Search the Community

Alrighty...this is my first challenge back since...oh July of last year. Crazy life changes have happened, and now that I'm pretending to be more settled, it's time to take control and make shit happen. I feel what I really need and want out of this challenge is to Make Fitness a Priority!! just for good measure, I went and re-read this article from Steve....https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2015/01/26/why-you-need-to-be-selfish-and-put-fitness-first/ My short-term goals include performing at the aerial showcase at the studio where I teach fitness classes in the fall/winter and absolutely slaying. I've put on fat and lost strength since last summer and I'm not happy with the routine I could put together at this point in time. This is my performance from earlier in the year, which I'm happy enough with, but I definitely wasn't strong enough to do the things I wanted...and I *might* have only put this together 3 days before the performance. My goals from now until the end of 2016 are largely gaining strength while lowering my bf%, and improving my flexibility. I know that it can be hard to work on strength and flexibility at the same time, but I figure I'll give it a whirl and see what comes out in the end. Missions: 1) Practice aerial hoop 1x/week - this should be easy enough because I can practice after teaching my conditioning class Thursday nights. I just need to make myself do it!! 2) Go to the gym 2x/week - Ideally Monday/Wednesdays, but it'll depend on my work schedule. I just started a new job, and right now the hours are a bit all over the place. 3) Stretch daily - even if it's just a couple of sun salutations in the morning/evening. I want to work on hip mobility and hamstring flexibility working towards full splits, and also back bends. I do have starting photos from a bit ago: Food: 1) Eat clean - "pretend" like I'm doing a whole30. Basically I'm going to follow whole30 guidelines as much as humanly possible while living in a house that makes things difficult to do so. To put systems in place for this I need to meal plan/shop/cook every week. Life: Reconnect and make more NF friends around here. I went to camp last fall, and with the camp Facebook group being active, I haven't spent much time around these parts anymore. I want to check in with my own thread and other people's at least 5 days/week. And here. We. Go!!!!!!

UPDATE!!! Now with actual goals!! MY LIFE IS CRAZY THIS WEEK and I will write the actual text of this as I think of it/have time. Consider me a place holder!!! WOO WOO go go endless dance rehearsals! Show opens on Friday and I am in...13? pieces or so. We have rehearsed 22 hours in the last 3 days and I anticipate we rehearse from 5pm to 1am daily now through Thursday. I also have a 45 second or so costume change from a GoGo outfit into a layered rock n roll badass outfit with 2 shirts, a skirt AND stockings I need to attach to garters sooo MY LIFE YOU GUYS. BUT I LOVES ITTT! LOOK LOOK A KITTY GOALS This challenge will focus on regrouping and getting back to old habits since I had to cut out pretty much everything except dance for this show (stupid human bodies and their limits!!) Goal 1: HANG-ten, man! -- I have spent barely any time hanging from things this past month -- aerial OR pull up/chin up work. UGH. I bet my gains I was making are like LOL NOPE now. I would like to hang from things at least 3x per week. Goal 2: Don't PUSH me, brah! -- My push up work has been not quite as neglected as hanging (easier to bust out a random push up mid rehearsal since it requires no equipment), but I still have not been doing enough dedicated push work! I would like to work push ups at least 3x per week! (Burpees also count for this since I do burpee push ups. And I still have a TON of those I owe for money spent on clothing and then I couldn't do any of them without jeopardizing my ability to be useful at rehearsal..woops...) Goal 3: LIFT ALL THE THINGS! -- I really wish I could fit this in more per week, but I really am enjoying working with a trainer to give me active feedback on this because it's so new to me and I want to REALLY nail my form! Since trainer is expensiiiive I would like to work powerlifting once per week with trainer! (since my bodyweight push/pull work also works some of the same muscles I am still noticing gains in spite of only doing this once per week. Woot woot.) Goal 4: RUN AWAAAAAAAY! -- I haven't been able to run or hike because yeah dance = impact all the time. I want to either run or hike once a week (or both!!) For a run any length counts because my body is NOT used to that shit anymore and I will have to rebuild. For hiking I don't count it unless it is at least a 3-4 hour hike. I feel like there was a 5th goal I had in mind but I can't remember right now sooo....

So when you last saw me I was bailing out of a challenge because my mental health was going a bit squiffy. Since then I spent a month in Brazil doing circus training, lost a few of my older rats, obtained four new baby rats, got my second tattoo, aaannnd my mental health went SERIOUSLY squiffy. Like I'm currently on a three month interruption from my PhD because I stopped getting out of bed and going in for like three weeks squiffy. I am, however, starting to go a wee bit stir crazy on my own in the flat all day. So here I am. I don't have to worry about my PhD for the next little while so I can concentrate on getting my health together - both physically and mentally. In honour of the four new babies, and the fact that I am finally getting round to watching Ratatouille for the first time, I'm going to split this challenge into four segments, each based on one of the girls (who all have names from sci-fi/fantasy so it's totally still a nerd thing ). Plus cute rat photos. And Ratatouille gifs. Main Goals There are two main things I'm working towards. Half Mudder (June 26th). 8km run with mud and obstacles and general mayhem. The half doesn't include the most horrific things (ice bath, no thanks. Electrocution? Hahahahaha NOPE) but still has challenges. I'm actually not that worried about the obstacles, more about the whole running outside for that long thing... MCF Dreams (End of July/Early August). The company where I take my aerial classes is putting a show together for Glasgow's Merchant City Festival based loosely on Alice in Wonderland and I'm in it! Like all of it. The cast was meant to be 12 and has ended up as....six. Currently I am riding a bike in the intro, being a fairy briefly to rescue Alice from "bad dreams", in a group act with hula hoops and aerial hoops, some form of movement thing, an aerial hoop nymph in a group forest scene, doing some form of group act on a trampoline (lord help us all) and singing. Singing. FML. I have a really good ear and a really bad voice :'( I have a lot of work to do to be ready for both these things.... Fenchurch (Self Care) Named after the H2G2 chracter, Fenchurch is a special rat (that is her official vet diagnosis, seriously). She's got epilepsy, she's nervous and neurotic, and she's amazing. She reminds me daily of the importance of baby steps (I almost cried the first time I saw her tussle with the other babies like a normal rat), that two steps forward and one step back is still progress, and she's the inspiration for my self-care quest. To gain points in this quest (subject to change as I, hopefully, go through the mental health services) Take all my meds +1 Leave the flat (this is super vague and includes everything from going to the cinema to sitting on the balcony with a book to going for a run) +1 Socialising +2 Showering +1 Washing my hair +2 Cleaning my teeth +1 Proper face washing +1 Moisturising +1 Shaving legs +2 Face mask/hair mask/foot mask/some form of spoiling +2 Getting a massage +5 Having a bath +2 20 minutes of reading +1 One load of washing (washed and hung) +2 Emptying the washing basket +10 Changing bedding +5 15 minutes of tidying +2 One hour of tidying +10 One completely organised room +25 One completely organised flat +100 Sabetha (Circus) Sabetha is my crazy circus rat (and a total mummy's girl which I love but isn't really relevant here...). Named after Sabetha Belacoros of the Gentlemen Bastards (the only female member) who is a complete badass. Book!Sabetha would totally be an assassin. Rat!Sabetha...well she'll lick you to death When she's not pretending to be a tiny dog she's being generally mental - jumping, climbing, tightrope walking - nothing is beyond her (or so she thinks ) and she would be amazing in the circus, so is the inspiration for my circus-specific training. As well as progressing with my first love (trapeze), I want to improve my hoop, learn to juggle, improve my hula hooping and work on my handstands. We're doing quite a lot of handstand stamina work but my tendency is to take it into my lower back when I get tired which is not helpful to anyone so in my private practice I plan to work on quality rather than quantity by kicking up to a wall then getting myself into the proper position and holding there. This way I can work on technique and position without worrying about the initial balancing issue. I've also let my flex work slide since getting back to cooolllld Scotland so need to get back to that. To gain points in this quest Aerial class +2 10 minutes juggling practice +1 30 minutes juggling practice +5 Consistent two ball juggling +5 Five passes three ball juggling +5 Ten passes three ball juggling +10 Consistent three ball juggling +50 10 minutes hula hoop practice +1 30 minutes hula hoop practice +5 25 show condition throw/catches in a row +3 25 spin outs in a row +5 50 spin outs in a row +10 Aerial hoop session (can include rehearsals) +5 Getting my double skinner back +5 Single toe hang +10 Heel hang +20 Single heel hang +100 Multiple back belly spins +5 Forward belly spins +15 New move/transition (trapeze) +1 New move/transition (hoop) +2 Five handstand tries +1 Ten second freestanding handstand +10 Closed eye one leg balance training +1 Splits flex work +5 Back flex work +5 Eskarina (General fitness) Esk is a sturdy soul. By no means fat, she's strong and energetic. Named for Eskarina Smith in Equal Rites, she's got her character's feisty spirit and is usually not far behind Sabetha in causing mayhem so is an excellent example for my general fitness quest. To earn points in this quest Going for a run +5 Each km run +1 5km run in one session +10 5km run without stopping +15 8km run in one session +15 8km run without stopping +20 10 v sits +1 5 push ups +2 2 pull ups +1 10 leg raises +1 10 burpees +1 Inara (Diet) Inara is of course named after the beautiful Inara Serra of Firefly. Tbh I'm reaching here because there isn't really a specific reason to link her to diet but I've started this theme so I'll finish it... Inara looks extremely similar to Esk (like I struggle to tell them apart sometimes) but is a slightly leaner version so...diet? Eh whatever, I need a diet quest, she's cute as a button, pretend this bit makes some sort of sense Diet wise, well, you know how people in a depressive episode are super healthy with what they eat? No? Damn. So, that needs work. Main aims here are to reduce how much coke I'm drinking, reduce the take away/fast food consumption (I'm allowing myself one per week) and increase my fruit and veg intake. Baby steps all the way... Points for this quest Portion of fruit/veg +1 Fast food over the limit of once per week -5 No fast food in a week +5 Replacing bottle of coke with water based drink +1 Tracking calories (per day) +1 Scoring/Rewards My vague plan is to use week 0 to get an idea of what's realistic in terms of overall scoring then work out some form of reward scheme for myself. We shall see!

