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I’m Ranger Hal. I hike, snowshoe, scramble, climb, and do search and rescue. I was doing pretty good about getting out regularly until the beginning of August. Then for various reasons, I just sort of stopped. So I need to get started again. So here's the plan. 1. Walk 2. Put away outdoor gear (unless it's drying out) 3. Wash dishes 4. Leave for work by 9am For anyone that was following the backpack project, I did finally buy the pattern. I have started ordering some of the materials. So the plan is to continue obtaining materials and get some cheap fabric to do a mock-up to make sure I'm happy with it before I use the expensive outdoor fabrics.

I’m Ranger Hal. I hike, snowshoe, scramble, climb (in theory, although not recently), and do search and rescue. My current goal is to workout enough to be able to keep up with the other people who want to do those things. There have been a number of trips over the last few years where I have either been turned away because the leader didn’t think my conditioning level was where it needed to be or I decided not to even ask because I didn’t think I could keep up. Last challenge was good. I walked/hiked/scrambled almost 138 miles. I want to keep that up and continue training hikes mostly in Zone 3. It makes me feel slow, but that's okay. Eventually, I should get faster, right? Group trips and SAR are going to be Zone Whatever because that's how they go. Also, I need to start thinking about a new pack. My trusty REI Crestrail (no longer in production) is getting worn in a few spots (in spite of minor repairs I've made in the past). I have this grand idea of sewing my own pack. Store bought packs often don't have the features I want, have features I don't like, or simply aren't built to carry the loads I might have to carry (I mean, most ordinary backpackers aren't going to strap an extra 15 lb of rescue gear to their pack in addition to their personal gear) without being a giant expedition to Denali size pack. I think it would be cool to make a pack that has exactly the features I want. I even have a pattern in mind to start from (but which I will likely want to modify a fair amount). But before I order the pattern, I have decided I need to finish two previous sewing projects. One is very minor. Just sew the button back onto a pair of office pants. The other is a bit more involved (but way less than sewing an entire pack). Pants are annoying. I hate pants shopping. They don't fit right. Especially hiking pants. But I did find a pair of men's pants that I like reasonably well. The only problem is that the waist is a couple of inches too big. So I bought a pair, took off the waist band and cut it shorter, and put the waist band back on. It was reasonably successful and they're currently my favorite pair of hiking pants. So I bought a second pair, but I haven't modified them yet. So that the second project, to take a couple of inches off the waist band of the hiking pants. So that's my challenge. Hike lots (preferably in Zone 3), fix two pairs of pants, and buy the pack pattern. I will try to continue sharing pictures of the flowers and stuff I find on trips. Y'all seemed to enjoy them last challenge and it helped me identify them because I want to learn the names of more plants and stuff.

It was during the Age of Chaos that The Carrion King was freed and his grand delusions started to infect only the most destitute and desperate with his madness. The Carrion King wandered the wastes and peoples were overwhelmed and corrupted by his insanity. When villages had their crops destroyed, peoples murdered, and entire civilizations razed to the ground, and the remnants that were left over were left to barely survive; they would resort to cannibalism. If the unfortunate souls were in this time of crisis and the Carrion King was near, the disposition of these fallen would change almost instantly. Suddenly they weren't starving naked savages in an ashen bowl of ruins that were scraping by on meager scraps of their felled brethren, but instead saw themselves in a palace with a lush banquet before their eyes. Their own emaciated and horrified neighbors' figures were seen by each other as laughing and jovial, healthy and hearty, as they feasted upon an endless buffet. As their pain and sorrow faded into merriment and mirth, they would all look upon in one direction as a large and proud king would make his way to the once-downtrodden peasants. His armor gleaming as the sun's golden rays scattered along the highly polished surface, scattered a million points of light. It was overwhelming.... It was too much to even bear to see the radiance this noble was basking in. All who looked upon him knew that he was their chosen to create and lead a new kingdom as everyone would fall to their knees and tears streamed down their faces in unison. The Carrion King had arrived. What would be seen to an outsider of this spectacle is the ragged and depressed reluctantly gnawing scraps of rancid meat off of bones only to look upon some hideous monster that looked like a disfigured vampire. As this creature came into view, the entirety of that ravaged village collapsed to their knees and give praise to this ghoul who walked among them. The Carrion King's madness would radiate from himself and infect others and in an instant, those new followers would gladly die for their new king. They would erect golden statues of him that were merely to an outsider a pile of bones. They would prepare for war with the toughest of armors and weapons, which were just rocks and sticks. This would happen, time and again, as other villages that were not going to survive suddenly had new life breathed into them when they were in proximity of The Carrion King, as they all shared in his grand delusion. These collectives became known as the Flesh-Eater Courts, and in an age of decay and ruin; they began to thrive... ------- This challenge is going to be a continuation of what I set up last time, which is the following: 1) Jobs = [Add New Job] + [Remove Old Jobs]. Start the new job and enjoy the process. As I pick up more hours, get the ball rolling on quitting the other ones so I can have a smooth transition into something that's awesome. 2) Physical Health = [Diet] + [Exercise]. I am going back to Whole30 and I'm doing it until I can't possibly anymore. It's supposed to be a 30 day detox. I aim to make it a permanent lifestyle. Exercise is going to be powering through the 3 lift days and 2 cardio days, and making gainz the whole time. 3) Mental Health = [Socializing/Accountability] + [Art]. I'm quasi-quitting youtube and videogames to invest time and effort into working on making warhammer minis and posting on NF. I need the accountability. I need to be able to motivate others and motivate myself. This is where I belong and should have been for years in a more serious sense. I want to be a Guild Leader that actually can step up and represent. ------- The above story bit is part of Goal #3 [Fun Stuff]. I have started working on a tabletop army of miniatures based off of the lore written above. Just like how in Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, and others RPG systems, there is a lore/world already build. Written above is the 'standard lore/universe' confines that I'm working with. I'll be creating my army within this world, so I needed to post context for *my* story within the *world's* story. How I'm going to work on this challenge: 1) Jobs: [Add New Job] -I finished my onboarding although there are still some things to iron out. Apparently during the summer it is harder to find clients (according to the new job) so they are working on getting people for me to work with but it's slow-going. That's fine: I just want to make sure I have a foothold and a few hours a week before I start cutting out the other jobs. [Quit Old Jobs] - I was waiting to set up a dentist appointment before I quit Supermarket Job, since they pay for my dental coverage. I have an appointment set for mid-October, which is further out than I want. However, I talked to my bestie and he said there was a big place that took him within a week so I aim to contact them and see about setting up an appointment much sooner than mid-October. In about a week, Hospital Job will want to know my schedule for September (since they book a month in advance). The sooner I have clients, the sooner I can say, 'Yeah....don't book me for next month' which I REALLY hope I can do. Lastly is Nursing Home Job, and that's basically been reduced to seeing two clients in recent weeks, with one of them possibly moving back home which means I won't treat that person. The other person is hospice - no idea when they will pass due to complications so this job might 'solve' itself. If I have no one to do therapy with then I have no reason to work there and I can put in my 2-week notice. So things are happening, and soon, although not as soon as I want them to happen. 2) Physical Health: [Diet] - I'm starting Whole 30+. There's some milk around here and that's all that's been left for dairy. I have about 20 rx bars which are whole30 (just nuts, eggwhites, and cocoa, no sugar or any other shit in it) so I'm going to use that along with fruit to curb any craving. However, once news of the New Job has been ramping up, I've found less and less anxiety overall. Now I know all the shitty jobs have a shelf-life and I can do a job that I want and am passionate about so I see [Diet] starting slow and improving over time as the job-swapping happens. [Exercise] - I've been fairly consistent with workouts for a while now. M/W/F is lifting. Tues/Thurs is cardio. However with the new job, I'll be working long Tues/Thurs so I'll just swap my cardio for the weekends and it'll be fine. 3) Mental Health: [Socializing/Accountability] - That's where coming here matters. I've made a thread and my aim is to check on some people on M/W/F until it becomes second nature like it was in the past. I'm also toying with the idea of making an Accountability Group for art - because I know there are some people here on the forums that want to work on some art stuff and maybe we can egg each other on to create more. I'll see how I feel by the end of the week. [Art] - The story blurb above is the start. Next time I want to write *my* lore chunk and start uploading pictures of the progress that I make with my miniatures. --- For Today: I'm batch-cooking some stuff. I am attempting to make pad thai with zuchinni noodles and honestly after I fried them up with the Red Boat sauce and scallions and blended some roasted peanuts up for topping, it sure as hell SMELLS like pad thai. Fingers crossed it tastes as good as it smells. I also made some coconut curry chicken and pineapple. I fried and then cooked up a bunch of chicken breast and then threw it in the blender for a quick pulse so now it's more like chicken salad. I carved up a whole pineapple and used 2 cans of coconut cream and a bunch of minced garlic and yellow curry to simmer it all together. I also have some pesto ground beef (only a little left - I know there's cheese in pesto but I was using stuff up). as well as a bunch of green beans, broccoli, and I also fried thick eggplant slices and simmered them in marinara sauce. Finally, I made a quiche with 8 eggs, a roll of sausage, some fried up onions and 2 bags of spinach so that's my entire menu for the next week and a half, roughly. Now that I wrote this, I'll contact the new employer about when I can stop by this evening to look at notes and make sure my paypal card reader thingy works as intended and also find out about if there are any clients I'm working with tomorrow and doing intakes forms for. Then after I contact her, I'm going to do a load of laundry and check on some people on the forums. Then probably head to the new job to get things figured out. I'll see if tomorrow I can get some progress pictures of the mini army. Oh, and it's Wednesday so: Leg Day

