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Lessons from Dr. Frankenstein Welcome to Class... This will be a multiple parter...which has actually already started. The lessons will be over the course of about 9 to 10 months and broken down into thirds, and further into 40 to 50 weekly increments (or "lessons"). These lessons have actually already started during the last NF 6WC. And with the new NF Challege format being 4 weeks, I'll have to make a few modifications. No biggie!! I'll play a little "catch-up" on the previous Lessons, 1-7 here in the "intro" to the new Challenge, then fill in for Lessons 8-11 for the Challenge. Lessons 1 through 6: Recap... Lesson 1: Class starts when?!?... OK, so in keeping with the Monday through Sunday schedule...We'll just say that Lesson 1 began November 17th, 2015 (although it "technically began the 18th, a Tuesday), which was smack in the middle of the final NF 6WC of 2015. So for this week's Lesson, I pretty much worked on that, not realizing that the Lessons had started! Lesson 2: Class can't be starting yet... This Lesson was during the Thanksgiving Holiday, and I was still oblivious to the fact that the Lessons had already started. This was Week 4 of the final NF 6WC of 2015, and that's what I focused on. Lesson 3: Lab and Practical... The Lessons "officially" started this week, with the first Lab and Practical... It was the results of both the Lab and Practical which made these Lessons possible. Otherwise, we'd be waiting to start class in another month or so. Lesson 4: Waiting for Class... This was the final week of the last NF 6WC of 2015 (and later, I would discover, the last 6WC ever!). I passed, barely, but was very tired and busy with Holiday parties and activities around base. So much so, I never quite got around to posting my final scores and updates...but that's ok...no one was following my thread anyway. Lesson 5: Late for Class... Now here's where I discovered that I was actually "late" for class. This Lesson included another Lab, and the results laid the ground work for a week of research, setting up appointments and visiting the local Medical Center. It was here that I met a few of my fellow "students", and received some basic instruction, and the future Lessons got plotted. I also got an inside scoop regarding formal diagnosis, blood and urine tests, and got a flu shot (which are evil!!)...which resulted in me getting the flu for the second time this year!! I also started feeling more and more tired and hungry. Lesson 6: Catch up from Tardiness... Despite the Holidays, this week's Lesson included some more formal instruction, a trip to the ER and extra housework...which was technically unrelated to the Lessons...Hubby sliced his finger & it took over 2 hours to stop bleeding...then we was exempt from chores until it healed. No surprise that I was feeling tired more, but my appetite continued and my chest started to feel sore and heavy. I also noticed that I would feel nauseous before mealtimes...so basically when I needed to eat, I felt nauseous, and when I ate, it went away! Lesson 7: Formal Instruction... OK, so there will be a few public "classes" for me to attend from time to time...This week had the first. It was very informative, but boring. My classmates were pretty blase and not interactive, and thus the class was pretty much death by PowerPoint...although they did hand out a useful packet of information (pretty much everything that was presented, including the PowerPoint slides). I also tried to restart my c25k, but I did it too early in the morning (I think)...I ended up having severe pain in my Right Knee and the outside of my Left Foot...I think I may have misstepped in the low light of the early morn and This week also resulted in me getting extremely bent out of shape (which normally doesn't happen) due to being lied to and over 4 hours of my time wasted!! It actually caused me to loose my appetite!! And I didn't feel nauseous when I skipped meals... But luckily, I found a way around the conundrum, but I remained agitated about the whole ordeal for a few more days... NF 4 Week Challenge: Lessons 8 - 11 OK, so for the next 4 weeks, I'll be working on the Lessons 8 through 11 with Dr. Frankenstein. I'm currently breaking it down much like I have done for previous Challenges. I am still trying to figure out the new format (some info hasn't been posted as of yet), so there may be a bit of adjusting later on as the need arises. I have my grading scale in place, but I may be tweaking the rewards as necessary...I think the new format is getting away from the assigning of points and leveling up (as well as trying to do more of a letter grade scale, whereas I prefer the numerical point system with percentages!). I suppose we're all in the same boat, having to relearn what we thought we knew and revamp everything! Epic Quest: (4 points possible) Defeat