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Hey, hey! I'm not quite as fancy-free as these lil meatballs, but my big show is over, I have some fun summer travel coming up, and life is feeling pretty sweet. Last challenge I had goals for each of the core D&D stats. I did well on CHA (music and dance practice) and STR (all the deadlifts and bench presses); reasonably okay on CON (limiting alcohol and tracking calories + protein) and WIS (practicing morning gratitudes and mindfulness), plenty room for improvement on DEX (knee physio) and INT (keeping the momentum going on the research paper I'm supposed to be writing). Still figuring out whether I will focus on areas of weakness from the last challenge or just double down on what I'm doing well at and lean into the spikiness! I guess that's what zero week is for. I can share that by the end of this challenge I'd love to weigh under 150, have that blasted paper submitted somewhere and off my desk, and be moving around more nimbly on the roughed up knee than I can currently. Now how am I going to get there? I'll figure that out soon. Today is good so far, walked doggoes breakfasted, showered, walked to campus good meeting with student A good meeting with student B hiked over to little religious-school campus where the food is better than it is on my campus got trapped there awhile by deluges of rain, but had my laptop with me and made some good paper progress! updated academic society mailing list for the upcoming conference Still to do, zip back over to my campus, specifically the gym strength workout Zumba class at 5! walk or bus home, depending on how legs are feeling food prep That's all for now! Rain looks like it is lightening up (boy did we need it) so I'm going to beetle over to the gym while the getting's good.

Hey, this is a super late add to this challenge, but I didn't feel like waiting for the next one, so, whatever. This is not a really "challenge-y" sort of challenge, just a place to log my workouts and nutrition for a while. Life has been kind of topsy-turvey for a while, and a lot of things have sucked ass, for a lot of people, not just me. So I want to spend the next three months just nourishing my body and seeing what can happen if I actually get some sunlight and a nutritious diet, and don't waste mental energy beating myself up for all of my real and imagined mistakes. I have a workout schedule to follow and a nutrition plan, but I'm not going to slavishly follow one eating style or workout program; I just want to experiment and see what happens. I don't have a huge event with a countdown timer or a dress to fit into. I just want to do stuff and have a good time. I'll probably post a bunch of images of women athletes for inspiration, in an attempt to make it interesting. I'm terrible about following other people's threads, so please don't feel obligated to follow mine.

Conquius and Jormungandr Ride to Glory Image Source: 0826 by Catan on ArtStation Adventure Log: At the end of my cross-country trip last year, my riding companions and I talked about a reunion. We decided that we'd do RAGBRAI 2022 together. That time has come, RAGBRAI is just around the corner, and I need to prepare. I'm still in decent riding shape (nowhere near the shape I was in at the end of my trip), but there's room to improve. Additionally, I have to handle some trip logistics and bike maintenance. For those unaware, RAGBRAI stands for "Register's Annual Bike Ride Across Iowa". From the RAGBRAI website: Without further ado, here are my goals for this challenge: #1. Back in the Saddle | Reward: +1 CON Establish a 2-3x a Week Cycling routine. This will either complement or replace my current lifting routine. I will have to plan this around my regular Citadel duties, such as grocery shopping and dishes. I do have one card up my sleeve, though, and that is my weekly commute. For those who don't know, I work from home. However, once a week for the past few weeks, I've been riding Jormungandr into the office. My commute is 8-12 miles each way, depending on the route I take, allowing me to easily rack up 20 miles during the week. The idea is to do two rides during the week (one workout, one commute) and one ride on the weekend, with the option of that weekend ride being a longer one. I think this will be sufficient preparation for RAGBRAI. #2. Chart the Course Plan travel logistics for RAGBRAI. This includes getting there and back, obviously, but it also includes shipping Jormungandr. Normally, I'd take an Amtrak, and use their bike carryon system, but those are all sold out. So the plan is to take an Amtrak for myself, and ship my bike in a bike box, either through the mail, or on the train with me. That means that I also have to be adept at assembling and reassembling my bike, which brings me to: #3. This is My Bicycle. There Are Many Like It But This One Is Mine. Learn to assemble and disassemble my bicycle on the go. I know how to do basic maintenance, but if I'm going to ship my bike, I need to be able to put it back together. There are bike shops who will typically provide this service for a fee, but I foresee a lot of people going to bike shops trying to get their bikes reassembled, so I'm going to learn to do this myself. I'm also trying out a new set of handlebars & shifters, so I'm throwing that project into this bucket as well.

Bike Adventuring General Thread! Whether you're a bikepacker, gravel grinder, suburban cruiser, pavement pounder, triathlete, or urban commuter, if you ride on two human-powered wheels (E-Bikes welcome!) I want to hear from you! • What kind of bike do you ride? • Tell me about your favorite ride • What kind of riding are you interested in?

