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Before one undertakes an adventure they are best advised to prepare for it. Not too much preparation though. Otherwise, where is the adventure? This challenge is all about preparing for my adventures in life. (No Pure, reaaaaally) While my Epic Quest for Adventure details both fitness/health related quests and non-fitness/health related quests I'm going to try and keep my challenges specific to fitness and health, though I'll still mention other things in these threads as well, they just won't be the subject of them. This challenge I will be working towards my Archery, Hiking and Personal Growth Adventure Badges (see Epic Quest for less confusion). My tasks are: Attend archery training if it is held (must go to southern training if it is own and northern training isn't) Archery Badge Start Zombies, Run! again and keep at it Hiking Badge, but also assists with Personal Growth task of Complete Charity Walk Put wrist balancer together. It's a PVC pipe that I need to fill with water and seal so I can use it to improve my wrist strength Find out my 1 rep max for bench, row, squat, deadlift and OHP Personal Growth Badge Track calories Assists but doesn't contribute to Personal Growth Badge

Finance- Complete. Fitness- Attempt an aerial class. Jan 2015. Joined an aikido class. Great Big Backyard- Dinosaur Monument Glenwood Caverns Royal Gorge 2 14ers Great Sand Dunes 7/6/15 Cheyenne Zoo 10/9/15 Mesa Verde Red Rocks Pikes Peak Garden of the Gods Great Big Country- Evermore, Utah ECCC / Seattle Bourbon Street, New Orleans Boston Hawaii Aleutians, Alaska California Adventure at Disneyland, California 12/5/16 Zion National Park, Utah Disney World, Orlando, Florida Diagon Alley & Hogsmeade, Orlando, Florida Napa Valley, California Las Vegas, Nevada Yellowstone National Park Great Big World- Cruise the Caribbean. Dublin Greece Tokyo, including Disneyland and DisneySea 10/2018 Hong Kong, including Disneyland Shanghai, including Disneyland Perth Egypt Rome Venice Paris London Hobbies- 1 new cosplay item per Challenge. Work on poster cross stitch between projects. 1 new show per Challenge. Theatre/music/podcasts/comedy. QUARANTINE EDIT: online streams of theatre, music festivals (including ShakeItOut), Night Vale episodes, new Netflix stand up. 2 new books per Challenge. New/used shelf, graphic novels. Learn Japanese. 2018 Personal- Commit to alone time once per week. Take a joy ride, for more than 10 minutes, once per week. Get all desired/designed tattoos (3/6 to date). 12/2014, 3/2015, 11/2016.

Last challenge was accomplished though my tracking and reporting was lacking. Because of that I'm going to include "getting you that TPS report" in my goals this time around. I don't get back from our trip to Colombia until the 11th, and then I dive right into rehearsals for Pippin, directing the one-act showcase for the local theatre (that's easy, just three rehearsals and one performance), and work hitting the busiest time of year (start of the semester). I'm focused on getting pre-PA classes taken care of so I'll be taking one class (though that could be counseling instead), and I'm going to try and fit some kind of workouts (cardio, strength, and flexibility) in even if it's just PT for my rotator cuff. I blamed it on skiing at the doc's office but I wonder how much trapeze did too... Anyway specifics are forthcoming but in a general sense: 1. Hike, bike, or run, three times per week. 2. PT four days per week, bonus points for an actual lifting session that includes the PT exercises 3. One stretching session per week. 4. Sign up for either Human Anatomy, Chemistry 1 w/lab, or an appropriate upper-level biology class and do all the assignments, or sign up for one COUN class at the Denver campus and do all THOSE assignments. 5. Report into NF at least weekly. Oh, and I'll make time to go see that movie I earned last challenge with Mrs. MG.... not sure when or how, but it will happen. Hopefully before the in-laws leave so we don't have to find a sitter too!!!

Hey Assassins: I closed out my last challenge, and here I am to try again. And no, I'm not actually swimming. I don't mind the water, heck I'm a SCUBA diver so I kind of love it, but swimming for exercise is kinda godawful for my brain. Too repetitive. I'm a runner, through and through. Also maybe a biker, and probably could be more so as my joints age. But I digress. My last challenge was focused on combatting sugar and eating more veggies. I did OK on the sugar front, but failed miserably on the veggies. So here I go again, starting smaller with a hope that I will be able to succeed this time. 1. Eat TWO servings of vegetables per day; THREE if breakfast consists of a spinach (+ whatever) smoothie. 2. Log food on MFP four days/week or more, stay below calorie recommendation. 3. Come up with three solid "next phase" career paths, and write down the pros/cons/expenses of all of them. 4. Keep running before work, 3x/week 5. Archery practice 1x/week, until we go to Colombia Rewards: For every seven days with 2-3 servings of vegetables, I get to buy myself P. I don't know what P is yet, but I've got to reward that behavior with something other than good feels since I'm clearly highly opposed to it. Might be date night at the movies with Mrs. MG, or filet mignon. For every seven days of logging on MFP, I get to buy myself Q. I don't know what Q is either, but see above for some ideas. I don't need more stuff, so that's out. It's limited to experiences and good food Archery practice, career paths, and running are their own reward. Theme: I exercise a bunch, and I know my deficiencies are in stretching and weight lifting/bodyweight workouts, but I feel like there's enough on the list already. I mean, there's the whole "pick up the apprentice on a bike" now that we've moved not further from his school but WAAAAY higher--like a 400-500' climb higher. It's a serious proposition to pick him up on the tandem and ride home with him chillaxing in the stoker position. (for those not in the know, he's only 8 and even when he's pedaling hard, which only lasts for 30-60 seconds at a go, it's a minimal effect). Anyway, I have been the same weight (somewhere between 170-175) for like a year now, and I'd like to get down below that. Clearly my fork is winning since, as mentioned, I exercise a bunch. Well that's enough out of me for today. Any support from the Assassins' Guild would be appreciated.

