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In the latter half of last year the Enting started school, business travel picked up (for both me and Mr), and just to top it off we all caught Covid over the Christmas holidays. During all this, I stopped losing weight and gained back some of that I'd been losing. (Thankfully, not all of it!) This year I'm keen to get my weight/BMI back down to the best of last year. But more than that, I want to be better at getting back on track when chaos ensues and I get derailed--because chaos happens, constantly. I already have good practices and habits. They work. I just need to remember to keep them going (or reimplement them) when things go wacky. The Challenge: These are my practices that I need to keep in place Use the daily planner/tracker - Daily to-dos, habit-tracking, etc. Create/use the weekly meal plan - If I get too hungry without a plan, I'll end up eating a fistful of crackers with nutella, which is delicious but not exactly healthy. 5 Miles a Day/Dog Training - Oh, did I forget to mention? We have a puppy now! Skye is a 4.5 month old golden retriever and she's my new walking companion. I love her! She came to us at 15 weeks and basically no training at all, so we've been working hard with her. Luckily, she's a swift and eager pupil and in the 3 weeks we've had her, she's already come very far! And she doesn't let me slack off my lunchtime walk (not to mention the shorter walks I've had to add in the morning and evening...). Good for her, good for me. Level Up: Spring is coming to Owlshire! I need to get started on the vegetable garden, and I want to get back into my crafts. I debated between a daily habit, or specifics, and I've decided to go for specifics: Finish the jumper I'm knitting Spin something on my wheel (or at least start it) Prepare our new garden terraces (after two disasterous winters of not being able to DIY them, we hired it out. And now we have terraces!) Get all February seeds in the propagator Get or start the March seeds Pass/Fail Parameters: This challenge is about getting back on track--and then doing it again, and again. So I need to check in each week, and if I've gone off course, I need to get back on it again. As long as I do that, it's a success.

Hello friends! As I start typing here, Tango Argentine is blasting through my speakers, making me move my feet and putting a smile on my face... Astor Piazolla is just the beginning of my quest for a joyful life amidst a killer virus trying to get me before I can be vaccinated. Apocalypse life is hard, so I dedicate this challenge to joy, ease and fun. My history of challenges here is pretty mixed. after kicking some serious ass after my spinal surgery (getting my broken behind back to CrossFit) last fall I kinda struggled. Every time I felt good another body part broke... and after starting from zero for the umpteenth time I finally surrendered to depression. This is no way to live! guys, Im aiming for bright spots in the day and the healing power of expanding my mind: There are a couple of things that make me happy by being inspired. a trip through music, books, podcasts, nature, recipes, being with the few people I can see right now... everyday I will find one thing that makes me feel inspired and happy. if you have visited my threads before you know that I like to make new goals every week. I will also stick to this system this challenge. Once my body and psyche agree with me that its now time to level up Ill add stuff. For the first week its just about being inspired at least once a day. ..... just like last Friday , when the most beautiful woman on my street came to do my hair and makeup amidst multiple bottles of bubbly. This middle-aged lesbian was truly in heaven!

My spine is broken as fuck and here I am with a slipped disc again only 6 months after surgery. I don't know how things are going to unfold in the next weeks, so its 4 goals a week, changing up things as necessary. *realizes she is old now and cries softly* but hey: week zero goals: build back and stomach muscles by doing bodyweight core workouts daily (as long as it doesnt make the pain worse). Experiment with what's possible. Don't sit for very long. find out whether to keep going with keto or whether to eat a less strict low carb diet. Read recommended book on low carb. move outside with dog as much as possible organize doctors appointment LETS GO AND FINISH OFF 2020 ALREADY!