Starting as I don't mean to go on yesterday - Mrs 18ck and I had our twentieth anniversary so we wandered about on the North Downs Way with our beloved offspring to give our old bones a challenge and then ate a lot of cake and drank some sparkling wine from the vineyard where we'd stopped for lunch. But that's it for cake and wine now, at least until my birthday. OK, I've been struggling a bit to stay motivated and work is not helping: I'm super-busy at the moment and likely to remains super-busy at least till the end of the month, so I think my best chance of success is to keep it simple and manageable but not so easy it's boring: I'll go for an indoor lockdown-style workout once a day, in the morning, 10-30 minutes, probably either yoga or a Joe Wicks session, and see anything on top of that as a bonus. I'm aware that I need to run a a bit and also to start working on my cycling endurance (because months ago I signed up for this shit and the day of judgement approachetheth) but I don't want to make those into goals because I don't think I'll stick to them. I'll just concentrate on cranking out small wins and see each extra as an added bonus. I am not a lost cause yet but it definitely feels like with a little inattention I could just slip into bad habits and end up giving up, so giving myself some wins is essential. I'm less worried about the cycling anyway. I've been riding so long I'm practically a bike centaur by now so my only real worry is whether I'll be able to stay up past my bedtime. I'd quite like to sign up for an organised 10k run to motivate myself for running too but money is tight and it feels like an indulgence so I might need to motivate myself the old fashioned way, through the power of prayer. Ó Rosa Mota, nossa senhora da maratona, dá-me força... Food-wise, I need to do better. Nothing sweet other than fruit, count calories every day and stay under target. And... Actually, that's it. Two goals. Exercise once a day, food under limits. I might review in early April but for now, two seems to be a realistic maintenance level. Me & my homeys out training for our 10k

Hi all! I don't really have a theme for this challenge but I do have goals! (That's the important part I guess). Last challenge went really well, so I'm not changing things up too much. Just making them a bit harder / more time consuming. I also started using Zwift (online cycling / running virtual world MMO-type thing) and will be training primarily with that. 1) Build an exercise habit by following Zwift "Back to Fitness" training program How: 2 zwift workouts / week + 1 active recovery ride or yoga Goal: at least 3 days/week "Big Why": Keeping a consistent exercise routine helps me feel less stressed and anxious. I also want to improve my general fitness and run a half marathon again. Specifically this one: https://www.princetonhalfmarathon.com/ Eventually I want to race in a triathlon sprint (then see if i like it enough to do a full distance tri) 2) Save money by reducing alcohol consumption How: No alcohol Monday-Thursday. Have water, flavored seltzer and herbal tea available as alternate option. Goal: at least 4 dry days/week "Big Why": Continuing to save up to buy a house. (Honestly we have enough, just waiting to find the right house for the right price, but additional money saved is never a bad thing) 3) Improve sleep by improving evening routine How: Week0: In bed by 10:30 on work nights (exception is D&D night or days where my work schedule is altered for night shift, etc) — not the right time, will dial the difficulty back Week1: Eating dinner before 9pm Goal: ((Still figuring this out, just going to experiment with tracking and see how that goes)) "Big Why": Sleep is good and important in order to stay healthy / recover from workouts.

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.

I have been working on training for a century. Will it happen? Who knows. Covid cases are higher than when they postponed it. I'll continue as if it will happen. Cycling twice a week PT at least twice a week preferably 3-4 Eat more protein I have started working on hill work some. Last Saturday I found a great place to ride not too far from my house and it is quite pretty. The only issue is for short workouts I need to figure out a way to warm up. I might just do an out an back on the road adjacent, but it feels silly. But the incline is more than anything on the century and I think is a good training hill. I stopped 3-4 times on my completion. Not great, but it had been many years since I drove it in my car so I wasn't sure how to pace it on a bike. I'm eager to try it again soon. Side Quest: I have been doing a Bike vs Car side quest. The current score is Bike 1: car 2 I might as well continue it. This side quest goes by calendar month and for once is almost entirely inside one challenge. Miles on the bike are compared to miles in my car.