Rookie Takes Aim No seriously...... I can do it.... seriously. I can at least give it my best shot.... Quest: Lose 5lbs more (271.8lbs to 266.8lbs) (279.2lbs to 274.2lbs) Challenge amount lost: 7.4lbs Overall lost: 13.2lbs SubQuest 1: Count calories/ practice macro counting (total of 21 points) Keep tracking 1 point for not exceeding calorie limit 2 point for hitting within 5 of macro allowance SubQuest 2: Drink 2L Water (total of 7 points) 1 point for 2L water drank .5 point for 1.5L water drank SubQuest 3: Floss teethies daily (total of 7 points) 1 point / day Life Quest: Keep chipping away at that never ending to do list 1. Finish Sasha Blouse cosplay for May 25 2. Finish Shark painting 3. Finish Snow White Horse painting Extras - Sort clothes [in progress] - Organize ensuite drawers - Fix upstairs fire detector - Re-grout upstairs bathroom - Add floor transition for M.Bedroom + fix office one - Add transition between bathroom tile and carpet in basement - Add weatherstripping to cold room door - Fix cement outside of basement bathroom - Carpet over the cement outside of bathroom - Caulk the vent outside of the house

Become the Wolf Here we go again (Again again again). Last time I attempted this I tried my hand at Keto and although it worked really well in the beginning it wasn't for me. Near the end I was mentally exhausted, bitter, frustrated and found myself cheating and eating worse than I did while off the diet. Which of course brought on the feelings of guilt and failure. So here I am again, ready to push forward and become the wolf. Fierce, wild and determined. Let's see how far I get this time. The plan - Drink at least 2L of water daily - Meal plan ahead of time - Snacks in moderation - Move a bit more Goals -5lbs by Nov 19 -10lbs by Dec 24 -15lbs by Jan 28 -20lbs by Mar 04 Stats to date Height: 5'10" Weight: 256lbs Est. BF%: 45.3 Measurements Neck: Bust: Bicep: Forearm: Wrist: Waist: Hips: Thigh: Calf:

So last challenge was all about getting back into participating in the forums. I didn't stop exercising, though some bad news about my cholesterol (it's high) and a little winter "puffiness" has got me keen to up my training and improve my eating habits. This time around it's all about getting ready for the massive "Boulder Bolder" 10K at the end of the month, as well as getting back into archery and keeping up my strength training. Plus, in the interest of a healthy diet, I'm going to focus on positive eating habits rather than limiting what I can and cannot eat. Except for added sugar. That's going to be something I watch like a hawk. 1. Make a run for it! This session, I'll make four training runs (or sub one cycle session for any of the non "long run" workouts) per week. Schedule to be determined by Monday morning and stuck to all week. The race is the Monday following the end of this challenge. +1 per run, +2 per long run, graded out of 20 points total. 2. Veggies! I'll stick to the recommended FIVE servings of vegetables per day. Not grains, potatoes, etc. Though sweet potatoes count, as long as they aren't from the freezer aisle of the supermarket. +1 for five servings, +.5 for three servings, up to 28 points. 3. Giving sugar the finger. Sugar intake is linked to high cholesterol and so I'm going to keep my "added sugar" to a minimum. I'll keep a diary of my sugar intake and keep it below 10 tsp (40g) of added sugar per day, 15 tsp (60g) on "long run" days. +1 point per day for every day below the goal, for 28 points. Sugar from fruit and veggies doesn't count. Processed foods with "sugar" in the nutrition block do count as would juice if I drink any. 4. Moral fiber. Every day, I'll make myself either a big bowl of oatmeal (watch the added maple syrup, buddy...) or my super fiber smoothie (one orange, two cups of spinach, one cup of raspberries, and an optional scoop of protein powder). +1 point per day, for 28 points. 5. You only get one shot! Archery practice (at least) once a week. +5 points per week, for 20 points. 30 arrows. (But really, the first shot is the only one that counts.) 6. Weight a minute: Bonus points for strength training. Up to two times a week I'll hit the weights in the gym, just so I don't lose what I've gained. +1 per workout, to count against point losses elsewhere. 7. I want to ride my bicycle! More bonus points, for riding to work. +1 per day, but has to be in addition to another workout, and max 2 points per week. Can't make up for lousy eating by biking to work... That's a possible 31 points per week, or 124 points total. There are a total of 16 extra credit points available too. If I make 112+ points I can reward myself with that new recurve bow I've been thinking about for a year now. I'll weigh in on Monday morning, and weigh out on Sunday May 27. Maybe I'll even see a change.

Last challenge saw a rather substantial advancement in rank and responsibility. While on pilgrimage to Rome, the Crown of Northshield confirmed me in my office of Seneschal of Nordleigh - a small canton south of the great Barony of Nordskogen, and beholden to the self-same Baron and Baroness. A small and poor frontier territory, with barely enough people to even grant it status as a canton, Nordleigh historically had supported the great colleges of that region, but those seats of higher learned have turned their backs on the people, preferring to stay safe within their own walls. The majority of the officers have fled to the more civilized lands in the Barony proper, while I hold out down in the border lands. It will be interesting ….. Upon returning home, I also learned that their Dread Stellar Majesties had elevated me to the ranks of the (minor) nobility. I was too ill to attend the minor Court at Lupercalia (having invested quite a lot of time and money to go to the big Twelfth Night Festival); so I have not received my circlet and scroll, but word has reached me, and I will try to meet up with the Prince and Princess in a couple of weeks. So, I am ennobled and charged with keeping these lands safe …. And perhaps making them grow and prosper over the next few months. But how??? First, days will be long and busy as Spring returns to these lands. So, my first order of business each day will be a good breakfast!!! I figure if I start the day out with a clean (Whole 30 or Paleo) breakfast, I set myself up for more healthy eating throughout the day. And I start building good habits that will carry me through living alone if I get a new job ... down on the plains of another Kingdom .... but let's not get ahead of ourselves. As a Forester, I need to be ready to outrun the bandits that inhabit our woods. So, I will continue to run 3 times per week, according my my plan. I need to be ready to run 5K for the Zombies Run Virtual Race on April 19th. Archery practice is required weekly, and another strength training session of any kind will happen each week as well. I went out to the range, and people have been practicing already. I was glad to have 4-wheel drive in order to deal with the soft roads and parking lot, however. And, in my new role, I need to defend this territory from invaders. I’ve decided that Ingress will get me out of the house and walking marginally long distances. As a challenge, I will keep all of the portals north of Greenvale Avenue and south of the woods in Resistance hands by going out daily to capture or reinforce them. They tend to get captured on weekends, but our team has been very lax in playing the game (I blame Pokemon); and I have a lot of work to do!!! Finally, following up on my pilgrimage, I will do devotions each morning. I am reading the Rule of St. Benedict with commentary, followed by prayer or other reading as the spirit moves me. I am also going to up the ante this time and track ---- with a reward. If I get 70%, I get one additional item for my SCA garb collection If I get 80%, I get TWO If I get 90%, I get THREE If I get 95%, I get FOUR

