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¸„.-•~¹°”ˆ˜¨ Health & Happiness Are Hard ¨˜ˆ”°¹~•-.„¸ Wherein the Cracked_Belle Un-Dies 𝔽𝕚𝕣𝕤𝕥 𝕒 𝕎𝕒𝕣𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘, 𝕐'𝕒𝕝𝕝 I am diagnosed with a lot crap that makes life hard — manic depression, C-PTSD, OSFED (eating disorder), OCD, anxiety, some chronic pain, and other crap. these aspects of me and my life are going to come up in my journey to getting back on track with my health and happiness. I'll try to be sensitive to triggers, include warnings such as this where needed, and use spoilers when necessary. but this is my "cover my butt" warning. thanks in advance for you understand. life is difficult; but I find obtaining Health and Happiness is even harder. as aforementioned, I have some mental and physical ailments that complicate the normal struggles of life even further. recently, my depression and my eating disorder have been soul-consuming. it's time to end that. I used to be a rather active member of Nerd Fitness in its early days. the life happened and I left for a while. well, I'm back; and hopefully for even longer this time. I'd like to get my life and health in order, lol. as follows are my current Goals for this upcoming Challenge. I, of course, reserve the right to adjust them as time progresses and I see what's going to work for me and what isn't. Get Down to 125 Pounds (ideally by 08/24/2020) Do a Daily Workout weightlifting on MTWRFA everyday: warm-ups and cool-downs MR: upper body — push-up, bicep curl, bent-over row TF: lower body — squat, strait-leg deadlift, calf raise AW: mix/misc — mountain climber, tensor curl, flexor curl, donkey kick cycling everyday AMWR: ~5 mi (2 circuits) URF: ~2.5 mi (1 circuit) Adhere to Caloric Schedule [TW — Eating Disorders] TO BE UPDATED to a point wherein I'm not slowly starving myself gets tweaked and Friday before depending on plans for the week Goal Average Kcal/Day: <700 Sat: 1,200 Sun: 1,200 Mon: 0 Tue: 1,200 Wed: 0 Thu: 1,200 Fri: 0 Log Monthly Body Measurements take body measurements at start of every month Log Daily Metrics continue to complete the daily Metrics spreadsheet, filling it in as completely as possible Make Next Week's Food Plan every Friday, make the caloric and cooking food plan for the following week (as starts on then ext day of Sat) Manage My Mental Health Do Daily AM Prep complete morning preparations for the day, every day Do Daily PM Review complete evening review of the day, every day Complete Mood Form Daily complete the mood tracking form at least once every day Track Meds track all medications and (certain) supplements consumed every day Become a Professional Writer [to be tweaked soon] Find a Career Counselor/Coach solidify a working relationship with a career counselor/career Resume Being Creative Write for One Hour per Week work on any writing project for a total of at least one hour a week Be Artsy for One Hour per Week do any artistic work for a total of at least one hour each week

The Muddy Belle the Adventure Continues The Backstory with James having recently undergone her transformation from jtggodqos to the cracked belle, it was time to really push herself to the next step. with her best friend and partner Brian, James made her way towards the land of Mud Monsters. great turmoil was engulfing the land as creatures of all types were caking the innocent residents in gunk, setting up barricades and cages all over, preventing even those who broke free of the muck from successfully leaving to get help. James knew this was going to be her most daunting and most difficult task ever. with a set of thirteen or so fights during the war, James could not let individual defeats prevent her from winning overall. moreover, James was still dealing with injuries incurred in previous battles. she had to ensure that no matter her mood or mindset on a given day, she was going to push hard and train harder. will James's striving for perfectionism get in the way of success? will she be able to overcome her injuries, working to strengthen them while still knowing when to let them heal? will she be able to save the people in the land overtaken by the Mud Monsters? stay tuned to find out!! The Frontstory I used to be very active in NerdFitness and with my fitness improvement process. (if you don't recognise me, it's because I used to hang out with the Rebels or Adventurers.) but so many changes occurred in my life (including moving literally to the other side of the country) that I got off track, and I've yet to get back on. well, it's time. Brian and I signed up for a Tough Mudder in July, and I HAVE to be ready for it. I have three months to train. I can't back out now; no excuses will be sufficient; and I will have to really give it my all. so