"And I will work this body, I will burn this flame Oh in the dead of night and in the pouring rain, Yeah, I'm a workaholic and I swear, I swear, Yeah, and one day I will beat you fair and square" BOSS FIGHT (+1 STR, +2 DEX, +2 CHA) I've got an aerial performance coming up at the end of this challenge, and this time, it's going to be different. Let's do this thing. My main quest is literally just to FINISH THIS DAMN SHOW AND EMERGE UNINJURED. That is it. That is all. I will be working towards this by attending open gyms and private lessons, doing runs of the routine at every opportunity, and trying not to die. This is pretty much the center of my world for the next month BUT I have a couple of supporting backup quests to go along with it, partially because I have a week of travel coming up this week and I won't be able to get in the air. But that's okay - I've got a plan! SUPPORTING QUESTS: don't eat like an asshole, redux (+2 CON) Remember, stars, you don't like assholes. So don't eat like one. At least 22 days of not eating like an asshole, please. 6 days of leeway because vacation. flexibility every damn day (+2 DEX) It's not cool but it's necessary. Even if it's 5 minutes or less of back stretches, it doesn't matter. DO SOMETHING, ANYTHING. life quest: party support (+1 WIS) stillskies has asked me to take the reins of her eating, but I'm kind of lax about this sometimes because it takes A LOT of work to balance two people's macros. But she needs my help and I need to offer it. Trying for at least 5 days a week of complete meal plans for stillskies.

Hi there. It has been a long, long time since I've done a Nerd Fitness challenge. For a while I needed to clear my head and work out some issues I was having with food. But then I was just cruising and doing well on my own and everything was cool. And then... I had a very bad winter. My lifelong struggle with depression had a recurrance, and my family has been sick an insane amount. I feel like I need to come back to some sort of support for getting my eating and fitness back on track. Here's the thing though... I'm still miles away from the beginning of my journey. About 6 years ago I fell in love with aerial arts and circus, and now at the worst, I still go to classes once or twice a week. I have some health problems that are affected by what I eat, and so I have to mostly eat homemade food (even when I'm sick as hell and don't want to fix anything more than steamed rice). So even in the depths of a rough winter I'm still eating OK and am somewhat active. But... being less active than usual and eating plenty of home cooked food you can still put on weight. So I'm maybe 8-10lbs over where I'd like to be, and a lot of my supplemental training has fallen by the wayside. My goals are going to be fairly basic for this first challenge back: Plan and pre-prep all my meals for the month. I'm a huge fan of the book Fat Loss Happens on Monday and I know planning my food is super helpful. Being too exhausted and depressed to prep meals has been dragging me down for months. This is going to be my main focus for the next 4 weeks. Use a meal grid, plan food, get back in a good grocery routine and pre-cook all my lunches/prep dinners on the weekend. (eating) Spend some time re-thinking my training schedule & supplemental training so that I can transition from a focus on aerial to a focus on handstands and partner balancing. (training) Handstand every day. Stretching my wrists counts as "handstand training" on any day when my wrists are bugging me. (training) Make some progress revising the fanfiction novel I wrote for NaNoWriMo in November. (life)

"'Like an astronaut that's scared of heights With a heart that's beating at the speed of light You've been waiting for this feeling all your life Sometimes it's just hard to realize When you're stuck in a moment And your spark has been stolen This is our time to own it So own it Baby, we were born with Fire and gold in our eyes Got lightning in a bottle Hands on the throttle Even in the dust we shine..." Main Quest: Rehab, rehab, rehab. Try not to lose my mind or my fighting spirit while I rehab. Become a better aerialist while I rehab. Improve my lifts while I rehab. And be more fabulous like this lovely lady... Quest 1: you have that lean, hungry look (+2 CON, +1 WIS) I feel you, Jack, I want to eat everything in sight, too. But I really need to stop eating like an asshole. No specifics because I KNOW what eating like an asshole is and isn't, and I'll be honest. I get 4 "fuck it" days over the course of the challenge because sometimes a girl needs a 1200 calorie lunch. Therefore, considering the challenge is 26 days, 22 days of not eating like an asshole. Quest 2: running away with the circus (+3 STR) I'm never going to assist a knife-thrower or allow myself to be chained up in a water tank, but I can keep on with straddle work. Getting a bit lazy so instead of reps-per-session, I'll just require a cumulative number of straight/straight straddles. These can be done on silks or at the gym on the pull-up bar. 50 straight/straight straddles. Quest 3: finding balance (+3 DEX) Balance isn't always easy, just ask Dottie. Fortunately, compared to balancing Father O'Leary, Hugh, and Phryne, I feel like I've got an easier task. I've been playing with forearm stands in preparation for eventually doing scorpion pose, so I'll commit to 8 forearm stand practice sessions. Life Quest: unapologetically fabulous (+1 CHA) I'll never be as fab as Phryne, alas, but I'm really bad at remembering lipstick and perfume - and amusingly enough, when I actually bother with them, I immediately feel more put together and like I can take on the world. So I think I'll just have to MAKE myself take the 5 extra minutes once in awhile. I'll commit to 8 days of lipstick and perfume. Maybe it seems silly, but a girl does want to feel fab once in awhile.... and I do not wake up #flawless, unlike Miss Fisher. I'll even try to post pics because why not? Shall we? Final Check-In Quest 1: you have that lean, hungry look - A I'm one day short of the mark today, putting me at 95%. if I eat sensible today, that'll be 100%. Either way, done deal. Quest 2: running away with the circus - A+ 50 straddles done. And they're feeling super solid now! Quest 3: finding balance - A+% 8 sessions done. I've got brief hints of balance though there's still work to do. Life Quest: unapologetically fabulous - A+ Did the lipstick and perfume thing 8 times. Looked extra fabulous for all my meetings. Am a little more likely now to fuss with my appearance for work, so good things. Next - get back to doing nice things with my hair and wearing pretty dresses. Snow, go away. Overall, this format was a good one for the shorter challenges. I think I'll keep it. BYE WEEK HERE I COME THANK GOODNESS FOR YOU.

