veritate

I'm just picturing you yelling at Skyrim. LOL *highfives* for 3/3 swimming! As for the weekend; get your walk in first thing in the morning. Then nothing can take it away from you and you can just strut your bad kitty self around town like the badass Khajiit you are!

Hello Guest Alejandra! You and I have one goal in common; limiting eating out is definitely something I'm struggling with but I know it will have the biggest effect on reaching my "Level 50" self! We can do it! W00t!

Point the first: Your challenge is AWESOME. Point the second: You are kicking some major butt! Keep it up! I've subscribed to your thread.

Wow, Jaimee! What a STORY! Steering that TARDIS is going to be a heckuva job, but you can do it! I'll be keeping watch for you!

Skyrim "binge" is the best way to put it. Cause once you start, whoo boy...

James, you will keep me honest. Thank you. No, I hadn't taken measurements yet and while I don't believe numbers mean anything in terms of my health, ability or effort, I know that the degree to which those numbers change is proof positive that I'm moving toward my goals - like landmarks along the Oregon Trail. And if I don't take a bearing before starting out, how will I know how far I've come? Will-do tonight. Thanks very much! Yeah, my vitamins are sitting in the middle of my bathroom counter (which is unclutered, so they really stand out) and I see them the second I walk into the washroom in the morning. I also have a post-it on my bathroom mirror with all four of my goals written on it. So far, so good. *Zaghareet!* I study mostly Raqs Sharqui. My troupe is Daughters of the Nile. We try to really stay true to authentic Egyptian style (with a good measure of North American props and some fusion thrown in). Some folkloric including Saidi, Raks Assaya and even Nubian and Khaleegy. I absolutely love dancing to the big, orchestral Arabic classics. I do like quinoa but really, I don't *need* to eat grains with every meal. That's the mentality I need to change. The lunch counters around here do offer some non-rice-based meals but one can only eat so many spinach salads with grilled chicken. What that means is more planning on my part to bring my own lunch. I will think of that planning and food prep as XP grinding. If I can spend time in Minecraft chopping wood and mining cobble, I can spend time in RL washing salad and cutting celery!!! Growing up, I had a friend who was a joy to play with because she allowed herself to completely believe in things like unicorns roaming in forests, faerie rings, and wishing stars. Moreso than any of my other friends. When I first discovered NF, I was absolutely hooked on the notion that "leveling up" didn't have to be a fantasy thing! It is REAL. I can ACTUALLY become significantly better, but I have to grind for the XP to gain those levels. It just all made sense. During my first challenge, I saw how others wrote narrative tales to fit their stories and decided I wanted to do the same. I'm glad you're enjoying it. I'm certainly having fun with it! And I find I want to tell more story, but I know that unless I actually do stuff "in real life" then my story will be boring and sad. I don't want that. If you'd like to private message me with the cauliflower recipe, I'd love to have it.

Welcome! Those goals sound great and I especially like Goal #3. Care to fill us in a bit more? Where are you coming from? i.e., Your goal is to work out 5 X 40 mins per week. Where are you at now? How often do you work out and what does your workout consist of? Where do you hope to be after six weeks of 5 x 40 mins per week? Stronger? Faster? More Flexible? Also, whether you post them or not, be sure you're taking measurements & photos (I'm already delinquent in this and someone has reminded me to get on it!) Good luck and I'll keep watching!

Well done!

The gruel was tasty. Hot, salty and filling. Veritate was eating at a local inn, where she had often eaten before. She hadn't much time before having to return to the day's work, so she ordered one of her favorites. As she ate, she realized for the first time what had happened and what had happened all her life; this was Orc fare. What her forefathers had eaten in the homeland to become big and strong and, well... Orcish. This is what she had been raised to believe was "proper" in terms of what lunch should be. This magic that was going to make her successful as an Enchantress - it could only be successful if cast over a long, continuous period of time. Daily - no, hourly - minute-by-minute casting. And this choice of "proper" Orc-fare food was just the kind of thing to ruin the magic, dissolve the illusion and hold her back. It probably wouldn't be sufficient to avoid the rich treats offered by the local bakery - she would need to work towards a complete renunciation of her Orcish diet. But she realized that would need to be done over time. So she made a plan. That evening, she visited the local market and acquired some much-needed fresh foods. A good start. Later on, as the evening drew to a close, she realized she had done no work on her new spell to demonstrate later in the month. Rather hurriedly, she summoned the two familiars with which she'd be performing the spell and practiced manipulating them in the air. She was well-versed in single-familiar casting at close range. For this spell, she would be dual-casting at long range. She realized it will take a lot of practice, and more than half-heartedly. As she performed her nightly Enchantress Beauty Ritual that night, she resolved to be more focused in the coming days. ______________________ TL:DR - My eating habits will need to completely change if I want to reach Level 50. Beef stir-fry on a mound of white rice is exactly the kind of food that got me where I am. I bought some groceries yesterday. Practiced a bit of double veil work, but not enough. Writing this story is really helping me to make in-the-moment decisions and realizations. The more I can keep this narrative in my mind, the better.

DO IT! Write it on a post-it and put it on your scale.

WELL DONE on your workout! And yes, good call on being kind to your aching thighs. Remember that the only good workout is one that lets you live your life happily afterward! Injuries will only set you back. Leading to more shame and frustration. Ice is your friend in the meantime! Here's the thing about shame: unless you make a decision to no longer tolerate it, it will find a way to remain. It is illogical, and therefore there is no direct "reason" why you are feeling it. So please don't wait for the weight to come off. It will cripple you time and again, sabotaging your progress. But with pride and strength, there are direct reasons. You just have to accept them! Be proud of fitting that workout into your busy morning. Be proud of waking up on time. Be proud of the inches coming off. Look that shame straight in the eye and say, "To HELL with you! The weight is incidental to my awesome fitting-workouts-into-my-busy-morning skillz!"