for the next two months, I will be focused on HIIT, lifting, and jogging practices. (this is a continuation of my previous Challenge.) so let's see how it goes.... The Goals QUEST: Fight (Tough Mudder) 1] INPUT: keep caloric intake paleo-influenced and under 1600kcal, on average - kcal may be edited after additional research and experimentation. - I can't do strict paleo (tried and repeatedly failed), but I can make it the direction in which I aim. 2] OUTPUT: exercise everyday (even just 10-minutes of walking or jump roping) - unless otherwise planned, daily workouts are to occur first thing every morning. - I'm following the fitness routine the Tough Mudder website suggested to prepare for the Half (I'm not fit enough to do the whole 10-miles and 21 obstacles yet). - on the plan's rest days, I will at least do a walk or something. just to keep my body active and to stay in the routine of working out daily. QUEST: Create 3] BLOG: write one article on each Tue, Thu, and over the weekend (Sat or Sun) - I can write about anything - I also need to write up a topic/prompt list QUEST: Learn 4] SPANISH: earn 30pts in Duolingo's Spanish course every day at 1100h - it's really just as simple as that. takes 20-30 minutes a day. The Reminders QUEST: Fight (Tough Mudder) 1] INPUT: keep caloric intake paleo-influenced and under 1600kcal, on average - Reward: - Punishment: any day I go over my goal, I cannot have any snack the following day 2] OUTPUT: exercise everyday (even just 10-minutes of walking or jump roping) - Reward: - Punishment: any day I don't workout, QUEST: Create 3] BLOG: write one article on each Tue, Thu, and over the weekend (Sat or Sun) - Reward: each week I successfully write three times, - Punishment: QUEST: Learn 4] SPANISH: earn 30pts in Duolingo's Spanish course every day at 1100h - Reward: - Punishment: any day I don't earn 30pts,

The Muddy Belle The Backstory with James having recently undergone her transformation from jtggodqos to the cracked belle, it was time to really push herself to the next step. with her best friend and partner Brian, James made her way towards the land of Mud Monsters. great turmoil was engulfing the land as creatures of all types were caking the innocent residents in gunk, setting up barricades and cages all over, preventing even those who broke free of the muck from successfully leaving to get help. James knew this was going to be her most daunting and most difficult task ever. with a set of thirteen or so fights during the war, James could not let individual defeats prevent her from winning overall. moreover, James was still dealing with injuries incurred in previous battles. she had to ensure that no matter her mood or mindset on a given day, she was going to push hard and train harder. will James's striving for perfectionism get in the way of success? will she be able to overcome her injuries, working to strengthen them while still knowing when to let them heal? will she be able to save the people in the land overtaken by the Mud Monsters? stay tuned to find out!! The Frontstory I used to be very active in NerdFitness and with my fitness improvement process. (if you don't recognise me, it's because I used to hang out with the Rebels or Adventurers.) but so many changes occurred in my life (including moving literally to the other side of the country) that I got off track, and I've yet to get back on. well, it's time. Brian and I signed up for a Tough Mudder in July, and I HAVE to be ready for it. I have three months to train. I can't back out now; no excuses will be sufficient; and I will have to really give it my all. so for the next three months, I will be focused on HIIT, lifting, and jogging practices. so let's see how it goes.... The Goals QUEST: Fight (Tough Mudder) 1] INPUT: keep caloric intake paleo-influenced and under 1600kcal, on average - kcal may be edited after additional research and experimentation. - I can't do strict paleo (tried and repeatedly failed), but I can make it the direction in which I aim. 2] OUTPUT: exercise everyday (even just 10-minutes of walking or jump roping) - unless otherwise planned, daily workouts are to occur first thing every morning. - I'm following the fitness routine the Tough Mudder website suggested to prepare for the Half (I'm not fit enough to do the whole 10-miles and 21 obstacles yet). - on the plan's rest days, I will at least do a walk or something. just to keep my body active and to stay in the routine of working out daily. QUEST: Create 3] BLOG: create a blog schedule and stick to it - currently thinking about first one on Tue, a second on Thu, and a third over the weekend. QUEST: Learn 4] SPANISH: earn 30pts in Duolingo's Spanish course every day - it's really just as simple as that. takes 20-30 minutes a day..

