RuthixCube

*hold for tracker*

Aaaand I’m back! A week later than I'd planned, but I needed some down time after my move. That’s okay though, I won’t need the next zero week as this is going to be more of an 8wk challenge than a 4wk challenge. I only have 2 goals, plus a side goal, to keep distractions to a minimum. In August, my sister and I are doing Warrior Dash. I’m not sure how she managed to convince me to do this, but she did. She’s probably the only person who could honestly lol. Anyway, since that’s coming up quickly, I need to start my training. Now that all my moving and such is pretty much over and I’ve given myself a week to relax (haha I wish, there has been no relaxing), I can actually start doing just that. Warrior Dash has its own 4wk training program, so I’ll be following that plan twice over. The first 4 wks (Part 1) is going to be "easing" my way into training, but that doesn't mean I'll be taking it easy. While I did my 30 days of fitness last challenge, it wasn’t necessarily 30 days of legitimate workout sessions - I’m still pretty out of shape. The second set of 4wks (Part 2) is where I’ll take it up a notch and really push myself. I want to compare my first set with my second set to see how things changed (hopefully for the better). I’ll have another 2.5wks after the second round before the race, so maybe I’ll start it again a 3rd time to keep myself going until race day. I don’t know yet, but I also don’t want to wear myself out. Goals: Intermittent Fasting Same as last time - Mon-Fri; eating only between the hours of 12p and 10p. Prior to noon only coffee, tea, and water are allowed. Weekends are not strict, other than to continue being conscious of what’s on my plate. OCR Training Follow the training program for Warrior dash according to the schedule: Monday - Cardio Tuesday - Cardio & Strength Wednesday - Core & Flexibility Thursday - Cardio & Strength Friday - Cardio Saturday - Strength Sunday - Active Rest Side Goal: Unpacking I have a fair bit left to do after the move. The big important stuff is mostly done, or at least to the point where I can live there without issue. What's left is mostly aesthetics, decorating, and moving things to their proper places. I still have some boxes to unpack and some reorganizing to do. I don't want to overwhelm myself with too much, but 3x/wk I want to pick one thing to do and spend the evening working on it. I don't even have to finish it the same day, just so long as I have it started and a plan to finish it.

Well I thought I'd be able to post last night, but apparently not - oops. Okay, so, the last few weeks have been freakin crazy. I feel like I haven't had a moment to rest. Week 2 I spent prepping the new apartment. Fish and I cleaned the shit out of the place, and it needed it. I was pretty disappointed in the way the landlord left it for me, but whatever. I was going to deep clean it first anyway. We also got a washing machine into the basement, but I'm still lacking a dryer. We also need a few plumbing pieces to hook up the washer, but i due time. I'll be able to use the washer/dryer in the old apt until almost the end of June when the lease is up. Weeks 3 and 4 were spent packing and moving some stuff over to the new place, as well as figuring out how I'm going to set it all up and organize. I have both less and more storage depending on where we're talking - bigger closet (a walk-in!) in my bedroom, less storage/cabinets in the kitchen & bathroom, etc. - so I have to get a little creative. This past Saturday my friend and I picked up a couch I found online and brought it to the new place, then I showed her around as she hadn't been there yet. Last night my current roommate helped me pack and bring some more stuff over including my entertainment unit. He hadn't been there yet either, so I showed him around, and then we went to his new place in the next town over and he gave me a tour as well. This Saturday is the big move, and I'm both dreading and excited for it. I'm so ready to just be in the new place already and to get everything set up and organized. There's still a fair bit I need to do or figure out, but in time. I'm trying not to overwhelm myself with too much right now. As far as challenge stuff goes, I've been following it pretty closely. Not 100%, but as best I can with everything I've been doing. My tracker is posted above in the original post, as well as below for those who don't want to scroll up lol. Today is the last challenge day for me, day 30. Journal: The goal was 3-4x/wk, which I've definitely done. This week isn't really going to count as it's only 2 days, but I did write last night so I call it a win. 100% Finance Log: First two weeks were perfect, every day I logged my spending. Week 3 into week 4 got a little iffy, that's when I got really busy/overwhelmed with stuff and missed 3 days. I ended up going back and recording what I'd missed, but I didn't count it since it didn't happen the day of. I've been keeping up since then. 90% Intermittent fasting: I had wanted to do weekdays while I was at work, but it ended up being just 5 days during the week which I'm fine with. Week 3 I missed a day, and I didn't do it today. Either way, not too shabby. I've also been craving much healthier foods - fruits, veggies, fresh meats and fish, healthier snacks instead of junk foods, water and aloe water (in moderation) instead of sodas and such. It's been weird, but awesome too. I'm excited for the better and more fresh options that come with the warmer weather. 95% 30 days o' fitness: Well, I haven't followed this to the letter, but I've done at least 6 days each week with everything I've has going on, so not a total loss. I've allowed myself a few breaks just because I've been going non stop, so whether I worked out or not, I was getting something done. It is what it is. 83% Overall, I can't complain too much. I think this has been one of my most successful challenges since I started NF (if I remember correctly). Total average score for this round: 92% Week Quest Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat Sun Wk Total 1: 4/22-4/28 Journal - - X X X - - 3 Finance Log X X X X X X X 7 IF X X - X X - X 5 30 Days o' Fitness - - X X X X X 5 2: 4/29-5/5 Journal - - X - X X X 4 Finance Log X X X X X X X 7 IF X X X X X - - 5 30 Days o' Fitness X X X X - X X 6 3: 5/6-5/12 Journal X X X X - - 4 Finance Log X X X X X - - 5 IF X - - X X - X 4 30 Days o' Fitness X X X - X X X 6 4: 5/13-5/19 Journal X X X - - 3 Finance Log - X X X X X X 6 IF X X X - - X X 5 30 Days o' Fitness X - X X X X X 6 Zero Week Journal X Finance Log X X IF X - 30 Days o' Fitness X As for next challenge, I'm going to have a late start (Tuesday) due to my move this weekend. I want to take the long weekend to get settled and make sure I have everything in order without worrying about anything else. I'll post something up shortly, but I do still need to do some planning for it.