Hi everyone! I'm Fridelisan, and I'm all new to this guild. While poking around and reading on all the guild forums, this seemed like a really nice place to hang around. I hope to find my inner assassin while spending some time here, getting to know all of you. My primary goal right now is to get stronger, so that I can progress in my pole- and aerial silks classes. I'm way to weak to do any of the more difficult tricks, and I can't even invert on silks. That's why I'll continue to build on my first challenge. So with any further adoo, my goals for the next 4 weeks: 1. Go to at least 3 workouts a week. I'm currently on a schedule where I do pole on mondays, aerial silks on wednesdays and yoga on fridays. But to build stength, I'll try to go to a interval gymnastics strength workout o thursdays on my uni gym too (which is something that I tried for the first time last week, and I just wanted to lay down and die afterwards. Ugh, that's hard). 2. Eat a minimum of 80 g of protein every day. So I started using MFP a couple of weeks ago and realised that I don't eat as much protein as I thought I did. While 80 g isn't as much as I actually need, it's still much more than I usually manage to eat each day. My average daily intake is 78 g, but it varies from ~50 g to ~115 g. So protein intake is absolutely something that I have to work on. 3. Drink at least 1 liter of water each day. I suck at drinking. I mean, I can go a whole day without drinking anything at all. So I have to step up my game if I want to get all the water I need. Especially when the recommended water intake is ~2 liters a day (although this includes water from food). But I'll start with something that I think I will manage, and then increase the amount later on. Life goal: 4. Meditate for 10 minutes every day. After taking up yoga I realised that I enjoy taking some time and just be in the moment. I feel super relaxed and can focus better afterwards. That's why 10 minutes of meditation every day will be great for me. I started using Mindspace yesterday, and I love it! It absolutely helps me focus! Oh, and I heard you liked cats around here.

"'There's a story in my veins, with scars at every page, It's written on my face, I'm a proud survivor. Staring in the mirror, I'm not holding back the tears, All the hurt that brought me here only takes me higher. I'm gonna let you know I'm not ready to fall, When my back's against the wall I'm gonna come out fighting." MAIN QUEST: Get the hell out of the SSIA. That's it, boys and girls. If you thought my last challenge was basic, this is even more stripped down. (In other words, I'm insanely overworked and can't think of a theme.) QUEST 1: SQUAT (+3 STR) Hey, I finally have access to a squat rack! And my hamstring is getting stronger! And my butt is still flat as a pancake! That bodyweight squat won't do itself, so I'd better get on that. Simplest goal in the books: barbell squats twice a week, pile on weight as appropriate. QUEST 2: STRETCH (+3 DEX) My splits suck post-injury. Also, working on them terrifies me. So yeah, time to get the hell over that with exposure therapy. 6 days a week of hamstring stretches, at least 5 minutes each day. 2 of those 6 days must be >10 minutes and involve DOING THE DAMN SPLITS STARS. QUEST 3: CLIMB (+3 STA) At least I still love the silks, even if I shy away from anything involving double footlock for now. I'm doing well at conditioning to be even more of a beast, so let's continue this trend: every open gym, drill 3 climbs, all the way up (both sides if applicable) and back down WITHOUT TOUCHING DOWN IF POSSIBLE. At least one climb should be something I suck at. If I suck so badly that I can't get to the top (looking at you, hands-only climb), an honest effort counts. LIFE QUEST: SING (+1 CHA) I had a goal around warming up before rehearsal/performance. Then I moved on from the goal and stopped doing the thing, because stars is dumb. NO MORE. Warm up before every call. Warming up in the car only counts if pressed for time between work and rehearsal (pressed for time is not a viable excuse if I just don't want to wake up early before morning call). That's all she wrote.

Soooo I am being super boring goals wise and doing nearly exactly the same goals as last time! To mitigate boring-ness of repetitive goals I promise lots of weird pictures and videos and things just because. GOALS 1. Handstand push up progressions - I would like to work this at least 3x per week ). All push up variants count towards this,but I am especially focusing on increasing my AMRAPs on pike push ups, and exercise ball pike push ups. (Standard push ups and diamond push ups will definitely also be a thing, as well as possibly incline push up work if I feel I need more volume.) 2. Straight leg straddle and other adv core progressions - I plan to do core work at least 5x per week. I DID A STRAIGHT LEGGED STRADDLE YOU GUYS. Just 1. I must keep up work on this so I can do more. Aerial days count towards this as well as all other core things I can come up with. I'll be using some of the variations from last challenges core mini for variety, as well as all the stuff in the Cirque du Soleil core and back video from Youtube. 3. Pull up progressions - I want to work pull progression work 3x per week. Aerial counts towards this as well as pull variation specific workouts on my pull up bar. I DID ONE REAL DEAD HANG CHIN UP YOU GUYS!!! Must do more. And hopefully also get a dead hang pull up. 4. Continue pistol squat progression - Continue to work squats 3x per week. I know I am getting soooo close on these. LIFE GOALS Part 1 -Don't be a diva - While I could spend my time being pissed off at our director for being difficult to work with because of her massive ego, if I spend time focusing on that and pushing back I could veer towards being obnoxious and diva-y myself. I see how obnoxious that is coming from someone else. I do not want to be like her. Do not want. Do not want at all! My life goal for the first 2 weeks of this challenge (until after my show) is to not let my irritation turn me into someone I don't want to be, and likewise not to let myself be cranky angry panda. Part 1 - No beer! - I am actually planning on no grain at all including bread etc. for the next two weeks, but definitely absolutely no beer until show time! Part 2 - To be decided!! Must figure this out by the end of the show on the 13th-14th

I did pretty decent last challenge, but I feel like I was getting pretty shaky on always getting in my runs, on always staying under my carb count, etc. So. For this challenge, I'm reinforcing the basics of my fitness instead of adding lots of new things to try to do. (well, imma add one new thing, but one is easier to do than three!) For anybody interested, my old challenge is here: http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/73739-lydiajaybird-shakes-it-off/ Main Quest - Lose 6 Pounds Since the challenges are shorter now, I've decided to cut my weight loss quest in half. Yes, I know, the challenge isn't 50% the length it used to be, but I never hit that 12 pounds during the six week ones, so this might be a more reasonable goal. Goals 1. KCKO - Always stay below 50 carbs a day, but aim for below 25. (I don't want to lose points for having 30 carbs in a day, when you really only need to stay below 50 to keep in ketosis, but I still want to try to be below 25) Always stay below 1645 calories. 2. Get up & Go! - this one will be a combination of my old Rise & Shine and Exercise goals. I noticed that even when I woke up on time - I would just stay in bed. So this time, I need to not only get up (6am during the week, 9am on weekends), but get up and do my workout as well. (Run MWF, Aerial Silks class R, Pole + RLNA TSa) And of course, bedtime will be a part of this goal as well. 10pm weeknights, 1am weekend nights. 3. Get Flexy - I used to be super flexible. I miss that. So I'm going to start doing heavy stretching once a week (with photo documentation! wont see much of a difference during this challenge, but if I keep this up long-term I'll have a nice progression to look at) and stretch on my exercise days as well. Life Quest Soul Health. I'm still job hunting, but given that this is a health/fitness place, I decided to focus on another type of health for my life quest. A type I've been neglecting - soul health! (mental health, but soul health is catchier) I want to start putting more time into playing piano and cross stitching. Every hour I spend on the arts is a point of extra credit. Measurements Height: 5'9" Weight: 185.6 Waist: 30" Hips: 42.5" Thigh: 25.5" I will put in all my measurements Monday morning. Grading Each goal will be graded weekly & be worth 1/3 of that week's total grade. Life Points are unlimited extra credit that can be added to my final score! My final grade will be the average of all four weeks plus my Life Goal extra credit. I need to make at least a B (80%) to pass the challenge. KCKO - 1 point each day for meeting calories and another point for meeting carbs. Total points/Total possible for the weekly grade. Get up & Go - 3 possible points/day. 2 points for a morning workout, 1 point for meeting bedtime. Partial credit available for waking up on time (1/2 point), but not exercising, or making up workouts in the afternoon (1/2 point). On thursdays, since my class is in the evening, I'll substitute stretching for the morning workout. Get Flexy - 1 point/day for stretching, an additional point available on my heavy stretching day for photo documenting. So 8 points/week. Exceptions - If I'm sick or injured (please noooo not again!), then workouts are excused. Pole is excused until I can get my pole installed at the new house, but I still have to do my RLNA workouts on those days. Just no practicing moves. Motivation Last challenge I let myself buy myself something each week that I got an A, which was a HUGE motivation for me, but I dont think I can afford that anymore (just moved, and rent is higher). So I'm going to give myself a budget. I earn $10 for each B, $15 for each A. $20 if I pass, $40 if I pass with an A. I can either spend as I go along, or save up until the end and buy something big.