I sat down today to brainstorm my next challenge and couldnt do it. I was unable to tell what my priorities are. I want to get into Cross Fit again, I want to write book #2 and I want to spend time with my dog in nature. I want to recover from back surgery, I want to get to 99,0kg, I want to prep keto meals, I want to stay away from addictive behavior, I want to be financially stable ( teach more).... I don't see how I can get all of those things done at once since I have mental health issues that make me feel overwhelmed easily, and I am unsure about priorities. So I will use this challenge to try out different versions of a regular week and hopefully at the end I will know what I want a regular week to look like. So this might happen ( or not ) being keto and reaching 99 kilos are non negotiable. I will reach this goal ( if I don't fuck up!!!! ) during this challenge after working on it since June. After that its maintenance for a while. The energy then can go towards other goals. dog walks are also non negotiable and I will do a short walk 5 times a week and a long one 2 times a week.. I have a garden for her to play and pee in, but still, this is the minimum to be a good dog mum! ( weekly steps will be counted towards Walk to Mordor ) If Cross Fit doesn't work out I will probably add to my walking goal and try more hiking with the pup. the bodyweight stuff was hard to do by myself and I suspect I need a group setting to kick ass. So Crossfit ( with scaled down movements!!!! ) it is. I texted my coach and asked him if I can go to class tomorrow and Friday early morning and to make up for it, clean the box for two hours on Wednesday morning. (He had the same deal with me when I first trained there years ago. Its because I cant afford the fee) He hasn't seen my text yet but I hope to be able to start tomorrow and experiment for a week or two or three 😉what a life with Cross Fit on top of all the other stuff would feel like. If I cant do it this week I will do it next week. Am scared shitless about this decision but cant wrap my mind around the question if I can manage this - unless I actually try it out. recovery is also not optional and I will have to develop a stretching routine and include some PT stuff. Maybe: Minimum 1/ week( plus after workouts) To be determined later. concerning smoking and drinking I will repeat my goals from last challenge and a) track my alcohol, b) have a goal to smoke not more than 24 cigarettes / day. I wasn't consistent enough to lower the number last challenge and will stick to 24 until I do it regularly. finances are looking better since I took on more students. Goal now: Be consistent. Also budget wisely and don't order crap! If Im overwhelmed Im allowed to scale down here though... mental health is most important. writing is probably optional although I really really really want to do it. Will try out some writing goal later this challenge. Maybe find some regular writing times??? I will adjust my goals every week and see how I feel experimenting with the different priorities. Maybe I even surprise myself and manage to do all at once in a reasonable sustainable way?? Its great to start from zero. Hopefully its gonna be as fun as I think it will be!

So, if you read the earlier Saga Of The Corgiador in which we adopted (and returned) a dog from a rescue that turned out to be incredibly aggressive (they lied about his temperment), you will be somewhat astonished to know we doubled-down and have another (larger) dog with a completely unknown history from the pound. ...Who is everything we hoped the rescue organization's dog would have been, at least so far. Behold, Sir Buckethead the Gallant! (aka The Giant Puppeh) So my four week challenge is to learn how to WEAR OUT THE PUPPEH. ...I am open to suggestions! He comes with a built-in upper body workout, until I leash train him (he learns things crazy quick, so not too worried there). I think I will practice my throwing skills, since he loves fetch. Walking (obviously), but I'm thinking it would be cool to train him for the fancy dance moves ala Border Collie Performance Art. ...Or riding. Seriously, this puppeh is large! I need awesome Assassin playtime activities! Is it technically bodyweight training if I'm using his bodyweight? Things Pupper Has Learned To Do in this Challenge: Walk on a leash without pulling, play tuggie games politely, drop a toy, wait to go through doors, take treats gently, sit-stays, down-stays, inside turns, outside turns, leave-its, come-and-sit, play gently with Shiva, look-at-me, off/getdown...