I have been working towards a century. Mostly I have been working on building an base by just riding. Preferably at an easy pace. It's time now to start working on some other elements though. My goals: Ride 2-3 times a week. - Aiming for 3 times a week at least 50% of the challenge. I need to look at some plans. I am thinking 1 long ride, 1 easy ride of about an hour, and one ride with some climb or hills. I need to figure out a good hill climb route for training on a short day. Mainly the training will be about the same, but I need to start incorporating some hills. PT or supplemental exercise 2x a week. I have a couple problem areas that I need PT for sometimes. Food Tracking- I need to start tracking my food so I am make adjustments or note how I feel. I will aim for only 5 out of 7 days right now. Working on to-do list. Aiming for 5 days a week of just a small task or two a day. Ideally I would put together a list and awards points based on difficulty or such, but that just won't happen right now. Side Quest I have been tracking my car miles vs my bike miles. I have been working remotely and thought it would be interesting to see how this goes. This is based on calendar month not challenge timeline. I haven't decided if I will continue in December, just because I will need to start driving my bike for my training rides. I will probably start it and maybe drop off in the middle. November Bike Vs. Car so far Bike 167.8 mi vs. Car 129.6 mi

Hey all! I just got an indoor trainer and was wondering if any other Rebels use Zwift?? Maybe we could start a Club there and host race events or group rides?? I know Zwift also does running events. If I get my hands on a foot pod that could be fun to do as well!

I have long wanted to do a Century ironically COVID-19 might be the only thing that will allow me to accomplish that due to some health issues. The century I have wanted to do got pushed back. So I am training for it in case it isn't cancelled. I am still sort of playing with the feasibility of it. Main goal this challenge is just to keep to some sort of schedule and work on just building a base. My goals: Ride 20-25 miles a week in 2 rides. I want to start adding in a 3rd ride, but have been not feeling good for the last week so I'm not sure if related to heat or the extra load. I haven't been doing much, but I may not have been hydrating, eating, and/or resting properly. PT or supplemental exercise 2x a week. I have a couple problem areas that I need PT for sometimes. With the cycling and lack of a gym schedule anymore I need to do this again. I want to focus on glute and back/lat work that will help. Then I want to look into some core work for um extra credit? I can tell I need it on the bike. Food - I do need to lose weight. I mostly need to work on just eating consistently. The last two weekends I only ate two meals per day. I want to eat a decent meal of protein and veggies 2 x a week. That doesn't sound like much, but I actually had a hard time hitting it. I need to find the motivation to food prep again. I will probably weight the points for the to-do list for keeping the kitchen clean as that is the biggest deterrent for me for cooking meals. If I have a clean kitchen I default to cooking well. But if dirty default to trying to find the easiest thing to eat or go out. Track water consumption. I am usually pretty good with drinking enough fluids, but lately I have been having some issues that seem like it could be dehydration. I will count tea and water the same. Goal is just to track, make sure I have water within reach, and notice if I see any difference. 5 minutes working on to-do list. This week I want to try to put together an actual list of things I need to do and awarding points to them. I have done that in previous challenges and I found it most effective as long as I put together a decent list. It helped me not get overwhelmed and I have a bad habit of out of sight out of mind on some chores. Side Quest Since I am working from home and trying to build up mileage on the bike I thought it would be interesting to track mileage on my bike vs car. This side quest will be on a calendar timeline thus for the month of Oct. Then Nov. I will say though I had a last minute camping trip and I have not counted that towards the running total since it was more of a vacation. Bike 68.85 mi vs Car 96.9* mi (adjusted) I put on an additional 298 miles for the camping trip.

I'm a tad late to this. I do believe my last challenge (ages ago) was somewhere inbetween the " What are we holding on to, Sam? " to "I can’t recall the taste of food nor the sound of water… with nothing, no veil between me and the wheel of fire! I can see him with my waking eyes!" It had to do with big changes happening in my life and, as Frodo, I just sort of had to complete the terrible deed before anything else could be done. I suppose now it is time to get back home. I'm typically more Adventurer/Ranger, but I have always wanted to do a century. Life happened and I stopped riding. Then due to some health issues and my inability to handle the heat (I think you can see my city in the background of that gif) I'm not sure the one that I wanted to do would be feasible ever. Unless, a terrible thing happened and postponed it by 5 months and forced the core of training through our ridiculously mild winters. Enter COVID-19. IE this might be the only year ever I can do this race. (Yes "this" not "any" I get it, but its like a 20 year goal that has been on the back burner. And home advantage doesn't hurt right?) I am in need of dropping weight and need to start building a base. I have about 7 months to prepare. Good thing/bad thing is due to the way my body handles things now I have to go slow so I am a tad worried its a bit late to start, but it does give me time for it to be feasible. My goals: Ride 20 miles a week in 2 rides. Or maybe three with one being about 10 miles (preferably on road bike). No other criteria. Not trying to go fast, but merely getting use to riding again and building a base. I have been riding the last couple months on a cheap mountain bike on dirt, but I need to build up time on the road bike. I can't really spend any time in the drops yet. It's way too aggressive. Eat more deliberately. I'm going to stay kind of lax on this right now. I was emotionally eating pretty bad about a year ago. I managed to stop that, but it has still always been right there waiting. So I want to focus on just eating a little better. I want to make sure that I am cooking a decent meal at least twice a week. Decent being like a good 4-6 oz protein portion with some veggies. And making sure I have good snacks available. Track water consumption. I am usually pretty good with drinking enough fluids, but lately I have been having some issues that seem like it could be dehydration. I will count tea and water the same. Goal is just to track, make sure I have water within reach, and notice if I see any difference. 5 minutes working on to-do list. I have been pretty bad with keeping up with things lately. I will plan on just trying to spend 5 minutes a day on things I need to do. Laundry doesn't count. At least 1 item a week needs to be a bigger item. I don't have a list put together, but I have a pile of things I need to work on or sale along with some less common chores such as paint the shed.This can not be averaged and must be 5 min (ish) a day to count. But by no means will be cut off at the 5 min mark. The hard part is starting.