Hi folks, hope everyone's been keeping well. I've had a week off challenging for the big 4-0 which I'm glad has finally come and gone! Surprisingly I weighed in this morning and haven't put too much on, though I have also started this challenge very hungover after birthday celebrations, and I have to do a night shift tonight at least the hangover meant I had a day nap so think I'll be able to power through, and it's working from home at least. So my last challenge went well and my general formula of walking/food/sleep seems to be working - I think I'll make a few tweaks, but largely follow the pattern. I've also been terrible at keeping up my physio this last week, so am hoping a new challenge will improve that. I think the one main thing I need to figure out is getting a sleep pattern that is more consistent, rather than just aiming for being in bed 8.5hrs before my alarm. I generally get up ~7am when I'm in the office, ~8am wfh and then whenever I wake up at the weekend if I don't have anything on. I also have a tendency to stay up late because I'm a night owl and am usually just more awake the later it gets. I want to see if I can more consistently get up ~7am through the week and do something meaningful before work on the wfh days so it doesn't feel like wasted time. Mondays I'll do the weights that I usually do after work, and maybe the other days I can do a fitness video or cycle. Or might start doing the weights twice a week. Will see how it goes, but I think it'll be measured by being in bed by 10:30pm, and light off by 11pm to allow for some reading. So the challenge (I think I was still doing calculations for total points based on 6 week challenges instead of 5, so have probably been underselling myself for quite a while!): FOOD Under 1600 calories for the day = 10pts Overeating one meal = 0pts Overeaty nonsense = -10pts Maximum = 350pts SLEEP In bed by 10:30pm/lights off at 11pm = 5pts Getting up at 7am = 5pts This was far too confusing so changing it to: In bed by 10:30 with lights off at 11pm = 10pts Maximum = 350pts but much more likely about half of this EXERCISE Walking 45mins per day, minimum 20min continuous = 10pts Walking 30mins per day, minimum 10min continuous = 5pts Home weights/youtube workout/cycling = 5pts Missing physio 3x per week = -10pts Maximum = technically infinite if I just do a ton of exercise, but assuming 3 per week on top of the walking = 425pts Total maximum = 1135pts, with pass rate of 750pts (giving myself hopeful leeway for the sleep trial to be a failure!)

Hello Again Rebels, Long time no see and it was me and not you. I've been away for several years after having gotten my health in a much better place, thanks in large part to this community. I lost 100 lbs in a year and 2 weeks (that 2 week still gets under my skin) and radically changed my life. Once I was in a better place I left the Rebellion for a while. It's been nearly 6 years since I've been around, and alot has changed for me, some for the better, some for the worse. I've found myself in a rough place and I need to get back in control of my health. I'm hoping that surrounding myself with a community focused on improving can help me as I get back to work on improving me. Time for a major respawn! 1. I've lost a couple lbs, but last month I matched my heaviest weight of 300lbs. Over this last winter I had a very bad case of Covid and was dealing with it for quite a while. I was on an oxygen machine for over 6 months. While effectively on bed rest, stressed, not moving, and eating my feelings, I gained alot of weight and lost what fitness I'd managed to maintain. Last summer I was hiking up and down mountains, now I can barely make a flight of stairs without huffing. While my fitness and health hadn't stayed at the level it was when I left the rebellion even prior to getting sick, I was fairly happy with... me. I still can't do many of the activities I would like to do. I just don't have that level of fitness anymore and breathing is still not as easy as it should be, but those are the exact reasons I'm working to get healthier again. I'm going to be working on walking to Mordor. Well actually I'm following along with Bilbo to the Lonely Mountain first, but those journeys will take much more than a 5 week challenge to complete. I'm just doing daily walking to try to get healthier and tracking my distance. Shooting for a absolute minimum of 1 mile a day and building up from there. Unfortunately I'm going to have to be doing it inside on the treadmill for a little while as wildfire season has started here in Montana and my weak lungs do not like the smoke. I much prefer walking out in the mountains (especially if there are fish to catch). I've had some family recommend a 30 day yoga for beginners thing on Prime Video that I'm going to work on too, but idk that it's an official part of the challenge for me. I would like to get more limber. 2. My nutrition has slacked and I want to improve that again. I do cook healthy whole food for many meals, and do really enjoy cooking. I cook mostly at a level 4 of the nerd fitness diet, just with liquid calories, and not tracking, so I hope to make it back to there over this challenge, starting back at level 1. My wife has several diet needs that I have to cook for, so our dinner is usually quite healthy, but I've been eating badly for breakfast and lunch. And working form home I snack far too much. I don't want to add on too many changes at once, but I think I will also be doing some intermittent fasting. I had great luck with it in the past and only eat breakfast about half the time anyway. Will just have a coffee in the morning (working on cutting out sugar from it, but that's gonna take a little bit), and then eat lunch and dinner. No eating before 11am or after 7pm. 3. In addition to decline if fitness and weight gain, I also fell back into an old bad habit with weed. No more smoking since the covid, but I've eaten too many edibles too often. Before covid, I did smoke almost daily and it was already a friction point between me and my wife. I recently ate the last of what I had and will not be buying any more! Ever. Period! I've tried quitting (smoking) weed a couple times in the past with some success lasing for months, but always came back to it eventually. Many people say it is not addictive, but I know for a fact that I have been, ... no I am addicted to marijuana. It is legal where I live but it's not good for me. While I don't drink much, maybe 1 drink a week, I've had more in the past when I took breaks from smoking. I don't want to replace 1 vice with another so the goal for this 5 weeks is sobriety. There's many other things in my life I'd like to work on improving, but for now I need to rebuild a healthy foundation to stand on while I juggle life. Next challenge I'll hopefully be able to build off of progress built in this challenge, and leapfrog on to additional improvements. I feel like I'm jumping back into a survival game were the other players are already geared up and established. I need to get my basics back, with which to rebuild and achieve more advanced tools and achievements. Time to grind! 5-Week Challenge TLDR: Fitness: Daily Walking, min of 1 mile a day. Goal of 30 miles minimum. Nutrition: Starting with the NF diet from lvl 1 "Help, I'm Clueless", and intermittent fasting skipping breakfast. Goal of reaching lvl 4 by end of the challenge. No weed, no drinks. Goal of 100%. No slip-ups.

Hi. I'm Stronkey Kong. Ugh... I just realized I've been on NF for 10 years, almost to the day... I have only 6.5 words to sum up the journey: I'm still fat, but still fighting. My main goal is to just improve and maintain my health, and hopefully lose some weight as I do that. I'm in the process of converting to Orthodox Christianity.... I only mention this because the feast and fast cycles (Like the upcoming Dormition fast) affect my eating and exercise activities, and it might inform some of my current motivations... and I scaled back some of my goals because this is coming up. Goal 1: Re-build My Morning Routine For almost a year I was on the afternoon-evening shift at work: 12pm -10 pm. A little over a month ago, I was moved back to the normal evening shift: 3:30pm - 2:00 am (BTW, I work 4 10's). Then last week they told me to go back to afternoons. Which is great because I wasn't enjoying the regular night shift, but one month was just enough to ruin my nice morning routine I had going before the change. Which was wake up, pray, then go for a walk. Then I 'd have free time to do whatever until work. It was nice. Now I need to get this back. So that's the goal, get back into my morning routine. Wake up: at 8 am. This includes bathroom, light the candles and incense, feed the cat, and start the coffee. I'm also going to add stepping outside to check on my plants and the weather. Pray: This includes all the morning prayers in my prayer book. Then any others that get added per my parish priest's instructions. Walk/Exercise: Then I grab my coffee thermos and go for a 1-2 mile walk. And in this challenge I'll also be adding exercise with walking. Goal 2: Fighting Gluttony. This is a multi-pronged strategy to combat my tendency to overeat. I got the first two from a podcast done by an Orthodox dietician. Bless and Give Thanks for Every meal: Pray for blessings on the food before meals. Pray to give thanks afterward. Kind of goes along with mindful eating. Mid-meal pauses: Stop halfway through each meal, assess my level of hunger, and consider (or even prefer) stopping. This too. Replace Bread with potatoes (or squash): Fewer carbs, more fiber, and more vitamins. Basically doing that as staple replacement. Bread (and pasta) is not banished, but it will no longer be the go to. And oats and rice other whole grains are fine too. Side quest: Try new potato recipes on the weekends. This last weekend I made fondant potatoes. They were fun, pretty easy, and they made the house smell amazing. Goal 3: Run Run on Tue, Thu, and Sat instead of or in addition to walking in the morning. I'm focusing on these three days because the weekly fasting days are Wed and Fri. I'll be eating less protein, and less over all on those days so less fuel/material for recovery. Do posture correcting exercises 3x per day-- I'm always slouching or hunching and this needs to stop. I'm gonna do some exercises (see video on another post below) 3 x per day. Just pick one and work on it for about 5 min. Sidequest 1: Go on 2 Fellowship walks-- These usually happen almost every Fri or Sat. Sidequest 2: Volunteer work-- I have one scheduled for Sat Aug 5 for an event with one of the food pantries. These can sub for exercise since there's quite a bit of physical activity. I will schedule another soon. Not sure if a spot will land during this challenge but we'll see. Sidequest 3: My cat is getting fat too. I need to chase her around the house more. Goal 4: Housework (to-do list) Outdoor stuff Buy a ladder Clean gutters-- pre-req no. 1 Clear gravel off concrete pads (can sub for exercise) Landscape with gravel? -- pre/co-req no. 3 (can sub for exercise) Dig a low spot for future rain garden (can sub for exercise) Plan, set-up space for outdoor gym? Connect outdoor water spigot Basement stuff Break down boxes Organize hardware and storage shelves. Setup a workshop area (smh) Clean and organize office De-junk-ify (whatever that means) Organize books-- sort by subject, set aside some for selling/donating Bathroom-- Tub repair (If I get this one done this goal is all win). Find a fix/replacement for the stupid claw foot I ruined -- might have to do bricks and boards... luckily the foot is in the back corner where it won't be seen Fit new fixtures. Re-connect plumbing Dining Room/Prayer corner/Studio corner-- I took down my power rack, and am re-claiming my dining room, which also houses my prayer corner, and I'm setting up a studio corner for painting. Basically figuring out a set layout and messing around trying to get it situated. Kitchen-- It's due for a deep clean and an organization overhaul now that the new fridge is situated. Attic crawlspace get up there and check things out lay down some boards over the rafters for gettin' around up there

