JediNickD

I have a 10 min squat thrust challenge I have been doing since December. 10 different Squat Thrust exercises, 12 reps each, in under 10 minutes. Yesterday was my 4th attempt. I've always made it under 10 min, and I have improved each time, but yesterday I broke 9 mins finishing at 8:50. I steamed through the first 6 sets in under 5 minutes. It was smooth sailing after that. I'm impressed with the progress, but I know I'm not in great overall shape. I probably couldn't beat an 8 minute mile, or a 40 min 5k. But I got the Squat Thrust challenge! Here it is: 12 normal ST 12 jack ST (feet together, apart, together, and back up) 12 squat ST (from the high plank, explode feet forward to land in a squat with hands up) 12 push up ST (like a burpee, but no jump) 12 single leg mountain climber ST (drop to a single leg high plank, hop foot forward and back, then back up, 6 each leg) 12 kick through ST (turn to the side, lift arm up, and kick back leg forward like you are break dancing, then back up, 6 each side) 12 Chop Hop single leg ST (quick feet 4 steps, hop to the side one yard, ST on one leg, 6 each side) 12 Angry Mule ST (kick both legs back from high plank) 12 triple skyfall ST (hop into lunge one side, then hop to the other side, then ST) 12 one arm get ups (one arm push up ST, basically drop into a one arm push up, fall on your face, and get up, 6 each arm) You got 10 minutes. GO!

Well, my work network has not been cooperating with Nerd Fitness until today. With the gym and dojo closed, working out at home has been a challenge, but progress is there. I need to ramp up my workout time and just do it regardless of those around me. Trying to get them to workout with me or give me the space I need has been the biggest problem limiting me. I just need to figure out the schedule and exercises. Thanks for checking on me!

