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Hello! It's been almost 2 years since I was last around, and I've thought about you guys often. I was thinking about the forums again this morning, and how maybe I'd look at jumping back in. And then in my inbox is a "rebellion digest" with the "new content from your followed items for the past day".... from 2 years ago. My word for the year is congruity, so I'm taking it as a sign that I needed to be back here. I wasn't going to do a theme, but the Stargate gifs are calling me, so expect plenty of that. ~Goal things~ Movement: Current plan Dance (more on that later) on Sundays and Wednesdays Yoga at the studio on Tuesdays and/or Thursdays Train the pony on Sundays after dance AND either/both Tuesdays and Wednesdays before classes Would like to add home yoga (headstand progressions or neck tension flow)... just a few minutes, any day that I don't have yoga class push up progressions... my progress with fancy yoga poses is restricted by lack of tricep strength. Let's make this happen! maybe (that's a BIG maybe) add a lifting day, even just a bodyweight workout, but I'm not sure Nutrition: Current plan: eat food, often without mindfully enjoying it, no tracking Would like to change: drink more water, eat mindfully, track my calories for just a bit (can't let the perfectionist gremlin get in the way) Life Big picture: chipping away at these Little picture: Get reading (have 2 books that I'd like to finish by the end of March) Get meatball making (need to make 2 by the end of March) Get crafty Get back to my meditation practice Go to National Park #6 the first week in April Points: none for following the basic plotline plus 1 for minor new-planet-of-the-week tasks plus 5 for taking down a big baddie Point Totals: Week 1: 33 Week 2: 27 Week 3: 16 < ufda Week 4: 13 from vacation + TBD rest of week

Last challenge I rediscovered Intuitive Eating thanks to @Ensi This challenge I'm going to continue on this path. Quest1: Eat Just eat something when hungry! Don't worry about what is "good" or "bad" foods. Just eat what I'm craving and makes me feel good. I mean, sure eggs are considered "good", but if I eat them my asthma flares up and if I'm really lucky I get bloated too :p Quest2: move Do what I love (dancing and yoga) and what makes me feel good. So no more working out when the sharks are at their peak or when I am dead tired. And I will add a workout at home when I think it will make me feel good. Quest3: life Do what I can, delegate as much as possible and don't stress about the rest. And off course: keep the rhythm I created last challenge alive!

Life has been really busy now school has started again, and I'm having trouble keeping up and getting the stuff done that I want. To top that off, I got a nasty cold. It's getting better though My challenge this round will hopefully give me the structure I need to get everything running smoothly again. I love structure and schedules and lists. These things give me piece of mind, and help me "allow" myself to do things just for me. Update: I don't like my first challenge draft, and I'm going to completely change it. Quest 1: Eat healthy I've been logging all of my food in My Fitness Pal for over 5 months now. It has been good to get a sense of what I'm eating and how much I should be eating to create a deficit. But I'm starting to get obsessed by kcal and I'm not paying enough attention to food quality. Besides that: the binges have returned. I've been binge free for so long, and this feels like a real setback. I think the cause is that I don't eat enough nutrients and my body wants more. Stressing about staying within my kcal limit doesn't help either. So new plan: I'm going to eat 3 meals a day, one, maybe two snacks if I'm really hungry in between. But there are some rules: - The food has to be healthy (not heavily processed, made from scratch as much as possible, whole grains, fruit and veggies, that kind of stuff.) - I stop eating when I'm satisfied, not overly full, but not still hungry either - I can have a treat on special occasions like birthdays, parties etc. Quest 2: move Zumba and dancehall are still my workouts of choice. I want to get back to body weight training, but it has been proven hard to schedule that in. I've been making excuses not to have to workout. By the end of the challenge I want to have at least 1 body weight workout a week. But preferably 3 I was doing workouts in the morning, but my mornings are kind of full nowadays. So I'm thinking of doing them in the evening, see how that makes me feel. Quest 3: Adulting Back to lists! Lists make me feel in control and give me piece of mind. So I'm going to make lists with everything I need to do each day.

Sorry to disappoint, but here will be little Leather and makeup in this challenge, Just a reminder to myself to KEEP IT SIMPLE, STUPID! Theme is minimal, just an excuse to post songs and memes. Prince - Best Goal (the one I most want to do because I love it) - 3x sledgehammer workout per week (14 mintues each, per Shovelglove rules) Faith Hill - Distance Goal (because there could be hills? I know its a stretch . . .) 3 walks per week with my son. RHCP - Food Goal (Suck my . . . nutrients? I really need to rethink this theme) - Greens 1/day, leafy or cruciferous. No excuses - Chained goal. Cher - Cooking goal (Soup Soup) - One batch cooking per week. definition is something that can feed me and my husband for at least three days. Curry, chili, soup, chopped salad . . . Tarkan - Dance Goal - One time zil practice, one time shimmy practice, one time rolls practice per week.