~*~ The Cracked Belle ~*~ A Respawned Raconteur-Adventurer Challenge Intro for many years, I was "jtggodqos" on the forums. I struggled with many things -- one of which was trying to still be an angsty teen-like whiner while I had long-since graduated college. for the last two years or so, I've been MIA. I left. I didn't stop working on fitness; I just stopped being here on the forums. then about one year ago, I relocated -- and my world changed. I moved about 1,200 miles away from everything I knew, and I fell apart. but it's time to rebuild, to respawn. and I'm coming back as a Raconteur-Adventurer, it seems -- or a glorified Bard, lol. a full and fun narrative is posted over at Adventures in Badassery (my NF Epic Quest). I'm also enrolled inthe Rising Heroes program as a proud member of Havik (the self-perfectionists, lol). Challenge Goals Diet: keep around my caloric amount (1600) and type (low-carb) goals. caloric amount can average out between a few days (1700 day one, 1500 day two, etc). Fitness: at least 20 minutes of non-commuting activity every day (even just walking on the evil dreadmill). typically in the morning, as soon as I get out of bed and take my meds. Creating: spend at least 2 hours every week Creating (blogging, working on campaign I'm running, writing, painting, drawing, colouring, etc). ** NEED TO SET ASIDE TIME TO DO THIS ** RIsing Heroes: complete the various missions and earn points for Havik and the Rebellion ** will flesh out as program progresses ** Where I Live on the Web Adventures in Badassery (NF Epic Quest) WordPress Blog Twitter Instagram Fitbit MyFitnessPal

~*~ The Cracked Belle ~*~ A Respawned Raconteur-Adventurer Challenge Intro for many years, I was "jtggodqos" on the forums. I struggled with many things -- one of which was trying to still be an angsty teen-like whiner while I had long-since graduated college. for the last two years or so, I've been MIA. I left. I didn't stop working on fitness; I just stopped being here on the forums. then about one year ago, I relocated -- and my world changed. I moved about 1,200 miles away from everything I knew, and I fell apart. but it's time to rebuild, to respawn. and I'm coming back as a Raconteur-Adventurer, it seems -- or a glorified Bard, lol. a full and fun narrative is posted over at Adventures in Badassery (my NF Epic Quest). Challenge Goals Diet: keep around my caloric amount (1600) and type (low-carb) goals. caloric amount can average out between a few days (1700 day one, 1500 day two, etc). Fitness: at least 20 minutes of non-commuting activity every day (even just walking on the evil dreadmill). typically in the morning on the dreadmill, depending on pain and energy. Learning: spend 10 minutes working on Spanish every day. typically via Duolingo on the commute to work. Creating: spend at least 30 minutes working on my NaNoWriMo four days a week. typically on the commute home three (Tue, thu, Fri?) days a week, then one day during the weekend. Sharing: write two scheduled/topic-based posts a week. typically on the commute home two (Mon & Wed) days a week. Where I Live on the Web Current NF Thread Adventures in Badassery (NF Epic Quest) WordPress Blog Twitter Instagram Fitbit MyFitnessPal

~*~ The Cracked Belle ~*~ A Respawned Raconteur-Adventurer Challenge Intro for many years, I was "jtggodqos" on the forums. I struggled with many things -- one of which was trying to still be an angsty teen-like whiner while I had long-since graduated college. for the last two years or so, I've been MIA. I left. I didn't stop working on fitness; I just stopped being here on the forums. then about one year ago, I relocated -- and my world changed. I moved about 2,000 away from everything I knew, and I fell apart. but it's time to rebuild, to respawn. and I'm coming back as a Raconteur-Adventurer, it seems -- or a glorified Bard, lol. Challenge Goals see my "Adventures in Badassery" post (Epic Quest) for details about the end-goals. Repeatedly study German 10 minutes twice a day do something physical six times each week work one chapter of LaPorte’s "The Fire Starter Sessions" every odd-numbered day submit an application to at least two jobs I want daily One-Time Tasks create blog topics list create blog writing schedule Long-Term Goals get my license back take written test submit court paperwork finalize plans to get my car up here get back on SNAP get necessary information from Brian compile information and submit follow-up with caseworker Where I Live on the Web Current NF Thread Adventures in Badassery (NF Epic Quest) WordPress Blog Twitter Instagram Fitbit MyFitnessPal

last updated 04/25/2017 Character Details Name: James Parker Gender: female Age: 30 Location: Twin Cities, Minnesota [originally from southern Louisiana] Day Job: office manager and accountant for a small law firm Not-So-Secret Identity: the Cracked Belle Archetype: cracked southern belle Class: Raconteuring Ranger Level: 3 Attributes Mental: the strength and endurance of the mind examples: intelligence, wisdom, comprehension Creativity: the strength and endurance of the imagination examples: writing, drawing, character creation, table-top gaming Physical: the strength and endurance of the body examples: weight loss, cardio improvements, lifting PRs Soulful: the strength and endurance of the spirit or sense of self examples: personal development, meditation, spa-like self-love Adventure: the seeking out of new experiences examples: meeting new people, travelling, adrenaline seeking Responsibility: providing for those who depend upon me (self included) examples: having a job, volunteering, having a positive reputation Adventures in Badassery Quests List Mental Quests be conversationally fluent in at one additional language produce something using a coding language