Welcome back for another episode of The Exciting Adventures of JediNickD! It was a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away that I joined this site and started my first challenge. World 1 was my first extended stay through 22 challenges. I took a hiatus from NF and came back with a new direction for my goals where I warped to World 2, which I defeated in a Boss Fight slaying some mighty big goals. In World 3, I continue to develop my fitness, getting my body in the best shape of my life, even with the Degenerative Disc Disease, Arthritis, Disc Fissures, and more. Through physical therapy exercises and karate, I have maintained my core and back muscles to ease the pressure off my spine, but in the end I defeated World 3 by transforming my life into a new form. With chiropractic care healing my spine, reaching the high ranks at karate, blazing through the new Toastmasters education program called Pathways, and working to complete Novice rank at IJRS, World 4 was something new everyday. I have moved over to the Monks to reach for more diversity in my workouts and culture as my focus has been more on my karate training in the recent months. As I actively take on more responsibility of coaching, mentoring, and teaching in all aspects of my life, I can see a different me forming on World 5. I just keep on L-I-V-I-N, fight the good fight lightin' it up, and level up my life!  Challenge Lesson: "I Have Spoken." I used to be terrible at public speaking. Now, I have many others looking at me on how to get better at it. I was talking to one of my Toastmaster proteges yesterday. She is determined to get organized and not be so flustered with things she has procrastinated. She wanted to know my secret. Secret? First, I let her know, that I don't always have it together and that she should never compare herself to other people. Instead, compare herself to the previous self. Look at individual growth and progress. I like to say, "compare yourself to yesterday." Second, I reminded her that everyone is in a difference place with things going on that you don't see from your perspective. Lastly, I let her know what I do to keep myself from procrastinating. I take notes, constantly. If I write it down, then I'll better remember it and be reminded of it. I create a to do list and check them off as I complete them. I add due dates to my tasks. I have others keep me accountable. Depending on the task, I have NF, Habitica, friends (fellow Toastmasters, martial artists, co-workers, etc). As an engineer, it is easy for me to categorize and compartmentalize tasks and information in my mind. Notes and Excel spreadsheets help keep everything straight, but my brain is accustomed to those methods. She'll need to find what works for her. Another Toastmaster at our club officer meeting pointed out how I "always have an answer or idea". His point was that I'm good at leading the club because I just happen to know everything about Toastmasters and the club. Well, I've been doing it for 8 years and by "doing it," I mean, doing everything there is to do in Toastmasters, except climbing the District executive ladder or beyond, of course. I haven't looked at a Toastmasters project or goal and balked. Instead, I grind through everything and learn every nook and cranny. That's how I got DTM, and that's how I got to the District stage in a humorous contest, and that's how I got invited to instruct at trainings. I know a thing or two, because I have seen a thing or two. Anyway, I'm good at these things not from talent, but from pure effort. I put in work and it shows. Now, I have spoken. My Main Quest and Mission: My mission is to be the best Jedi I can be. My main quest is always to enhance my overall health, fitness, and knowledge to be prepared for whatever challenges life could throw at me. As a Jedi, I need to be able to help people, whether that is a life threatening situation or just a charitable one. There is no boss level in Jedi training, there is only tomorrow. I'm using Habitica and Excel to track a ton of things, so I may make some changes below to better integrate them, but I'm sticking to the basics drawn to 5 Weeks. World 5 Level 5 Challenge: FITNESS: Cardio: Speed and Stamina - 400 min total, 80 weekly. Track time and distance. STA +1 Walking: Fortify the Spine - 1250 min total, 250 weekly. CON +1 Exercise: HIIT Lifting and Bodyweight - 400 min total, 80 weekly. STR +1, STA +1 Flexibility: Stretching and Physical Therapy - 700 min total, 140 weekly. DEX +1 Karate: Training and Practice - 1250 min total, 250 weekly. Track progress towards belt. Track improvement on all material. DEX +1, STR +1 DIET: Lean Body - Track weight. Complete measurements before or during Week 1 and again during or after Week 5. Looking to maintain 150 lbs or less while shrinking my waist and building muscle. CON +1 Keep on cutting out the crap - No CheezIts, limit snacking at work, cut down portion sizes. Drink more water. Track fruit and veggies for 5 cups a day. CON +1 LIFE: Get Stuff Done - Complete 115 Hours of various Chores and Maintenance, with at least 23 hours each week. Chores and Maintenance are the following areas (goal hours for challenge) Dishes (16), Laundry (10), Cooking/Cleaning/Dusting/Vacuuming/Trash/Other (32), Yard Work (2), Animal Care (24), Home Renovation and Auto Maintenance (10) WIS +1, CHA +1 Epic Quest - Complete something EPIC! I want to be able to look back at my four week challenge and say, "that was the challenge I did X". My challenges tend to be a lot of the same old. I've given myself plenty to improve in small steps, but I also want to see big strides in the things I've been working on. What box can I check? What have I been procrastinating? What am I focusing on? WIS +2, CHA +2 INCENTIVES! Wait, scratch that. No incentives this round. Revamping for another time.