Getting back on the bike these last couple of weeks has taught me something - I need new bike shorts. The chamois (Pearl Izumi "Elite") that has served me well for years has either worn out, or my body has changed, or something. I'm getting pressure in very sensitive places, and chafing around the edges - those tendons/ligaments that run between your crotch and your legs, to be specific. I also seem to put a fair amount of pressure on my pubic bone, toward the front of the saddle, than I do on my "sit bones" where most chamois tend to put most of their padding. So I'm in research mode about chamois construction of the different shorts out there, and what might be the best option to help me be more comfortable in the saddle. The biggest challenge I seem to have is that my current chamois has a slightly narrower "thickest" part than the width of the bars on my saddle. This is causing me to feel the edges of where the thickest part of the chamois decreases to the medium thickness. OMG, this is literally like having a razor blade pressing into my flesh when I ride with proper form. Not exactly what one wants to feel. So I'm curious, if there are any other lady cyclists out there, what is the chamois that seems to work for you? Have you encountered any that you might recommend to someone who tends to put more pressure on her pubic bone (and the very sensitive soft tissue that lives superficial to that...) as opposed to her sit bones? Specifically I'm thinking of something that might be slightly wider in the "front"?

¸„.-•~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

A couple of challenges ago I applied to a local amateur cycling team. Last challenge they rejected* me in favor of younger, hipper riders. We all know what comes next, a rag tag team of misfits trains hard and gets it's revenge. This is the part where the training montage happens. Grinds/ Strength Day - 2 or 3 days a week Double Racked Squat KB Rows Double KB Cleans Push Ups - I prefer OH Press, but my shoulders are weak and fragile. Hanging Knee Raise or Hanging Leg Tuck Ballistics Day - once or twice a week KB Swings, I might experiment with snatches. Cycling - 3 days a week, an hour each is the bare minimum standard Probably all on the indoor trainer in front of terrible movies. Yoga/ Mobility - I hate yoga so much, I have to figure something out here. *I seriously can not fathom why they are limiting participation at all. Non-Fitnessing Stuff Keep using a daily planner to make sure I'm not neglecting anything important. Keep the checkbook balanced. Here's a re-post of my introduction from the holiday challenge: • I like bullet points • I love big quads (and glutes) • I’ve been around NF forever, almost as long as @Elastigirl so long ago that if you emailed support @Steve answered. • I’m in my second half-century • I’m not as fast as I used to be • I’m 100% slow-twitch (hence the name) so I never was fast anyway • I teach sixth grade science in a city public school, I’m adequate • I have a better wife and kids than I deserve • In the summer I love to do marathon mountain bike races • In the winter I like to do nothing • Those last two facts are incompatible • I like working out with kettlebells, sandbags, and sledgehammers. Also battle ropes, but I don’t have one • I seem to witness or experience more than my fair share of minor odd events • we foster sad-sack dogs and get them adoptable • I don’t like the challenge system and instead tend to write about any of the above items plus tacos. And here's a re-post of my apparently premature re-cap of the last 8 years of fitnessing (thanks for the reminder @loire ). • When I got here I was at least 205# /93kg (I quit looking at the scale after 200); race weight is 168# / 76kg. • I couldn't bike more than a couple miles without stopping even at the cities' easiest trail. • I tried weightlifting. It wasn't helpful. • I learned the ways of the sledgehammer, I got fitter and stronger and leaner. • I learned the ways of the kettlebell, I got more stronger. • I got back in shape, mostly. • My first race back I was approximately 397th out of 400. They were packing up the venue when I came in. • My mom, aunt (second mom), FIL all died of cancer the same year. I spent a year just sitting in hospitals, nursing homes, and living rooms. My body was so jacked up from constantly sitting that I couldn't walk down stairs and one day I fell down them. • I started doing yoga in fits and starts. • I started getting back in shape. • I blew out my back and broke a knuckle the same summer. • I started getting back in shape. • I got back down to race weight. • I started playing D&D again. • I got fast enough to finish in the middle of the pack again. • Somewhere in here I went to Texas and met a bunch of cool nerds. I've also had the pleasure of hanging out with @The Most Loathed , @Bearlee , and met up with the Minnesota nerds. • I crashed on my head hard and spent most of the next month napping and avoiding bright lights. • My brain got wonky, I quit working out so much and lost fitness. • My weight went back up (currently down to 183#). • I started getting back in shape. • Somewhere in here I did several hammer races. Hammer Racing with @EricMN , @Rooks , @The Most Loathed , @Shello are lifetime fitness highlights. • I got an unofficial 3rd place at an underground 24hr road race. • My team got 3rd place in a 24hr. mountain bike race - after a million years I finally podiumed. • I'm getting in shape again. Thanks for all of the support nerd friends.