I'm here! Didn't mean to disappear on everyone - I've been so busy packing and getting the new apt ready on top of all the other life things that I haven't had the chance to post. I'll have a full update later today, but just so everyone knows I have been sticking to my goals (for the most part)

They were delicious, I have leftovers for lunch.

Oh hey, you're coming to my neck of the woods (sorta)! The New England area, anyway - I'm in MA. That's super exciting!

The last two days have gone all right, though not as well as I'd have liked. I was pretty mentally drained on Monday after doing allthethings over the weekend. I was looking forward to coming home for a nice quiet Monday night recharge when my roommate springs on me that he's having guests over. Awesome. Normally I don't have a problem with people over, last minute or not, but I was not about it at all that night. It put me in a bad mood and I ended up holing myself up in my room binge watching 'This is Us'. I absolutely could have done some yoga, body weight exercises, etc, but I definitely didn't. I should have journaled too, but that didn't happen either. Wash and repeat for Tuesday as far as not getting these two goals done again. Meh, I'm not happy with myself for letting it slip the first two days of the challenge. No zero days going forward. Period. Last night I met up with my bestie, L, for dinner - we hadn't seen each other in months and it was a much overdue catch up session. We've both been in a bit of a rut life-wise lately, which has made it hard for us to hang out. She told me she is planning to start up game night again on Saturdays, which is something we used to do weekly with a few other friends before she moved into Boston. I'm pretty excited for it to start, and it should be the perfect setting to introduce everyone to BF (henceforth known as Fish, based on a gaming name of his). Plus, I think he'd really enjoy it - he's just as nerdy as we are. L ended up surprising me and paid for dinner as a belated bday treat, which was super sweet of her. After I got home I hopped on the PS4 and played Blackout with Fish, CoD's version of a battle royal like PUBG or Fortnite. We've both become addicted to the game mode, and usually switch off playing solo games when I'm at his place. Once a week or so, we have a virtual 'date night' where we play Blackout as a team in duos. Time always ends up flying by when we do this, and before I knew it the clock read 10:30p. That was that for the night, and I went to bed shortly after. Today didn’t start off completely on the right foot, but it’s not terrible either. I ended up having 3 munchkins from the box in the break room (Wednesday’s are Donut day at the office). I was SUPER hungry for whatever reason and caved. That was around 9a, and it’s the only thing I’ve had all day other than my usual morning cold brew. It’s just about noon now, so I have to start figuring out what I’m going to be having for lunch. After work I’m going to take a few laps around the community to get my fitness goal in, and then I’m headed to Fish’s for the night. We’re going to make chicken fajitas (I thank/blame @Tanktimus the Encourager for that one, I’ve been craving them since catching up on his thread yesterday lol) and then we usually end our nights playing Blackout or watching some TV until bed.