(Darn, how hard can it be to come up with a title for this thing?) Hi everyone! I've been here for quite some time, but actually never signed up for a challenge that I've followed through with. I hope that the change to 4 weeks in stead of 6 weeks will make it a better fit for me. It's always easier to focus for a shorter period of time and then recharge for another 4 weeks. At least for me. And without any further ado; My goals for the next 4 weeks: 1. Go to at least 3 classes at my dance studio each week. (any combination of dance/strength/flexibility classes will work) For about 1,5 years now, I've been going to pole dancing classes at a studio in my city. It has really helped me to keep working out since it's such a fun way to do it. But now, I haven't been to the studio for nearly one month due to vacations and holidays and stuff. So I have to get back on the horse (...or pole, actually) . I have to go to at least three workouts a week. That shouldn't be a problem. 2. Complete the beginner body weight workout twice every week. Since pole dancing is my primary way of working out, I have to be strong. While on the pole a lot of weight and strain is put on small parts of your body, and I know that I'm not strong enough to do a lot of the tricks we're working on in my level. So I really have to get stronger, which is why the beginner body weight workout would help me out. It has to be done at least twice every week. 3. Eliminate all unnecessary and added sugars from my diet. During the holidays, my sugar intake has been waaaay to high. On and off I have really big problem with this, so now I have to keep away from the sugar. After a few weeks it always gets easier to withstand the sweets, but for now I'll have to struggle. And I have to eliminiate the sugars completely, because if I allow one thing, I'll just keep on eating until I feel sick. So. No sugars! Life-goal: 4. write on my school report for at least an hour a day, 5 days a week. I have a report in uni that I've been working on since august. It was supposed to be finished in december, but I wasn't happy with some of my parts. So I'll have to turn it in in february instread. Until then, I have to work on it for at least an hour everyday, at least 5 days a week. I'll probably not come here every single day, but a few times each week at least. And it's gonna be really fun following all the other challenge logs!

To infinity and beyond! Last year I’ve been quite negative about lack of progress but truth be told I’m in the best shape of my life. I have a level of fitness that allows me to do things with my body that I’d never imagined doing, be it climbing or aerial or arm balancing or other things that make my mum go whoooah and my dad shake his head, roll his eyes and call me crazy. And that feels amazing. Since I already can do so much I might as well relax and have fun with it rather than get upset or sad because I’m not progressing fast enough or think that I suck because there are things that I can’t do. Because that’s just silly. So in 2016 I will focus on approaching my training from a place of positivity and playfulness and learning. Here are some things I’d like to learn or do: Handbalancing: 10s consistent freestanding handstand, solid forearm stands, flying crow, crane, crocodile Flexibility: Unassisted feet to head cobra, consistent splits (all of them) Contortion: Cheststand, walkovers, ankle grab, runarounds Climbing: Climb all red problems, solve black problems on a regular basis Aerial: Have fun, learn some tricks, link movement together and maybe put together some mini-routines General fitness: Get pull-ups, push-ups & dips, toes to bar/pull-overs, funky squats and cardio to a decent level Diet: Get to an ideal BF% range, eat better to improve energy levels and aid recovery And some life goals: Improve the ratio of passive time (films, games etc) vs boring time (adulting) vs active time (learning, creating) Learn to sew Level up cooking Call friends on a regular basis Be less antisocial and do more things on my own Do more fun things like gigs and mini-excursions Complete Katy Bowman’s 52 week course on biomechanics and movement And here are the goals for this challenge. To keep it in line with the epic quest goals I've picked one (mostly) small goal for each category. Climbing: Dedicated core training 1x/week including leg raises and push-ups Flexibility: Try out 2 hip end-of-ROM strengthening drills each week Contortion: Backbends 1x/week practicing elbow lever to chest stand Aerial: Go to open training 3 times Handbalancing: 15-20 min handstand training 7x/week. At least two of them should include or consist of wrist and forearm prehab/conditioning. Fitness: Cardio 3 times Life goal #1: Sew a shiny new outfit Plan: Week 1 - make a pattern, Week 2 - cut out fabric pieces Week 3 - sew Week 4 - win! Life goal #2: Keep up with Katy Bowman's biomechanics course weekly homework Bring on 2016! It's going to be so shiny!

"'Oh, something's gotta happen, Something's gotta give and something's got to break,I know: someday it's gonna happen,Someday it's gonna give, can't always be this way.And if the riptide comes to get meAnd pulls me under, it won't upset me, I'll go down.I'll throw the white flag of surrender,Knock me down, not forever, just for now.Not forever, just for now,Not forever, just for now,Not forever, not forever, not forever,Won't stay down." MAIN QUEST: Hey, I'm a member of the SSIA again! *crickets* Okay, that wasn't worthy of applause, I suppose. But what else can I do, starting out the new year injured, but go back to the basics and rebuild myself stronger than ever? It isn't exciting or fancy, but it's necessary. Time for some basic grinding with stars. So basic that there's not even a theme. Just cats. Lots and lots of cats. What? They land on their feet. I intend to do the same. After some consideration, I've decided to keep the "paper RPG" stats system going for my own sake. I like it/find it motivating. Quest 1: Every Day Is Leg Day (+1 STR, +2 STA) So, hamstring, you're feeling weak and cranky? Well, time to make you strong and cranky. This is about as simple as it gets: 5 days a week, 100 ATG BW squats. The PT says they're good for me. I get a bye on days I take a group exercise class with a legs focus OR on days I squat weight (assuming those actually come to pass this month). A: 5 days, B: 4 days, C: 3 days Quest 2: Back on the Horse (+2 STR, +1 DEX) Time to get back in the air AT LAST. I'm not sure how many times per week my body will be able to handle silks, but I do know one thing: I was on the verge of a straddle-up breakthrough before I got hurt, and this basic building block of aerial skill won't aggravate my leg. Thus, I'll commit to 5 GOOD FORM straddle-ups per side every time I go to open gym, and as many as I can fit in when in class (sometimes, depending on the day's tricks, I may not get to 5). Good form may involve bent legs in the first week or two as I get back into things, as long as the développé is tidy. This is all about working towards my year-end straight/straight straddle goal.... and getting me back to aerial with something that ISN'T going to cause me anxiety. PASS: I did 5 per side, FAIL: I am lazy Quest 3: Chase Triple Digits (+2 STR) Did I mention yet that my goals are extremely basic? If I want to get that 100lb bench press before the end of the year, I need to increase my sad, sad bench volume. For the duration of the challenge, bench press twice a week. A: 2 times, B: 1 time Life Quest: Fight the Dry (+2 CHA) Another basic-as-hell challenge! You know how dry it is in Colorado? Hint: very. You know how often I remember to put on lotion, despite that fact? Hint: just north of NEVER. So, from now until the end of the challenge, I'm going to fight dry winter air and resolve to put on lotion after every shower at home. I may not always make it at the gym (sometimes, time before my next meeting is tight) but it's a START. Bonus: remember to put on hand lotion after washing my hands. PASS: I did the thing, FAIL: I decided to be a crocodile Boring? Maybe. But I'll try to liven it up with cat memes and my usual brand of ridiculousness. Ready, set, let's go be...

