tricky

Hello fellow Canucks! I've been putting some time into getting my finances in order, and I'm realizing how unimpressive my BMO Airmiles Mastercard is on the travel hacking front. What cards have you guys had success with? Which would you recommend? Thanks a million, tricky

I've been reading it's all kinds of good for you, and having dealt with two colds this year already, I'm liking how much B12 is in it. Still, it's faddish (I hate fads), and frankly, not cheap. So, does anybody have experience adding wheatgrass/shots to your morning routine? Is it everything it's cracked up to be? Is growing/making your own a big pain in the rear end? Help!

Hey Ink, I feel your pain -- my carb flu only cleared up a couple of weeks ago. For main meals, your best bet is to stick to straight up meat and vegetables IMO. For me, though, the biggest thing that's helped the transition has been snacks. Nuts, meat, hard-boiled eggs, and fruits and veggies, all pre-packed in baggies and kept within easy reach. I'm assuming that whoever keeps you fed buys at least some of those things regularly? If you make the healthy options as easy as the unhealthy ones, you're far more likely to stick to your plan. You'll also be able to strategize better at restaurants/family meals if you're not ravenous when you sit down. Congratulations on taking responsibility for your own health, dude. It's awesome, and smart, and we're here for you all the way. That said, you taking responsibility for your health really is YOU taking responsibility for YOUR health. That means it may be time to start joining your mom/dad/fairy godmother on grocery runs, becoming a prepacking/lunch-packing master, and learning to do a little basic cooking for yourself. If you're up for it, why not try telling your nearest and dearest about the changes you're making? You might be surprised at the support you get. Most of all, take it slow. Little changes are lasting changes. If you try to take everything on at once, you're likely to get overwhelmed and give up all together. Be good to yourself. Every change makes a difference. Cheers! Tricky

Hi Everybody! How awesome is this thread? Y'all make impossible not to stop in and say hi! My name is Tricky, and I'm one more B to add to our alphabet soup (or is it a GBLT sandwich?!). Currently, I'm an adventurer working with the Level Up Club to lose some weight and make some healthy lifestyle changes. When I grow up though, watch out! The plan is to be a Parkour Ninja, or Monk Assassin if you prefer. Cob, I love your question about fitness and sexuality. For me, the connection between the two is very real, but it's less about fitness and more about overall wellness. What I'm doing right now with LUC feels like "coming out" to myself as a healthy person, or someone who will be soon. It's all about assuming my right to be happy and to enjoy my body on my own terms. Does that make sense? I also don't think you can underestimate the body image/self-confidence stuff, especially when it comes to sexuality. Fat shame, especially the internalized kind, is every bit as damaging as internalized homophobia. Trust me, I've dealt with both, and often together. So to answer your question about challenge goals, I'd say that my sexuality shapes my decision process -- I'm constantly applying the same slow 'n steady, one mountain at a time approach to getting awesome as I did to coming out. Yikes! That ended up being way longer than I intended! Sorry guys! Also, Hi! Again! Tricky

Hola Fellow Fitness Nerds! It's my first challenge, and my resolve is strong. Time to take my first real steps toward fulfilling my superhero potential (read: becoming an assassin)! 1. GUT OUT MY DETOX DIET. I am a junk food junkie and not gonna lie: right now, it's taking everything I've got not to walk across the street to Domino's and get my fix. I'm craving grease and processed carbs like crazy, and though I really enjoy cooking, it's not something I've made time to do every day, for every meal, ever. But I know that I'm never going to lose any weight unless I kick this monkey off my back, so I'm going to stick with my diet plan -- lots of water, veggies and lean meat, and no processed sugar or carbs until the cravings stop. Points: +2 STA, +2 CON, +1 CHA 2. START WALKING AGAIN. I've been making excuses about this one for years... "Not enough time"... "It's too hot here"... "I don't have a treadmill"... No more. There's a park near my place and I'm going to power walk it for half an hour, minimum three times a week. I even downloaded a copy of "Zombies, Run!" to help. Yay! Points: +1 DEX, +2 STA, +2 CON 3. CLEAN UP SLEEP HYGIENE. I'm an insomniac. Always have been, but lately, I've become convinced that this need not be the case. So, for the next six weeks, I will go to bed no later than midnight, and PHYSICALLY get up at 7 AM weekdays, 8 AM weekends. I will hit the snooze button no more than once. If the experts are right, hopefully, my energy will improve and I will get fewer headaches. It's worth a try, right? Points: +1 STA, +1 CON 4. GET MY LEARNER'S TICKET. This one is, admittedly, ridiculous. I've been in the States for more than three years and I'm still on an out-of-country license. It's one of those things I've just never gotten around to -- guess I still find big-city traffic a tad intimidating. In any case, I'm job hunting now and I need to buy and insure a car to do it. 'Nuff said. Points: +1 DEX, +2 WIS Yikes... these feel like really ambitious goals, but nevertheless, I will succeed. I'm so glad to have all of you along for the ride! LET'S GO!

Welcome aboard, ZB. We're glad to have you. Unfortunately, I have to echo Razor's answer to your query: effort is the key. But nobody said that effort had to be super time-consuming. If you take a look at the resources on the site, especially the Rebel Fitness Guide, you'll find some pretty efficient workouts that won't take you too long once you've mastered them.

Thundra, I'm pretty sure you ARE the cool table. So glad to have you around!

Welcome, fellow newb! As an aspiring assassin, I too am super-jealous of your parkour skills. Have you chosen a guild yet?