This challenge I'll move on. Quite literally: we're going to move in with my MIL Not forever, just until we'll get the key to our new house at the end of December. We'll stay with my MIL for 6 weeks. Which will be a challenge on its own Not that I don't like my MIL, she is great and sweet and amazing. And it is beyond kind that she'll let us stay with her for so long. But still, it won't be my house. I'll have to adjust. Last challenges I've been working on "food freedom". Not letting my life be determined by food or my weight. And I've succeeded. Finally! But now it's time to take better care of myself. Give myself permission to eat healthy. Even if it's inconvenient at times. My sons almost always eat healthy. I just make the time to feed them right. I should do the same for myself. I'm worth taking care of. I won't need to make a challenge fitness wise: I'm still addicted to zumba and I'm loving the dancehall/hiphop/urban fusion classes I've been taking. I'm actually sad when I'm not able to go The plan Moving Week 0: nothing. The boys have the week off from school, so I'm just going to be doing stuff with them. Week 1: Decide on a new school for the boys (they'll start after their Christmas break in January), announce to the world when we're moving where Week 2: Sort through toys and clothes. Donate/sell stuff we won't be taking with us. Go through the shed if I'm feeling brave... (it is the biggest mess you've ever seen ). Buy boxes/wrapping paper and such. Week 3: Start packing. We'll be moving to my MIL at the end of this week Week 4: Settle in at MIL's house. Clean old house. We'll turn over our keys at the end of this week. Eating Clean Week 0: Find clean recipes that won't take up too much time to make, or can be made in bulk. Find pre packaged clean stuff. Also: I need to be able to make it at MIL's house, where I don't have my own kitchen stuff. Week 1: Focus on eating clean lunches (breakfast and dinner are pretty clean as is). Week 2: Focus on eating clean snacks Week 3: Is there any way I can clean up my food somehow? When is it difficult for me to eat clean, and how can I fix it? Week 4: Clean pepernoten, is there such a thing? And how can I get some?

Hi all Gosh, turns out introducing myself to a bunch of strangers online is harder than I expected... I guess you could say that a lot of my life recently has been summed up by the topic title above... in the sense that I've been filling in placeholders and then forgetting to come back and finish the job... and this seemed like a fun community to start setting some new goals and actually taking steps to achieving them! So who am I? I'm a 28 year old masters of research student currently trying to juggle writing my thesis (Due December this year) with... life. Which in reality involves a lot of sitting down, many naps on the couch, talking to my cat, assaulting* my partner when he gets home from work because I HAVEN'T TALKED TO A SINGLE OTHER HUMAN ALL DAY (!!!), anxiety, avoiding contact with my supervisor as well as all the fun stuff of life like dancing, listening to music while walking and trying not to make my head rolls too obvious as I dance to the tunes in my head, weights at the gym, wine tasting and cheese. Whats my fitness history? I grew up dancing and performing on stage - jazz, tap, ballet, acrobatics. It took me about 6 years between the ages of 5 and 11 to learn to 'perform' and actually look like I was enjoying myself on stage - but one day it clicked and I've never stopped since (we can discuss how healthy this is another time). Until I was about 17 I was dancing minimum 9 hours a week and somehow still finding time to do well at school. But at 16 I got a stress fracture in my right tibia and for a multitude of reasons (depression, teenage hormones, perfectionism) fell out of love with it and stopped The only problem was... What to do instead? I got a gym membership which I never used because I hated the gym... and there things stalled for a long time (give or take a couple of couch to 5km attempts and bodyweight strength programs) until one day a friend pleaded with me to come with her to a term of beginner pole dancing. And there it was - Love at first pole. But FML I could not for the life of me move my arms the next day!!! Like I actually couldn't straighten my right elbow without using my left arm to physically move it. For many years this was all I needed, I could rely on my base strength and flexibility built over a lifetime of dancing to move me up the levels such that all I needed to learn was the specifics of each new move. But that could only take me so far, before I started to plateau. Which brings me too... My philosophy on weight and body issues... I haven't always had the most healthy relationship with my body... I'm not sure I've ever met a woman who always has if I am honest. My weight goes up and down about 6-7kg's throughout various times of the year for various reasons that I have learnt are only very loosely if at all linked with my eating or activity but are undoubtedly linked to my mental health/state. If I am feeling particularly anxious about something - ain't nothing going to shift that weight, my body will basically shut down and go into lifesaving mode. But I have so far been lucky in that it is pretty stable within those boundaries. Would I like to loose some weight and keep it off? Hell yes! Am I technically overweight at the moment? Yeah, a little. But is this a priority? No. Well not enough to get me off my ass to do something about it... which might leave you asking... Why am I here? Pole dancing. I am here to improve my pole dancing. Plateau be gone! I want to be flexible and strong and fly through my routines like I grew up swinging on vines with Tarzan. Pole dancing (and most aerial arts I think) are interesting beasts because not only do you have to be strong and flexible - but you have to be stupidly strong at the extremes of your flexibility or... you fall down and die. If you're not careful you can overuse your chest muscles when climbing and doing tricks - which exacerbates existing posture issues that many of us have from working on computers all day, in addition to which, I also tend to be really naughty and favour my 'good side' (vs my 'drunk side') meaning even more body imbalances!! So at the beginning of the year I got a new gym membership - something that I never thought I would do again because I hated the places soooooo much. Only this time I've been enjoying it - because each time I go it is for a purpose, something larger than looking good in a swimsuit [not that that isn't a perfectly legitimate reason to go - it just doesn't motivate me] or some vague notion of "I should do some exercise". I got over my fear of the free weights area and started tracking my progress using a beginners weightlifting routine and doing some other classes I was just getting comfortable in the weights room when ... I got sick over winter (I live in Australia, its spring over here ), and struggled for a while to get back to the gym . In any case, I am back now... or have been for the last 2 weeks and have decided it is time to up the ante. Up until now, non-pole training has mostly been fuelled with that vague notion that 'I need to be strong to get better at pole'. And to be fair I have been getting stronger! But my training has been lacking any form of direction, plan, or means to measure my progress. And as a result my increases in strength have also been met with decreases in hard earned flexibility So thats why I am here. To write a plan and to have a place to record my progress and hold myself accountable - and do so in what seems from the outside at least to be a pretty nice community! So excuse me, while I go get a head start on setting some goals for the next round of challenges**... See you around! *not really assaulting, shouldn't make jokes about violence - more like badgering [can you tell I'm a sociology major?] ** Which also conveniently provides a distraction from the thesis writing that I probably should be doing.... :/

