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*****Finally UPDATED***** Greetings, and welcome to all! I’m a married parent of 4 kids aged 1-9. The last 3 weeks have been a long-anticipated pair of events, and the second I officially over tomorrow. I have gained at least 10 lbs (probably 15 or more) and it’s a bit uncomfortable. But I also didn’t want to travel Europe without partaking in the food and beverages. I’m ultimately an adventurer at heart, though I train similar to a lot of Rangers (and I’m something of a Druid Paladin which is also something of an equivalent to a Ranger). I love hiking, exploring, traveling, and other fun things with the family. Since shortly before joining Nerdfitness, my physical training is typically built around injury rehabilitation (which happens a bit more often due to autoimmune arthritis) and training to be able to travel, explore, and play with my family. I have a pretty effective Disney World training system, and try to ensure that at any point I’m strong enough to carry my whole family somewhere. That has become more difficult as the years go on but I can still do it for the most part. I am also an enthusiastic suburban homesteader bent on establishing an orchard and vegetable garden, so things can get pretty out-doorsy depending on my goals. My needs mean I do a variety of types of training, and my earliest two physical training goals were “run fast” and “be able to competitively play any sport I come across.” I prefer to avoid gyms and do a lot of body weight training. When I do lift weights it is at the YMCA or, more commonly, takes the form of children, sandbags, or logs. We’re training for one of the Disney races as a family. Though it’s mostly on hold due to a hip injury Jessie had. The last 2 events (travel) were pretty helpful in my training; I’ve been performing heavy carries to ensure I could carry luggage and children long distances and times, and frankly it was well worth all the effort. Homesteading is in full swing. Our tomatoes and berries are going crazy. I’m a bit sad I haven’t been home for most of it but Marinara and the neighbors have been ensuring none are going to waste. Healthwise, we’ve been living the keto lifestyle for most of the year and we’ve found it to be incredibly easy to stick to 99% of the time, meaning we’re seeing more success and I’m burning less willpower on food-related stuff. I am currently quite above past my arbitrary goal weight, and while I don’t much care about that I do care about my joints as well as how my clothes fit. The trip to Europe in particular was really good for me mentally, and I think for Jessie as well. We travel well together and I really enjoyed having the new experiences together. The bakery kept running while we were gone but unfortunately during that time and the immediate aftermath in which half our appliances died a lot of things went sideways. We’re stepping in to fix it. Goals: 1. Sleep. As best as possible. This is critical to managing my emotions as well as general health and quality of life. I am in a far better position now than at the beginning of the last challenge. 2. Race training? This includes calisthenics, the race plan training, and loaded carries. Jessie is still hurt and after 8 months got into a new GP, who prescribed physical therapy that can’t start for a month. 3. Take one concrete step forward per day- at least one tangible, visible thing to make life better. This ranges from things as small as “dig out the replacement toaster” to as big as “reorganize the playroom.” I don’t have to complete the bigger ones as long as I make progress. -> Especially important since we’re moving in a year. 4. Take one concrete step forward per day career-wise. I need my job but I’m not satisfied in it and otherwise need a change. I need to hone/adapt skills and look for other opportunities. -> This now involves expanding bakery sales, and potentially moving into another remote job. 5. Home and Garden. Home is a lot better. Most stuff is fixed though the washer, while functional, also leaks meaning the last fix wasn’t a complete one. 6. Therapy. I have a new(er) diagnoses and new(er) medication that have been, it feels, pretty life changing. I finished intensive therapy that was also insanely helpful prior to that and I am continuing with less frequent sessions. My goal is to better learn how to manage ADHD and how to be a more connected, present, and supportive husband and father. I think I have been progressing well. I feel healthy. I am excited about how this has gone. I am working on anger management and taking a page from the book of Mr. Fred Rogers. I had no idea that he struggled with a strong and volatile temper. He never wanted to be remembered as a saint because he didn’t want his example to be unachievable but I do think he is probably the best person who ever lived a full life. I will be looking to him as an example and we’ve decided to introduce the show as a regular part of our kids’ lives. Gods know it’s as helpful to me as it is to them. And I’m adding care of words as well to this goal for things don’t have to be yelled to hurt.

