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NF7: the Predator Pounces, Part 1 And so it begins... Going to stick with a fairly simple challenge this time out, as I'm just coming off a heavy work streak and am feeling the need to streamline. Since the Challenges are shorter now, I’m going to break a larger challenge into 3-4 smaller sections, as I have smaller goals that will build up to a larger event in April. I'm planning to have extra time to devote to healthiness and such, though, as I'm finally taking a sabbatical from work for a few months. Since I am a freelancer, that just means I either don't answer the phone or I answer the phone and then lie about being booked. It's not like I had to make a tear-stained appeal to Human Resources or anything. I did have to tell one contract client that I wasn't available to take any more work with them, which I'm not sure they actually believed. Anyway! On to the challenge. I have three (yes, only three!) areas to work on, and I'm using one reference as a guide for each. I have a bunch of other things rattling around in my skull, but since I didn't want to do the whole "it's January and I must CHANGE MY LIFE COMPLETELY" nonsense, I'm going to restrain myself to these three. Then I can layer on more on the next time. Clean it up: using the excellent "Eat Like A Predator" essay by J Stanton as a guideline, I want to do a serious Paleo reboot. My eating went to hell in a handbasket after Thanksgiving and I need to feed the machine properly. Very limited grains, no sugar, no proccessed carbs except on bike days. (Then I'm allowed a powerbar and some gatorade.) Goal: there's 21 possible meals in a week, although I tend to only eat twice a day, so I'm aiming for no more than 2 non-paleo meals per week. I’m still pondering if I want to count carbs this time around. Work it out: I'm taking a quote by Kelly Starrett, Crossfit coach extrordinaire, as my inspiration: "What it [crossfit] does is expand the consciousness of what's possible. By the way, you CAN run this mountain 7k AND still be brutally strong - in fact, why aren't you?" I have a new, circuit-training style gym workout which I want to do 3 days a week, and add my cycling in around that. Mobility work at least 4 days a week (my mobility work is a simple yoga routine that takes about 15 minutes). Essentially I'm trying to be more of an all-round athlete; quick, strong, flexible, and agile. Not as strong as a powerlifter, not as fast as a sprinter, but more versatile than both. In other words: Ranger Badass. Goal: minimum of 2x gym, 2x bike. Easy Peasy. Maximize my outdoor time with walking, hiking, etc. Level it up: part of the reason I am taking a sabbatical is to work on some personal projects and turn my career in a more creative, self-controlled direction. I played around with a few ideas and I've finally come up with a web series/podcast combo that I'm going to start making called The Haunted Seas - all about ghost stories, folk tales, and haunted places having to do with the ocean, and where you can go to see and experience them. Think of it as Rick Steves meets Ghost Hunters, with a little bit of Point Break thrown in. (The original, not that piece-of-shit remake.) Also, I need to finish the nature film I made last year and promote it. Goal: one webisode and two podcasts a month. I have no idea how to do a podcast, btw, so the learning curve should be…interesting. But I really want to stretch myself creatively and explore some new ideas. Inspiration/reference: Captain Jack Sparrow. So... Here we go...

So after almost two years of no serious competition (TBH the Scottish Judo Open was more an experiment in seeing if I could still cut weight like a pro) I'm returning to competition. My first will most likely be a judo grading as the London IBJJF Open is a bit out of my league, bearing in mind I have to fight at blue belt. "Gentle means tired" was a favourite phrase used during competition preparation at the judo club, and right now I'm gentle very often. Sport Specific Activity: I'm already at classes regularly but I shy away a bit during rolling, people are gentle and won't hurt me. I can get in on this. Goal: Rolling and Randori - aim for only sitting out one round max. ( STA - 2) Conditioning: I have a conditioning program in place that will help me with power output in competition. I just have to actually do it three times a week. I will also keep up the drills from my previous challenge and shift the focus on inversion and DLR/ Spider guard drills. Goal: conditioning program 3xpw (STA - 3) Goal: Morning drills 4xpw (DEX - 5) Healthy Eating: This is where IIFYM goes back to "if it fits your macros" and not "if it fits your mouth" Goal: Keep avg calories below 1900 (as I'm still needing to lose extra bulk weight ;_; ) (CON - 2) Respecting the Men Folk: To put it bluntly, I'm good at respecting them in a sporting sense but not in a relationship sense. Over the past six months I have upset many of the men folk by really just not caring. The worst part was calling out another black belt (who I really should have respected as being the same level) purely because of the dating scenario presented. Worked out OK and mutual respect developed. This incident made me realise I'd gone a bit weird. I just haven't got round to do anything about it till not. Goal: Keep trolling, teasing and "Fite me bro" to a level that doesn't cause angry texts and getting ignored. (CHA - 3)

