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The Intro Spiel Improvement is difficult. It’s difficult to attain, and for me it’s difficult to see. Yet I’ve seen it in the past couple of challenges, which means I must be doing something right. Yes, I’ve continued with the odd slip’n’slide theme of starting strong, getting knocked down part-way through, and then having to get back up again, but the hits I take seem less and getting back up seems easier. I think this sets me up perfectly for the second part of Phase One. The plan originally revolved around building up savings, and while I’m by no means affluent, I’ve managed to secure extra hours at work and have cut down considerably on my energy costs. Thanks to summer I need no heating whatsoever and I can make do through most of the day with no need for lights to be switched on for any great length of time, plus shorter, cooler showers. The main thing I’m fighting now is my own dissatisfaction at my situation, at that little voice that says, “Hey, it’s ok, just spend X amount for Y object, you’ve got more money now.” Sure, I have marginally more money, but I mean to continue living on as tight a budget as possible. Allowances will be made for food and household necessities only. The System This time around the system will be slightly different. Three main goals that function as little boss battles, plus lists of objectives that will earn me health and rage points. While I enjoyed the freedom the lists provided last time, I found a small issue with not having enough focus and sort of wandering without much of an aim other than ‘fit X, Y, and Z’ into my day. The Boss Lyssa, the very same spirit of madness who inflicted the great Hercules with insanity. She stalks from a distance, not yet close enough to cast that fatal blow, but close enough to inflict anger and frustration, boredom and spurts of reckless impulsiveness. Defeating her will be tricky, more a mental game than physical. The key lies in defeating her cohorts, the Maniae. Once they are defeated, she will be considerably weakened and dispatching her will be easier. The Game Plan 1st Mania: Insanity 10,000 KB Swing Challenge Though I started this at the beginning of the month, my goal is to stick to the program and complete it successfully. After all, it is four weeks. Four weeks to kick my ass back into gear. Four weeks to reset. Four weeks of simplicity during which I can re-evaluate my fitness situation and decide where to go next. In order to avoid a typical Yeti-disaster, there has been a change of plan for the Insanity goal that is explained in this post and the battle log entry linked within. Instead of the 10,000 swings, I will instead be moving on to SL5x5. I was debating between that and 5/3/1. As it is, I definitely think I've got the potential for the kind of linear progression SL aims for, so I will continue with that until such progression is no longer possible. At the end of the challenge I will test my one rep maxes as I'd originally planned to do. 2nd Mania: Madness Boring, Boring Diet For budget and health considerations. While I have come a long way to cutting out a lot of the crap I tend to buy when I feel, well, crappy, I do slip from time to time. The aim this challenge is to stop those slips and make only informed decisions. I also aim to do the following: Eat more on workout days, less on rest days Drink at least three litres of water a day Phase out rice/pasta on rest days, replace with veg Since I’ve spent the last few days making, terrible, terrible nutrition decisions, I’m bringing back the meal posting thing for accountability. 3rd Mania: Crazed Frenzy Build-a-home Home is where I spend the most time, therefore my home needs to reflect my need for comfort and health. By the end of the challenge I will have completed my ‘too much stuff’ purge, rearranged my living room, organised my kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom, and will have made good progress in decorating my study/gym. The Bonus Points Health +5 per: 20xp Duolingo, 1 hour spent on OU Free, 30 min spent on knitting project, 30 min spent on guitar, tending the garden/veg garden, 5 minute meditation, wild food foraged, photo walk, 30 min spent reading Rage +5 per: Primal movement session (5-15mins), 3 minutes accumulate deadhang, 10 minutes accumulated deep squat, three miles walked, 5 minutes foam rolling, mobility session, yoga session The Closing Speech There we have it. Things are a bit more structured this time, and each goal is set up for progression. I’m about 75% certain which direction I want to take things once I finish the 10,000 swing challenge, but I will use these weeks for careful consideration. I know exactly where I want to take my diet, but that requires time and adjustment. And I know what kind of home I want to live in, but again that requires time (and a little extra money). In short, this time around I know what I want to do, and I have the drive to do it. It’s easier to look at a long term plan and be comfortable with the fact that I need to hit several smaller goals before I reach my big, life-changing moments.