RedCedar

Sweat, Climb, Fuel, Sleep, Ride! Awesome to the point goals. Good luck with the pull ups!

Glad I'm not the only one! Being an assassin just sounds too fun, I didn't want to wait. Let's do this! I guess I just won't say anything at all then I can hardly wait Decluttering might be a goal further down the line, but right now I'm starting with "be able to see the floor." hahaha Thank you! I'll be cheering you on again too! I'll have to wait for this snow to melt away first, we've gotten about three feet in the last three days! All this shoveling and post-holing just to get around is making for good exercise, but it wasn't exactly what I had in mind. I decided to spend a few hours sledding rather than go to Insanity tonight. Maybe tomorrow I'll be more motivated to work out, tonight was about reclaiming joy.

Breakfast can be a tough one, especially if you always end up running out the door at the very last minute like I do. Good luck tomorrow!

Yep! North Cascades. I'm nearly snowed in right now, had to shovel for half an hour to get off my porch. What are you doing in Death Valley Sea Level?

While there are some hot springs around the state, and ones near-ish, there aren't any in the park (that I know of). My park is home to 312 glaciers. My first thought was JTree! Mostly because I love it so much.

I live in the least-visited national park in the lower 48, if that helps narrow it down. I know of a few national parks with little vegetation, are you in the southwest maybe?

Mountain School is the residential Environmental Education program I work with. Last fall I was working mostly with 5th graders, this spring I will be teaching a range of 5th - high schoolers. The kids come up for 3 to 5 days and stay in our dorm style lodges. I get to spend my days leading them around the forest and teaching science concepts. It's pretty sweet, but entirely exhausting both physically and mentally.

This challenge is by far the best thing on the interwebs right now! I might just have to give this yoga thing a try! Thank you all for brightening my day!

Alright Fishface! Good solid goals Here we go again, you got this!

Hello Assassins! This is my first guild challenge, and it will be a hectic time for me. I have two HUGE presentations in week one, I start teaching Mountain School again in week 2, my little brother turns 13 (a teenager!) in week 3, my little sister graduates from college in week 4, and I will be leaving for Hawaii the second half of week 6. Whew! Here we go! Main Quest: Uncover my beach body! Mostly I want to feel good about myself. I want to be able to look at the photos from my upcoming vacation with my girlfriend and see the fond memories of a friends' wedding and our time together in a beautiful place, instead of my uncomfortableness in my own skin. Success will not be determined by any body measurements, it will be determined by an increase in my confidence. Goal 1. Finish 100 pushups program! I’ve started this program several times, but have yet to finish the full 6 weeks. Last challenge I completed the first two weeks, an improvement of one workout and an exhaustion test more than the previous attempt. I love pushups because they make me feel like a badass and it is easy to see improvement. Just one more rep to be better than last time. Grading: All six weeks completed = A 5 weeks complete = A- 4 weeks complete = B+ 3 weeks complete = B- 2 weeks complete = C 1 week complete = D Goal 2. Use the Forest Gym! I found a lovely spot in the National Park that I live in a few weeks ago. A 5-10 minute jog from my house, there are several hills of varying steepness and length that would be perfect for hill sprints. They are just up the trail from a young Western Hemlock with the only suitable branch I can find for practicing chin-ups and pull-ups anywhere near me. (This is a surprisingly difficult task in a thick, coniferous, PNW forest.) Weather permitting; I want to use this “gym†twice a week on average. If conditions are too dangerous, Insanity workouts are an acceptable substitute. Grading: 12 total forest gym and/or Insanity workouts= A 9 total forest gym and/or Insanity workouts = B 6 total forest gym and/or Insanity workouts = C 3 total forest gym and/or Insanity workouts = D Goal 3. Resist Dinning Hall temptation, stay true to the Paleo! The return of Mountain School means a return to eating in the dinning hall twice a day, a constant source for desserts, and a culture of constant stress-eating. I tend to make good choices around dinner, but the dessert temptation is strong. I do not want to give in! My plan: Make protein shakes or eggs and bacon breakfasts at home to avoid the French toast and pancakes of the dinning hall. A salad shall accompany all dinners in the dinning hall, and that salad will not include cheese. Desserts will be limited to two per week. Seconds count as two desserts. I must choose wisely. Grading: 12 desserts or less (2/week) = A 12-18 Desserts (3/week) = B 18-24 Desserts (4/week) = C 24-30 Desserts (5/week) = D More than 30 desserts is a fail! Life Goal: Clean my room once per week! This busy month especially, my constant disorganization has gotten out of hand. I have grown so accustomed to stepping over and around piles of paper and clothes on the floor that I consider myself “clutter blindâ€. But when I am feeling low energy or overwhelmed, I look around my trashed room and it brings me down even more. This challenge I want to start to break that cycle. Plus, If I don’t keep enough floor space clear, I wont be able to do my pushups! Grading: Tidy up 6 times = A Tidy up 5 times = A- Tidy up 4 times = B+ Tidy up 3 times = B- Tidy up 2 times = C Tidy up once = D Starting Stats: Weight: 174.8 lbs. Body Fat Average: 29.5% Waist (around widest part): 38 3/4" Motivation/Mental Reminder: I deserve to be happy. Instant gratification is not happiness. Long-term sustainable health is happiness. Also, climbing trees is happiness