I think, while I'm dreading it a bit right now, that it will actually be a pretty fun experience. I might actually enjoy it enough to want to do another one haha. It's in mid August, the 17th I believe.

Following! Good job maintaining the weight - that can be really hard to do. I know I've had issues with it myself over the last 6-8 months.

The food in your photos looks SO GOOD, and I'm always down for doggo pics. Your pups are adorable!! Following

Welcome to the rebellion!

Great goals, Tank! Simple and achievable. I'll have to remember not to read while I'm still in my fasting part of the day, because now I really want fajitas... haha.

Woah, this is quite the challenge! I'm very interested in reading about the OCR stuff - my sister convinced me to participate in a 5k one later this year and it will be my first. I've heard about the larger more challenging OCRs and the World championships, so I'm excited to see how you do! Best of luck!

Thank you! I figured it could be a fun little spicy challenge to give myself. A little warm up of sorts to things I'm planning for the next couple of months.

Following! I really like your simple, but achievable, goals! Not that simple is easy, but it's definitely clear.

I didn't do anything for zero week, at least not challenge wise (other than planning this one). Today is day 1 of the challenge for me, and so far 2/4 goals are complete Got some life stuff done - officially got myself an apartment, my bother's car got (mostly) fixed, my car got some work done to it, and I did Easter things with the family. Happy Monday!!

Following I love the planking and sushi list goals!

Week Quest Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat Sun Wk Total 1: 4/22-4/28 Journal - - X X X - - 3 Finance Log X X X X X X X 7 IF X X - X X - X 5 30 Days o' Fitness - - X X X X X 5 2: 4/29-5/5 Journal - - X - X X X 4 Finance Log X X X X X X X 7 IF X X X X X - - 5 30 Days o' Fitness X X X X - X X 6 3: 5/6-5/12 Journal X X X X - - 4 Finance Log X X X X X - - 5 IF X - - X X - X 4 30 Days o' Fitness X X X - X X X 6 4: 5/13-5/19 Journal X X X - - 3 Finance Log - X X X X X X 6 IF X X X - - X X 5 30 Days o' Fitness X - X X X X X 6 Zero Week Journal X Finance Log X X IF X - 30 Days o' Fitness X

Well I’ve officially entered my 30s, so that’s pretty cool. New chapter of life and all that - so far, so good haha. In honour of this transition, I’m giving myself a challenge that will test my discipline. Some of these goals are carried over from the previous challenge(s), others are new. This challenge is going to be a little longer than the average challenge - 30 days total in fact On a semi-related note, my depressive episode seems to have waned in the last week or so. I think the nicer weather we’ve been having is partially responsible for brightening my mood - I’m so happy spring is finally coming into bloom and the temperatures have warmed up a little. On top of that, everything that was stressing me out is slowly falling into place (apartment, brother’s car, etc). I should hear yay/nay about an apartment today, so I’m a little anxious, but most signs are pointing to ‘yay’. Fingers crossed… Anyway, on to the goals ~ ________________________________ Goal 1: Journal Continued from the last 2 challenges - keep writing in my journal 3-4x per week for stress level reasons. Goal 2: Financial Log Continued from last challenge - keep tracking my spending and income. Instead of using a notebook as I was before, I now have an app that I’ve been using and it’s waaaaay more convenient. I always have my phone on me, so I can add an entry as soon as I make a purchase/get paid. This will be performed on a daily basis. Goal 3: Intermittent Fasting IF is what I used last year to help me lose some weight, and it really helped me be more conscious about what/how much I was eating. Thanks to emotions, I’ve been overeating a lot recently. I figured it’s a good time to get back on track and that IF would help with that as it did last time around. The aim is to do IF Mon-Fri; eating only between the hours of 12p and 10p. Prior to noon, only coffee, tea, and water are allowed. Weekends are not strict, other than to continue being conscious of what’s on my plate. Goal 4: 30 Days o’ Fitness This is the spicy one haha. The aim is to do something everyday that gets my heart rate up and the blood pumping - a brisk walk, running, strength training, a hike, yoga, skating, etc. Especially now that the weather is warming up, I want to get outside more and take in the fresh air and spring sun. I can’t say I’ve ever done 30 days in a row of exercise; while it sounds simple enough, I know it’s not going to be easy and there will be days where I just want to sit on my ass and do nothing. My motto for this challenge: NO ZERO DAYS. ________________________________ That’s about all. Tracker is below, as usual. I’ll aim to keep posting 1-2 updates a week, and actually start following other’s threads (because I’ve been terrible about that...). Lets get it done!

