Daryl of the Pines

I especially like your 3rd goal, Wyrdling. It's something I often due in the warmer months, in various parks or wooded areas, by myself or with my little one. It's great exercise for the body and mind (and maybe spirit?). I'd be anxious to hear about some of your exploring experiences.

Karate practice went well yesterday. I had missed the week prior so it was good to be around karate people again. Good workout on basics, plus some kata time, which I really appreciated since one of my goals focuses around Kanku Dai. My plans to go to the Y today will have to wait for another day, however, as we have been hit by a mid-April thunderstorm snowstorm. So far at 7 inches of rain snow and counting. It may be for the better anyway, since the after affect of my Monday and Tuesday workouts have left me with very sore arms and shoulders. I'm sure the Monday evening weight training is the main culprit, as I haven't established a routine for weight training yet, and I'm sure it was a bit of a shock to the system. So in the spirit of Goal 1 (no self inflected injury), I'm taking the day off. And also because rain snow in mid-April is demoralizing (even in Minnesota).

Sounds like a deal. So, a couple of days into the challenge, things are not perfect, but it is progress. I got to yoga on Sunday, which was good for the body, mind, and spirit. I did my morning karate training at home on Monday, and even went to the YMCA for a short, 30 minutes weight training/cardio workout. This is not even a normal part of my "routine" so I'm rather proud of myself for doing it. Due to a family event I will likely miss my normal yoga class on Wednesday, so I will likely replace it with a similar workout, since I can do that at the Y just about any time of the day. I also won't be able to get to my usual yoga class next Sunday due to Easter, so I will try to take in some extra classes or weight training on Friday and Saturday. I woke up late this morning and missed my morning karate routine. This was self-inflicted, as I allowed myself to sleep in a little bit since I woke up at 2:30 AM to see the "blood moon." However do have the actual karate class this evening so the damage is minimal. I'd still give myself a "B" for the day. Progress, not perfection. This is rapidly becoming my life mantra. I have been piecing together Kanku Dai over the past few days as well. I can't say "it's coming back" as I never really had it in the first place. But it is coming along, one little section at a time.

Perhaps you might consider tracking your levels (as is one level per completed challenge), but not tracking the stats at all? I know, I know, that is a major departure for someone very attached to RPG stats, I get that. But I've noticed a few people here don't really seem to keep track of it (or at least it isn't evident in their signature). Perhaps they have come to the conclusion that the stats are only a distraction from the real purpose here, which is to level up your life. This is something that's been rolling around in my head recently, as I am considering just not bothering with the stat portion, as I know I over-think a lot of stuff too, and I can see myself falling into a lot of self-inflicted frustration over it in the future. If I could offer a suggestion, just take a moment to clear your mind, accept that one think doesn't have to have anything to do with the other, that fitness goals can certainly have applicable stats....but they don't have to. Granted, I am very new to NF as well, but from what I have read so far, I don't think you need to worry about any "rules lawyers" challenging you on anything as far as RPG stats here. As long as you are gaining something from the experience, and hopefully finding some enjoyment from the experience, you might as well allow yourself to break from the mold however you see fit. If tracking RPG stats in anyway detracts from those two things (making gains, and enjoying the process), what good are they?

Thanks for the warm welcome. I do believe that yoga adds a nice balance to the mix. It feels like the right kind of physical conditioning I need to improve my flexibility, strength, and stamina, as well as work on my breathing and relaxation. It also has the mindfulness component to it, which is something I would really like to get in touch with. Not just for karate, but for everything. I know the challenge doesn't formally begin for a few days, but tomorrow I'll be starting bright and early with yoga, and probably jumping into Kanku Dai as well. For tonight, maybe just relax and treat myself to some Mad Monkey Kung Fu action (the Shaw Bros film that is, hence the new "monkey" theme to my online persona).