Hi everyone! Many.....MANY years ago I used to do ballroom dancing. Life made this difficult and I haven't danced in a long time. My beautiful 4yo daughter started dancing earlier this year and I am so jealous! I've decided when i reach my goals I'm going to start dancing again. SO goals are all about getting energy and confidence! Keeping it super simple Goal 1: beginners body weight workout every 3 days. Shiftwork and kids means I don't recover as quick as I'd like. every 3 days is manageable without hurting myself or giving up from exhaustion Goal 2: Improve my sleep by not taking my phone to bed and turning off electronics half an hour before bed. Goal 3: Take my lunch/dinner to work with me every day. Pretty simple but pretty necessary! Goal 4: Track all my spending and create a budget by the end of the challenge (next time I'll try and stick to it ha ha) I'm also a bit of a hippie so am attempting plastic free July!

April/May Challenge (23.04.2017 - 20.05.2017) This challenge will be about time management again. I'll try to incooperate more changes into my schedule and try to get my stuff done while visiting classes. I want to finish my studies without more lags, so this will also be a challenge for my discipline. On the other hand I'll also schedule times of relaxation. I shouldn't take things as they come anymore. At least not, if they take up more then two hours on one day. And I'll force myself to procrastinate less on housework. Fun things are going to happen: I'm making a small cosplay of the Mad Hatter (Alice in Wonderland). I'm not good at sewing and can't put much time into this, but I like this charakter and I'm trying to create my own interretation. And I'm visiting my first ever cosplay ball on the 6th May. I started visiting a dancing course from university. It's not so good for newbies, but it's free and I want to feel a little confident about what I can do again and just challenge myself by trying out something new. I was never good with standard dances or pair dances in general. And it will also be a little odd to do this with I lot of people I don't know. My bf won't join me, so... I'm curious about it. Did my first session on Wednesday April 27 and although there was some frustration and one guy just let me stand there alone, when he realised I was a total newbie. But I still had fun and didn't let it get to my heart. I'm going to do some Tai Chi and Yoga again at university. Visited both classes in week one and both teachers remembered me annd seemed to be happy to see me again. That was really nice. After my next milestone, I'm going to visit a friend in Vienna. He's going to have a concert with his band and we want to cheer for them. And finally see the city again =) Goals: (More or less the same compared to last challenge) March/April – Continuity The zombies are still roaming the streets, so I'll continue what I've been doing so far and try to not lose my brain. I only changed my goals little by little since the beginning of the year building up momentum. This challenge will only be harder because of some milestones I set myself and my first course will start on April the first. The course has high reading requirements, that's why I try to get as much as possible done about two projects, I want to hand in on May 15. Goal One: Overcome the Virus and scavage enough for food With this goal I try to get healthier and improve my immune system. I'm getting a cold frequently. Therefore I’m trying to build some healthy habits and reduce unhealthy diet habits. I'm also trying to lose weight at the moment. These goals helped me to watch my portion size and I changed my regular meals. Usually I was skipping lunch and eating a lot for dinner. My bf usually get's back from work between 7 pm and 8 pm. We usually don't get dinner before 8 pm. Now I'm regularly eating a small lunch with my study buddy and have a smaller dinner portion in the evening. Unfortunately the salad in the evening didn't stick with me for last challenge. I'm buying less fresh fruit and vegetables at the moment, so let's see, how I can still make this happen. drink 3l a day and more when I get exercise 3 portions of freggies reduce unhelathy snacks and take away (not more then once a week) Bonus: prepare a bento for Wednesday last challenge: Goal Two: Don't let them outrun you I got back into walking regularly, but I didn't bild an indoor routine yet. It's hard for me to train outside of classes, so I'll try to do use the courses offered at my university. I can do them for free until I graduate. Let's take at least one positive thing from delaying my graduation. (Had to change my minor subject this therm. :/) Tai Chi Yoga As bonus I'm getting some dancing lessons until May the 6th. Let's see how it goes and if I can get these things into my schedule without feeling stressed again. last challenge: Goal Three: Get your stuff done and don't give in the lethargy I tried to convince myself to study almost daily and at least spent 15 hours a week on study related tasks. Last challenge I got in my 15 hours in 2 of four weeks. It's getting harder, because of my lectures. I'll try to do my homework every week, but I also want to have some progress with my papers. So I'm going to set specific days for my papers. They are priority. Of course it's not cool to miss some homework, but the tests won't start before August, so I'll make my papers my priority for now. I have to get this stuff don, if I don't want to delay my studies further. Study 15 hours a week again. Bonus for getting all my homework done by Saturday evening. last challenge Goal Four: To Do List This is an optional goal, so I won’t grade it. Instead of trying to get in five things and do some recreation, too. I'll try to get in some organisational stuff, housework and so on every day. At the moment I'm doing these things in the morning, when I get up at 7am or in the evening, when I get back from studying. Last challenge I managed to get the necessary housework done without taking a day of from studying. Let's do that again. last challenge