Inspired by @Elastigirl and her declaration of a prestige class, I think it’s time to make a change and switch not only classes but themes. This one holds the promise of costumes and actual weapons ….. I’m going to be a Forester, counting this as a prestige class based on the Rangers. A combination of trail hiking/running, ranged weapons, protecting the Forest, and dispensing the Crown’s justice (and mercy). Part SCA and part D&D/Pathfinder. After 30 years of hanging around the fringes of the Society for Creative Anachronism, I finally became a sustaining member a couple of years ago. It’s been a bit of a rocky start since my local group make a bunch of frost giants look welcoming. Seriously, no one can turn a cold shoulder like these guys. But, I’ve been doing my thing and persisting. They’ve been acting like it’s the beginning of Macbeth, but I’ve worked around them and made other friends … And suddenly they needed someone to step in as president (known as a seneschal in SCA terms), and I agreed to do it - against my better judgement - at least temporarily (since I may be moving again …. More later.) While I await the actual appointment by the Crown, I am going on a pilgrimage to southern Europe. As it happens, we’ve been planning this cruise for months … and it does just happen to end in Rome. We already have tickets to spend a day at the Vatican. So …. It’s a pilgrimage. Now, this cruise could be an excuse to go back to old habits. Eat a bunch of refined carbs - especially chocolate. Sit around on lounge chairs all day, getting sauced while I read trashy novels. BUT NO!! I’ve decided that this is a perfect time to take care of myself and treat myself to lots of fresh fruits and veggies and good fish!!! So, my eating goals start today, pro-rated as necessary. I’m going to strive to eat more freggies than I did last challenge and average 28 per week. And add that I will eat an average of 2 servings of fish per week (not fried!). That’s it for the nutrition front. Exercise-wise …. I figure a Forester, like any good Ranger, will cover ground and be ready to deal with whatever is lurking in the bushes. I already have a solid cardio foundation and don’t need an excuse to keep running, but I’ll add a bit of forestry flavor and commit to walking outside AND capturing portals and territory in Ingress daily. I can do that even on the cruise since we have daily shore excursions. Plus … some sort of strength training OR weapons training twice per week. I’m leaving it a bit vague because weather will have a huge impact on what I do each week. If the weather is good, I can get to archery practice. And if the weather starts turning really fair, we can start axe and knife (and spear) throwing again outside. Finally, the (Royal) Forester usually dispensed the King’s Law within the area of his or her writ. And I need to read through at least 5 handbooks in order to get familiar with the rules of my new role. So … the goal here is just to print them, read them, and make notes so that I'm ready for our first dance practice in March.

The title of the thread is a reference to The Six Root Verses of the Six Bardos, specifically: At this time, when the bardo of dream appears to you, Abandon the heedlessness of the delusory sleep of a corpse. Enter into the nature of mindfulness and nonwandering. Recognizing dreams, practice transformation and luminosity. Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche. Mind Beyond Death. I'm not planning on doing any dream yoga or lucid dreaming: friends, I'd just like to fricken sleep through the night. Bring on the delusory sleep of a corpse! I've always been a light sleeper, but lately I've been waking up at 3 am and tossing/turning for at least a couple of hours. I am tired all the fricken time (except at 3 am, apparently). My most common thought during the day is fantasizing about naps, even in the middle of a good run. Now, I do all the normal things: I drink on more than one cup of coffee, turn off electronics at least an hour before bed, have a good bedtime routine, and fall asleep pretty fast initially. OTC medication makes me groggy, and I wake up in the middle of the night anyway, but then I'm tossing and turning groggily. I got a weighted blanket last month, it did nothing. I don't want to go on actual sleep medication, bc that stuff freaks me out: I had a roommate who sleepwalked on Ambien. Sure, she unloaded the dishwasher in the middle of the night, and that was pretty nice, but how weird! But, my noble nerd sangha, I am still going to get this shit under control. Here is the plan: DEX I didn’t follow through with this part of the challenge last time, and I’m afraid my back is paying for it. Part of the reason for my sleep issues, I think, is waking up in the middle of the night with back pain. Thanks, scoliosis and chronic illness that creates inflammation. You’re real buds. So, let’s try this again: yoga 2x/week (Tu, Th, bonus Sun night) CON (I’m still running; current plan: M, W, F at lunch & bonus Sat morning) This month’s challenge is unf*cking my sleep, which is a CON challenge. I’m going to make more of a concrete plan to tackle it in the coming month. CHA I couldn’t think of any connection between charisma and sleep, so, of course, I googled it. Turns out, sleep deprived leaders are perceived as having less charisma. Surprise! Therefore, I’m rolling CON & CHA into one for these four weeks ~look it's all my dump stats~ INT (I’m still doing French/Swedish/codewars) Try CBT techniques/worry journal so that I don’t stare at the ceiling at 3 am going over The Master List of Every Wrong Decision In My Life or Where Did I Put Those Gloves, Anyway? WIS Signed up for a free 30-day trial on Calm. Going to do a body scan meditation before bed. STR This doesn't have anything to do with sleep, and it was the focus of my last challenge, so I'm putting it at the bottom as a 'bonus stat' One of the archery instructors recommended that I work on finger and forearm strength. Taking @Kishi’s advice, I have not canceled my climbing gym membership, and will put it to good use! I scheduled myself for a beginner climbing workshop and may possibly go to a bouldering meetup once a week. I’ll get back to you on that. Continuing the 100 Pushups challenge: pushups Tu, Th, Sat Full disclosure: I’m just doing Week 1 over and over again, because I’m still struggling a lot with it

Hi! Just finished my first challenge, and I am now joining the Monks. I do kyudo, a.k.a. Zen archery. My first martial art was aikido, which I practiced both as a teenager (got injured and stopped for about seven years), and as an adult (got sick and stopped for about four years). I keep telling myself that I will go back to it one day, but I also accidentally developed a lot of injury-related hangups around aikido, so I'm gonna have to go ahead and work through those. I usually try to keep my endeavors well-rounded across the stat spectrum; I'm not a min-maxer by any means. My last challenge has been working on my CON - got a chronic illness, CON takes a hit, so I did a Zombie C25K program to bring it up. So far, running has been a lifesaver. The plan is to focus on a stat for each challenge, maintain what I'm doing for all stats, but only add something new for the Focus Stat. This time around, I'm picking STR. STR GMB Elements. I got the program a while ago, but got stuck halfway through. So, I got 4 weeks left - perfect for a challenge. DEX Yoga 2x/wk CON Keep up running at least 5x/week Bonus: cut 5 mins off that 5K (I'm at 39 mins now) INT Daily Swedish practice on Duolingo (I'm going to Stockholm in March!) Bonus: also French + daily katas on Codewars WIS keep up that daily meditation streak. Keep it up into eteeeeernity. It's been a year and a haaaaalf~ CHA (welcome to my dump stat) so, this is kind of weird, but I'm pretty sure that I am one of those monks that has undertaken the vow of cleanliness. IRL. There are some strong words in the writings regarding Buddhism in general, and my lineage specifically that instruct practitioners to keep themselves and their surroundings clean. Pretty sure chores are about 80% of my religious practice. So I should actually...you know...do them. Keep the ol' house and clothes looking good. Unf*ck Your Habitat has some good lists that I usually follow, but it's just time to be more intentional about it.