Howdy from Montana! My character name is Sagiquarion, but you can call me "J" or Justin. I'm a former World of Warcraft junkie, transformers collector, and love playing magic the gathering with friends. I like long walks with a great podcast or book, super curious everything and have a decent job. But something is really wrong, like, depressingly wrong. I'm here because I'm at a crossroads in my life and I don't know which way to go. I'm 36 and still figuring out what I want to do when I grow up. I'm tired of being afraid to make "the wrong choice" ya know? I'm tired of wondering when I'll start living and working towards something rather avoiding things. I use to be 285 pounds in my early 20s but lost (and kept it off) the weight many years ago. I'm fully confident in my ability to mind my health and fitness, and teach others to do the same. I'm not at all confident in myself to become an entrepreneur and I'm reaching out to you guys for solidarity. I've been learning a lot about Internet marketing and building an online business these last several weeks. I know more than enough to get started, but I'm dicking around and I can feel the urge to self medicate creeping in because of that uncertainty. Sure, I have goals: maintain a web based business that brings in $3k per month before taxes. Host or be a part of a podcast (got the loot and the talent)! help others forge a better version of themselves. i want the freedom to travel without having to ask for time off the job. I want to wake up and look forward my work rather than fight the urge to call in sick. Be a part of a community of self driven people whose goals and life philosophies align with mine. In short, from the outside I looks like I'm in a good spot. But not so much on the inside. I need to be ... more. Better. How? I need to feel like I'm progressing towards something rather than collecting underpants (thanks for that analogy, Steve!). is this resonating with anybody? Cheers!

Original posting, includes links re: "sisu." I still have a very, very full work schedule and I am coming off a bit of a slump last challenge, but I'm diving right into the first challenge of 2015. I need to. This community has helped me keep my dream and goal of returning to fighting fires again alive, despite setbacks and injuries and doubts. My Main Quest for much of last year was to attend the Arizona Wildfire Academy and recertify as a wildland firefighter this coming spring. The fact is, I'm not physically or financially ready for that yet. Part of my slump was due to my disappointment over that. But I am not giving up, merely readjusting my time frames and expectations. I am pulling things from the past 4 or 5 challenges that have worked the best for me and mixing in a few new twists for this go around. And, I am committing to a year's focus on consistency, and a challenge specific focus of "sisu." Expect to hear quite a bit more about sisu in the coming weeks. (There are a number of links in the spoiler.) I believe it is my not-so-secret weapon on the way to success in my quest. All the ideas, plans, programs, workouts, and diets in the world mean nothing if I do not have the grit and the guts to persevere through the inevitable setbacks and difficulties along the way. Consistency is important; sisu is absolutely essential. More to come on Monday evening, MST

Guess who's back? Back again? Hansy's back. Tell a friend! It's been nearly one year since my last challenge, and Steve's latest post motivated me to do it again. Although, I have been doing well on my own - taking parkour lessons, converting others to paleo, adapting a Primal lifestyle and, overall, achieving the Trading Places qualities. Trading Places quality = Looking good, feeling good. Who gets the reference? Seriously though, my family gathered at the beach recently, and my uncle said to my dad, in confidence, "Dude, (real name deleted) is RIPPED!" Anyway, my main quest for the six weeks is...To become a more powerful assassin by increasing my mobility, gaining upper body strength and improving my stability while upside down. Goal 1 - Improve mobility in my lower body by 1) including squats into every workout using them in real life when I might otherwise bend over and 2) including Quadrupedal Motion (QM's) into my workouts, specifically the staight-legged gallop and the squat walk. I will eventually achieve full range of motion! Goal 2 - Gain upper body strength by including pushups....forwards and single-legged out-to-the-side...sledgehammers, iron death balls...some folks call them kettlebells, but I subscribe to the NeoSavage philosophy...and parkour wall dips into my workouts. I will workout 3 times a week, and I will achieve 2 sets of 6 reps of pushups forwards, to the left and to the right! Goal 3 - Become more stable while upside down by including handstands...wall-assisted and free-standing...handstand side-walking on the wall and handstand pushups on the wall into my workouts. I will gain the ability to hold a free-standing handstand for 10 seconds. Life Goal - Improve my entrepreneurial abilities by growing my computer side hustle. I will accomplish 3 growth-related tasks each week and have my first paying customer by the end of the challenge. For the rebellion!