I'm taking a note out of @Jonesy's and @RogueLibrarian's pages and trying something new. Asa Pond takes on the mantle of an Assassin Assassins protect the innocent, fight the evil, and carve out a better future in the world. They do this in many ways - for me it will be: 1) Save the citizens: I signed up for a month of unlimited Krav Maga classes (paid already and everything). I should probably use them. Attend at least 2 classes per week of Krav Maga (starting January 15). Mission: Save 2 citizens per week (20 pts each - unlimited pts possible, 100 min) 2) Climbing buildings to escape enemies: One of the reasons I joined my current gym (other than getting recruited by the Kingsman) was because there is a huge climbing wall there. I have yet to use it and that needs to change. 1 Climbing session a week Mission: Avoid 1 enemy soldier per week (10 pts each - 50 pts min). 3) Eavesdropping I need to step up my language game - otherwise how am I going to know what my targets are saying. 2 hours per week of serious language study. Mission: Spend at least 2 hours per week eavesdropping on enemy plans (5 pts per hour - 50 pts min). 4) Collect Flags Other goals I have that are optional but important (2 pts each, 40 pts min): Spend 1 full hour cleaning X Spend 1 full hour studying X Get in a volunteering application. Read a full, real book (audible doesn't count) XX Spend time with a friend. Spend time learning something new X Change Bank Account Schedule an important appointment XXX 1 Session of yoga OR 1 cumulative hour of stretching XX 1 other type of workout (not climbing or Krav Maga) XXXXXXXXXX Cancel Old Gym Membership Take measurements and record for Team Havik Unpack and put away clothes from the holidays Grocery Shopping XXX Meal Prep XX Return Rented Violin Go to Book Club on the 18th *TBD*

After taking it easy last challenge I'm ready to kick some but! My own but that is. The goal of this challenge is to make the pants that are just a little too tight fit comfortably again. I'm giving myself just two goals this challenge. I hope this will make it easier to focus on them. Food: Fast I'm going to fast again. And I'm choosing a different style now: "5:2" Basically I'll eat normal for 5 days and eat only 500 kcal on the two other days. D: no fasting days that week C: 1 day of fasting that week B: 2 day's of fasting that week A: 3 days of fasting that week Exercise: Zumba, what else? I'll continue zumba. Like I'm able to stop that And relaxersise on Saturday's. When I don't have appointments that day that is. But most Saturdays. D: no workouts that week C: 1 workout that week B: 2 workouts that week A: 3 workouts that week

Hello everyone! Does anyone have any recommendations for good, comfortable dancing shoes? My feet are ever so slightly pigeon-toed and I would like some arch support. I've spent hours trying on shoes at my local stores and found nothing that meets my requirements (has the have a bottom that can make turns on the dance floor, and a strap at the ankle so my foot doesn't move inside the shoe, as well as a closed heel, and preferably a closed toe). I'm taking a Brazilian Zouk class right now and I'm dancing either in socks or sneakers, neither of which is ideal. I'm willing to pay more for a good pair of shoes, I just need to find them. Help!

Yes, I said I would take the week off. But the new forums look so shiny and pretty I couldn't resist. If you think: what does this image do here. Well, it's a shiny and pretty object. Just like the new forums. Hi, I'm Terah, and I'm a zumba addict. I've been doing challenges here since forever (okay, since January 2015, but it seems like forever). I've been trying to lose weight and get a fitness routine in place. I found zumba and I practice it twice a week. Two challenges ago I rediscovered my love for swimming. This year I lost 5 kg's, and I'm hoping to lose some more before 2017 starts. My plan for this challenge: Stop obsessive tracking. No spreadsheet this time. I'll just do the best I can and won't beat myself up when I had to skip a goal. Food goal: Intermittent fasting. My first meal of the day will be lunch, my last will be dinner. I won't obsess about a certain number of hours. I won't obsess about kcal. I'll just try to eat as healthy as possible, with the occasional treat. Fitness goal: Continue zumba and swimming. Listen to my body. If I can do more, I will. If I need to take it easy, I will too. No guild, just fun. Life goal: I'll continue with the Spanish lessons, but no pressure, it needs to be fun. I'll continue with my Bullet Journal, just to make my life easier.

