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So, this is not a ‘summer’ challenge, I am deviating slightly from the Seasons theme I have been, mostly, following this year. As much as I’d like to keep the theme, honestly right now what excites me, what motivates me, is a narrative challenge. I never really thought of planner stickers before, aside from the ones that came with my Legend Planner, but thanks to a little inspiration from @Sovalis, I had a poke around, bought a couple of cheap packets of stickers and the frustrating beginnings of my narrative ideas that were not really getting anywhere or good enough finally clicked. Yup. This challenge is inspired by stickers. My 8 year old self would be proud. Oh, and just to change it up EVEN MORE, I am rebelling against my own rebellion in starting on Mondays. Just for this challenge. For now. But Sunday is the day it makes most sense for me to meal prep, and generally reset for the week ahead. So, I am trialing a Sunday start. It means that I only have Saturday as my make-up day for studies, UNLESS I decide to be lenient. I am hoping not to need it. This is also a BOSS BATTLE challenge. It is going to be tough. I will have to will have to hit at minimum of just over 80% of my goals to win. This is intentional. My goals are simple and small, but I know they will work. There is nothing knew, really. Go to the gym 2 x week, run 2 x week. Meal prep. Go for my daily walk. STUDY and hand in my edited, final, submission of research. How well I do in zero week determines whether I am at a disadvantage or advantage in the coming fight. If I do poorly, the attacker gets what is known in Dungeons and Dragons terms as a SURPRISE ROUND, dealing either 5HP (1 goal missed) or 10 HP (2 or more goals missed). This increases the % of my goals I need to hit in order to avoid failing – if I’m hitting, I’m not getting hit (this is where the D&D analogy deviates). In narrative as well as IRL, failing has consequences! * *For real, if I fail this challenge, I am setting myself a forfeit. Not sure what yet. Ideas welcome! And a reward if I DO defeat him, because that will mean I have been at least mostly consistent for an entire 6 weeks. I told you this challenge was not going to be easy! The enemy wants to take me down. If I am knocked unconscious, that means IRL I have eaten like an idiot, not losing weight and behind on my work. I HAVE BEEN CAPTURED BY THE ENEMY, The empire who wants me to stay unhealthy and unfulfilled. Starting Stats: I start with 545 HP. The enemy can deal a maximum damage of 1086 HP, or 1096 HP if he gets the full damage on 0 week. This means I need to hit at least 50% of my goals to avoid failing. The enemy has 610 HP. I can deal a maximum damage of 762 HP across the challenge. That means I have to hit at least 80% of my goals to defeat him, across all 6 weeks. The nitty gritty details of my HP/damage dealt that I’m using to score this challenge but that most people will not find interesting:

I have been on the level 3 gym workouts for a while and I thought things were going really well, so I decided to tackle the boss battle. Kneeling pushups? Psh… I did 20 real pushups. 30-pound goblet squats? C'mon, man, I did 20 at 45 pounds! Assisted chin-ups? OK, that's a little more challenging but I managed to hit 10. And then I got to the bar hang. I couldn't last more than 20 seconds and that was my downfall. At first, I thought it was because the bar I was on didn't have any cushioning and my gloves were kind of bunching up. So, I moved to a different bar where I could also see a clock. Nope… my grip simply wouldn't last. Lesson learned! So, now I'm focusing more on my pull-ups and farmer's carry for the next few weeks so when I do charge back in to challenge the boss again, I will kill the bar hang just like I did the rest of the exercises.