Illness hurt my progress physically in Week 3 and 4, so I'll be grading those weeks on a curve. I'm staying on track. I'm going to ditch the incentives for next challenge with a plan to revamp them. I've saved up the money for my Black Belt celebratory gift and 40th birthday present to myself, an Arashikage tattoo, and earned it with some pretty epic accomplishments. I may get it done in March as the schedule looks good then and not as good in the fall around my actual birthday. I also saved up enough to purchase a new laptop, which I now need since the old one burned up literally (ion batteries are dangerous, btw). After I get the laptop and tattoo, all my saved cash will be considered spent and I'll start back at zero dollars, but I'm going to make it tougher. I also need to revamp how I am using Habitica. It is too easy. The tool could be more useful and motivating, but I'm just going through the motions with it. World 5 Level 4 Challenge GRADES: FITNESS: Cardio: Speed and Stamina - 400 min total, 80 weekly. Track time and distance. STA +1 A = 370 min, short in Week 3 Walking: Fortify the Spine - 1250 min total, 250 weekly. CON +1 A = 1410 min, short in Week 3 Exercise: HIIT Lifting and Bodyweight - 400 min total, 80 weekly. STR +1, STA +1 A = 320 min, scored a zero in Week 3 Flexibility: Stretching and Physical Therapy - 700 min total, 140 weekly. DEX +1 A = 700 min, weekly met Karate: Training and Practice - 1250 min total, 250 weekly. Track progress towards belt. Track improvement on all material. DEX +1, STR +1 A = 1180 min, short in Week 2 (30 min), 3 (100 min), and 4 (105 min). Notebook is filling up with material. Tuesday night classes are giving my loads of core exercises and HIIT workouts. DIET: Lean Body - Track weight. Complete measurements before or during Week 1 and again during or after Week 5. Looking to maintain 150 lbs or less while shrinking my waist and building muscle. CON +1 A = Tracked. Need a new metric here or just leave out the stat bonus. Keep on cutting out the crap - No CheezIts, limit snacking at work, cut down portion sizes. Drink more water. Track fruit and veggies for 5 cups a day. CON +1 A = 175 cups total, hit 5 cups or more most days, only 6 days below. The routine has worked really great. LIFE: Get Stuff Done - Complete 115 Hours of various Chores and Maintenance, with at least 23 hours each week. Chores and Maintenance are the following areas (goal hours for challenge) Dishes (16), Laundry (10), Cooking/Cleaning/Dusting/Vacuuming/Trash/Other (32), Yard Work (2), Animal Care (24), Home Renovation and Auto Maintenance (10) WIS +1, CHA +1 A = 125 hours, short in Week 2 without much work that weekend being dead sick. Epic Quest - Complete something EPIC! I want to be able to look back at my four week challenge and say, "that was the challenge I did X". My challenges tend to be a lot of the same old. I've given myself plenty to improve in small steps, but I also want to see big strides in the things I've been working on. What box can I check? What have I been procrastinating? What am I focusing on? WIS +2, CHA +2 A = Some hard work around the house early in the challenge. Last week, some great Toastmasters work. All challenge long I've been making epic strides at work.

I wrote a post yesterday, but Tron ate it. Racquetball this morning was fun. I played terrible. Head was not in it and I let a few bad plays effect my game. At least, my illness is almost gone. Crushing the diet sticking to the fruit and veggie routine. Getting sick didn't knock me off too bad.

153.8 lbs Racquetball this morning. Saturday we have a funeral to attend to support a friend, Sunday is SUPER BOWL! There will be cleaning an cooking. Tonight is Youth Group game night, which should be a blast.

My Lesson for this round didn't really teach or inspire much, but the theme "This is the Way" from The Mandalorian speaks for itself. I just decided to move on and look at things I'm passionate about. If something doesn't strike a cord, then find something that does. I'm not planning to waste any more of my Earthly time debating the pros and cons of something I didn't feel great about. I feel anyone putting their efforts into tearing TROS apart is just wasting their time. I'm passionate about Star Wars and Jedi, but I'm not going to let the sequel trilogy and lackluster continuity of the films pull me away from the good parts of the Star Wars universe. Instead, I'll watch and re-watch The Mandalorian to pull lessons from. Mando's actions protecting The Child are noble and just, most the time, at least. He does the right thing, because it is the right thing, risking everything he has. This is the Way.

156.6 lbs I helped with a karate class last night, but didn't have the energy for black belt class. I woke early enough for racquetball so I went. Racquetball was fun and helped clear my throat. The body is finally back. I just need to kick the cough. Tonight and tomorrow, we are hosting games at the house. Should be a fun weekend!

Sleep is at a premium with this cough. I may taken another morning off, but I need to get to karate tonight. I'll probably try to nap when I get home to be ready for karate call at 8:30. If I miss tonight, then I would have missed the whole week and spar class on Saturday would be rough. I'm going to have to make a tough call on racquetball tonight. The right move again is to sleep in, but I need to get some activity in.

158.8 lbs A few pounds from sitting on my butt for two days trying to get better. No workout this morning either as I need my energy for my first full day of work, which is a super important day. I have training on new equipment this morning, so i need my brain ready to learn, then I have my first face-to-face hiring interview where I am the project lead. It'll be a 9 hour day when I get done. Hopefully, I have the energy to get to karate tonight. If not, then I will get an easy workout tomorrow morning. I might have a to skip racquetball on Friday.

I caught the flu on Saturday. Recovering slowly, but I'm back at work for a half day. Sucks.