HAI GUISE! A quick introduction: I've been multi-classing this, that, and the other thing all my life, but I've been more of a druid at heart on the NF forums so far. Or at least I've been trying to be, in order to 1) turn my mind into something that isn't a pack of cats on PCP, and 2) to generally improve my mental health. 1 is an ongoing failure, but 2 has improved tremendously over the last year and a half. tl;dr, my physical health/habits were/are pretty good, but my mind ones were shitty, and I was doing Druid-ish challenges in order to fix the imbalance. So, why am I here now? Okay, it's story time. Some time ago, I decided to try a weekend pole dancing Boot Camp weekend class. It was incredibly fun, and I considered joining the studio where these classes took place on a part-time, one class per week basis. There was absolutely no way that I would register with the full-time package, though, because I had very little free time and wanted to save money. The upcoming pole competition was even more out of the question, for the same reasons. And then... Pole coach: "You did really well at the boot camp! You should compete at _____ :D" Me: "Ok!" Then that competition happened, and the pole classes (full-time, because why not) continued. I'm also a member at another gym where the owner and coaches will design your workout plan and help you get better at whatever you want to. The training is in a small group setting, which is essentially not-1-on-1 personal training. Since they can tailor your workout to whatever sport or activity you want to focus on, I figured "why don't I ask them to tailor my workout to the pole fitness/art classes so that I can get better, faster?" And I did, so now I'm seeing results and progress a bit faster. This is in addition to the coach at the pole studio having competed professionally for a long time. She knows the ins and outs of the sport, such as which moves should be taught first in order to make learning any future moves easier, and which competitions are worth going to, etc. Long story short is that I'll be competing at a fairly high-level competition at the end of March. If pole fitness/art was a MMORPG, one could say that I've been getting power leveled like fucking crazy. Anyway. The big thing holding back my progress in this sport/art right now is flexibility. My flexibility isn't too bad, but it needs to be better. Like, full splits (both forward and sideways) by November. NO PRESSURE OR ANYTHING, RIGHT? But now that I've signed up for this, I have no choice but to do it. November is quite a while before March, but there also needs to be time for choreographing, practicing, making a costume...yes, costume, because this shit is like cosplay, gymnastics, and dancing all mashed into one sport and IT IS FUCKING WONDERFUL. I figured that, since my goals are specific to a more Assassin-y sport, I should do my challenge here this time around. Also, the mini-challenges look like an absolute blast. Goals: 1. Stretch every morning and night. (After my workouts, too, but I'm not counting that since it's already a habit.) Splits flexibility is going well. Shoulder flexibility is fucking shitty. Need to work on both. 2. Hydrate. I won't fuss about specific volumes and measurements because that shit's annoying, but I will make it a point to have 6 average-sized cups of water while I'm at work. 3 . Stop being stressed. Saying this is as fucking useless as telling someone who's depressed to "Just cheer up :D" though, so instead I'll de-stress by getting three massages during the course of this challenge. I was only going to have one challenge (stretching) and if items 2 and 3 fall by the wayside then so be it. Hydrating and stressing less both help increase flexibility according to some articles, so attempting them can't hurt. These things will also help with general well-being. Only the stretching goal will be graded. WEEK 1: X X / X X / _ X / _ X / _ X / _ _ / X _ (X/14) WEEK 2: _ _ / _ _ / _ _ / _ _ / _ _ / _ _ / _ _ (X/14) WEEK 3: _ _ / _ _ / _ _ / _ _ / _ _ / _ _ / _ _ (X/14) WEEK 4: _ _ / _ _ / _ _ / _ _ / _ _ / _ _ / _ _ (X/14) TOTAL: XX/56 Misc. bullshit below: - The original class I wanted to pick on NF was Wizard or Sorcerer, but those didn't exist, so instead here I am! All the things! - I use the word "fuck" a lot, among others - This thread will likely be cluttered with trivial (but entertaining) bullshit - ...and workout-related complaining - ...and cosplay-related complaining - I will try my best to post images and videos of pole art/dance shenanigans - There will be 5 or 6 days of dead time (Aug 31 to Sept 6?) in this challenge thread while I'm away at FanExpo, but I'll still stretch during those days - Items may be added to or removed from this list at any point

