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It's been almost a year since I've been on nerdfitness. So where have I been? Incubating a baby. And then birthing a baby. And then keeping said baby alive while going slowly insane. (FYI - the term "Baby Blues" really doesn't do it justice). Now I've come out of the fog and am ready to shed some of this baby weight and start feeling a bit more like myself again. I want to get back into dance and start repairing my body. I've been swing dancing for a number of years and continued to do so until a couple weeks before I gave birth, which kept me in decent shape. However, recovering from birth is much harder than I expected. I will spare everyone the TMI details, but let's just say the postpartum period has been difficult on my body (and mind). Now that I've gotten into a bit of a groove with this whole motherhood thing, I want to focus on my wellbeing again. I am the heaviest I've ever been and not feeling like myself. I've always enjoyed these challenges so I'm hopping aboard. Stats Starting stats: Weight: 230 lbs (I don't currently own a scale, so I'll get back to you on that. The last time I was weighed, I was 230 lbs, but that was before I pushed out at least 8 pounds of baby, fluid, and other... "stuff"). Chest: 44" Waist: 40.5" Hips: 47.5 1/4" Main Goal To focus on my wellbeing, physically and mentally, and return to hobbies that made me feel good. Quests 1) Dance! I used to do 3+ hours of swing dance per week, whether taking class, teaching class, or going to social dances. Now with a baby, that's not possible, but I'd like to commit to 1 hour per week, either in class or just practicing solo moves at home. Goal: 1 hour/week Grading: 15 points per hour +2 STA +1 DEX 2) Get out of the house! I'm house-bound a lot with the baby, so a priority for my mental health will be to leave the house with baby 3 times per week - this could be a quick walk with the stroller, or a visit to the movies (our local cinema has a "Stars and Strollers" program once a week). I'm already registered for baby massage on Mondays, so we're on our way to this goal! Goal: 3 outings/week Grading: 5 points per outing +1 CHA 3) Log my food Food is where I falter. I will be logging my meals in My Fitness Pal every weekday. Goal: Log food every week day Grading: 3 points per log +1 WIS Grading Scheme A = 160+ points B = 140+ points C = 125+ points D = 100+ points F = less than 90 points --- "I want her to be a flapper, because flappers are brave and gay and beautiful." - Zelda Fitzgerald

MAIN QUEST: Become a master of disguise. Or at least an actress who can dance like she’s in Buenos Aires and can perform feats of magnificent skill. … Like a ninja. Pascal, my Spirit Animal for this challenge When the question was posed in the Assassins’ Den last challenge about what kind of Fitness Superhero we aspire to be, I mentioned that I want to be a chameleon, where I can blend into whatever role I’m needed to be (or want to be) easily. It’s part of my whole thing of always striving to be a better actress, after all. And what better role model for an aspiring chameleon than a ninja? QUEST 1: NINJA TRAINING [+2 STR +1 DEX, +1 STA] A ninja is always training, always striving to better herself or himself, always getting stronger, etc. And so, I will endeavor to workout 5x/week. There are some extra requirements to this, however: I must lift at least 2x/week. I must work through pull-up progressions and toes-to-bar progressions at least 2x/week. I must work on flexibility for at least 10 minutes at least 5x/week. The other three workouts must be over a duration of at least 30 minutes/session. This can be cumulative throughout the day if necessary. The flexibility time can count as part of the 30 minutes (and yes, if I work on flexibility for 30 minutes, that alone will be enough to count), as can any work done towards the two quests below. A = Criteria 100% Met | B = 75% Met | C = 50% Met | D = 25% Met QUEST 2: GO NINJA GO NINJA GO [+2 DEX] You thought this was going to be a TMNT gif, didn’t you? There’s no dance party like a ninja dance party! Since I’m always working to improve my dancing, 2x/week, I will work on Latin-style dance basics in preparation for my summer in Evita. Videos: http://www.howcast.com/guides/905-how-to-do-the-argentine-tango/ http://www.howcast.com/guides/909-how-to-samba/ http://www.howcast.com/guides/660-how-to-dance-salsa/ A = 2x/week | C = 1x/week QUEST 3: NINJA BALANCE [+2 DEX] A ninja must have balance. With that in mind, I will work on hand and leg balances and inversions 3x/week for at least 10 minutes. Library of Poses: http://www.yogajournal.com/category/poses/types/arm-balances/ http://www.yogajournal.com/category/poses/types/balancing/ http://www.yogajournal.com/category/types/inversions/ A = 3x/week | B = 2x/week | C = 1x/week LIFE QUEST: NINJA BENTO [+1 CON] Going on a mission without a packed lunch is a terrible idea. While I’ve gotten better at bringing lunch to work, my lunches could stand to be healthier since lately they've just been frozen dinners, which are so gross I never even finish them, which is hampering my "get stronger" quest since I’m not eating enough, or I turn to the junk food around the office to get the calories my body is demanding. So, twice a week, I will pack a homemade lunch and bring it to work. A = 2x/week | C = 1x/week SIDE QUEST: NINJA MISSIONS [+1 WIS] What’s a ninja without missions to go on? Even if it is as simple as, "I need that hole punch." Having a to-do list really worked last time to help keep my life in order, and I want to keep that up especially since my life is going to start picking back up with crazy busy-ness. But based on lessons learned from last time, I’m going to make a couple of adjustments: one, that Saturday and Sunday will combine to make one to-do list for the entirety of the weekend; and two, that there is no minimum number of things I need to cross off, as long as I make an honest effort at doing as many things on the list as possible. A = 6x/week | B = 4-5x/week | C = 3x/week | D = 1-2x/week Let's Go Ninja!!!!!!!

Wow 4th challenge already this year! The first quarter went by fast. I just read Steven Pressfield's War of Art and I'm most enamored of his discussion of "territory". According to him our territories have 5 qualities "A territory provides sustenance, A territory sustains us without any external input, A territory can only be claimed alone, A territory can only be claimed by work, A territory returns exactly what you put in". I have some territory in my life. Dance has always been one. Strength training has been recently annexed. Sitting down to learn a new thing is my territory, although definitely the part with thorny roses since it's constantly a battle to actually sit down but its worth it. The things in that area I'm most focused on now are jewelry making which is a scary dream and accounting which is me sort of sneaking up on the dream my proving that I could run a business. But life has a way of trying to steal back what I've claimed, via unimportant urgent things and tiredness. So this Princess is defending her castle and land. (Image here) Train Warriors Strength training, dance and yoga. Learn to power clean. Build Moat Read book on setting boundaries + self esteem (Image here) Practice Financial Wizardry More accounting classes! And also a Web design class aimed at working on my portfolio eventually. Stock up on supplies: Reduce restaurant bills to under 250 by cooking for leftovers on Sundays and Wednesday (Image here) Make friends with a Dragon Jewelry making class, more soldering practice. Yay fire! (Found on pinterest, artist here)

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away... Episode III THE JEDI PATH With the help of the Assassins, Starstuff has begun her Jedi training. Little does she know, there are agents of the DARK SIDE among the Assassins, as well. While Starstuff and her fellow Jedi Initiates strive to master the THREE PILLARS OF THE JEDI, the Sith are training, too... Main Quest: Prepare for the Initiate Trials Having gotten my basic fitness habits established, it's time to work on getting stronger, faster, and more agile. Because I've got a bunch of little things I'd like to get better at, I've combined them all in a theme-appropriate Initiate Trials quest list over on my character page. For anyone too lazy to click, I'm working toward milestones in upper body strength, flow staff, handstands, and my half marathon time. Speaking of half marathons, I might have said something crazy about not running any again until the Fall. Seven and a half months without a race? Who did I think I was kidding? I'll be running the El Sobrante Mother's Day Run Half Marathon in May. The First Pillar: The Force Goal 1: Keep up with my Force training I've got a pretty good thing going with my running and strength training schedule, and I want to maintain that, so here's what I need to do to meet this goal. Run five days a week, according to my half marathon training planAcademy Bodyweight Level 2 workouts three times a week, with 5 minutes of handstand practice for the "Bonus Level" portion15/30 50%50% The Second Pillar: Knowledge Life Goal: Add to the Jedi Archives I've been making a lot of progress lately in my fitness and flute playing, but I've also been neglecting my writing in a serious way. The first draft of this novel has just been sitting here, gathering dust for a couple months now, and that's no good at all. So, my life goal this time around is to spend 15 minutes every day editing my novel. They don't even have to be consecutive minutes, as long as I get them all in. 13/26 50%50% The Third Pillar: Self-Discipline Goal 2: Master my diet I've built a great foundation for my nutrition, and now it's time to bump it up to the next level. For this goal, I need to have a protein source and a vegetable in every meal. 13/26 50%50% Goal 3: Lightsaber practice I spent a little bit of last challenge playing with my staff, but now it's time to get serious learning some moves. For this goal, I need to spend fifteen minutes every day practicing moves from the beginner staff lessons on Home of Poi. As with my editing, these minutes do not need to be consecutive. A couple minutes here and there is fine as long as it's quality, focused practice for those couple minutes. 12/26 46%46%