Last challenge was accomplished though my tracking and reporting was lacking. Because of that I'm going to include "getting you that TPS report" in my goals this time around. I don't get back from our trip to Colombia until the 11th, and then I dive right into rehearsals for Pippin, directing the one-act showcase for the local theatre (that's easy, just three rehearsals and one performance), and work hitting the busiest time of year (start of the semester). I'm focused on getting pre-PA classes taken care of so I'll be taking one class (though that could be counseling instead), and I'm going to try and fit some kind of workouts (cardio, strength, and flexibility) in even if it's just PT for my rotator cuff. I blamed it on skiing at the doc's office but I wonder how much trapeze did too... Anyway specifics are forthcoming but in a general sense: 1. Hike, bike, or run, three times per week. 2. PT four days per week, bonus points for an actual lifting session that includes the PT exercises 3. One stretching session per week. 4. Sign up for either Human Anatomy, Chemistry 1 w/lab, or an appropriate upper-level biology class and do all the assignments, or sign up for one COUN class at the Denver campus and do all THOSE assignments. 5. Report into NF at least weekly. Oh, and I'll make time to go see that movie I earned last challenge with Mrs. MG.... not sure when or how, but it will happen. Hopefully before the in-laws leave so we don't have to find a sitter too!!!

I pretty much gave up last challenge and ate So last challenge I did two GORUCKS and then really just sat around and ate. two years a go my pre IRONMAN Texas race weight was 163lbs. Up until a few months a go I have stayed down in the 165's or so. That has recently gone way off the charts though. This morning I was 175lbs. That being said I know a lot of it is sodium but I still have gained close to 10lbs I am guessing. It is not helping that my In Laws are here until Sunday and we are drinking and eating out every night. I can try to use that excuse but last nights burger and brownie sundae were my choice as opposed to a salad. The Delerium Red on draft was excellent though and I have never seen that. So for this challenge I would like to get under 163lbs, yes lose 12lbs in 5 weeks. Keep in mind though I should drop 3-5 quickly due to sodium. I also have two other minor goals, WOD daily, and eat paleo clean(this will be how I lose the weight). Lose 12 lbs WOD daily(includes stretching) Eat Paleo I do have a GORUCK heavy in 3 months so my WODs will be a 3 day rotation. Lift Recovery(swimming usually) Ruck, and possible light WOD That is about it for me. Kicking this off today 6/25.

*Middle Aged Man in Lycra It’s time to get some miles in. I’ll also be doing this kettlebell endurance program in a last ditch effort to be prepared for the racing season.

Hello visitor. For those who don't know me, mandatory background info: Here are my goals this challenge. I'm doing a bare minimum because I've just been "done/tired" with everything lately. My mental health is not quite up there, so I take it easy for a bit. #1 No Snacking - No snacking on weekdays - A snack is anything not part of a meal (max 3 meals a day) - Fruit and nuts are not counted - A deep fried cafeteria snack is still a snack, even if it's eaten with lunch #2 Intermittent Fasting - Every day for at least 15 hours (up 1 hour from last challenge) #3 Cardio - 3x a week - Walking / Cycling / Spinning - At least 5 km or 20 min I've decided to do my fitness goal slightly different, mostly more relaxed and have me stressing a lot less. The important thing is that I do exercise 3x a week, doesn't matter whether that is on a bike or on my own feet. IF is gonna be challenging again. Last challenge I did manage 100% at 14 hours though, so I'm feeling confident! That's all there is to it. I generally use this thread to journal. I also post challenge updates reguraly. This challenge I will use Track your fast and Habit Bull for tracking. This in place of my handy spreadsheet.