YES! This is awesome. I love the C25K challenge! What I love most about it is that any effort - ANY EFFORT will be rewarded with more stamina, calories burned and endorphins galore. It's not like math where you either get it or you don't. So 15 minutes is spot on, especially if you found you were a bit sore by the end of it. And your meal sounds fantastic. *drool*

HOORAY for RPG narratives on NF. Welcome! I've subscribed and I'll be cheering you on!

Oooh! This Orc definitely approves of sparkly gems!! Starting small and building a base for your walking lifestyle is a good idea. Pushing yourself too far too fast is a recipe for destruction. One step at a time. Just like Optimus Prime! (Hey, that rhymes... and so does that!) A mile in a day seems like a definite accomplishment. My aim is to actually buy some real food for my pantry and fridge, since I haven't really gone grocery shopping since the whole CHRISTMAS TIME BUY ALL THE CANDY trip I made a couple weeks ago. Well done on the cauliflower and cabbage and such! I've often thought of walking with Sam & Frodo but never about what their playlist might be. Now you've sparked my imagination.

Welcome back Urbano! Just out of curiosity, have you given any thoughts on how you'll grade yourself? Good luck in exam prep!

Sounds great except that in the Rules of the Rebellion, we exercise because it's fun. If your workout is boring, and in the past, you lost motivation, consider finding something else to do that will net you the same result!

Thanks very much! And yes, it's very cool. Changed my life. I'm keeping the stone golems at bay with a steady stream of water. Nothing cuts stone like water!

Just chiming in to say I love your topic title! Yes, your goals sound fantastic. Remember that any effort is rewarded, so if, for example, you miss a day tracking your food, all is not lost! Just do it again the next day. Or if you miss a walk, just do it the next day. Setbacks will happen and if you keep that in mind, you can be mentally prepared to keep sharpening your claws and grooming your coat to become the deadly, cunning Khajiit you are destined to become!

"Attack of the Groans". I love it. Yes, this is a beast you must slay. An ancient one. Devious and cunning. And one that can only be beaten on the battlefield of JustGetToIt! Put on your epic playlist and make it happen!

I agree with this. That's another rule of the rebellion - We exercise because it's fun and if it's not fun, we don't do it. Find a jungle gym and monkey around on it for 15 minutes. Go shoot some hoops. Do some karate drills. Sweating in your living room isn't the only way to get stronger!

Love it. Siren is a definite fit!

Shame is a powerful thing. And it seems to me that you are in a fight for your life with a tyrant of a bully. I like Steve's recent article about resolutions and why they suck. About what identity we choose for ourselves. Remember the Rules of the Rebellion: We don't care where you came from. "Letting it get this bad" is a reference to the past. Where you came from. It is irrelevant. Where you are now is "Someone who runs." "Someone who gets up and does lunges and push ups, even if she slept in." To hell with the bully. Her lies and nonsense will persist, but that's all they are and you are a different person now. I feel that shame when I'm out running in my 246 lb body. But you know what I remind myself? I remind myself of what I think when I see someone running. I think, "Boy, I wish I had gone for a run today. I really should do that." That's exactly what they're thinking in their cars. They see you out there and they think, "Oh, man. Look at her go. She's out there and I've done sweet nothing today / I missed my workout yesterday / Boy, I should get to the gym this week." Seriously. They're so wrapped up in their own self they are likely inspired by you. So keep it up. Sweat and grunt and beat that bully into a pulp. You've got this!

Ha ha! Thanks. Well, when I was reading the articles about how your "race" is your starting point, because it's what you've got to work with, I did some thinking and realized that Orc was the only race I could really say fit me. More than that, it affects my goals in a direct way, so there it is. The Orc Enchantress. That's me! A big hill to climb, to be sure.

The next morning, Veritate was up out of bed before the cock crew. Dressing, she walked to her study and gathered her materials. This morning, she would review her lessons on air and light. Even if it was only for a half hour, she knew it would bring her closer to mastering this new spell. She sipped cool, fresh water in between motion drills. After she had finished her study, she prepared a hearty breakfast of eggs, greens and toasted bread. She dutifully took her health potions and reflected on the rest of the day. A good start. _______ This morning I reviewed my double veil and spinning drills for the first time since I took a workshop three years ago. I hadn't forgotten as much as I expected. Took my fish oil and multivitamins with breakfast. Tonight I will do some meal planning and grocery shopping to set up my healthy eating for the rest of the week. I'm hoping my story this time around will not be too exciting, to be honest. Last time, the battle of Sinus Cavity and being kidnapped by the stone golem was a bit too much. Being boring. Daily commitment to healthy choices. That's what's going to get me where I want to go.

Welcome! Congrats on slaying the TexMex goblin today! As far as grading the goals, I'm guessing since you didn't post any starting stats (a la role playing game character attributes), you're talking about just measuring your success. You could go with the example they have on the Assigning Attribute Points page, where A - 100% B - 75% C - 50% D - 25% F - 0%. For example, let's say for your second goal: You find at the end of the six weeks that you've completed 18 strength training sessions. That's an average of 3 sessions per week. So congrats, that's 100 per cent. You get an A. For your third goal, let's say you only complete 20 paleo dinners. That's 20 out of 30 (six weeks times 5 dinners)... so that's 60 per cent. That works out to C+ or B-. A passing mark on all four goals would mean you pass the challenge. I find that I can sometimes be tempted to "fudge" numbers to make me look good, but then I realize I'm only lying to myself. But looking at things in black and white helps me know where I'm at and where I can improve. Hope that helps!