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Hi all. I know, I pulled the disappearing act. Again. After my surgery in June, I took much longer to recover than expected, then finally officially started my thesis in July and a new job in August...right before catching Covid in September. So, yeah. That's the short version, at least, and while things still aren't easy - the job is awesome but very time-intensive right now since I'm writing two new curriculums from scratch, starting a Spanish Club, and am still taking one more grad class while continuing to work on my thesis (due in April!!) - I at least feel good enough to come back and try a simple challenge for the sake of my health. Especially since we made a big decision on the secondary infertility front and will be starting IVF, with all of its expenses and challenges, in January (most likely. Could be February if the clinic doesn't get to hire all the new staff they want to.) I want my body to be as prepared as possible for this so all that time and money is less likely to go to waste! With that said...let's just get started? Quest 1: Eating I've been losing weight fast lately which for me actually isn't a good thing - it suggests that my Crohn's is acting up a bit too much (basically, the food passes through my intestines too quickly for it to be absorbed properly, so I end up slightly malnourished despite eating a normal amount every day). I need to eat enough to make sure that I get at least some of it into my system, but I also need to make sure it's good food! Obviously absorbing a bunch of chocolate isn't going to fix the problem outside of sheer calories. So, if I'm going to eat comfort food during this challenge - and I know I very much will because that's a huge part of my eating habits in general - it has to be "real" food, not processed and from a box. For example, I can still eat mac and cheese, but only if I make it properly with real cheese (and preferably some chicken and veggies stirred in too). Fast food counts as "from a box", even though I don't eat much fast food right now to save money for IVF. But if I really get a craving or a bad schedule, I can have up to 2 box meals per week - and leftovers count as a second meal, because I know if I don't say that I'll try to weasel my way into more by saying it's 2 boxes. Doc says chicken, potatoes, and cheese all naturally slow down digestion, so I'm going to unofficially try to eat more of those things too, but I don't have a specific goal for that (and honestly I eat a lot of chicken and cheese already, so I don't think there's a ton more I can do there without getting ridiculous). Quest 2: Working Out If I'm being honest, this has barely been happening as of late. Schedules have been extremely difficult - though should be getting a little better now that my husband's soccer season is slowly coming to a close over the next several weeks - and I've been sick for almost two weeks now with a sinus infection that I'm afraid is turning into bronchitis or something else of the sort. Plus my Crohn's acting up = slow decent into anemia, which is characterized by low energy. Still, lethargy only begets more lethargy, right? But I really need slow and simple right now. Setting the bar low to be gentle with myself, I'm going to say one "extra" active thing per week, of any flavor or intensity, counts. Walk around the neighborhood with my kid to see Halloween decorations? Counts. Do a set of those tricep row things I was doing for archery? Counts. Going on a hike because we're camping and that's usually a favorite thing to do? Counts. The only thing I'm not counting is stuff I have no choice but to do anyway, which really honestly isn't much right now. Quest 3: Personal Time Hahaha, what personal time? I've been so crunched for personal time for months, I still haven't even finished the skirt I started sewing for myself in July 2020. No joke. Between job, grad school, toddler, health, my husband's coaching gig, and everything else...yeesh. It legit feels like a mini-vacation when I just get to lay down in my kid's room before he falls asleep (he still doesn't like going to sleep without us in the room, though we're sitting or laying on the floor next to the door by now, and half the time I have my laptop with me because I have no choice but to keep working). In a 5 week challenge, I think it's fair to aim for 5 "checkmarks": short tasks that still progress me towards a purely personal goal. Maybe I sew a single seam. Maybe I do a language study session that has nothing to do with my curriculum writing projects. Maybe I do a facemask and just chill for a moment. Maybe it's doing a new manicure (I've gone from 2 a week to about 1 every 3 weeks lately...) Maybe I cook something that's just for us - and not like a normal dinner, but something I make for fun. Whatever it is, it'll be quick because it has to be, but dammit, sometimes I feel like I'm barely even a person right now, so anything can only help.

This challenge is all about cultivating the quiet strength of balance, and I can’t think of a better time to set that intention than at the new moon just before the Autumn Equinox. I’m focusing on the core elements that sustain me and bring me peace, security, and the quiet strength to be who I am in the world. Heal as I can, when I can. Eating Wellness Wednesdays Sometimes the gym Do not give in to despair. Writing (Dissertation is 12, 343 words as the challenge opens) Classwork Connections Allow no one to choose combat for me Sleep, regularly but also often Schedule as little as possible by the clock and calendar. Meditation, including small bits of sitting throughout the day.

Hello witches and wizards, and welcome back to Hogwarts this September! I'm Professor Annyshay, the current headmistress of Hogwarts. You've been sorted into your houses and are ready to tuck into a delicious feast. Now it's time for me to say a few brief words before we start the term. This year the houses will be working together to support general wellbeing. Gryffindor = Breathwork It takes courage for me to be present in my body without trying to change anything. Breathwork can be anywhere from 5-30 minutes. I'm aiming to do it most days of the week. Hufflepuff = Snacks I ten to skip snacks and go too long between meals and then get a bit shaky. I'm going to be more intentional about aiming to have a morning and afternoon snack. Ravenclaw = Writing I'm trying to get back into the habit of creative writing, but this will start with keeping my streak on 4thewords.com. That means writing 444 words a day. Slytherin = Decluttering Since I'm moving across country, I need to be ruthless with my possessions and get rid of the things that don't truly bring me joy. I'm going to try to do at least 15 minutes of decluttering each day. More details will come as you go through your time here, but for now... let's eat!

I'm keeping this one really simple and focusing on eating habits. For the last year, I've been trapped in this vicious workout cycle, where I push too hard because I want to do the things I used to be able to do, I strain something, and then I'm sidelined for a bit. So, I'm backing away from pushing myself in the physical arena and instead pushing myself with better eating. Also, the kids start (virtual) school next Thursday, so I need to keep things easy and loose this challenge. Goals: 1. Delay the meals. Whenever I have a yogurt and coffee at 7:00, lunch around 1:00, and dinner around 7:00, I end up not needing an evening snack. The evening snack has been a huge source of extra, unneeded calories, so eliminating it would be great. Right now, the kids and I swim around noon and around 5 or 6 each day, so that has helped tremendously with pushing back meals. 2. If I'm hungry, I need to drink a glass of water, wait 30 minutes, and then only get a snack if I'm still hungry. 3. Eat more veggies! My husband got a green egg, so we've been grilling. Grilling is a great way for me to fill up on veggies for dinner. I've also been trying to eat more salad, and we've also started our garden. So, the plan is to eat at least a couple servings of veggies for both lunch and dinner, and turn to carrots + hummus first as a snack. 4. Exercise wise- Do stuff, but don't push. In the last 4 months, I've had problem areas in my lower back, left elbow, and hip/glute. The plan is to continue trying to do things, but the moment anything hurts at all in an unhappy way, rest and let it heal. My back was finally okay enough to do some yoga today, a full 3 weeks after my first issues, largely because I didn't rest it right after straining it. 5. Complete things in my nerdy checklist: -Learn the piano part for the 2nd movement of the Breval sonata in C, so I can do the duet with my son. -Record at least some piano piece. Ideally, it will be the first movement of the same Breval sonata, but it might be something else. -Have at least 2 outings where I drive somewhere with less light pollution and stargaze. -Focus on Saturn with my higher mag eyepiece (already managed with the lower mag one). -Find neowise -Research other cool things to view with the telescope. -continue coaching my kid for math contests. He's also trying to self-teach high school level geometry. -Get antifog, nearsighted goggles so I can truly swim while still seeing things. -Research what my family needs to do to get scuba certified. -Get the 3d printer working again, and print cool things. -Finish my Norbert the Dragon crochet.