Let's get this challenge started!! MAIN QUEST: To be most talented, most interesting, and most extraordinary person in the universe, basically. Last challenge was all about getting back on the horse and reestablishing some basics. I learned some valuable things in the process, and I got a bit of excellent news in the acting department (I will be in the ensemble of a production of Evita this summer!), all of which is leading me towards this, my building blocks challenge. And what better building blocks exist than Legos? QUEST ONE: THE ENDGAME [+2 STR] When you buy a Lego kit, you typically have the endgame: build what's on the box of the kit you just bought. Like a Lego Millennium Falcon. For me, I have a few fitness goals before I turn 30 at the beginning of next year, and so it's time to really focus in on working towards these things. And so, at least twice a week, I will work on: Lifting Pull-up Progression Pistol Squat Progression Leg Raises Progression Handstands A = 100% complete | B = between 50-100% complete | C = 50% complete | D = for effort Since ideally I want to be lifting 3x/week and therefore working on all of these things at least three times a week, if I pull off that third session for any of the above, I will reward myself with $5 per item towards Poe Dameron's Lego X-Wing. Because REASONS GUYS. If my Lego X-Wing didn't give me Lego!Wedge (I got Lego!Porkins instead WTF, Lego) I WILL GET LEGO!POE. (Because I sort of have a big crush on Poe...) QUEST TWO: THE SPECIAL [+3 DEX] To be most talented, most interesting, and most extraordinary person in the universe, one must also be able to fling the kit out the window and exercise their creative mind. That requires flexibility. And so, I'll be spending at least 10 minutes a day, 5x/week, working on exactly that. I'm going to have to up the ante on this if I hope to get even close to center splits by my 30th birthday! (Because fuck you, conventional wisdom, nearly 30 year olds can learn to do the splits too.) A = 5x/week | B = 4x/week | C = 3x/week | D = 1-2x/week QUEST THREE: PREPARE FOR PLAYTIME [+2 DEX] Building without all your necessary tools is difficult at best, impossible more realistically, and makes you look unreliable at worst. You should have all the pieces of whatever it is you want to build before you build it, after all! As mentioned, I was cast in Evita, and those who have followed me in the past know that I lament that my Latin-based dancing is atrocious. I refuse to show up to the first dance rehearsal with two left feet and awkward hip shakes, so at least once a week, I will work on tango, salsa, samba, etc. This can be through my World Tour Zumba game, classes, following along with online videos, anything, as long as the focus is on learning how to dance like I'm in a musical set in Buenos Aires. Pass = Danced | Fail = Nope Like Quest 1, ideally, I'll be doing this twice a week, so every week I manage to work on Latin-based dancing twice, I will earn myself $10 towards Poe Dameron's Lego X-Wing. LIFE QUEST: LET'S GET ORGANIZED [+1 WIS, +1 CHA] Okay, so my life has become somewhat of a disorganized mess, and I need it to be significantly less so. This is due to both my ADHD (forgetfulness + easily distracted + hyper-focus) and my eternal procrastination. So, every day, I will create a to-do list and I will make sure I eliminate at least five things from said to-do list no matter how long that list gets (and if the to-do list is somehow less than 5 items long, I must complete 100% of that list). No excuses. I will be productive and get shit done. A = 7x/week | B = 5-6x/week | C = 3-4x/week | D = 1-2x/week SIDE QUEST: PICK UP THE DAMN BLOCKS [+1 CHA] You know what's really painful? Stepping on a Lego piece. Just ow. So, it's good to pick up after yourself. For me, I have, metaphorically speaking, too many Lego pieces, which causes a mess, and really, I need to get rid of a few. So here is my decluttering quest. There are two pieces to this: Over the course of a week, I need to spend at least 60 cumulative minutes on the task of decluttering. By the end of the challenge, I need to have taken at least twenty items (average 5 items/week) either to Trade Smart, Goodwill, or another charity in addition to what's already in my donation pile. Weekly Grade: A = 60+ minutes | B = 45 minutes | C = 30 minutes | D = 15 minutes Challenge Grade: A = 20+ items donated | B = 15-19 items donated | C = 10-14 items donated | D = 5-9 items donated Time to get down to business!!!

WHAT'S UP REBELS!!! Last month's challenge ended in a complete flop... but that's okay. I knew I had set the bar higher than would be advised, and I tried my best. I failed, but I learned from it. Let's do this again guys, and this time we're going to fly through it like falcons or something cool like that. Rad. THIS TIME AROUND I'm going to focus more on getting into focus, which to me means less worrying about exercise and more getting my brain into check. Of course, I'll still be hitting the gym and whatnot, but my challenge will be focusing on focusing. I'm thinking probably yoga/meditation as the main points. So let's get to it! - READY PLAYER ONE - My Main Quest: Lose to 175 lbs: I considered making yoga my main, but decided to keep this one instead of yoga. This is the same main quest as last month. I'm keeping it as my main quest for two reasons: 1) so I can do the dang thing and 2) because even though I'm teaching myself new things during each quest, my underlying goal is still to lose weight. My birthday is still a while off, but if I don't buckle down I won't reach my goal weight by then! So I'm keeping my main goal as weight loss. COMPLETION = 25 EXP!DAILY Training: Yoga! Either from my DDP Yoga dvd's or from a youtube clip, I want to do yoga at least twice a week. I'll probably be going with slow, stretch-type yoga (as opposed to hot yoga). I wonder how many times I can type yoga before you guys start to get annoyed. Yoga. COMPLETION (8 DAYS) = 25 EXP! ; -3 EXP per day missed.Meditation! Same as yoga, I want to do at least two meditation sessions per week. Meditation takes too long to type out to see if I can annoy you by saying it a bunch of times over like I am with yoga. Yoga. COMPLETION (8 DAYS) = 25 EXP! ; -3 EXP per day missed.Skill School: Sunday Food Prep: I say 'food prep' because I'm not going to make all my meals that day, I'm just going to prep the ingredients, AT LEAST THREE CONTAINERS PER WEEK. Again this is a repeat task from last month (unlike yoga and meditation, which I didn't do last challenge). I've knocked the container count down by 1 per week, because I failed this last time. Hopefully I'll be able to manage it this time around! 12+ CONTAINERS = 20 EXP ; 7-11 CONTAINERS = 15 EXP ; 6- CONTAINERS = 10 EXPSide Quest: Dance Dance REBELLION! I miss dancing, so this challenge I want to make a point of learning new dances because putting it in here gives me an excuse to learn new dances! Yoga doesn't count as dancing, although some yoga is like dancing and yoga instructors are sometimes dancers. No experience points for this one, just happy points! If you have suggestions for dance tutorials post them in the thread!! I'm planning on just watching videos made by my old line dancing teacher, but I'm always open to new suggestions! Yoga.

Hello all!! I don't now if there's a specific place where I should post this, other than here. Maybe there's even a topic about this already, if so I would love it if anyone could post a link to it. I'm 22 years old. Until I was like 10 or 11 I loved to dance. I did it almost every day. I would play a CD in the living room and dance to it until it was over. I loved it. But then I guess all the shame began, I felt ridiculous doing it, like I shouldn't be, maybe I realized it wasn't a "manly" thing to do (bullshit of course), or something. Now, so many years later, I began going out clubbing and I remembered my love for dancing. I really love going out just for dancing, I don't even get drunk most of the time, or hook up or anything. I don't mind dancing alone. Anyways, my point is... I suck at it, at least I think I do. I feel very stiff and graceless. Sometimes I jokingly describe my dancing skills as a "pregnant elephant." I want to be better at it, to feel like I can be graceful with my body. Is there anyone who dances, and could recommend me a way of beginning to loosen up, learn some moves, and build a base over which I can improve? I would be soooo thankful, really! I love you all!!

