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Alrighty. Tuesday 3/27 will be 31 weeks. This incubating creature is really pushing OUT a lot more than his predecessor it seems, and that is just not very comfortable. (Come on little dude, you could grow wider. My belly button would appreciate that very much!) This means: I have gained a little more than 25 lbs so far. I am tired. I have a list of things to get done at work before my last day on 5/19 (unless someone has earlier plans). My MIL has scheduled her flight out. I am seeing my therapist a little more often now because there are some things about last time that make this scary. Lifting and climbing are fine, but walking quickly for long distances just makes everything tight and uncomfortable. Endurance athlete I am not during these times. I am tired. Goals for the challenge: Just keep it together and take care of myself really. This means: Go to the gym 2-3 times a week to climb and lift. This makes my body feel better. Eat the way I need to eat. Right now breakfast and a big lunch are a recipe for feeling awful all afternoon. Lunch really much be split into two meals, 2 hours apart. This is much harder on days I actually work on site. Try not to feel guilty about what I'm too tired to get done. MFH is still healing from wrist surgery, so I'm on dish duty, but in other arenas he's pulling some overtime right now especially with managing the energy of a very energetic almost-4 year old. I also feel guilty when my work day falls apart because I don't feel well. In the next few days I will put together an update on our protagonist. She's still lugging an increasingly bouncy and glowing backpack containing a griffin egg out of the foothills. The terrain has eased up, but the length of the journey is definitely starting to show some wear.

Yeah, I'll still be climbing and talking about climbing, but there aren't any climbing goals that I wasn't already going to be doing. Instead, the focus will be on cool art and crafts projects. Recently, I bought a 3d resin printer! It's so incredibly cool! I'm still a noob, but I'd be totally happy to answer anyone's questions about 3d printing. So far, I've printed things using other people's 3d files. Now, I want to learn to create my own 3d models. I also have to paint all of the family D&D campaign minis. And I have crochet projects. And I have a piano to practice and songs to record...... So..... 1. 10 Blender tutorials per week. It's probably the best free 3d modeling program out there, and I need to learn how to make better use of it. In the short term, I want to design my own chess set and Catan pieces. Eventually, I want to be able to use it in conjunction with MakeHuman to create my own character minis. 2. Finish painting the family D&D minis. We custom printed 4 minis using Heroforge to customize our characters. I've painted my husband's character, and I posted the pics in my last thread. Now, I have 3 left. I will also post pictures of the finished pieces. 3. Do some sort of crochet project. I haven't yet decided what... When I figure it out, I'll post pics here. 4. Record and post a video of Chopin Nocturne #8. I need the added pressure of a deadline to try to clean up the piece. Also, I need to stop feeling like nothing is ever good enough to post. 5. (In some ways, this is the most important). Stop debating and arguing with people on Internet forums. It's a huge time waster, and it does nothing for my mental health. I will completely avoid a couple problematic forums, and instead use that time more productively.

Last challenge, I found a climbing gym, rediscovered my love for climbing, and got into a great rhythm of climbing every other day. I'm keeping things much simpler this time and keeping the momentum rolling. 1. Battling pride Climbing has been great..... but, I'm still struggling with feeling self conscious about sucking or getting overly upset when I can't solve a route that is marked with a low enough grade that I ought to be able to solve it. Yesterday, Pride defeated me. Some new routes were set, and I could not for the life of me solve a vertical wall 5.8. (I can usually get the vertical 5.10s and the 5.8s kind of seem like ladders) I got really frustrated and worried that everyone would see how much I sucked, whined a lot, and was almost ready to walk out of the gym..... so.... To defeat Pride, I must: Attempt every single route marked 5.9 or lower. If I can't get it, keep trying and ask for help from one of the other climbers. One of my problems is that I tend to climb the things that play to my strengths, and I need to stop doing that. I will learn the most if I work on some of those weaknesses, even if they make me feel like I suck. 2. Battling Envy This one is simple. I've always been jealous of people who can do the splits. Rather than being envious, I'm going to take real steps to become more flexible. I started a program called Hyperbolic Stretching, and I'm going to stick with the stretching workouts there. The goal for this is 3 stretching sessions per week. 3. Battling Gluttony This one is another simple goal, stolen from I think @Elastigirl. I still need to lose weight. I'm still struggling a bit with mindless munching. If I want a snack, I will make myself wait at least 15 minutes before indulging. I'll also make sure to drink some water or tea in the meantime, since that can often stave off hunger. 4. Battling Sloth I need to be more productive and less lazy. For this goal, I'm going to focus on crochet and complete at least 3 small projects during the challenge. Some of the things in my queue are that I need to make a crochet cactus arrangement for my mom, a Shy Guy (from Mario games) for my son, and some vampires (based on the Voldemort from my HP crochet book) for Halloween. Let's do this!

Hello, my name is Hatter and I'm a commitment-phobe. 😄 This is the third challenge in a row I've procrastinated because I didn't want to set goals haha. This time, the procrastination was disguised as a week of figuring out the right challenge theme. 🙈 But you know what, I've decided that I'm officially bored of overthinking and doubting. 😉 I have two goals: Art daily and train daily. Very simple. 😄 The biggest challenge will be my day job as there are lots of things happening, including crunch time for the project I'm leading. While fixing everybody else's problems. 🙄 Oh and we also got a curve ball that we'll be restructuring our teams from next week. I'm expecting the worst, but I refuse to let my work continue to be an energy sinkhole. Art daily Finish foundations course Daily painting workout Train daily Priority 1: Climbing - for the next 3 months until my local gym membership expires. My mini goal is to figure out that board style. Priority 2: Handstands - because classes are starting on Tuesday! I really wish I had done some more prep haha, it's going to be a sad return. 😛 Priority 3: Things that are supposedly good for me - stretching, running, core, strength training...