I've been working steadily on martial arts, and have progressed a lot. However, beyond the stances found in forms, and looking at the flow of many sparring bouts, I've gained a much deeper appreciation for how footwork can demonstrate a person's true ability, and I wanted to find a way to develop my footwork, without adding in more specifically martial arts training than I already have, which is pushing seven to eight hours a week, not including time spent training my body in to adapt to various situations. Which brings me to this- would taking up a dance, such as zumba, be valuable to developing footwork?

[First of all, can I tell you how hard it is to find pictures on the internet of female rangers/amazons or pretty much ANY female protagonist that isn't either hyper-sexualized or, conversely, uber-cute? Sheesh! I just want a tough female ranger/amazon picture that isn't scantily clad. C'mon, people, I am more than my "assets"! /rant] 8K's, Muscles, and New 'Dos! (also known as, "Train for an 8k, part 2!") For those that have run the hidden pine trails with me, my goals this challenge are similar to last challenge. The last couple weeks of the challenge last time got derailed slightly; iphone glitch, travel, hiking trip, friends visiting (dangit it's getting out of schedule that does it.....darn you, life); I want to continue on where I left off. RUN T/TH/SAT My non-NF Scout friends are not letting me off the hook for running the 8k. They are even driving 5 hours (each way) out of their way to come and get me. srsly. Therefore, I must run. All that driving can't be for nothing. I need to pick back up on the 13 week walk/run program. LIFT M/W/F *Stronglifts 5x5* That's right. I'm going to start Stronglifts 5x5. Slightly nervous here... but I am excited at the thought of learning how to DL and all that jazz. It's kind of amusing tho that the program is specifically geared toward guys. C'mon, women like to lift to, brah! I really do want to continue with building core strength... so I also am going to include: MUST PLANK 30s, and 30s on each side too. MUST DO 10x3 back raises. I figure that core will be built doing Stronglifts too, which is why I am not upping the back raises challenge from last time. TRACK ERRY DAY That's right. I'mma continue to track my food, via pictures. Why? Because having to post pictures of the 15 chocolate covered mini-donuts that I want to consume is a wonderful deterrent to unhealthy eating. I've actually been eating more healthy (as far as home-cooked meals go), especially this last challenge. The only thing I am going to change is, I don't want to come back and explain what I just ate. (Unless you ask, then I'll be happy to share). I just think one more step creates that much more of a barrier to consistent tracking. Life Quest: I GOTS MA HURR DID! EVERY WEEK I'm embarking on my very first non-fitness related quest! Huzzah! I figured that if I am going to have the body of an Amazon, then I should at least have awesome hair to go with it. I usually stick my hair up in a ponytail, or braid it down the back. Or I pin my bangs back. That's it. BUT THAT NEEDS TO CHANGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So.... Every week I need to look up a new hairstyle and try it out! And, I'll post pictures!

Fellow Rangers! I am writing you this from the depths of the Canadian Amazon Jungle. My adopted tribe has sent me here as part of my transformation from hobbit to Amazon warrior. Though I am a hobbit, my Ranger class suits the skill set needed to become a true Amazon warrior - that is, an Amazon must be equipped and ready to handle many situations. The (non-NF) Scouts I met during my last challenge have invited me to train for and complete an 8k run in October, so my tribe has sent me here to train with them. Of course, I represent the Amazons and so must attain excellence, so I must compete against as well as train with these Scouts. So my Challenge is: TRAIN FOR 8K RUN (Part 1)! 1. RUN! STA +3 CHA +1 DEX +1 My tribe has given me scrolls containing ancient scout training. I've already started it - Tuesday will mark the beginning of week 3 - and it will continue past the end of this challenge. 13 Week Beginning Runner's Handbook - Run/Walk 10k training - TUES/THURS/SAT - track on Nike+ *edit: iPhone quit. See below post. Cuz I'm lazy. 2. LIFT! STR +3 CHA +2 There is a small Amazon training arena near where I live. There, I am to lift heavy things repeatedly, 3 days a week. I am NOT to skip core bodyweight exercises, but must do at least 30 seconds of planks and 3 sets of back raises. MON/WED/FRI 3. TRACK! STA +3 WIS +2 I failed in my last attempt to track what I ate with words and numbers, so this time I am to track with pictures. I must send them here regularly. ERRY DAY *edit: for the time that I am without an iPhone, I can log what I eat here. Edited! Let's keep the awesome thingie cuz it's awesome!