A few years ago, I dyed my hair blue/green/purple. People called it mermaid hair. And over the past few years, I've come to realize that I felt like I'd become a (rather subpar) mermaid--a maiden, insecure, and trying to go (but often fighting) with the current of the waters around me. There's nothing wrong with being a mermaid, but I don't much like the water. Recently, I started having visions of the dragon. Of flying. Wisdom. Strength. And I've decided to embrace this image for my next chapter. I turn 44 at the end of this challenge, and I'm bored of feeling like an insecure maiden pushed wherever the water takes me. I'm tired of constantly being underwater. It's time to level up, transform, get out of the water, and head for the skies. So I disappeared a few months ago. A catch up on recent happenings: I'm starting to feel like an adventurer again.... The Challenge: Become the Dragon Dragon Form 80,000 steps per week. Action: Aim for at least 10k steps per day. Experiment with my daily diet. I'm plateaued at a weight I don't like and while it could have been worse given the stress of the last few months, I really want to start moving down toward my goal weight again. Action: Experiment with reducing/eliminating snacks again, but also avoiding more UPF (ultra processed foods). Dragon Wings Soar, and feel like an adventurer again. I have a lot of annual leave saved up, and itchy feet. We moved to Owlshire wanting a place we'd not feel like we needed a holiday from. But that doesn't mean we never want to go anywhere! I want to take some trips with the Enting--around the UK and possibly into Europe this autumn or spring, while we're not tied to the academic calendar. Traveling alone with Enting sounds like an adventure enough! Actually, though, he's a good little traveler. But first I need to research and plan them.... Action: Begin research and planning for a trip (or trips) in the autumn. Dragon Heart Work on my confidence and banish my imposter syndrome. I'm still new to my industry and the studio has moved me up very quickly. Most of the time this is because I was already doing the role and they were just changing my title to match. And it's not like I'm a newbie out of university--I had leadership roles in past industries, too. But it all feels... way more than anything I was expecting to happen. I need to catch up in confidence and own this. Action: Daily affirmations and spiritual growth. Dragon Horde There's a lot of clutter in our castle. I want to clear out some, so the rest of our treasures can shine. I also want to go through my wardrobe and get rid of anything that doesn't suit me anymore--in fit, in style, etc. I want a wardrobe full of things I love--and wear. Action: Sort my clothes and make at least one trip to the charity shops. Other spot decluttering at least once a week. Shiny Treasure Could I be a dragon without treasure? I realized recently that while I'll probably never get a tattoo, I do really like meaningful (to me) jewelry to mark life occasions. So if I feel I succeeded at this challenge, I have permission to purchase a piece of shiny jewelry. ... onward and upward!

So I've been completely off the radar for a while. I tried to come back, and wasn't super successful. So my full goal for this challenge is just to check in. This is super important to me as I've lost my gym (which means my non-family in person interaction) and I need to find some people again.

Clever Fox Wellness Journal: 5 goals over 6 months. Weight: <134 (this requires a 40 pound weight loss). Flexibility: Touch Toes (with legs only slightly bend, chest against thighs). Strength: Intermediate 1RM (per strengthlevel.com) for my age and gender. Fitness: 3.5 mile hike with 2,000 elevation gain (drop my time by 1-2 fitness levels) Ying Yang: Achieve balance in other areas of my life (instead of focusing exclusively on things I want to do and neglecting things I need to do) Last Challenge (Part 1) Results Weight: Lose 10 pounds: FAIL Make Yoga a habit: FAIL Make Strength Training 4x a week a habit: Success Increase Steps to 10,000 (from 4000): Success Minimalize the Entire House: Success Failed at the most important part (weight loss), but also have several wins that I shouldn't overlook. I'll come back to my failures in a moment. #5 (Yin Yang / Balance): Nearly the entire main floor of the house has been decluttered, organized, and minimalized. In addition to every surface area, every single drawer, cupboard, and closet shelf has been minimalized (purged & organized). All I have left on this floor is the laundry room. In the downstairs (I live in a ranch with a finished basement), I have my studio/office/library (tons of books to purge), the "cupboard under the stairs" (arts and crafts to organize), and the kids educational closet left to organize (but the latter two have been purged and minimalized). Every single box and bin even the ones in storage (except for 2 more) have been gone through and all accumulated trash, junk, and unused and never will be used stuff has been purged. #4 Increase Steps: Almost every day I made it to 10,000 steps. I didn't actually write it in my journal like I should have because I didn't record in my journal for most of the month because I wasn't eating right or working out (back to his failure in a moment), so I can't say for sure how many days I actually hit 10K, but it really was almost every day. I know, because I wouldn't let myself relax for the night until I hit so most evenings were spent pacing my house until I hit 10,000 steps. I can recall two days where I didn't make myself do it at all, and a few other days where I only hit 5,000 because I didn't even put the pedometer on until later in the day because I spent the morning or afternoon at the pool. Which brings me #3. #3 Fitness: I joined a gym. This is rather shocking as it was not the plan at all. At the start of this challenge I had actually just added a few things to my home gym. But then I found out that there is actually a gym right down the street from me (didn't even know it was there, it's down a little side street that is a dead end) that actually offers free childcare to members while they workout. Since I homeschool and my children are autistic, they are in desperate need of socialization, which means I can't just think, oh I don't feel like going today. I have to go because I've been looking for something like this for them, it gives them up to 2.5 hours a day with other kids, and of course I'm paying for it. So far, I seem to work out for about 1.5 hours. I go in the late morning and do a combination of barbell, dumbbells, and machines and then hop on the treadmill until I hit 5000 steps. This pretty much ensures that I hit over 10K by the end of the day (usually around 13K). Also, I definitely work out longer than at home. At home I usually run through 1-2 sets and hit each muscle group 1x. My workout lasts about 10-15 mins. And, I would only actually do a workout (at night) if it was a "good" eating day (which means I didn't workout very often at all). But now that I go in the morning (when the childcare is), I probably do 2-3 sets and hit each muscle group 2x (because of the variety of machines and barbell stations). Because of life and the gym being such an unplanned thing, I have not yet had a full consistent week. I worked out the last 2 days in a row, but my son is sick so not sure he'll be up for it in the morning. But perhaps I will go in the evening when my husband gets home. Okay, so now on to the failures. #2 Flexibility: I think I did yoga, aka stretching 2x the entire challenge. And Tai Chi Sword 0x. #1 Weight Loss: After the first week of July in which I lost 5 pounds, I gained 2 back immediately and basically spent the bulk of the challenge at the same weight I started at until this morning, when I was once again down that 5. So technically, yes, I am starting this challenge down 5 pounds from last challenge but seeing as how I re-lost the same bloody 5 pounds at the end of the last challenge/beginning of this challenge it just seems like an overall failure. Especially, since it was suppossed to be 10 pounds. And was basically 3. And if that was my body just being stubborn and holding on to fat, then so be it. But it wasn't. It was do to my horrid eating (mindless snacking) habits. And not working out for the bulk of the challenge because I got completely demotivated over my thyroid test results (which I thought indicated that I needed a higher dose and so didn't eat right or exercise while waiting for the doctor to call it in only to find out that my prescription does not need to be changed and weight loss at 45 is just hard. Grrr.).