"Tempered by the fires of Hell, his iron will remain steadfast through the passage that preys upon the weak. For he alone was the Hell Walker, the Unchained Predator, who sought retribution in all quarters, dark and light, fire and ice, in the beginning and the end, and he hunted the slaves of Doom with barbarous cruelty; for he passed through the divide as none but demon had before." - UAC Report File 9REIZDUR Welcome back to another challenge! I'm so glad you joined me . In the last installment, I was FINALLY able to gain some traction and create a consistent routine of living life, working out, and leading my family or as they are better known, The Wolfpack. And now, we keep the streak alive and continue to employ good habits to keep the momentum going! My theme for this challenge (and possible future challenges) will be none other than: Doom. Or, more specifically, The Doom Slayer; the main protagonist in the Doom series. I remember back in the day playing the original Doom, which came out in 1993. It was my very first PC gaming experience and I enjoyed every minute of it. I also remember reading the first book in the Doom series: I must've been in...6th or 7th grade when I read "Knee-deep in the Dead" and remember loving it. There's 3 more books in the series that I wouldn't mind reading them one of these days. I'm more of an audible listener now, but, I could save those for a rainy day or two . In the last challenge, I embodied the legendary retired hitman, John Wick, to get me started. The challenge was a roaring success. This time around, I'll embody the beastly Doom Slayer. My goals will more or less be the same, with maybe a few things added, but the same three plans are still in play: Plan A: Relentless Plan B: Focus Plan C: Calm Under Pressure Plan A: Slayin' Workouts like a Doom Slayer- Relentless Jeez Louise....My man is STACKED! #BIcepGoals I will continue Powerbuilding; something I discovered the last challenge. It's basically combining Power-lifting and body building to create an aesthetically pleasing athletic look while being strong as a bear and conditioned like a wolf. Goal: 4x a week using a PPLFB split (Push/Pull/Legs/Full-body) and using Saturday as a conditioning day which can involve things such as sprints and metcons. Anything to get the heart pumping and the sweat pouring! Possible Points: +2 STR, +2 END, +2 DEX Plan B: Slayin' Demons makes my Hungry! - Focus Hands off my peanut butter and banana sandwich, foul beast! Since I've upped my activity level, I'm finding myself hungrier and hungrier. I need to fuel as best as I can and maintain my energy levels to match my workout intensity levels. I will intermittent fast on non training days and conditioning days so I'm still burning fat and shoot for 5-6 smaller meals during training days, including high caloric food like peanut butter and banana sandwiches for snacks. This does not mean I can eat whatever. The goal is to eat high quality foods that are good for me. NOT Junk food. Goal: Intermittent Fast (IF) 3x a week - Thursday, Saturday and Sunday Eat like a Slayer (5-6 smaller meals) - Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday Possible Points: +2 CON, +2 WIS Plan C: Slayin' Speeches and Fillin' Roles - Calm Under Pressure *Continuation Goal from the previous challenge* I officially joined Toastmasters at my job and completed my "ice breaker" speech a little over a month ago and my second speech just recently. What many of you may not know, is that public speaking used to scare the crap out of me. Like, for real. Now, it's not so scary having already done a few speeches . My focus aka pathway is Presentation Mastery. I love the community here and have become good friends with all the members. Toastmasters happens every Wednesday during lunch time and I want to make sure that I'm constantly filling roles needed for each meeting and working on my pathway. Public speaking is not something I'm great at and any opportunity I get to work on my weaknesses is welcomed with open arms. Goals: Finish Level 1 before the challenge ends Fill a role 4 separate times 1 role filled during the last challenge - 3 more to go Bring in 1 new member before the challenge ends Possible Goals: +4 CHA, +1 WIS I'm really excited about this challenge and it's theme. The Doom Slayer or "Doomguy" is a cool and badass character. As of right now, I'm also playing through the 2016 remake of Doom on the Xbox and having a hell of a good time! Now, it's time to suit up and "Raze some Hell"!! Wolf

What's a 260 lbs warrior to do? Cut the bullshit and stop being an asshole No more gluten free, paleo, eat only this, don't eat that... just don't eat like an asshole. No more half-assed, unplanned workouts or making excuses to get out of them... just don't work out like an asshole. No more not working and complaining about money problems... stop being a lazy asshole, and stop spending money like an asshole. The big thing is I'm prioritizing getting more hours at work so I can not be stiffing bills and better yet saving up. I also want to get myself back to lifting regularly and properly. And frankly playing video games is the best way to unwind. So I'm going to "invest" some of this money into a gaming console so I can veg out and unwind at the end of long days, and while I wait for muscles to rebuild themselves. Then saving up so I can maybe "buy" a house in the next year or two. So nerds... any thoughts on gaming consoles, games? Goal 1: Don't eat like an asshole Assholes: Eat the whole pizza in one sitting. Go an entire day without eating any fruit or vegetables. Drink more than 2 beers by themselves for no reason. Never say no to a dessert/sweet. Do not prepare meals and wind up getting fast food when they end up getting hungry even though there is healthy food in the goddamn fridge. Do all of this shit in a single day sometimes. Non-Assholes: Can stop eating pizza after two or three slices. Will not only include fruits and vegetables in their diets, but make them a priority. Drink no more than two beers, better yet only one beer, or save this treat for social occasions. Refrain from desserts/sweets until a goal deserving of such a reward has been accomplished. Prepare healthy meals in advance, and always prefer the healthy foods that are available. Do not let one slip up snowball into a pile of fuck-it-itis. Goal 2: Don't Exercise Like an Asshole Assholes: Have no specific goals Don't follow programs and allow fuck-around-itis to rule their exercise time Make excuses to skip workouts Pay for gym memberships, but never go to the gym regularly Non-Assholes: Set goals, and choose lifts that help them meet those goals Program their lifts and exercise routines sensibly Stick to their Programs and workout as scheduled Either use their gym membership or cancel it (I'm going to cancel, cuz I have the equipment I need at home) Goal 3: Don't be a lazy asshole Assholes: Hit the snooze button five times, then reset their alarm an hour later then hit the snooze button five more times before finally getting up two hours after they set their alarm to go off originally. Find excuses to leave work early, or not work the extra OT hours that pay. Non-Assholes: Get the fuck out of bed the first time the alarm goes off at 4 am so they can get to work around 5 am and put in a full day. Keep working until they've maxed out for the day or hit at least 50 hours for the week. Goal 4: Don't spend your hard earned money like an asshole Assholes: Waste money on junk food and booze. Make impulse buys based on spur of the moment interests and don't shop around for ways to save money. Don't budget. Don't save. Non-assholes: Refrain from spending money on junk food and booze. Take time to consider what they are buying, why they are buying it, and finding the best price. Always check their budget. Always save at least a little.