Just in case anyone was wondering: Confucianism is about being in harmony with your community. Buddhism is about being in harmony with everything. Daoism is about not screwing up harmony of nature and allowing harmony to happen.

Trampoline Park last night. Racquetball this morning. My legs are dead-er. Toastmasters training tomorrow. Should be pretty encouraging, motivating, and educational. Helped my middle school daughter learn about eastern religions and philosophy. It was fun. I have pretty good knowledge of Daoism and Buddism, but didn't know much about Confucianism. Now, I know. And knowing is half the battle. GI JOE!

I didn't run. My leg muscles are still cramp-y from Tuesday. Sleep has been bad, and I'm waking up late to go along with it. I'm not happy about missing the run, but I need to take it slow and avoid a set back. I can run next week on my own. Focus on what is now and next, not what has passed.

154.8 lbs My abs are burning and my legs are jelly. My arms aren't fairing much better. Last night's karate class featured an 8 min core blast followed by a 10 min cardio workout featuring a variety of squat thrusts. Exhausting, but also amazing. Recovery was needed. I did the hot tub this morning after getting up a little later. My heart rate is still feels elevated. Of course, like the others, I wrote it down so I can work on it outside of class. Though, I definitely enjoy these exercises more in a group, pushing each other to go further. Tomorrow morning, there is an MLK 5k, but I don't think I'm going to run. It starts at 7am, which would make me an hour late to work. The weather is suppose to suck, too. My plan since the summer was to run in as many 5k runs as I could. They do them almost monthly here, and most a free to raise awareness for a cause. I might change my mind to keep to this goal. I know I can put out a good performance, even though I haven't run since early December. If I don't run, then I'll probably squat thrust. As for MLK, I am doing an invocation for the Toastmasters meetings this week: Martin Luther King Jr., born January 15, 1929, will have his life and work celebrated this week and over the weekend through the Day of Observance on Monday, which is a federal holiday. Most famous of his work is the “I Have a Dream” speech. "I Have a Dream" is a public speech that was delivered by American civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963, in which he called for civil and economic rights and an end to racism in the United States. Delivered to over 250,000 civil rights supporters from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., the speech was a defining moment of the civil rights movement and among the most iconic speeches in American history. Dr. King had been preaching about dreams since 1960, when he gave a speech to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) called "The Negro and the American Dream". This speech discusses the gap between the American dream and reality, saying that overt white supremacists have violated the dream, and that "our federal government has also scarred the dream through its apathy and hypocrisy, its betrayal of the cause of justice". Over time, Dr. King gave many speeches talking about a dream, which evolved into the “I have a Dream” speech given in Washington. Widely hailed as a masterpiece of rhetoric, Dr. King's speech invokes pivotal documents in American history, including the Declaration of Independence, the Emancipation Proclamation, and the United States Constitution. Early in his speech, Dr. King alludes to Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address by saying "Five score years ago ..." In reference to the abolition of slavery articulated in the Emancipation Proclamation, Dr. King says: "It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity." Even today, 57 years after the delivery of the “I Have a Dream” speech, the American dream is an exclusive dream with minority groups still fighting for equality in our country. The march is not over until the American dream is inclusive for every American. Keep the Dream in your hearts and minds this day and always.

My daughter is pretty excited about the extra space. I'm excited to put it to use, since my dad built it while I was in middle school almost 17 years ago.

"I am defeated, and know it, if I meet any human being from whom I find myself unable to learn anything." --George Herbert Palmer

154.6 lbs Busy weekend. Oil changed, air filters changed, lights down, and the loft bed is up. We got the loft bed completed Sunday night. After I got it out of the garage, I realized cleaning was going to take longer than I anticipated and decided to skip karate. The cleaning went well, but the hardware was a bugger. We searched forever to find the zip-lock bag of hardware which we kept stored for the same 9 years as the loft bed stored in the garage. We gave up Saturday night and decided to buy new hardware on Sunday. Lowes didn't have what I needed so I had to improvise. I ended up buying lag screws that were too long, because the bins were mixed and I wasn't paying close enough attention. We realized the mistake at 6pm as we were finishing the frame construction in the bedroom. Tired, we decided to make one last look for the hardware before going back to the store. In a random bin, on the opposite side of the basement from my work bench and hardware storage, my wife amazingly found the hardware. I almost danced out of my shoes. We finished around 7:30pm and were exhausted. I lied in bed watching the football game zoning out. My hands are just wrecked from wrenching things and cleaning things all weekend. I hadn't worn my compression gloves since September, but they are on today. Hopefully, I can go easy on typing.

