up [3/3] : Got up at 7am each weekday after the start of the challenge.   I still waste a lot of time in the mornings, so I want to experiment with different routines after I wake up to find the most rewarding ones.

Exercise [2/2] : Ran a 5km during the week and did a session of runners' yoga on Saturday.  I signed up to a race at the end of next month, which is already a good source of motivation.   Next week, I will try to go ice skating after work.

2017 Epic list [1/1] : Went through the list and wrote down the progress on each goal. Might start a onenote file to use as a progress diary.

20 hours ago, Red1263 said:

Ha ha ha! Then We'll have to work together to get more interesting challenges in the future! Lately? Oh boy! I got accepted into a Master's Program for Orthotics and Prosthetics, and then I hit a financial snag and I have to take a leave of Absence (but not after passing my classes with a 3.55 GPA), I'm still working, I've been invited to a wedding to the Philippines, which is happening in 2 years, so I'm going to teach myself Tagalog by reading first. Other than that, I can't think of anything else. How about you? How's your spanish coming along?

You only had 5 days of boring challenge and then you have already started making it more interesting - no point in waiting around I suppose    Oh wow!  I was actually going to ask about that since I think I read about your first day ages ago but I wasn't sure if it was you.  Congratulations!!!   When do you think the 'snag' will be resolved and you can go back?  I have never seen tagalog before - the alphabet is completely different from everything else I have seen.  How are you finding it?   

I haven't been up to much recently apart from visiting my family and trying to salvage something from my PhD (so. very. frustrating.).  I haven't been practicing Spanish this last year, but I am currently happy with the level I have since I can communicate alright with the in-laws.  Ideally, I want to focus on mastering French now.  I can speak to an advanced level, but I am not happy with it.  I find humor difficult and I don't feel fluent enough to show people some parts of my personality.  I feel like it is holding me back socially and (soon when I start job hunting) professionally.  What am I going to do about it?  Who knows...  A question for the next challenge perhaps.

Day FOUR (Fri)

Waking up [3/3] : Woke up at 7am this morning and didn't go on 9gag at all!   Spent some time reading NF threads, but that is better for me than scrolling crappy memes. Going to set a different noise alarm for everyday of the week.

16 hours ago, Red1263 said:

That's great to hear that you're inspired once again! My challenge isn't that interesting this time around

It is amazing how these challenges get me to put in the work.  I feel a little silly about how I can want to change for months and do nothing; then again I can wake up one day, make a challenge and work on my goals immediately. 

Then we can have boring challenges together   What interesting things have you been working on lately (before you were struck with the poison arrow)?   

Day TWO and THREE (Wed and Thu)

Waking up [2/3] : I've woke up at 7am both days.   Admittedly still spending time on 9gag in bed though.  I reckon I wasted about 30 minutes yesterday playing with my phone and mindlessly checking facebook and 9gag.  Still working on the post-wake-up routine - my boyfriend recommended doing something that I enjoy in the mornings to help me want to wake up and I suppose it would help me avoid the internet too.  I like the idea but I have no idea what to do though.  This sounds stupid but in the summer, I really liked taking care of my window herb garden in the morning.   Any ideas?  mmmmmm

Exercise [1/2] : Signed up to my first race in ages!  The Soli'run 10km on the 26th March, so I better get training

Hi Red, I hope you recover quickly!  How long have you been sick for?   I like how you aren't losing challenge momentum or motivation whilst sick and are just incorporating self-care into your challenges instead - very wise.

P.S.  Still love your pixel art.  Red is looking a bit purple ^^

3 hours ago, Red1263 said:

Hey hey! Welcome back! I'm looking forward to seeing you rock this!

 

sent from my phone whilst exploring new dungeons

Hi Red and thanks!   I look forward to seeing you own your challenge too

2 hours ago, Jonesy said:

Welcome back!

 

I think this is an excellent challenge set up for getting back into the swing of things.

Thanks, I'm just going to start with small but significant changes Maybe in a challenge or two, things can get more interesting...

Day ONE (Tuesday)

Waking up [0/3] : I wrote this challenge this morning, so I feel that day one started after after I had already woken up.   Even so, just writing the challenge encouraged me to get up at 7h15, which isn't too bad.

Exercise [1/2] : Off to a good start since I've downloaded Zombies Run and for a 5.19km run in about 33:33 minutes.   The end felt pretty difficult, but I'm sure I can get my stamina back with some training.

Talvi makes tactical decisions

Hi there, I'm currently a final year PhD student who is not entirely happy about how things are going in general.  I haven't been on NerdFitness for a year and it has been a fairly static one at that.   Previous challenges had me running, racing, doing bodyweight workouts, yoga, climbing, learning Spanish and doing programming - I had my shit together (pardon my French) and I liked it.   I want to be like that again but I feel stalled and overwhelmed.  This challenge is going to be small and simple but hopefully a step in the right direction.

1)      Wake up at 7:00am on weekdays

Rise and shine like Lux

My goal here is to make the most of my most productive morning hours.  Ideally, I want to sleep around 8 hours a night so going to sleep between 11pm and 11:30pm will make this goal much more bearable.   I don't have any *good* waking up routine at the moment - I wake up at different times every day with many snooze buttons and I waste a lot of time on my computer and phone.   I don't know whether it is a seasonal problem or maybe work-related stress, but I hate waking up right down and I'm finding it damn difficult.   Sleeping enough, having a set wake-up time and building a good morning routine should help me start my day better and more productively whilst get out of this slump.