So I'm throwing in with the Monks this round. And in all likelihood, several rounds to come. Martial arts have been a passion of mine since college. Most of my experience is with Shotokan karate, but I've tried some other stuff as well. This challenge is all about my return to practicing Shotokan. I'm coming back to it after a 2 year hiatus due to a back injury. I'm currently attending a small karate club at the local YMCA which, at this point, only meets once per week. This means a lot of my progress will depend on what I put into it on my own time, at home. The aim of this challenge is to solidify a foundation in Shotokan practice from where I can hopefully continue where I left off 2 years ago, and perhaps even finally earn my shodan. This is about balance with my other priorities (family, work), establishing routine, and building upon ability, skill, and confidence. The goal is progress, not perfection. Goal 1: Put simply, don't get hurt! The lower back injury from two years ago is basically a pulled muscle that I assume was aggravated by kicking too high, too fast, and too often with the roundhouse kick. I also believe insufficient core conditioning and inflexibility was a part of the problem. To achieve this goal, I'm going to have to use my head. Easier said than done. As anyone who knows me well can tell you, I can easily become obsessive about my karate, and push myself in ways that are lacking in common sense. So now I'm going to use common sense. For example, if I'm having concerns about my back stiffening up, particularly due to the culprit roundhouse kick, I simply won't do a roundhouse kick that day (I don't think I'll miss it that much, the standing roundhouse isn't even present in Shotokan kata). If I'm attending practice that day, I will simply state that I would prefer not to perform the roundhouse kick due to an injury, and perform front kicks, or even a lower, slower roundhouse, in its place. It's not exactly rocket science (yet such a common sense approach has eluded me all these years). Meeting this goal will add 3 to Con, and 1 to Wis. Goal 2: Establish the foundation. This is basically getting the routine down to, well, a routine. And a basic one at this early stage. Nothing that may hinder Goal 1 or other areas of my life (family, work). Simply put, it means attending karate class every week. It also means practicing at home, every day or nearly every day. I once read an interview with Sensei Okazaki where he recommended practicing at least 10 minutes per day. He advocated for 10 minutes because even with the busiest life imaginable, anyone can find time for 10 minutes. I believe I can practice for 10 minutes before work without much difficulty. I know I won't become a tournament champion through 10 minutes per day, but that is not the goal. The goal is simply progress, not perfection. Just 10 minutes per day, Monday through Friday, before work (I plan to train weekends too, but for simplicity this goal will focus on weekdays). Lastly, this goal also means resuming the routine of yoga I established during the last challenge, attending at least 2 times per week at the YMCA. Yoga has been highly beneficial to healing my back injury, managing stress, and increasing flexibility. In a nutshell, the weekly routine is: 1 karate class, 5 home karate practices, and 2 yoga classes. Meeting this goal will add 2 to Sta and 2 to Str. Goal 3: Focus on one kata. For this I am choosing Kanku Dai. I choose Kanku Dai because of the 4 main brown-to-black belt kata I am expected to be familiar with at my rank (Bassai Dai, Jion, Enpi, Kanku Dai), this is the one I am the least familiar with. I am also choosing it because it is considered to be the "showpiece kata" of the Shotokan ciriculum. It is said to even have been the personal favorite of Gichin Funakoshi. Someday, I would love to present it before a panel of judges as I test for shodan. Meeting this goal will add 2 to Sta and 2 to Dex. Life Goal: Read more. It's occurred to me that I don't read enough. I tend to fall into more passive forms of entertainment, such as television or video games, when I have free time. For this goal I wish to finally finish the sci-fi novel I've been picking away at, and then dig into a couple books on mindfulness and Secular Buddhism. Meeting this goal will add 2 to Wis and 1 to Cha. On a final note, I should mention that I will be taking a vacation at the end of this challenge cycle, from May 15 through May 27. This will disrupt some of my routine, namely the karate and yoga classes. But since these activities only require the person, they will come with me on vacation. I can continue to avoid injury, practice karate 10 minutes per day, practice some yoga, and work on my kata while I am on vacation. And so it begins.....

So I've given it some thought.....I'll give myself an overall "C" on this challenge, and give myself a pass. After all, I did a bang up job on 2 out of the 3 parts. And even though I faltered in the end on the last one, there was some degree of progress there. And I do have to acknowledge that the decision to throw in the towel was for a reason. I guess it wouldn't really be a success if sticking to it resulted a bad outcome with my job. So I'll restore my Level 1 status, and build on from there. Next time around, I'll be throwing in with the Monks, full-time.

Perhaps I am too hard on myself. Still, I have a hard time viewing this one as a success, as a whole (even though individual parts of it were quite successful). I'll have to think on it a while and reevaluate where I want to go from here.