I'd like to get back into the challenge thing, but goals are amorphous/nearly nonexistent at the moment. This'll get filled with something at some point, probably? A silks routine to this song must be created. If my silks gym ever opens back up again. Things: Get stronger for return to the silksPull upsToes to Bar progressions Get bendier Straddle drills (on the ground for now, in the air some magical day)Backbends Have some fun HandbalancesPartner acro stuffClimbing gym Eat better MOAR proteinFEWER junky snacksMOAR water

How am I supposed to follow challenge llama?! Naturally with BOWSER! LIKE A BOSS, YA'LL! January shall mark an return to aerial shenanigans like whoa. Goal decisions are a work in progress as I make final decisions but it shall be something like: GOALS 1. Handstand push up progressions - I can do 10+ push ups in a row. It's time to work towards more difficult variants. I am following the progressions I learned at camp from super badass Beast Skills dude. I would like to work this at least 3x per week (likely before or following aerial on my aerial days with a possibly extra day on Wednesdays just because.) I am starting with pike push ups and will progress to decline push ups if I get to where I can do 10+ pike push ups. 2. Straight legged straddle progressions - I know these are close and I just need to get my core slightly more ridiculous to land these on the regular. These require ridiculous core as well as some upper body. I will count all aerial as well as core conditioning workouts towards this goal and I would like to do core work 5x per week! 3. Pull up progressions - I am so stupidly close to a dead hang chin up and dead hang pull will come soon after. I want to work pull progression work 3x per week (likely also to coincide with aerial days, and aerial itself counts.) I may toy with throwing in random sets of bodyweight rows on rest days because those are easy enough for me to do that now and will help with grease the groove type training-ish. 4. Continue pistol squat progression - These will be mine soon I know it! All weighted and bodyweight squat workouts in addition to one legged specific training variants count in this area. Work squats 3x per week. LIFE GOALS Sleep more & make it to work on time - I was really good about being on time for my first 6 months at this job but with the insanity of my rehearsal schedule in late November and December this started to falter. I need to get up at 6 every weekday, and be in bed by 11, no exceptions. (I may read in bed to try and get myself to actually fall asleep/while I wait for benadryl to kick in.) One caveat, goals may need to be amended as I get into more intense rehearsal schedules.

Lucky fire dragon gets a grip on After a luscious break time during last challenge, I am ready to pull my "innerer Schweinehund" out of the comfy mud again and get back into action. A shocking realization of not being able to do a full pull up anymore has brought on extra motivation to build up strength again with the ultimate goal of Leveling up my dance again literally. It's time to move on to the Level 2+ courses at class and I won't be able to unless I gain more strrrrrrrrrength So, here we go: 1. Get a grip This too is literally. I slip too often from sweating hands, especially when I am upside down and that is just no good. - figure out how to improve grip: which aids work best, room temperature, washing hands in between?, gloves?... - improve grip strength by training, training, training (see goal 2) and working with tennis balls and hair bands 5x/week for 5 min each hand 2. Get strrrrrrrong Stick to a daily "homework" of - 10 push ups - 5 lay back sit ups each side on pole or 20 rolls with ab roller or 30 regular sit ups - 5 chin ups Do a full pole workout 3x/week no excuses!! If I could run 3x / week, I can train, too Here is my inspiration for workouts this time round: She makes it look super pretty and I must warn you it does not look anything like this with me (yet) but hey it gives me a goal, right Can't do it all yet, will "only" do the following parts: - continuous climbs - pole hold leg lifts -- 3/side - pole ups (or at least attempt them) -- starting with 1 or 2/side - superman push ups -- 5/side - caterpillar push ups -- 5/side - tucks and lift from floor -- 10 reps - aerial squats -- 3/side - lay back sit ups -- 5/side and if I have any strength left I can add a couple of swing mounts with slow negatives I actually tried the whole thing out today just to make sure it's doable and am so proud that a large part of it is, woot woot Video of my attempts today to have a starting point for progress celebration: 3. Stay in the Flow Balance with active recovery, happy shiny points and goooood restoration - no need to burn out This will be my hunt for shiny treasure points and I will actually buy some pretty stickers of stars and smileys to stick on my calendar on all the days I did well because stickers are shiny and success needs to be proudly celebrated Doing my main pole workouts will give a big star or smiley each, on all the other days, stars can be earned with - 15 min or more of yoga - some of Marlo Fisken's beautiful flow exercises - eating the whole day healthy and nutritous (no need to list cheats, I'll be honest) - drinking 2,5 liters of water or more (herbal tea counts too) - getting 8 hours of sleep in - spending 20 min or more outdoors - meditating for 10 min or more Each of these areas can get a star so a perfect day would have 3 stars and at the end I will see with one look what went especially well and which parts I might want to prioritize better - you see I am planning ahead while going, hehe, I must be growing up I will let myself off the hook completely for 1 day / week, so with a max of 3 stars / day that makes it 108 stars to go for over the whole challenge. Treasure hunt go I am also hoping for some nice visible effect from all these badass workouts, so this time I will actually take measurements again and do before and after pics To be included here on Monday What else? Oh yes, important note to self, if I slip into some silly mindframes: DISCLAIMER None of these exercises will be done to prove anything about me. I know that I already am special and beautiful, just the way I am (*in case nobody told you yet today: you are too!!*) I am not doing these to become special - I am that - I am doing these because I want MOAR FUN ON THE POLE and enjoy the feeling it gives me, the vitality of my heart beating fast, the thrill of exciting moves and spins, the delicious sense of a worked out body that just gave it all, the clarity that comes after you sweated everything out, the satisfaction of cuddling into bed and falling into rejuvenating sleep after an active day,... all of these and more will be my bountiful reward

What can I say, I was thinking about battle logging it but the fresh challenge bug got me. I'm not going epic this challenge and I have no clue what I want to focus on so I'm just going to do it all - but within my limits. For those that don't know me I'm a dabbler, and currently I mess around with bouldering, aerial, pole, handstands and contortion. Basically I'm the happiest if when I can move my body in weird ways, bonus if it's upside down. Or spinning. Or both. Goal #1 - Super bendy! (Or at least get my splits back) My loss of flexibility is making me sad and I need to fix it. I'm going to track my work in a slightly different way this time, inspired by the shiny points collectors. The aim is to get 15 flexy points/week: Foam rolling = 1 fp Maintenance/yoga = 3 fp Flexy session = 5 fp (any session where I actually go down in splits, not necessarily a dedicated session) Goal #2 - Catch ‘em all! Play with arm balances with Raptron and Nymeria. No grading, just have some fun. Goal #3 - Track and train! Track sleep and HRV (see spoiler) and listen to recovery cues. When app says go I go but I can do whatever I fancy on that day. If it says take it easy I'll take it easy. Don't want another burnout. Life goal - Make fun stuff! Shamelessly stealing another Nymeria goal. I'm going to collect 1000 points over the course of challenge for making stuff. Cooking - back by popular demand! Try a new recipe 10 Bake something 10 Bake something tricky like French pastries 20 Sewing Fix something 10 Mod something 20 Make a pattern 30 Finish something 50 Drawing Colour 10 Doodle 20 Finish a doodle 30 Here we go again!