Kendo in Japanese means "The Way of the Sword". This month I want to focus on a few things, one of the big ones is practicing Kendo and improving on my skills. I will also have other things to focus on such as my eating habits and time management. Time management is a big one as my life is getting full again. I feel like I have so much going on #rangerbrain and I'm trying to fit all of it in. I feel like I've made some BIG steps in my life towards living healthier. So, without further ado, let's get started, shall we? Goal 1: Sword Fighting: My first goal is to go to Kendo at least once a week, preferably twice a week. I'm going to count once a week as a success. After a while I may add some exercises to do at home to help increase my skills in Kendo for practice. I'm actually excited, because on the 24th and 25th I will be going to Tulsa. The Tulsa dojo is hosting a practice with a Sensei who has won many awards in Kendo. I forget what her rank is, but it's pretty high. I'm excited to learn from her! I'm still 'new' and I don't have bogu yet (bogu is the body armor) but I'm trying to get the fundamentals down. Once I do that I can move on to more advanced stuff. Last weekend we had visitors from Tulsa, OK and Chicago, IL at our dojo. It was a lot of fun, and I really like the sensei from Tulsa. Wish he was here in OKC. lol! (I'm the second from the left. The sensei I was talking about is the one with the brown doh (stomach armor).) Goal 2: Break bad habits My goal here is to not eat from the vending machine. This has been a bad vice for me. I'm going to break this habit. HOW I'm going to break this habit is I'm going to bring plenty of healthier, but tasty, snacks with me to work, so I have plenty to snack on if I want something. If I get a sugar craving, I will have a piece of fruit. If I want something carb-y, I'll have cheese and whole wheat crackers. That sort of thing. Goal 3: Intuitive Eating So, I finished the book that Tank was reading last challenge called intuitive eating. Here, I'm not going to actually track food, because that defeats the purpose. Instead I'm going to track by points how many times I find myself eating intuitively. Things that count as healthy intuitive eating for points are: Stopping eating when no longer hungry rather than eating to fullness Realizing what I'm eating is not satisfying and instead find something that satisfies my body Eat something healthy that I enjoy rather than forcing myself to eat something I don't enjoy because it's healthy Holding off on eating because I'm not yet hungry (I tend to eat at regular intervals, even if I'm not hungry Going out to a restaurant and eating something healthy that tastes good instead of something greasy that will upset my stomach Stopping to consider whether or not I am hungry Stopping to consider whether or not I am enjoying what I'm eating I'm hoping doing this will help me gain a healthier relationship with food. I've found that I do best when I'm not counting calories and am just trying to eat healthier. Counting calories actually makes me stress more and worry about what I'm eating. I start questioning what I'm doing and tend to under-eat. I generally get really anxious counting. So instead I'm just going to continue to post what I eat and hopefully show trends of good habits. Goal 4: Time Management I have so much going on it's not even funny. For this goal I'm going to look at my google calendar every day and make sure it is up to date. If I schedule something, even just having dinner with a friend, it goes into the calendar. I will check the calendar and schedule time for myself as well. I need at least 2 evenings of down time a week. So, these are my goals and what I'm working on this month. I have some high hopes that I will stay on track and begin to see that scale go down again. If it doesn't, honestly, I don't care. I mostly care about feeling good physically and mentally. I've already moved in that direction by leaps and bounds since December. Let's do this!!!! And now to end with a cute rattie gif.

Go Santa, go! GET THE GAINZ! The holidays have arrived here in the States, and while I love them, they're also hard. Mental health things, the days are getting shorter, and some families are no good. For anyone else who doesn't have a great blood family, this helps sometimes: http://www.yourholidaymom.com/ Also, take no shame in making your own family! In light of all of this, eating and lifting really help, but they're also the LAST things I want to do when the holiday blues hit. So this challenge will mostly be about being consistent - I'd like to do something "physical" everyday. Walking, yoga, shoulder mobility, lifting, they all count! If this goes well, maybe I'll add a tracking in MFP as well. If I post each week of the challenge (this is mostly a focus on not quitting), then I get to buy a nerdy hat or scarf

Hello Nerd Family! It has been awhile since I have been on the Forum but I do lurk from time to time. Today tho I need your help! I recently reached a target goal weight and I feel really proud of myself. I thought today I would have a cheat day and go to lunch with my co-workers. HUGE mistake. I ate a double quarter pounder, a half of a med fry, and a few sips of sprite. The problem now is I am sitting at my desk and I honestly want to cry. I feel terrible like I want to throw up I wont but I feel that bad. My stomach is in knots and mentally I feel like a steaming pile of kryptonite. I know that this one meal wont kill me, and I know I wont be doing it again or making it a habit but I feel like a giant Snorelax right now. What do you heroes do to make it okay or feel better after you slip a little? I can run all I want but you can't out run your fork right. I wish I had time travel powers cuz I would definitely make a different choice. Thanks yall - A hero in need

I can't find my old log, so I'm starting a new one!

Based on my moderate success securing my castle in the last challenge, I'm heading into the next challenge with some similar goals. Don't eat like an idiot! This mantra pulled me out of a couple of potentially sticky situations. Also, I'm going to track every day on MFP. It significantly helps link my eating with mindfulness. Do PT daily! I want to get back into running, and my #1 limiter is my set of janky knees. Really, it's not my knees' fault. They're just the victims of my horribly snug hammies and quads. What's a girl to do? Well, I have access to the MWOD site and Kelly Starrett's youtube channel. I also have a significant amount of trial-and-error experience with trying to get my legs working again. Specifically, I'm going to be working on hip extension with my leg flexed and hammie flexibility. Get one intense/CF workout in every week and one run. There are some things that I will accept in exchange for either of those exercises... namely, the snowshoeing I'm hoping to do in the next few weeks! There tends to be a slow-down every time I launch a challenge. To mitigate that, I'm putting Tapatalk on my tablet and phone. I'll be posting daily on my thread, bonus for posting on someone else's as well. If nothing else, I'll report what stretches/exercises I did the day before. My Why: In the upcoming year, I have several "checkpoints" that I'm training to be prepared for. In March, a very fit co-worker has invited me to go snowshoeing during a visit to Quebec. In July, M and I will be going to my his family reunion in Utah, and we will be the fittest couple there (even if M's sisters are faster than me, they can't do as many pull-ups!). On that note, M just finished building his truck for his tree/arborist business. As a result, I'm looking forward to doing tree jobs with him starting next month. This involves using chainsaws, hauling branches and rounds, running as the Gofer' for the climbers, and hopefully some climbing myself. In any case, I'm going to need to be extremely fit to be useful, let alone keep up!