Metaphorical rapids of life I mean. Winter in Boston is fickle and confusing (it was 60º F today...) and even with this relatively mild winter I found that being overly specific about what training when was stressful. Since that's a surefire way to make me avoid things, I'm not toruring myself. If it's snowing, I can do body-weight and yoga in my apartment. If it's not I can run and use barbells. And if my least favorite teacher is the zumba sub I can not go to that class. So there haha. 1. Dance/Yoga/Run 2x week 2. Strength train 2x week. Must do at least 3 different exercises for three sets to count. 3. Learn to squat and press with a barbell. This one makes me very nervous, but I've been wanting to try for a while. I just bought starting strength, so I'm going to try to start teaching myself and if that doesn't work out I'll fork over money to a trainer. 4. Accounting! My month theme is money, and I'm going to start logging my jewelry making hobby as if it was a business. It's going to be a terrible business, because I don't sell anything. But I want to learn about accounting, and doing helps. I have been taking online courses in accounting fundamentals, so I want to try applying some of the concepts to my life. Anyways between dodging life's river blocking boulders and doing things that scare me, this should be an interesting challenge.

I’m back!! I took the last challenge off when I saw that NF was switching from the 6-week format to a 4-week format since I’d spend most of the challenge either in Japan or recovering from jet lag (which this time was a fresh new hell, omg). But now that I’ve returned to the States and have recovered and gotten back into the swing of things, I’m ready to charge forth into NF Challenges once more! I’ll admit, I’ve been mostly lackadaisical in everything related to fitness and diet the past couple of months, so really, it’s just about coming back down to the basics. So nothing too fancy here, just reestablishing the base! So without further ado: Let’s Get Back Fitness!! QUEST 1: Snakebite! [+3 STR] One of Ban’s main attacks is his infamous snakebite, which is largely just a ridiculous amount of grip strength with some magic involved. I don’t have magic, but I do have barbells, dumbbells, and my own bodyweight to work with! This boils down to strength-training 3x/week. Ideally, I’d like to do lifting all three days, but it may wind up being more like lift twice, bodyweight once. Either way, let’s get strong! A = 3x/week | B = 2x/week | C = 1x/week | F = Ban is disappoint QUEST 2: Fuuchouin School of Grace [+2 DEX] Kazuki’s chosen style of combat is by far the most graceful of anyone. I mean, koto strings. Plus Kazuki. How could it be anything but? Though I may be taking it easy in the theatre scene this year due to my crazy work schedule, I need to keep my chops up in all areas necessary to be a Triple Threat, and that includes dancing. That’s why I will do some form of dancing 2x/week. Ideally, this will be Monday night jazz/tap class with some time spent outside of class working on basics on my own, but for this challenge, ANY dance style will do (including Zumba either at home or in a class) just so I can get back into it. A = 2x/week | C = 1x/week | F = Did you even try QUEST 3: Data Entry [+3 CON] MakubeX is all about gathering and analyzing data (though this is grossly simplifying his capabilities as a genius computer hacker) to accomplish his goals. While I’m no longer stuck on how much I’m eating as a measurement of my success, I do want to get back into tracking what and how much of it I’m taking in for the purposes of evaluating my performance. Guys, I’m ready to tackle an Eat to Perform style of eating. So it doesn’t matter how much I eat, I just need to log everything. A = 6x/week | B = 4-5x/week | C = 3x/week | D = 1-2x/week | F = Nope LIFE QUEST: Honky Tonk Tab [+2 WIS] Ban and Ginji are notoriously bad/unlucky with money, and Paul has the café tab to prove it. While I’m not terrible with money, I can always strive to be better, especially since I’m still recovering from super expensive Japan trip, super expensive new mattress, and looking to acquire a new car in the next couple of months and wanting to save for a down payment on a house. Plus, I need to start saving for the NEXT trip to Japan in 2018 and I need to start a general savings for vacations that aren’t to Japan. Like to Europe. What does this mean? Basically every Sunday night/Monday morning I make sure my budget is all up-to-date, including checking in on my various debts to see exactly how much I still owe and making sure I’m on track with paying them off in a reasonable amount of time. I know me; this action alone will keep my financial behavior under control! Pass = Did the thing | Fail = Lol nope Ready to kick all the ass! Because the post needs more Ginji

Actual video footage of the event from last year at my school. The guy wearing the bandana and doing flips is my instructor. >.< For this challenge, I’m going to shift focus temporarily from the standard and usual foundational quests to prioritizing my capoeira training. I’ve signed up for the Winter Games event; a three-day string of capoeira workshops and rodas, which also includes the batizado. In capoeira, the batizado is the initiation ceremony where a new student is tested on their basic knowledge (in the regional style). The prize is the first belt/cord ranking, which is solid green. Since I only started learning at the end of December, I’m going to need some supplemental training and practice to prepare for the belt test. This will be my focus, as I want to do my best. Changing things up, Ranger style! Main Quest: Do my best during the batizado test on February 20th and become proficient in the basic moves of capoeira. Goal One: Practice capoeira every day. Duh. I should be putting in practice time on non-class days (classes are on Monday and Wednesdays). Obviously, if you want to get better at something, then you should do more of it. Practice should consist of two of the three following parts: basic move practice, sequence practice, and movement drills. The sequences are going to be important; they are similar to katas in other martial arts and are what I will be tested on during the batizado. I’ll focus on the basic movements that are in those sequences (meia lua de frente, armada, queixada, martelo, bênção, aú, rolê, cocorinha, negativa, and rasteira) and practice some drills from class on my own. Goal Two: Do bodyweight training three times a week (specifically on non-class days). Capoeira is filled with bodyweight movements; the esquivas are akin to squats and lunges, there’s a lot of pushing yourself up off the floor (I foresee burpees in my future *groan*), and my back is always screaming after extended practice sessions during class. I’m going to be strengthening my weak points with this, combining capoeira movements with standard bodyweight exercises into a basic routine (following the NF exercise template). I believe this means that I'll be taking a break from my Olympic lifting, but once this test is over, I'll return to it and figure out a new training schedule. Capoeira-Inspired Bodyweight Routine: - 20x cocorinha - 10x push-ups - 20x esquiva de baixa (from ginga) - 10x inverted rows - 15sec. static cabeçada - 30 ginga Goal Three: Practice the songs and instruments at least once a week. This should be easy to achieve, but it’s necessary. I need to know one song and how to play one of the instruments at the batizado. I already know the basics of the pandeiro, atabaque, and agogô de castanha, I just need more practice. I have the opportunity to practice them after class and on open-gym Fridays. I will be taking them. Songs will be easy. We practice songs during the roda on class days, and I’ve got a collection of songs that we learned on Youtube; I need to make a CD so I can listen to them outside of class. That will definitely help me become more familiar with them. Goal Four: Eat Good Food. Ain’t givin’ up on this. I’m going to follow the W30 Good Food standards for the time being, so that I’m in peak condition for this training regimen. The only thing I plan to reintroduce during this time will be whey protein powder. I’ll gauge where my reaction is to it (positive or negative), and plan accordingly. This should also help keep my stress and Sugar Dragon in check, so I can focus on training. Even though the Winter Games/Batizado will take place during the third week of the challenge, I’ll keep this going for the full four weeks for simplicity and more practice. Can’t hurt, right? This challenge will start on Monday for me, the official start date, but it’ll roll in straight from the end of my Sugar Dragon quest, which I ain’t stoppin’ ‘til Sunday.