Hi. Long time no see, everyone! I finally have the time and am in a mental space where I'm ready to return and get back into shape. On the bad side, moving + covid means I no longer am doing parkour. There isn't a good gym nearby, and I'm at the moment injury-phobic enough that I don't want to risk outdoor play. I'm still battling very low energy levels and weight gain (ugh, tamoxifen), but I'm still in remission! On the good side, hiking has been nice, I've started cycling, and I'll be joining a climbing gym soon. The kids loved their new school last year, and they're both in a great place socially and academically. I'm keeping the challenge simple: 1. I need to do one of the following every single day: yoga, cycling, hiking, climbing, or weight training. No excuses. It might be hot as balls throughout August, but I still can do the yoga, lifting, or climbing. 2. Fasting from 8pm through noon the following day. No more evening snacks. 3. Music: Playing the piano is one of my primary forms of mental self-care. I need to take the time to play at least 15 minutes every day. I'm currently working on Liebestraum (Liszt) and Nocturne #8 (Chopin), as well as accompaniment pieces for my son, who plays cello. Having him progress so quickly and so well in his music has been inspiring me to play, and we have a great time jamming together. 4. Sleep care - Tea + reading at night, since that's the only thing that helps for my insomnia 5. Trying to be a great parent. - For my 13 year old: Help them be more active. Make the time to help with homework. Kiddo wants us to use they/them pronouns, and even though it's a bit hard for me to remember, I need to try to do my best. Both kids are taking Algebra II this year, and I need to make sure the 13 year old doesn't feel insecure about their abilities compared to the 11 year old. - For my 11 year old: 11 year old wants to make it to Nationals for Mathcounts and also wants to qualify for AIME. I need to help him study for his math contests. Also, I need to help support him with his cello.

Placeholder so I won’t procrastinate further. (I swear there’s a point to the challenge title that’s more than an excuse to post banana gifs)

Hi everyone! With covid restrictions mostly lifted, I have finally started climbing again last week. My level has dropped considerably due to a loss of strength and a gain of weight, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't climb anymore . This challenge I want to focus on getting back to a decent climbing level. Other stuff has started again as well, e.g. clarinet lessons and orchestra rehearsal. Shops are open without reservation again, so I might want to buy new shoes and clothes this summer as well. I'm really going form 0 to 100 in a few weeks time, it feels like, which might not be the best idea . Time to set some priorities. Priority 1: Stay healthy, both physically and mentally Priority 2: Do all the fun stuff Priority 3: Become a better climber again Coming up with challenge goals is a bit hard, also because both my vaccination and my vacation are in this period. For now, I'll try these ones, but they might be subject to change: Mobility/yoga/flexibility stuff: do at least 15 minutes of anything, at least 3 times per week. Climbing doesn't count. Climb moar: climb at least twice a week, it doesn't matter how long or with whom, even bouldering is allowed. Not applicable if I'll go on vacation. Balance fun with rest: keep my bullet journal in order, and cancel stuff if it gets too busy. At least once a week, take stock of how I really feel and adapt my planning to that. Have a nice challenge!

If I don't exercise enough, I get grumpy. Since nobody wants that, my challenge is simple: exercise at least an hour per day, six days per week. This can be climbing, running, walking, biking, yoga, etc. It does not have to be intense, as long as it is something. It should be easily doable, but those have been my famous last words before . To keep my hips happy, I will also do at least 4 hip-stretches per day, which can include things like lunges, pancake, etc. Let's go!

Hello friends! I'm back from an absolutely amaaaazing vacay to Iran, I absolutely loved it. I saw a lot of beautiful architecture, beautiful landscapes, bonded with my friends and ate a lot of food. A LOT of food. It was great. I might do a little write up, if you guys want, or perhaps just throw a link to my pics. What about this challenge? The main thing is to get back into a routine after barely having moved for almost two weeks. I got a nasty stubborn cough just before I left for Iran which didn't help. But now I feel fantastic and coming back to spring being springy makes me all happy and enthusiastic to do all the things! Which is a problem for setting goals, as I can't quite pick any ones to focus on. Super simple goals it is. 1. Morning movement - I feel like this is a key habit to make my day better so I want to make sure I pick it up again. 2. Do MOAR things - I'm not quite sure how you all manage to juggle so many hobbies, but if you can make it work, then maybe I can make my lazy ass do more things too? Nothing specific, I just feel like it's time to use my brain a little more again. 3. Positive actions - Because I really liked this one. I'm late so let's go!