I've been dragging for almost a month now with feeling overwhelmed, under-motivated and nearly defeated. I'm pretty sure this happens every winter. I'm uncertain how to combat it, or, if it is something like SAD, if I can even fully avoid it at all. But, if there is one thing I have in common with my shy, and unconfident Jedi in game? No matter how many doubts we face, how frustrated we are, or how verbal our complaints are about failing to meet our expectations... We Don't Give Up. Which means ... I'm here for another challenge my fellow rebels! REBELLIONS ARE BUILT ON HOPE And something I need to do, is stop running through the motions because I've been told they should work- and start believing they will work. Which is not to say keep doing the same thing and expect different results, I'll change things up if necessary. But I need to stop doing this while having a mindset of 'Nothing is going to work.' They're also built on hard work, knowledge, teamwork and risk! HARD WORK - LIfting 3x a week. MWF **Every full 5 day work week, I will lift on MWF. On weeks I don't have a full week, I am allowed to have just 2 lifting days. - Moving 2x a week. TTH **This can be running, walking, dancing. The point is move. Hockey does not count. - Track Calories 5x a week. M-F KNOWLEDGE - Read 1 Chapter Daily - Write affirmation/journal Daily - Meditate 2m Daily, and for 5m 3x a week. - Draw 3x a week. - Read 30m a week. TEAMWORK - Keep up on NF. - Plan food co-op at work with the girls (healthy) - Look for a new sport/fitness/class thing to join. RISK - Make a non-easy decision, 1x a week. - Try things I might be bad at! - Go to new social things. - Meet. People. That's the plan. At least, the rough draft of the plan. Yeah, it's a lot of what I was doing before, but until I get a streak of consistency with that, I need to keep at it. And, as Zeb would say... if things aren't working out, or get mucked up for unknown curveballs? Oh. There's one other BIG goal in here. "Pay fake mortgage to my own savings account." ^That one scares the heck outta me!

So I learned a lot of things during the last challenge, and got to experience some different kinds of progress than what I'm used to. Namely, I've gone from what I've termed 'milquetoast lifting' to 'actual proper lifting'. Before, I would lift weights, possibly even regularly... but it was never very HEAVY, it was never very HARD, and it was usually on the machines that really impair range of motion and actual progress. More recently, I've been enjoying the fact they moved about 1200 pounds of dumbells up to the track zone of the Sports Centre, where I work out, along with a lifting / climbing / boxing cage with Olympic bars. After some half-assed beginnings, I started to actually see progress, something that I am wholly unused to. So I pushed myself a little harder. Go a little faster. Up the weights more. Show up a little earlier. Add an entire set of lifts. Increase my reps. Go until I'm drenched with sweat and breathing hard and then go even further. My own dog is named Pippi and is about 10x bigger than Punchy. I added more than 50 pounds to my squats, and more than doubled the quantity of overhead kettlebell presses I can do (stuck with the 25 lb kettlebells right now), and my grip and forearm strength has gone up considerably. I've gained eight pounds, but my belt still fits exactly where it always did, and the mirror confirms that I've added some real muscle to my shoulders and arms, and I can only assume to my legs. I've got recovery soreness keeping pace with me, because I'm always trying to push myself just a little harder, and that feeling is what keeps me motivated. That deep, tight burning makes me feel good. And helps keep me warm in the bitter Canadian winter... So that's going to be the focus of this next challenge... or rather, trying to control my diet while maintaining my CURRENT progress is going to be the real challenge. I kind of am... Challenge The First - Gym Lifting Keeping up with my 3x a week at the gym, with the entirety of the focus on squats, heavy carries and overhead presses. My legs feel stronger, my back feels stronger (finally), my arms LOOK better which is pretty hilariously awesome for me, and other than some chronic foot pain (which is probably mostly due to how cold it is and my pre-existing dry skin problems), everything feels pretty great right now. It has, however, highlighted some deficiencies. I also keep making this face whenever I put a toque on my head... Challenge The Second - HOME Lifting This is where I will focus on the OTHER major muscle groups, particularly the chest and core more. That's right... my most hated of workouts. The pushup. I HATE pushups. I suck at pushups. I am a fat guy with terrible upper body strength (relative to my size, at least), and pushups always drove home that I had very uneven amounts of strength. That particular inequality is getting worse as the rest of me gets better, so it's time to make some changes. I don't know what my RULES for this one are going to be. I want to try and figure that out this week. It may be like my September lifting, seeing what works, pushing myself, and seeing how my body responds. Additionally I want to work on lunges and twists, since my hips and knees need a little bit of work outside of just SQUAAAAAAAATING which keeps leaving those areas unnecessarily tight. Sproing! Sproing! Sproing! Sproing! Challenge The Third - The Joey Falcone Diet Plan "Stop eating, you fat bastard!" .... OK, obviously not 'stop eating', but my snacking has been really, really out of control for the last couple weeks... months... pretty much since the entire fiasco with my mom started, coinciding with the entire fiasco with Princess Ninja. Also Hallowe'en, with giant Costco packs of Wagon Wheels left around the house. And my beef jerky delivery from work, which is always tastier with cheese. Also the big bags of protein granola constantly going on sale for 75% off. Also my wife keeps buying bagels and croissants. Also it's hot chocolate season again. Also... yeah, also also also, I've been eating constantly. More healthy stuff, but also more UN healthy stuff. With all my gains from lifting I managed to con myself into thinking I was just helping with recovery! Yeah, recovery, that's what's going on. I NEED to eat this bag of Turkey Stuffing Flavored President's Choice Potato Chips. For my legs! So I will be getting back into portion control, and MORE WATER AT WORK. Those two things are huge. Hyuuuuge. Mark Hunt: Child Murderer Challenge The Fourth - Makin' With Tha Word-Putting Princess Ninja is done. It's available on CreateSpace and Amazon, as well as in person (just drive to my house! Here, I'll give you directions...) NaNo is done. English 205 is one week from being done. My distractions are done... and I can't ignore that what I REALLY want to do with my life is what I actually can do, and keep putting off. I wait until 'the time is right', I wait until 'there's nothing to do at home', I wait until 'I feel like it'... so I wait and wait and wait and then I'm back at work and I waited too long. And that needs to stop. I fixed the plot and world issues with all three of my serials, and now it's time to hit the ground running with ALL of them. RUNNING! Runningrunningrunningrunning... so every week, I want to produce one complete installment of one serial, approx 4000 words. Because once I start, once I REALLY start, I know I'll have the drive to keep it going. I would have way, way too many imaginary friends to thank...