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

Ryuu1011 Travels Across Hyrule My Flexibility and Travel Adventures (Now with an added Boss Battle!) Challenge #7- October 30th - November 26th I made a lot of great progress towards my goals during the last challenge and my hope is that I can continue the momentum during this challenge during some tough Boss Battles coming up in a couple of weeks. This challenge is going to be crazy busy for me because of all the traveling that I'm going to be doing plus all of the things I have to do for my job before Thanksgiving.Therefore I've tried to make these goals possible no matter where I am which should allow me to prevail during this challenge. Goal One: Improve my Flexibility = Complete 3 1h+ Yoga sessions per week ____/12 And Gymnastic Bodies Fundamentals 6 days per week ____/24 Link has to be very flexible to accomplish all his tasks and save Hyrule both mental and physically, so I'm going to be primarily focusing on that for this challenge. I've been getting better about stretching and my flexibility over that past challenge but for this one I'm really focusing on it and trying to become significantly more flexible. I also began doing a quick 20min yoga session in the morning and at night that have been very beneficial. If you're curious I currently use the Yoga Studio App on my phone and it was probably one of the best purchases I've ever made. I'd love to add some more metrics to the goal, but I'm not entirely sure on how to measure my flexibility by myself but some of my pose goals for this are: Heels on the Flood during Downward Dog- I'm about 1, 1 1/2 inches off right now Elbow and forearm on the ground in Lizard- I'm super close to this and can tap it to the ground currently, but would like to get to a comfortable hold. Improve distance down the wall in full Standing Back-bend- I need to get a baseline for this measurement Full head to knees compression in Seated and Standing Pike- I can already tap my head to my kness but I'd like to be able to hold it there comfortably Lower chest closer to floor in Pancake/ Seated Straddle Split- Probably one of my worst, I just can't seem to get my torso lower on my own without having someone push. [Place Holder for more] Goal Two: Gain a Heart Container = Loose about 4lbs and 1.25%BF Since he is running around and fighting constantly I'm betting Link is ripped, but also has super functional muscles, just like my ideal body. Start: 164.6lbs Goal: 160lbs Start: 17.3% BF Goal: >16% I made great headway on getting back into the body (and clothes) that I wanted and I want to continue towards that this challenge. I'm going to continue to use my Scale as well as the body composition sheet to get a closer to accurate picture of my body fat. As well as body measurements and pre/post pictures. It is going to be exceptionally challenging because of all the travel that I am going to do but I am committed to making healthy choices and continuing to track my nutrition on MFP (as much as possible) while I'm away from home. Starting Measurements Abs/Waist: 32Arms (unflex/flex): 12.5/13.5 Calf:14Chest: 40.5Hip: 33Shoulders: 46.5Thigh (R/L): 21.5/ 21.5 Butt: 39.25Neck: 14 Goal Three: Improve my Handstand= Practice my Hand balancing* 5x per Week ____/20 Ultimate goal= Solid 10 sec (not moving) Handstand w/ Video Proof ____/10 Link seems to be the perfect master of his own body and what better way that to show that off than with a handstand. (I'm sure he could do one if he tried ;P ) I've been trying to get a solid handstand for most of the time that I've been on the forums and I think I'm now in a position to finally make this goal. The last time I specifically worked towards my handstand goals I'm pretty sure I over worked my wrists by trying to practice everyday, while I did make significant progress during that time it also made me take a long break from hand balancing while my wrist recovered. So to alleviate something like that happening again I'm going to only try to train for 5 days and also allow for specific wrist training days to count too. I've also created a Hand Balancing playlist on my Yoga app and would like to try and complete that at least 1-3 x a week to "cross" train other hand balances for my handstand. And because I really need to get over and start posting progress videos this is only going to count if I post the progress video here (yay for you guys ;D ) Goal Four: Sleep like Link= Raise my average sleep time per week by about 15min per week _____/60 Link has got this one down to an Art. I'm pretty sure he starts every game sleeping or napping. My Fitbit tracks my sleep time pretty well and I figure it about time that I start using that bank of data to improve the amount of sleep I get each week. I definitely want to try and improve by about one hour over the course of the challenge but I know it will be especially hard because of all of the travel time and jet lag. Current Weekly Sleep Time Average ~ 6h 30min Goal: ~ 7h 30min Current Bed Time ~ 11:00-11:30pm Goal: 9:30-10:00pm Mini Goals: Cardio (walk, jog, sprints, or bike) 2x per week ____/ 8 Plan (possibly purchase) my next strength training program, [NF, GMB, or GB?] _____/ 1 Research what it takes to become a personal trainer, compile questions and ask 2 of the Personal trainers at my gym for feedback ____/2 Boss Battle: Friday Nov. 4th - Sunday Nov. 13th Levart Twin Fang, Dragon of the Sky 150HP (135/150HP) I will be traveling a lot during this challenge and to see if I can over come I decided to make this into a Boss Battle. I will be headed to Denver, Colorado For 2 days and 2 nights on Nov. 4th for a Professional Development Conference and then after being home for only two days (Nov. 7th and 8th) heading to Madrid, Spain for 3 days and 3 nights on the 9th of November though Sunday Nov. 13th. Don't get me wrong I'm super excited But I know that working towards my goals while I'm traveling will be super tricky. Levart has the power to derail and confuse all but the most prepared of adventures and will be a hard foe to vanquish. To aid me in my quest I have devised a list of task to accomplish before and during my travels to give me the best chance of fighting him. Battle Prep- Tell my bank I'm going to be traveling (-5hp) Try and try get Euro's ahead of time from bank (-5hp) Prep Snacks to avoid unhealthy in flight snacks (-5hp) Prepare my travel journal (-5hp) Purchase a comfy travel neck pillow (-5hp) Purchase ear plugs and an eye mask (-5hp) [GF already had ear plugs so I just got an eye mask] Purchase a travel yoga mat (-10hp) [Purchased a pack capable of carrying my normal yoga mat instead] During the Fight- Do yoga in Denver Co. (-10hp) [ ][ ] Go on a jog in Denver, Co (-10hp) [ ][ ] Attend a class at the Awaken Gym in Denver Co. (-20hp) [ ][ ] Choose the healthy option/ Eat 1/2 portion (-10) [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] Go on a jog in Madrid, Spain (-10hp) [ ][ ] Do yoga in Madrid, Spain (-10hp) [ ][ ][ ] Get 10,000 Steps (-10hp) [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] Go Salsa Dancing/take a Salsa Class in Madrid, Spain (-20hp) [ ] Boss Loot I'm not sure I'll have the extra $$ to get some loot specifically for beating the boss but rather I'll use my loot to help me beat him classes and such while out traveling, choosing a healthy meal option (which was more expensive) ex...