In this wild and stressful life, I have a tendency to just drop everything and do nothing. This is not working for me, so I need a routine to make sure I at least stay somewhat active during these periods. I'm recovering from a burnout, so I only work 3 morning a week at the moment. Hopefully this will be more by the end of the challenge, but I genuinely don't know yet. I want to put in place the following routines: Working day routine: after work, make sure to do yoga and either a short walk or bike ride. Non-working weekday routine: walk at least 5 kilometers, starting before 9. Do chores for at least 10 minutes. Morning routine: get dressed, make the bed, eat breakfast, empty dishwasher if applicable. Evening routine: clear kitchen counters, brush teeth and stretch calves. I will test this morning- and evening-routine this week. I'm not in the habit of having these routines, so I might need to do some fiddling later on. Hopefully, I can add on to them in next challenges . Exercise goal: Either climb or run on either Wednesday or Thursday, and either Saturday or Sunday. Let's see if I can conquer my yoga-mat again:

Happy 2019! So this is it, the year of doing even crazier things than 2018. I didn't think that was possible, but here we are! I've set out my goals for this year: tl/dr - I'm trying to qualify for the OCR world champs in October. My qualifying race is in May and it's a minimum of 3 laps of a 12km course in a 8.5hr time cap. Technically I've started training for this already, but I'm a little behind where I was hoping to be at this point, mostly in regards to running. And my training has been a little....scattered. I have a weekly training plan but because I'm still in the early stages of this training block, everything feels a bit disjointed. To add to this, in early December I decided that the bootcamp classes I was attending once a week weren't really working for me so I dropped them and I made the jump to CrossFit. Because of the holidays, I've only attended one WOD since I completed to foundation classes. Piece by Piece The meaning behind this came to me while I was running this morning (I can't be the only one that plans their challenges while running, right?). My training for this goal is like a thousand piece jigsaw. Right now, all I've done is empty all the pieces of the puzzle out onto the table and assembled the edges. There is a bit of structure, but it's messy and impossible to see the full picture. But every bit of training I do adds another piece and slowly the picture begins to form. So this challenge is simple, every activity I do is an extra piece added to the puzzle. But that doesn't mean the puzzle will be finished by the end of this challenge, there is still a long way to go for that to happen. Running: 3 times a week Must do the following sessions Easy run Speed or Tempo session Long run Strength: 2 times a week Any of the following Lifting CrossFit WOD bouldering Mobility and Stretching: Stretch every day & PT exercises That's it, nice and simple. The main goal here is consistency.

It’s been so long since I’ve last logged in here or even since I’ve last used this username anywhere. If I’m being honest, I’m mostly here because emcee got me to join this month’s challenge. I’m going through some changes with a new job, plus freelancing, and building my own brand so this is as good a time as any. Goals: 1. Fix Muscle Imbalances: Supplement 3x/week climbing with accessory exercises (need to strengthen and loosen push muscles) 2. Eat more vegetarian proteins and protein supplements (goal is 90g protein daily), as of right now I do not eat red meat as I’m sloooowly transitioning to vegetarian 3. Stick to a budget using Daily Budget phone app Keeping it simple. This week life is sort of on pause because I’m out in Arizona until next Monday (which is when I start work) so for me, the first week will be a pre-challenge prep and organizing time while I’m semi on vacation!

The Countdown to Awesome 181 Days to Oblivion! There is no theme this time round. Just a plain look at my goals and what I am going to do to make them happen. My goal for 2019 is simple. Qualify for OCRWC as a 'Pro'. There are a number of ways to do this but there is one that I think I actually have a real shot at. That is Nuclear Oblivion. Nuclear Oblivion is a lapped OCR of around 14k per lap. It's very obstacle heavy but the course is largely flat and consists of ploughed fields and nicely wide forest paths. The qualification standards for OCRWC is 3 laps for an age group placing and 4 laps for a 'Pro' placing. I am aiming for 4 laps of this sucker. Based on last years course that would be 34 miles of muddy OCR goodness in 8.5 hours! That is not an easy goal but it's one I believe I can do, with the right preparation!. As of today, Monday 19th November 2018 we have 181 days until Nuclear Oblivion. I'm counting today as Week 1, Day 1 of my Oblivion training program! Thanks to illness last challenge was a little lacklustre in the end but I'm feeling well again and I'm ready to hit things hard. Eat to Help your Goals, not Harm them. I am obese. There is no real way to flowering that up What I am able to get my body to do is amazing but to reach the goals I want to reach being so overweight is not going to help. I've lost a lot of weight and I've broken through my weight loss plateau that has been haunting me this year. I am getting very close to losing the obese label. My bout of sickness caused me to overeat more than I'd like and drove my weight up a bit but I'm still lower than where I was stuck for most of the year and I've recently sized down! Removing the last X from my clothes labels. I am now simply a 'Large' and considering I started out this whole thing with at least 3 of those Xs I cannot say how happy I am to get rid of that last one! Even if it is costing me a fortune! This goal is simple. Eat between 2300-2400 calories per day. I don't want any 'cheat days' but I will allow this limit to go up to 3000 (which is around maintenance) on my Long Run day. Exact numbers may vary. Over Christmas itself I’m not going to track and I have a day out with some really, really awesome (if slightly crazy) Rangers mid december and I’m probably not going to track that meal! Track everything Eat 2300-2400 calories Record weight daily (this is going to be controversial I just like doing it this way because the data is better and it gives a much clearer picture of what is happening long term. If you cannot help but directly link that number to your self worth do not do this!). Run No surprises here 4 Runs per week. 2 Quality sessions, 1 long run. One Recovery run. Simple. Run 120 Miles. This goal is a little random. The time limit is December 31 and it should be something I knock out fairly easily. This goal is here simply because 120 miles is what I need to run in order to reach 1000 miles this calendar year! In theory my mileage is more than enough and so long as I can stay injury free it should just happen. Strength Work I happen to have more than enough time to run through an entire 16 week strength program without any breaks. My goal is to do that! Obviously that isn't happening this challenge but I can do the first mesocycle. It has been a long time since I've been able to look at 4 weeks of uninterrupted training, let alone 16! Lift heavy 3 days per week. Sounds easy enough. Conditioning workout 1 time per week OCR Type Stuff I need to get better at obstacles so the following needs to happen. Climb 1 time per week. Tentatively this is going to be Thursday night but I’m still unsure where to place it in my week. Arrange and execute a trip to an OCR Gym during the Challenge. I want to make this a regular 1x time per month thing. It is going to be important to practice and get better at obstacles. Mince Pie List I’m shamelessly stealing this idea from @Xena except rather than the relatively healthy Sushi reward my reward for completing the list will be to be allowed to cook a batch of mince pies. I like mince pies. Only 1 batch mind you and I’m not allowed to eat them all myself. Finish Registering for Climbing Gym (commit). Sort out closet and donate of any clothes that are too big Donate or chuck old running shoes. Clear out rest of closet (it’s a very atypically huge closet for the UK and we have 2 of them so this is my own mess). Buy secret Santa gifts. I’m participating in 2 secret Santa’s this year. One may or may not have something to do with certain Rangers. I haven’t got the foggiest idea of what to get but I’m probably not going to say what it is here