My Mortal Enemy - Fibromyalgia in Remission As always, my Epic Quest is to beat Fibromyalgia into remission. This is my ongoing quest. I will put up a weekly inspiration to help keep me motivated and to remind (and hopefully inspire) others that they are not alone! Since this is a once a week thing, I need to post one now for Week 1... Grading: 1 point = posting an inspiration each week (1x/wk => 4 points total) Reward: +1 WIS, +1 CHA Main Quest: (4 points possible) Grow as a Person In the past 6WCs, I've focused on inch loss vs. weight loss. However, in order to create life, I must grow as a person in all ways...spiritually, mentally, emotionally and definitely physically! However, the key is to control the level and rate of physical growth. Some of it will come in the form of gaining more...more tissue, muscles, bone, blood and other fluids. So here, my goal is to monitor how much weight I'm gaining to make sure it's at the proper pace and I don't overdo it! Between Lessons 1 and 12, I can't gain more than 5 pounds, maximum (less is OK, but more is bad!)! Broken down, that's less than 1/2# per week (average estimate). At Lesson 1, I weighed 125 #. By Lesson 5, I weighted 126#. Now, at the beginning of Lesson 8, I'm still at 126#. According to the charts, I'm still currently on track in the "normal" range, even though I haven't gained much, and that's OK (I don't need to try to "catch up"). If I break it down, then I should not gain more than 1.5# every 2 weeks (maximum)... But as long as I don't gain more than 3.5 pounds by the end of this Challenge, I'll be good! Grading: 1 point = less than 1# gained each week (1x/wk => 4 points total) Reward: +1 CON Quest 1: (20+ points possible) Reboot Active Lifestyle I definitely need to be active! It takes a lot of strength, flexibility and energy to create life! Since I don't have the cool, spinny, rolly chair skills of Dr. Franken Stein, I'll need to get a bit more creative! Needless to say, some of my original intended activities are now off the board...rats! So I'm taking a slightly different approach. I'm going to continue with my c25k, but with a twist...I'm restarting it and only doing it twice a week rather than it's recommendation of 3 times a week. Since it's an 8 week program, I won't finish it this Challenge...but it may take me longer than 2 Challenges to complete (if I ever do). My goal here is to work on endurance without over exerting (which was my problem last round). I'll repeat weeks for as long as it takes until I'm not totally wiped out after each run, and if I never complete a 5k, that's OK with me, as long as I'm keep my endurance up. The thing is, I like the way the app does it's intervals. Due to the Fibro, I can't keep up a sprint or hard run...I do my c25k intervals as a walk and jog (and slowly increasing the speed of my jog). All the other intervals apps I've seen have the jogs and sprints as the longest, with only very brief walks. For me, the walks give me a break (so I don't over exert myself), while not being so long as to let my heart rate slow too much (jog gets it up). So unless I come across (or someone suggests) a good walk/jog intervals app (no sprint), then I'll stick with what's working so far! I'm also doing something I had gotten into before (a few years ago), but kinda got away from when I moved. So for twice a week, I'm doing a 30-minute Barre workout (10 minutes each, arms, legs and core). I'm going to do something "extra" once a week. I got the kibosh on doing Body Pump and Body Combat...and pretty much anything that is impact or balance related (bye-bye Parkour)... So I may go swimming (if I have another leg issue, this may replace c25k), do Yoga, bodyweights or perhaps start learning how to strength train with free weights. The thing is, I need to be active 5 times a week for 30 minutes to maintain good heath and lessen the chances of problems arising while creating life. I'm also going to keep my "bonus point" option with my pedometer. My goal here is to incorporate more movement throughout my day. So for every week that I clock 15 miles on my pedometer (not counting c25k), I'll get an extra point! Grading: 1 point each = c25k (2x/wk => 8 points total) 1 point each = Barre (2x/wk => 8 points total) 1 point each = "extra" (1x/wk => 4 points total) Bonus point = 15 miles per week (non-c25k) Reward: +1 STR, +3 DEX, +1 STA Quest 2: (48+ points possible) Proper Nourishment Ok, so I've got a lot of people lecturing me on what is healthy/not healthy for me to eat...and it's driving me NUTS!!! The one that really got to me was in Lesson 7 when I was "informed" that the Federal Government passed a law in 2015 that milk fat is unnecessary and unhealthy for adults and children over the age of 3 and is not to be consumed. WTF?!?!? Let me get this straight, a political agency, not a health organization, is going to determine what we