The Intro Spiel Phase One started off as a means to build a little bit of money up, to have something to fall back on or even just some disposable income. While in the strictest sense it might seem like I’ve failed in that goal, that isn’t entirely true. Extra hours, reduced expenses, and a concrete goal with a fixed target have come of this phase of my life. So begins the third and final chapter of Phase One, and while the focus is still slowly saving money, this one is also building on the lessons learned whilst fighting Lyssa and her Maniae. I had a few low points last challenge, one of which was so bad I ended up fleeing to the north coast to find people to help me out of it. It happens, and eventually it passes. It doesn’t happen as much nowadays, but apparently when it does, it really does. But that just means I’ve had to build a better contingency plan. This challenge is the cementing phase, the one where I give those bad habits a final kick and completely embrace the good habits I’ve been building. The System This time around there will be goals in the form of lessons learned from the Titans of old. It’s a little more of a return to the traditional set-up, but at the same time it’s just open-ended enough to let me feel like I have control over them (rather than them having control over me). The Boss Geras, god of old age. He doesn’t care much about trading blows with a mere mortal, but his presence can be felt acutely at many points in a lifetime. This is one such point. On July 18th, one day after this challenge officially starts, I turn 25. A full quarter of a century. A mere stone’s throw until 30. Geras is making himself known by showing me how far everyone else has come, leading me to despair as to whether or not I’ve truly achieved anything at an age where most of my peers doing major life things. You know, getting married, popping out kids, the things that are traditionally expected of a female my age to be doing. And yet I do not want to be doing those things. I will fight Geras by living my own life, celebrating my own self-worth, and deciding exactly which direction I want to take. External expectations do not control me. The Game Plan Atlas The Titan charged with holding up the sky for all eternity. From him I can learn two things: Power: I’ve taken on SL5x5 for the second time, and as of writing this I’ve been at it for about a month. My current lifts are below in red, and my end of challenge aims for them are in green immediately after: Squat: 47.5kg >>> 55kg Bench: 30kg >>> 35kg OHP: 27.5kg >>> 32.5kg Row: 30kg >>> 35kg Deadlift: 52.5kg >>> 62.5kg These are fairly conservative goals, but I know my own limitations and I know I’m slowing down already. While the SL program may say it’s possible to continue adding 2.5kg to your lifts every workout for twelve weeks, that is definitely not going to be the case for me! Patience: Last challenge saw me achieve my first chin up from standing, my next target is flexible. I want a either a second consecutive rep or a full chin up from a deadhang. While most of what I put towards this goal will be done in a grease the groove style, The accessory exercises I add on to the end of my 5x5 workouts will be geared mostly to that as well (and to balance things out, I’ll be working pistol squats, but with less fervour as I’ve been able to do them in the past and am not far off regaining that ability). Cronus Dude ate his children, so he isn’t a shining example of dietary brilliance. From him I can learn two things: Variances: I’m working towards a mostly clean kind of diet, however I know this isn’t always possible. Therefore I will give myself three variances every week, assuming I have a good reason for using one. Otherwise, as clean as possible! Preparation: Specifically, lunches and dinners on workdays. I’ve fallen out of the habit of doing this, which is costing me money and doing my insides no good. Therefore for every shift I have a lunch/dinner break, I will prep said meal, including something to drink. And for every other shift (where I get a 15 minute break), I’ll ensure I have something to drink and a decent snack. Mnemosyne Mother of the Muses, so an apt teacher for balancing work and play. From her I can learn three things: A clean and tidy home is a happy home: I failed my domestic goals quite woefully last challenge, so this time around I am renewing my efforts to make my flat a pleasant place to live for the remainder of the time that I am here. It's all or nothing this time. I'll figure out a reward for success and a punishment for failure later on. Calming the mind: Meditation twice daily. I’ve found several methods that work for me, with my notable favourite being heavy metal meditation, therefore I intend to utilise this. One session in the morning before work to drag my mind from the haze of sleep and dreams and out to focus properly, and one session in the evening, to calm me and work through whatever I may have encountered throughout the day. Listen to the Muses: Gotta have some fun sometimes. My guitar has been neglected, so that’s where I’m going to start. At this point in time my repertoire consists of Happy Birthday, Auld Lang Syne, a one string version of ACDC’s TNT, and about half of Snow Patrol’s Chasing Cars. Time to brush up on those, and maybe learn something new along the way.