So I'm once again going out of town right at the end of this challenge - driving all the way to the east coast for Christmas with our families. But, I decided to put something, ANYTHING, in here because honestly I could use the encouragement. Goals for this month are super stupid simple. Really this is where we're at ladies an gentlemen. Preggo week 16 will end Wednesday.: Goal 1: Get to work before 9 am on non-climbing days. - I already blew it on this one today. I called my mom before work and got to work at 9:30. It doesn't really matter today because the particular division of lab work will have me here until at least 6:30. But still. If MFH aren't scooting to the climbing gym in the morning, I need to get out the door on time. One point for every day that I do out of a possible 5. Goal 2: Pull-ups in the basement. Pretty simple. Fell pretty flat last challenge. One point for every day that I do some. Goal 3: Quiet the mind and talk to someone. I've been super down. My brain chemistry is just not pleased with the current situation. (This is part of the reason I was late to work today.) I have a hard time bringing this up at my monthly check-up at the birth center, but I should probably talk more to other people (my occassional therapist, a good friend, my mom), so that it's not all dumped on MFH. On the road back from our trip this weekend I realized the only part of the day I enjoy during the week is riding my bike to work. No idea how to score this. Letter grade? Goal 4: Prioritize and tackle tasks. These tasks may be anything from things on my to-do list (schedule the ultrasound! omg!) to things that I've been meaning to do that will make me happy - like finding a day to lift. One point per thing. Limit to one thing per day so I don't stress to much about it.

I started watching Adventure Time earlier a few months ago and fell in love with it. It’s sweet, moving and completely stupid! I’m only just getting to the end of season 5, so please no spoilers! During the middle of the last challenge I set out my plan for the next 6 months. I've stuck it in the spoiler here (cos it's loooong) tl/dr version I've signed up to the OCR World Champs in October next year in the Age group category. The plan is to qualify at Nuclear Oblivion in May Challenge Goals 1. Finn the Human Stick to My Training plan Running 3 runs per week: Easy / Interval or Tempo run / Long Run Strength & Conditioning 3 sessions per week: Lifting / BMF / Bouldering Any combination of the above S&C is allowed, so if I can't climb for whatever reason, I can do a lifting session instead. 2. Jake the Dog PT & Rehab As a lot of you know, I injured my hip/glute in July and it still causes me issues. If I don't stretch every day and keep up with my PT, I'm going to start having serious problems when my running mileage starts increasing. Stretch daily Do my PT exercises twice a week 3. Marceline the Vampire Queen Eat enough & Don’t eat like a dick! I regularly don't eat enough to fuel myself properly which then causes me to eat all the wrong things when the inevitable hungry pangs strike! This is a work in progress, so this goal is here to remind me to be mindful of what I'm eating. Prep lunches for office work days at the weekend I've got into the habit recently of making my work lunches on a Sunday so I have enough to eat during the week and don't end up snacking on the junk food that people buy for the office. The goal is just to keep this habit going!

Last challenge was lovely but rather wishy washy and I didn't really challenge myself. I got into a pretty good headspace though with plenty of outdoor time and mindful chill time. This challenge however is about getting shit done and taking action on some of the things that have been on my ignored epic quest list for the longest time! ||| Physical ||| I've been using my elbow injury as a poor excuse to not train much lately, even though I could've done plenty enough really. Honestly I've just been enjoying all the down time and feeling recovered since I'm not climbing 4 times a week. But now I'm itching to get back to it properly! Because of my elbow I'll have to go a bit free form, but you can expect to see the usual - climbing, handstands, backbends, rings and pole/floor flow. Deliverable: Do all 22 6 minute floor flow sessions at least once Experiments: Time box one hour for training in the morning, unless I go swimming Gratitude meditation/get psyched before training |||| Creative ||| I used to love to draw but I don't know how to art anymore and I want to relearn. Using baby steps so I don't rage quite because I suck. Deliverable: Complete all anatomy sketch exercises from my workbook Experiment: Doodle on longer public transport trips instead of reading/dicking around on my phone ||| Mental/Eating ||| I talked a little about my somewhat disordered relationship with food at the end of my last challenge. This challenge I'm going to take some first steps to fix it. The steps are all about enjoying food, making it plentiful and avoiding the biggest binge habit trigger, in a very roundabout way in order to not make it feel like I'm restricting. Deliverable: 10 new recipes from my cookbooks Experiments: No grocery shopping straight after work (when poor choices are made) Batch cook on Tuesday/Thursday (remote working days) New challenge wheeeeeee!