155.6 lbs Racquetball games were fun and competitive. We had to cut it short in the third game to let another group use the court. I used the rest of my workout time on the 8 min ab blast and some bob-and-weave drills. I'm pretty uncoordinated in those drills, but I'll get better with practice. In spar, I have improved my footwork to avoid getting hit. I've improved my ability to predict and block when needed. With both those, I am working on my speed countering after the maneuver. After I get the hang of the bob-and-weave, I'll do the same with countering. Saturday will be a karate and Toastmasters day. I'm going to have a few projects as well. Auto maintenance and taking down Christmas lights are a must. I have a loft bed stored in the garage which we want to setup in my oldest daughters room. I will need to get it out and clean it up, then move it in the house. We may need to shorten the legs to fit better in the room.

Ok, more Rise of Skywalker ranting with spoilers:

We will see what they do with "The Child", but I don't think his ears will fit in the helmet. Tuesday night karate class is a workout class essentially. We test and condition muscles and the focus has been core recently. We did an 8 minute ab blast, then a bunch of kick and hip twist exercises testing the core. I have been using Wednesday as a rest day keeping my workout simple, since I've been doing Karate on Saturday. This week, my abs needed that rest. Today, I did the ab blast workout again, as we were challenged to do it every other day. I feel like I could cramp at any moment. I thought the 5 min ab workout he gave us before Christmas was bad. This is torture.

World 5 Level 3 Challenge GRADES: FITNESS: Cardio: Speed and Stamina - 500 min total, 100 weekly. Track time and distance. STA +1 A = 620 min, weekly met Walking: Fortify the Spine - 1250 min total, 250 weekly. CON +1 A = 1830 min, weekly met Exercise: HIIT Lifting and Bodyweight - 300 min total, 60 weekly. STR +1, STA +1 A = 380 min, weekly met Flexibility: Stretching and Physical Therapy - 700 min total, 140 weekly. DEX +1 A = 720 min, weekly met Karate: Training and Practice - 1400 min total, 280 weekly. Track progress towards belt. Track improvement on all material. DEX +1, STR +1 A = 1610 min, weekly met DIET: Lean Body - Track weight. Complete measurements before or during Week 1 and again during or after Week 5. Looking to maintain 150 lbs or less while shrinking my waist and building muscle. CON +1 A = I haven't gotten the weight down. 155 lbs is more realistic to maintain while building muscle. Keep on cutting out the crap - No CheezIts, limit snacking at work, cut down portion sizes. Drink more water. Track fruit and veggies for 5 cups a day (175 total). CON +1 A = 179 cups LIFE: Get Stuff Done - Complete 115 Hours of various Chores and Maintenance, with at least 23 hours each week. Chores and Maintenance are the following areas (goal hours for challenge) Dishes (16), Laundry (10), Cooking/Cleaning/Dusting/Vacuuming/Trash/Other (32), Yard Work (2), Animal Care (24), Home Renovation and Auto Maintenance (10) WIS +1, CHA +1 A = 120 hours, weekly met Epic Quest - Complete something EPIC! I want to be able to look back at my four week challenge and say, "that was the challenge I did X". My challenges tend to be a lot of the same old. I've given myself plenty to improve in small steps, but I also want to see big strides in the things I've been working on. What box can I check? What have I been procrastinating? What am I focusing on? WIS +2, CHA +2 Black Belt Test, Public Speaking Tips article, Toastmasters Mentoring, IJRS Novice Exam, Extra Life Goal Met. SO EPIC! INCENTIVES! Working hard for CASH! ($866.10 carried over) REWARD: For each week in which I complete 25 or more hours of Chores and Maintenance, I will put aside $10 to spend how I see fit. CONSEQUENCE: For any week where I complete less than 23 hours, I will give up $10 of saved cash. REWARD: $5 for each Personal Project hour CONSEQUENCE : Lose $10 for each week without at least one hour for Personal Projects. REWARD: $5 for each HIIT workout. For a healthy heart among other things, HIIT is recommended by my health coach. I don't like them, but they are a necessary evil. CONSEQUENCE: Lose $5 for each week without a HIIT workout. REWARD: $5 for each day with weight below 154.0 lbs. CONSEQUENCE: Lose $5 each day with weight above 156.0 lbs. REWARD: $5 for 1 Sprint/Run/Bike workout (minimum 10 reps/30 min/10 min), $10 for second, $20 for third and up. CONSEQUENCE: Lose $10 for each week without one of these workouts. BONUSES: $1 for each hour working on Jedi Training (mentoring, reading/writing, charity, meditation, IJRS lessons). $2 for each hour working on Toastmasters including meetings. $2 for each Home Renovation or Auto Maintenance hour PENALTIES: Lose $10 for eating pizza, candy, popcorn, CheezIts, pretzels, potato chips. Lose $10 for more than 6 Dr Peppers a week or more than 6 meals with cheese a week. Lose $10 for less than 5 cups of fruits and vegetables in a day.

