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I enjoy this time of year. I love all the lights, and singing Christmas carols, and parties, and gifts. But it is busier, so I'm keeping it simple. Goal 1: Get dressed first thing in the morning before I head out to the kitchen Goal 2: Read my Bible at least a bit before I look at other screens Also: I'm not super happy with my fluff right now, as I have too much. But, right now is not the time to cut. I'm just going to focus on my eating skills and being mindful. The thing I'm going to super focus on this holiday season: 1) After I finish eating a treat just sit a few moments and think about how I feel ( usually that I want MORE) 2) Finding a fun distraction for a few moments, most likely a word game on my phone 3) Going and doing the next thing and waiting at least 15 minutes before getting seconds I'm working on this skill, but I don't know how much I will write about it here. Keeping the list of things I'm require myself to post helps me not put off posting. I'll probably say something about it sporadically though. My Christmas happy: My husband put up Christmas lights downstairs. And we have a tree downstairs, so it is a lovely spot to workout in.

I'm coming off the high of a wildly successful challenge, and I am so committed to making those changes last! I completed my 3rd Whole30 last round, and it was by far my most successful. I ate like a Queen, I got all my workouts in, I walked, I learned, I journalled. Now I need to find a framework for it all that works in my post-Whole30 world. I find the extreme strictness of the program much easier than exercising moderation - if cheating isn't an option, I won't do it. If it's okay to have just a little of whatever, drawing the line where I stop is SO much harder! So my focus is now on maintaining the good habits that I built to support good decision making going forward, instead of just making a complicated set of rules that I am just supposed to magically follow. Firstmost and Foremost: Diet. I want to keep eating very clean - I felt so good (so energetic, so happy, so NOT bloated) on the W30, and I don't want to give that up. But what does that mean? 1. (5pts/week)Weekly breakfast prep: Take the decision-making out of the first meal of the day. A big batch of protein + veggies will get made on the weekend. If it's there, I will take it to work. If I have to figure out what I'm eating for breakfast in the morning, it doesn't always end well. 2. (10 pts/challenge) Restock Freezer meals: This doesn't necessarily need to happen every week, but I need to have some easy backup food for when my plans fall through. Chicken patties, meatballs and soup have been successful here in the past. 3. (10 pts/week; -5pts for additional variances) Plan and shop for mostly compliant dinners: I have a handy dandy recipe app (Paprika) that I have been using to plan dinners, and then it will automatically generate a shopping list. 3 times per week, this dinner can include legumes OR non-gluten grains. (I take leftovers for lunch, so these things will be eaten again the next day as well.) 4. Don't put cheese on everything! I'm going to aim for 4 non-dairy days per week. Dinner one day through lunch the next counts. (-5pts for each day above 3 with dairy) 5. Macros! Bonus 5 pts per week if average carbs are under 100g, Protein is over 80g, and Calories under 1600. EDIT: 6. I forgot to address wheat. Not gonna lie, I miss bread. I love it so. My short term goal is to not make myself any meals containing it, but to allow it if we eat out (which happens very rarely, so that's not like a carte blanche or anything. And I don't mean fast food, I mean a proper sit down restaurant meal.) 1 freebie for the challenge, then -5 pts for further indulgences. *While I am not technically making these in to goals at this point, I want to be very aware of alcohol and evening snacking. I am feeling pretty okay with not drinking, and I want to keep going for now. I'm okay with having a drink if I really want to, but not just for the sake of it. (Bonus points of 5 for each alcohol-free week.) For the snacking piece, I have rarely felt any desire to snack lately, and if I wanted more food after dinner it was because I was genuinely hungry, and then I ate some appropriate, filling food. I am going to keep up with this, and for this challenge, will just be tracking this item and we'll see how it goes. My logic is that if my daily meals are satiating enough, I shouldn't want to snack. So if I do, I need to recalibrate my other meals.* Okay. Phew. That was a bit of an essay. Hopefully I'm not overcomplicating things, but I think it touches everything I need it to. A : 70pts B : 60pts C : 50pts D : 40pts F : <40pts +4CHA Secondmost and Midmost: Workout. Time to ramp this up a little. 2x workouts per week - formal gym dates (with sister). Body weight and/or dumbbell workouts, with a little cardio mixed in. 1x something else per week - whatever! Yoga, bouldering, and kettlebells all count. Walking doesn't. A : 12pts B : 10pts C : 8pts D : 6pts F : <6pts +7 STR or DEX or END decided upon at the end depending upon mix. Thirdmost and Betwixtmost: Walk. This is a yearlong goal, as I am aiming to get 3,650,000 steps this year! I'm a little behind already, so I'm gunning for 71,250 per week A : 285,000+ B : 255,000+ C: 225,000+ D : 195,000+ F : 194,999 or less. +2END Fourthmost and Aftmost: Talk. I started taking American Sign Language classes last month, and the first level ends Feb 16 and the second starts March 7th, meaning that I will have 4 classes during this challenge. Critically though, I need to get more practice in. There is a casual, student led conversation group on Mondays that I will attend, and I will do some other kind of practice online (watching youtube videos, practicing sign and fingerspelling recognition etc) at least one other time per week. (2 extra times on the weeks with no classes.) A : 10 B : 8 C: 6 D : 4 F : <4 +2INT

