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So here lies my official battle log for my annual goal....completing at least 1 chin up! I have a competition going with my sister in Sydney who can do one first - from free hang - no cheating now. Although she is a good 20kgs lighter than me, I won't let that stop me from giving it my best shot! I have taken Steve's articles on pull-ups on board, and have set out my 6 week challenge to help me get there. I am currently working from stage one, aiming for 20kg single arm dumbbell rows. Once there I will move on to supine rows, negatives and assisted pulls. Is there anyone else out there working towards this same goal? Would love to hear from you.

Alright, last challenge was pretty descent with all holidays etc figured in, but was also a laid back one given that holidays make certain things more difficult and I didn't want to overload my self-control bar. Main Quest - Looking at the new year (yes, I know, I hate NYResolutions too. Oh well) I have a handful of items I want to accomplish. - GRE taken & grad school aps in, resulting in starting grad school this year - Pull-ups and basic parkour by this summer. This is less aimed at the fact that I really just want to do them, and more at the fact that if I don't set a deadline and goals I won't get in shape period, and if I don't get in shape my body will probably fall apart. Literally. My shoulders and my hips/lower back need a ton of muscle to keep them together. While I don't feel ready to do either of those things right now, I can build the foundations to build them from. - Get finances organized. - SQ1 - Fitness goals - stabilize. Yoga or Pilates a minimum of 3 times per week to rebuild core strength and flexibility/balance, and a PLP substituting inv pullups for the real deal. Sadly I live in a frigid, snow-invested zone, plus cars terrify me in good weather let alone in winter, so no biking for me until spring Also, 1 session/week of MA, anything I can remember weapons or non. SQ2 - Studies need to be addressed. Guitar is restrung, so music can start this time around rather than me pouting that I can't get to a practice room for a piano. I also have a G.R.E. study manual out from the library (because that's where broke people go to find useful info - thankfully psychic paper doubles as a library card!) which will mean a crazy amount of sit-down studying to get ready for the test. GRE - 5 hours/week of studying prep work Music - min 3 hours/week, can be 6 1/2hour session, 3 hour sessions, or whatever. To keep this from getting complicated I'll leave piano for later in the year. *JPN - 2 hours/week; if it's too much to keep up with everything this will be the first thing removed for the moment - I love it, but it's currently the least feasible thing on this list. SQ3 - Food - I need to keep an eye on 3 things - raw plant intake, protein intake, and eating out. So I need to make sure I'm recording meals, keeping protein intake at least over 60g/day, preferably closer to 100, getting at least 1 salad in per day, since I've been eating more like 1/week, and cutting eating out to an epic treat once in a while rather than a quick meal when I'm running short on time. So more like sushi once a month rather than Taco Bell twice a week, or sometimes more... Life Quest - Neatness. I lost all of my neatness - the room exploded. The T.A.R.D.I.S. may have an infinite capacity, but my room certainly does not, and currently looking for items in there qualifies as a quest by itself. Here's 2015 - let's drop anything from 2014 holding us back and destroy this year with awesome wins!

Happy new year fellow rebels! Here goes for level 11 ... My ultimate goal is to fit comfortably in size 14 trousers. To get there, I need to drop a dress size. I need to be more active in order to burn the fat off. I am fit and healthy and rested so looking forward to starting the new year off right. 1. WORKOUT! 30-min workouts, 5 times per week. STR+2, STA+1, DEX+1 A = 28+ days with a workout B = 25-27 days with a workout C = 22-24 days with a workout F = 21 days or fewer with a workout 2. ACTIVITY! Be active outside of workout times. Minimum 10 minutes per day, 5 days per week. STA+2, CON+1 A = 28+ active days B = 25-27 active days C = 22-24 active days F = 21 or fewer active days 3. WORD! My employers have provided me with an advanced course in word processing, all paid for, but I need to find a few hours per week to learn it, practice it and take the exam. I want to take the exam before the end of February. WIS+4 A = Learned, practiced and exam date set B = Still practicing, nearly there C = Still practicing, will take exam but not sure if I will pass F = Nowhere near; will have to defer exam 4. VALENTINE! Valentine's day falls at the end of this challenge and I'd like to get away with my beau. I will need to plan a place, travel, accommodation, food, some activities and probably a bit of spending money. CHA+4 A = Everything planned and paid for B = Most of it was sorted but I forgot something small C = It was OK but I forgot something fundamental F = We stayed at home for Valentine's day.

Last night I joined Nerd Fitness Academy, today I'm making my first post, tomorrow I'm committing to walking for ten minutes, and then Thursday I turn 35. My birthday gift to myself is to NOT wait until Thursday to start all of this - but rather to go into my new year already feeling healthier. Bread is a huge temptation for me... and today I specifically chose to have chicken tenders instead of a big ol' sandwich. I know, that still isn't exactly "healthy" (quotation marks? Really?) but it isn't a huge hunk of bread. And it's something. It's a conscious choice that I made, and I plan to do the same tomorrow too. One day, one small step. Sleep is my kryptonite. Or reverse kryptonite? I mean, if I don't have enough, I get weak, wobbly, the world spins on its axis and I'm all kinds of useless. Not just tired, but actually physically ill. So that's going to be a big thing that I work on here. Getting enough sleep. Once upon a time I was a far stronger, healthier body. I'd put myself in a Ranger/Assassin sort of range - though I loathed running and couldn't do much of it, I was able to run and was stupidly strong. Now... I just feel like my body is stupid. But I'm determined to get back on course. My thought right now it to follow a Druid Assassin path; get my mind and body working together instead of in opposition. I have depression and anxiety in my utility belt and I'd prefer it if they came out to play far less frequently than they have been lately. Their appearances are inversely proportional to how healthy my life is at any given moment. So there's that. MY GOALs (January, 2015): Eat less than three sandwiches per week through the end of the month Go to sleep before 11pm the majority of January's remaining nights Walk at least ten minutes at least six times between now and February Find the missing screws that are keeping me from putting together the bed in the guest room, and finally build the damn thing.