Mistr plays with the pieces - Challenge 30 The theme of this challenge is to try fitting pieces together in different ways and decide what I want to keep using. Unlike @sarakingdom, I do not know exactly who I want to be. I completed a major goal in April. Since then I have been trying things out and taking time off. Pieces to play with include: Aikido. How often do I want to practice? How often do I need to practice to keep making progress? Archery. This is a new thing that I want to include in my next level. Maybe not precisely a new thing. I did archery for a season in junior high. I'm going to say that any skill I haven't used in over 30 years counts as starting over from scratch. Zen. Ongoing. Sometimes it seems to be getting better. Lots of times I avoid doing it at all. I signed up for a retreat the first weekend of the challenge. I'm feeling nervous about that. Putting it here may help me not make excuses to avoid it. Exercise. My previous program let me make gradual gains in strength, but was not sufficient to keep my knees happy and healthy. In my May challenge I tried the GMB Elements program. That did some good things, but I felt like it neglected core work. It is supposed to have a good strength component. I think I am not yet flexible enough to make that really work. One of my options for this challenge is to work through the Elements series again. Sleep. This means getting to bed early enough to get 7.5-8 hours of sleep. Resisting temptation is part of it. Planning ahead and prepping clothes and food for the next day earlier would be smart. Not trying to fit in ALL THE THINGS would help, but that is not likely to happen. Household stuff. The guys are getting better about sharing the cooking and cleaning tasks. Elf is doing a lot and Dumbledore is making an effort. Hermes is missing in action - working 60 hours a week. My goal here is to get my part done efficiently without procrastinating and to negotiate about which parts are mine. Not to assume that if I don't do it, no one will. That might be true, but I need to ask first. Fun stuff. Allow time for some. Even plan ahead to do fun stuff with other people. Radical notion. To be updated as needed.

Ryuu Apprentices with the Arrow 5/22/17-6/30/17 (7 Weeks) 500/500 hp + Health potion: 1 I've had some some ups and downs over that past few challenges but mainly I have been moving forward. Slowly but forward. I think the four week challenges are a little short to really see and achieve some good progress since I normally slip up on the weeks in between them, so for this challenge I will be focusing on long term consistency. The end of the school year 6/9 and the Tough Mudder 6/10 will be bumps during this challenge as will my two week long summer jobs: Teacher Leader for the NASA Teacher Institute 6/19-23/17, and Teaching a Metal Smithing Art Camp 6/26-30/17. Though since I will be out of town during the last week of my challenge it's going to be very difficult and I'm hopefully that I can keep up my goals. Since I've been re-watching the Arrow I decided to make this Challenge Arrow themed. If you've never seen the Arrow its pretty good but I especially like it for the workout scenes that Stephen Amell does, whenever I watch him do his workout in the show it always makes me want to do some crazy workouts too. That and his body= #goals lol Hopefully one day. For this challenge I've decided to keep the HP bar because I like it and I think it helps keep me honest and get a good overview of the quality of my challenge so far, but opted to drop my small goals/ fun money and video game time hours like I've done in the past, not because they weren't useful just that they were really time consuming to implement and keep track of. Goal One: Train my Body I'll be continuing my Gymnastic Bodies Foundations One, Stretch series, Movement, and Handstand training for this challenge but reducing the volume of my movement and handstand courses and focusing more on the upper body, lower body, and core workouts to try and increase my overall strength. Upper Body, Lower Body, and Core workouts x3 per week (one each) = __/3 = ___/ 21 Front Splits, Middle Splits, and Thoracic Bridge Stretches x3 per week (one each) = __/3 = ___/ 21 Movement and Handstand Workouts x 1 per week (one each) = ___/1 = __/7 & = ___/1 = __/7 Missed Planned workout on set day -10hp, missed workout for the week -25, Flawless week +25hp Goal Two: Fuel my Body I've had some pretty good success the past two challenges tracking everything that I've eaten in MFP for all seven days and then trying to stay +/- 200 cals of my goal so I will be continuing that this challenge in hope to really solidify it as a habit. I have also noticed that I've begun to drink a lot of diet sodas, mostly as a free "reward" or when I get home from work and am super stressed. I know that diet sodas are not caloric bad but they can't be good for my body so for this challenge I'm going to reduce my consumption of them and for at least the last two weeks abstain from them completely and see how I feel. Track my Nutrition in MFP x7 per week =___/7 = ___49 Be +/- 200 of 1610 cal goal x6 per week =___/ 6 = ___42 Days without a Soda W1 x 3, W2 x 4, W3 x 5, W4 x 6, W5 x6, W6 x7, W 7 x 7 = ___/38 Craft health potion (+50hp) = 6days at goal [for this challenge they can be non-consecutive] , Healthy Choice +10hp, Bad Choice -10hp, Bad Meal -25hp, Bad Day -100hp. Goal Three: Increase my Activity For this challenge I'm going to try to increase my overall activity by getting 10,000 steps most days of the week and if my feet will let me sprints/ intervals twice a week. Also what kind of Arrow challenge would this be if I didn't have an archery goal therefore I'll be trying to get out and shoot 2 times each week. 10,000 Steps x6 per week = ___/6 = ____/ 42 Sprints x2 per week = ___/2 = ____/14 Archery x2 per week = ___/2 = ____/12* Excluding the last week of the challenge since I'll be out of town* Missed Step goal -10hp, Missed weekly sprints/ Archery -25hp, Flawless Week +25hp Goal Four: Upgrade my Arrow Cave Quiver I'll be continuing my tracking goal, which I think is critical to success, especially the weekly reviews to track my progress. Plus I'll be adding in a few addition sub goals to upgrade my life outside of my workouts. I think the no video game day will initially be hard (mostly to try and find what to do on that day) but after I can get over the initial hump I think I'll really like what I'm able to do and accomplish on those days. I'm not sure if 3 additional sub goals inside this goal is going to be too much but we'll see how I do for the first week and if I have to adjust then I'll adjust if necessary. Track and encourage others x 5 per week =____/ 5 = _____/35 Read for 30min+ x 5 per week = ____/ 5 = ___/35 No Video Games day x 1 per week = ____1= ____7 Throw away some piece of useless clutter x 5 per week = ___/5 = ____35 Missed Record or Read -25hp, Missed Video Game Free Day -50hp, Flawless Week +25hp. Loot! For this challenge I'm going to award myself cold hard cash ($) at the end of each week based off of my grade for each goal per week. I can either spend this money or save depending what I ultimate want to buy. Some things that I'm looking to possibly get include: Running Shoes or some Archery Block(s), possibly saving up for a new bow. A+/100% = $5 A 99-90% =$4 B 89-80% =$3 C 79-70% =$2 D 69-60% =$0 F >60% = -$5

Hi! I am new, I am a nerd, and I need to lose a ton of weight and get into shape! I want to fit into more clothes and I want to be able to run around with my (so far yet-to-be-created) kids and match their energy levels. I am interested in routines or programs or skillsets that will put me in the fantasy bad ass mindset. For instance, I am super interested by shovelglove. People even post shovelglove scenarios on YouTube so that your routine is sort of like RPing! Also, the thought of me being a hammer wielding badass battle babe is really enticing. I'm also interested in doing archery but that requires a lot of money to get into so for now, it's a faraway dream. Oh and I'm super into the idea of dance, especially things like hula, bellydance, bhangra, Bollywood, o'tea, etc. If anyone has any suggestions about other cool types of exercise that will make me feel like I'm training right along with my favorite high fantasy characters, then please let me know!