Challenge endings always catch me by surprise with how quickly they come. Total scoring: Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Self care 5 4 2 5 Finances 8 7 6 7 Health (-2)+3 = 1 1 (-3)+1 = (-2) (-1)+2 = 1 Other 3 2 2 3 Total 17 14 8 16 Started off all right, kind of down hill in the middle, but I picked it back up for the last week and at least made the minimum points. This past week went a lot better than previous weeks. My sister went with me to look at an apartment on Friday and it might just be the one, all I have to do now is apply. The landlord talked our ears off for 2 hours (I'm not even exaggerating); I feel like I know more about him than some of my family/friends haha. The unit itself is a small place, townhouse style with a basement, 2 bed with a tiny 'bonus' room that will probably be a shared den for my brother and I, 1 bath, front porch, and access to a shared yard in the back. This is an end unit too, which is ideal, and it's cheaper than pretty much everything else I've seen or found. Only downsides are 1) street parking, which really isn't a HUGE deal, just not preferred, 2) tiny little bathroom with the smallest tub I've ever seen - also not a huge deal, I can make it work, and 3) I'd need to buy my own washer and dryer for the hook ups in the basement. Given how inexpensive the rent is, I should be able to swing this. I'm going to fill out the paperwork today, and send it to the landlord tonight or tomorrow. Saturday was my birthday, which ended up being more exhausting than anything else. I didn't make any plans, but ended up with a full day regardless. The BF and I were invited to breakfast with his mom and her BF the night before, so we did that first thing in the morning. After that we had some down time to go back to his and relax before I left to do family stuff. My Grandmother scheduled a time for my sister, she, and I to go to a local tea house for afternoon tea. It was actually really nice - the tea was delicious (I went with a vanilla orange jasmine oolong), and they were kind enough to tailor my portion of the food to work around my inability to eat dairy and almonds. We went back to my grandparents for cake and champagne with my dad and grandfather. It was nice to have the evening to wind down with BF and play some video games, as spending time with my dad's family always ends up stressing me out. BF gave me a really thoughtful gift - all the tools and ingredients needed to make my own cold brew and simple syrup, as well as teaching me how to make them. I drink cold brew coffee pretty much everyday, but I always get it from Dunkins cause I didn't have the supplies or know how to make it myself. Not only is this going to save me some time and be able to tailor it more to my tastes, but it's also going to save me a fair bit of money. Plus, it gives us an activity to do together, which is something we both enjoy having. Last night he taught me how to make Rosemary simply syrup, and next time we're going to make brown sugar cinnamon simple syrup. That's really all I've got for now. I'm going to take this next week to plan out my challenge for the next round. Expect some cut down and possibly even more simplification, maybe a '30' theme given my birthday. I'm not too sure yet, so I guess we'll all find out haha. Till next time

This is definitely some crazy laughter, very similar to the laughter I had after my car got totaled a few years ago - like nervous/stress/anxious laughter. I guess it's a better reaction than having a nervous breakdown lol. I'm doing my best to keep myself going, and I have at least one other thing that I didn't list off my plate that was stressing me out. Hopefully some of the other stuff starts falling into place soon, especially the apartment thing. Thank you Thank you, Tank. I knew that's what this was, but it helps to see someone else say it too. I'm at such a loss with him, we all are. I don't want to see him flounder, but I can't be his keeper, and I shouldn't have to be. He's going to get this next year with me, but after that I need to move on and it will be up to him 100% to figure out his living situation. Hopefully in that time he will take up the responsibility to get his financials and job situation in order. I'll offer whatever resources I can, but I need some for myself too. I've gone back and forth with a few landlords since Monday, but as soon as I get to scheduling a viewing the communication stops on their end. I finally head back from one that is having an open house tonight, so I'm going to check it out. It's a nice place, out of date aesthetically, but I can live with that. All utilities are included and there is laundry in the unit, so it's pretty ideal. We'll see how it goes, but it could definitely be a contender. Don't really have much else to update on right now. Planning to workout tonight, but that's about it.