So... things. I have little motivation for foruming stuff (at this moment right now at 7/18 9PM). But I've also been pretty actively extroverting/stressing about work (both at the same time). I guess for this challenge I have 3 main goals Continue the awesomeness of daily exercise: Really, I shouldn't discount this. In the past 2-3 challenges I have made massive strides from working out maybe once per week to doing something active almost daily. Easily 5 days out of 7. Pokemon go this past week has helped me take this to the next level - extending previously 10-15 min runs to 40+ min. Keep it up! Make it a habit, not just due to a random burst of motivation. Yoga 3 times per week, continuing Yoga With Adriene's Yoga Camp (even if I don't do it daily) 2 long walks or runs. Long = 30+ min of hiking or neighborhood exploration runs Sleep is important, and should not be neglected: So when I first got back into the groove of NF Challenges, I had a few (unsuccessful) attempts at sleeping solid amounts. To give a reference - last week I averaged 5 1/2 hours per weeknight And then 9 ish hours on the weekend. 7 hours (or more) per day. By going to bed at 10-10:30 and waking up 5-5:30. (is my math right? will correct later if not.....) No excuses. Eat dinner at normal human time - not 11 PM because (enter excuses here). Rawr. Alcohol: Continue the following: 2 or less drinks Monday - Thursday (carryover from last challenge) 4 or less drinks Friday - Sunday (new)

Hey everyone Pupster and I are back for second challenge with the Adventurers. Really enjoyed myself and felt engaged in the community through the April challenge. I can definitely see the Adventurer's guild being our home for the foreseeable future. Last challenge was all about pulling myself together with the right mindset. This challenge we're kicking things up a notch and starting to look outwards. Goal 1: Patrol the Territory A minimum fitness level is required to properly patrol the pack's territory. Time to get into the habit and branch out. We walk the same paths every day - time to experience some new local sights and smells. This way "I don't have time to drive to the park" is never an excuse since all we have to do is take that step out the front door. 2 Endurance Workouts/Week 1 Strength Workout/Week 1 Flexibility Workout/Week Track daily distance made with the pupster (no goals this challenge since he's still a little limpy) Loot: +3 STA, +2 STR, +1 Deadpool on BluRay (90% completion or more) Goal 2: A Natural Diet Did very well last challenge with my fight against the dreaded Sugar Monster. Time to up the difficulty. MINDFUL Desserts & Snacks The routine/mindless snacking is a huge problem for me. Oh I walked past the cabinet? Need a handful of cashews. To tackle this, snacks will be planned like a meal. No more stash of granola bars at the office. I can bring one with me to eat, but I cannot have a box on hand to mindlessly eat. Same goes for other snacks - yes I can bring a portioned container. No I cannot leave a bag of trail mix. Because I will inhale that stuff. Weekends are a big problem too. I just graze all day that I am home. Time to eat REAL meals (instead of handfuls of whatever I can find in the cabinet). I want to work on drinking less too, but my focus now is on snacking. I'll have a tentative goal for 1 drink or less Mon-Thurs. But the exercise goal and snacking are pretty challenging by themselves and I want to give the right amount of effort to be successful. Next time.... Loot: +3 CHA, +2 CON, +$20 for fancy coffee beans Goal 3: Focus Training Continued I'm doing online dog training class things. Completed lessons 1-3 last challenge for the "Get Focused" seminar. Aiming for 4 more lessons this challenge. Pretty simple. Loot: +5 WIS Goal 4: Assess the Surroundings Time to learn more about the local flora and fauna (thanks Arrowan by being inspiring with your herp studies last challenge). Each week I will look for and learn a bit about at least1 plant and 1 animal that I see on our patrols. Bonus if I post a picture that I took of said species.