Welcome back for another episode of The Exciting Adventures of JediNickD! It was a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away that I joined this site and started my first challenge. World 1 was my first extended stay through 22 challenges. I took a hiatus from NF and came back with a new direction for my goals where I warped to World 2, which I defeated in a Boss Fight slaying some mighty big goals. In World 3, I continue to develop my fitness, getting my body in the best shape of my life, even with the Degenerative Disc Disease, Arthritis, Disc Fissures, and more. Through physical therapy exercises and karate, I have maintained my core and back muscles to ease the pressure off my spine, but in the end I defeated World 3 by transforming my life into a new form. With chiropractic care healing my spine, reaching the high ranks at karate, blazing through the new Toastmasters education program called Pathways, and working to complete Novice rank at IJRS, World 4 was something new everyday. I have moved over to the Monks to reach for more diversity in my workouts and culture as my focus has been more on my karate training in the recent months. As I actively take on more responsibility of coaching, mentoring, and teaching in all aspects of my life, I can see a different me forming on World 5. I just keep on L-I-V-I-N, fight the good fight lightin' it up, and level up my life!  Challenge Lesson: "This is the Way" My Main Quest and Mission: My mission is to be the best Jedi I can be. My main quest is always to enhance my overall health, fitness, and knowledge to be prepared for whatever challenges life could throw at me. As a Jedi, I need to be able to help people, whether that is a life threatening situation or just a charitable one. There is no boss level in Jedi training, there is only tomorrow. I'm using Habitica and Excel to track a ton of things, so I may make some changes below to better integrate them, but I'm sticking to the basics drawn to 5 Weeks. World 5 Level 4 Challenge: FITNESS: Cardio: Speed and Stamina - 400 min total, 80 weekly. Track time and distance. STA +1 Walking: Fortify the Spine - 1250 min total, 250 weekly. CON +1 Exercise: HIIT Lifting and Bodyweight - 400 min total, 80 weekly. STR +1, STA +1 Flexibility: Stretching and Physical Therapy - 700 min total, 140 weekly. DEX +1 Karate: Training and Practice - 1250 min total, 250 weekly. Track progress towards belt. Track improvement on all material. DEX +1, STR +1 DIET: Lean Body - Track weight. Complete measurements before or during Week 1 and again during or after Week 5. Looking to maintain 150 lbs or less while shrinking my waist and building muscle. CON +1 Keep on cutting out the crap - No CheezIts, limit snacking at work, cut down portion sizes. Drink more water. Track fruit and veggies for 5 cups a day. CON +1 LIFE: Get Stuff Done - Complete 115 Hours of various Chores and Maintenance, with at least 23 hours each week. Chores and Maintenance are the following areas (goal hours for challenge) Dishes (16), Laundry (10), Cooking/Cleaning/Dusting/Vacuuming/Trash/Other (32), Yard Work (2), Animal Care (24), Home Renovation and Auto Maintenance (10) WIS +1, CHA +1 Epic Quest - Complete something EPIC! I want to be able to look back at my four week challenge and say, "that was the challenge I did X". My challenges tend to be a lot of the same old. I've given myself plenty to improve in small steps, but I also want to see big strides in the things I've been working on. What box can I check? What have I been procrastinating? What am I focusing on? WIS +2, CHA +2 INCENTIVES! Working hard for CASH! ($866.10 carried over) REWARD: For each week in which I complete 25 or more hours of Chores and Maintenance, I will put aside $10 to spend how I see fit. CONSEQUENCE: For any week where I complete less than 23 hours, I will give up $10 of saved cash. REWARD: $5 for each Personal Project hour CONSEQUENCE : Lose $10 for each week without at least one hour for Personal Projects. REWARD: $5 for each HIIT workout. For a healthy heart among other things, HIIT is recommended by my health coach. I don't like them, but they are a necessary evil. CONSEQUENCE: Lose $5 for each week without a HIIT workout. REWARD: $5 for each day with weight below 154.0 lbs. CONSEQUENCE: Lose $5 each day with weight above 156.0 lbs. REWARD: $5 for 1 Sprint/Run/Bike workout (minimum 10 reps/30 min/10 min), $10 for second, $20 for third and up. CONSEQUENCE: Lose $10 for each week without one of these workouts. BONUSES: $1 for each hour working on Jedi Training (mentoring, reading/writing, charity, meditation, IJRS lessons). $2 for each hour working on Toastmasters including meetings. $2 for each Home Renovation or Auto Maintenance hour PENALTIES: Lose $10 for eating pizza, candy, popcorn, CheezIts, pretzels, potato chips. Lose $10 for more than 6 Dr Peppers a week or more than 6 meals with cheese a week. Lose $10 for less than 5 cups of fruits and vegetables in a day.