As I crept into the Assassin's guild for the first time, I found myself nervous with anticipation. There was no way the Assassins would welcome me. With such poor strength and even poorer flexibility, how could I possibly hope to earn a position in such a noble guild? I knew I must take on a formidable quest in hopes of proving myself. Must I find the knight's sword and challenge a fierce dragon? No! Must I rally up my brave comrades to take down our tyrannical king? No! Must I overcome my fears to save our world from destruction? No! I must DANCE! No! I Must Dance! ~Rhyme's sixth challenge~ Hey nerds! I've always admired your sassy Assassinry from afar, and I think it's about time I hop in and get my poi quest rollin'! I just learned how to make fuzzy, poorly-saturated gifs... and well, if progress pics are a thing, why can't we have progress gifs? Needless to say I'm a complete noob at making gifs, though. If anyone has any tips, I'm all ears! Fitness goal: Learn Crossers! I recently learned crossers, and while I can technically do them, I either hit myself or destroy my planes within five seconds. Not to mention, it takes me lots of preparation to enter or exit! Here's where I'm at right now: Ohh myyyy. You see that pink light? That's supposed to be parallel to the red one. Crossers are in the wall plane, which means the lights shouldn't be pointing towards the camera at all -- they should be parallel to the wall in front/behind me. Also, they're not supposed to crash into each other when I try to exit. That too. By the end of this challenge, I want to be able to enter the move without pausing, sustain the move with proper form for at least 10 seconds, and exit the move smoothly! Fitness goal: Learn the Reverse Windmill! I made the poor life decision to learn the corkscrew before I learned to do the windmill both ways. For reference, here's the windmill in the direction I learned it: Pretty nice! The reverse direction, on the other hand.... Ohhh myyy. You can see it awkwardly morph towards a corkscrew, which is like a windmill but down in front of you instead of over your head. I learned the corkscrew in that direction before I learned the windmill, so my muscle memory is trying to fix it. You're not helping! I want to be able to perform the reverse windmill by the end of this challenge -- and the only way is to practice! Diet goal: Garden of Eatin’ I want to grow edible flowers so I can make some fancy pants salads like this! Or this! Oh, they’re all so adorable that I want to devour them. And I’m gonna make it happen. …The thing is, that’s what I said last year. And it never happened. I have a bad habit of getting awesome ideas, and then never actually trying to accomplish them? So, I want to set aside at least 30 minutes a week to working on garden stuff – be it researching, contacting nurseries, or starting seeds! Life goal: Chem Is Try! Oh, I’m very responsible. I always get my homework done. Usually at 2AM where I turn into a rabid, sleep-deprived gremlin. And then I wonder why studying stresses me out. But when I study early instead of all in one last-minute session, I actually like to read and practice the material! I just put it off because “studying stresses me out! (when I have all this crap due tomorrow and I want to go to bed)â€. So, for this challenge I’m going to study for ten minutes every day. Once that book’s open I typically either get on a roll, or I make slow progress in between finding a catchy playlist and petting my cat. Either option would be great! And if I reeeeally don’t want to study, It's ten minutes and I can go back to doing nothing useful as usual. Also, fair warning, I'll be posting obligatory kitty pics every week after my volunteer shift at the animal shelter! It's not related to my challenge this time, but it was a blast to share last challenge, so I'll keep doing it anyway!

Greetings and Salutations to all. This is Sea Level, a prodigal rebel who joined NF many years ago when I lived at sea level. Now I live at 4,000 feet (1,200 m), but the name has stuck. I've come and gone too much, but I'm hoping my goals/programs (see below) and a four-week challenge will help me stay consistent and present here at NF. I've also recently been inspired to deal with my sloth and get strong. I have friends who are starting CrossFit, and while I don't know how on board I am with the whole CrossFit thing, they do skills that I'd like to be able to do, such as muscle-ups and barbell work. I've considered going just so I can learn my way around a barbell, since I don't trust myself to do it alone. So getting generally stronger is a long-term goal, and working with a barbell is a pretty inspiring way to do it. But apart from that, I'm still inspired by bodyweight work and skills. Handstands! Flags! Planches! All way-cool stuff that I am a looong way from doing. Epic Quest Goals include: Learning how to barbell squat, deadlift, etc. Learning how to muscle-up. Get a handstand. I'm Male, 34-years old, 6-foot-1, 180 lbs. (about 185 cm, 81 kg). I'd call myself skinny-fat and not too strong. Here's how we start fixing that: 1. Follow GMB's Integral Strength Program I enrolled in this program a couple of weeks ago, but didn't start until I could get things lined up with a challenge. The program is nicely structured to last eight weeks, so hopefully this'll neatly cover two challenges. Workouts are programmed for three days a week, with two active recovery days mixed in. The program works with skills like shrimp squats, push-ups, jumping, pull-ups, L-sits, and bridges, all of which are on my to-do lists. Goal: Follow the GMB Integral Strength Program, particularly the active days, 3x a week. Do active recovery days 2x a week. 2. Dance Part of these active recovery days include play, movement, etc. Perfect for dancing. I've been a serious swing dancer for probably five years, but my homes have sometimes been far away from swing scenes. I moved to my home almost a year ago, and have been without organized swing dancing since then --(It's a four-hour drive to go dancing!). There isn't a scene near me, so my skills may have atrophied. My only outlet for swing dancing is traveling to weekend workshops. I'm headed to Austin at the end of this month to get my shag on. Collegiate Shag has been my latest obsession for a couple of years, but there aren't many places that teach it, but this workshop in Austin has a total-Shag track, and that's where I'm going! Goal: Dance 10 minutes at least twice weekly. Include a variety of movement and song styles/tempos. I need to get my swing dancing up to par, so this is my chance. 3. Food I spend too much on eating out. It's so easy in my town. My goal is to prepare a meal at home at least twice a week. A real meal with protein and vegetation. Hopefully one of these will be a serious recipe that will last me several days. Goal: Cook at home 2x a week. 4. Read At the end of the year, I got inspired to up my reading game. I spend too much time staring at screens, so I used my screen to find reading lists, and I went on a book-buying binge. I've got a pile of classics, histories, literature, personal improvement, etc. The used book store was the place to be. I got a bunch of books over the last few days. I just finished The Wright Brothers by David McCullough, and now I'm on to Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco. Goal: Read for at least 30 minutes, 4x per week. Let's punch it.

[NEW USER ONLINE. VITAL SIGNS WITHIN NORMAL RANGE. CONDITIONING REGIMENT INITIATED.] Welp, the holidays were a complete gong-show where I pretty much forgot all my healthy eating rules. 4 months til my annual climb up the CN Tower, so now is a good time to get back in the zone. My Rebel Challenge: Quest #1 – Substitute one sugary drink per day for herbal tea (chocolate chai or toasted walnut, yum!) Quest #2 - Take one processed snack each day and replace it with a healthy protein smoothie (can’t wait to bust out my new blender!) Quest #3 - Complete the NF bodyweight workout at least 1x a week (this is such a lowkey goal, super realistic for my lazy ass) Quest #4 – Daily 5 minute dance minute partaaaaaay (more motivation to find THE BEST deep house on YouTube) I’m printing my quests out so that I can carry them with me at all times as a physical reminder of what I’m doing. Regarding my smoothie; there’s a smoothie wave going around work that started with my team and is spreading throughout the department! I’ve been inspired by my coworkers and plan on making a smoothie that contains… Spinach leavesFrozen mango and blueberriesRipe bananas (if I’ve got them on hand)Chia seedsAlmond milkProtein powderCan’t wait to try it out! To be honest I have always sucked at being healthy/active and I am swimming through a garbage pile of self-doubt right now. Fingers crossed the sweet siren call of SWGoH doesn’t sabotage my goals entirely.

After a semi-successful first challenge, I'm returning for a second challenge with the ever awesome Assassins. I'm keeping my challenges simple again this round, partly to get back into some healthy habits and partly since I'll be on vacation for 10 days of the challenge. I had foot surgery back at the end of May and have only just started back to ballroom dancing, I took my first class last Tuesday and went to my first dance and danced on Saturday! I have class again tonight. I definitely still am sore and my muscles are so out of practice, but that will go away with time. Fitness/Activity Goal 1: Take 1 dance class a week (exception when I'm on vacation) and sadly practicing on my own isn't something I'm comfortable with yet since my balance isn't great, which leads me to goal two. Goal 2: Do a minimum of 5 minutes of balance/flexibility training each day Goal 3: Get a minimum of 10 active minutes on my fitbit at least 5 days of the week, 7 is better but I'm counting 5 as a win Diet Goal 1: Add at least one fruit and one veggie to my day, can with meals or a snack Goal 2: Cook at home at least 2x a week (exception to when I'm on vacation and that's not an option and then I need to pick a healthy meal option as a substitute for those 2x) Life Goal 1: Unpack at least 1 box/bag per week that is in my room (I moved in around a year ago and haven't unpacked everything) I think I'll have this as a success if I get through 4 boxes/bags total, rather than requiring one per week, though if that's how it works out, that's fine, but the week I'm on vacation will have to roll into a different one. Goal 2: Go through my clothes/shoes and weed out things that are old/don't fit/don't like. There you have it, reasonable goals and I should be able to work through them while I'm gone as well. You have permission to send me a message on here if I disappear for more than a few days (other than when I post I'm gone and may have limited ability to post). I tend to be on here primarily on week days, but occasionally on the weekend/evening, especially if I get a message.

Let's level up! If you are looking to work on your goals with someone else I can be your Sidekick! So I am a woman in my 30's and I live in Upstate New York, in Albany. I'm a Druid...I love dance, yoga, biking, helping others and lots of artistic endeavors. I am recently recovering from injury. My aim is to tighten up my muscles, continue strength training, yoga and a bit of weight loss. I am also curious about basic Krav Maga techniques, which I hope will help boost my self-confidence as I just moved into the city. I hope to find someone who is positive and supportive like I am. I would like for us to help each other virtually, online...or if someone is near my area we could discuss other options and modes of communication. I am really excited to work with someone so we can help boost another success. Who's up for it?