Hey Nuala, I found your check-ins to my challenge really helpful last time, so I'm here to return the favor You go get those pistol squats!

Sweet goals! I'm especially excited to see how the handstands and the writing with both hands goes.

Wooooot! You rocked the last challenge, and I have no doubt you'll rock this one too. Awesome goals!

Finally!!!! Good luck on your first challenge, I just subbed so I'll be cheering you on (when I've got time for checking the internets) Paleo, BBWW, C25k sounds like a solid plan. It is a lot of workouts, but I know you've been itching to get cleared for exercise and I know you'll do great Good luck to ya buddy!

Thank you so much to all those that supplied support along the way of this challenge, and for bearing with me during a busy grad-school-project-filled final few weeks. Whew! Made it through my first full challenge, working out an average of three times a week! Final Challenge evaluation: Follow 100 pushups program workout 3xs per week- C/A Well, I only lasted three weeks of this program, but I made it two workouts further than I did on my last attempt. If I replace “Insanity†for 100 pushups, there was only one week this challenge I didn’t get in at least 3 insanity sessions. 19 Insanity sessions over 6 weeks averages to just over 3 workouts per week. “The letter of the (law) goalâ€, C. On the “spirit of the goalâ€, A. Drink 64 oz water per day- B+ I started really solid in this, and it quickly became routine. As the stress of grad school built up and my schedule became inconsistent , I lost focus on this goal. I have certainly established the habit of bringing my water bottle everywhere and staying mindful of hydration. Cook one Paleo dinner a week!- B- Although I cooked an average of one meal a week, paleo plus dairy or bottled sauces. Honestly, the dinning hall opened and I got busy, and I completely forgot about this piece. When I cooked, it was mostly paleo, or a paleo/dairy/store-bought sauces blend. A good reminder of the healthy, yummy food I am capable of preparing, but I don't feel that I build many more skills cooking in this style. This challenge ended much busier than I anticipated. Grad school completely consumed my life, and I lost track of many of my goals. I started strong, but then ell off the wagon, and later returned to close out the challenge strong. I changed my patterns somewhat from my initial goals, but I think I accomplished my overarching theme of establishing momentum and healthy patterns/habits in my life; of making my health a priority. Overall, I would give myself a B+ for this challenge. I began building momentum, I discovered new ways to incorporate taking care of my health into my everyday life, and I made my health a priority balanced other, more pressing priorities. Life Challenge: What life Challenge? I never made time to journal about my experience in school or my personal experience this challege. Hopefully I will carve out some time next challenge for this important activity. Final Stats: Weight: 174.8 lbs. Body Fat Average: 29.5% Waist (around widest part): 38 3/4" I feel damn good about the start I made. Next challenge I am looking forward to more Hawaiian Vacation related goals, specifically around weight loss and body fat reduction. Mostly I want to look good and feel good about myself so that later I can look back on the photos from my vacation with my girlfriend and remember the fond memories of a friends' wedding and out time together in a beautiful place, instead of my own uncomfortableness in my own skin. Based on the workout techniques available to me, I am considering joining the Assassins for my next challenge, but considering my n00b status, perhaps the adventures might be more appropriate. Look for me in either guild next challenge!