Today, I turn 29 years old. I have one last year of my 20's and frankly, even though I've accomplished a lot, I still don't feel like I'm satisfied with where I am. Which to be fair is fine since it gives me something to work towards! Once I thought I'd do a 30 Before 30 quest, but even if it was filled with a bunch of little things, that's just... too much. So instead, here is a list of things that I want to work towards throughout 2016, both fitness and non-fitness related! 2016 FITNESS GOALS Work towards a pull-up! Ideally, actually manage it, but we'll see! Work towards pistol squats! Again, ideally I'll actually manage it. Work towards center splits! Solidify the handstands once and for all! Run a race a month! (Any distance) Take dance classes at least once a week, preferably jazz/tap, and be confident in my ability to enter intermediate level classes by year's end. Squat my bodyweight+ (5x5) (ACHIEVED as of March 22, 2016) Stretch Goal #1: 5x5x165lb Stretch Goal #2: 1x1x187lb (~1.5x bodyweight) Bench in the triple digits (1RM) Deadlift 200lb+ (1RM) Overhead press 45lb+ (5x5) Other desires: work on some cool yoga poses, especially those focused on flexibility and hand balances; try out different styles of dance; be more adventurous with new things wrt fitness! 2016 NON-FITNESS GOALS Get my finances under control; budget properly. Try to take at least one extended weekend out-of-state (since I can't afford to take a week-long vacation due to work and finances) Try to take at least one extended weekend into the mountains Finish my novel Unload all pictures from my DSLR, back them up, and distribute them appropriately. Maybe even learn Photoshop? Study for the Japanese proficiency exam (I'm years away from actually taking it if I ever actually do, but this is more to keep myself fresh on the language so I'm not cramming before I return in 2018) Study ASL Cook more often, either for lunch or dinner's sake Downsize! Seriously, I have too much crap and while I wouldn't call myself a hoarder, I'm kind of a hoarder, and I do want to live as minimally as possible. ACHIEVED in March of 2016 Stretch goal: for every article of clothing purchased, I get rid of at least 2. Next big decluttering project slated to take place in October/November of 2016. Respond to emails/messages more immediately than I do. In other words, as soon as I see an email, I read it and I respond to it. Same with texts. Related, clean out my email inbox already!! Other desires: continue to work on my acting and singing chops especially since I'm not planning to do too much theatre this year (one, maybe two productions tops) due to work insanity; get out of the house to see friends/family waaaaay more frequently; focus more on spending money on EXPERIENCES versus THINGS. Now, near the end of 2015 I stopped with the battle log because frankly, logging my fitness every day was cumbersome during the down periods between challenges. So this year, I'm going to try to do something different: every once in a while I'll check in on my goals and report on my progress on each of them, especially during the interim weeks. No real set frequency in mind, just whenever I get around to it. My challenge threads will continue to be where I'll do the bulk of my updating. It'll also serve more as a one-stop place to check my progress, too, and a place to brainstorm what I'll do for my NEXT 4WC. So, time to get to it!

I'm going for concise here. Quests: 1. Exercise at the gym (class, cardio, weight training, or some combo) 3 days per week. 2. Drink 1 glass of water with each meal. 3. Eat 1 piece of fruit per day. Life Quest: 1. Clean 1 area of the house for 20 minutes per day Scoring: Q1 Exercise 3 days per week (3 STR, 3 DEX) (v2 = 10 pts) 3 days = full credit, 2 days = 75% credit, 1 day = 25% credit, 0 = fail Q2 Drink 1 glass of water with each meal (3 CON, 1 WIS) (v2 = 10 pts) 5-7 days = full credit, 3-4 days = 50% credit, anything less = fail Q3 Eat 1 piece of fruit per day (3 STA) (v2 = 10 pts) 5-7 days = full credit, 3-4 days = 50% credit, anything less = fail LQ Clean 1 area for 20 minutes per day (1 WIS, 1 CHA) (v2 = 10pts) 5-7 days = full credit, 3-4 days = 50% credit, anything less = fail

I've been a member of nerdfitness for a while and have decided to get in the bandwagon and announce my daily log to assassinate kill all the things. That's right. I'm here to conquer. And to tell my tale of triumph and defeat to all (who care to listen.) What to expect during my battles of valor: sarcasm, gifs, videosdaily log of current six week challengepictures of not mehappy postssad postsstories of levling up or just how "how I battle with my exercise"random noob questions. But they'll go away after the quest for answers/enlightenment is done Goals: lose 50 lbs.(Thanks college and stress for giving that to me.)study a lot.I'm majoring in accounting. and it might not sound hard but I recently switched majors which is making things a little more difficult.exerciseget into the habit of itI'm starting off with Dance Central 2 and zumba on the xbox but I'll work my way to other exercisestry new exercisesstart off with small 7 minute strength training exercisesdo the BBWW workout confession: I tried the 20min hotel workout my first time here and was sore for a week (serious case of DOMS. and kinda pulled a back muscle, so I was out for another two weeks after that)kill conquer the 20 min hotel workoutschedulinggetting into a better routine for everything is better for, well, everything. this inclides getting into a better:sleep schedulestudy scheduleworkout schedulereading schedulefandom watching scheduleetc.A little bit about me: Female Age: 22 Height: 5'5 Current Weight: 197 lbs Goal Weight: 140~150ish (I shall shout my small steps to this goal with gifs, videos, constant trips to the woot room, and lots of sarcasm) Fears: public speaking and over socialization. guess you can chalk that up to social anxiety. (but online no one knows that. and no one knows you're a cat) Likes: dogs, puppies, fluffy things, shiny things, reading, writing, fandoms, tea, D&D, gaming, music, distractions, chocolates, gummies, food, fruits Current Gaming addiction:online mmo called "Terra." I've been playing as a beserker since its so easy to lvl up with some time and a little bit of grinding

Main Quest: Attend the Nutcracker's Wedding Now that it’s the holiday season and fall, I don’t want to lose my progress. My main goal is to not gain weight. That’s it. If I maintain or lose that’s fine, but no gaining weight. Get Dressed: I want to look my best for a wedding. In order to do this I will continue mermaid training once or more a week, along with yoga twice a week. Bring Wedding Presents: I plan on sending my friends back home some presents this year! Only problem is I usually suck at remembering to do that kind of thing. So it’s a quest now. I plan on sending 10 packages. This quest is broken up into three parts: acquire gifts, wrap gifts, send gifts. Enjoy the Banquet: 'Tis the season for food, and while I don’t want to deprive myself or miss out I also don’t want to gain unhealthy weight. I will control my calorie intake for the next 6 weeks. Dance the Night Away: I’ve have been wanting to get back into ballet and have been holding back for stupid reasons. My goal is to sign up for classes and attend 6 ballet classes for this challenge.

