Frellnik

For the life goal, cleaning and organizing the guarage... I find when I need to clean and organize my room (or now, my apartment) I set a block of time for it on a weekend, and I get some great music and some healthy snacks, and I get to work. I usually have to hide my remote and turn off my phone to not get distracted. I find the good music keeps me going. I like your goals. I'm working on push-ups, but I'm using my knees. lol Good luck!

Kelekona, I use meletonin when I travel to help with Jet Lag, I should try it and see if this helps. Hulmek, I thought of that, but I eat paleo/primal and I've had more energy since I made the switch back in August. I have always slept much better if I go to bed around midnight or after midnight, but since I have to get up so early for work, I can't do that. If I could go back to sleep around the time I have to get up, I would be able to sleep for a few more hours (like I do on weekends). But during the week I can't do that. Excercise may play a factor. I'll have to watch that.

Well, I had some success and flopped big time on the rest of my goals. I got my credit card completely paid off ($1200 instead of just the $600)!! So I'm very happy with that. The excercise I had planned did not happen. It went alright at first, but then I got sick with a fever for a few days and didn't have the energy to do anything, and then I just didn't start it back up again. As for getting at least 7 hours of sleep a night, I'm not sure exactly how I can improve on that. I was in bed for at least 8 hours a night but, unfortunately, my body seems to think that 6 hours is all it needs, despite me being tired all the time. I can't seem to sleep past the 6 hour mark, even if I lie in bed for 8 hours. I have no idea how to change that. I thought going to bed earlier would help, and while I tend to go to sleep easily enough, I also wake up that much earlier and then can't get back to sleep. I've been waking up at 4am quite frequently because I'm in bed at 9 and asslep by 10. Does anyone have any thoughts or ideas about this?? I'll post my stats and stuff tomorrrow as It's already after 9 and I want to get to bed. I've noticed that I'm getting really bad at updating, so I thought I'd get this posted before I forgot, again.

honestly, they kind of scare me. lol But I'm going to give them a shot. I just saw the mini challenge this morning. So I'll try some this evening after my warm up for dance.

Great goals! I think they are very realistic! I walk to work every day (unless there's a typhoon or terenchal rain). I actually really like the 20 minute walk to and from work. It gives me a chance to listen to music and relax. I used to bike, but my bikes (I have 2) are both in need of repair and the gentleman who rant the bike shop passed away. :/ I really love your goal to write a journal each day. I am terrible with that. I am lucky if I remember to write 4 times a month. Good luck with your goals! I think you'll do just fine!

Hi BigCurly, I learned not to bite off more than I can chew. lol I thought making my goals for the challenge would motivate me to do more (studying) and it didn't. I find it works for excercise, as long as you're in a condition to actually do the excercise (ie, healthy). So this time I made my goals in such a way as to increase what I'm alreasy doing by just a bit. I sleep 5 or 6 hours most nights so I'm going to try for 7 hours. I dance 3 times a week, so now I want to up it to at least 4 times a week. that sort of thing. Improve yourself a little at a time instead of trying to make huge jumps (like studying 10 hours a week (up from 4 or 5). I've never been to Hiroshima, but I've been to Tokyo many times. I recomend Ueno Park (Ueno, Tokyo). It has a zoo, art galleries, at least 6 museums (including my favourite - the science and nature museum), as well as a large pond that you can rent peddle boats, and there are often street performances there too. It's a very large park with lots to see and do. Whenever I go to Tokyo, I try to go there. The science museum has a theatre 360! It's a dome, you go inside and it's juat a suspended bridge. You stand on the bridge to watch the movie (the entire surface inside of the dome is the screens for the movie, so it's like you are actually in the middle of everything! It's amazing!). Entry to the museum is only 600 yen and the theatre 360 is included in the price. Also, ther are 2 pandas at the zoo! Ikebukuro is another great place. It has a place, not too far a walk from the station, called Sunshine City. They have a beautiful aquarium. Newly renovated last summer. There is also a planitarium there, I believe. I think both places would be great fun for your students. Have a great time in Japan! And good luck with your first challenge!

I'm a little bit late this time, but I had my goals already planned out and had started them ontime, I just hadn't siged up. So, this is my second challenge. Last challenge I didn't do as well as I had hoped, but I still managed some of my goals and lost about 12 pounds Last time my challenges were mostly to do with eating habbits, so this time around I want to focus more on excercise. Goal 1: STA +2, DEX. + 2 Dance at least 4 times a week. ( I got a really good DVD set with club music dance lessons. I've been having a great time dancing after work). Goal 2: STR: +2, STA: +2 Work on push ups. Try adding one more push up every day. (I started 2 weeks ago and collapsed in the middle of the first push up, now I can do 10!) Goal 3: CON +2, CHA: +2 Get at least 7 hours of sleep each night. (right now I'm often only getting about 5 or 6 hours of sleep a night and I'm always tired). Persoal Goal: WIS: +2, CHA: +1 Pay off my credit card, $600. I'm currently at 88kg and have ordered a measuring tape so I'll be able to record my measurements. By the end of this challenge I hope to be much closer to 80kg.