Yeaaaah, I don't have a theme this time. I wanted to see what that's like. So! My last challenge was working well, but stuff was getting too complicated, so I'm keeping the stuff that works and changing the stuff that was stressing me out. What's working: - The lifts. You just can't keep me out of the gym. I hardly even need motivation. I love going. I'm not tweaking the program further at this time. It's still working great. I am experiencing the itch to try new things, but currently waiting it out and just eyeballing other programs for possible later experimentation. May tweak OHP training if it comes to a deload in this challenge, but I might not be there yet with it. - The protein. I'm managing to hit my targets and have back up plans for off kilter days where my macros get screwed up. No problems here. - The mobility. This has a real impact on the quality of my workouts, and I've gotten more flexible. No changes needed. What needs work: - Calorie goals. I keep pretty meticulous data and I know my TDEE is roughly 1600 right now. I regularly set this limit and overshoot it by 100+, except for rare weeks. I haven't been grading poorly for overshooting, but I've gained noticeable fat and probably need to rein this in before I get too unhappy about it, and especially before I need to wardrobe shop. If I'm going to buy new clothes for a new body, it's going to be for muscley muscles, not growing saddlebags. I think short mini-cuts might work well for me (as opposed to a longer term cut to lean out all at once), and I'm going to start incorporating them infrequently to help keep a Real Cut at bay. What's a mini-cut to me? 4 weeks of a 250 calorie deficit, done on a weekly average. Fail or succeed, 4 weeks is the limit. (Yes, I know I said I wasn't cutting, but I just ate an extra pound's worth in birthday food, and this I feel is a pretty decent compromise.) A successful mini-cut SHOULD result in a loss of 2 lbs total. Very gentle. - Adulting goals. The points system was good, but I was starting to fret about always logging whatever little chore I was doing for points. I was frequently forgetting to add or subtract. It worked well to get me off my butt and was kind of a fun way to balance play with being productive, but it needs some simplification for reals. - Being active. I'm too sedentary. Desk job, hobbies that all involve sitting down, I'd like to get my body moving more. Doesn't matter what it is. I've already been trying to raise my activity separate from my previous goals, but I'm going to add it in and make it official. (Yes, the TDEE estimation is taking this into account.) FUEL 1.0 Weekly calorie goal, weeks 1-3: 1350. Mini-cut is actually starting in week 0, so week 4 will have a goal of 1500-1650, with a little more emphasis on not going over since I do have trouble there. 1.1 Protein goal of 95g per day. (Keeping the one day of leeway indefinitely.) 1.2 4 days a week where sugary/salty snack treats do not exceed 200 calories. (no change here) Note: I've removed the diet soda goal because it's in the bag now, I don't need it anymore. I also removed the one super good day goal b/c I don't really think I care enough and feel the simple limit on daily indulgence is more than fine for my goals. DRIVE 2.0 Keep lifting, stick to the program, 4 days a week. 2.1 Attend Strongwoman class weekly 2.2 10k steps a day as an average over the week MOVING PARTS 3.0 Keep rolling/stretching/etc 6 days a week, 15 minutes. BURPEE MADNESS 4.0 Instead of points, burpees, with a set list of things that will make me owe burpees. The idea isn't to fully discourage the things below, only to get more balance between these things I do by default and things I'd like to do more of but need more motivation (clean things, study, eat a little better) 1 hour video games or solo TV watching = 15 burpees, or 8 push up burpees Failed to study = 20 burpees, or 12 push up burpees 1 alcoholic drink = 15 burpees, or 8 push up burpees >200 calorie treats (think big sugar bombs or savory salty snack bombs) = 20 burpees, or 12 push up burpees Total lack of productivity = 20 burpees, or 12 push up burpees Didn't eat a single vegetable all day = 10 burpees (no substitutions) (Look, @Koaladle, I'm including a sort of veggie goal!) More notes: 11/2 is my nerdiversary and I'm planning to do a big write-up with happy words and some analysis of the journey so far~ Scoring format: 1.0 0/1, 0/1, 0/1, 0/1 1.1 0/7, 0/7, 0/7, 0/7 1.2 0/4, 0/4, 0/4, 0/4 2.0 0/4, 0/4, 0/4, 0/4 2.1 0/1, 0/1, 0/1, 0/1 2.2 0/1, 0/1, 0/1, 0/1 3.0 0/7, 0/7, 0/7, 0/7 Burpees paid: Burpees debt:

Looks like keeping a food log on here just wasn't cutting it for keeping my eating habits in line. I've started adding food to my old MFP account to keep myself more strictly on track....I just don't know where my willpower went. I was doing relatively well before Halloween, and then it's like Halloween candy hit and suddenly I was back down the boredom/stress eating spiral of doom...

Andu-falah-dor! Let Balance Be Restored! I'm making a slow transition back into Nerd Fitness because I have been away too long. And it is showing. My eating has gotten terrible. My exercises have become non-existent. Everything is just out of a good, healthy balance. I need to fix this. I want to fix this. I've come back to the Druids for a number of reasons, but the most important one is taking the time to re-learn this balance. Find your inner peace, begin and continue the healing process, and build up a strength both physically and mentally. Quest One // Wild Mushroom Food tracking. I keep forgetting how important this is. I always start recording everything, and then stop. "It's so tedious." "This takes too much time." "I don't have time for this." While it may appear tedious, it's useful. It helps. It does take time, but that is what this about; taking your time. Results are not overnight. You do have time for this. You always had time for this. Now do your best to make it happen. This quest won't include exact numbers. I will only be recording and tracking my food. I want to see what I eat in a day and how much I eat. You really don't realize how much (or how little) you eat when you're not paying attention. This is pretty Pass/Fail. I have to track all food/meals for the four weeks. Quest Two // Moment of Clarity A lot of folks are talking about being mindful, taking time to remember the good things, and reflecting on what you're thankful for. I need to do this more than I'm doing now. I do my best to always keep in mind the positive things in my life. Especially if some dark clouds are lurking. I need to take a moment to write away worry when I feel it becoming too overwhelming. There are no specifics in which type of outlet I use, but I should be taking at least 5-10 minutes a day to write down something. Good, bad, random; write it down. Another Pass/Fail. Keeping mental health up and running is just as important as physical health! Quest Three // Celestial Alignment To round out the above, I want to do 5-10 minutes of movement a day. I plan on having some sort of step counter on my person so that, if I'm doing laundry, cleaning, or running errands, I can keep track of my time. Pass/Fail. I'm giving myself Pass/Fail rather than grades for on main reason: personal accountability. I believe I can sometimes be the time of person who sees that I will still give myself credit if I slack on something. Not all the time, but sometimes. Doing that will not help me get back on my journey to success. I'm really looking forward to this challenge, and I will be doing whatever I can to ensure that I stick with it even during times of stress, worry, or any other thing that may come my way.

