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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

No time to say "Hello, Goodbye” I'm late, I'm late I'm late! Each week I will do the following with a bonus task (see below for week bonuses) The Jabberwock Build strength to defeat The Jabberwock (Overall Challenge Goal : 10 workouts to defeat The Jabberwock) Mad Hatter Join the Mad Tea Party (Overall Challenge Goal : 14 cups of tea consumed at the Mad Tea Party - 2 per prep/home cooking) White Rabbit I’m late, I’m late, I’m LATE! Stay ahead of the White Rabbit (Overall Challenge Goal: 40 times I've gotten ahead of the White Rabbit - hitting snooze buttons) Caterpillar Be advised on how to cope with life’s difficulties (Overall Challenge Goal: 3000 pages filled with how to cope and adapt to life’s difficulties - 1 hour of reading = 100 pages) Cheshire Cat Gain insight on life (Overall Challenge Goal: 28 days of insight - Bullet Journal) Queen of Hearts If the cleaning is not done, off with her head! (Overall Challenge Goal: 120 mins of avoiding beheadings - Cleaning) Bonus Tasks Per week Task 1 : Begin at the beginning, and go on till you come to the end: then stop. - The King of Hearts I have multiple projects to do and I keep adding new ones before I even start or finish old projects. I have 3 projects I want to work on this month and 1 or more HAVE to be finished. I have the whole challenge to finish this. Projects : Mosaic Mirror, 1 knitting Square & Rose Mobile. Task 2 : “It takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place." - The Red Queen It's about finding out what is keeping me in the same place and then figuring out a solution to fix the problems. I know it might seem easier to keep doing the same things over and over and while I’ve made some progress, I’d like to see more. I have the whole challenge to complete this. Questions to ask myself - What do I do that keeps me in the same place? Am I doing things that are making it harder on myself? Make a list and then make a change. Task 3 : “I dare say you haven’t had much practice,” said the queen. “When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” My subconscious can be fairly imaginative, specially if I eat pizza before bed. I dream some funky dreams but that doesn't often translate to my waking hours. I think this is because I’ve set limits and have told myself too many times, “You can’t do that so why try?” I want to focus on building my imagination with practice and action. Either start week 2 or week 3 depending on how the other tasks go. Have 1, 10 min imagination session a day, embrace the multiple spontaneous sessions I can get in, try something I previously said was impossible. Task 4 : There ought to be a book written about me, that there ought! And when I grow up, I’ll write one. - Alice Week 4 is going to tie in with week 3 because I’ve always wanted to write but I’m terrible at writing and grammar. This is a scary goal! Write for 10 mins a day because it’s not impossible, I want to work on my imagination and maybe it will help me learn to express myself better.

I did well last challenge at maintaining a calm mind, but my physical fitness fell off. I will continue to be mindful throughout my day, but I really need to focus on fitness this challenge. If I am successful at getting my body in shape while maintaining my mindfulness, I will advance to Apprentice Druid. Meetings with the Novice Master will only occur as needed and at the end of this challenge if I feel ready to request an Apprenticeship. To keep me focused, I will earn points for each activity I complete. As soon as I hit a point goal, I get a reward. Quests: A druid elf can quickly disappear up into the trees - 1. Pull-ups: 3 times per week I haven’t done any pull-up work in a few weeks. I tried a test session the other day and I’ve lost some ground. So, I’m backed up a couple sessions, but not too much. (I use the zenlabs pull-up app, but doing negatives.) 2. Yoga: class on Wednesdays This one should be fairly easy as I’ve been going for a long time and I love my class. A druid can travel far distances to reach other camps and to experience the wilderness - 3. Cardio: 30 minutes 2 times per week I’ve been really struggling with this and have zero motivation. It doesn’t help that it’s 100 degrees out. So, I joined the Hogwarts Running Club in an attempt to get myself moving. It looks fun. (#hrcravenclawesome16) A druid freely expresses themselves through art and keeps a record of their days - 4. Art: art daily (minimum of 15 minutes, 5/7 days) I am clearing out my art space so I can easily sit down and create without a hassle. I checked out a few library books on daily art journaling. And I signed up for the birthday card exchange through my house (Ravenclaw!) at the HRC. So, at the beginning of the month I will get a list of people to send cards to and I want to send handmade cards. A druid is also a member of the greater community - 5. Complete the Rebel Run (first week of September) *Go sign up and help us make this event awesome! You can walk, run, do multiple sprints, you can even swim it - link below! Bonus points - 1 point for each thing: 15 minute home yoga session, extra 20 minute cardio session, additional days of art, swimming, 15 minute meditation, and possibly for something great I do that was challenging (following/making a weekly meal plan, being brave, working on a house project for 1 hour, getting a job) Each activity is worth 1 point. A reward every 10 points. No computer use until I have earned at least one point for the day. completed something. I’m struggling right now so I tried to build in lots of things to keep me going.