Out of the shadows, two figures emerge. One walks on two legs, and may look vaguely familiar. She seems unsure, but emboldened by her canine companion she straightens her posture and walks with greater purpose. "Well, this looks like a nice place to make camp." ----- Hey, I'm Garjan. I was somewhat active a year or so ago. Hung out in the Assassin's Den last challenge, but wanted a bit of a change in scenery. I'm here to continue building healthy habits, and maybe enjoy the scenery along the way. Big themes of this challenge is to be both mindful and present. It's easy to let LONG workdays create excuses, but I don't want to take the easy trail. I also want to be present when it comes to my canine partner in crime who is happy to allow me the occasional lazy day but much prefers when we focus on training and adventures. Quests 1) I do not eat sweets Dessert is a weak point for me, especially mindlessly eating from coworker's candy jars. And the worst part is i don't even actually enjoy most of the stuff! I just eat because it is there. So I'm cutting myself off. Support: Drink water or tea when sweets cravings hit. Or go for a walk (away from the candy jars :P) Support: Bring alternative snacks to work - fruit, trail mix, etc. Support: There is one (1) bar of dark chocolate in the fridge available to me. Once I eat the last piece, that's it. My goal in this is to make me actually think - how much do I want this chocolate now versus having the option for later. Can I go 4 weeks with only eating 1 dark chocolate bar (or less)? Challenge accepted! LOOT = Blu-Ray Star Wars Prequels Set AND Blu-Ray The Force Awakens; CHA + 5 2) Sleep 7+ hours each night Tried this last challenge too and just missed by 30 min most nights. I think this is due in part to my measuring technique (FitBit) not meshing well with plan (set bedtimes based on wake up time) because who actually falls asleep exactly when they lay down? Support: Meal planning. A lot of the time I'm up late because dinner is late, or I'm making lunch/prepping coffee for the next morning. Planning it out and preparing will make evenings (and mornings) much smoother. Support: Turn those damn devices off and go to sleep! And while your'e at it change the alarm sound so you don't snooze it 10 times every morning. LOOT = Sonata Arctica Ecliptica Revisited CD; CON + 5 3) Fenzi Dog Sports Academy - FE105 (5 lessons) Signed up for an online dog training thing a while ago and never finished the lessons. Want to start from fresh and go through at least the first 5 (of 10) lessons and exercises. I don't want to rush the progress so about 1 per week is good. LOOT = ????; WIS + 3, STA + 2 Bonus) 4 Unique Hiking Trails ADVENTURE~!

So I will try not to ramble so much as to quash all entertainment value from this but be detailed enough to be useful to me for further trips lest I forget what I learned. This trip planning had a fair amount of hubris. I always felt like I could really pound mileage if I had a light pack and quick meals. So I picked this trail http://www.hoosierhikerscouncil.org/adventure_hiking_trail_aht/to do solo. In fact I was a little concerned I would finish it in one day and not camp. Part of this trip was to see what it was like to camp solo. But life has been crazy and I spent little time planning and made several last minute decisions. I went with an outdated map. I had added labels to one version and lost it so I had the 8.5x11 listed on that website with no labels on shelters or any of the roads. I got up late and when I got to the area discovered my truck's GPS showed no roads visually or any names. I have no reference to where I am actually entering the map (I later found out the road I thought I came in on has ceased to be). I drive around trying to figure out where I am or where particular access points are. I finally drop water at 2 places marked as "ADVENTURE HIKING TRAIL" and park at another one. It is now 10 local time and I am hours behind schedule. I take off with my view of Fluffy Butt. I had previously looked at backpacks for dogs but wasn't sure I would ever take Atlas. That is two nail aprons jury rigged to his life jacket. He carried his own kibble and water. Probably 4# total on a 75# dog. This was a trail that connected to the AHT at a place where it was simply blue blazes for the trail I was on and Green Blazes for the AHT. I repeat, the Blazes were Green or green and white. Bark White and Moss Green So when the floor is covered in leaves and you navigate thin trails by blaze, it's hard to spot this from a distance. Many places were VERY WELL blazed. Close and using reflective markers. But some was not. Anyway, I had walked past this crossing and hit another trailhead and had to backtrack. Pretty dry with some streams only a bit of a trickle. Did I mention I had misplaced one water drop and the dog lost half his? Or that in my obsessive weigh cutting I hadn't grabbed my filter sock and chlorine dioxide tablets (at less than a quarter once total) Made some slow miles and stopped for lunch. I call them Krab doobies Started making decent progress but got lost in the Timber harvest area. Lots of other foot traffic makes it hard to stay on trail especially looking for green blazes. SPend about an hour off trail and pick it back up. Now it is after 4 local time. Light is getting sparse and I am needing to find the shelter or just make camp on the trail. In an effort to cut weight I have no shelter. Finally made it Make some dinner of Shrimp ramen, dehydrated seafood and bonita strips. I am now down to less than 1 liter of water. I know exactly where I am but not where my truck is and therefore not sure how far I have to travel on 1 liter of water after amking oats and coffee in the morning. Time to evoke bad trail mojo and take a pot of water out of the fire water buckets and boil it. Bottle up a liter of green water with drink mix and set aside enough for coffee and oats. Boiled rain water is typically safe but between tannins and algae it's best used mixed in things. Up by 5:15 and waiting for enough light to leave Find another shelter with poor former occupants. Bad trail joo-joo Restoring my good trail magic. I dropped this off at a later shelter on paved road. I believe it was around 8 miles. On to some neat ruins of a fireplace at the next shelter Atlas stopped carrying his own gear. I left on the lifejacket since it's deer season. Atas follows my trail like an ant. Exactly. He could have moved over three steps but instead he got stuck. THe life jacket has a handle so I lifted him over a dozen logs. This is dragging out, so cutting it short. I still didn't know where my truck was and got lost in poorly marked river bottoms. I only packed through breakfast so returning to my truck at 5ish local time was rough. I still had water but no caffeine and finished my last emergency munch once I was on an actual road to my truck. I had tried to return on original trail but it all started to look alike. Due to an achilles tendon injury during a trip on the Knobstone Trail a month or so ago I feared to wear my hiking boots or trail shoes and opted for the only boots that hadn't hurt it when it was at it's worst. All leather, padded, unvented leather Craftsman workboots not designed to do 22 miles of trail in a day. Especially when it rains the last 4 or 5 hours of the day and you don't don rain gear because you are almost there.