[table=width: 500, class: grid, align: center] Goals Attributes Assigned Grade Attributes Awarded Body Weight work out 2-3 times a week STR. +3, STA. +2 D +0.5; +0.75 Transition to a Paleo/Primal diet CON. +3 A +3 Cut down to 1 pop a week CON. +2 A +2 Study 60 hours for the JLPT WIS. +5 C +2.5 [/table] Overall C That being said, I lost 12 pounds during this challenge I'm looking forward to the next one!

I made it to the end of the challenge!! I did really well in certain areas and not so well in others. My first goal, do the body weight workout 2-3 times a week, was a bust. It got so hot and humid here that I ended up getting heat exhaustion and at one point was sent home with heat stroke. That completely sucked. I also, somehow, got an infection in my foot and that killed my drive to workout completely. It's still incredibly hot here, but I'm hoping that in the next couple of weeks it will finally start cool down. I managed to do the work out for the first 2 weeks, so I rate myself as follows: Strength: +0.5 Stamina: +0.75 Goal 2: Transition into a Primal diet, was a complete success!! I am quite enjoying it. Although many of the ingredients that I need (almond and coconut flour, lime jiuce, coconut milk, just to name a few) are impossible to get here...so I'm having to be very choosey about what I eat. I did manage to find some coconut flour, but it's going to take at least a month to get it here. If it actually gets through customs. lol My fingers are crossed. For this goal I give myself: Con: +3 Goal 3: cut pop down to once a week. This was pretty easy to do! And occasionaly, if I had an ice cream, then I would skip the pop that week. I went 3 weeks in a row without any pop at all! For this goal I give myself: Con +2 Goal 4: Study 60 hours a week...I picked the busiest time of year to do this. Not a smart move on my part. I did manage 30 hours. I also bought and filled out the application form for the JLPT. This year's exam is on December 2nd. I also bought a practice book for the exam and am now working my way through it. so for this goal I give myself 50% Wis: +2.5 I lost 5 KG, so about 12 pounds, during this challenge I am quite pleased with this! Especially since most of that was just because of the food I was eating. I'm hoping that once it cools down and I start running and dancing (I bought a good Dance DVD with lessons and everything ) that I'll lose weight a bit faster. It's just been too miserable to do anything physical. I'd never had heat stroke before, and I got it by going to work and doing my job (teaching). I really miss AC. lol So my new stats are : STR: 2.5 DEX: 1 CON: 8 STA: 3.75 WIS: 6.5 CHA: 2 I'm looking forward to the next challenge

oh, thank you!! I'll go check that out!

Yeah, Shoshie, I was thinking about that just yesterday at work. I'm thinking miso soup, fish (cod and/or tuna), with veggies. Usually I would eat rice with a meal like that because I don't find it very filling. I'll have to try it out and see what I can add to it.

Thanks for the idea Vintageenvy. I do have a blender (it was left to me by my predecessor) but I've never used it. I'll have to see if I can figure out how it works Also, thanks for the paleomg idea. I didn't know about that site. I'm going to go check that out

Oooh, that ground beef and bacon with veggies idea sounds delicious!! So does the hamburger I'm going to have beef stew for breakfast tomorrow and the last of my lasagna for lunch. I'm thinking of making a fajita salad on the weekend. I need to order some salsa online. Thanks for the ideas and advice

Hi I started Paleo/Primal about 3 weeks ago. I am loving it. The foods I've been making are delicious and healthy and it's great! The problem I have is that I live in Japan, and it is not possible to get any kind of flour that isn't white. It is also not possible to import flour of any kind into Japan. So I have no access to almond flour, or coconut flour and any kind of flour that I could eat with this life style choice. I also can't find limes or lime juice, ad spices and herbs are limited. In short, I'm having a real problem with variety in my diet. Especially with breakfast. I have to watch my cholesterol (I failed my health check in 2011 with a C in cholesterol, but got it up to a B by not eating eggs more than once or twice a week). I've noticed that pretty much every recipe for breakfast has to do with eggs or something that needs almond or coconut flour. Also, My oven is my mircrowave. Japan has this weird thing where the microwave also hase a convection oven and a toaster all built into one. It's the size of a regular microwave (I can fit a 9x9 inch brownie pan into it) so I can't make a huge roast, or a turkey dinner or anything like that. Some of the recipes I'd like to try, I can't because I don't have a big enough oven. Can you help me by suggesting some delicious meals you enjoy making that doesn't require hard to find ingredients or a big oven? I'd really appreciate anything you can think of. I've tried taco salad, shawarma salad, sheppard's pie, Zucchini lasagna, chicken fajitas (wrapped in lettuce), beef stew, japanese curry, bacony chiecken and roasted pumpkin. if you have any ideas for me, I'd love to try some new stuff Especially breakfast foods. Thank you now I'm late for work! Have a good day/evening!!

Sambalina, Yeah, It's pretty hot and hummid, but it's better up here than in Tokyo or further south. We had a few weeks like you described, thunderstorms predicted every day of the week and then no rain at all. That was at the end of our rainy season. We had 6 times the amount of thunderstorms this year than last year, and even had a tornado!! Crazy weather! I'm looking forward to fall! lol I hope you get some rain soon! Maybe that will help to cool things down. UniQlo will be my best bet. Right now their largest size is too small, but I'll get down to it eventually! I'm most worried about formal clothes for school ceremonies and such. I guess they'll just have to forgive me wearing baggy suits lol. Thanks