Fall is fast approaching, it's getting darker and rainier and I'm slowly getting the urge to go find an nice cozy cave to hibernate in. But instead I'm going to embrace the change of season by channeling three oh so trendy Scandinavian concepts, Finnish sisu, Danish hygge and Swedish lagom. Go outside in nature, even when it's cold and rainy Be brave and keep up with morning swims for as long as possible Fight the schnooze, keep up with morning movement Don't avoid hard stuff (like potential job applications) Make my house more enjoyable - fix the things that annoy me, replace plants I killed, make kitchen more enjoyable place to cook etc Reduce phone/laptop usage, cozy up with a book instead, or even a hobby thing Cook and eat food that makes me happy and content Not my strong suit for sure. Keep up with Nerdwarts classes (backbends, handstands, climbing) but with a more consistent workload. (I wanted to add plan a deload, but I might be forced to because my forearm niggle is now forcing me to take at least the day off) Do some prehab work/Cirque Physio Start work on unfucking my eating habits (more on this later) and start eating in a more balanced way. Read intuitive eating. Similarly to last time these "goals" are pretty fluid in content, it's more about the mindset. I'm planning on keeping this a two month challenge, but will see. It's all an experiment.

I changed all my goals about a week ago so this challenge will just be more of the same. For anyone new - basically I'm on a quest to fit in as many fun things as possible without breaking myself. Climbing is by far my biggest activity at the moment, but I dabble in hand balancing, pole dancing/aerial and flexy training/back bending. Oh and now I'm experimenting with rings to get a little stronger for climbing. Morning movement - Get all my non-climbing fun activities done before work GMB Rings 1 prep - 2-3x/w depending on recovery Kick butt at Nerdwarts - The most important goal. I'm playing chaser on the Quidditch team (legzzz) and taking the following classes: Astronomy == Backbends 1-2x/w (ideally) Herbology == Handstands 3+x/w (ideally) Flying == Climbing 3-4x/w

Hi folks, I have been in and out of the NF community for several years. Most recently, I hopped in to a challenge to shake me out of my lethargic state of self-loathing (see below), so if you want more details of how I reached this state of being and some of my ongoing battles, then feel free to check out my last challenge link. It was difficult, but it definitely did the trick and I'm ready to move forward in my journey back toward being a full-fledged demon monkey. Swinging through the trees with the greatest of ease is where I belong and where I am most happy, but winter weather in the UK means that there's only about half of the year that is suitable for climbing. I'm also soft and cuddly at the moment, so I'm not in a fit state to be more than a few feet off the ground. But, all journeys start with the first step, and with the cobwebs dusted off I'm ready to move forward. I've chosen to start a daily battle log rather than keep up with the challenges as I find them a bit more stressful than is entirely healthy for me. I want this to be more of a journal and reflection point for my progress, and if other folk want to follow along and contribute then Welcome!

I've just come back from a 7-month amazing travelling adventure in Latin America [details in first spoiler]. But I fail at following my challenges while travelling, so I've been mostly out of the NF scene since 2017 Now that I'm back at home (at my parents' house) it's time to set some fitness goals and start taking them seriously again I miss the gymnastics and calisthenics days of 2014-2015 but my goals have also changed a little since then! [details of my NF journey are in the second spoiler]. One problem is that I don't know what level I am at anymore with handstands, pull-ups etc., so it'll make me go crazy to chase achievement-based goals right now, so I'm just going to focus on getting out there and being active. Goal #1: Move and Train again: I'm stealing this one from Mad Hatter. The aim in to collect as many Mad Hatter Points (MPs) as possible during the challenge by doing various movement and training. 1MP: short unstructured movement (short bike ride, couple sets of push-ups, etc.) 2MP: more substantial workout 3MP: proper serious training, high intensity or with specific drills Hopefully I can do something with 2MP on average every day on average. Prepare to laugh at me as I massively miss this Maximum points available is 60. Goal #2: Assassin Training: And so I can't cheat goal #1 by just doing a billion sit-ups, I want to do each of these types of training at least once: gymnastics rings handstands hurdling climbing / bouldering longer run hill sprints weightlifting 3 points available for each of these (Maximum 20) Goal #3: Wim Hof Method: Some people on the forum (zenLara, annyshay, ...) have been experimenting with the, and I now have a reasonably good understanding of the Science behind it. If you want me to explain a little then just ask, but Wim Hof's (inadequate and inaccurate) explanations are on his website. It basically involves a breathing technique that causes temporary hypoxia, and taking cold showers. Other features in the full course include ice baths, yoga exercises and some meditation guidance. I've just come back from several months in the tropics, so I'll need to get used to coldness again haha... I'm not prepared yet to buy the full course (perhaps soon) but I want to get a regular schedule now of doing at least the breathing and the cold showers. 1 point for a cold shower 1 point for doing the breathing exercise (5 minute total retention as a minimum, so 2-3 rounds) 1 point for every new thing I try based on this method (Maximum 40) Goal #4: Bonus List: I just couldn't do a challenge without a "bucket list" type of challenge, so here are some bonus things I want to achieve in the next month: (8 points) learn Stairway to Heaven on the guitar (8 points) compose a new piano cover (4 points) record this new piano cover (6 points) plan professional project for travel at the end of May (6 points) create and memorize a system for decimal digit memorization (6 points) write 5 new articles on the website I maintain: World Mental Calculation (Maximum 30) And yes, the total points available add up to 150. There's no way I'm getting such a high score, so I'll award 1 stat point for every 12 challenge points. Also looking forward to seeing where the NFers are at after half a year not following you! Good luck everyone!

