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The last challenge was my best so far and this time around, I want to push it further. I learned that I could push my body harder than I thought and make improvements that I haven't seen before. After doing so well last time and trying do more this time the Captain is asking me, are you nuts but it might be a rhetorical question? Focus on Karate even more: 130 katas 120 katas last time means 130 this time around. Stretch my limits more with DDP: 19 mobility / flexibility workouts Having found that the DDP workouts are really good for me, I want to try to get one more workout in this time around. Getting 18 last time came down to the wire but you don't get better if you don't at least aim higher. Get back to kicking with an extra 10 percent: 220 side thrust kicks Kicks are getting better each challenge so why not add another 10 percent to last time. Extra credit: Publish six blog posts Five blog posts were published the last time even though I was only aiming for four but either way, six posts should be doable.

Hey, y’all! I’m back for some more challenge fun and excitement! Nutrition Quest #1: FOOD LOG The problem: I realized as I was setting this challenge up and going through the nutrition modules that there’s a BIG part of me that just does. not. want. to. adjust my diet or measure or track or anything. It’s not that I love junk food so much, it’s that I love food so much. Like, real food. Eating is a seriously big part of what I consider the best part of life! I like to eat EVERYTHING! I really cannot get into restrictions on, like, a philosophical level. I also have a serious block against weight loss goals. I have always been a love-me-for-me kind of person, no matter how i look, and the idea of trying to change it just doesn’t sit right with me. (Somehow exercise doesn’t trigger this cantankerousness). I revisited my big why and I think I’m just going to have to do a LOT of thinking and soul searching to find a way to make improving my diet feel right. I know I want to have better energy and health and changing my body composition will help that. I do eat a fair amount of junky food and I just… I don’t know. I have two Traakis inside, one that wants to treat my body like a temple and one that believes my body IS a temple, no matter how I treat it. (Still, latter Traaki, isn’t it possible to treat a temple like a temple?) The quest: When I logged my food last time (pre-respawn), I found it really helpful (though socially awkward). I used YouFood so I just had to take a picture of my food, not try to sort out any calories or anything like that. So I'm going to track everything I eat or drink during the quest using YouFood (username: traaki). If any of you are on there, please let me know and I will add you as a buddy. Nutrition Quest #2: FREGGIES AS SNACKS I was really hoping to have a new food quest after finishing the Nutrition module & also reading the GMB nutrition guide. Instead I have a lot of what I just wrote up there—angst and indecision. Having veggies with lunch has been a really great practice. Last week I needed a snack in the late afternoon and ended up with bagel chips and seafood salad…wah wah. So my second nutrition quest is to have healthy snacks available every day at work (Veggies and fruit, with smaller amounts of olives, almonds, pistachios, cheese, hummus). I don’t HAVE to have a snack at work but each day I will pass this quest if I have something healthy available as an option. Workout Quest #1: 3 BWW PER WEEK We’ve been here before, but we’re doing it again: three bodyweight workouts per week. I think I’m through the “new job chaos” danger zone, but I’m not through the “holiday chaos” danger zone so we’re going to keep it here until it feels totally normal. I got this done last week and felt like a super hero. I ran around the house singing the Rocky theme song when I was done. Workout Quest #2: WORKOUT MODULE Time to read the workouts module! I want to check in here on NF at least twice a week to try to keep up momentum on this non-daily quest (I really struggle with those but not every quest can be daily…) Lifestyle Quest: Publish blog posts I want to publish 2 blog posts this month. I normally have a goal of publishing 4 blog posts but that rarely happens. So maybe aiming at 2 will be better. As with the workout module quest, I really don’t do as well with non-daily quests so I will be checking in on this at least twice a week. Mindset Quest: Batcave! This month I want to take care of a few Batcave improvements: Get bike fixed and ride at least part of way to/from work at least once Call bike shop & make appointment Drop off bike Pick up bike Plan one commute Do commute Install pull-up bar Buy a scale Set an alarm at 9 pm to alert me to the need to start prepping for bed Set up a reminder to check in here on NF Set up YouFood app for tracking [More may come soon--need to review my respawn notes] Alright, this one seems kind of gargantuan but I think I can do it. I don't want to have an ever increasing number of challenges--I think this may be the maximum number of individual quests I'm willing to do (given that I have a bunch of maintenance stuff I track on the daily as well). Onward! To glory!