I'm feeling better. The travel wasn't too uncomfortable. We went to Dollywood and road some roller coasters, which didn't cause any issues. I had more issues swimming in the pool with the kids. But my hips, knee, and back are pain free for the most part. I get sore if I stand or sit too long, so I keep switching it up to stay comfortable. Karate class and spar on Saturday went well. I was loose and quick, especially during our footwork drills. First match was ugly with two illegal kicks to the back from my opponent. I spun into a turn back both times, which means he should have pulled his kick. If it was point spar, then I would have scored a back fist to the head and a controlled head-kick with a tornado out-to-in kick. It was a 30 second match, so no points, just warnings. I did the same thing, except I partially pulled my kick while he was turning and lost my balance a bit so when he finished his turn back, he side kicked me and knocked me down. The judges stopped the match and gave me a warning. After my opponents second kick to the back, he was disqualified and we ended the match. Second match was point spar against a lower rank and younger kid. He did well and I gave him opportunity, but he made it easy for me to get in with a punch. I watched a video recently of a guy just using head bob-and-weaves to avoid getting hit. He went up to people on the streets, gave them gloves and said you won't hit me. He threw a few blocks, but for the most part, he just moved in a pattern. He avoided punches for 30 seconds or more until the other guy was too tired. That is the kind of quickness practice I need to work on. I'd love to be able to move my head like that and score my combos on quick counters. I do well with moving and countering, but I do best when I overwhelm.

Friday morning, I played racquetball. Great games as usually, but I hurt my back at the end. In fact, I had to call it, because I hurt it really bad. Mostly muscle cramps, but I worried about a spine or disk injury. I was in pain and hunched over almost all day Friday. I loosen up enough on Saturday morning to help teach karate class, but demonstrating kicks was a bad idea. Ice didn't really help, but the hot tub has loosen my muscles up. Feels like the spine is good. I'll see the chiropractor today as a precaution. I probably just need to keep getting in the hot tub and using the jets to massage the muscles, instead. I'm not looking forward to the 9 hour drive on Thursday. I hope it feels 10 or 20 times better by then.