Ohai! I've been hiding away in the battle logs for a while, but the shiny challenge mood is infectious so I thought I'd try this again! I'm a dabbler in all things climbing or being upside down, but this challenge is mainly going to be focused on climbing as that's what I'm currently doing the most of and oddly enough it turns out I can't do everything at once. Goal 1: Mental game The past month my climbing has been appalling, my grades have plummeted and my fingers are struggling. But I *think* and really really hope it's on the upswing now? This is a two part goal to both push myself and also to not have a meltdown when things don't work out my way. Try hard. Do something challenging each session. It could be trying something above my grade limit. Not bailing early because something feels too hard. If I'm feeling off climbing more easy volume instead of sulking on the mat... Tiny wins. Reflect after each session and try and find a tiny win or something I learned, however small. Goal 2: Beastly strength Another two part goal: Pull-ups. I'm actually going to try following a program this time. I'm also pretty sure there's no way I can keep up with the reps, especially when climbing 3x/week, so I'm going to add as many rest days as I need. My aim is to collect 50+ MP* over the course of the challenge. Abs. 20+ MP of core work. Can be anything. *MP explained: Goal 3: Get back my drop back Ok you got me, it's not going to be all about climbing. Unless we call it antagonist training. Yes, let's do that. I've been chatting a whole bunch about backbends with @@mu which acted as a rather unpleasant reminder to how much I've been neglecting them. The state of my bridges is pretty sad, turns out that just climbing + no bending = some very tight lats and shoulders. Feel a bit like this right now: This challenge I'm going to try and collect 20+ MP to try and fix this. In this time I hope to get my drop back back, and if it turns out that I can in fact still do them, then the aim is to regain control over the entire range of motion, including that pesky last bit. Misc: Finish sewing project Or at least try to and ditch it, either way I can't have the pattern taking up half my floor space anymore. Oh look kitten!

I need something new and shiny to kickstart 2018, so I got myself a brand new battle log! I have a whooole bunch of shinies to chase this year, it's going to be great. My plan is to screw the four week SMART goal framework and chase them on my own terms, i.e. inefficient and haphazard, but with gusto. Everyone keeps telling me you can't do everything at once - to that I say pfffft. Here are things you can expect from this log Handstands Climbing Aerial Pole Flow Acrobatics Flexy things Strengthy things ??? Oh and fooood! Goal thingies 2018 Because what's new year without setting way too ambitious goals? Fitness goals The big theme for the year is to improve my freedom of movement. Upside downness Handstands every day yo! Yup, the whole year. (2/365) Flooow I have a bunch of Marlo Fisken flow videos. I want to master them Scary stuff This is a big one, I'm such a scaredy cat and I've developed a bunch of weird mental hangups this past year Tuck and straddle jump to HS Forearm stand HS to bridge Back walkovers HS forward roll Honestly, pretty much any kind of tumbling Some kinds of pole HS Heel kips Topping out when climbing Stop hurting myself Less fun but oh so necessary. A little more focus on prehab won't hurt me. Other Some other more or less vague goals Climb 3 6cs Become strengthier (better push ups, moar pull ups) Run a little Play on my new toy - an indoor aerial rig Don't take things so seriously Other goals Cook 100 new recipes (0/100) Read 50 books (1/50) Travel somewhere cool To contradict the last goal I also want to increase my savings by €10000 Use my hands more Get a non-movement based hobby I really don't expect to nail many of these goals, but that's not what new year's is about right?