Old Adventurer, checking in. Hi everybody! It's been a while... Although I haven't posted an actual thread in a dog's age, I have been doing a reasonably good job of updating (and keeping up with) my challenge spreadsheet over the last year or three. Unfortunately last month things kind of fell apart. There are lots of reasons for it but really no excuse; all I can say is that watching my solid habits evaporate was a pretty clear indication that I should be more public in my accountability. So here I am, stumbling back onto the NF forums, only to discover it's the very beginning of a new challenge! Perfect. Spoiler for life details (long, kind of self-pitying, TW for female-specific medical issues): It turns out that, much to my surprise and delight, my third brutal session of academic supplication, conducted while in the throes of at self-inflicted crucible of a trade certification program, actually ended successfully. Guys GUYS GUYS guess what GUESS WHAT?!? I got accepted to the University of Nevada Reno to do an MFA in creative writing with a full Teaching Assistantship!! AAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!!!! <ahem> Anyway. I'm moving to Reno. In about three weeks (!). I'll be teaching Composition I (ENG 101) and focusing deeply on the process and products of my own writing, in a program that not only tolerates but actively recruits and supports writers of speculative fiction (like the character-driven fantasy and light sci-fi I love to write). It's as close to the fulfillment of an impossible dream as I've ever come. I should be unspeakably excited and grateful for the opportunity -- but instead I'm exhausted and dysfunctional. So that's why we're here, right? For a CHALLENGE! This one is about metamorphosis. I intend to morph the stressed-out failure I am right now into a completely new identity as a successful professor and committed student, in a new city, with new people and new impossible challengesopportunities to excel. The closest alligator to the boat right now is my living situation. A hurried three-day house-hunting trip after my last massage class resulted in an application for a teensy 300 sq.ft. apartment in downtown Reno, which I *think* I've secured until next June. (Communication with the leasing manager person has been somewhat unclear, but they sent me a letter saying 'Welcome to your new home!" so I'm assuming I'm good.) Depending on some financial uncertainties that won't be resolved until September at the earliest, I may or may not be selling this house -- but it's in awful shape and needs serious repair before either renting or selling can be a thing, so regardless of how things may turn out I MUST pack everything into mobile storage. 3 bedrooms. All by myself. In less than three weeks. Oh yeah and figure out (and sort and pack and transport and possibly buy) what I'm going to need (and what will fit!) in my 10x30 shoebox in Reno. And also sort out how I'm going to pay for it all. It's, uh, not going well... Spoiler for challenge details and roadmap: I DO NOT WANT TO [BLEEP] THIS UP. It's the opportunity of a lifetime and a dream I've had for such a long time. That's why I'm here And in Week Zero, no less! Here's hoping for good challenge vibes to get me through this horrible process and on with my new dreamed-for life. Good luck everyone! Let's do this!

Atreus: Father, when will I look like you? Kratos: In what way? Atreus: Like bigger... when do I get muscles like yours? Kratos: When you work for them. Atreus: But Baldur was really strong and he didn't have any muscles. Kratos: My strength does not come from my body but both are honed by discipline. Atreus: What does that mean? Mimir: Means you've got the strength of a god no matter what, lad. But if you want the physique of one, you better start picking heavy things up and puttin' em back down. Atreus: Ugh While I am, of course, not a child, this advice sets the tone for this challenge. If I want to become stronger, I need to work for it. While I do not expect (nor want) to be as big as Kratos, he will be inspiration and motivation during this challenge. I have broken this challenge into four categories: STRONGER, FASTER, SMARTER, CALMER. If you've been following me for a while, you might notice that I have tried something different this challenge by setting SMART(ish) goals that are a little more specific. However, expect that my usual morning routine and past habits will continue. STRONGER: GOAL: By the end of this challenge, I will have increased my physical strength by at least 10% as measured by an increase in number of reps to failure of kettlebell single-arm overhead press. HOW: I will pick "heavy things" up and put them back down for at least 20 minutes, three days a week; this can include standard equipment, such as kettlebells and dumbbells, but also includes logs, stones, cinderblocks, and my children. Workouts will be MWF, which is both manageable and sustainable. BONUS: On "off days," practice "greasing the groove" by doing a single set of a low rep exercise with a "heavy thing," stopping well short of failure. Training will look like this: Monday: Strength workout Tuesday: Grease the groove Wednesday: Strength HIIT Thursday: Grease the groove Friday: Strength workout Saturday: Trail run Sunday: Rest and recover FASTER: GOAL: By the end of this challenge, I will be able to run a sub-30 minute 5k as measured by a 5k run. HOW: I will run 5k at least two days a week, with an endurance run at least one day a week and sprint/speed intervals at least two days a week. Training will look something like this: Monday: Sprint intervals Tuesday: 5k run Wednesday: Rest Thursday: 5k run Friday: Rest Saturday: Trail run (for endurance) Sunday: Rest and recover SMARTER: GOALS: By the end of the challenge, I will increase my daily use of Duolingo; I will increase my daily reading habit by at least 5 minutes a day; I will learn at least one new thing daily. HOW: I will set a reminder to complete at least the daily requirements to achieve a 30 day streak on Duolingo I will set aside at least 30 minutes of reading time daily I will use apps such as Humane and Kinnu to learn new information, as well as the NPR app and podcasts. CALMER: GOAL: By the end of the challenge, I will improve my mental health by reducing my angry reactions to stress. HOW: I will use a meditation app to increase my meditation/contemplative prayer practice from 10 minutes to 15 minutes. I will take 30 minute mindful walks to help clear my mind. I will write down what I am grateful for and create daily affirmations using the 5 Minute Journal app. I will practice a relaxing breathing technique (short inhale through nose, long exhale through mouth) and apply this technique in moments of stress and frustration. I will listen to music that elevates my mood.

Hello there. I have a habit of checking in and quickly ghosting. But with work stress etc the past few years have found myself slipping from the good exercise / eating habits I had previously built. Clothes aren't fitting quite as well as I would like. I've been making some progress on my own, but missed being part of the Nerd Fitness community. So trying this again, with a few goals on my first challenge back. 1) Drink Water, not Beer. Track Water Consumption. 🟩= >2.4 Liters 🟨 = 1.8-2.4 Liters 🟥= <1.8 Liters Track Alcohol Consumption. 🟩= >0 alcoholic drinks 🟨 = 3 or less alcoholic drinks 🟥= 4+ alcoholic drinks 2) Walk Track daily steps. 🟩= 10K+ steps 🟨 = 7.5K - 10K steps 🟥= <7.5K steps Commander, Execute Order: Respawn

So I bought myself a beautiful rose gold Clever Fox Wellness journal that last six months. Technically I'll start using the wellness journal in July which is also my birthday (I turn 45). But since the challenge started now, and since I am starting on Diet #456,872 today anyway, I'll consider theses last two weeks in June as prepping. The Wellness Journal has space for 5 goals to make over the 6 months. Weight: <134 (this requires a 40 pound weight loss). Flexibility: Touch Toes (with legs only slightly bend, chest against thighs). Strength: Intermediate 1RM (per strengthlevel.com) for my age and gender. Fitness: 3.5 mile hike with 2,000 elevation gain (drop my time by 1-2 fitness levels) Ying Yang: Achieve balance in other areas of my life (instead of focusing exclusively on things I want to do and neglecting things I need to do) NFR Part 1 Goals (first 2 weeks): 1) Get out of the 170's. Action Steps: a) Don't Snack in the Evenings b) Stick to Plan on Weekends c) Strength Train 4x a week Establish Habits: Drink 50oz water a day Drink Vega shake Drink Collagen Get 60+ grams protein A work project that's lasted the better part of the last 5 years should FINALLY be coming to a close at the end of next week as well, which will allow more time for me to actually devote health and wellness (and weight loss). NFR Part 1 Goals (final 3 weeks): 1) Get back to 162 (which is where I was the better part of Fall 2022) Action Steps: a) Don't Snack in the Evenings b) Stick to Plan on Weekends c) Strength Train 4x a week Establish Habits: Increase Steps (I seem to average 4,000) Yoga video (Hamstrings) Tai Chi Sword video (Mental Wellbeing/Balance)

In all fairness, for this challenge I rummaged through my past challenges to find one that I remember being deeply impactful in getting me out of a rut (which is certainly the case right now). I've modified it a bit to fit my current goals, however. I have been in some emotionally dark places recently, prompted by the death of someone close to me and being too much in my own head. I have been continuing to fight some demons, slay some dragons, and bounce between feeling like a failure as a husband and father and feeling hopeful that I really am doing as well as I can in the circumstances. This challenge, like many that have come before it, will have three categories: Mind, Body, and Spirit. It will be themed after things that give me hope: scripture, poetry, music, nature, fictional and real-life characters, motivational videos, stories of success and overcoming adversity, and of course lots and lots of time with family and friends. I will use a daily point system based on the level of personal difficulty. For example, even though I love to read it is difficult for me to sit still and focus for an extended period of time. Therefore, that task is worth more points. Every 250 points I will "level up" and will reward myself in some way (sleep in, eat a cheat meal, buy something for myself, etc.). Mind (17 points): wake up early Monday-Saturday (0445) -- (1 point) read for at least 20 minutes a day -- (5 points) learn something every day (via podcasts, articles, videos, apps, etc.) -- (5 points) complete the daily goal on Duolingo (Spanish) -- (1 point) journal daily -- (5 points) Body (22 points): intermittent fasting (nothing to eat after 7 pm or before 9 am) -- (5 points) practice some form of breath work -- (5 points) daily workout (fitness plan to be posted later)-- (5 points) integrate creative movement throughout the day (walking, hiking, squatting, crawling, sprinting, playing with my kids, etc.) -- (1 point) eat mostly (65%-80%) whole foods -- (5 points) no sodas and at least 11 glasses of water daily -- (1 point) Spirit (11 points): meditate at least 10 minutes daily -- (5 points) daily prayer/devotional/scripture reading -- (1 point) reach out to at least one friend or family member a day via message or call -- (5 points)