Woof to all you great people from the Rebellion! I'm so happy I found this website, I have tried getting healthy in the past, but I had so little in common with the people who usually frequent fora on health/sports sites. So here's to hoping we all will get along better, because I love nerding things up! Okay, so more about the person behind the name. I'm a 22 year old girl (pretty old for a dog, huh?), I love gaming (RPGs and point and click games all the way!), boardgames, watching movies and series and drawing. I'm also learning how to play guitar. I'm a total Potterhead and The Elder Scrolls geek. I study biomedical sciences (basically: research on human diseases), already have a bachelor's and I'm busy in the second and final year of my master's now. I'm totally terrified of what the future has in store for me, as I have no clue if I'll be happy as a crazy scientist. But time will tell! As said before, I've tried to adopt a healthier lifestyle in the past, but it's been difficult. My boyfriend and I have been living together for 4 years and we both love eating and being lazy. Mainly unhealthy stuff, haha! French fries, hamburgers, spare ribs, nomnom, you name it! I've tried to eat healthier but when he has a big pile of meat on his plate and I only have some salad and a small piece of meat I get envious and fall back into my old habits. I've followed 2 5K running programs before (a Belgian one and Zombies, Run 5K training) but I quit right before making it to 5K due to losing interest in it. I'm not terribly overweight, I am usually around 136 lbs, but I would like to feel better in my own skin and feel proud when looking in the mirror and not have stuff flubber around I want to get a bit 'tighter' so to say and lose some weight around the typical girl areas (thighs, butt, belly) as well as getting a bit stronger! 120 lbs is my 'goal' weight, but if I look fit and toned while weighing a bit more than that, that's completely fine. I am not sure which path to take, but so far I'm leaning towards Assassin because 1. I love sneaky characters in games and 2. I am interested in body weight exercises! I also hope to find some accountabilibuddies here, but I see there's a special topic for that. I also have some questions about the beginner body workout, but I think I should ask them somewhere else? Love you all! Dog