Vixen pulled herself up and over the edge of the cliff, carefully stepping away from the edge before turning to look back at the way she came. Her training on the bouldering walls back home had prepared her for the climb, but it hadn't been easy, and she was thankful to be back on terra firma. The satisfied smile on her face soon fell however when she turned to look at the path ahead. True, she had scaled this cliff, but it fell sharply away again to rocky, dangerous gulley. The edge opposite her was tantalisingly close, but climbing back down and up again would more than quadruple the distance she had to travel. Looking up, she saw some vines hanging from a sturdy tree branch, which all but traversed the gully. Could there be another way across? First full challenge in several years! Here we go! I went through the guide to setting smart goals, and came up with the following five areas in bold. These are long-term goals (to be achieved over a year). I've broken them down into SMART goals, and I'm setting a few of those for my challenge. Hang Glide When I was little I said this was my life ambition. I've decided to actually just do it this year. Because there's no time like the present. Hang glide this year was my 2018 New Year's Resolution. Research places to do it, and best time of year to go. Make a spreadsheet with all the places & times & send to partner in crime Become a Gymnastic Ring Aficionado I'm on the last level of the bodyweight path in the NF Academy, and I'm ready to take it to the next level. My other half isn't keen on me buying the rings/handstands course, so I'm researching what I can do on my own first. Schedule BW workouts for the month. Strength training x3 a week (includes climbing/hoop) Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Build up a bookmarks folder of ring training advice Become Proficient at Aerial Hoop Hoop is my new favourite thing in the world. I love it. I want to do it MORE. Schedule classes for the month. Hoop class x1 a week Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Yoga five times a week Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Write First Draft of a Story Another one of the things I always said I would do. I went on an OU creative writing course last year, now to start putting it into practice! Vixen is a character in one of my WIPs, btw. Schedule in one writing session a week for a month Write once a week as above! Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Find a New Job My other half is a doctor, and we will be moving for his work in August. I'm trying to put in the groundwork now, so I can find a new job that I like! All written work for care certificate completed E-mail technical lead and network/ask about jobs - this is no longer relevant as I'm not going to Glasgow E-mail Phys Soc contact and ask about research in Liverpool Whew! I know that seems like a lot, but I don't think it's too bad. The workout stuff is mainly at the level I'm already working at. I just finished the 30 days of yoga challenge, so missing yoga a couple days a week is almost a step back... and I'm head over heels in love with hoop so I'm sure to get to classes (famous last words?). It's more all the admin stuff I'm going to find harder, because ugh, speaking to people. Introverts unite!

I am a member of a secret hunting society that tracks and kills monsters. The bounties are high, but so are the risks. The smallest mistake will cost me EVERYTHING- my bounty, my gear, my life and my very soul. Some hunt for wealth and some for power. Some hunt to protect others and some hunt for glory. I must track my quarry through a dark and treacherous world. Winner takes all. Fail, and go straight to hell. Welcome to my first challenge of 2018! My name is Wild Wolf but most people just call me Wolfie. If you're new to my shenanigans, then please, take my sincerest apology for wasting your time Father of 4, husband, wolflean, sheepdog and Werespartan. I've been with NF since September 2012 and have never looked back. I've made countless friends over the years and even got to hang with a few nerds for what is dubbed as an "Epic Meetup" :). This upcoming year is a lot like most years but if you take a closer look, you'll see some very specific details that make it different. This is a year I'm a "do'er" and not a "don't'er" . It's rather simple really. Not to do ALL the things. But ALL the IMPORTANT things. Things like, Getting my family out of the apartment lifestyle and into the house lifestyle Fixing my shoulders Finding a job that can support us better-whether that's a new job or my current one Write a book Climb outdoors (maybe not THAT important, but something I want to do) Take Dadhood to another level. I only get to be a dad once and I want to excel at this! Spend more quality time with the wolf pups Read the Bible cover to cover That's to name a few. Basically, 2018 will be a year of positive and successful change. How will I do that? Easy(ish). By collecting bounties on each challenge and reaping the rewards. My first bounty is the Hype-Stealing bastard from the last challenge! My theme and possible running theme for the next couple challenges will be based after a PC game I recently discovered called Hunt: Showdown. The closed alpha is supposedly coming in January and I'm really excited about testing it out! The graphics and theme say it all. The setting takes place right at the end of the 19th century in what is referred to as The Gilded Age, referring to the serious social problems we had that were masked by a "thin gold gilding". (This is also where the Wild West was nearing an end and pre-WWI weapons like the German Mauser C96 were coming into play.) You take control over a bounty hunter and tasked to patrol the swamps of Hunt, Louisiana to battle the forces of evil. You can go in solo or with a partner but death is permanent in this game so the tension factor is ALWAYS high. Since my dad is more of a PC gamer, I told him about this and hoping we both get a chance to play together. Here's the kicker though. You have to be invited to the closed alpha. There's a strong chance I won't even get to play right now but how freakin cool would that be if I got selected?!?! It would almost feel like destiny... So there's that. I am a bounty hunter and bounties will be collected. You may be asking yourself, "Ok swanky, I feel ya, Wolfie. This is a schweet theme! But why Bloodlines?" Bloodlines or "bloodline traits" stands for the progression system/skill tree in the game. XP, gold and bounty rewards are all stored in your Bloodline and some of these traits will be transferred over if your hunter dies because remember boys and girls, death in this game is PERMANENT! Any gear, consumable or extra item left on your hunter when he dies is lost forever. One would dare to say this game has only one mode: HARDCORE. This lines up perfectly how I wanted to kick off the New Year. #NoExtraLives GOALS: I'm taking the old school NerdFitness approach to this challenge and starting my stat line over from scratch. We originally started with 15 total points to put in our 6 starting stats and I stopped adding to that over a year ago. I miss the leveling up and upgrade points so I want to get back to that. Visual and tangible upgrade points make the world go round . So I will re-work my starting 15 stat points and do my best to earn another 15 across this first challenge of 2018. Starting Stats: Strength- 3 Dexterity- 3 Wisdom- 2 Endurance- 2 Charisma- 3 Constitution- 2 Goal #1: Study Thy Prey Has anyone ever heard of Supple Leopard? Yeah me too.... Oh yeah! I own the damn book! It's time to study up on my prey: my body. It's getting a tad older and things aren't working as good as they used to. This is a lot of my own fault. I don't mobilize daily and I need too, especially because I work a desk type job and spend WAY to much time sitting on my butt. #NoRestDays when it comes to mobility. The goal here is to pick 1x body part that's been bothering me and then implement mobility WODS from Supple Leopard to combat the trouble areas each week. More body parts can be worked at one time, but let's start with one and work our way into more. I'm 100% wolf but wouldn't mind the suppleness of my large feline friend . Possible Upgrade Points: +2 CON, +1 STR Goal #2: Stalk Thy Prey At the beginning of 2016, I suffered a type 2 AC joint separation on my left shoulder from playing real life Quidditch down in Austin, Texas. At the beginning of 2018, I'm dealing with my other shoulder now. It appears to be a slight AC joint sprain that may have been caused from bouldering like a boss. It's more discomfort than pain but still...something to deal with. This goal is all about getting my shoulders in a healthier state and by doing that, I'll visit my PT 2x a week (given time, money and some other factors) and work PT on my own 1x a week minimum. Possible Upgrade Points: +2 CON, +2 STR Goal #3: Hunt Thy Prey Ahhhh the fun part. The Hunt. Why do I do what I do? For the thrill of the hunt? For glory? For my family? All the above. My ancestors were hunters. It is in my blood. I'm limited with my shoulder at the moment so now I need to figure out what I can and cannot do with it. This means testing myself in all areas and aspects of fitness. Find what works-discard what doesn't. Test all major lifts and talk with Paul (my PT coach) about getting me back out on the battlefield. Bouldering problems need to be sent and iron needs to be bent. Les do this! Possible Upgrade Points: +1 STR, +2 DEX, +1 END Goal #4: One Life to Live I will write a book this year. It may not be edited and pretty but I will write one. To get the creative juices flowing, I'm starting out by doing something fun this challenge with my writing. I call this "Interactive PVE/PVP". It's where I take an idea, sometimes an original idea, and include people from the Rebellion in the story and have them complete PVE (Player Versus Everyone) tasks with me. Example; like cover a certain amount of miles walking or lifting a targeted goal of 10,000 ponds. I write things in a group setting, so that way everyone can interact and take part in the weekly task . Think of this like a mini-Mini challenge, lol. The story has already been laid out for the most part (with some changes coming soon). Me and everyone else who signed up have been coming up with bad guys we get to fight which has been a lot of fun. Brainstorming sessions like that are always a blast! If anyone is interested in signing up for the last spot in the story, please feel free! HERE's the sign-up sheet. NPC's and other secondary characters are needed as well so if you want to be included in the story without having to participate then sign-up. Possible Upgrade Points: +3 CHA That's all I got for now. Let's hunt. Wolf