So I've been lurking here like a lurking lurker. Thought it was about time. Background: Medical & health research by way of bio anthropology, chem, & emergency medicine. I have long since given up on trying to measure my health & fitness by my weight. My standards have become: endurance, in/cm, definition, clothing fit, general feeling of physical wellness. BMI is absolute bullshit for individuals. I am well aware that only a very small percent of a percent can lose- and keep- weight off. 'Health' is subjective. My goals: Clothes that do not bunch or rub the crotch out a week after I get them, to be able to run (ok, trot..) a mile with a 40lb pack, to lift myself and pack over a ledge of some kind, to not be out of breath after I walk up a flight of stairs. To do a complete thru-hike. To cosplay a strong and sexy character. To feel flexible and healthy. To be able to fit in an airline seat. Hx: My bloodwork is fine (ya, no thyroid condition, no diabeeetus), BP is great, no heart or other supposedly weight-related issues. I was fit and quite active until I got pregnant 16 years ago and somehow gained over 100lbs that just won't go away. I have never been a fad dieter or into supplements. Started trying to get fit (again..) after almost a year of not going to the gym (FT classes, FT work). I work 12+hr shifts on my feet doing around 3-6mi of walking each shift depending on how busy. I have L3-4 spinal lesions w bulging discs since I was 18, had nerve ablation about 1.5years ago...it's betterish (I still have to ice/heat/acetaminophen/ibuprofen every day, and a sleep aid often). I've gone through several fitne$$ trainers- they seem to have no fucking idea what to do with actual fat body mechanics, or how to modify. They stand there telling me what exercise to do while looking glazed-eyed and saying, 'just do what you can'. Ugh. Diet: Water, tea, wine- no pop, no coffee, no caffeine. Mostly unprocessed, homemade food. e.g. last night was steamed artichokes, steak, salad, wine. I tend to eat throughout the day, mostly steamed veggies, snacks are things like hummus & cucumbers, bean pate & water crackers, yogurt. I do have a fondness for savory things vs sweet. What I'm doing: I am alone in this. I've been trying to do the sprint-walk thing for the last 3 weeks- 1mi on treadmill and elliptical every other day. I have not noticed that I am gaining any time- it still takes me 22min to do a mile even if I extend my sprint times a little and shorten my walk times the same amount. I hate running, and I won't even attempt it until my knees and ankles can bear the strain. I do not hate pushups or planks etc, but again- I am unwilling to put too much strain on my joints until I've strengthened the supporting tissue. Current: 275lbs. I've lost no weight, no inches, none of it feels easier, my clothes are still way too tight. So here's the thing. It's full-on winter in northern WI, and all I have is a small Snap fitness center- no pool or group classes. I live in a small cabin- no room for a machine or workouts via video. I love being outdoors, I love the snow. I hate doing this alone. Online support only goes so far.

One of my big goals is to do the side splits aka jazz splits (middle splits will be a goal for down the track!) - I want to get them by next month and I am fairly close already. Just thought I'd start a discussion board for people who can do them or want to achieve them? Would like to know thoughts on: - Stretching routines - How you achieved them - Safety and injury (i.e. knees??? Over stretching?) - Alignment - Resources - Anything else! Thanks

Going to use this space to keep up with my goals during the winter break. Please follow along if you'd like or just drop in to say hello from time to time.

"Monday's child is fair of face" As I begin a new year I must keep my wits about me. I will likely encounter obstacles both seen and unseen but I refuse to go alone. I shall prepare myself with four talismans of protection. This challenge begins just before my birthday and I have set goals to make this year a healthier, more productive year. My main goal is to reach a healthy weight range. The First Talisman: My feet hit the ground with a purpose each day. I will walk 30 minutes each day. The Second Talisman: I dance with abandon. I will dance to whatever music I please for 15 minutes each day. The Third Talisman: I fill my belly with nutritious offerings. I will track my calories each day. The Fourth Talisman: I create. I will spend 20 minutes each day painting, writing, or knitting. (Life Quest)