Main Quest Enjoy Every day of 2015 Current Quests 1 Pistol Squat 5s handstand 1 pull up 1 handstand push up Motivations be strong look good be a show off be happy be content have fun survive winter It's winter here now, and I just want to curl up under my doona until Spring returns. Unfortunately that's very unproductive and counter-intuitive, especially if I want to have an epically strong and shapely bod for when I can finally wear something that shows some skin without freezing my bits off. The lack of sun also makes me quite S.A.D, and I know this, so I'm taking it easy on myself and doing the bare minimum that I can and still feel like I'm doing good. Also things I know I should be doing but just don't. I just need to keep repeating my ideal habits until they are automatic and I don't have to angst over having to workout or do the damn dishes. Some quests are repeats from the last few, some are new because I need a change. QUEST ONE: Keep doing the moving about thing Bodyweight routine 2 days a week. Two days break in between for optimal rest (routine allowing). I'm trying to build strength here, no weight loss or meticulous calorie counting or anything. Just getting stronger and better at controlling my body, and proving to myself how awesome I can be if I put some effort in. My work schedule is all over the shop so I just need to fit in 1 hour of exercise two days a week around my work days. Probably going to end up being a week day and a weekend day. My current routine I've been doing for the past two challenges, and I still like it. It focuses on pushing, pulling, leg stuff and core stuff for some sort of coverage of all my limbs. As soon as I hit a plateau / feel too comfortable with an exercise, I'll change it up for something harder. This is where I'm at currently. Push: Decline Push ups. Going to work on getting my legs higher and get to doing handstand push ups. Well, and a handstand. xD Pull: Negative Pull ups. Following 50pullups.com, or near enough to it. Working towards an actual pull up. Legs: Bulgarian Split Squats with a 6kg dumbbell in each hand (12kg total). Working towards a pistol squat with some weight in my outstretched hands for balance. I can get down, but not up again at the moment! Core: Hollow Body Holds. Taken from GMB's handstand tutorial. Working on being able to hold my legs and arms out straight for a whole minute, then I'm moving to wall handstand things (I think) QUEST TWO: Do the sleeping thing. Between 8 - 8.5 hours sleep every night, preferably between 10pm - 6am. I've slept between 10pm - 6am every night this week and I've definitely noticed a more steady energy level during the day, especially while I'm at work. I can't afford to be exhausted from lack of sleeping (waitressing is hard enough) so I'm making this a thing that I have to stick to. Just getting 8 hours sleep is acceptable on the weekend (in case I stay up late or want a sleep in on days I don't have to work / workout) Should also help me be less S.A.D. QUEST THREE: Spread the discipline QUEST FOUR: Be nice to yourself every day! TL;DR; QUEST 1: Bodyweight sessions 2x a week. QUEST 2: Sleep between 8 - 8.5 hours every night. QUEST 3: 20 minutes of doggy play time daily. QUEST 4: Do something selfish daily. Quests 3 & 4 cancelled due to life. xD

Do you feel like Summer gets here and THINGS HAPPEN (hopefully good things), and the next thing you know it’s labor day weekend and you wonder where the summer went? I’ve been trying to find ways to not just enjoy my summer but to slow down a little and enjoy it instead of getting caught up in so many things to do that I forget that I love to take it slow and just go and enjoy my own way. I just finished my first full quest, and am looking forward to enjoying my next one. When I try to do things I use to do the overhaul approach “I MUST DO IT ALL Now!â€. now I’m going slow taking a few baby steps at a time and trying to make changes gradual, and hopefully permanent . So a half of my quests are continuations of the quests that I did last time, with some tweaks. I talk and post photos of my Lovely side kick River, the 11 month old Great Dane. Last Challenge Hubby was away at conference/work travel and I was a single dog mommy. He’s back and we will be sharing responsibilities a lot more. She and our 3 furry purry friends, Patrick, Sebastian and Beatrice, Hubby and I make up our house. Enough talk, time to Quest! Main Quest: To change from a awesome Oger into an Awesome Amazon. Lose weight and gain muscle. Also be as kick ass in person as I am in my head (physically). Keep my sweet sidekick River the Great Dane healthy, happy and active. Get fit and loss pant sizes though watching what I eat (tracking), and working out. Quest 1: weight training 3 times a week. mon, wed, fri, or for long weekends, tues, thur sat I’m going to add Weights into my life again. it’s been years since I did weight training seriously. I started and worked with a personal trainer that I loved working with, but then he moved and I started working with a women that wanted me to do many reps with light weights, uggg. So I stopped. and life, operations and recovery and never really got beck to it. So the plan is 3 times a week, maybe starting with bodyweight exercises for this challenge and up it to free weight next challenge. Quest 2: track food 7 times a week I’ve been using sparkpeople to track my food, and still love it. I did so well with this last challenge and I want to keep it up. I’m going to aim for 2,000 to 2,500 a day in calories, and Post my daily total on my challenge board. Quest 3: walk River, and/or bike to work and/or swim 6 days a week. last challenge I had a lot of cardio for my workouts. things that were good, I definitely biked to work more since I had to be accountable for them. Walking River comes pretty naturally since a board Great Dane is a handful but a tired one is a warm lump on your couch. We have plans of visiting in laws and camping next month so I thought that adding the swimming for those days I can is always a great addition. Life Quest: Practice singing and piano 5 times a week I’ve been taking singing lesson for the last year and a bit, and just started to alternate taking piano and singing lessons at my weekly lessons. I am bad for only practicing 2-3 times a week and now I have two things to practice!