Not sure how to post this, so this is a placeholder until the next 4-week challenge hits. Just a quick dip back into Rangering after almost a year of wandering in the forest... Goals for this session: 1. Work out five or more days per week--two days of strength training, three days of cardio 2. Reduce LDL cholesterol intake/Increase soluble fiber intake 3. Pick a race for April (10K) 4. Keep track of spending Let's face it. I've got a lot going on. I have a full time job, a seven year old kiddo, a delightful wife, and a dog that wants to run more. Daylight saving time just hit so it's possible to run after work again. Not that I *like* running after work, but it is possible. Maybe I can give it a try. Meanwhile, I've been getting to the gym to actually lift weights lately, so I'll start tracking that better and being more committed. Twice a week should be do-able. Finally, the last blood work I had done indicated that I have passed the cozy ignorance of "borderline high" cholesterol and have plunged directly into "HIGH" cholesterol. And not the good kind. So I'm going to eat oatmeal or make my vegetable/raspberry/orange smoothie every day. The former provides a decent ton of soluble fiber, and the latter provides even more. I'll suss out the details but I wanted to get this on the boards before tomorrow. No fancy theme, no well-crafted life goals, just some simple healthy rules to live by and the accountability of thousands of nerd rangers at my back. I can do it.

I skipped the last challenge, but things have still been happening over here in my little corner -- wedding planning, family trip to Spain (holy drama llamas guys), work getting really busy, and the normal episodes of the sads. When we saw this movie fiance was like THAT'S YOU. Unfortunately true. So the year is shaping up like this: February bachelorette in San Diego May 6 Flying Pig Half Marathon June 3 Spartan Sprint Ohio July 1 WEDDING!!!!! September Honeymoon in Portugal I'm such a lucky duck. Goal 1 - Dial in Nutrition (for real this time) So...fiance and I are doing another Whole 30. It's going pretty smoothly, I'm not even having bad cravings (though fiance is...he's dreaming of pizza lol). My post-W30 is always the struggle. This year I have my bachelorette in San Diego right after, and I tend to enjoy non-paleo food and wine. But once I come home I will be shopping Complete the Whole 30 Enjoy my bachelorette party. Eat intentionally and consciously. Go back to mostly Whole 30 eating (~90%) Goal 2 - Training, duh As a Christmas gift my mom signed me up for the Flying Pig half. Training starts this week, eek! The goal components: Complete all half marathon training runs Yoga/barre/pilates 2x/week Complete the Nargles 9k Goal 3 - Be Happy Meditate every day (this is my 2018 resolution and I've been successful so far) Go to bed by 9:30 Wake up at 5am - this is to facilitate either getting in early to get on top of my work, or having a quiet moment alone before heading into the office. Last Saturday I watched a sad movie (Only the Brave), and I don't follow a lot of news so the tragic end hit me really hard. Over the next hours I went into a depressive tailspin that ended with me sobbing on the floor trying to explain to fiance that I was sad for no reason. This is on a day that I took an awesome barre class and then played tennis. Eating Whole 30, working out...it's frustrating to feel like I"m doing everything right and still get the doldrums. All I can do is work on the little things. ETA: Rereading this it sounds really depressing but I wanted to note that these episodes are occasional. And after I cry I feel better. The Whole 30 is just sort of exposing this stuff because I can't stress or emotional eat, so I end up just kind of wallowing in it.

Back in the prehistoric days before the internet Siskel & Ebert's movie review show was incredibly important. We watched it religiously even though we rarely went to the movies. Most of my fitness habits are in maintenance, even if they weren't, February and March are cruel months in Minnesota and in education and I likely wouldn't make further progress. However, I have a few long races this summer - three 40 mile and a 6 hour mountain bike race and a 99 mile gravel race - and my endurance base needs to be a lot deeper. I've been ignoring my endurance because I tend to take it for granted and because long trainer sessions are sooooo boring... For this challenge I'm going to try to accumulate 30 hours of zone 2 training, including zero week. More if I'm able to ride outside. I'll report out on whatever terrible movies I watch to keep myself going.