The 12 Labors of Ryuu1011 Part 2 Challenge #8.5: Jan 2- Feb 4th, 2017 Towards the end of the last challenge I lost sight of my goals because of the holidays and although I kind of expected it, I'm not happy about it. Therefore I'll be making another attempt at the 12 Labors of Hercules for this challenge. I've edited my goals slightly because of some recent purchases and additions to my Bat Cave (i.e my fitness arsenal). Ultimate Challenge Goals (5 weeks of goals) 1. Exercise Every Weekday in Someway 2. Continue my Handstand Training 3. Record my Nutrition in MFP and Track my Food Intake (to loose weight) 4. Meal Prep for the following and current week The 12 Labors 1. Slay the Nemean Lion: An lion who's fur can't be damaged by weapons, I'll need to use strength to beat it To Slay: [0/15] Complete 15 Foundation (Upper-body, Lower-body, or Core) Training Sessions 2. Slay the Lernaean Hydra: A toxic multi-headed serpent who's heads multiply when cut off, I'll need mobility and flexibility to avoid its poison breath and fangs To Slay: [0/12] Complete 12 Yoga/ Stretch (Middle/ Front Split, Thoracic Bridge) Sessions 3. Capture the Ceryneia Hind: A golden Deer who runs faster than an arrow in flight, I'll need to be exceeding fast to capture this beast To Capture: [0/8] Complete 8 30min+ Cardio Workouts (60min + Walking or getting 10,000 FB Steps will count 1/4 credit) 4. Capture the Erymathian Boar: A fearsome giant boar of unknown whereabouts, I'll need to an excellent tracker to find and capture it To Capture: [0/32] Complete 32 diary entries for my MFP 5. Clean out the Augean Stables: A gross stable filled with divine, immortal cows that made a shitload of dung, I'll need to clean up my diet to purify it To Clean: [0/4] Loose 4lbs 6. Slay the Stymphalian Birds: Man-eating, bronze beaked birds that can launch their metal feathers, I'll have to shoot them out of the air To Slay: [0/4] Complete 4 30min+ Target Archery or Throwing Knife Sessions 7. Capture the Cretan Bull: A slightly angrier than normal bull, I'll need to prepare diligently to capture it To Capture: [0/25] Pre-Prepare 25 Lunches (5 per week) 8. Capture the Mares of Diomedes: Mad, man-eating horses that breath fire, I'll need to prepare and strategizes to capture them To Capture: [0/20] Pre-Prepare 20 Dinners (4 per week) 9. Obtain the Belt of Hippolyta: A magical belt worn by the queen of the Amazons, I'll need to impress her if I want to get it To Obtain: [0/15s] 15 second strict handstand hold (w/ video) 10. Obtain the Cattle of Geryon: A huge herd of magnificent red cattle guarded by a multi-headed giant, I'll need to perceiver to get all of them back To Obtain: [0/20] + [0/4] 20 GB Handstand workouts + 4 long hold skill tests 11. Steal the Apples of the Hesperides: Golden apples that granted immortality, guarded by a dragon and Atlas, holder of the world, I'll need to prepare to trick Atlas To Steal: [0/3] Prepare 3 weeks worth of snacks (1 per 2 weeks) 12. Capture Cerberus: The 3 headed dog and guardian of the underworld, I'll need some fat to entice him to come with me To Capture: [0/1.25%] Loose 1.25% BF Starting Measurements Weight = Incoming Soon FB% = Incoming Soon Abs/Waist: Arms (unflex/flex): Calf: Chest: Hip: Thigh (R/L): Butt: Neck:

Last month: Left my CF gym and became a lone lifter again. Reset my squat to the bar and worked my way back to 175x3x5 with much better form via a modified version of Starting Strength. Had my yearly checkup and confirmed with my doctor that I have a torn rotator cuff. Also discussed the possibility of bipolar disorder. He gave me rehab exercises to do to hopefully avoid surgery on shoulder and a psychiatric referral that I'm still waiting to hear back from. Wanted to give myself a project. Working on my novel turned into spontaneously writing a short erotic fantasy story. It didn't get published to Amazon due to rules I don't quite understand. I also wrote over five thousand words on my novel. (Probably well over, I didn't track overall.) Got overwhelmed with having so many hobbies and made a spreadsheet to pare them down. Archery, hunting, shooting, fishing, writing, and video games survived. I'd also like to try woodworking this year. Made it through the holidays with only a 1.8lb gain from thanksgiving to January 3rd. This year's goals: Get to 350lbs by my wedding on June 10th. I was 391.8 yesterday morning. This may mean adjusting workouts and ramping up cardio (maybe in preparation of that Tough Mudder in Rockford?). Certainly means better food habits. Fix the shoulder one way or another. Sans surgery is preferable, by far. Adjust my mindset when it comes to "domestic rangering". I grew up in a rural setting with farming roots where a bit of mud tracked in wasn't a big deal and the dishes filled the sink before they were done. My fiancee grew up in a household where the dishes were done after every meal and the whole house was cleaned top to bottom a minimum of once per week. I know her way is the right way. I just need to adjust to it. Become proficient in archery to the point where I feel ethical hunting with my bow. Harvest an animal of some kind, whether with bow or gun. Try woodworking to see if it fits the hobby list long term. Specifically build either some piece of furniture or a chess set or something. Something substantial. Not a carved spoon or something. Most of my challenges this year should be with those main goals in mind in one way or another. With that in mind... This month's goals: More cardio: I can't press and now cleans are starting to hurt the shoulder (more on that later) so my lifting options are limited. The heart rate must elevate regardless! Cardio must be increased. It's been a long time since cardio machines factored heavily into my workout plans. Suggestions on how much to do per week are welcome. Shoulder rehab EVERY DAY: This is a must. I will not penalize myself if I don't do it. The pain and decreased range of motion is getting to be punishment enough. I will also be making an appointment with my chiro to see if she can help in any way. Track calories EVERY DAY: Every day. Every food. Even days that I know I will go over. A big part of it will be to not get super depressed if/when I go over my 3k calorie allowance per day. I know that I'm going to go over. I also know that if I track it I'm much less likely to go over. Guilt will hold me accountable. Practice Archery: Archery is one of the hobbies I can practice year round and I need to get consistent practice if I'm going to feel comfortable taking a shot at an animal next fall with my recurve. Shooting (ha.) for 4-5 practice sessions. I'll also likely make myself a list of domestic rangering tasks that can be done on a daily/weekly basis to help out around the house sometime this month. It shouldn't take long at all to jot them down. I'll start working those in. Hopefully they don't actually require a challenge goal but that may be a possibility in the future.