End of challenge report: Mission 1: Success. I hit all the marks I meant to, even with the change at the beginning where I started attending a karate class at the YMCA rather than the judo class at the university. Plus I made it to yoga twice per week. The only missed class was when karate was cancelled due to a snowstorm, and I more than made up for that with home training. Unfortunately, throughout this final week the old karate-related back pain started to come back enough that it worries me. So while I'm glad I met my goal here related to karate, I may have to consider an alternative to my long-time martial art, as there just may be no good way to get around this injury. Kickboxing and Taekwondo were marginally better for me, but even there the injury came back in time due to the kicking emphasis. So I may have to stick with the kick-free range of martial arts, such as judo, aikido, or good old boxing. My next goal will likely involve a process for choosing this path. Mission 2: Success. I attended all four fitness sessions at the YMCA. Now that I am familiar with everything available, I should probably put together a weekly routine. This may be a part of my next goal. Mission 3: Bombed it. Completely. I started strong, extremely strong. I held up through the middle of it, even though my perfect record of no more than one pop we day was no longer intact. But in the final week, I totally let go. And it wasn't just a slip. I simply stopped caring about this part of the goal. Before attempting this challenge, I was in the habit of giving myself two caffeine jolts (usually Mountain Dew or similar) throughout the work day. By the final week I had realized my work performance was suffering due to the change in routine, and I decided this was simply an unacceptable outcome. So yeah, I stopped caring, and resorted to getting through some difficult work days fueled by a tankard of Mountain Dew or Pepsi, as I always have. Life Goal: Didn't set one, as I was in a hurry to just get started. So....bombed it ; p Final assessment: I'm pretty disappointed in how Mission 3 went down, so close to the end. It wasn't like I kept on plugging away, even though it wasn't going well. I completely abandoned the path, intentionally. So I'm thinking I'll probably be redoing my first level 1 challenge next time around. Hopefully with some more well thought out goals/missions that will help me make improvements while not hindering other areas of my life. Tackling the pop/caffeine intake is a worthy challenge, but probably too big a step for me right now. Maybe a few challenges into this process, I'll be able to take it on from a much stronger position. So.....back to the drawing board ; p

Shotokan will have some similarities to your Taekwondo. However, it's likely you will find it more difficult going from Taekwondo to Shotokan than the other way around. Shotokan tends to have much lower, deeper stances than most martial arts (save for maybe some Chinese styles). In my experience I have found it easier to go from a low stance MA to a high stance MA, and more difficult to go back to the low stances. Shotokan also has some pretty specific hip positions for the blocks that Taekwondo doesn't seem to have. But like anything it's a learning process. I am of course basing this off my own limited experience in Taekwondo, and more extensive experience with Shotokan. I realize your experience may have been very different. The Taekwondo background will still give you a an advantage though. Stuff like the hand techniques and basic kicks are more or less the same. The withdrawing arm while punching and blocking is stressed. Shotokan tends not to get into too many spinning kicks, though the turning back kick is relatively common and something you are probably used to already.

Level up! Made it three weeks now, so time for 10 newbie attribute points : D I've been looking forward to this, if it wasn't obvious ; p Today was a pretty positive day as far as training. I was able to do a pretty significant amount of home training, primarily karate, working on the kata Jion. But I also added some body weight exercises and a little bit from yoga. And then I made it to a yoga class. I always feel "decompressed" after that. And only one pop today. Now to just make it to the end of the day.

I have noticed a few recommendations for grappling (BJJ/judo), and I'm thinking that might be a good try for you, since you appear to already have a lot of experience with stand-up striking. Even if you don't stick with it for the long haul, I think it's good to get a change of perspective. I'm in the same boat, having mainly done karate and a few other punchy/kicky types. I tried judo for a month and it really opened my eyes to a lot of things I was missing. While I haven't since gone back to it (life circumstances), I value the change of perspective it gave me. Personally, I don't think there is anything wrong with the "try a little of this, a little of that" approach with martial arts. Sure, it won't give you mastery of anything, but as long as you are well aware of that, it is a great method of sampling what's out there. Step outside one's comfort zone makes a person stronger.