It's been a hot minute. So things and stuff have been going on and I've really been struggling. It's ironic because working out has been ridiculously consistent, but that's it. But I've also 100% been squirreling myself away and being sporadic with all aspects of my life. I chatted with @WolfDreamer this week and it was like a sign to try to get back on the forums. Then I found out the things and stuff may be "resolved" by the end of this week and it just seemed like everything was lining up. So without further ado - my challenge: Skills practice 3 x / week While I'm not following any sort of CrossFit program, I do enjoy learning new things and there is a laundry list of things related to CrossFit that I can't do, so I'm starting with practice 3 times per week. This is pretty flexible as I haven't thought through if I want to master one skill at a time or work on multiple. Check off all my monthly To do's before the end of the month I have found that manual checkboxes is what works for me, so that is what I'm doing. But I've got a list that needs to be done before we hit July. Similarly, have at least one week that I check off all my weekly boxes This is primarily chores, just so you know Schedule my certification exam and study

Amandaba's Quest for Half Dome Part 2 Photo of a part of Half Dome (not my photo) My last challenge I did well in remembering to bring my water bottle to work, brought lunch about half the time. Started off well with cardio but had a few set backs the last couple of weeks and only got a few strength training sessions in, so I'm going to try again with most of my goals. My goals are centered mostly around getting healthier so I can complete the Half Dome hike at Yosemite National Park next summer. My previous challenge goes into my injury history but long story short I've had back, knee, and ankle injuries in the past (all on my left side) that can make going up a steep incline difficult (not to mention my cardiac fitness not being up to snuff to tackle that hike) Incline trainer or hike twice per week. Now that the leaves have come in snakes won't be so common sunning themselves on the trails, so I can start hiking again. I know they really aren't a danger as long as I pay attention where I'm stepping. I cannot help that my monkey brain gets freaked out when I see a snake, so I tend to avoid the trail until mid-late June. However, since July can get hot and humid (and air quality has been an issue lately) I have the option to use the incline trainer at my gym. Strength Training twice per week. I am continuing on with the My Peak Challenge Ignite program. If I am not finished with the beginner month by the time this challenge starts I should be really close. Then I'll be starting the actual month one of the Ignite program. Bring lunch to work twice per week. In an effort to not only eat healthier but to save money for hiking trips I want to continue to work on bringing my lunch to work at least half the time. Use face treatment twice per week. -I've recently started an IPL treatment for my face. In order for it to be effective I need to use it twice per week consistently for at least 6 weeks. I was recently notified I won the parking lottery at work so I get parking from July-September so that should help with the exercise goals the ramp I will be parking in is the same ramp I use to park at the gym, so I will be walking past the gym to get to my car instead of taking the bus to my car then driving back downtown to go to the gym or walking in the opposite direction to a pay to park ramp to then drive out of my way to go to the gym. I might even try out my strength training at the gym so I don't have to rely on my being able to workout at home after driving 40 minutes. We'll see if it works out ok. The program I am following has videos to workout alongside-which is a big perk for me vs just going off a worksheet. I'm not sure if I'll be able to find an area, I would have everything I need in one spot either and the workouts thus far are timed rounds without much break between sets and pausing to move elsewhere each time also doesn't seem like I'd enjoy either. BUT I think I am going to try at least one at the gym to just get my workout done on my way to the car. Previous challenge: Amandaba's quest for Half Dome - Previous Challenge: 5/7/2023 to 6/10/2023 - Nerd Fitness Rebellion

I’m Ranger Hal. I hike, snowshoe, scramble, climb (in theory, although not recently), and do search and rescue. My current goal is to workout enough to be able to keep up with the other people who want to do those things. There have been a number of trips over the last few years where I have either been turned away because the leader didn’t think my conditioning level was where it needed to be or I decided not to even ask because I didn’t think I could keep up. I was thinking of making this challenge about rigging and rope practice for climbing and glacier travel, in addition to continuing some sort of exercise, but I kept adding things and it no longer seemed realistic. So I'm going to keep it simple and stick to the most important thing. I need to get out and walk and hike. So that's the challenge: walk and hike lots. I got a fancy new watch that measures heart rate (and a bajillion other things; this watch has way more features than I'll ever use, but I kind of wanted one that also had an altimeter, so it came with lots of bells and whistles). I'd like to do a couple of days a week in Zones 2-3. So that's the challenge: walk or hike and report the heart rate zone.