are allowed to eat?!? And considering health professionals and dietitians note that the natural fat in dairy contains vitamins and minerals and is the kind of fat our bodies need verses the unnatural fats found in processed and "junk" foods. Besides that, I grew up on milk straight from the cow...and so did everyone I know, and none of them are obese! OK, sorry about that...I'm still steamed over that whole episode! Anyhoo...I'm going to maintain my healthy diet, and try to incorporate the "extra" recommended foods I normally don't eat (like peanut butter and fortified cereals) as well as increase those I already do (fruits & veggies, beans, eggs and whole milk). I'm also revisiting a previous trend...I still need to clear out more from the food stores (pantry and freezer inventory). On a side note, Hubby is doing the Leptin Diet again this round in preparation for his Command Fitness Leader training at the end of the month. Although I've done this with him in the past (in order to be supportive and not "tease" him by eating what he can't have), I cannot do so this time. I'll have to make smaller meals so I don't get burned out on eating so many leftovers and hope I don't tease him too much with what I'm having that he can't! I also need to be better about taking my daily supplements, so that's on here too... Grading: 1 point = each healthy meal incorporating inventory (5x/wk => 20 points total) 1 point = taking all daily supplements (7x/wk => 28 points total) Reward: +1 CON, +1 WIS Quest 3: (68+ points possible) Routines and Sleep So this will be another reboot...with the Holidays and all the vacation time, I've kinda gotten out of the habit of going to bed early (since I could sleep in). But now, I'm also have more sleep issues...I'm finding it harder to fall asleep, stay asleep and get up in the morning...not to mention all the extra fatigue...Dr. Frankenstein never told me creating life could be so exhausting! Oh well, I guess I need to mention that that should be added to the course description... Anyhoo, I'm going to focus on healthy routines. I need to take better care of my skin and teeth right now...I have a tendency to not do these things on a daily basis...basically I forget (oops!). So far, it's not been a problem, but during the course of these lessons, it could start to pose some issues. Therefore, washing my face and brushing my teeth at least once a day (each) will be essential, as well as going to bed 8 hours before I need to be up (no penalty if I don't sleep well, just as long as I'm in bed on time) for 5 days a week. I'm also going to try to moisturize my skin (entire body) at least twice a week (especially after a soak!)...It's winter, so the air is dry and so is my skin! All that dryness isn't good for my skin and can actually make me a walking Tesla Ball!! Pampering bonus points will also be doable...before bed soaks are always nice! Grading: 1 point each = wash face (5x/wk => 20 points total) 1 point each = brush teeth (5x/wk => 20 points total) 1 point each = 8 hours bedtime (5x/wk => 20 points total) 1 point each = moisturize body (2x/wek => 8 points total) Bonus point = something pampering Reward: +1 CON, +1 CHA Life Quest 1: (88+ points possible) Ready the Laboratory My life quests will be mostly a repeat of past ones...First, I need to ready the Laboratory. In order to do that, I need to stay on top of my Dailies, Zones and Missions as well as doing the Weekly Home Blessing. I also need to work on getting rid of the stuff we don't need/use. With the closure of our base thrift store, donating stuff will be more difficult, so I'll need to post to sell items on the local FB sale pages. I'll post 10 items weekly, and update daily. Whatever doesn't sell by the end of the challenge (or has been posted for more than a month) will get either tossed or dropped off at the other bases' thrift stores (when I'm making a trip to said base). I also need to focus on reclaiming the Project Room. I'm not really sure how I'm gonna do this one just yet...for now, I'll probably just say do "something" in that room once a week. Until I actually get the chance to get in there, this is a good first step. I'm also gonna grant a bonus point for every box cleared and for ever 10 items sold. Grading: 1 point each = WHB (1x/wk => 4 points total) 1 point each = Dailies (5x/wk => 20 points total) 1 point each = Zones (5x/wk => 20 points total) 1 point each = Missions (5x/wk => 20 points total) 1 point each = post/update 10 sale items (5x/wek => 20 points total) 1 point each = something in Project Room (1x/wk => 4 points total) Bonus Point = clear out 1 box or sell 10 items Reward: +1 STA Life Quest 2: (52+ points possible) Havoc Maintenance This is going to be mostly about desk time. I need to stay on top of my schedule weekly and emails daily, post my FB inspiration (mostly for sis and friends) and NF updates weekly, do