The 12 Labors of Ryuu1011 Challenge #8: December 4- 31, 2016 Inspired by the greatest trials by the most legendary hero in ancient Greek myth this challenge will mirror the 12 Labors of Hercules. For this challenge I am going to try and accomplish all 12 labors of Hercules (which took him 12 years) in just the 12th month of the year, by using my four main goals for this challenge, and then to breaking them down into manageable Mini-Boss Battles. Unlike the original Labors I will be working on all 12 labors at the same time and my labors will still count ever if I get some help Hopefully I will be able to accomplish all 12 labors by the end of this challenge but because of the craziness of the winter holidays I'm ok with this being a two part challenge considering the original took 12 years, 8 weeks seems pretty good. Ultimate Challenge Goals 1. Exercise Everyday in Someway 2. Continue my Handstand Training 3. Record my Nutrition in MFP and Track my Food Intake (to loose weight) 4. Meal Prep for the following and current week The 12 Labors 1. Slay the Nemean Lion: An lion who's fur can't be damaged by weapons, I'll need to use pure strength to beat it To Slay: [0/12] Complete 12 1h Strength Training Sessions 2. Slay the Lernaean Hydra: A toxic multi-headed serpent who's heads multiply when cut off, I'll need to be flexible to avoid its poison breath and fangs To Slay: [0/9] Complete 9 1h Yoga Sessions (two 30min session, and four 15min sessions will count as 1) 3. Capture the Ceryneia Hind: A golden Deer who runs faster than an arrow in flight, I'll need to be exceeding fast to capture this beast To Capture: [0/8] Complete 8 30min+ Cardio Workouts (30min + Walking or getting 10,000 FB Steps will count 1/4 credit) 4. Capture the Erymathian Boar: A fearsome giant boar of unknown whereabouts, I'll need to an excellent tracker to find and capture it To Capture: [0/26] Complete 26 diary entries for my MFP 5. Clean out the Augean Stables: A gross stable filled with divine, immortal cows that made a shitload of dung, I'll need to clean up my diet to purify it To Clean: [0/4] Loose 4lbs 6. Slay the Stymphalian Birds: Man-eating, bronze beaked birds that can launch their metal feathers, I'll have to shoot them out of the air To Slay: [0/4] Complete 4 30min+ Target Archery Sessions 7. Capture the Cretan Bull: A slightly angrier than normal bull, I'll need to prepare diligently to capture it To Capture: [0/16] Pre-Prepare 16 Lunches 8. Capture the Mares of Diomedes: Mad, man-eating horses that breath fire, I'll need to prepare and strategizes to capture them To Capture: [0/16] + [0/4] Pre-Prepare 16 Dinners and 4 New Meal Prep Recipes tried 9. Obtain the Belt of Hippolyta: A magical belt worn by the queen of the Amazons, I'll need to impress her if I want to get it To Obtain: [0/15s] 15 second strict handstand hold (w/ video) 10. Obtain the Cattle of Geryon: A huge herd of magnificent red cattle guarded by a multi-headed giant, I'll need to perceiver to get all of them back To Obtain: [0/16] + [0/4] 16 GB Handstand workouts + 4 long hold skill tests 11. Steal the Apples of the Hesperides: Golden apples that granted immortality, guarded by a dragon and Atlas, holder of the world, I'll need to prepare to trick Atlas To Steal: [0/4] Prepare 4 weeks worth of snacks (1 per week) 12. Capture Cerberus: The 3 headed dog and guardian of the underworld, I'll need some fat to entice him to come with me To Capture: [0/1.25%] Loose 1.25% BF Starting Measurements Weight = 164.2lbs FB% = 17.3%* according to spread sheet 14.8* Abs/Waist: 33 Arms (unflex/flex): 12.5/13.5 Calf:13.5 Chest: 39.5 Hip: 34 Thigh (R/L): 22/22.5 Butt: 39 Neck: 14

So last week for the second year in a row I got to spend an amazing 5 days (+2 extra in Atlanta) in the woods with THE MOST AMAZING NERDS ON THE PLANET! Camp was yet again one of the most mind blowing experiences of my life, and the things I learned and the people I met and reconnected with will stay with me always. There's a hashtag on social media we use #CNF365 to represent bringing all the goodness we got there into our every day lives. My goals this challenge, and until the end of the year, are to do this hashtag justice. October is also going to be in INSANE month for me. I'll be going to Maine to check out wedding venues, then traveling for work for a few days, and then going on a southwest vacation with Mr. Raxie to hit up some national parks, followed by hopping by Camp Ranger Fitness with Tank and Wolfie, and visiting some nerds in Austin and Dallas in the next zero week. So really, I don't have many "normal" days this upcoming month. It will be interesting. So I'm going to keep things kind of flexible as in I have to do things a number of times per challenge - not per week. I also realized at camp that part of my blah feelings lately have been that I have a great habit base set up right now for my work outs, and now that I've been doing it for so long I need something fresh and new. So I'm going to be forcing myself into doing archery once a month from now on (I LOVE ARCHERY I just never let myself find the time to do it) and also try to check out boxing at my gym which I absolutely fell in love with thanks to @Cheechoe and her amazing classes! I've never taken any fighting classes before but somehow after that first class I found myself taking kung fu, Tai Quan Do, and self defense. This isn't something I think will turn into my number one thing (I love lifting too much) but I definitely want to explore my options here at home with getting it in as a fun side activity! Maybe eventually even once a week. Here are my goals for the entire challenge this time around: 11 SL workouts 2 Boxing lessons 1 Archery session 4 mobility focus days (with brand spankin new Kate G stuffs for my hips and more ROMWOD!) 4 Zombies, Row! workouts 16 meditation sessions Start my travel blog I've been wanting to start FOR EVER. And add an entry about CNF 2016 that I'll share with you guys too! But here's my real goal this challenge, which isn't something trackable. It's more about attitude towards MY LOVELY TRIBE OF NERDS. So confession: when I first joined Nerd Fitness in 2013 I did my best to keep my real self separate from my NF self. I didn't post any pictures, I wouldn't tell anyone my real name, but I did make progress. Then in 2015 I started making real friendships with some of you guys, added some of you on facebook, and started really diving into the community. I signed up for camp, came back, and was like screw it I will add everyone on facebook and post pictures of myself here and I DON'T CARE. But a small part of me has still kind of been like, my nerd tribe is separate from my "real" life - if someone called me Raxie on my facebook page (outside of the camp page) I was like OH GOD WHAT IF MY COWORKERS SEE THAT... or something I honestly don't know what I was afraid of. But after this year at camp, and the most unbelievable trip to Hawaii earlier this year with other nerds I am finally ready to admit it. You guys are my tribe and my people - my REAL life people. And you all do nothing but support me and help me along in this amazing journey. So, I will keep these connections open and I will approach fitness with the attitude that I am doing it with this amazing group of people who can call me Raxie all they damn please - because you all have leveled up my life. Even those of you I haven't had much interaction with - you've helped this community be what it is AND THANK YOU FOR THAT. I'm going to start being more honest with myself this challenge about all of that. If my "real life" friends and coworkers aren't cool with me being me, putting my health and fitness first, and loving some amazing folks I met on the internet that's too damn bad. And that's freakin that. I think this attitude will also help me get out of my blahs, because it will help me be less self conscious about diving head first into fitness and all the stuff I have grown to love over the past 3 years being a rebel here. So yeah, here we go!