Skip to the BOLD part at the bottom if you don't want to read the details. So my birthday was at the start of the week, so I had my usual bout of depression. It hits me twice a year. Once usually lasts about 2 weeks before New Years and ends a couple days later and the second is 2 weeks before my birthday and ends right after. Here we are, hence why this is a few days late. I knew about making a new challenge and just had zero f*cks about writing until last night. I've been dealing with the same few things for months now. 1) Binge eating. It started almost a year ago. A new job last August brought about a lot of frustration and feeling antsy with no way to get that feeling out of my system. That turned quickly into the holiday season of junk food. It would have wrapped up by New Years (to coincide with the regular 2 weeks depression) but by then I was starting *another* new job which I utterly loathe and am currently at. A couple months of that and I'm at a point where I can't go, 'well I hate the couple shifts I have so let's binge eat twice a week'. Nah, f*ck that. I started looking at other jobs. I thought I was going to get a dream job about a week ago. However, the other applicants work with kids and I had no prior experience so they were a better fit than me. Oh well. Sucks. I ended up applying to another job which is in the same network/owned by my current employer. As such, I was contacted and asked if I was sure I wanted to 'switch' jobs within the network. I 100% want out of this job but that doesn't mean I 100% want the *new* one. I mean, it *sounds* good but how many times have you taken a job that turned out to be utter shit once you started working there? Anyways, I had my 90-day review a couple days ago. I spoke with the new job manager and she told me to let my current manager know about the possible switch. During my review, I laid my cards down. I stated that this job was not a good fit for me. That I would stick around but I wanted to get more hours doing something related to counseling, rather than what I'm currently doing (f*cking paper-pushing and computer work). I said that this job is about 90% being behind a computer and printing out forms and writing up notes and only about 10% working with people and I need something that has those %s flipped. My manager understood and said there was a loophole that allowed me to switch jobs. Normally, you can't- you have to wait a YEAR to pick up a different job within this job's network. No way am I doing this shit for another 9 months. I guess because I'm currently per diem, I'm able to get referred out into something else. After squaring that away with my current manager, I called up the new manager and explained the situation and that I essentially got my manager's blessing to pursue this replacement job. I'm supposed to get either a call or email about possible sit-down interview times (I did a phone interview and all this stuff came up then). I'm assuming next week I'll meet up with the supervisor and hash out the details on if this newest job is what I want to do. Now, there is also the fact that I am holding 2 other part time jobs. 1) Market. 2) Nursing home (the one I got back in August). There is a new manager at the Nursing Home job. I had questions that weren't answered for literal months and I got the run-around. I talk to this new manager and lo and behold, she is my new direct supervisor and cleared up a question/issue I had this ENTIRE TIME in just a couple minutes. Wow, awesome. I asked a few other questions I was curious about. And I got some good news: I was told by my original manager that she didn't know if my hours I was working counted towards my LICSW hours (I need 2,000 in the field before I can take my LICSW exam and then, I've officially 'made it' and am a licensed independent therapist who can work literally anywhere). With the Nursing Home job only being a couple hours and not even counting, I was doing work but I wasn't making career progress, ya dig? Well I asked the new manager about this situation and all my hours, in fact, DO count towards my LICSW. This is great news, it means working from August-Today at Nursing Home job actually got me closer to getting my 2,000 hours. With that, I have a new thought: do I pursue job #4 and end job2/Nursing Home and job3/Per Diem Hospital? Or do I double down on Job2/Nursing home and pick up more nursing homes? I mean, I make my own hours. I literally decide what day and time to walk into the nursing home to do my rounds and therapy with a couple people. They are always getting new contracts, meaning there is always more nursing homes/hours to be gotten. I could pick up 3 more nursing homes, have that translate into another dozen or so clients, and then I'm all set: I go to 4 nursing homes (1 a day), see like 5-ish clients, and then there's a solid 20 hours that goes towards my 2,000 hours. That means in under 2 years I can take the LICSW and I'm golden after that. There's also random other options through linkdin and indeed. I've started checking every couple of days. If I can find something that gives me 20 hours/clients a week, then I'm all set. There is a certain place I DESPERATELY want to work at but they need an LICSW and usually post once in a while. I'm hoping when all this is said and done, that I can contact this agency and work for them later down the road. In the meantime, I know that job2/Nursing Home and job3/Per Diem both count towards my hours so I'm at least still making progress to my 2,000 hours. So I have options. If this job I interview for next week has what I want, I'll go that route as a drug addiction counselor. If that doesn't seem right, I can keep looking elsewhere. And I can always pick up more nursing homes/clients that way if I can't find an exact fit. Ultimately, what I need is 20 hours, direct supervision face-to-face so I can ask questions and get guidance on how to properly write casenotes, and for those 20 hours to count towards my 2,000 needed. If I get those things, I'm fine going anywhere. --------- As anyone who has even read this can see; this has been the focus for entirely too long and my eating has been in the backseat. That is changing. Recently, I was diagnosed with high bad cholesterol and hypertension so I'm on a medicine that I utterly f*cking HATE. I looked up information on blood pressure and every 2ish pounds can lower blood pressure by 1 point. I need to go down about 30 points. I need to lose over 60 pounds so now it's a numbers game for me. I talked to my dietician who doesn't understand the concept that eating within my calories for 5 days a week and having 2 binges can, in fact, completely ruin my entire week. Think about it: I'm eating chicken and lean ground beef with all sorts of veg and hitting my 2,300/2,400 target (and when I stick to this number, I DO lose weight). But if I'm stressed out and I binge eat a bag of reeces eggs and a gallon on milk, the numbers immesdiatly are f*cked. My entire week of doing well is screwed. Like i don't think she understands that I CAN eat this much on a binge. Some maths for ya'll: One single reeces egg is 180 calories. The bag I got for Easter had 20 eggs in it. All that pb and chocolate needs to get washed down so I drink an entire gallon of milk in a day. One glass is 120 calories. 16 glasses in a gallon. That means 180x20= 3,600 cals for reeces. 120x16=1,920 for milk. 3,600+1,920 = 5,520 cals EXTRA in a day. And a bag of reeces and gallon of milk is INCREDIBLY EASY for me to do. Over 5 thousand calories completely ruined the week. Probably even two weeks if I'm being honest. I mean, if I'm eating and losing a little weight at 2,300/day, then I'm eating an entire 2 day's worth in a single binge. During some holidays and particular bad feeling times, I can do 2 binges a week. That's over 10k calories then. Yeah, it's pretty clear that the issue is the stress/holidays and the binge eating, it's NOT that fact I'm not perfectly measuring the blueberries in my oatmeal so I might be 15 calories over.... Let's tackle the elephant in the room. But my dietician seems to tamper down the binge and go, 'oh jeez, oh now let's see what we can do...' There's no amount of carb counting or oatmeal measuring that will compensate for 10 THOUSAND calories because I'm depressed and anxious. The answer is clear: I need to cut all that shit out. I'm written a lot - where the hell does all this tie into going vegetarian? I mean, reeces are vegetarian.... Well the idea is this: when I completely cut out junk food and am craving sugar, I've been trying to stick to my 'normal' eating. However, that doesn't stop this inner demon needing sugar and the slightest issue in my life making the demon come out and go, 'AHA! THIS REQUIRE GUMMY WORMS AND COOKIES TO SOLVE!' Uh, No. No it doesn't. However, sugar *is* needed and my demon shuts up if I eat healthy sugars. I'm currently eating 2 fruits a day (and a stupid f*cking banana counts as 2 because of the carb content and whatever else...) and I'm sorry, 2 fruits is not scratching the demon itch. What should I do? Eat more fruit. If grapes and strawberries and oranges scratch the itch after I detox from all junk food, then screw it, 3 bananas is better than 5,000+ calories right? But that still doesn't address the fact that what I'm currently doing, at 2,400/day, *does* work for weight loss without a binge. If I'm going to eat an extra 300-400 calories a day in fruit to stop the binge monster, then I need to shave some calories from my 2,400. And now, vegetarian. 8oz of ground beef is 700+ish calories. 80z blackbeans is 200ish calories. Solid amount of protein in each. But there's my 500 calories shaved off that I need to have the fruit/ammo I need to fight the binge demon. ------------ Here's the breakdown: My 2,400 cals is broken down into 3 meals that are 800 calories each. 1 Meal is 8oz of protein and then some vegetables (as stated above, the beef is 700ish and the vegetables are pretty damn low) 2 Meal is 8oz of protein and then some vegetables 3 Meal is Protein Oats: 1/4 cup of oats, 3/4 cup of yogurt, fruit, scoop of protein powder, tablespoon of chia seeds or ground flax seed If I were to convert all meats into beans (i know I have to do more than just that), that's like 1,000 calories I'm cutting out, meaning I could eat 10 f*cking apples a day if I wanted to. The plan is that I could, theoretically, binge on fruit every day and still be within my 2,400 limit. Now I know that there are different protein types and that you can't get everything from beans alone so this is a learning process for me (and any other vegetarians, by all means, help me out here) but the idea is to swap 1 meat meal every week for an alternate protein source. That would mean week 1 is 14 total meat meals. Week 2 would be 13 total meat meals and 1 bean/alternate meal. Week 3 would be 12 total meat meals and 2 bean/alternate meal. Etc. With this gradual process, I can become a vegetarian in 14 weeks without feeling I'm being beaned to death and feeling desperate for a cheeseburger or something. Each week, I'll be making more alternative protein meals and less meat meals. That will mean every week I have a few more calories I can spend on the fruit ammo to fight the binge monster. Right now I'm working with a calorie surplus (full meat AND a few fruits to scratch the itch) but each week, the surplus will go down and down until I could, if I wanted, have a fruit binge every day. Imagine having so much food that you literally can't eat it all. That's the ultimate fight against the sugar binge. You need sugar, jackass? Have an apple. Have 2 apples. Have 5 apples. Have 10 apples, now stfu. I know that swapping the reeces for fruit has worked in the past. It's just the first two weeks that will be most difficult so rather than get upset I'm eating lots of fruit, I'm looking at it as 'better to sit there and eat 30 grapes than eat 30 m&ms, right?' So rather than trying to use pure willpower to not say 'f*ck it' and eat a ton, I'm building in that inevitability into my diet. This week I have already started this vegetarian conversion process. I made a mexican dish with a bunch of peppers, onions, black beans, salsa, and corn. There was 16oz of blackbeans in the dish which meant I split it into 2 meals. As week 1 is finishing, I've had both of my vegetarian meals and I feel better. This meant last night when I was feeling like shit antsy and wanted to binge, I had a ton of grapes. My meatswapping meals this week meant the grape-binge last night has already been 'paid' for in calories. One slice of hoffman sharp cheddar and 2 handful of grapes which is about 500 cals > 5,000 cals of reeeces and milk. And the thing is, this dynamic can get better and better for me. The more I swap, the more fruit-binging I can do. I think I'll keep this going week to week unless it starts not feeling right . If I end up feeling like, 'DAMNIT I just want some meatloaf', I'll slow the brakes on the vegetarian conversion. I might, at the end of this experiment, end up with 3 meat meals a week and 11 alternate protein meals a week. Or maybe 2 meat / 12 alternate. Or maybe even a full 0 meat / 14 alternate. Time will tell. --- I guess the last part of this monster post is related to working out. The new med I'm on makes me feel tired more often. I have less 'umph' at the gym which sucks but less reps and no heart attack is a swap I'll have to make for now. As the vegetarian changing happens, I'll be having less meat which increases my bad cholesterol, and I'll be eating more fiber /grain/veg which also helps lower bad cholesterol. I might find in this process that as I'm doing this, losing weight, and therefore dropping my blood pressure which will let me get off the med entirely, which is the ultimate goal here. Then I can go harder at the gym again. But for now, I'm sticking with my Mon/Wed/Fri workouts. Monday is Back and Biceps. Wednesday is Leg day. Friday is Chest and Triceps. Speaking of, I've been writing for about 2 solid hours while I listen to music so I'm going to eat my oats, take my pill, and get ready for the gym. --- Challenge itself for the tl;dr 1) Work out 3x week like I've been doing. 2) Diet: Vegetarian food conversion. Every week, replace 1 meat meal with 1 alternative protein source. Those calories shaved off by the swap allows me to binge on fruit to stop binge-eating junk shit food. This process will also help my cholesterol, lose weight, and eventually get off this f*cking med I'm taking. 3) Pursue the job stuff. Check twice a week for new job postings and follow up. I hate my current situation and it needs to change. Fixing this will help #2 since I'll binge less.

This is round three of Take Action. I've made it through half of the 90 days. I'm kind of feeling like not doing anything, but things still have to get done. Workouts have to happen, dinner leftovers have to be put away, yard waste has to be put out for pickup, etc. So here I am, starting another challenge, even though I don't feel like it at the moment. I’m Ranger Hal. I hike, snowshoe, scramble, climb (in theory, although not recently), and do search and rescue. My current goal is to workout enough to be able to keep up with the other people who want to do those things. There have been a number of trips over the last few years where I have either been turned away because the leader didn’t think my conditioning level was where it needed to be or I decided not to even ask because I didn’t think I could keep up. My current theory is that daily (or almost daily) workouts are the way to go. Two challenges ago, I started the Darebee 90 Days of Action program. I'm going to continue that with a few modifications. I can replace the scheduled workout with a cardio workout the day before or the day after a big outdoors trip if the scheduled workout really works the muscles affected by the trip. I probably won't do a workout the day of a big trip and I may skip workouts the night before a trip. The sleep part of the previous to last challenge didn't work very well. I had issues going to bed by 11pm. This time, I'm just going to track the hours I sleep. Hopefully just having to write it down will help remind me that I should be getting more sleep. I'm also adding a time challenge to try to get to work a little earlier than I have been. I'm keeping my hydrate goal up to 1.75L per day. Challenge 1) Workout: every day using the 90 Days of Action program. 2) Sleep: track number of hours 3) Time: leave for work by 8:30 am 4) Hydrate: minimum of 1.75L of water per day.