Main goal: Work toward weighing 125lbs by Jan 1st. This challenge: It's all about the "Secret Window". A fantastic story and a wonderful movie, I <3 "Secret Window". It tells the story of writer, Mort Rainey, as he falls into psychosis and doesn't find his way out again. Since more people may be familiar with the movie, and it affords me visuals, I'll be using the movie for reference. This time my challenges are going to be embodied by the characters: Mort Rainey (Johnny Depp), John Shooter (John Turturro), and Amy Rainey (Maria Bello). Mort Rainey The successful author Mort Rainey is going through a difficult divorce from his wife when he moves up to his lakehouse for some solitude. Mort is characterized by stymied writing and sleeping a lot. He spends a good portion of the movie in his bathrobe sleeping on the couch. In order for me to complete my Mort Rainey challenge, I have to write successfully and sleep adequately. In short, write a lot and get to bed by 10:30 pm on weeknights. How will I score this: I must post 2k completed words everyday throughout November as part of NaNoWriMo (this will continue in December to finish the manuscript) and bedtime is 10:30 on weeknights so that I can get adequate sleep. John Shooter John Shooter is a man with a chip on his shoulder. According to him, Mort stole his story and no matter what else happens, Mort is going to pay for that. Driven and intense, John Shooter is not a man to play with. He is characterized by taking everything too seriously and a streak of violence that is just waiting to come out. To complete my John Shooter challenge, I have to make sure that my intensity is not doing violence to others. To complete my John Shooter challenge, I have to take time to relax and find my inner peace. To that end, I will spend time in prayer everyday. I won't put a how long on that because there's no telling exactly how long I will need. How will I score this: Yes or No, did I pray today? Amy Rainey Amy Rainey, Mort's ex-wife, is just trying to move on with her life. She wants things over and done with regarding her, Mort, and the life they had together. She is doing the best she can to take care of herself and see things through. Admirable. I think I'll follow her example. I intend to watch what I eat and exercise on a regular basis. I'll be using MyFitnessPal to log my meals and exercise 3-4 times a week. How will I score this: How many calories did I log today and Did I exercise today? I've mostly made my grading yes or no this challenge in order to keep from being overwhelmed while I'm busy creating a manuscript, which I will be posting for others to read throughout the month. "All that matters is the ending, that's the most important part of the story."

Hi everyone! Feel free to read my intro here! I'm Sam and I'm already a year or two into my journey of getting healthy, fit and strong. I've just started ballet classes (done 4 x 45 min classes so far) as an absolute beginner (age 25) and want to use this challenge mainly to get as good as I can as soon as I can, which will make the classes more enjoyable (I'm the only beginner), too. My long term goal is basically to be a stronger, bendier, fitter, healthier version of myself who practises sport because I love it rather than just to stay healthy. I'm also still very much learning how to maintain weight and a good food/drink routine, so I need to keep an eye on that too. As such, my quests are: Quest 1: Do 3 hours of ballet a week, including the 45 minute weekly class. This will allow me to work a lot of stuff out in my own time, and should fit right into my routine. Measurement: A: 3 hours of ballet every week B: 2-3 hours of ballet every week C: 1-2 hours of ballet every week. (+3DEX, +2STR) Quest 2: Keep a battle log. I've never kept one before, so I figure properly tracking my food/drink/exercise will let me know if I need to do anything I'm not doing Measurement: A: Record all food, drink and exercise every day B: Record 6 days a week C: Record 5 days a week (+3 WIS, +1 STA) Quest 3: Stick to my recommended weekly units of alcohol. I love beer and wine and it's a big part of the socialising I do, so I'm reluctant to cut it out entirely now I'm at a healthy weight. As I'm tracking things in my battle log, it should be easy to keep within my limits. Hopefully this'll teach me to abstain in advance if I know I've got a big event, which I will have at least a couple of times during the challenge. Measurement: A: <14 units 6/6 weeks B: <14 units 5/6 weeks C: <14 units 4/6 weeks (+3 CON) Life Quest: Get house looking its best for Xmas I'm a huge procrastinator and my husband is something of a hoarder. We've been living in this house for a year and a half and we still have loads of tasks yet to do to feel properly settled. I'm gonna identify twelve of them I'd like to get through before Xmas. This will all mean I spend less time tidying/cleaning/wondering where on earth everything is: 1) paint bedside cabinets 2) paint chest of drawers 3) clear out all old clothes including underwear 4) scan wanted contents of old notebooks and recycle 5) clean, empty, organise, list items belonging in cupboard under sink 6) clean, empty, organise, list items in cupboard next to the fridge 7) organise wardrobe 8) clean, empty, organise, list items under the bed 9) scan photos from lounge bookcase 10) organise and list living room cupboard contents 11) scan and recycle the contents of a folder 12) scan and recycle the contents of a second folder. Measurement: A: 11 or 12 tasks comple B: 9 or 10 tasks complete C: 7 or 8 tasks complete (+1 WIS +1CHA +1CON)

Hi everyone! My name is Jenny and I’m a 30-year old Belgian girl currently living in London, UK. Main quest: To get stronger and more flexible, and be physically able to do more activities and be better at them. To hopefully get the added benefits of exercising: feeling more energised and slimming down my waistline would be nice. Motivation: I am an amateur dancer, and want to use this challenge to become a better dancer and try aerials or pole dancing in the coming year. Quest 1: Start each weekday with a 15-minute home workout, and a protein drink. Total: 30 workouts, allowing myself to catch up at the weekend if I missed a day during the week. Measurement: A: 26 to 30 days B: 21 to 25 days C: 15 to 20 days Reward: (+3STR, +2STA) Quest 2: Keep a food and exercise log on weekdays, weekend optional. Total: 30 days of log Measurement: A: 26 to 30 days B: 21 to 25 days C: 15 to 20 days Reward: (+3 WIS, +1 CON) Quest 3: Stop snacking after dinner. I will have my last bite of the day at dinner, which will happen no later than 20h, and won’t eat until breakfast the next day. Again allowing myself cheats at the weekend, so again, a total of 30 days. Measurement: A: 26 to 30 days B: 21 to 25 days C: 15 to 20 days Reward: (+3 CON) Life Quest: Go back to journaling. Morning, evening, on the bus, anything counts, but I should unload my thoughts on paper every day, filling at least a page. Total: 42 days. Measurement: A: 35 to 42 days B: 28 to 34 days C: 21 to 27 days Reward: (+3 WIS) Let me know your thoughts or if I should change anything. Gimme a shout if you’d like to be accountability buddies, too. Thanks! Looking forward to this journey J Also, ridiculous question: Do I have to also sign up to Nerd Fitness Academy? I’m guessing yes but couldn’t find the info. Jenny/Enelyah