So I have a pretty good thing going for four days of the week. If you read my battle log, link in the sig, you can see that I like barbells. Love them. Lift them. Mmmmmmmbarbells. But as I've modified my workouts, watched different lifters on the YouTubes, read more on here, I'm starting to realize something: I need an accessory day. I need a day for all those little targeted muscles that can only be worked out with targeted workouts. I'm getting stronger and stronger with the lifting, I just want to stabilize the musculature that I'm developing. Of course, there might already be a program like this in place and I missed it. So what I'm looking for is one workout that could be done in around an hour (excluding warm up and cool down which I can do before I get to the gym). I have full access to a gym and this would be done once a week. My program that I have right now (subject to change anytime) is alternating heavy and volume for all workouts, skwaaats everyday, DL, BP, OHP each two days a week. So... Go Go WEB!

I sucessfully completed my first challenge and discovered my race... A monkey! However half-way into my second challenge, I completely lost track and didn't finish the challenge. This is my respawn at a second challenge again. Not awarding myself any points from the last challenge (except for a life quest I completed..Yay) Without further ado, here is my second challenge: MAIN QUEST To kick it up a notch from the previous challenge. Incorporate more dexterity-building exercises. Compensate and make up for failures from previous challenge. QUEST 1: Continue with Strenth Training in gym/Convict Conditioning on alternate days: Three times a week each STR 3, STA 1, DEX 1, [A: >15, B=12-15, C=9-11] QUEST 2: Include atleast one dexterity based activity per week: Examples: Yoga, Other bodyweight training, DEX 1, STA 1 [A: 5-6, B:4, C=3] QUEST 3: Atleast one stamina based activity per week or climb stairs upto 10th floor atleast 4 times per week: Tabata, HIIT, Zumba, Aerobics at the gym DEX 1, STA 2, CON 2 [A: 5-6, B=4, C=3] LIFE QUEST 1: Get research papers written and ready for publication. WIS 1 OPTIONAL LIFE QUEST : Since I didn't complete my life quest of jounalling last challenge, scaling it down for this challenge. Journalling atleast once a week WIS 1, [A:>5, B=4-5, C=3] RATS TO SLAY -- Sleeping late at night and waking up late in the morning -- Lack of privacy for journalling -- I hate writing papers Here's to another hopefully great challenge! :onthego:

"The time has come" the walrus said, "to talk of food and things; of peppercorn and mustard seed and other seasonings!" - Lewis Carrol I want to start this off by saying I have no experince deliberately bulking. To me that's the best reason to do this. I've been dropping weight consistently and steadily for 10 months. A couple of weeks ago I finally looked at myself in the mirror and didn't have to convince myself I'm not fat anymore. Instead I said: Jesus I'm small. This isn't the goal. I didn't want to be a waif or street urchin. I wanted to be He-Man. I could feel my abs through my skin even though I couldn't see them.. I could also play matchbox cars on my ribs with my nephew. In the world of underpants gnomes I made a plan: Step 1: Cut this excess body fat off Step 2: Step 3: He-Man Well having collected all the underpants I'm left with choices. Why did I want to become He-man in the first place? I was too weak to mow my lawn without getting winded. I was too weak to bath my 160lb great dane without assistance (For the record while I can do this now I still prefer not to... He is not a fan of the bathtub). Superficially that is my ideal body image though in my head so that will alwyas be my driving goal. However I've learned here at Nerd Fitness just how empty that shallow goal is. Sure it's always the end game, but strength is going to get me there. I need to pay attention to that and stop focusing on the painfully slow process of my body reconstituting itself. So that brings my babble to this challenge. Goal 1: Start bulking. Starting Saturday I'm setting my calories to 3250 and leaving them there until my waist hits 33inches again or I see Santa Claus whichever comes first. If I get to New year's I'll re asses if I should keep going or go back to a cut. I currently have a 30.5 inch waist so I think I'll be fine with this goal. Hit my calories with 100 every day. Simple Straight forward. Sta - 2 Con - 3 Goal 2: Expand my workout routine. I want to learn how to do more than SL 5x5. It's served me well, but there's a lot of world out there and I'm hungry to see some of it. I've started experimenting with bodyweight exercises. I want to keep up working on single leg squats (I use them to warm up for back squats right now). I've also switched to several dumbel exercises instead of the barbell for this challenge to try them out. Same exercise, slightly different execution. I'm also starting to do pullups and more pushups and am looking at installing rings in my gym. SL 5x5 routine with dumbells takes alot longer, but I want to see if this helps build my muscles a little when I go back to the barbell after the challenge. Dex- 3 Str - 2 Goal 3: Face my Fears: My biggest fears for right now are lifting to full failure and getting fat again. I need to conquer these two goals if I'm going to progress. So jumping right in the pool with a bulk and forcing myself to failure more frequently seem like the best way to get it over with! Wis - 3 Life Goal: Finish 1 Crochet project. I am working on a baby blanket for a freind. I need to get that shit done. I have a ton of crochet and cross stitch projects I keep backing up on doing. Well lets make it a goal and finish it! Wis - 2