OK, I did a little better than that, but I still didn't really live up to my own expectations. Howdy, I'm Thrillho. I think I was here last year sometime, maybe the year before, but I am generally over in the Monks' Dojo. I enjoy boxing and MMA, and I've been more focused in slowly reducing my excess weight (down to 255 from 268 so far this year, 238 at my lowest last year and 288 at my highest last year, so... it's a struggle). For this particular challenge, I need to focus more on the strength that my body is lacking. I'm still heavy, but I need to worry less about my weight and more about what my weight is composed of, namely muscle. My lower body is strong and flexible, but my knees are a problem area, particularly with range of motion. I can slowly squat press pretty much the entire stack, and with my legs wide I can squat press the next biggest guy on my gym thrown over my shoulders... but what I CAN'T do is a simple jumping split squat. The speed and co-ordination just isn't there, and if I manage to do it fast enough and high enough my legs give out. My strength is very uneven. I need to fix that. Worse than that, my upper body is quite weak, which is kind of something that a big guy should never be saying. I've been working towards a pullup for the last four years and I keep getting closer but I am still a ways off. I'm not shooting for it THIS challenge (I will be doing it this summer, though). THIS challenge, I am focusing on the shoulders, biceps and triceps, mainly developed through pushups (which I can't do a lot of) and kettlebells (which I keep forgetting I own). So... let's break this down! Challenge #1 - Sproing Not just squats, but jumping squats. Full depth down, full extension up, and knees to my chest while in the air (if possible). Sets and reps to be determined this week, but I already know I can't do A LOT of these in a row. I have good cardio but these will gas me out like nothing else. Challenge #2 - Push'em Ups I think someone from Fedor's camp might have edited that... anyways! Arm strength, as well as the associated shoulder, back and chest strength. The best way to do this for me, at home, without extra equipment? Pushups! Bodyweight. I have no shortage of bodyweight (thank you, belly jiggle). Reps and sets also to be determined this week, but I THINK I can do twelve in a row. Not sure how many I could do for my second set or third. I might just do "as many as I can", and keep track that way. To be updated. Challenge #3 - Pick'em Ups And what is in between those two areas? My core! Specifically my lower back. I'm a big, heavy guy and I spend all day sitting so this is a problem area for me, and when it comes to training and striking that's also a weak spot... the core is the anchor for all head movement and stance switching, and especially for stuffing takedown attempts. The pushups and the jumping squats will help with this somehow, but I will also be incorporating in kettlebell spins and good-mornings, to strengthen that whole area. Spins for time duration (at least five minutes, twice a day, to be determined) and quantity of good mornings to be determined. I don't know what's going on here, but it won't stop me.

Previous challenge would have probably went a lot better if I wasn't suffering from a throat infection, followed by a persistent cough, followed by fatigue, followed by not sleeping well. This challenge I need to identify ways I can manage the the problems getting in the way of me being active and then get active. I haven't been to the gym regularly in about 9-10 months now mostly due to injuries and illness. Most of these were unavoidable: I badly sprained my ankle walking around a castle which I made worse by not realising how bad it was (the excessive bruising and swelling should have been a sign). But if I can take steps to make the unavoidable less worse and to stop avoidable injuries/ illness then I will be better equipped to getting active again. Goal: Get active again Reason: I have explained this above. I want to get active again. I want to get to the gym. I want to see how much I can lift and improve on it. I want to be able to push myself. What: I need to prevent further injury. I need to be filled with lots of lovely nutrients to give my body what it needs to be fight infection. I need to stop when I am injured or unwell. How: I need to tackle this in four small ways: Ankle strengthening exercises four times a week. Aiming for an arbitrary Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday. My ankle feels better but to prevent hurting it again I need to ensure it is strong enough to cope with any demand I put on it.Check my form. Important all the time but I haven't been to the gym properly in so long. I am going to refresh myself on what is proper form before setting foot in the gym again, remaining aware of my form at the gym and reflecting on this each week and improve on any weak spots.Track my food intake. Something I am doing quite regularly but taking more notice of what I am entering and working out how to improve and eat more nutritious food.Get to the gym/ stop if I can't: aiming for three days a week. I will set these out at the start of the week. If I am injured or unwell don't go/ find a gentler alternative if possible (e.g. yoga, going for a walk).Bonus points: Any extra active days. If I actually get to a gym three times per week (in the final week two days as I probably would be going at the weekend) and no injury or illness. Motivation: I want to be active! But I need to take care of myself too. Goal: Sleep Better Reason: I need to sleep better. I have been so tired the past week. It is probably going to take a new bed to sort out all my problems (two people sharing an old, creaky, metal bed and on a mattress that you can feel every movement the other makes on). However it is a new issue so although I haven't changed anything other than being ill I probably still need to improve my sleeping habits. What: Drink less caffeine before bed. Turn off phones/ tablets/ laptops 30 mins before bed and read instead on a work night. Go outside in at least one break to get some sunshine. Practice a relaxation technique before bed. How: Aim to do at least one of these each night. I will track progress on a spreadsheet showing what I have done, what external factors may have affected my sleep and how I feel I have slept. I will keep it open on my laptop so it is easy to find and do. Discover what is working for me and what isn't. Bonus points: Following this on a non-work night. Any extras such as buying ear plugs etc. Motivation: The better sleep I get the more energy I will have. I will feel more able to get things done. Goal: Write like I'm running out of time. Reason: Yes, that musical has inspired me to get writing again. During my last challenge I wanted to focus on my to-do list and epic goal list. It came down to more writing. This will be about finishing my plotting/ planning/ researching phase so I can get on to actually writing it. What: I have signed up to a MOOC: The Craft of Setting and Description. This is an area of writing I haven't spent enough time thinking about. Building worlds - yes but getting it down on paper not so much. It lasts four weeks for 1-3 hours per week. Also, to finish the plotting/ planning/ researching phase. How: I will give myself up to three hours a week to complete the MOOC work. This will probably be done on my day off. On work evenings when I don't have other engagements/ going to the gym I will spend at least 30 mins working on my novel. And on days off an hour. A small amount for now but with everything else in my challenge and other stuff happening this month I feel this is more realistic while still being a challenge. Bonus points: Start writing the novel. Motivation: I am excited to get started writing this. If I can get what I need to know sorted then I can start writing it and challenging myself with word count. I will see how these goals go and adjust if necessary. It feel like I have written a lot here but at the same time some of these goals are quite small. Bonus side quest: Follow other peoples challenges and comment more. Something I should work on!