Introduction: Day 0 There's nothing out here but a wasteland of misery and destruction- and a shit-tonne of dust. I am weak, and ill-prepared. If I am to survive, I will need to find shelter- recover my health, and build my strength. I shield my bleary eyes and look up to where the sun lays, giant and aggressive at the crest of a cliff, it's unending shower of painful rays strangling out the last shreds of moisture from the choking landscape. I gaze so long I begin to see dots- dark smudges against the backdrop of fierce, fiery orange. Strangely still for a trick of the eyes. that is when I notice it is not a trick of my vision at all, but an actual, physical object. A shack, standing strong in the nothingness that surrounds it. It is ramshackle, it will surely need a great many repairs to fortify it, but it is there, and it is real. Shelter at last. Ashtree's 6 Week Challenge! My name is Tree, and this is my first 6 Week Challenge, and my theme is Post-Apocalyptic Shelter Repair! i.e- I'm gonna clean my garage and turn it into a dance studio/gym! My long-term goals are fitness and recreation based- in my youth I was a member of a scout-like club called "Pathfinders" and I did so much outdoorsy-fitnessy-healthy stuff, but I have since gone way off the rail. The past 10 years have been a struggle of fighting mental illness and fixing myself emotionally- now that I have it under control (not cured, but controlled) I want to rebuild myself into a greater version of who I was before. Nerd Fitness is how I hope to attain that! So, without further adieu, my 6 Week Challenge Goals: Main Goal 1: Clean the garage, turn it into a great studio for fitness. A good survivalist has priorities: Shelter is one of the highest. This is something I HAD to do anyway (the cleaning part) so why not make it a goal, amirite? To achieve this, I need to do the following things: Sort and organise camping equipment.Find containers or storage for gardening stuff- especially the fuel.Sweep the entire garage.Debug. Despider (move them outside nicely)Purchase and lay-down foam flooring.Purchase and set up new "studio mirror" (it's an old dresser with a giant mirror...)Set up curtain dividing storage space from studio space.Attach power source (no power at the moment)Purchase and set up punching bag and frame.Set up lighting. This goal will be graded based on how many of the items I complete- 10% per item. Main Goal 2: Swimming, at least Once a Week! A good survivalist makes use of accessible resources! Both of my housemates go to aqua-aerobics, and also just plain old swimming, twice a week. I'm not in the financial-space to pay for sessions, but there's no reason I can't go to the pool with them and just swim. I also live near beautiful beaches, with ocean baths- that are free. It's hitting summer here, so I should really make use of those. Grading wise, I'll assign 10% to each session, which means I *won't* be able to make 100% just by attending. The extra points can only be made by swimming laps while there (I tend to just...float and splash). 5% per lap. Main Goal 3: See Doctor, Create Weightloss Plan: A good survivalist takes care of their health: I am a fats. I have always been a fats. What I have not always been is unfit. As a child, I was involved in everything- camping, hiking, sports, orienteering, canoeing, band camp- if it was an optional activity on a sign-up sheet, I was there. Since mental illness took over in my late teens, I have neglected myself in a big way. I am no longer able to hike 25km in 2 days with a 15kg pack like I could when I was a teenager. That was something I loved doing and something I miss greatly- as you can see in my "goal bars" below, I want to- however long it takes- get back into the rough scrambler mode I once was, and hike a cumulative 100km with a pack. To get there, I need to get myself in shape- my pack belt doesn't even clip around my waist anymore. I don't know how much I weigh but it's more than conventional scales can display, so my only step for this goal so far is to see a doctor about my weight, make some plans, find out what I actually weigh and go from there. 100% just for seeing the doc on this one, because I have been putting it off a long long time. And now- just for fun- Side-goal: Just be a little bit tidier in general, geez Tree... A good survivalist is neat, tidy- with a solid working knowledge of their inventory. This one is easy- over the next few weeks of this challenge, I just need to progressively tidy up, get rid of stuff I don't need and organise what I do need. I'm about to start a course online, so I need to make sure my work-space is workable. I have to share that room with my housemates, and it's also where I feed my cat- so it *really* needs to be organised. As well as my room. And the bathroom- the sinks have standing water in them that need to be fixed too- I basically need to make this a livable environment. Grading? 50% for initial clean of whole house next week, 5% per "upkeep" job thereafter. I think that's everything covered now- WOO! LET THE APOCALYPSE BEGIN! -Tree

I finally got it up! It was a crazy week. This is my 4th challenge!!! I've lost almost 25lbs since I joined the rebellion in June. If you'd like to know more about me, check out my battle log. This time I'm trying to get a little more into the quest. Tackling each goal as a youma. When it comes to writing I don't feel so creative but I gave it my best shot! With a new pendant in hand. Doe emerges from the battle. Burgundy ribbons falling over her shoulders. Her old fighting wears: oversized jogging pants, old grey work shirt, and pink canvas sneakers have been replaced with sparkly grey leggings, Nerdy Shirts, and a new awesome pink and grey sneakers with the ankle support she needs to continue the good fight. The first week may have threw her off balance, but she aims to be victorious over the next 5 weeks. The light is at the end of the tunnel, but many obstacles lay ahead. Four youma appear, and the only way to beat them in through steady Kujichagulia: self determination. It's a principle/day of Kwanzaa. Self determination:"To define ourselves, to name ourselves, speak for ourselves and create for ourselves." or as Sailor Moon might say... A pink sparkly engineer that goes to the rooftops? Now that takes Kujichagulia! Temptation Last time it was proven: calorie counting works. I won't fall into old habits, it always seems like "oh okay I got this healthy eating thing down now..." But when you're a short girl with a short attention span and a sweet tooth, it's easy to get tempted I have a clear calorie goal to meet. 1200-1500 depending on day. 1200 regular days 1300 on dance days, 1500 on gym days or full field days 5% tolerance (1800 on Thanksgiving because the day after thanksgiving will be a free day - going to Napa) 35 HP A. 30 Points or better B.21 -29 Points C: 18-20 Points F : Less than 18 Points +2CON Row on!:60,000 meters on the rowing machine Last time I really enjoyed having a quantifiable fitness goal. It really gave me something to aim for. I've really started to like the rowing machine. It's such a good workout and not boring like some other things. A:50,000m or more B:40,000 - 49,999m C:30,000 - 39,999m D: 25,000 - 29,999m F less than 25,000 +2STR +1DEX +1STA Temporal Tempest I'm studying for the FE Exam (Engineer in Training Test - if anyone else happens to be studying let me know!) I need to study at least 8 hours a week (it is a 6 hour test after all, used to be 8) and work problems 30HP A:25+ hours B:15-25 hours C: 10-15 hours F: less than 10 hours +3WIS +1STA Chaos This demon tempts one to plunge right in, no need for planning or refection. That's not so! In order to win the war, I need a plan. I need to plan to make that plan. Goal Set aside at least 30 minutes on Sunday to Plan week. 10 minutes each morning. 5 minutes for reflection. 3 pts for Sunday planning. 2 points for morning planning. 1 point for reflection. I've got ADD, a textbook case so this is going to be incredibly hard but I am determined 24 possible points a week. 123 HP A:110 Points or Better B:90 - 109 Points C:75 - 89 Points D: 60-74 Points F: Less than 60 Pts +2WIS +2STA +1CHA

Now that Doe has learned she can be stronger, now she's got to be braver...and even stronger She's got to look within herself and beyond herself. Challenges aren't just about doing what she wants to do. It's about to doing things that need to be done. Sure, being magical girl is fun: you get cool clothes, awesome hairstyles, get to do cool things with awesome gear..you also you gotta be able to dance your way through an awesome transformation right? And then have the courage to fight and right wrongs. There's reason for all this, there's a Great Destiny to unlock! ^when non-writing engineers write. lol. I'm trying at least. Quest 1: Go to Dance Class and practice at least 2 hours a week(4 hours a week) I'm starting Tap Class on Tuesday, I used to tap in high school and I do miss dance. i'd like to think now that I'm a lot lighter that it'll be a new perspective. Should for some reason tap not work out - I do live in the Bay area so I could always find another dance class. This is in addition to me working 3x a week coz I've pretty much got that down now. #likeaboss A. 20 hours or more B. 16 hours or more C. 12 hours or more D. less than 12 hours +2 DEX +1 STA Quest 2:If you need to write it down: Limit refined sugar (Coz this *points down* gotta stop) I finally broke down and talk to my doctor....jerk put me on a diet! lol, I'm kidding I looked to him for advice because I hadn't the slightest clue with my health particulars(weight loss surgery in 02, low blood sugar, moderately active, weird metabolism) what the right thing for me to do is. He reccomended 1200-1500 calories with at least 100 grams of protein a day. 1200 on most days 1500 on days that I work out or have longer field days. That on half field days I'm likely eating more than warranted for a half day. The biggest problem for me is sugar, I have a major sweet tooth and I run a cupcake business I thought about the best way to make this a smart goal and I think refined sugar is the culprit. As much as I'd love to say NO REFINED SUGAR EVER AGAIN, I want a goal I can accomplish, a good measurable goal and so I came up with this based on about how much refined/added sugar I eat in a week now - about 250 grams - the equivalent of honey I add to tea(85g a week), a pint of ben and jerry's(108g), and a roll of starbursts (44g). A+ Less than 50 grams a week A. Less than a 100 grams a week B. 100-150 grams a week C.150-200 grams a week D. Over 200 grams a week +2STA +2 CON Quest 3: Stick to my budget Last month I didn't have a budget and my spending got way out of hand. I'm not out of the woods yet, so here it goes again. A. Staying under Budget B. Staying with 5% of Budget C. Staying with 10% of Budget D.Staying within 15% of Budget F. More than 15% over budget +2WIS +1STA SideQuest: Read "(50 Ways to) Get it Done When You're Depressed" Implement 5 tactics I'm not currently doing My depression has gotten pretty bad lately and unfortunately causing problems in my relationships. I make it through the day without crying and stuff like that but the ways I choose to handle depression are not always the healthiest for me or for the people in my life. I almost lost my boyfriend because of my depression, it was all very convoluted. A. Read the book sucessfully implement 5 tactics B. Read the book successfully implement 3-4 tactics C. Read the book, successfully implement 1-3 tactics D. Read the book. - Done 9/15 Tactics Chosen1. Focus Outwardly/Watch what I say2. Be Realistic about hours in a week3. Don't Wait until I want to do something to do it4. Avoid Isolation Always do your best5. Don't Judge my work until it's finish +2CHA +2WIS +1STA