I respawned fairly recently and, since it was mid-challenge, have been posting in a battle log, trying to figure out what I'm doing. Tl;dr: I have some chronic health issues (hEDS/MCAS/POTS type stuff) but have been feeling fairly well through luck/lifestyle stuff recently. I would like to continue feeling ok (or even better) and also ideally lose 20-25 pounds. What I learned from my battle log and efforts so far this year is that my exercise goal was working better than any of the others due to a combination of 1) actually enjoying the activities, 2) gamified tracking and 3) progress I could easily see. So, for this challenge, I'm trying to redesign my other goals around a similar fun-centered approach. 1. Exercise I have a Halo Band tracker that gives me an automatic goal of 150 "movement points" weekly, which apparently comes from WHO fitness recommendations. Meeting that goal has been motivating but not too difficult, so I plan to keep that up. Methods: - 3 sessions per week of either bicycling or going to the climbing gym (hopefully improving my performance in those activities) - (optional) doing a few squats and lunges (to strengthen my not-that-great-knee) and also some plank on other days - generally taking other opportunities for physical activity and trying not to be too sedentary 2. Food I've been counting calories, but I don't love that for various reasons and have only lost about five pounds so far, anyway. So, I recently downloaded a nutrivore nutrient tracker (the image I'm attaching only shows part of it), and have been experimenting with it. It's pretty hard to get all these nutrients (and, I think that if I did manage to do it I would also be at a pretty high number of calories) but I could certainly do a lot better than I did last week and displace a lot of unhealthy food choices. So, my second goal is to focus on nutrition. Methods: - experiment with healthy recipes and prep food I actually want to eat - generally try to fill up on nutrient-dense foods first - use the nutrient tracker, try to complete as much as reasonably possible 3. Qigong/Meditation I really want to have a daily meditation practice, for stress reduction/health as well as other reasons. My usual goal is 30 min per day of seated meditation, as well as a daily qigong practice that takes about 15 minutes (and also counts toward my exercise goals). I'm not currently good at meeting these goals, so these are my current ideas to make it more pleasant/feasible: - allow a shortened version of qigong practice (about 5 minutes) if I'm not feeling it - allow guided meditation or self-hypnosis recordings if I'm not feeling the standard seated meditation - create and use a tracker for this, too, so I can see my progress 4. Sleep My fitness tracker also tracks sleep, and this has helped me to realize that my sleep is just...bad. I'm usually in bed for a decent number of hours, but I'm a very light sleeper and sometimes have trouble falling (or staying) asleep. As much as I kind of want to hold on to one of my few remaining health vices (being a night owl), I'm guessing this is really not good for my ongoing health issues – so, I'm adding a goal of improving my sleep score. I'm also not sure what to do about this, but my current ideas include: - really try hard to actually turn the lights out eight hours before I have to wake up for work (recently got partner on board with this) - set up the most ideal sleep situation with plenty of wiggle room, darkness, weighted blanket, water, etc. - take melatonin if I'm tossing and turning I do use a dream journal and am pretty inspired by dream content for my creative projects, so I'm trying to keep that in mind as another thing that could help me get motivated about this. Anyway, I may have gotten carried away with detail there, but I'm trying hard to think about what will help. In short, my goals for this challenge are: - try to meet my fitness tracker activity goals - try to improve my fitness tracker sleep score - eat more delicious and nutritious foods - build a very basic daily qigong and meditation habit

With the last challenge over with and the new job starting to feel normal....ish, as I learn how to best do this job; my stress was slowly going down. This was great because it finally meant that any type of stress-eating I was doing could get addressed. Less stressors=Less stress-eating. I got a new job around August, then the holidays of junk food, and then this new job in January so it's been like 6+ months of trying to give a shit about my eating habits and it...just...not happening. I was looking forward to the new challenge. Clean slate. Maybe the 'Year of Iron' idea I wanted to start back in January could be revived and I could start kicking ass with the eating. After all, my lifting was going great with no issues for literally months... ...until last Friday. There are certain muscle groups that are pathetically low for #s. However, I have a lot of functional strength and my body is able to move in 'nature' much more than what something from a machine could do. I know I naturally have strength but when I get into the gym to do lifts, I feel kind of pathetic. I think, 'Uh, 20 pounds on this? I feel like this should be like 70 or something' I think to myself. But rather than beat myself up for being weak, I kept my nose to the grindstone. One of those muscle groups that I personally felt was pathetically low was my bench press. Watch any youtube videos and you hear how dudes are pressing like 300 pounds and I'm like.... I can't even do 1/10th of that. Jesus I must suck. For months, I seemed to stay at this 30 pound wall. A 30 lb dumbbell in each hand, I could do 20-40ish reps (flat bench and then incline bench) and then I was tired out and felt like I couldn't do any more. Then about 6ish weeks ago, I told the group trainer at the gym that I'm sick of my numbers not going ANYWHERE. C'mon, 30 pounds in each hand for (at this point) 3 or 4 months? Why the hell am I not growing at all? This turned into a shift. I blocked off an hour with her on a Friday and we tried doing a little higher weight, less reps, and a long as hell cool-down. I would do 7 reps, ten set a timer on my phone for 3 minutes and sit there. I realized I could do 5 pounds heavier this time around if I just was able to sit there for a while. That became the new trend each week: let's try and do 5 pounds more and just try to do 4 or 5 or maybe even 6 reps. I would smash through and do 9 or even 10. Add more add more add more. Over the course of 6 weeks, I almost DOUBLED when I could bench by just changing this type of training. Now I'm grabbing a pair of 55lbs and doing multiple sets. I told her that the last few reps were shakey so instead of trying to go to 60lb, I instead want to try and get more reps of my 55lbs done. I would like to 'master' 55s, as in, do a full 10 reps, 3 sets for the flat bench. Then another 10 reps, 3 sets for the incline bench. Once I was able to do a grand total of 60 reps (30 flat 30 incline) I would up my weight to 60. On Friday I was doing exactly that: I did 55s for 8 reps. Then another 8 reps. My trainer tells me, "Hey if you want to work on doing the tricep pulldowns in between sets, you can do that. It won't fatigue the same muscles". Alright... But I felt more comfortable just sitting there for 3 minutes and pacing in my head. I felt like doing more exercise in between would make me tired and then screw me up. Well, guess who knew better than the trainer? I do my 2nd set, then do some tricep work, do my 3rd set, then tricep work. Switch to incline and do 1st set and then tricep work. By now I just feel so fucking run down. 2nd set I power through but it doesn't *feel* good. I still feel real tired and my right arm is sort of swaying as I'm pushing up to the top. Set 3 comes around and I try to get them done and I do, but I feel burning a little later in the day. 'Not a big deal' I think to myself. After all, I usually hurt a bit after every single workout and about 24 hours later, it turns into a dull ache and then I'm fine the next day. I was not fine the next day. Saturday I can barely move my arm without sharp stabbing pain through my right arm. I scratch my shoulder and the skin hurts. It feels like I had a horrible sunburn on my whole right arm/shoulder area. Wtf is happening. I also feel a tingling in my right fingers - pinky and ring-finger mostly. I tell myself that I'll just leave it be and see how I am on Sunday. Sunday is just as bad. I'm trying to gauge how much pain I'm in. Is it better or worse or the same as yesterday? The same. Maybe worse. I literally can't move my arm out of a sling-type position. I can't get a shirt on. I can't brush my teeth with my right hand. I can't even lift it or move it to the side: I have to grab it with my left arm and reposition it. I start panicking. Did I tear something? Did I do nerve damage? What the fuck happened to me? Monday I don't go into work. I'm able to get an appointment with my doctor (thank you Cassandra, you are helpful and gorgeous). My dr tries moving my arm, squeezing the shoulder, lots of questions. He has me try to make a bicep curl flex which I can do without pain so it's not that. In the end, he tells me 1)It's NOT nerve damage. Nerve damage would be behind the arm, near the elbow and running along that area. Thank God. 2) It might be a slight tear or serious strain in the arm. 3) I'm given multiple drugs. 4) I'm scheduled for rehab. Rehab. The last bit to note: I should try to stretch it. Because it might be just a really really bad strain, try going really slow and stretching it out. So I suffer through it. I'm so happy to know it's not nerve damage means that it's fixable and if it's fixable then the dream of looking like Capt America when he leaves the chamber is *still* a possibility. If I had some sort of grip hand shit issue, then I'd never be able to get to that point. I've had to learn to use my left hand for about a week now to do other things (trust me, it's bizarre trying to deal with...bathroom things with the 'wrong' hand). But overall, it's been exactly a week and I raise my arm up and I can put on deodorant and wash my armpit with my right hand instead of having to use my left to do that monkey move. I haven't taken any of the meds that were given to me. I just don't trust medication to be completely honest. I took 2 tylenol this whole week and that's a LOT for me to take. My arm rehab evaluation is supposed to be this upcoming Thursday but at the rate I'm going, I don't think I'll need it. Honestly once I knew there was no permanent damage, I've been intentionally suffering bit by bit to increase my mobility. This did do something positive though, I guess: it forced me to do more cardio. If I'm not lifting then I need to still go to the gym so I've been hauling my fat ass on the elliptical every day this week. Anyways, with that setback, my challenge this time is going to be: GOAL 1 Eat the 2,400 cals: Meal 1: Proats (800 cals- measured out oatmeal, greek yogurt, almond milk, protein powder, fruit, chai seeds, and ground flax seed meal) Meal 2: 8oz protein and unlimited vegetables stuffed into the bowl (800 cal) Meal 3: Same as meal 2. (800 cal) If I'm going to lift, I eat a meal 2 hours beforehand, then I eat the next meal as soon as I get home. Meal 3 is around dinnertime. Since I go to the gym with the trainer at noon, that means I eat meal 1 at 10am, meal 2 at 2pm, meal 3 at 6pm. This just seems to work best for me. I know 'eat early'. Trying to eat early, like an hour after I wake up, SERIOUSLY screwed up my calorie intake and lead me to binge eating when it was dark out OR when I woke up at 3 am, eating a powerbar or just random shit. The whole 'eat a big breakfast, medium lunch, small dinner' does NOT work for me at all. GOAL 2 Workout: Monday/Wednesday/Friday are my lifting days. I tried tacking cardio onto those but I seriously push myself so hard with the weights that trying to even get 10 minutes or cardio afterwards is daunting. I'm there for over an hour doing my lifts (which with those 3 min rest times between reps can make it go longer on certain days) and I'm always doing core workouts as well. Instead, I realize I do indeed need to do some cardio so I'm thinking I'll go into the gym super early on Tues/Thurs. Those aren't mandatory but I'm really going to try and do them. GOAL 3 Fucking write something: I've realized that when shit bothers me these days, I just play a game and stew about it a bit and then hash it out in my head. What I used to do was come on here and write about it and it made me more accountable overall since I'm here anyways talking about what's bothering me so I mine as well mention food/workout and check on people. Instead, what I do is hash it out in my head and then a couple days later, start writing on here. But by then, it feels like I already figured it out so there's no catharsis, which means I'm not getting a lot out of it which means I have less and less incentive to write. Hell, even take the whole arm bullshit: that was a week ago. I had enough mobility to write about it on Tuesday but did I? No. Instead I through about it and then went, 'Oh shit I should write on NF'. By having a game be my instant go-to rather than the forums, I'm basically just socially kicking myself in the dick. And I should stop doing that. So if it's writing about what's up with me: write it. If it's a cool idea I had: write it. If it's being happy from my batch cooking: write it. Just write more overall because then that lends itself to want to be here more and use this place as the resource it truly is. What is anyone getting out of me playing my monk, named Friar Victus, on skyrim? Nothing. But if I wrote a story about him on here.... See where I'm going with this? So that's the challenge - just DO the things and I'm hoping in a couple days my arm will feel normal again. In the meantime, I'm not going to let that slow me down as I've just switched to doing cardio. Later all.