some Assassin Ambassadoring daily as well as post my Assassin Mini updates...but perhaps that one should be left as part of doing the Mini's themselves... That looks simple enough, right? Grading: 1 point each = Schedule (1x/wk => 4 points total) 1 point each = Emails (5x/wk => 20 points total) 1 point each = FB Inspiration (1x/wk => 4 points total) 1 point each = NF update (1x/wek => 4 points total) 1 point each = Assassin Ambassadoring (5x/wk => 20 points total) Reward: +1 CHA Life Quest 3: (24+ points possible) Franken Studies Yes, I'm very tardy...even though Lessons 1 through 7 have come and gone, I am still behind in my studies. I was bad and didn't keep up on it all over the last few weeks...OOPS! So now I need to get caught up to get back on track. So if I can do at least 2 Lessons per week (shoot for 3), I should be caught up by the end of the Challenge. The goal here is not so much a per week, but a total of 11 Lessons complete. I also need to work on my Herbology and Finance Studies. I will do at least something for each once a week. I will shoot for completing a Chapter in Herbology (that included projects and homework), and some sort of reading or Continuing Education in Finance. I will continue to look at finding a job...but since that hasn't panned out in the last 2 years, I will also include investigating blogging as a business. So for this Challenge, I'll focus on a weekly research for each. If I'm able to do extra lessons (like in Franken Studies or Herbolgy), those can be "bonus" points. If I get an actual job interview, that will be a bonus point. Grading: 1 point each = Franken Lessons (2+/wk => 11 points total) 1 point each = Herbology Lessons (1+/wk => 4 points total) 1 point each = Finance CE (1x/wk => 4 points total) 1 point each = Job Search (1x/wek => 4 points total) 1 point each = Blogging for Business Research (1x/wk => 4 points total) Bonus Point = Job Application, Job Interview, "extra" Herbology Lessons Reward: +1 WIS Support the Assassin's Guild: Mini's and Ambassadoring But that doesn't matter...I'm here to support my guild!! With all the new-fangled changes to Nerd Fitness this year, a lot of people have gotten in an uproar and even more are confused...including me...(confused, not uproar). They have re-defined what each guild represents, and with that, I don't fit into any particular guild anymore!! My fitness style is that of someone with ADOS (Attention Deficit...Ooooh! Shiny!!) on crack!! Since I grew up in the country on a farm, I have a hard time getting into "fitness" in the modern (traditional?) sense...I don't do gyms (don't know how to use the equipment and when I've asked, I've been made to feel stupid), I don't get into a lot of classes (and the ones here aren't very interesting, and the ones that are now are on my no-no list), I am into a lot of sports/sporting activities that just aren't available around here. So thus the conundrum...I bounce around at trying different things to see if something clicks with me...sadly nothing really does (I get bored with the current mindset of "exercise" and "fitness activities"), so I change it up every Challenge (bored now...). With that being the case, based on the new definitions, I would belong in ALL the guilds, except Warriors (but if I end up playing with free weights, that won't apply any more), and sadly my no-no list now kicks me out of the Assassins (bye-bye Parkour <pout, sniffle, pout>)! However, the Assassins are where I started, where I've thrived and where I feel my heart belongs! So despite the re-definitions and personal restrictions, I will continue to support the Assassins Guild! Mini Challenges I haven't checked on these yet...still trying to get my challenge up with all the changes and my own scheduling hiccups... Per usual, they will be posted weekly and with their own reward system. These are always a do or don't, which includes posting and updates as necessary. We'll have to see how the changes to the NF Challenges will affect the minis...I hope they don't get discontinued... Ambassadoring Of course, it's always an honor to help budding Recruits find their way to a Home Guild... However, this round will be especially hard with all the changes to NF, to our Ambassadoring procedures and Mr. Wilies (who spear headed the Ambassadoring changes) going over to the Rangers... My goal is to do a little something in this area 5 times a week. Next Week's Focus... Ok, so I'm getting this thing up a little bit late...ok, a lotta bit late! And I'm already behind in my Lessons. So I'm going to have to work hard this week to get on track... In addition to what's listed for my Challenge, I also have a few extra appointments to juggle as well as put together my Challenge Spreadsheet...that thing keeps me on track so I don't forget (overlook) anything!! Time to tighten all the loose screws so Lesson 8 goes like clockwork...