With the first challenge of 2015 solidly under my belt and my energies reignited, I am back with a new battle log for 2015! In 2014, I lost 15 pounds, ran a half marathon, performed in five shows, and was the healthiest I'd been in my 27 years on this planet thus far, until the last couple of weeks of the year hit and everything fell apart. I used the first challenge of 2015 to get back on my feet and to try out some of the goals I'd set for myself for the year and made tweaks accordingly. So, here is my 2015 fitness wishlist! Become a confident and competent jazz dancer.Measurement: By December 31, 2015, be able to take an intermediate/advanced adult jazz class and not feel eons behind the rest of the class.Be able to do a handstand consistently (90% success rate, pirouette bails mastered for the 10% failure rate) and for a respectable amount of time (at least 10 seconds)Be able to do ONE pull-up and/or ONE chin-upBe able to do forward splits. Side splits will also be worked but likely cannot be mastered until 2016.Figure out how to do cartwheels on both sides. Right now, from the right side is basically mastered. From the left is a MESS.Learn a couple of new physical tricks/skills otherwise that I can put on my acting resume.Running isn't on my list of fitness goals that I want to accomplish this year, but that's primarily because I have no real set goal in mind for 2015 when it comes to running. I haven't been lately, but I do want to get back into it; the problem is trying to fit it into my busy schedule. I will figure it out; in the meantime, I'm not going to get hung up on a running-specific goal for 2015... yet? If I were to theme 2015, it will be simply: GRACE and CHARISMA. Let's make me a more employable actress, shall we~? Also, take this for a personal victory: notice how nothing I said has anything to do with body image or weight or composition? I'm over it now. While I don't necessarily 100% love my body yet, I'm more focused on what it can do in my fitness goals and workout plans versus what it looks like anymore. And that is a wonderful, wonderful place to be.

MAIN QUEST: Continue self-improvement, become a Triple Threat (act, sing, and dance awesomely), and don't burn out! Every third challenge, I burn out, and I spend the challenge after that licking my wounds and trying to get back on the horse. Not this time! I will continue the hard work I’ve put in instead of taking a step back, because Reborn would expect no less from one who is to become head of the Vongola Family, so why should I expect any less from myself? QUEST 1: EAT TO SURVIVE REBORN’S TRAINING [+3 CON] Reborn’s training is brutal, and it’s impossible to survive without the proper fuel. Not only do I need to make sure I’m eating enough protein, but I need to make sure I’m eating enough, period! I’m at the point now where I should be looking for my maintenance numbers since I’m basically right where I need to be in order to do so, so that’s going to be a primary focus of this quest on top of making sure I get the protein intake I need. (Taken from starsapart’s quest for maintenance a few challenges ago, modified for my needs.) Eat at least 75g of protein a minimum of 5 days/week. A = 5x/week | B = 4x/week | C = 3x/week | D = 1-2x/week | F = Nope Calculate average daily gross calories at the end of each week. If my measurements decreased, I will increase my minimum calories by at least 100 calories. If my measurements stayed the same, I must be eat within 50 calories on either end of that range. If my measurements increased, I will evaluate and adjust accordingly. A = Followed the criteria 100% | B = Short of the minimum by 25 | C = Short of the minimum by 50 | D = Short of the minimum by 75 | F = Did you even try?BONUS OPPORTUNITY: If I eat at least 95g of protein (my estimated lean mass being ~95lb), I earn $10 towards Japan spending money. QUEST 2: A WELL-ROUNDED MAFIA BOSS [+12 TBD] Reborn trains Tsuna with some of the oddest regimens that covers a wide range of skills – basically, in the KHR world, a "mafia" boss can’t be any less than the best in strength, dexterity, stamina, constitution, wisdom, and charisma. And so, taking a page out of stillskies’ book from last challenge, here is a grab bag of assorted things in order to improve all manners of necessary skills in my own life! Of course, I have a few rules in place to make sure that I stay consistent with the habits that I feel are still too raw to rely upon without a challenge to motivate me. The Rules: In order for the fitness points (STR, DEX, STA) to count in a week, I need to exercise 5x/week for at least 30 minutes. This does not need to be traditional workouts/exercises. In order for the non-fitness points to count (CON, WIS, CHA) in a week, I need to make sure that on Monday morning at the latest my budget is up-to-date. Ideally, I’ll have it up-to-date Sunday evening. Attribute points will be distributed at the end of the challenge based on total points accumulated in each category. Mini-challenge participation will grant me 5 points in the appropriate category each day I contribute (for example, if the challenge is to earn +1 STR, it will be 5 points in the strength category when I do it). If the mini is particularly involved, I can earn 10 points in the appropriate category; alternatively, if I’m one of the top five contributors if it’s a quantitative challenge (top three in a team if we do teams), I can earn 15 points (only once a week). Clarification: if I'm both top three in teams and top five overall, then it will be 30 points. In order to successfully complete the challenge, I need to accumulate a total of 2,500 points. Number subject to change based on my progress throughout the course of the challenge. For every increase I need to do, I will earn myself $50 towards my upcoming Japan vacation. BONUS CHALLENGES And here are some extra things I'd like to pay attention to and reward myself if possible that didn't make it into the grab bag itself. Twenty Pull-Ups Challenge: I’m participating in the PVP for the Twenty Pull-Ups Challenge, and damn it, I’d like to be able to do a pull-up before I turn 30 besides! That gives me 15 months to do a pull-up. So every time I do this, I will earn myself an extra +5 points towards strength, up to 3x/week for 15 bonus points. I will most likely spend the entirety of the 8 weeks in the -2/-1 Week but hey, it's the effort that counts! Pirouette Drills/Tap Basics: So I suck at pirouettes, and this is not okay. I may not be able to move up to the intermediate jazz classes for a while, but if anything is going to hold me back, it’ll be my pirouettes. So, every day that I work on the drills, I will earn myself +10 points towards dexterity. (Added on Day 02: Because I need some serious help with tap basics, if I work on it at home, I will earn +10 points towards dexterity. If I do both pirouette drills and tap basics, then yes, it'll be +20 dexterity points.) Conditioning: I want to spend quality time with my exercise band and the foam roller and work on my grip strength. Every day that I do conditioning exercises with the band, roll out my muscles, or dedicate some time specifically to grip strength, I will earn +5 points towards my stamina. Why stamina? Because this will keep me going stronger, longer! Clarification: +5 points each conditioning exercise. Meal-Planning: A lot of stress that comes from making sure I meet my macros comes from a lack of planning, and so I will plan out my breakfasts and lunches for the work week every Sunday to make sure that no matter what I eat for dinner, I know I’ll be making my minimum counts on protein. If I make a plan, I will earn +20 points towards constitution for the week. If I stick to it, I will earn an additional +30 points for the week. Adjustment: for every breakfast and lunch during the work week I eat according to play, I will earn +3 constitution points up to +30 points. Focus: I am… really bad at staying focused at work. The Adderall helps, but I have to pull my own weight in this regard, too. The goal here is to devote only the last 15 minutes of any given hour towards non-work distractions, and at the top of the hour, I’m back to doing something productive again. If I miss that :45 mark, I miss it and I can’t make it up. And if I really need a distraction, I take a brief walk to either get more tea, or a glass of water, or just walk around the building some. And if I have nothing to do? I FIND something to do that’s work-related, even if it’s just reading documents. I earn myself +15 points towards wisdom for every day that I manage to stick to these criteria. Hygiene Routine: I am AWFUL at taking care of myself before I go to bed. I usually just do one or two things (usually dental care) and then hit the sack. I need to be better about this. And so, every night I commit to a full hygiene routine, I will earn +10 points towards charisma. What is a full hygiene routine? Brush my teeth, floss, wash my face, moisturize. If I do a full facial, I get an additional +10 points. WEEKLY RECAPS Day Zero | Week One | Week Two | Week Three | Week Four | Week Five | Week Six | Challenge Complete! REWARDS (non-stacking) I'll be going to Japan at the end of December through mid-January, and Japan is expensive, so this is the money I'm going to allow myself to withdraw from personal savings. Non-stacking, because let's not go insane here! This is the money for food and shopping and sightseeing adventures. I'm already budgeting for travel and hotel costs. This will be on top of the money I allot myself via bonus money in the above quests. 100% of total points achieved = $500 towards Japan spending money 90% of total points achieved = $400 towards Japan spending money 80% of total points achieved = $300 towards Japan spending money Starting Measurements and Pictures Waist @ narrowest: 26.875" Waist @ navel: 30.625" Hips: 36.25" Thigh: 21.75" Calf: 14" Est bf%: 23.35% (as of 9/7/15) Weight: 124lb (as of 9/14/15)