So my perfect record with the "one pop/soda per day" thing is now trashed. However, I'm determine not to let perfectionism get in the way of progress. I have made good progress, and may have even lost a little bit of weight just from the reduction in my sugar intake. So I will keep forging ahead on this. Funny how the simplest goal is the toughest one. I would grade myself at "C" so far on this goal, as in still passable, but this could just as easily go south and fail if I don't persevere. I completed all four of my fitness consults at the YMCA. I was surprised to learn from the trainer that a lot of people don't even complete all four. So that's one of my goals completed. However, I'm going to keep up the habit of stopping in at the Y on Thursdays (when I would go in for this consult), even though I am not taking any classes on this day, and just do some solo training of my own. Grading myself at an "A" for this one. I'm still hitting my marks as far as attending at least 2 classes at the Y per week. Actually, I'm exceeding my goal on this one, as I have been attending 3 classes each week since I started this goal (1 karate class, 2 yoga classes). Grading myself at an "A" here as well. I am also considering what my goals for the next challenge will be. I'd like to build off of the goals I had this time around, but maybe also take things in a new direction. I will probably have something specific to my continued karate training (perhaps making the Sensei Okasaki recommendation of training in karate at least 10 minutes every day on your own a goal, or part of the goal). Perhaps the goal will include working on a specific kata, or other specific karate skill. I would also like to build off of the reduction in my pop intake. Perhaps not cutting out complete yet (I'm still too attached to do that ; p ), but maybe reducing it to once per day, 4 days per week (so going 3 days without). These are just a few of the ideas rolling around in my head.

Thanks for the feedback MandyM, and the support. I'm in the process of putting together some home workouts for karate that are only 10 minutes long, based on the idea that even during a very busy day, I can at least squeeze in a 10 minute karate mini-workout. This last week my karate class was cancelled due to the weather, but I still got in two other classes at the YMCA during the week (both yoga, which is doing wonderful things for the old back injury, plus just making me feel more limber and relaxed all around). The third fitness training session went well, scored average to high in most of the body-weight exercises, though on the low end of sit-and-reach flexibility (which I knew would be an issue, something I hope to improve through yoga). I received some basic instruction on the free-motion machines, which I think I like a lot better than the other machines, as it doesn't limit your motion to a single path. I can see a few of the machines being helpful to get me started in the basic strength training. Certain ones though, I think I will avoid like the plague, especially anything that puts pressure on the knees. I've never had issues with my knees (knock on wood), but I still try to be especially protective of them. And as far as the goal about keeping my pop intake down to no more than one per day, I'm still keeping on track there. This is still the hardest goal, as I find myself desperately wanting a second pop some days. But then I made it through today without one at all, proving I don't need the stuff at all. I'd like to post more often in the future, but I do have a lot going on and sometimes all I can manage is a brief update for the week. Maybe working on this can be part of a goal for a future challenge.

Foiled by nature today. A snowstorm rolled through the area, and karate class has been canceled as a result. I'll just have to plan a karate workout I can do at home in the next few days. But not today. Clearing the driveway and sidewalks is workout enough.

I am terribly sorry for your loss. The fact that you are here, after such an ordeal, tells much about the power you possess. And as a newbie to the Nerd Fitness community, it tells me much of the power of this place.

Great goals, xanjra. Good thinking, to start working on the fitness ahead of time, before going to military basic training. And no sense completely trashing your body trying to do more than you can handle with the run. It will come in time. Do what your current condition will allow, and maybe push it just a little bit more each time. When I had decided to enlist in the navy (years ago now), I remember being all eager to get fit ahead of time, about 5-6 months prior to going to basic training. I was not athletic at all, I never did any sports in school. I was quite sedentary. Thankfully, I had the sense to get started with training before basic. However, I didn't have the sense to do it reasonably, and jumped head-first into attempting runs my body was not ready for. I remember laying on the floor for 30 minutes following one of these ill-fated runs, feeling sick, almost passed out completely. I took a more sensible approach after that one, allowing myself to fall short of the goal when I ran, if it meant I would at least come a little bit closer to that goal the next time. I finally learned the value of persistence in achieving a long-term goal, even if that goal appears insurmountable at the beginning. It all paid off in the end. I won't say basic was easy for a guy like me, but it was way easier than it would have been had I not started training ahead of time.....that is, training SENSIBLY ahead of time. I'm sure that had I gone on at a destructive pace, I would have just burned myself out and given up, and then I would have been in a world of hurt in basic. They probably would have put me through some sort of remedial fitness training.

I don't think it's ever a bad thing to have a long list of goals planned out, as long as you keep it all in perspective. Goals drive us to do better than yesterday. They don't need to be obsessions. I totally understand the overeager beginner thing. I've had to exercise a great deal of restraint in establishing my first set of goals here on NF. Especially when it comes to things I have been successful with in the past, but haven't done for years. A part of me wants to immediately jump back to the level I was doing back then. The wiser part of me knows better. Luckily the wiser part is speaking louder today.