In the past I have done basically Starting Strength at home. My husband and I have a basic barbell set up with an Olympic weight bar. Due to some life changes I am now in an apartment with my dog. For the last month the most exercise I have done is walking my awesome dog. When I moved out I was squatting about 120lbs. I went to the gym at the complex this week and they have a bunch a machines (oh yay!) and a wide range of dumbbells. I know in theory I should pick up some dumbbells hold them near my shoulders like I am going to press, and squat. The problem is I can't get enough weight to feel like I am getting anything out of my squat up to my shoulders. I thought about trying to rig the "tricep pulldown" machine so that I could just hold the handle and squat, but that would only offer resistance on the way down and I feel like I would be missing a lot of the range of resistance you get from squatting. Any suggestions? Try harder to get the weight up to my shoulders, do more squats at lower weight?

Hey all this is my 1st challenge over here with the Rangers(previous challenge was adventuring). Last challenge I was preparing myself for the RUN for your lives 5k obstacle course that was conveniently a couple of days before the end of the challenge. I ended up one of the undead (not surprising as the STATS this year show only 1/3 of the people actually "survive"). But, I think I've caught the mudrun/obstacle course fever. I was able to complete the course (and needed help only on the steep, massive mud hill), but it was slow going. My Main Quest is to be able to complete the obstacles quickly (like their meant for) and to be one of the friends on the team that can make if over the obstacle and be able to turn around and help those that can't do it alone. Instead of the other way around. This goal is LONG TERM like next summer when mudrun season comes back around again, and of course in working towards it I'm hoping for some side effects (smaller dress size, healthier eating habits, more confidence). Steps to take this challenge: 1) Complete Dumbbell Division workout 3x per week. 2 STR 2CHA Previous challenge I was working on 2x per week. I plan on also using my "fitness evaluation" at my gym to have a PT tell me if I'm lifting properly, and heavy enough and maybe have a comparison eval at the end of the challenge? 2) Cardio 3x per week. 2 STA 2 DEX Earlier this year and before the last challenge I had been sporadically following the Zombies, RUN! 5K training in order to learn how to run again. But I quit it for something a bit more structured for my Run For Your Lives obstacle course that took place, conveniently at the end of the challenge. SO, I am going to do the week's worth of Zombie's Run 5K training each week to try to make it 5K without stopping. This past challenge I struggled a bit with fitting in my workouts when I worked (I do 12 hour shifts either 7a-730p or 7p-730a) I'm hoping this time around I can figure out how to make it work. 3) Eat the recommended amount of fruit and veggies per day. I struggle with this, especially veggies. 5 servings per day 4 CON Last challenge I cut out fast food, during this break I've eaten at a few different places I used to love and UGH! that stuff's gross now! Even pizza tastes nasty! Life Quest: Well this has nothing to do with mudruns, but I seriously need to get to work on all of my crafts! I have 2 kid quilts that need to be done by October, and 2 that need to be done by February, a Christmas stocking for the newest edition to the fam, and countless other half finished crafts that are laying around (scrapbook from semester in Mexico in 2007, half done embroidered towels, etc etc.) So for this challenge I am going to dedicate one hour, on the days I don't work, to working on these crafts. And clearing out the clutter they create in the process! I know it's not something that intimidates me but I just find other things more exciting than finishing what I started. The challenge is to finish (or at least work to finish) these things that have been started then forgotten. The I can focus on the really cool crafts (like my guy-friends Ren-fest Captain Hook-like coat or my friends vision of a Renaissance-era female Assassin's Creed costume. 3 WIS My motivation? Run For Your Lives has a set of adult-sized monkey bars and I made it across them! Never in my life have I been able to make it past pesky bar #3. People were falling off all around and I kept going! It was REALLY slow and I could only do it one bar at a time (not hand over hand) and had to swing myself back and forth to get momentum enough to make it to the next bar but I MADE IT! I also was the last person on out small 3 person team with one of my flags intact, I actually still had it up until the second to last zombie horde (I was the only one still "alive" out of a group of 8-10 people who charged the zoms with me, to protect my flag) which was WAY better than I thought I'd do. I couldn't believe that in 6wks of 2x a week strength and 3x per week running training I could go from not ever being able to do monkey bars to completing them and being able to pick up enough speed and agility to dodge and weave around that many zoms for as long as I did! I can't wait to see what I can do next! My reminders? Everyone got a medal (survived or infected depending on your status) and a Warrior Wear workout shirt with Run For Your Lives on it. I wear it to the gym and while I'm watching my form I see that logo and imagine myself flying through obstacles and dodging zombies, and helping my team survive the Zombie Apocalypse! I've also noticed that a lot of my clothes are fitting better and those that fit well before the last challenge are now bordering too big. Side Effects! YAYNESS! Here's my photo Album (beware Before pics): http://nerdfitnessrebellion.com/index.php?/gallery/album/541-tiggs86journeytoawesome/