Thank you, on both counts, I really appreciate it. Honestly, I don't think so, but I'll make sure to mention if there is. <3 Okay, update... Scoring so far this challenge: Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Self care 5 4 2 1 Finances 8 7 6 1 Health (-2)+3 = 1 1 (-3)+1 =(-2) (-1) Other 3 2 2 2 Total 17 14 8 3 Clearly there has been a decline, but I'm working on doing something each day even if it's just making sure I'm eating or showering or doing laundry so I have clean clothes for work. I tend to neglect myself when I'm depressed, so this is pretty important. Taking care of myself is priority #1 while I try to get all the moving pieces of life back into place. Snapshot of what's going on in my life right now: -My sister and I are trying to help my brother get back on his feet (help find a full time job, prep his resume, help him get interview clothes, etc), but it's been like pulling teeth. -Both my parents are up my ass about making sure my brother's car get's fixed and registered (which is almost a year overdue at this point). This is a whole fucking issue in and of itself. -Made the decision to put my own wants/goals/plans aside in order to help my brother out by rooming with him again. Trying to find a 2bed apt on a tight budget (he currently works part time) is incredibly difficult to do. Doesn't help that I'm also looking for a June 1 move in, and landlords aren't really looking that far ahead right now (which is absurd to me). -While I'm tracking my spending, my financials are still a mess and it's stressing me the hell out. I feel like I can't get ahead. -I've had almost no social contact with anyone outside of my family, roommate, and BF. Since getting rid of Facebook (which really is a good thing, I'm not going back), I feel like I've lost touch with everyone and I rarely talk to anyone anymore (outside of those listed). It's really isolating and I feel incredibly awkward/anxious about reaching out to people. The wedding and one night out have been the only real social interactions I've had in the last month or more, I don't even remember. So yeah, lots of not so fun/stressful stuff going on to the point where I just want to laugh (which is an odd reaction, but I'm sure there's some psychological explanation for it). I can handle each thing individually, but they're all happening at the same time and it's a lot. Anyway, challenge stuff... Self care: Ha, well I've been doing plenty of self care type stuff, just not what's in my goals. I did clear out my car the other day, which NEEDED to happen something awful, so that's one more declutter off the list. I still need to get my desk and the bathroom closet done, as well as finish my bedroom closet - I did the clothes portion, but not the storage stuff. I'm sure there are some other things I can comb through as well. Finances: I'm definitely seeing a pattern in my spending, so once this challenge is out I'm going to put a plan into place to cut down/out the needless spending. I haven't posted anything for sale, but I did do donation drops a few weeks ago. Health: I had a lot more soda this last week than I have in a while. I also haven't been working out, aside from a walk over the weekend. My sister is trying to convince me to do an OCR with her in the coming months (Warrior Dash, MuckFest, BoneFrog, Rugged Maniac, etc), and I might be considering it. I'm nervous AF to do one, but it could end up being a lot of fun. I just want to make sure I have enough time to train because I don't feel like I'd be in good enough shape to do that right this second. She can't commit to anything quite yet anyway, as she's waiting to hear back from the Coast Guard on if she's been accepted. Other: I'm still working on my mom's dishcloths. It's slow going, cause I keep picking it up and putting it down again. I need to just sit and bang them out cause they're pretty simple. I haven't really done anything else on that goal list, if I'm totally honest. Hopefully things pick up from here, I'm sick of being in this slump. It'd be nice to have at least one thing get done so I can stop worrying about it.

Thanks, Tank. I hope it does too.

Hey Wolfie! Glad to see you round these parts! I did buy it, but I honestly haven't played much at all. I haven't really been playing video games much, and when I do it's not really holding my attention for very long. I have heard great things about it so far though! Happy to hear you're enjoying it.

Week 3, Day 4: 13/15pts (week 2), 4/15pts (week 3) This last week has been terrible. I have so much going on in my personal life, and it's seriously weighing me down. For the last few weeks I've slowly been falling into a depressive episode, and it's finally come to a head. As far as the challenge, I haven't done much of anything lately. If you want to see my tracker, I've updated it above. The few days I was away for the wedding last week were good, but I was anxious as hell the whole time. I'm feeling very lost right now, honestly. I have no energy, I haven't been eating or sleeping properly, and I feel like I want to cry all the time. In any case, I'm going to do my best to keep up with the challenge and update regularly. Hopefully keeping with a routine will make things a little less difficult.