Nyx, Daughter of Chaos

It's been a while since I've been consistent and intentional with focusing on my health and fitness goals. There are many reasons for this - shoulder surgery this autumn, the pandemic, feeling guilty that I want to change my body even though I love myself, the list goes on and on and on....but I'm ready. I'm done wishing that I had started taking the steps to reach my goals. I'm done starting over again and again and again. I’m done letting other people’s opinions determine what I do, or don’t do, with my body. So, I’m using the time during this holiday challenge to hone myself for the new year. Challenge Quest #1: Paleo Prep I'm not as bad as I used to be, but still have a lot of room to improve. I am moving to a paleo approach to eating, so the weeks leading up to the first challenge of 2021, I will be cleaning things up to make the transition that much easier. I'm already mostly gluten-free but will be removing all grains, aside from white rice from my diet. I will also be removing added sugars, and mostly removing alcohol - I will be completely cutting out alcohol for the first challenge of the new year. Challenge Quest #2: Cardio I am so slacking here. Big time. I'll be bringing strength training into my routine with the first challenge, but I want to build up my aerobic fitness. I'm terrible about holding my breath when dancing and doing more intense cardio. I'm going to do thirty minutes of cardio everyday. This can be any kind of cardio - low-intensity steady state, HIIT, dancing, yoga, whatever. Just thirty minutes of getting my heart rate up every single day. Challenge Quest #3: Hydration I love drinking water! I really do. But I can be really bad about staying hydrated during the colder months of the year. I have a beautiful 64oz water bottle that I carry around my house with me, I will be aiming to drink two full bottle everyday. Side Quest: Physical Therapy I need to stay consistent with doing my daily PT exercises for my shoulder. I've been slacking a bit, and I can't do that. I have a lot of exercises to choose from, but I need to do at least ten minutes every day. I'm getting started a bit late, but better late than never!

I updated my goals a bit, and posted in my top post, but am posting here too. ADDITIONS Side Quest #1: Make progress on my 1560s Venetian outfit (Added 7 August) - - I'm a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism (sca.org). It's a historical reenactment group. One of the big projects I started and have been working on during the pandemic is making a 1560s Venetian outfit. I post about each completed garment of the outfit on my blog (Luxia Sabina), but I need more accountability for actually making regular progress. I know it has absolutely nothing to do with health or fitness, but I hope you all don't mind! Side Quest #2: Do fencing point control drills 3x everyday (Added 7 August) - - I'm getting started with doing fencing. Due to the pandemic, my local group isn't able to meet for practice, so I'm doing what I can to work on my technique at home. I made myself a couple of point control targets (one for indoor, one for outdoors). Working on my fitness and strength building will help with being ready for practice once the time comes, but working on getting more comfortable with actually using my sword and hitting a thing will go along way. Here's a picture of my indoor target and my sword.

Whew! Finally caught up...I'm a little late to the game. I'm looking forward to following along and seeing your bread and sausage and cooking!

Fellow curly here! Your curly hair looks beautiful! ❤️ A few tips that have helped me over the years, I hope that's okay. 1) It's your hair, no one gets to tell you what happens to it but you. This includes using whatever products you want, and not having heat used on it if that's not what you want. 2) There's no reason she needs to blow it out to make sure all the ends/length are even...you have curly hair, it's not going to be all the same length...that's not how curly hair works. 3) If/when you can, find a stylist who knows how to cut curly hair, not someone who cuts curly hair the way they'd cut straight hair...it's not the same.

Some suggestions...buying books/movies, buying a garment, buying something for a hobby/project, extra TV time.

Regarding your ADHD diagnosis, some friends and I have been talking about adult women being diagnosed with this later in life, and what a difference it's made in their/our lives I'm currently in the process of getting officially diagnosed. It will be a couple of months before I can get diagnosed - I have to stop smoking weed for 90 days since I smoked nearly everyday for the last ten years (though to be honest, I don't think I'll go back after the 90 days are up). But in talking about the different symptoms and expressions of ADHD in women, I'm really looking forward to getting diagnosed and getting help. I'm glad that you're cutting yourself some slack..."I'm not just a messy piece of sh&t!" <3

Oooo..what kind of dancing do you do? Getting into the studio is one thing I'm missing the most during this pandemic time.

What a fun and cool goal! I love that you're sharing videos with us! Following along!

Something I've been working on a lot lately, is that sometimes it's more about the journey towards the goal than the goal itself that matters. Don't get me wrong, setting/having/reaching for goals is great and *super* helpful, just don't feel bad if you don't reach the goal this challenge. It's not just about being able to *do* the thing, it's also about being able to do what it takes to get there, and sometimes that takes longer than we expect.

I love all the pixel art and the storyline!! Best of luck with Sunflower, I can't wait to hear how the date goes, and provide some encouragement!!

I love the PLAY acronym! How are things going?

Ooo..love the hooping and belly dancing. I'm a bit rusty on them myself, but have loved them both for a long time! Good luck!

Thanks ❤️

Week 1, Thursday Swings: Done, 20# KB Gluten: Had a little bit with dinner Protein: ~90 grams Not long after I made my post here, I received some heartbreaking news, and spent the rest of the day in a bit of a fog. It's a little less foggy this morning, but damn if my heart isn't heavy today. But I was proud of myself yesterday for not letting the news completely drown me. In the past, I would have let it. I still got my swings done, I didn't let myself fall into a pile of cookies and brownies, and I made myself eat more than I would have.

I'm a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism (sca.org), a historical reenactment group. They have a group that does fencing. Mostly tournaments, but they do some group/war type scenarios/games too. I'm really looking forward to the pandemic ending so I can go play with my friends! As for dance, I dabble in a variety of styles, but modern and contemporary are my favorites. I like the freedom of expression they hold space for. I also love belly dancing, but am a bit rusty. I'd love to learn Argentine tango! It's high on my post-pandemic list!