For the past year or so I have been gyming with the few weights I have at home and doing body weight exercises. I had a bit of body fat and decided to eat a lot less carbs, a lot less calories (about 2000 a day) in order to loose the fat I had. This was successful and I cut the fat. I then decided that it's almost winter (I live in the Southern hemisphere) and that I need to get bigger and build muscle. Hence 6 days ago I joined a proper fully equipped gym. In those 6 days I have been to the gym 5 times and I have been going hard in the gym as well. Exactly 6 days ago I also started eating more and tracking my calories in order to bulk. In addition I weigh myself each morning when I wake up. Here is my problem though: I have been eating 3000 calories a day (50% carbs, 25% protein, 25% fat) which is A LOT more than I usually eat, but my weight has gone from 75.9kg to 75.7kg to 75kg to 74.9kg in the past four days. WHY????? I know what you are thinking: "but you should just be eating more then. Easy as that" well actually I don't think so since when I was loosing weight on the 2000 calorie a day plan I was loosing weight very slowly and now I am dropping weight like it's nothing. Maybe the sudden increase in gym time is just messing with my morning water weight and that this will settle down within the next week or so? I don't know.

Annyshay was raised on stories that her Gaffer told. Folks in those stories had plenty of opportunities of turning back, only they didn’t. Annyshay wants to be like the characters in her Gaffer’s stories. Her own story started a few years ago as detailed in her Quest. She wants to be strong, wise, and compassionate. Luckily, she joined the Rebellion and is working to become the hobbit she knows she can be. For this challenge, she will focus on nourishing herself with the healthful habits that she continues to build and refine. Goal The First = Nourishing Eating 5 experiments from Eating the Moment per week No screens while eating Goal the Second = Nourishing Movement GMB Integral Strength for the second time supplement with yoga, walking, and play time Goal the Third = Nourishing Sleep 30 minutes of light in AM electronics off at 8:00 Life Goal = Keeping Track document headspace and habits in spreadsheet newly dubbed the "Red Book" weekly review of my life (more organized and structured) report intermittently on trends Also, HAPPY NEW YEAR, REBELS!!! Let's make it great!

Resolutions. Goals – this time I’m srs bsns. Every New Year I make resolutions, and every time I drop them early, or not even start them at all. This year, after doing my pre-challenge-mini-challenge as a warm-up I’m determined to keep the accountability up, and start smashing some goals. I have three main goals, one life goal and one NFR goal. “A dream written down with a date becomes a goal. A goal broken down into steps becomes a plan. A plan backed by action makes your dreams come trueâ€- Greg Reid. (MG1) Exercise Points: All exercise counts toward the main goal of 50pts 100+ points by the end of the challenge (100pts was my goal when I thought this would be a 6WC, I’m leaving it at 100 to strive towards, but if by week 2 it’s impossible I’ll mod it down). Gym Class=2pts, Bike Ride=1pt per 30mins, Swim=1pt per 5 laps, Walk=1pt per 10,000 steps. We don’t have a car, so I expect much of my points will be made up of walking-points, however I would like to hit the gym for some classes twice a week if possible. I have the month of January free at my gym as part of a sign-up deal, so I intend to utilise it as much as possible (equally for the gym and for the sauna, mmm, sauna). I also have the option of a ‘fitness assessment’, which I will be using to log all my beginning stats. (MG2) Adulting: At 23 it’s time for me to get my act together, daily I will do 15min chores, 30mins of ‘study’ (at the start of this challenge that will be music study, learning my brand new gui-lele, and to habit-prep for 8th Feb when I will swap to studying for my uni class – MGNT804). I will also continue the mini-challenge goal of putting $50/week into savings (paid fortnightly on 14th and 28th). Bonus: I will keep a bullet journal. (MG3) Food Glorious Food: In the mini-challenge I beat my lemonade addiction into submission and increased my water consumption drastically. With this win under my belt I will hopefully begin tightening it. I am what I eat, so I will be changing up what I eat. I will eat 5 freggies/day. I will note down everything I eat. I will make lunches at home. Bonus: I will take a photo-log of what I eat. (*Life*) Clean up Australia Day: Officially Clean up Australia Day is the 6th March, but having one day per year to combat the litter situation isn’t good enough in my books. I will pick up one piece of litter every day and on the weekends do a 30min trash-bash. (NFR) Participation Medal: Follow along with 3 Rangers, follow along 1 newbie. Rewards~ I will reward myself with a foam rollie if I achieve 50%+ of my goals and a session with a personal trainer if I achieve 90%+ of my goals.

Annyshay was rudely awakened by Navi in July 2015 (for more details, see her battle log). She has come a long way since she was first summoned to the Great Deku tree and swept up in an adventure far bigger than herself. So far she: listened to her fairy (start days with quiet time with God) found a sword (daily movement) bought the deku shield (mindful, level 5 meals) followed the dungeon map (GMB Elements!!!!) aimed the fairy slingshot (craving control habit) used the compass (tracking nutrition) recovered gold skulltulas (meditation, studying, and recovery) cut lots of grass (5-6 vegetables per day) watched the weird egg (posted all non-paleo food) broke some pots (rewrote my “finished a task habitâ€) listened to Kaepora Gaebora (tracked on spreadsheet) Although her body composition remains far from ideal, she has made great progress on her journey towards the Triforce of Awesome (healthy, happy, look great). Her current habits work well. She doesn’t know exactly what lies in front of her - likely new cities, new dungeons, and entirely new races of people - but she continues preparations for the epic life ahead of her. Main Quest - Improve Body Composition by Easter (3/27/2016) Hylian Shield - Eat at the Table Eat at the table. Just eat. Stop doing everything else. This is a habit I need to recultivate in order to defend against mindless munching. Cucco Wrangling - Mindfulness Mental chatter and thoughts are often like cuccos. There’s a lot of cuccos running around my mental Karkariko village. Mindfulness, writing, and other introspection skillz help me to get these suckers back into their pen where they belong. This will be a free form goal where I continue to meditate and write about keeping my headspace healthy. Goron Bracelet - Integral Strength Integral Strength will make me strong enough to throw bombs, make me the bomb... or something roughly equivalent. Anybody who has been here before knows that I am WAY EXCITED for this new program from GMB after all the success I had with Elements. Also, GMB respects the triforce. Ocarina of Time - Self Love That’s right, Zelda and Shakespeare. Calm down. I know you can handle the awesome. Here are the “songs†I’ll be practicing (at least one daily) during this challenge:zelda’s lullaby = writesun’s song = natureepona’s song = animalssaria’s song = music Kaepora Gaebora - Spreadsheet I know, Kaepora Gaebora can get a little… well, annoying, long-winded, and detailed. Still, he keeps me on the right path. Much like my trusty spreadsheet. So, I’ll try to be patient and check in with him regularly. Off we go! PS... we're starting NOW!