I HAVE SO MANY THINGS TO SHARE Overview Since I first started doing challenges, I've known there are sort of "4 pillars" of fitness that I thrive under - walking, eating primalish, yoga/mobility work, and strength training. Every one of my challenges includes these in some way or another, although the eating is a big question mark right now. Last challenge, I was overall pretty good. I did a ton of work on reducing stiffness and increasing mobility, and I was overall very active. Last challenge, I also confessed my secret dream of doing a triathalon despite wobbly cycling, an inability to breathe while I swim, and constant running injuries. I made less progress in these areas. So like any good ranger, I am working on goals related to these three areas on top of my 4 pillars. I also had wrist surgery last October after struggling with wrist pain for a little over a year. That whole process really forced me to cut back on pushups / dips and I've seen a huge reduction in overall strength, which is frustrating. On top of that, I'm also trying to get back into Aikido, which I stopped doing after I moved in August / had to have wrist surgery. And of course I might as well throw some sort of non-fitness goal in there too, right??? Is this way more things than is reasonable? Yes. But a baby's gotta do what a baby's gotta do. Honestly, I'm frustrated with how weak I feel. And I'm waaaaay overly scared of trying new things (like going to a pool I've never used before). So I'm going to try to embrace the baby mindset and accept that I am where I am, but I've gotta do the things anyway. PILLAR 1: Flexibility If I do yoga or other flexibility work, I feel about 60% better even if I do nothing else. I feel good in my body. I don't feel stiff. I feel more in tune with my needs. I've done 18/30 days of this year's Yoga With Adrienne Challenge. I want to finish the remaining 12 videos this month. Continue slowly integrating MWOD stuff into my routine and reading Becoming a Supple Leopard. No specific goal here other than to keep trying to do the sessions regularly. Continue doing GST videos 2x/week (45 minutes each), skipping yoga on GST days ROADMAP: At the end of the month when these things are done, I can: A - pick up the third and final GST stretching video, B - Sign up for some in person yoga classes, and/or C - Do a 14 day mobility challenge using either Becoming a Supple Leopard or Ready to Run. PILLAR 2: Walking I work from home and don't have a very active social life. If I don't deliberately take the time to walk, I do not walk. Ever. And I really like walking and hiking. It's also just really important for basic health because people are meant to walk. Walk 16 miles per week (2 miles weekdays, 3 miles weekends) - this only counts deliberate walks and not overall steps/distance, although TBH there's not a huge difference. PASS: 12 miles. EXTRA CREDIT: 20 miles. For each week I do extra credit, I can put $10 towards hiking/backpacking gear goals. ROADMAP: Start rucking again now that I have a better backpack for it, begin exploring local hiking trails more. PILLAR 3: Strength Pretty self explanatory. I seem to naturally be pretty strong and I like doing strength work, but I have a lot of recovery to do after surgery, etc. Do at least 2 startbodyweight sessions per week, and do at least pullups and pushups in a 3rd session (exception - for Zero week I'll just do 2 sessions and an OCR workout without the extra push/pull work) ROADMAP: After a month or so of consistency, re-evaluate whether I want to push forward or switch tactics. Options include: Keep going until I feel stuck on startbodyweight (aiming for 3x/week?) Redo/finally complete GMB Elements program Look into actual lifting at a real gym Look into GST foundations program Look into GMB integral strength program Intro class at local crossfit place (there's one where the coach is also a certified running coach) PILLAR 4: Food Kind of a mess, tbh. I don't even know where to begin here. I'm doing a lot of slow and mindful exploration right now, so it's hard to set a concrete goal. Eat 5 servings of freggies/day. PASS: 3 veggies specifically. EXTRA CREDIT: 3 consecutive days. For any 3 consecutive days, I accumulate $10 towards a kitchen gadget or fancy food of some sort. I may need to recalibrate this as I go. Triathaloning The big challenge here is just getting out and doing a couple things that make me nervous. Once I've done them I'll be fine, but that initial 20s of courage keeps stopping me up. From there, it's a matter of establishing the basic skills. It may require lessons - tbd. Take my bike in for that tuneup and go on at least one real outdoor ride (I've been delaying because it's winter, but it's not actually really snowy at all here so I can go out.) Weekly cycling session, increasing by 5 minutes total time each week Go swimming. Just get there and figure out how to use the swimming facility. It doesn't even matter what I do. Just do it at least one time. Continue trying to run without injuring myself Get running gait analysis on the 12th to help diagnose form issues ROADMAP: Start working towards 2.5 hours of aerobic work per week to establish a good base Aikido Visit the 2 closest dojos and observe sessions - either sign up for one of those or explore the other dojos in the area. By the end of the challenge, my goal is to know where I want to practice and to sign up somewhere. Non-Fitness I already meditate/practice Japanese through duolingo daily, but I feel like I don't spend enough time on self improvement / learning outside of fitness. FRUGAL FEBRUARY. I do this every year and have already started for the month. No extra purchases at all allowed for the month. Exceptions: Book I already preordered that comes out on Feb 6th & 1 REI purchase since I have a $20 gift card that is going to expire and I want to use it Spend 2 hours/week on some sort of personal development - I have a bunch of things it can be and for now I'll just choose freely based on what I feel like doing - whittling or other creative exploration, work related reading, python, harmonica practice, etc. Do 1 thing/week to connect with my father Prioritization This is a lot of things, so there will be times when I can't do them all. I definitely want to make strength work priority #1. If it's a choice between that and something else, I'll prioritize the workout. Everything else is about even. Flexibility work is even with walking. Aikido is even with swimming and getting a bike tuneup. Running is a slight priority over cycling, but they're about the same.