" you're picture perfect blue sunbathing on the moonstars shining as your bones illuminatefirst kiss just like a drugunder your influenceyou take me over you're the magic in my veinsthis must be love...Boom! Clap!the sound of my heartthe beat goes on and on and on and on and..." AKTE I Welcome to another round of Chasing Shiny Objects with Stars, where every topic is on the table, All the Things get done at once, and themes range from mainstream films to obscure, heartbreaking anime about magical ballet dancing ducks. One guess which way I went this time..... In this final challenge of 2015, I'm trying to focus in a little, a process which is aided by the fact that this is coming: My first aerial performance. Time to get my ducks in a row (ha, hahaha, I crack myself up) and get this show off the ground, literally. Let's do this. quest 1: rise to the occasion (ahiru) - +1 STR, +1 DEX Ahiru goes from the awkward kid at the bottom of the class to performing (literally) for her life. The stakes in my case aren't quite so high, but I'll be taking inspiration from Ahiru's "can do" attitude in preparing for and executing my solo silks routine for the showcase. I've got my music. I've started my choreography. All I need to do is take it to the finish line. There are no specific weekly check-ins for this goal, but trust that preparation is top of mind for me. You're likely to see a lot of flailing and probably a video or three along the way. This goal will be completed in week 5 when I perform my routine for an audience. Yes, I'll share a video of the final result - either from the performance itself if I can get one or from dress rehearsal, whatever ends up working! PASS: Did the thing, posted the video, FAIL: What the hell is your problem, stars? quest 2: practice begets perfection (rue) - +1 DEX, +1 STA Best dancer in Princess Tutu? It's no contest. Rue's a textbook example of what hard work and dedication will net you. Lately, I've gotten back into ballet, but my class attendance consistency is crap (partly due to factors outside my control) and my form needs some serious attention. Thus, this goal is twofold: 1. Take at least 3 technique classes in the 6 week period. I have 3 left on my punch card, so this doesn't add financial obligation (a worry this time of year) and this allows for some flexibility for travel and other issues. 2. Work on technique on my own time at least 3 times. Things that particularly need attention: turnout (STOP FORCING STARS), tendu speed and precision, pirouettes (doubles, landing in fifth), jump form, particularly at higher speeds. I have a wood floor at home AND a big group exercise room WITH A BARRE at the gym, so no excuses. A: 3 of each, B: 3 of one, 2 of the other, C: 2 of each quest 3: what's right is rarely what's easy (fakir) - +2 DEX Let's talk about fighting one's fate, shall we? The same way Fakir has to force himself into all sorts of horrible situations (MY POOR BABY), I apparently SERIOUSLY HAVE TO FORCE MYSELF TO DO BACKBENDS. Or I just won't do them. I've seen this again and again. I'm not great at them, so in stretch sessions, I default to splits. NO MORE. I need this for aerial. Suck it up, stars. I'm getting a routine together (thanks, Finisterre!) and I will work on backbends 3 times a week. PERIOD. And I will post a picture weekly to see if progress is happening. Period. A: 3 sessions + photo, B: 2 sessions + photo or 3 sessions without photo, C: 1 session + photo or 2 sessions without photo life quest: scattered shards (mytho) + 2 WIS Mytho's got a lot of missing pieces. And I've got.... a lot of unplanned and unpurchased holiday gifts. I usually try to do this earlier, but with everything going on this year, I've barely scratched the surface. I DO NOT WANT to be the crazy person paying for overnight shipping the day before a family gathering. Can we say UGH? Therefore, my goal is to make a nice, tidy list in Google sheets and to acquire (make, buy, whatever) all gifts for all individuals on said list by the end of the challenge, giving me some breathing room and, you know, time to wrap. Grading based on the % of gifts acquired per the forthcoming spreadsheet AKTE II In Akte I of our drama, our heroine was grievously wounded. In Akte II, much like Ahiru, she will strive to pick up the pieces. quest 1: when all else fails (ahiru) - +1 STR, +1 DEX, +1 STA Ahiru never ever ever ever ever ever gives up, regardless of the odds stacked against her. I'm like that, too. Can't aerial? Okay. Can't walk? So what. I'm going to get around it. This quest is amorphous until I can get in to the physical therapist in week 4 and figure out what I need to do to rehab my leg. After that, it's all about following instructions like a good girl. I AM GOING TO BE BETTER THAN EVER. Just watch. PASS: Did the thing, FAIL: What the hell is your problem, stars? quest 2: growing wings (rue) - +2 STR I can't walk and I certainly can't dance, but you know what I can do? Pull-ups. This one's simple - while I'm hurt, pull-ups/chin-ups daily. Every. Single. Day. I'm going to get even stronger while my leg is out of commission. A: 7 days, B: 6 days, C: 5 days quest 3: glory for those who defy their fate (fakir) - +1 WIS, +1 STR Backbends are out. Did you know they slightly recruit your hamstrings? I DIDN'T UNTIL I TRIED TO DO SOME. So, instead, time to give fate the finger. This quest is twofold: in week 4, while laid up at home, figure out a go-forward training plan, despite the fact that most injured people just give up on fitness (but we all know that's not me). In weeks 5-6, follow said plan for a minimum of 3 days at the gym weekly, (aside from the daily pull-ups - those don't count as gym days). A: 3 days, B: 2 days, C: 1 days life quest: scattered shards (mytho) + 2 WIS THIS QUEST REMAINS UNCHANGED. Mytho's got a lot of missing pieces. And I've got.... a lot of unplanned and unpurchased holiday gifts. I usually try to do this earlier, but with everything going on this year, I've barely scratched the surface. I DO NOT WANT to be the crazy person paying for overnight shipping the day before a family gathering. Can we say UGH? Therefore, my goal is to make a nice, tidy list in Google sheets and to acquire (make, buy, whatever) all gifts for all individuals on said list by the end of the challenge, giving me some breathing room and, you know, time to wrap. Grading based on the % of gifts acquired per the forthcoming spreadsheet Also coming this challenge: a trip to Disneyland for the Avengers Half Marathon (stillskies is running - I am holding a sign)! A trip to Las Vegas! Lots of deadlifts! LOTS of eating! Lots and lots and lots of weird aerial terminology! And mini challenge goodness! Doing All the Things! Shall we dance?

YAY! I'm a llama again! What exactly am I doing for this challenge? Well let me explain to you; It's.... GOALS! I has them!: 1 - Work those hip...(keys) - I finally have down straddle climb sort of ish. My hip keys are, however, pathetisad. To fix this I shall do dedicated hipkey work three times a week. Aka drill hip keys at least a minute or two every time I am at the studio! 2 - Dost thou even hoist, brethren? Self explanatory? I think? I AM ADDING IN LIFTING WOOHOO. I would like to do twice a week, but since it's new let's start with lift at least 1x per week. Deadlifts and squats are planned! I will do some pressing but that will likely be limited to 1 day per week even if I do lifting 2x per week because I need these arms for aerial! 3 - Put your hands up in the air- AND GRAB ONTO SOMETHING AND LIFT YOURSELF WOOO! Aka pull ups, ya'll! I'd like to get 1 solid dead hang pull up by the end of this challenge. My progress is slow as hell on these so I expect that to take a full 6 weeks, but I will amend if I get this too quickly. Work on pull up progressions 3x per week. 4 - Power buns, yo! - AKA YOU WILL BE MINE, PISTOL SQUAT! I will work on pistol progressions 3x per week! (I am going to count the weighted squats in lifting towards this as well because building strength will help!!) 5 - I don't push up, I push the WORLD DOWN! - Push up work at least 3x per week. I'd like to get where I can ALWAYS do 15 in a row and not just when a badass people challenge me to drunken push up competitions in exchange for beers! Life goals! Check blood pressure at least 1x per week (I'm supposed to track this and I always forget. Thank you genetic predisposition to hypertension. GRRRR!)Drink at least 2 bottles of water (aka 4 8oz glasses ish of water) every day. I am horrible about this on my non exercise days!