Quick intro! I'm karinajean, 38, live in NY state, commute to NJ about an hour each way (so lots of time in the car). I practice tae kwon do several times a week, take weapons and boxing classes in addition, and am trying super hard to do really good form push- and pull-ups this year. I have a crazy mean (yet super sweet) cat and live with my husband full time and my stepdudes 1/2 time. I motorcycle, knit and spin, and am endlessly ignoring how messy the house is. I'm an assassin because I like doing all the things, and because I want to be able to do push-ups and pull-ups -- if I can do those and run and do martial arts I will feel totally strong and fit and capable. challenge back story A year and a challenge ago, I was a sad panda, and I decided I would get ready for hibernation. The next challenge I realized that I couldn't let the panda's win, and that I needed to celebrate my own awesomeness! This year, ironically? kind of horribly? I realized that I'm crazy over-committed, and my husband is crazy over-committed, and I'm doing too much and I need to figure out how to do it all and still have a rewarding relationship with my sweetheart and also pursue my goals and be a brilliant adulting fun person. So this challenge, I need to Be the HiberNOT! I don't need no stinkin' hibernation. [[HYPERnation, maybe. (and all the assassins say AMEN)]] ERGO HYBERNOTS. this challenge, I will HYBERNOT. I want to swing into winter, well, swinging. I want to fight off the doldrums, I want to make it through this super challenging semester that my husband is doing while doing my own things too, and not living in squalor. NOT A BIG DEAL, RIGHT? I got this, RIGHT? Goal 1: Swing in Swinging I want to do a pull-up in 2015. I've been saying that all year! 2015 is the year of the -UPs! And.... I haven't been very diligent about this. I made really good progress with the push-ups during the challenge-before-last. I need to work on those too though! my super slow push-ups could be faster and better. SURELY they could. This one! I will do pull-up practice and push-up practice 3x a week. write it down, check it off. DOOOO EEEET. Goal 2: Run away! Run away! Fight Fight Fight! I'm going to sign up for a turkey trot 10k on thanksgiving. so, practice for this. and this also means do my tkd exercises ala cross-training, because that's the way I roll. and AOP when I need cross-training, because that's just fun. write it down, check it off. DOOOO EEEEET. Goal 3: Keep working the food, bro. I just renewed my LoseIt premium subscription for year 3. this tool works for me, so I'm going to keep working it. And in addition! turns out that actually the alcohol during the week is probably not the best for me. Husband suggested for his own sake that we don't keep lots of beer in the house approaching the holidays, because those extra calories are just ridiculous. I agree! so: no weekday beers or wine, only occasional cocktails. because, well. I like a gin and tonic now and then. And my food evaluation from last challenge! the better breakfasts experiment was a big success, I need to continue that. This is all geared towards MAINTENANCE. I'm sure I'll get there sometime. I don't feel super restricted now, but I want to make sure I'm really understanding how I can tweak my regular diet for the most success, and still some wiggle room for cocktails and pizza and beer and cake. Life Goal. Well, I have a lot of life goals. I want my home to be peaceful and clean (maybe that doesn't mean neat, but not dirty).I want my partner to partner with me on the things we have to do for the family, with enough time for us each to follow our passions, and also be passionate together.I want to make things. I want to cook and knit and spin. I want to make sure I'm doing those things regularly.and reading! I want to read!being here on the forums! I heart my friends and I want to see you all here more frequently!So this challenge, I'm going to do my best, and make a point to remark on the things that are working, and the things that are not working, so that I can remind myself how much I am capable of and how well my husband and I work together to do things and to permit each other to do things separately. I know, this is so super boring. I do it every couple of challenges. for reals I think I do this all every couple of challenges.

Welcome All, I have been on NF for a while now and whilst I have met some brilliant people and learned a lot of things my personal progress hasn't been great. As of today I am exactly one year away from my wedding and I want to look good in my wedding photos - not just good but god like. Not only that but after we are married we will be wanting to start a family and I want get rid of my bad habits and build some good habits to pass on to my kids. So the time between now and then is the serious time for me to get stuff done. I have a definite start point (this challenge) and a definite end point (29th October 2016). The time in between will really be one big challenge split in to small 6 weeks challenges. The big challenge is to look good for my wedding photos and be healthy. * * * Everyone is a nerd about something and some of the things I am the biggest nerd about is table top rpg and mythologies. So this year long challenge is going to be one big story, a story I am calling 'Apotheosis' and it will follow me (or my character) as they quest from being the lowly human they are now to becoming a God (waddup Kratos)

Well, on one side, I thought there was a 2 week pause, and secondly I'm still working on the same goals than last challenge, so this one is going to be pretty similar to the other. Except this time I'm going to be AWESOME. Keep enjoying the summer. Take it seriously, really, there won't be another summer until next year. Keep on planning and doing activities that I could not do during school time or in winter weather. Meditate. At around 11 am. Try to make it every day. Really, it's good for you. Yes, it's good. GOOD. Did I mention it's good? 30 DAYS IN A ROW!!!! GOAL ACCOMPLISHED!! Move. I've been slacking on this because of the high temperatures, but now that we're back to the usual 35-38 ºC I can go back on track. 20 minutes of cardio activity (almost) everyday. By cardio I mean hiking, walking, biking, tap dancing or C25K, not crazy cardio. Random choice. Work out 2-3 times a week. Bodyweight strength training with some dumbbells if needed + 10 minuts of mobility work. Please, please, do that damn first push-up once and for all. I've been dreaming about opening that thread on the Woot room for too long... Eat right. Substitute sugary things or bread for fruit during 3 weeks. Fix things gradually. Start with breakfast. Next 3 weeks cut a bit on fruit to return to normal non-hiperinsulinemic state. Select new recipes for breakfast and try them during a whole week. Recipes must be rich in protein and fat to be satiating. See how much it improves sugar cravings through the day. Eat more fat. Fat everywhere. Take a spoonful of coconut oil everyday (besides the usual fat intake). Music practice and stage fright. Go from 6 segments of practice to 15-18 8-10 and get “Winter spirits†ready to be listened by fellows nerdfitnessers. WINTER SPIRITS UPLOADED TO SOUNDCLOUD!!! GOAL ACCOMPLISHED!! Add 1 segment every 3-4 days. Be sure I work enough in the piece and not get caught in technique (yes, I like technique, I am that weird). Don't skip the breaks. Instead leave the flute and squat, stretch, breath, drink some water or stroke the cat. And what about anxiety? Anxiety is rather well right now. Of course it's summer and that makes everything easier because there are no time restrictions whatsoever. Anyway, I'm preparing for the winter, so I'll keep on doing my regular exercises such as breathing, relaxation, affirmations, and taking my supplements. Not appearing here as a goal doesn't mean it's not important, but I think I have good habits right now and it won't be difficult to keep them during the holidays. When this challenge is over it will almost be school time again and I'll have to refocus on it, but it's ok right now. To improve my commitment with all these goals, all my tasks driving to them are now at habitrpg. I've created a little zenLara that is already at level 5 and has a white wolf cub. I don't want her to die, I want her to level up, I'll do my best. Points: Summer. Máx. 2 WIS points. Meditate. Máx. 3 WIS points. Move. Máx. 2 STR points, 2 STA points and 1 extra STR point if I get to do the push-up. Eat. Máx. 2 CON points. Music. Máx. 1 DEX, 1 WIS, 1 CHA.