Do you have a creative quest among your challenge goals? Then join this ragtag, eccentric group of nerds to level up your health and fitness habits and your creativity. Sure, that's a lot of balls to juggle over the course of six weeks, but it's a lot easier and more fun when you've got buddies! YOU are invited to join The Renaissance Rebels for fitness, fun, creativity, and camaraderie! You can check out previous Renaissance Rebels challenge threads: 1, 2, 3, and 4. If it looks like fun, signup on the Cross Guild page and post a reply below to introduce yourself. We're happy to have you!

Well, I've been slaying dragons around here for a while now, and I have to say, I think a few of them are pretty near vanquished... which means it's time to deal with their rotting carcasses! Mmmm, now how's that for a lovely metaphor? But for real, I've started to develop some much better habits, and this challenge is all about solidifying them and keeping on this trajectory. Gutting the Dragon: (+2CON, +2CHA) Last challenge saw a really successful "Whole30" experience, in which I seriously cleaned up my eating, overcame some food-related mental issues, and even lost a little weight. I now know which foods make me feel like crap,and which make me run like a well-oiled engine (hint: dairy and gluten are not my friends!) so I want to carry on with this way of eating, but with a little more flexibility. This way I can eat out without fear, be less limited while cooking, and not have to make every single condiment myself... while still feeling good and continuing to lose fat. GOAL: Up to one TBSP of non-compliant ingredients per day (Stuff like honey in dressing/marinades, soy sauce with sushi, a sprinkle of cheese on a salad, or using a commercial condiment) GOAL: 2-3 non-compliant meal components per week (aiming for two most weeks) This does not mean a whole meal of crap. This means a small portion along with good veggies and meat. Stuff like a side of rice or beans, a couple bites of dessert, maybe a small latte, sharing a appetizer. Portion control is key here. Caveat: If I'm finding myself slipping too much into old habits, (and you'll know, because I'm posting all my food on here), I will do a week of 100% compliance. I refuse to backslide after all the effort I put in last time, and I think this is an appropriate safety net. A: All good B: >7 TBSP of NC ingred. C:>3 NC sides F: Both Skinning the Dragon: (+3STR, +2END) I'm still loving my kettlebell classes, but I want to add one more proper workout in per week, preferably cardio since I have a 5k hilly, obstacle race this summer that I need to prepare for. Running (jogging/walking, really, I'm terrible) is ideal. Skating/hockey practice also acceptable. Bonus points if my 3rd workout is outside. GOAL: 3 workouts per week Kettlebells Mon/Wed, Cardio: Sat A: 18 B: 15 C: 12 D:9 F:<9 Burying the heart: (+2WIS, +1DEX) I started this goal last cycle, and while I definitely did a bunch of meditating, it really didn't become a habit and I want to continue working on this. Part of the problem was that I kept leaving it until before bed and then I would be too tired and just want to sleep. Therefore, want to meditate more often earlier in the day. However, I said that for practically the whole challenge last time, and never did, so I'm going to ease into it. GOAL: Meditate 6 times per week MODIFIER Weeks 1&2: 1/6 in the morning Weeks 3&4: 2/6 in the morning Weeks 5&6: 3/6 in the morning A:36 B:32 C:28 D:24 F:<24 Plus a loss of 1/3 of a grade for each modifier missed. Making Dragon Hide Armor: (+1WIS, +1CHA) Create! Ahhh, I love this goal; it makes a come-back every few challenges, and does me so much good! The focus this go-round is on producing things we can sell at the local market this summer. I have some pretty specific goals I'd like to accomplish this time: 1. Make 6 t-shirts, of 3 different designs. (We have a vinyl cutter and a heat press, which is what I'll be using to do this.) 2. Make a jewelry display/holder (I've done one already, I'll upload a pic to show what I mean when I get a chance) 3. Finish at least one painting that can be made into prints. 4. Make ticket stub holder. (Shadow box, with slot in the top, and vinyl design on front.) Some flexibility allowed, if I double one category to replace another (ie, make 12 shirts, but no painting, etc.) A: 4 B: 3 C: 2 D: 1 BONUS LIFE QUEST: (+1WIS) Pay off federal student loan. (Technically, it's my husband's, but I'm the financial manager in our household, and we're really trying to get all our debt dealt with, so we can start saving for a house.) There's about $1500 left on it. Two regular payments will come out during this challenge, which are already budgeted for, so we just need to put an extra $100 each towards it every week. It's not unreasonable, just requires some mindfulness and a little extra frugality. A: Paid off! B: $200 left C:$400 left D:$600 left F:>$600 left