Self-sabotage? I am the queen. I keep messing up my quest to automate the healthy ways. And yet, I still want to try so... here I am, again. Late, and not really wanting to be here (because of my track record), but also kind of hopeful that maybe this round I can make something happen. Body 1: I am currently dealing with a painful back spasm. My doctor wants me to stretch and work on my posture. She also referred me to PT. Commitment to stretching and self-care is one of my body goals for this challenge. For accountability, journal my self-care/activities. Body 2: I am way, way overweight. I weigh more than I ever have. My doctor told me in February that I needed to lose 20 pounds, instead I've gained weight, so I really need to get on that. 3 pounds a month seems like something I can do if I stick with it. Reduce alcohol/soda intake. No drive-thru/takeout meals. For accountability I'll keep a food log - both in myfitnesspal and in my paper journal. Mind/Spirit: Find a balance between work (currently a substitute teacher) and my master's program (which I am in the final two trimesters of). Here are some initial thoughts: Spring trimester starts today so look over the course syllabus/schedules and then set boundaries with the sub office, be clear about my availability. Go for a 10+ minute walk daily. Follow my sleep schedule. Accountability - journal! starting weight: 163lbs goal weight: 160lbs

Spring is near for those of us in the northern hemisphere, so I think a spring themed challenge is appropriate. The key word for this challenge is NOURISHMENT. An account I follow on Instagram, Noble King Wolf, posted a quote that has stuck with me: "I don't want satisfaction. I need nourishment." That is my overarching goal for this challenge: to be nourished. Goal 1: Nourish My Soul speak gratitude: say a brief prayer of gratitude upon waking re-instate a morning devotional practice (reading/listening, prayer/meditation) daily gratitude journaling: write down at least three things I am grateful for every day practice at least one act of random kindness every day spend at least 30 minutes outside in nature, preferably near trees and water Goal 2: Nourish My Heart spend quality time with wife and kids; include physical touch (hugs, high fives, snuggling, etc.) speak at least one compliment to my wife daily practice at least one romantic gesture for my wife daily spend time daily reflecting on things that I love listen to music that lifts my heart Goal 3: Nourish My Body move my body in fun, dynamic, and challenging ways that feel good eat foods that nourish rather than satisfy (i.e. nutritious whole foods with simple ingredients, no "empty calories") savor what I eat and drink; use all of my senses to truly enjoy it drink more water; no seriously, drink more water listen closely to my body's signals: eat when I feel hungry, rest when I feel tired, be alert when I feel stressed/overwhelmed/irritated/anxious Goal 4: Nourish My Mind read something for at least 20 minutes per day listen to informative and/or inspiring podcasts read at least one scholarly/educational article every day complete the daily requirements on Duolingo complete the daily requirements on Elevate

Okay, I might still have a tiny spark of sass and style, but it needs to be fanned into flames for sure. I've got gains, but they aren't the good kind. I'm at 141.6 lbs. and heading the wrong way, so this challenge (my first one) is right on time. I need it. Really, really need it. I have been in a winter slump and it's time to move past it. I wish my brain could conjure a lovely tale complete with a point system and rewards, but that is a bit of a reach at the moment. Perhaps I will work on it during this challenge once my brain is functioning better. Anyway, on to my goals for these five weeks: Fitness: NF app's Bodyweight Level 1 Attempt a pullup every time I look at the anime dudes hanging from the bar in my kitchen doorway. Whatever pops in my head to move a little more that day (walk, dance, etc.). Drop under 135 lbs. Nutrition (I know what works for me and I have to just do it): Lots of good proteins, carbs and fats. Limit tea (seeing if it affects my migraines), caffeine, sugar, grains, and whatever else that keeps me sick and unhealthy. Drink at least five cups of water a day with plans to increase as I adjust. Plan some meals. Mindset: Use music to motivate myself. Spend a little time each week on learning to play either my guitar or the piano. Memorize something (some French, a new word, lyrics, etc.). Try to overcome my shy nature and meet people on here and become part of the community (totally outside of my comfort zone). Follow a better sleep routine and work my way off of Benadryl as a sleep aid. Get creative: art, photography, whatever creative thing pops in my head. Writing: Complete Camp NaNoWriMo (my first time participating in the camps). Set up Scrivener. Work on my novel or something novel related a little each day. Continue journaling and writing on 4TheWords (online fantasy writing game and tool). Okay, I think that is my plan. Detoxing from sugar, grains and caffeine will be rough for the first week or so, but I have done it before, and I can do it again. I just might be prone to growling, snarling and biting for a bit, but it's all good.

I’m Ranger Hal. I hike, snowshoe, scramble, climb (in theory, although not recently), and do search and rescue. My current goal is to workout enough to be able to keep up with the other people who want to do those things. There have been a number of trips over the last few years where I have either been turned away because the leader didn’t think my conditioning level was where it needed to be or I decided not to even ask because I didn’t think I could keep up. My current theory is that daily (or almost daily) workouts are the way to go. Last challenge, I started the Darebee 90 Days of Action program. I'm going to continue that with a few modifications. I can replace the scheduled workout with a cardio workout the day before or the day after a big outdoors trip if the scheduled workout really works the muscles affected by the trip. I probably won't do a workout the day of a big trip and I may skip workouts the night before a trip. The sleep part of last challenge didn't work very well. I had issues going to bed by 11pm. This time, I'm just going to track the hours I sleep. Hopefully just having to write it down will help remind me that I should be getting more sleep. I'm also adding a time challenge to try to get to work a little earlier than I have been. I'm bumping my hydrate goal up to 1.75L per day. Challenge 1) Workout: every day using the 90 Days of Action program. 2) Sleep: track number of hours 3) Time: leave for work by 8:30 am 4) Hydrate: minimum of 1.75L of water per day.