Ahhh, it's been a while... a long while since I've been around here, but thank you @Knightwatch for continually reminding me that we've got this. All of us, together. The Theme of the Year You heard it. OF THE YEAR. Because this one is going to take time. The theme - my theme - softness. Softness in truths, softness in feelings, softness in acceptance, softness in love, softness in femininity and sexuality. This is the kind of softness that’s defined as being easy to mold; lacks sharp definition. Coming into a challenge with the theme of softness makes me laugh a bit because, heh, yes — I’m going to be soft with my goals too (and if my body get softer, that’s ok too!). This theme is one that took quite a bit of soul searching and competes quite a bit with my generally rigid personality. The theme itself is a goal in a lot of ways. I will be (read: need to be) gentle and forgiving to myself. I exhaust myself into anxiety and sadness, striving for perfection that… really exists only in my own mind. So, here I am getting real with myself, with you all. Thank you for embarking on this journey with me. THE FIRST ONE! Woo! The Goals We’re keeping it basic and we’re sticking to little effort in planning much of this on my own. I’m already in the early stages of a couple of programs and my goals are nothing more than to check them off on the daily 1. Darebee - Iron Born program, 30 days. These are mostly strength-based quick workouts at 30 mins or less. Most days I’ve added to them because the hardest part about working out sometimes is just starting… once I’ve started, it’s fun and I like how I feel so obvi, I keep going. GOAL: complete at least what the program outlines. GOALplus: complete what the program outlines + make it harder/do it faster/add something that compliments it (HIIT, bigger lifts, BW burnout) 2. TRUE - 30 Day Yoga Journey, Yoga with Adriene. GOAL: complete the daily session GOALplus: complete the daily session + hang out with a pose that feels good for a bit or meditate/breathe/be present in my body 3. Bouldering GOAL: make it to the bouldering gym 2-3x/week. Literally, step foot in there and do whatever serves me — lift, boulder, stretch, take a class, etc. (social anxiety generally keeps me comfy at home). GOALplus: talk to someone beside my husband (compliment, ask a question, ask for help, etc.) The Life Stuff Goals No food/meal shaming. No hating myself for eating XYZ. If I have these feelings, excellent — I must pull out my journal and get it all out. What led to it, what I’m feeling, what steps I might do next time, but no thoughts that I’m a mess up (again). Be present as fuck in my relationship. There’s a lot there to unpack. No details… just I’m committed to my partner and being all that I can for us. *** That's it! Keeping it simple this time around. Excited to be back and see what all of you are up to with your own journeys