I have my first ever aerial showcase coming up on September 26th and 27th. Since rehearsals and show prep will rule my life for the next three weeks (AND THEN CAMP CAMP CAMP YASSSSS) I am not going to make any specific goals other than to kick ass at rehearsal and show stuff! AKA SHOW TIME YA'LL! AKA TIME FOR PERFORMANCE INSPIRED GIFS! Other non-show goals coming after October 5th and to include getting a damn pull up and more push ups!!!! I am back from camp and performance is done! Now time for some non-show related goals! Woohoo!: GOALS Work push-ups at least 3x per week. I'd like to get to 30 in a row but I suspect that will take a few challenges. (This is inspired by my drunken push up fest at the Rubik's cube party. Will do push ups for a drink, thank you very much!)Work Pull-ups at least 3x per week. This goes right along with the pull ups PVP I'm working on. I'd like to get to getting 1 real pull up by the end of the challenge. I think I can do that AND more by then but these go notoriously slow in progression for me so we'll see!Work on pistol squats at least 3x per week. I took the advanced bodyweight class and got tons of different progression stuff for working on pistols. These will be mine! I have the mobility and just need a little more strength. I'm thinking silks assisted pistols are going to be a thing.Sub goal: rehab left hammy. I mildly strained my left hamstring in a drunken split contest with one of the instructors at camp (which I won, BTW!) It's not too angry and I can walk fine and I already have more I can do today without it hurting than I could yesterday. I'm going to baby it the rest of the week/ until it's back to 100%. Clearly this means ALL THE RIGHT LEGGED PISTOLS WOOOOWork on inverted straddle climbs at least 3x per week. I'm going to count both working on the actual climb as well as any inverted straddle work on other non-silk apparatus for this as well since it all helps. Especially if I do said work straight legged w/out the froggy up. I'd like to get to a solid single climb up on each side with good form. If I can get to 2 on each side and also being able to do the slack drop from this that would be extra cool!Work on ground inversions at least 1x per week. At camp I realize I totally do not work these enough. I would like to get a real, non-wall assisted handstand! (I did manage to press up to a headstand from tripod and I am sooo proud of that but yeaah handstand I do not have at all yet!)I should be able to work on all the arm stuff on my aerial days and then do pistol work and some running on off days between aerial days...so: M/W/ F or Sat = aerial, (push, pull, straddle climbs, ground inversions) T,R,Sun = pistol work, running/walking, also opportunity for ground inversions if I didn't squeeze it in on aerial days

Here we are at the beginning of a new year. It's a time that I spend like Janus - looking both back and forwards. Thinking about what I've accomplished and using that reflection to plan out the new year. Unlike most of the population, I do pretty well at keeping "New Year's Resolutions" because I have a plan. And I have this group to help encourage me to follow through. (Thank you!) Prior Years2013 - The Return of the JediI stopped GAINING weight and starting working up to running and doing strength training again. Really, I’d let all workouts and sports slide since about 2005 (when the Temple of the Jedi online group that I had run imploded and I lost my confidence and focus). I didn’t run any of obstacle course races that I planned that year, despite Cline's excellent coaching. In fact, I didn’t run any races at all that year since I kept spraining my formerly-broken ankle. But I kept recovering and training. I didn't give up - and that was a major accomplishment. I had gotten heavily into emotional eating and lots of wine while working on my doctorate - so this was a watershed year for improvements in my diet. I wasn’t perfect (I still struggle with eating and drinking when stressed), but I woke up and started making better choices most of the time. I probably improved my BF %, but I wasn't measuring it yet. 2014 - The Quest for the Mal RavenneThis was a good year. I lost 14 pounds and dropped from 37.33% to 33.5% body fat during the year. I can now run a 5K straight. And I am able to do pull-ups with only 1/2 of my weight in assistance on the pull-up machine. I deadlifted 85 pounds for the first time. I have been much better at eating healthy foods, drinking water, and cutting WAY back on both coffee and wine. I think I am finally turning my life around and setting a good base for getting BACK to being the person I want to be. Weight at start of 2015: 167.1 lbs and body fat % ~ 33.5%. I’d been down to 165, but it bounced back up over the holidays. I will have to be really very good the rest of this week in order to win my t-shirt at the gym!!! Overarching goal for 2015: weight <= 149 lbs and body fat % <= 31%, although I certainly hope to do better than that. I’m setting monthly milestones instead of challenge milestones right now. I can figure out the goal weight for each challenge from that. How will I do it??Running: increase my long run from 3 to 5 miles each week and continue 5K race training as in 2014. I've been pretty steady in the running/cardio category, but I also now have a full-time job again and will need to adjust. I am thinking that I may actually become morning runner again. Strength training: prep for OCRs based on Fitocracy’s Tough Mudder training guide and a gradual progression of some basic strength training exercises. Strength training is one of the things that I really don't tend to enjoy, but I like the results. It will be a lot of upper body work and basics like deadlifts and squats. But also things like planks and Jacob's Ladder and climbing at the local climbing wall. Oh yea, I also hate heights. Better get good at burpees. Eat like I give a f*uck: IIFYM + Loseit.com Premium + Thug Kitchen cookbook. Seriously, my daughter gave me this cookbook for Christmas, and it is a fun read. But it also has great recipes for making basics (like ketchup) from scratch so that you have healthy alternatives for most things. The cookbook is vegan - I don't intend to go completely vegan, although I never had a weight problem when I was a vegetarian. I honestly don't think GRAINS are the problem with the US industrial diet. Refined foods - especially corn syrup are. Yes, throw things at me for blasphemy, but I'm going to focus on cooking up a good omnivore diet that focuses much more on vegetables and whole grains than meat ..... and in true Rebel fashion, we'll see what happens. Supporting GoalsHave an adventure every weekDo one each of these:Charity 5Ks (TBD)Mother's Day Walk (2 miles)Bubble Run http://www.bubblerun.com/events/minneapolis/Color Run http://thecolorrun.com/twin-cities/Light Run http://www.torchlight5k.com/page/show/502315-event-infoZombies Run TBDWarrior Dash https://www.warriordash.com/location/2015-warrior-dash-minnesota/Spartan Sprint TBDTough Mudder https://toughmudder.com/events/2015-twin-citiesArcheology/Ancient History trip .... MAYBE. This is a stretch goal because of the new job. I need to do the cruise and possibly a wedding this year; so I'm not sure where another vacation will fit into 2015.Cruise to AlaskaHiking the local trails, especially the Superior Hiking TrailIngress!!!Geocaching100 geocachesHide cachesTravel bugs Overcome my two left feetI am generally clumsy and have been since I matured quickly and young. Karate classes helped me improve greatly - and I want to get back to feeling like I move easily and gracefully through my environment again. Wear contacts - peripheral vision really helps me, but I have trouble getting contacts that I can use day in and day out. We never can quite get the fit and the prescription right. Yoga - I had been dreaming that I was doing the crow pose. Why?? No clue. But I'm interested in doing hand balancing, in large part because high school gym class was a nightmare that I'd like to overcomeDance classesMartial arts classesParkourClimbingHandstands!!!(Re)build a baseAfter moving, it takes a while to figure out where everything goes. A lot of my basement gym stuff got tossed in a corner - it's time to find places for all of it and start using it. Also ... other tools need to be purchased. I really like LoseIt's minimal frills interface and vetted nutrition information, and since I'm tackling the difficult task of losing weight while building muscle, I need to pay attention to intake and macros.Pullup bar installed (Thanks to hubby, this one is done before the challenge starts!)LoseIt! premium membershipClean out and organize the kitchen - then use it!Make my own sandbag(s)750words.com?Basement workout areaGarage gymAgility training locationObstacle training locationParkour trainingGet my mojo back This goal has "underpants gnome" written all over it. I know it. But a BIG part of being fit - for me - means winning the HEAD game as much as fixing my kitchen or creating a workable exercise plan. I KNOW how to be fit. I have been very fit at different times in my life, and then something happens, and it all falls apart. So, my first challenge goal will be to put myself on the couch through writing 750 words PER DAY, exploring what factors support and which factors derail my healthy lifestyle. 750 words per day (http://750words.com/???) “on the couch†and see what comes up in terms of goals and barriersOther challenges .... TBD