2)      Exercise twice a week

I’m not and haven’t been motivated to do any exercise for … like a year…. Ouch!  I remember it being so beneficial to my body and my mood (unsurprisingly) and I’d like to get back into the habit of exercising.  The twice a week can be anything: running, yoga, hiking, ice skating, roller blading, climbing.. as long as I’m moving.  I want to want to exercise so the more fun I have the better.   I'm also signing myself up for two 10km races at the end of March and April.   I like the ambiance of races and I hope that the goal of setting a new 10km PR will get me training again.  In March 2015, I managed to run 10km in 51.09 minutes.

3)      Look at my 2017 epic list every week

This is the smallest goal, but I will use it for inspiration and gauge what I should be spending my time on.  It'll help me progress on what matters to me.

***

See you around the forums and good luck everyone!

B1+,  that is really good!   The last time I was tested, I was only a B2 in French.  You'll be schooling me in Spanish now and I'm really excited for how awesome it'll be for you to speak casually in South America

Ooooo  Congratulations on qualifying!!!

Summary of Week THREE

This week completely derailed me.   In the metaphoric marathon of my PhD, I've spend two hours running in circles between 5km and 10km.   I keep trying to move forward, but I'm not necessarily moving in the right direction and it often feels like I've forgotten how to place one foot instead of another.  Basically, my progress is consistently zero and I'm actually taking steps backwards in my research.  Pfft.   My emotions are quite closely linked with my day to day experiments and this has really affected my other projects this week.  

FRENCH: I didn't watch any TV or speak to anyone (where I paid attention to my French mistakes).  I''m a bit surprised but it seems like I've managed to everything else:  60 minutes grammar study today, 30 minutes of story ideas today, visited the library and read an awful lot of Eragon this past week (up to page 224).  -2 x 50 centimes.

ROLLING: I haven't managed to fit this in at all.  I would have liked to have booked a lesson for this Saturday but I've had some ridiculous mental paralysis during the week.

On 23/05/2016 at 4:44 AM, SaltyDragon said:

That rollerblading lesson sounds great! I don't know where I've been, but I had no idea anyone even did rollerblading anymore. I'm happy to hear that it's still popular! So – I gotta know – what did they teach you about braking??

 

 

With iPhone you pretty much have to use Objective C – which isn't a bad thing, but definitely more work than python.

You've been on a boat in the far far North - I can understand if not many people skate in those conditions To be fair, I'm not sure that roller blading is back in style - it is just something that I have wanted to try from a while back.   As a beginner, they advised that I use the heel brake to begin with.   I need to practice on my balance and they pointed out that my braking foot wasn't far enough forward. 

On 26/05/2016 at 1:03 AM, SymphonicDan said:

Ooh, glad the skating lesson was good  I always thought that being an adult might involve lots of being boring, carrying a suitcase everywhere and having no interesting hobbies except for questionable DIY projects. I'm so pleased that so many adults continue to do fun things way past their teenage years, and that there are adult classes for things like trapeze, roller-blading, parkour, etc.

 

Also I'll tell you a secret about how professional software engineers write code: most of it is inspired by Google searches for "python open file" or "C++ reverse iterator" because no-one actually remembers how to do the majority of these things  It's important to know enough about the language that you know what's possible and what to search for, and it's quicker obviously the more you know, but lots of your improvement will come from practising and trying things out rather than memorizing details.

 

Maybe there are some mundane tasks you have to do as part of your PhD that can be automated using a simple python program?

I thought that adults were supposed to be boring robots too!   But seriously, I was just afraid that only teenagers and pre-teens would brave the experience of learning to skate or parkour for that matter (which is something that I make train in properly come September).

Thanks for the advice - I just need to put my study into practice then   I would love to automate some of my PhD, but sadly I only work with small amounts of data and my experimental design changes to often to make a template.  I've asked my boss about the possibility of getting my hands on a bigger data set though so that I can play with R and Python in a meaningful way.

On 26/05/2016 at 5:05 PM, Alexandrite said:

I agree about the code thing. Everything I have learned about code for websites and dabbling in beginner app/game building had to do with google searches for "how to do this in code".

Glad the blading lessons went well!

Sent by my Navi-powered device!

You code too!  You are a goddess with the amount you do - I seriously do have some greenthumb envy from reading your challenge thread.  Thanks for all the inspiration!  I do have a little tricky question about your gardening that I'd been meaning to ask - how much food do you get from your garden? 

5 minutes ago, zenLara said:

 

Pressure worked, mwhahaha

Good work Zen!   We'll get to the bottom of this - would the project take place in the UK?  Geographical hints please and thank you.

That is beautiful and serene.... I hope you profited from the calm by means of push/pull-ups

Is there anything quantitative from yoga you were hoping to achieve?   You might be passed the 'touch your toes' milestone, but maybe you could look towards succeeding in a particular pose to validate your yoga workouts.

Excellent work on the running mileage - now you have the time to read many books whilst in advanced (handstanding) yoga positions