Yup, that's right, it's time for a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy challenge! I absolutely love H2G2 - the book series is probably what first got me properly into sci-fi (albeit comedic sci-fi). Douglas Adams was a genius as far as I'm concerned! Quest 1 - A trip to Milliways, the Restaurant at the End of the Universe No intergalactic hitch hiking trip would be complete without a trip to Milliways and it's going to be the inspiration for the diet portion of my challenge. In the last challenge I focussed on increasing my fruit and veg intake, and did better than I expected, so this time I'm going to up the ante a bit. And include points. The aim here is to have a generally more healthy diet and not rely on the work food. One portion of fruit or veg = +1 Taking lunch to work = +1 Taking a snack to work = +1 Fast food/take away/microwave ready meal = -1 Drinking coke = -1 Up for grabs: +3 CON, +1 WIS Scoring (subject to change): 1 to 20 points = 0% 21 to 40 points = 10% 41 to 60 points = 20% 61 to 80 points = 30% 81 to 100 points = 40% 101 to 120 points = 50% 121 to 140 points = 60% 141 to 160 points = 70% 161 to 180 points = 80% 181 to 200 points = 90% 201+ points = 100% Quest 2 - Meet Zem from the swamps of Sqornshellous Zeta! Zem, as you can see, is a mattress, and will be helping with my quest to improve my sleep. There are two parts to this one: 1 - be in bed by 10:30 on school nights. I'd love this to be every night but it's physically impossible on some. I don't have to be asleep, but I do have to be in bed. 2 - take all my meds every night. I have developed something of a habit of only taking partial doses which is both terrible for my mental health and terrible for my sleep. The only exception is if I have been drinking (which rarely happens but Christmas party in a gin establishment...) because alcohol + meds = bad times Up for grabs: +2 CHA, +1 CON Maximum available, will be scored as a percentage: 30 nights in bed on time 42 nights of med taking (subject to change) Quest 3 - There is an art to flying, or rather a knack. Its knack lies in learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss. I love flying! Or at least my version, which is trapeze. There's lots to work on here, but I'm going to focus on things I don't like (drops to ankles), can't do (heel hangs) or need to improve (toe hangs). I'm also going to get a damn routine together to finally audition for performance work! I'm also potentially going to do some ballet classes to improve my general grace and performance (trying a class tonight, so might hate it...). More points here... Work on hocks dismounts = +1 Work on toe hangs = +1 Work on heel hangs = +1 Work on drops to ankles = +1 Work on millwheels = +1 Work on belly spins = +1 Land a hocks dismount well = +2 Manage a millwheel = +2 Manage a belly spin = +2 Ballet class = +2 Hold a heel hang without hands = +5 Complete routine = +10 Up for grabs: +1 DEX, +1 CHA, + 1 STR, +1 STA Scoring (subject to change depending on how the first couple of weeks go): 1 to 10 points = 5% 11 to 20 points = 15% 21 to 30 points = 25% 31 to 40 points = 35% 41 to 50 points = 45% 51 to 60 points = 55% 61 to 70 points = 65% 71 to 80 points = 75% 81 to 90 points = 85% 91 to 100 points = 95% 100+ points = 100% Life quest - "I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by." Douglas Adams I got a bit of a kick up the arse from my supervisors today. Kinda deserved, but hey. Time to get my arse in gear then! This is going to have two parts again. 1 - be in work by 10am every day (exceptions if doctors appointments etc have to happen). I know this is a no brainer for most people, but I haven't been sleeping well (see quest 2...) and that translates into getting into work horribly late. This. Will. Stop. 2 - finish writing this damn paper. It will get done. It. Will. Up for grabs: +3 WIS, + 1 CHA Each aspect is worth 50% of the total Maximum work days available = 30

"we all got our stories but please tell me what there is to complain about when you're happy like a foollet it take you overwhen everything is outyou gotta take it in oh this has gotta be the good life...." MAIN QUEST: Win the House Cup! And don't forget - it's all a game, so have fun with it! I'm certainly guilty of taking myself too seriously sometimes, but lately I've been working on lightening up and living in the moment. Guys, bumps in the road aside, my life is so good, seriously. And so, since my fitness regimen is chugging along like the Hogwarts Express, I decided that this challenge is the perfect time to play a little game with myself. I have a long list of little things I could or should do so... why not all of them? At once? Yeah, maybe it's crazy, but I'm a crazy flying assassin, and anyway, trust me to come up with something that requires a complex spreadsheet. I'm excited, because this way I get to fly, lift, sing, cook, spend time with my wife, laugh with my friends, enjoy the beautiful fall weather, and not worry so much about keeping my goals up while I live it up at CAMP NERD FITNESS in week 3. How It Works: Each Hogwarts House has been assigned a focus area and a list of 10 goals. Most accomplishments earn me 5 House Points. A few (marked bonus) earn 10 points, and a few (marked negative) subtract 5 points (STUDENTS OUT OF BED! 5 POINTS FROM RAVENCLAW!). Bonuses are balanced by negatives to give each house a roughly equivalent chance at winning. At the end of the challenge, all houses have to have earned a minimum of 200 points (an average of 40 tasks complete, aka ~1 per day) in order for the challenge to be considered a success. In the end, this is all about balancing my life priorities. Every week, the trailing house will be given an extra bonus challenge (worth 20 points!) to encourage me to give attention to the part of my life I've been neglecting. There are no limits to the number of times per day/week/challenge I can cash in on the same accomplishment. If I get 3 PRs in one day, for example, that's super! Stat points will be awarded based on which House wins the Cup! Ambition (and Fitness) - STR, DEX, STA Slytherin is all about ambition, and I don't lack that... I want to be better, stronger, and more graceful than the me of yesterday. Slytherin can earn points in the following ways: Doing straight leg straddle drills Backbend practice Splits practice Achieving a barbell PR Doing a set of pull-ups or chin-ups at home Taking a dance class Doing some yoga Taking a bike ride Going for a walk outside Trying a new workout Loyalty (and Self-Care... and FOOD) - CON, CHA Hufflepuffs are kind and diligent, and I need to be kinder to myself and more diligent about caring for myself instead of always pushing for the next accomplishment. Also, Hufflepuff common room is right by the kitchen, and let's be honest.... every other House is jealous. Hufflepuff can earn points in the following ways: Trying a new recipe Eating >100g of protein in a given day Getting to bed by 10:30pm Giving myself a facial Giving myself a pedicure (or treating myself to one at the nail salon) Having a quiet night in Getting up a wee bit earlier and taking a bit of time in the morning for tea and reflection Anything that keeps the romance alive in my marriage BONUS: Batch cooking for more than two meals NEGATIVE: Getting to bed after 11:30pm (Camp and non-work weekends exempt) Wisdom (and Adulting) - WIS, CHA If ever there was a House that exemplified rational thought and adulting, it would certainly be Ravenclaw. In case you weren't aware, this is my favorite House - and I am told by my friends that I am a boss at adulting. Still, there are a few things I could benefit from improving. Ravenclaw can earn points in the following ways: Buying a holiday gift in advance Dressing up for work Doing something with my hair that isn't a ponytail or bun Warming up before rehearsal/performance or working on my music in general BONUS: Spending <$150 on weekly groceries BONUS: Doing some yard work BONUS: Putting $50 into savings NEGATIVE: Buying >2 snack items when food shopping NEGATIVE: Buying clothes or shoes NEGATIVE: Going out to eat (work-related outings and travel days exempt) Adventure (and Fun) - CHA No one parties like a Gryffindor, and I could probably do with being a bit more like the Lions in this. Having fun is important, too! Gryffindor can earn points in the following ways: Spending face-to-face time with a friend Skyping with a friend or relative Hosting an event at home Doing anything that furthers my plans for AWESOME HALLOWEEN DECOR this year (crafting, decorating, etc) Going on an outing with stillskies that ISN'T just shopping for necessities Engaging in some collab gaming (video or board or card - it all goes!) Reading a book for >1 hour Reading in Russian or French (non-book media are fine) Working on a puzzle Posting a picture or video to my thread Which House will emerge triumphant at the end of term? Taking bets now~! (I'm thinking Slytherin has an unfair advantage, here, but who knows?) Measurements: Neck: 12.8" Waist: 26" Hips: 36" Shoulders: 40.5" Thigh: R: 20.7" L: 20" Calf: R: 14.7" L: 14.4" Bicep: R: 10.7" L: 10.5" Weight: 133.8 BF%: 19.47% Dress/pants size: 0/2