First week complete. So far I am meeting all goals. I attended 1 karate workout and two yoga sessions (mission 1), attended my fitness consult for the week (mission 2), and have maintained drinking no more than one pop per day (mission 3). The karate class I attended is the one offered once per week at the YMCA, free of charge for those who are already regular members of the Y. This was the first Shotokan karate class I have attended for well over two years. When I left karate back then, I was suffering from a pulled muscle in my lower back which made it extremely difficult (if not impossible) to perform the low stances and focused kicks of Shotokan for more than a minute or two. This was largely the result of over-training, improper warm up, and kicking higher than my body could handle. This week I was amazed to find the pain is no longer a significant problem. The muscle I wrecked back then still isn't 100%, and probably never will be, but I have learned how to move within my limitations, getting a good workout without causing any more pain. Most of it simply comes down to a proper warm up before practice, and above all else, DO NOT KICK HIGH! I do not yet have the flexibility and strength to throw my kicks high. Attempting to do so only strains the old injury (believe me, I know). Yoga is something very new to me. This is another class at the YMCA that is free to members. I finally decided to take advantage of it. I think the possible benefits, not just to my karate, but to my life in general, will be thousand-fold. And I was able to attend twice this week, exceeding the weekly goal for mission 1 when combined with the karate class. Yoga just may end up being a new thing for me. Perhaps the druid path lays in my future? The fitness consult I completed this week was, well, enlightening. This week was a basic overview of how to use the weight machines at the YMCA (not the free-weights, that is next week), as well as an assessment of upper and lower body strength, as well as core strength. Core strength turned out to be in the average range, which is about what I had expected. Upper body strength was waaaaaaay low, which is also what I expected (believe me, I am very much in tune with my own weaknesses). In fact, it was quite humbling to know my upper body strength falls into the lowest 5% of males my age/height/weight. But, there is only one way to go from here....and that is UP!. And lower body strength, well, I figured that would be significantly higher, due to all my years of martial arts training and scurrying across floors in awkward stances. Turns out I was way off the charts in that category, well into the upper echelons of the top 10% of males my age/height/weight. So that was very uplifting. I think the little confidence boost I received from that bit of news was just what I needed. It gave me reason to smile, while the upper body result keeps me humble and striving to improve. Keeping my pop intake down to one per day has quite possibly been the toughest mission for me this week. I guess I had gotten so used to giving myself at least two jolts of caffeine and sugar to get myself through the work day. That plus the mini jet lag effect of daylight savings time starting last week, I often felt like a zombie in the afternoon. But I persevered, and I will continue to do so. It will be worth it when I get to the point where I don't feel the need for any such unnatural boosts to get me through a work day. I'm realizing I had forgotten to set a "life" goal for myself as a part of this challenge. I'll make sure to establish one the next time around, and simply take the hit to an attribute point from the results of this challenge. I've never been one to power-game my RPG characters anyway. I think I might play around a bit with the "race" section of my new online persona. I wasn't totally sold on what I had put on here initially, as I just couldn't think of anything else at the time. A little quiz I took on this site suggested a gnoll fits me. *googles "gnoll"* Sounds amusing enough. I'll roll with it. At least for now.

Shotokan karate is the art I first trained in seriously and consistently. It is also the art with which I have the most history. I have many good memories associated with the art, and a few bad ones as well. I am now coming back to it after more than two years on a hiatus. During that time I tried a number of other arts, many of which I have found to be "more practical" in a strict fighting sense. However, I still find myself coming back to Shotokan, even after going through times I swore I never would. It's nice to have something so familiar in a time where I am starting so many new things.

I'll go with that ; ) Just tried a yoga/pilates class this evening. It seems like a good compliment to the karate. So that's my two classes down for the week. So far so good.

Well now, this is slightly embarrassing, but I must amend my Mission 1 objective in a somewhat significant way. Turns out I underestimated how my other priorities in life can become a barrier to something as simply as getting to judo practice. But these priorities are priorities for a good reason, and rightly so. So anyway, here's the deal. Rather than "I must attend judo practice 2x/wk," the revised Mission 1 will be "I must attend judo practice or an equivalent martial arts or other fitness related activity a minimum of twice per week." In terms of the Shotokan karate class available at the YMCA, this could mean attending the one class available per week, and then completing another class or a solo training session, whether that is karate, body weight exercises, a yoga class, whatever. The main point of this is to simply get out there and do something physical. I'm not so concerned with focusing on a specific skill set at this point. Just get active, and stay active! This frees me up to use the classes available at the YMCA as an alternative to judo. The advantage here is the childcare offered at the Y, as I am a parent, and sometimes it's just a much better deal all around for the little one to get some time out of the house, play with some other little ones at the Y, and mum can get some quiet time on her own while we're away. And then there is always training at home I can do, which I have been good about doing in the past and I know I can do it again. Now if there happens to be a rule about amending a mission/challenge that is already in progress (as in, you can't), feel free to point that out to me (I couldn't fine one, but I haven't exactly read all the fine print either). If that's the case I'll just accept the botched mission and use the amended version the next time around. As far as the rest of the missions, so far, so good. Only one pop per day, and I'm on track to complete all the remaining three fitness programs at the Y. And I just came back from the Shotokan karate class at the Y, so that's one activity down for the week. I have a good number of years experience in Shotokan already behind me. I've been on a hiatus from it for just over two years now, following an injury. A midst trying so many new things, it's great to go back to something so familiar.