I no longer have the possibility of randomly having to move at the drop of a hat. YAY! So I want to start establishing some routine. There are a lot of things I want to start doing again, but I need to remember that I need to build slowly. I won't be getting internet at home. There's no DSL or home phone line (so no dial up) service available. Satellite is stupid expensive considering I can't do the things I actually want internet for. A friend is bringing a cell booster next week. We're going to see if that helps with cell phone service at my house. If it does, I will probably use one of those prepaid mobile hot spots for basic web surfing, but give up my online video streaming. I'd have to if I had satellite anyway. I'm hoping the cell booster works. For this challenge, I'm going to focus on building blocks & diet. 1. Wake up early enough to take my dog for a 10-15 minute walk, 5 days/week. I eventually want to start running again, and I think working out & running in the mornings will work best for me now. It never did before because my schedule flip flopped so much. But now I mostly work 8-5. 20 pts 2. BW Strength train twice a week. Period. I have the workout printed out on my fridge, I have space, I have no excuses. (though I would like to figure out a good floor covering) I can spare 15 minutes out of cleaning and unpacking and laziness to do a workout. Twice. 8 pts 3. Shoot 2x a week. One of my mom's friends found out I moved "back home". She is the 4H coordinator for the county I live in, and she remembered I used to do archery tournaments. She asked if I would be the archery instructor for their shooting sports program. Apparently, ever since the Hunger Games movies, there's been a huge demand for it, but they haven't found anyone interested in instructing and aren't sure about a shooting site. I think it'd be fun and a good way to get to know some people, so I agreed to volunteer. I also volunteered the park as the the archery shooting site. She was really excited about that. So am I. I don't have to drive anywhere to work with the kids! I got my bow, arrows, and target out of storage at Mom & Dad's on Thursday. The 4H coordinator is bringing the papers by Monday. They only teach the instructor course twice a year. I just missed the fall one, so I'll go in the spring. I know they do instinctive shooting, and I have mostly used sights, but the form is the same. I miss it. And I was good. So practice will be handy, especially since I haven't touched an arrow in over a year. 8 pts, +1 pt for each time over 4. Paddle. At least twice this challenge. One of the main reasons I was excited to move here was to kayak! But between being on call, moving, and all kinds of stuff, I haven't done it not once in the last 2 months. That's ridiculous. If I'm going to go to the ACA instructor training, I've got to get in better paddling shape. 2 pts 5. Set up a new YNAB budget when the debt payoffs have gone through. Also, record all purchases in YNAB. Finish paying off all the debt scheduled to go. And because it'll make me happy, calculate how much I'm saving in interest. My home loan was disbursed Friday. I've been scheduling pay offs and watching my credit card & personal loan debt go bye-bye. Even one student loan. That has felt great. Now, for this challenge, I'm going to focus on using YNAB and finding my money balance, with having my debt reduced and getting a different amount of pay after my promotion. 10 pts for the new budget, -1 pt for purchases not recorded, 2 pts for finishing pay offs, 6. Stop eating crap out of a box. Cook real food now that I (almost) have a kitchen again. -1 point for every dumb meal decision, with the exception of 2 meals per week. **Bonus** Use my slackline. 5 pts for first time, 1 pt for every time after, Go on an adventure (camping or something other than visiting the guy). 1 pt Finish any room in the house 5 pts Finish a weekly meal plan & grocery list (for me, my sister or my guy) 2 pts per plan

When I quit my job at the end of last challenge, I kinda threw myself into a frenzy of keeping busy. I took on a bunch of projects so that I wouldn't be sitting around without people contact or achievements to earn, and I was determined not to sit at my computer all day. Hence my absence from Nerd Fitness ..... Mr. Wizard and I joined the Society for Creative Anachronism, and I threw myself into getting ready for our first event. It was something I had always dreamed of doing .... now seemed like a good time to join up. I made outfits and wooden camp chairs (yes, I'll post pics ....), and we both took up archery ..... and went to the local archery practice sessions organized by the Baron. Since our local group was co-hosting, I even jumped in to help get the site ready and cook for the feast. Turned out that preparation was more fun than the event. For one thing, it rained off and on, which put a damper on the archery and fighting events. I did see one rapier instruction session, which looked pretty cool. But the heavy fighters looked like they were just swinging wildly, and the archery targets were drawn images on cardboard - which didn't look impressive. Mostly, people ended up sitting around under canopies and mostly ...... drank. While people were in costume, they were not really "in character" at all, and no one was paying attention to the competitions even when the weather cleared off for a while. They were not even careful to hide plastic and labeled bottles. (The event stewards were pretty frustrated.) When we got home, Mr. Wizard and I just kinda felt ..... Frankly, the Ren Fest would have been more fun, especially in costume. While we could go to another event next weekend, I'm considering going up to the Ren Fest to enjoy the food and music instead. Since tomorrow is my birthday (!), I'm relaxing and enjoying a whole BIRTHDAY WEEK!!! Meanwhile ...... back at the 4-week challenge ....... I am focusing on activities and less on a lot of measurable goals. I have more than a touch of ennui, but at least I'm still trying!!! BIKING Yea ... do it. I am getting out for at least an hour each day when it isn't raining. And I am aiming to bike to do local errands, unless I'd have to carry more than my panniers can hold. 5K Races - September 11th and 18th The 11th is a local run associated with the Defeat of Jesse James Days, and the 18th is my rescheduled Color Run up in Duluth!! I'm going up for the whole weekend for the Color Run. SO ...... I'm doing training runs every other day. ARCHERY Mr. Wizard and I practice at least weekly, and I aim to get in another 1 or 2 sessions at the local archery range on my own. I really need the extra sessions to build up my upper body strength!!! MINDFUL EATING I am still with the Weight Watchers program, in part because of the local group leader is so inspiring and fun. I've hit another plateau ..... after losing 20 pounds ..... but measurements show that my body composition has improved a lot. FIND A PURPOSE I'm chipping away at some house projects, but after the SCA event hit the "RESET" button on unrealistic expectations, I'm casting about for something that inspires me.