I have my first ever aerial showcase coming up on September 26th and 27th. Since rehearsals and show prep will rule my life for the next three weeks (AND THEN CAMP CAMP CAMP YASSSSS) I am not going to make any specific goals other than to kick ass at rehearsal and show stuff! AKA SHOW TIME YA'LL! AKA TIME FOR PERFORMANCE INSPIRED GIFS! Other non-show goals coming after October 5th and to include getting a damn pull up and more push ups!!!! I am back from camp and performance is done! Now time for some non-show related goals! Woohoo!: GOALS Work push-ups at least 3x per week. I'd like to get to 30 in a row but I suspect that will take a few challenges. (This is inspired by my drunken push up fest at the Rubik's cube party. Will do push ups for a drink, thank you very much!)Work Pull-ups at least 3x per week. This goes right along with the pull ups PVP I'm working on. I'd like to get to getting 1 real pull up by the end of the challenge. I think I can do that AND more by then but these go notoriously slow in progression for me so we'll see!Work on pistol squats at least 3x per week. I took the advanced bodyweight class and got tons of different progression stuff for working on pistols. These will be mine! I have the mobility and just need a little more strength. I'm thinking silks assisted pistols are going to be a thing.Sub goal: rehab left hammy. I mildly strained my left hamstring in a drunken split contest with one of the instructors at camp (which I won, BTW!) It's not too angry and I can walk fine and I already have more I can do today without it hurting than I could yesterday. I'm going to baby it the rest of the week/ until it's back to 100%. Clearly this means ALL THE RIGHT LEGGED PISTOLS WOOOOWork on inverted straddle climbs at least 3x per week. I'm going to count both working on the actual climb as well as any inverted straddle work on other non-silk apparatus for this as well since it all helps. Especially if I do said work straight legged w/out the froggy up. I'd like to get to a solid single climb up on each side with good form. If I can get to 2 on each side and also being able to do the slack drop from this that would be extra cool!Work on ground inversions at least 1x per week. At camp I realize I totally do not work these enough. I would like to get a real, non-wall assisted handstand! (I did manage to press up to a headstand from tripod and I am sooo proud of that but yeaah handstand I do not have at all yet!)I should be able to work on all the arm stuff on my aerial days and then do pistol work and some running on off days between aerial days...so: M/W/ F or Sat = aerial, (push, pull, straddle climbs, ground inversions) T,R,Sun = pistol work, running/walking, also opportunity for ground inversions if I didn't squeeze it in on aerial days

Boss Battle: Tequatl the Sunless It's time for Achaedia to pack up and leave the oasis and continue on her journey. Resigned, she makes her way up the hill and over the first rise, when there, in the valley below, blocking her path, there it is: The fearsome Tequatl, minion of the undead dragon Zhaitan! Tequatl has hardened scales that can create a massive defense if someone doesn't work hard to keep them down. Achaedia takes her place at one of the turrets, hoping that she can blast them enough times to wear through their defenses and allow the fighters close to the dragon to take him down... The Battle: Weekly Benchmarks & Bonuses: Week One: 500 Points (+1 STR) Bonus: Cleaned Every Day (+1 CHA) Week Two: 500 Points (+1 STA) Bonus: Classroom Prepared (+1 WIS) Week Three: 400 Points (+1 STA) Bonus: Lesson Plans Prepared (+1 WIS) Week Four: 400 Points (+2 STR) Bonus: Worked Out Three Times (+1 STR) Week Five: 300 Points (+2 DEX) Bonus: Ate Breakfast Every Weekday (+1 CHA) Week Six: 300 Points (+2 STA) Bonus: Attended 3 Gymnastics Classes (+1 DEX) Standing Bonus (From My First Challenge): 1 unassisted chin-up or muscle-up = +5 STR Max Stat Totals: +4 STR, +3 DEX, +4 STA, +0 CON, +2 WIS, +2 CHA

Draft in progress, but here's a start! Dancezwithkittehz found herself perched above the most curious rabbit hole. Naturally she dove in headfirst! "After such a fall as this, I shall think nothing of tumbling down stairs!" Next, Dancezwithkittehz followed the white rabbit to a most peculiar place. What was IN those tents? And when she went inside . . . . Dancezwithkittehz saw the most amazing things! She knew she had to stay. This challenge is going to be very aerial centric (plus other adventures I'm sure because it's ME we are talking about. Oooh look something shiny to explore over there...) Goal 1 - Do the "scary" stuff (aerial skills): for me this is inverted climbs, doing ANYTHING up high, and especially drops. I will be doing aerial at least 3 times a week so I need to work on at least one scary thing each class and by the end of the challenge I need to have an inverted climb down AND at least one drop. Goal 2, Choreography! - I am choreographing a solo for our showcase in September. I also have like a BAZILLION-LEVENTY-MILLION dance choreography ideas. I need to be ideally choreographing at least a phrase a week, and if I am not choreographing I need to perform the hell out of something every week (doesn't matter if this is just in class and if it's aerial or dance, but I need to get in the flow zone and ooze performance-y goodness out of every pore.) This should involve videos and please pester me!!! Goal 3, coding and ear training - I know I know way not directly related to my theme, but these are things I really really want to work on. Every day would be great but I know how absurd my schedule is especially early in the week so, 3 times a week minimum! Coding I can work on at lunch at least (I am working my way through a combination of Learn Python the Hard Way, and Code Academy section on Python.) For ear training I just got EarMaster 6, which I have to be at home to work on unfortunately. Goal 4, Chase rabbits - dancezwithkittehz needs to be able to keep up with that pesky rabbit (and be ready for her planned spartan trifecta next year!) so she needs to be running again. I would be happy with running at least once per week! LIFE Stuff: Debt paydown! (ongoing goal) - put a rents worth of money towards credit cards since I want to move out and be renting in the next year or so. Re-arrange batcave - DECLUTTERING NEEDS TO HAPPEN NAO. I need to do dedicated decluttering time once a week (most likely on weekends.) Cleaning in general also counts

What are the needed components to make something burn? Fuel Air Spark put those together and you get Fire --------------------------- Fuel Calories. Sigh. Need to rein them in. Track daily, aim for 1500/day. Air This one is somewhat self explanatory. Open gym 1x/week. During said open gym, work on floor work and flesh out routine. Get full routine planned by Aug 12. Spark Coming off vacation, self-care will be necessary in order to keep the good relaxed vibes. I'm shooting for small things 3x/week. Morning sun salutationsExtra stretching post workoutRemembering to get up and walk around from my desk at workWhatever small bits of joy I can slot into my day Fire Performance. The next showcase at my aerial studio is Aug 22 and I've said I'll perform (hence the 8/12 deadline for routine solidification) *Note I'm on vacation until Aug 1, so I'll be starting this challenge a few days late.