I am a complete newbie when it comes to judo. Most of my prior experience is in striking arts. Within my first few judo practice sessions I got sense that this is truly an enjoyable and functional martial art. It's really opened my eyes to what I had been missing out on with striking-only martial arts. It kind of makes me wish I had considered taking up wrestling when I was younger. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants their martial art to be an exciting sport as well as truly "martial" and truly an "art." I've heard very good things about Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as well. Never tried that yet, maybe some day. But for now I'm happy with the judo club I found. Considering the monthly fees I've paid in the past for martial arts programs, this one is an absolute steal. And the instructors are quite possibly the coolest guys I've met in martial arts.

I should start by saying what an amazing find this website is. After coming across so many other fitness-related online communities that have an overly arrogant, condescending, and competitive (not in a healthy way) tone, and am delighted to find a place that supports those of the so called "nerd" population who refuse to succumb to the stereotypes the label brings (weak, slow, uncoordinated, in general not very good at real life). A little bit about myself: I'm a 33 year old guy, not in too bad of physical condition, but not great either. I've been in better shape in the past, and this is something I hope to recapture. I am a navy veteran (which is why I say I've been in better shape), a family man, martial artist (been involved in one form or another since 2004), and thinker with a great many personal interests. My "lean" years of high school, the military, and university are long behind me now. I work a job (rewarding as it is) where I drive a desk 95% of the time. I'm still working on finding the right balance between my fitness/martial arts pursuits and the two primary priories in my life: family and then work (in that order). But I know I'll get there, with persistence, seeking new knowledge, and hopefully the support of an awesome, like-minded community. In looking at the features of this online community, the monk path caught my attention first, due to my obvious interest in the martial arts. However, in looking a bit further, I realize that all the different paths will have something to offer me, and I need not dedicate to one. The adventurer path holds my interest right now, as I think my primary goals at this early stage will be related to overall health, not exclusively to my martial arts pursuits. The scout path also has great appeal for me, as I have had a regular running and cycling routine in the past, have taken up a new interest in XC skiing, and may consider lap swimming as well. Just thinking about the possibilities, I'm loving it.

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Or so it is said. My main quest is simply to start the journey to a healthier life. Nothing too specific for now, as I am still deciding on the specifics of my path. However, I have identified three things I can do in the remaining weeks of this challenge period (if I'm understanding this correctly, I just barely made the deadline to complete the minimum 4-weeks for the Level 1 Rebel program) which will be a significant step in the right direction for what is to come later. Mission 1: I have recently joined the judo club at a local university. My attendance so far had been flawless up until last week, when I came down sick. My first mission is to simply attend every practice (2x/wk) for the remainder of this challenge cycle, as well as a special training clinic which will take place this coming Saturday. I will allow myself one absence in the event of a family emergency or other serious, unanticipated event (but only one). This one absence is not to be used for "I'm tired" or "I just don't feel like it." Mission 2: Along with the rest of my family, I have also joined the local YMCA. There are a lot of program available at the Y, and I have dabbled a little bit in what I can do, but I have yet to choose a course for my fitness training. The second mission is to come closer to deciding on this course by completing the four-session fitness evaluation/introduction/planning program they offer for free to new members. I have already attended the first session, but rescheduled the second due to the aforementioned illness. Mission 2 is to complete the remaining three sessions. Mission 3: I know a big part of health and fitness is what goes into your body. Or rather, what you avoid putting into your body. Soft drinks have long been a bane to my existence, and I have dreamed of ridding myself of them completely. Mission 3 will be the first step, to simply cut back to where I drink no more than one soft drink (pop, soda, Coke, whatever you want to call it) per day. Let it begin.... *takes one step*