complete another Coursera course complete my Master’s Degree / another Bachelor’s Degree Creativity Quests popularize my blog start “Boyfriend & Kitty” comic win a writing contest publish a novel/novella publish a collection of short stories publish a collection of poetry win NaNoWriMo again monetize my blog Physical Quests drop to 130 lbs bike 14 miles easily do five consecutive pull-ups jog 5k with minimal walks/breaks Soulful Quests determine my Goal work through LaPorte’s "The Fire Starter Sessions" attend a self-improvement workshop work through Covey’s "Seven Habits" Adventure Quests go sky diving kayak the Ocoee (in Tennessee) own a motorcycle participate in Minneapolis’s Polar Bear Plunge particiapte in a Tough Mudder Responsibility Quests bring home $33k/year doing something I enjoy be worth net $25,000 complete my Will & Testament Active Quests Mental: be conversationally fluent in at one additional language practice Duolingo 20 minutes twice a day for 12 months join a Spanish language forum Skype with a Spanish-speaker (without making them cringe) watch a Spanish film with no subtitles and get its gist read a Spanish work of prose and understand it save up enough money to go to a Spainish-speaking location by 2025 BOSS: go to aforementioned location and carry out a full conversation Creativity: popularize my blog create list of topics create and adhere to a writing schedule connect with other bloggers how many, how often give reader appreciation promptly respond to comments give thanks for likes and follows activate ads or another source of income BOSS: get a proper domain name Physical: drop to 130 lbs follow the workout program for the Tough Mudder Half on its Rest Days, I need to at least do a 1-mile walk create and adhere to an eating schedule cook one Week’s Meal every weekend, to be eaten for each each day Friday dinner with Brian keep caloric intake under 1600 average BOSS: Soulful: work through LaPorte’s "The Fire Starter Sessions" “So many people are looking for it: their Big Life Purpose. [...] YOU are the very purpose of your existence.” ~ Danielle LaPorte, “Fire Starter Sessions” create and adhere to a reading schedule BOSS: Adventure: participate in a Tough Mudder follow the workout program for the Tough Mudder Half on its Rest Days, I need to at least do a 1-mile walk park further away; always take the stairs BOSS: the actual run! skip as few obstacles as possible. Responsibility: goal task BOSS: Rewards and Consequences Rewards Consequences The Narrative The Story So Far... when things are broken, we are naturally inclined to dispose of them. but kintsukuroi, or “kintsugi”, is the Japanese practice of making a broken item (e.g. pottery) into something even better. the damaged endured by the item -- this becomes part of its strength. James Parker was always an overachiever. her values were clear, and her honour respectable. but James’s brain was flawed; doctors and society gave the bad wiring names like “bipolar” or “anxiety”, “obsessive compulsive disorder” and “eating disorder”, “addictive personality” and “adrenaline junkie”. no matter what James did, she could never be who she wanted to be or do the things she wanted to do-- not as long as she left the wiring as it was. later in her life, James stumbled upon a group of Nerds who fashioned themselves as heroes. unbeknownst to her at the time, they were Heroes. James befriended many of them, and used the knowledge she acquired from them to begin the art of kintsugi on herself -- she started to reconnected one wire to a totally different port in her mind, thus completely changing how she thought and reacted. James was always a natural storyteller. however, when she started rewiring, or practicing self-kintsugi, she noticed her Raconteur Powers, along with many others, beginning to increase and improve. in short time, James would become the Cracked Belle from the south. as a superhero, she would ringing out her and others’ stories and adventures. she didn’t just save people; she began to teach people how to save themselves. and all the while she would still be mending and embracing the “broken” parts of herself. Level 50 after many years of training, self-kintsugi, and general improvements, James Parker and the Cracked Belle had finally become one. the Cracked Belle no longer hid in the shadows and went by a pseudonym; and James Parker no longer feared pursuing her dreams and raising her voice. who she was and who she wanted to be had finally become one. James still regularly posts in her blog; however, she now has thousands of readers. she has also been published a few times, both prose and poetry. physically, she is in the best shape of her life. she is capable of running a 5k with relative ease, and struggling to do a pull-up is bygone concern. her diet allows for frivolity, but she maintains controls of both eating and drinking urges. James is polyglot, being at least conversationally fluent in several languages. she also has a small “kitchen” garden, cooks most of her own food, and has numerous other D.I.Y. projects both in progress and completed. one thing that never changes was James’s love of stories. she still engulfs tales, and then shares her learnings with others. she also still focuses highly on constant improvement. every mistaken or error is just a chance to practice self-kintsugi and make it even better. so long as this remains true of her, she will always be the Cracked Belle. Links Current NF Thread Adventures in Badassery (NF Epic Quest) WordPress Blog Twitter Instagram Fitbit MyFitnessPal Nerd Fitness Challenges Past and Present Challenges Challenge 3.02 (April 23, 2017): The Muddy Belle Challenge 3.01 (Sept 26, 2016): Respawned Raconteur-Adventurer Challenges 1.01 - 2.11 (2012-2014): archived; posted as “jtggodqos”