Yaaaay Fishface! Great work on this challenge! I very much fall into that same burst of energy/willpower then run out of steam cycle. The good news is you recognize it, and can "call yourself out" on it when it's happening. I'm willing to bet with each challenge you'll learn to pace yourself better and maybe next time the energy burst will last for 4 weeks. Just keep building the momentum. You've laid an awesome foundation. And that's super exciting news about exercise becoming a part of your life that you don't want to stop Keep on swimmin'! See you around the next challenge

Congrats Mangostrike! You rocked this challenge. Awesome results, and a seriously brilliant point structure that I will be borrowing for the next challenge. Keep this momentum going and good luck on your next challenge and beyond

Way to close out the challenge strong! You faced a lot of obstacles this challenge, like dance class scheduling and frigid stormy weather, but those are the goals you rocked the hardest! Sounds like you've set yourself up really well for the next one by building awesome habits into your routine. I'm a fan of the short walk at lunch. I find it helps clear my head and gives me a little energy boost in the middle of the day. Controlling what food isn't around my house makes a big difference for me, and if I've got healthy options staying on track is much easier. Congrats on an awesome challenge, hope to see you around the next one.

Day of no sugar was a success. The apple in my smoothie was the only sweet thing all day yesterday. I even made an Arnold Palmer (half lemonade-half ice tea) at dinner out of habit, and chose not to drink it. Another 6 am round of Insanity in the bank! But I don't think I'll be trying anymore of those hour-long "MAX Insanity" workouts again anytime soon. Whew I'm sore!

I'm not entirely sure how I do it either. Sleeping in my workout clothes helps a lot. And setting my phone/alarm on the other side of the room so I physically have to get out of bed to turn it off. That way, I'm already out of bed and dressed. The showing up is always usually (this morning's Insanity seriously kicked my ass!) the hardest part of working out for me. Thanks Sunny! This is what I keep trying to remind myself of, that I'm better off than I was in December. @Fishface - I don't really have any words beyond awwwww I'm glad we've been able to inspire each other throughout this challenge, can't wait to see you at the finish line!

Grad school continues to consume my life. Last week I only managed to fit in one workout. I can't even remember the last time I opened my "hundred pushups" app. All hell's broken loose in the realm of diet. Stress has replaced the notion of portion control with a competitive eating mentality. The dinning hall set up a sundae bar last night and I ate enough sugar to last me a month. But today I dragged myself out of bed and made it to the 6am Insanity session. I've set an intention today to be mindful of sugar. Ideally I would like to avoid any added sugar, but I am taking today slow. I've got one week to close this thing out, and I want to do it right. The old Cedar would have said last week, "Oh well you tired. You're just too ADD to follow through on anything. At least this was a better run than last time," and then quit. This line of thinking has crept in more than once, and for a while, I listened. But I don't want to listen any more. I am building new habits, avoiding familiar mental pitfalls and generating momentum. No matter what happens the rest of this challenge, I have managed to work out at least once a week for the past 6 weeks.

Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of the snow shelter. It was completely dark and we were so cold, tired and wet by the time it was ready, we all just crawled in and passed out. Here is a picture of me sledding the next morning tho

Damn dude, the all complications sound really frustrating. But on the bright side, you are so close to finishing Whole30! As always your meals sound incredibly delicious. I mean chocolate chili, seriously? Thanks for linking the recipes, next time I'm feeling adventurous (or like driving the 2 hours round trip to the grocery store) I'll have to try this one!

Awesome planning ahead so you could enjoy your night out with friends. You definitely should feel good about your choices! I have such a hard time opting for healthier choices in social situations and rarely ever am able to say no to a beer. Keep on rockin' it, sounds like you're doing great.