I'm back for a quick challenge! I'm inspired this month to really up my game in a few areas of my life, and I've found Nerd Fitness to be a great source of support and accountability. So, here goes. The Avengers are a team; one where every member really needs to work together to be effective. So I'm going to tap into the various aspects of my fitness life to build a team that will support me in reaching my goals over the coming months. Here's the goals: 1. Figure out if I can run with a sports hernia. That is, figure out if I can manage the pain associated with it, and still be a solid runner. (Before you get all worried, this is with my thorassic surgeon's blessing.) 2. If so, make an 81 min or better time in the upcoming Hot Chocolate 15K 3. Figure out where the big game is going to be in September so I can have a successful archery hunt for elk and/or mule deer. Since running fitness contributes to all three goals, that's going to be the first part of my challenge's triumvirate: 1. Run like Quicksilver! Ok, so technically he isn't one of the Avengers anymore (since he died in Ultron, but technically lives on in the X-Men franchise...), but I'm still going to count him here. The goal is to run three times a week, with at least one "long" run. Those long runs are at 4.25 miles right now, and need to build to 9 in September. I'd also like to run faster, so one of those runs is going to have to incorporate speed work! That's either a "tempo" run or an interval run, once a week. Having a sports hernia might put a damper on things. But, I've been assured by the docs that I can continue to run and lift without any concern for it getting worse. The only question is, can I handle the discomfort? Because that's basically the only symptom, and it only happens when I'm running. 2. Shoot like Hawkeye! Yep, that's right, I want to get a solid 50 yard shot. So I'm going to go up to the range and practice, practice, practice. Or at least practice enough to be super accurate at 40 yards. The goal is to hit the range at least twice a week, shooting at 40 and 50 yard targets. 3. Gather intel like... Black Widow? OK, yeah, not my role model, but the world's greatest spy probably knows where her enemies are going to be. In my case, this means I'm going to put the hours and miles in to figure out where the deer and elk are. What this means in real life is that I'm going to hit the backcountry to scout for elk and deer sign at least twice during this four-week challenge. II'll be working on dropping about 10 pounds in the next two months, to get back down to race weight. So I'll be monitoring my calories, but probably not reporting that here. I'll likely try to revert back to full-on paleo living, though having my in-laws around makes that VERY hard, and they're here for another two weeks.

Last challenge went really well for the first three weeks, and then some stuff at work really got under my skin. Some bouts of emotional eating combined with the long 4th of July weekend bumped up my weight by about a pound. I really need to take measurements because my clothes continue to get looser as I bike and run and walk. Mid-summer, like mid-winter, just doesn’t have a lot of events to look forward to enjoying. There are a lot of things happening near the end of August, but these upcoming weeks have the potential to really drag in the proverbial “dog days of summer”. And when I get bored, I tend to eat more than I should. When it’s hot and muggy, it’s tempting to stay inside and avoid any sort of workout. But not this summer!!! My main goal for the next challenge is to stay in control of my eating and keep in balance with my activity. 1) Plan meals, including fun foods and treats 2) Stay in points budget 3) Get 83 points worth of exercise each week (how many points does swinging a sword for a 1/2 hour get me??) Have some fun 4) Start archery (target) and practice on rest days 5) OCR training (Dirt in the Skirt round 2 redux) Summer ...... bring it, bitches!!!

Looks like I'm a day late and a dollar short for this challenge! The end of the last one was a right fizzle. What with being sick and spending so much time on the ski slopes I pretty much forgot to close it out. Not to say that I didn't have a great time--one of my best days of skiing of all time was had on the Saturday of the last weekend of the challenge! But, the season is pretty much done and I've definitely improved quite a bit, and put in a lot of time doing deep lunges down the mountain. Unfortunately, I've also practically given up on trying to keep my diet under control. So that's the theme of this challenge: don't eat like an idiot. There's more to it than that though. I haven't practiced archery in a few months, and I want to keep getting better at that. And, I want to keep building strength so that when I'm old(er) and grey(er) I'll still be strong. So here's the goals: 1. Track calories, 6/7 days per week. Maintain a 250 calorie/day deficit. This will be measured each week. I'll pay attention to my macros, and remember that protein is my friend. 2. Workout 6/7 days per week. This is easy for me, so I'll step it up and say that 3 of those days needs to include strength training, which is harder for me. No, climbing hills doesn't count. 3. Practice archery weekly and take/post pictures of the 30 and 40 yard shots. I've also got an aerial class on the docket, so every week I'll have the opportunity to fly with Mrs. MG99! I'm really looking forward to that, even though we won't exactly be dancing together. I'm still working on getting her to want to go to tango with me. We'll see how that goes Looking for a good theme for my challenge...

It's another challenge! Right after the last challenge! I haven't even had time to tally my final scores for the last challenge and here we are again? This whole "no break" thing is going to be the end of me... Three goals. That's it. Last time I had like, five or six, and that was too many. It went well, but it was hard to track and some things fell by the wayside. 1. Get outside and ride! Three times per week at least. I've always been a runner, and the older I get the more convinced I am that I'm not really a long distance runner. Only because I'm always to some degree or another, injuring myself or rehabbing from an injury. So maybe it's the year to dedicate myself to more cycling. And, while going inside to spin and watch a movie is a fine way to get the workout in, it's not the same as having the breeze in my beard and the sun on my face. Of course, March is also ski month, so a day of skiing can sub for a good road ride. Commuting *doesn't* count. 2. Commute by bike! Sure, it's a little chilly in the mornings, but I live in beautiful Boulder, CO, and unless it's dumping snow, there's really no good reason not to ride. I'll get to work on my bike three times a week. If I've got a short work week (because of vacation or whatnot) that number goes down by one. 3. Continue with the weight training, incorporating pull-ups of all flavors. Three times per week, and bonus for increasing the maximum! I'll have to work out the details....

I'm back! I spent the first week of this challenge in Arizona, helping my mom pack up her house to move. I moved some 200+ boxes. I also managed to work out one time, which was a real drag because the weather was so amazing down there and I would have loved to go for a long desert run or two--but there just wasn't time. In any case, I've been too busy at work and home with a sick kid this weekend to get on NF and come up with any goals. So, like any good thief, I'm going to steal YOURS! From starsapart: Stretch (+3 Dex) 6 days a week of hamstring stretches, at least 5 minutes per day. (Now, here, starsapart goes into doing some splits stretches, which is waaaay beyond my flexibility. So I've modified.) 2 of those 6 days must be >10 minutes. From RogueLibrarian: Diet (+3 Wis) Cook a new recipe once a week. Less cheese. Less starch. More vegetables. (I'll add to this my plan to keep my added sugar down.) From sylph: Pull ups and TTB (Toes To Bar) (+3 STR) 3 sessions each: -TTB can be actual TTB; ground progressions; or other core/hip flexor things -Pull ups are pull ups. (I'm looking to increase to 12 from my current record of 10) Now, for my own goals: Piano (+3 CHA) 4 sessions per week, 30 min min Planning (+3 CON) Post workout plans on Monday, stick to it all week.