Hello Scouts! I thought I give this guild a try My name is Siferiax, or Sif, or Siffy, or... be creative! I'm a female and 30 years old. I have a boyfriend and two cats. I'm working within the limitations of autism & hypermobility (the moment flexibility SUCKS) I love road cycling and spinning. I also love walking. I unfortunately have quite a road cycling trauma I have to get over at the start of every season. I made a false start with a walking goal last year. The idea was to walk every single weekend for the entire year. Hypermobility basically ruined it and it ended up with me unable to walk for more than 30 min. I got shoe soles and special physical therapy and I'm happy to be able to say I CAN walk again. SO this year I'm again going for that goal! Unfortunately my problems with cycling haven't been resolved yet. I have been to the hospital and hopefully soon I'll get a special adjustment in my cycling shoe. Right now I do spinning for at least 20 minutes. Sometimes it goes well and I go for longer and sometimes it doesn't. I have been doing more spinning though. Right now I'm trying for Tuesday and Thursday. As for diet I'm currently focusing on Intermittent Fasting (IF) and no snacking (see below). I'm otherwise eating whatever I want. This has to do with my mental health in part and my sanity as another part. I'm a very picky eater and I dislike a lot of common foods. And ESPECIALLY I can't take anything spicy/hot/sharp/whatever you wanna call it. And with anything I mean not even in the slightest. Which is a challenge all it's own. And that's basically my background in regards to my health. ONTO THE FUTURE! I focus on habits instead of goals, but I have decided on some passing grades. So here goes. #1: No snacking (+WIS) Limited to weekdays only. On weekends I can snack, though it shouldn't be a snack feast either. A snack is defined as follows: anything not part of a meal (max 3 meals a day) and not a fruit or nut. Snacks as part of a meal are not tolerated when they fall into the category of deep fried cafeteria snack. (I seem to gain a bad habit there) Passing grade: 50% #2: Intermittent fasting (+STA) I fast at minimum 14 hours every day. I don't hold strictly at times, though usually I don't eat between 19:00 and 9:00. Passing grade: 100% #3: Drink 2 bottles of water (+CON) Every weekday I drink 2 bottles of water (I have 2 bottles with me to work) On the weekend I don't use my bottles, but should be mindful to drink enough Passing grade: 100% #4: Physical Therapy (+STR) As part of my recovery from downright evil hip problems I had physical therapy. I should still be doing this every day. They are mostly core strength exercises. Passing grade: 25% #5: Walking (+STA) I love walking and I want to do more of it! I want to not be limited by my endurance or muscles. I walk at least once a week. At least 5km. My end goal would be to have enough endurance for a vacation to New Zealand (goal and reward wrapped up into one ) Passing grade: 100% #6: Cycling / Spinning (+DEX) More spinning more better! And road cycling when weather allows. They are my absolute joys! I cycle (outside or inside) at least once a week for at least 20 minutes. Passing grade: 50% #7: Take medication (+CON) So on top of all the limitations I have... I have some more I have laxatives as a "real" medication. I also have supplements for my period. I should be taking my laxatives every day. Period supplements are more... flexible?! Passing grade: 25% #8: Creativity (+CHA) I want to be more creative. Writing, drawing, designing, coloring, you name it. I want to do a creative activity at least once a week. D&D Prep and D&D sessions count toward this. Passing grade: 0% As you can see my passing grades are all over the place. They indicate my focus and most important habits. For example IF is one of my main focus, while creativity is more of a nice to have. These grades and exact habits are probably going to change every challenge I don't change goals, I change focus and details. I use a nifty Google spreadsheet to track all these things. Including my current streak. Link is in my signature EDIT: I forgot I was gonna do stats again Here's the challenge start stats as I promised myself last challenge: STR: 2 | DEX: 2 | STA: 3 | CON: 1 | WIS: 1 | CHA: 1 What's what? I've added to my goals what they can earn me! I always felt the stats go up too quickly. So I earn 1 point for getting at least a passing grade. I'm not gonna bother with levels, so I'm leaving those out.