Main Quest: Fit in size 7 jeans by Nov 27 2014 (Current size: 10/11-ish) 1) Be active every day except Sunday The goal is basically "be more active" - but it gives me the freedom to be active in whichever way suits my day. I had previously tried to structure my goal so that on particular days I did particular things, but it was a little constraining for where my life was at. I mean, I have to put in the effort to just suck it up and do it, but I think this will give me a lot more mental freedom to just do something each day. And, if I choose to go to the gym and workout, awesome. If I choose to take the dog for a 30 min walk, awesome. If I choose to run, awesome. As long as I do something, this will work. 2) One glass of water for every cup of coffee. I am keeping this one the same from my previous attempts at challenges because it actually worked out really well. It kept me hydrated and it also gave me a definite goal that was easy to achieve. Thanks for joining me on my journey!

Greetings fellow Rangers! This is my first time on the forums and my first challenge, so this should be interesting. I'm a soon-to-be 30 year old female veterinarian (bonus points to anyone who can spot the name reference WITHOUT Google) who would probably fit in with the Dwarf race. I'm relatively short (5'4"), not too thin (135lbs.) but most of it is muscle (<20% bodyfat). My friends usually say that, though I'm smaller than them, they'd never want to pick a fight with me lol. I'm here because an injury has led to a need to pursue some cross-training. By nature I'm a weight-lifter and an endurance runner....*pause for the laughter at picturing a stocky, red-headed dwarf running for 10 miles with legs blurred like Marvin the Martian to die away*....but my right leg developed some serious tightness of the ilio-tibial band several months ago and my training is only just getting back on track. For the moment, though, my running is limited to only a couple of miles per day and legs weights down to 2/3 of what I normally lift, so I can feel my muscles getting squidgy. I know there are other exercises out there, I've just never really tried any of them and finding the motivation to do so has been a challenge. Hence why I am here, to push myself to branch out a little and build up my lost strength so I can once again tear through miles of trees and mud with reckless abandon. With that in mind, here is my plan of attack: 1). Go to the gym 4 mornings a week - without the ability to run for an hour every morning, I really need to utilize my gym membership more. The plan is to run there from home (about a mile), do 2x20min sessions on different machines (i.e. 20 minutes on the bike and 20 minutes on the rowing machine) or weight training, then run back home. So here's what a weekly schedule SHOULD look like (hopefully): M = 20min bike, 20min rowing T = 40min weight training W = off T = 20min rowing, 20min elliptical F = 40min weight training 2). Increase my protein intake gradually to reach 100g a day. If I want to build up muscle then I need to give it the proper building blocks and I've always struggled with protein intake (probably because meat is expensive), so I'm going to be looking at ways to gradually increase from my current intake (60-70g a day) up to 100g a day consistently. This will probably include protein shakes and lots of lentils, but any other ideas would be greatly appreciated. 3). Do at least 30min of yoga 5 nights a week. This is something I do occassionally now, but I'd like to make it a more permanent feature, as I love it and find it really increases my flexibility. There's no point in having all that muscle if it can only move 2 inches. My "level-up your life" goal is also something I've been wanting to do for ages but just lack the commitment to make it happen. I really want to learn basic Hindi, as I've been to India on a work placement and would really love to go back, and I've downloaded over 100 online recorded lessons that are only 10-15 minutes each, but as I said, finding the motivation after a day at work can be difficult. But for this 6 weeks, I'm going to push myself to go through 5 lessons a week, that's one each weeknight which is definitely achieveable. So that's my battle strategy to get myself from injury recovery to dashing demon in 6 weeks!!