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

Aloha and welcome to my first challenge within the assassins guild! I’m continuing the theme from my last challenge, because I love to swim and I love mermaids.In my last challenge I focused on swimming more, slimming down, and "transitioned" from human to mermaid. For this challenge, I want to have fun with my workouts, get really pumped to go and hit the gym or pool. I want to see an improvement in my abilities not just physical appearance. I also want to improve myself intellectually and gain skills that’ll benefit my hobbies and career (cosplay and modeling). So this challenge is something I’m really looking forward to start and something I’m excited to finish. Changes from the last challenge: Handwritten Battle Log. I can better track my meals, workouts, and progress if I write it down physically.Multiple choices. I now have many choices for exercise instead of one to keep myself motivated.Point system. For my life quests I’ve added a point system to make it easier to track and grade. Main Quest: How to Mermaid Transitioning from human to mermaid means I got some learning to do. In six weeks I want to be able to swim like a mermaid. I want to be able to expand my air capacity and be able to perform proper dolphin kicks (how professional mermaids use their tails) by the end of this challenge. First Lesson: Adjust to new Fins [sTR +3, STA +2] I need to learn how to use my new body parts so I don’t drown. Last challenge I focused on swimming more, not really anything to work on. This challenge I plan on being able to execute daily and weekly drills to learn proper dolphin kick form. I also plan on working on pull-ups, abdominal exercises, and yoga. To complete this quest I need to do something (Dolphin kick drills, yoga, bodyweight exercises, dancing, etc.) 4 days out of the week. Mon-Wed-Fri-Sun is the schedule I'm shooting for. Second Lesson: Breath Water [sTA +1] Mermaids can can gain oxygen from either air or water. I plan on diving again with my husband so improving my breathing will be great. I will do breathing exercises at least once a day, preferably twice a day. This is to improve my air control and air capacity. Third Lesson: Aquatic Cuisine [CON +3] Living in the ocean and swimming all day requires a lot of energy and nutrients. Every morning during breakfast I will take my biotin, multi-vitamins, and fish oil. This is mainly to get me in the habit of taking my supplements more often than I already do. I want to look and feel healthy, and learning to take my supplements along with good food should do the trick. Fourth Lesson: War Paint [CHA +3] Mermaids while sometimes nice can also be deadly, deceiving sailors to their doom with their beauty and sweet songs. As a model I need to take care of my skin and have good makeup knowledge. I will exfoliate twice a week (up to 2 shells), wear a face/hair mask once a week (up to two shells), and I will practice my makeup technique and post one picture a week along with my weekly progress photos (1 Shell). To be honest, while I love modeling and cosplaying natural make-up and skin care routine are real chores for me and quite boring, so making it a habit and getting practice seems like the best way to make progress. Final Lesson: Learn another language [WIS +3] Mermaids speak differently than humans, hence I need to learn the language. My lesson plan: 1 Japanese Lesson/ week [7 points]10 vocab words/ day [up to 14 points]Review at least once a day [up to 14 points]For a total of 35 points a week. I love learning, especially languages, but I’m not a good self-study type person, so I’m hoping adding it as one of my quests will encourage me to work harder on my studies. Motivation:

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

So this is actually a restart, I did challenges previously, but never quite completed them, so this is a reboot, Ohlemontine 2.0, complete with support. That's right, I've conned persuaded my boyfriend to join me on a 6 week challenge and see how it goes. Hurray! So I did the math recently, and my 10 year reunion will be coming up soon. This is dreadful news, considering I am so much heavier, and have done almost nothing with my life since highschool. Not even college, I went for one year and ran out of money... >_< So the overarching goal for the next 2 years will be to lose 100 lbs, which will bring me back to the weight I was when I got back from my first year of college. In getting to this weight loss goal I hope to make other transformations that will add up to a healthier, stronger, more confident, more peaceful and content person, strong in faith and smoking hot in body xDD This goals specific goal is to lose 5% bodyweight. At a starting weight of 260, that comes out to 13 lbs In order to complete this goal I will be focusing on 3 objectives, and once completed this will add 3 achievements to my status The first Achievement I am looking to unlock is... drumroll please... Aiya Rainy Day Special: Mega Beef Bowl I plan to eat a Mostly Paleo diet. While full Paleo is not feasible with the limited grocery budget and the 2 males in the apartment who will not make that transition without a major fight, I will attempt to be as paleo as possible, with only the occasional condiment or side dish that may not make the paleo mark. I'm grading this on a percentage scale, and anything less than a 80% Paleo for the day will be a fail. I also plan to snack healthier, and smaller snacks, preferably of the vegetable or fruit persuasion. And will be drinking at least 100 oz of water/green tea each day. These are all goals I have been slowly incorporating into my everyday routine for awhile now, so I do not feel working on all three parts of this goal at once will be taking on too much. Second Achievement: Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger For the second achievement I will be working on getting fit. I will be getting active at least 30 minutes every day. Activities will include Yoga, Kpop Dancing, Bodyweight workouts, biking, and playing (Actively) with my son. This is a pass/fail, either I do it, or not type of grade. Last, but certainly not least, is the Achievement : The CircleMaker In which I will be strengthening my faith, and spiritual walk. This will be done by spending at least 30 minutes on my spiritual walk. Reading the bible, studying devotionals, prayer, praise and meditation will be the tools used to help accomplish this goal. This is another pass/fail type of grade As for a life quest, this achievement will be called Cleaning House- Literally I will be working on keeping the kitchen clean. The kitchen will need to be clean at least 5 of the 7 days of the week to pass this challenge. Will need to have dishes done, counters/stove washed, floors swept, and dinner taken care of before going to bed. So that's it, the whole story... oh... well i guess I suppose I'll have to update daily. So look out for those... thanks