Hey All! If you've met me before, you'll remember that I jumped into the last challenge with only 2 weeks left in it. I wanted to get the hang of things and strike while the motivational iron was hot. It was a great way to figure out what worked and what didn't. It also caused me to realize that I automatically equate weight-loss/getting fit with eating right... not necessarily the goals that I chose to accomplish my challenge quest. Old habits die hard, eh? ANYWAY! Welcome to LyricalSharon's FIRST FULL CHALLENGE!!! I gotta say.... boyoboy am I looking forward to levelling up!!!!!! For real (also known as frealz) and levelling up in order to get attribute points. Yeah! SO! This is my MAIN QUEST: Fit into size 4 jeans by Nov 27 2015 (yes, yes, I know it's a long ways away but I'm a 10/11 right now, and I can't remember the last time I was in a size 4.... and if I get to a size 4 before the date, then part of the quest will be to keep myself in a size 4.) My Three Goals: 1. Take la mutt for a walk or run 3 times a week (last time I put 5 but that was crazy. This is more realistic.) 2. Do Angry Birds workout 3 times a week. 3. Drink one glass of water for each cup of coffee I drink. What's my motivation? I want to be able to stop feeling frustrated anytime I try to dress in something other than hoodies! Every time holidays come around, or some special event where I have to dress up, or even if I just want to look nice, I get super frustrated trying to find something that doesn't make me feel like I've got water wings and an inner tube strapped to my body. Hey, just even being able to sit down and not have a muffin top spill out of my jeans would be nice. So basically, my motivation is, to enjoy getting dressed! Thanks for joining me on this challenge!

I attempted the last six-week challenge, but failed. =( But I have learned from my failure, and can now create an even better plan! Main Quest: Create a habit of exercising! Goals: 1. Stretch enough to place hands flat on floor with legs straight. (I'm not too far from this, so it shouldn't be too hard. I can currently place my fingers flat on the floor. (I'm double jointed, so I do mean that.)) 2. Pack a lunch 4/5 of the time instead of eating fast food garbage. 3. Do some form of exercise, doesn't matter what or how much, every day. My volleyball class counts. Life Quest: Do your homework religiously. (I'm a college kid.) My motivation is to better myself. My motto is "a little better every day", so I'm just working on that. Oh, and it's hobbit-y because I'm lazy and enjoy comfort, but can put up with a lot. I plan to do much dog walking in this quest, and hobbits did much walking. I'm currently very hobbit-y, and thus my quest is hobbit-y. In addition, I can be a lot like gollum, lurking creepily and arguing with myself, and he was a hobbit. More hobbit connections!

Has anyone here ever run with a dog? My family dog Murph (2 year old black lab) is not a very good walker, it seems lik all he wants to do is RUN. So, I started taking him for runs instead of walks on a nearby bike path and it has been a lot of fun for us both, he's a great running partner. I was just wondering if anyone has any experience with this and could offer any tips, we are just starting out and I don't want to do too much too soon, I'm not sure how much the little guy can handle. Right now we do 2-3 miles, three times a week, never 2 days in a row... wondering how to increase our mileage or even if we should. That being said, it has been incredibly rewarding so far and something I would totally recommend trying if you are in a position to do so!