So in the midst of this 6 week challenge, I am going to have a boss battle! I am signed up to do a Spartan Sprint on May 16th in Indianapolis. Am I prepared for it, you ask. Not at all... The last few weeks have been one sickness after another. Monday I started getting a headache in the afternoon at work and then spent the remainder of the evening trying to sleep it away or in the bathroom feeling like I was going to throw up. Tuesday was a little better so I tired to do and easy body weight workout when I got home and was in the middle of a set of pull-ups when BAM! a headache hit. So that was then end of that. Needless to say, if I can't even do a workout at home, I am going to have a hard time at the race. So here is my plan for getting ready for the boss battle: 1) Get Health Bar back to 100% (+3 CON) So obviously this needs to be the first priority. I need to figure out what is causing the headaches and fix it. I am thinking that it is sinus related because of the cold I have had for the past week, but sinus meds were not helping get rid of the headache on Monday. I have eliminated nuts and sausage from my diet and that has mostly fixed the IBS problems that I was having. There is an occasional bad day but nothing like what it was. I have been eating more veggies also. 2) Level up body weight movements (+2 STR +2 DEX) The plan here is to do more burpees and follow the StartBodyWeight progressions again. I want to work on a little bit of strength since the stamina will happen with the next goal. Edit: Based on getting "You are Your Own Gym", I will be following the workout plan in there for body weight movements. 3) Level up lungs (+3 STA) Running... I have been putting this off for a long time, mostly blaming it on the weather but I don't really have a choice now. If I had to right now I could run 3 miles but that is just one part of the Sprint. 3 miles with obstacles sounds like I will need more cardio to make it through. 4) Defeat "The Boss" (+2 CHA +3 WIS) This one is simple, finish the race. I am not going for a certain time or anything like that. My goal is just to finish. I expect this to be harder than the Warrior Dash I did last year but I am not sure how much harder. Not to look ahead too much but I signed up for a Tough Mudder at the end of the year. 13.1 Miles with obstacles for that one...

"I have to admit, there's something I've been hiding from you," The Villager said out of the blue, "Huh? What are you talking about?" Red replied. "I'm not really who I say I am." "But you never said who you w--" "I've been, in fact, watching you from afar, and when you fell back into time, I saw this as an opportunity to observe you firsthand." Red with a worried look in his face, said, "You've been stalking me?" "Ha ha ha, no. I wanted to see if you're able to handle my little test. Interested?" The mysterious Villager asked. "But only take it if you're willing to face the possible consequences." "And they are?" "Oh you know, Death, Obliteration, the usual stuff." The Villager casually said. Red stood there, and finally asked, "Who are you?" "Allow me to show you." The Villager starts growing large, his skin becomes bright almost as if it's covered in scales, and there's an ancient presence that makes itself known. The Villager turn into a Dragon! But not just any dragon... Bahamut, the King of Dragons! "Here's my test! I'm going to count down from five and we'll see if you live!" "Wait, WHAAA?!" 5... If you want to survive my attack, then you must learn to stand! - Red must practice Wall handstanding for 5 mins every day, exceptions are the weekends... maybe. Current: ~30 seconds 4... You must build PREPARE! - Red must exercise 3 times a week, any sort of BW Exercises, but it has to be regulated. 3... Your strength must radiate from inside as well as out! - Red must learn to eat healthier, which has been and will be difficult with the upcoming holidays, this will be monitored by posting what has been eaten 2... The Final Tasks must be DONE! But that's not all! - Red has several things that has deadlines starting with Med School application that need to be submitted by Nov 15th, accepted or rejected, plans must be made: 1. Accepted: well... that's self-explanatory, prep for school 2. Rejected: Volunteering, Shadowing, getting a Job, possibly more school (i.e. another degree) ​1... MEGAFLARE!! - To amplify the difficulty, Red's sister is finally coming home on Monday the 11th, and with that, MORE things to unload/unpack/organize. Red's happy about it, but it does make things harder to do, challenge-wise. http://s23.photobucket.com/user/Kingpin943/media/Bahamut.gif.html'> VS "... Bring it on!"