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Full Blog Post here: https://airawear.com/index.php/blog/shoulder-stretches/ Hey guys, I just published this article about shoulder stretches you can do anytime (very work-friendly!) but I wanted to share a short-and-sweet version here for you. You must be either a young kid or a truly healthy person to have never gotten stiff shoulders in your entire life. Unfortunately for most of us, we don’t fit the above bill. That includes me, and probably you too. Maybe right now your shoulders are stiff. Tense. Sore. Rounded and hunched even. Or maybe yours are like mine, creaking and clicking every morning. Just like rusted joints that haven’t been greased in a while. And if you didn’t get those stiff and sore shoulders from injuries or working out… You probably have been hunching horribly while working overtime for 2 weeks straight. Meanwhile, lazy cats like me get them from lying on the bed sideways, binge watching The Walking Dead on a laptop. What happens here is that we adopt awkward (sitting) postures… Developing unnatural tension in the upper back. What truly matters here is getting rid of those aches and pains. There’s a gajillion moments where you don’t really have a convenient solution. You know, when your partner isn’t around to rub your shoulders. When you’ve hit the weights 3 days ago but the ache still lingers. Especially when you just need that dull, jaw-clenching sensation gone… Before your irritability hits the roof and you murder 7 soon-to-be ex-coworkers. Let’s work on getting rid of the stiffness and aches in the shoulders. 1. Back Scratcher | GIF Step-by-Step Instructions: Raise one arm above you, placing the hand behind your neck area. Use your other arm to grab your elbow, and gently pull it inward for 15 seconds. Repeat for other arm. 2. Reverse Prayer Pose | GIF Step-by-Step Instructions: Try to bring your hands behind your middle back. Slowly clasp your palms together, bringing in from your last finger to your thumbs. As your palms come together, push your chest out a little and squeeze your shoulder blades. 3. Standing Wall Stretch | GIF Step-by-Step Instructions: Find a wall and stand at an arm’s length away from it Press your palms against the wall at shoulder height Without moving your palms, lean your upper body forward as if you were making it parallel to the ground 4. Corridor Stretch | GIF Step-by-Step Instructions: Find a wall, corridor, or pole and be at one arm’s length away. If none are available, proceed to find another person for support (don’t forget to seek permission first). Grip one arm on the surface Turn away from the surface and hold the position 5. Cow Face Pose | GIF Step-by-Step Instructions: If you aren’t flexible enough to reach for your hand, grab something elongated (e.g. ruler, towel, stick) Place both arms behind your back – one from below and one from above shoulder level As far as you can, reach for both hands to touch each other If you’re using a stick, use your free arm to grab the other end of the stick Repeat for the other side by switching your arms 6. Sitting Cat and Cow | GIF Step-by-Step Instructions: Adopt a upright sitting position Curve your back inwards as far as possible, with your head looking towards your belly button Your shoulders will be pulled forward at this position Arch your back outwards, with your head looking skyward or even behind Your shoulders will be pulled backward at this position 7. Dipping Stretch | GIF Step-by-Step Instructions: Grab the back of your chair support (or the edge of the arm support as seen in the gif) Bring you butt to the edge of the seat, or as far from the back as possible Let me know if this is useful to you guys! Would love to hear whether it helped you If you want more stretches, you can see them in my blog post here: https://airawear.com/index.php/blog/shoulder-stretches/ Cheers!

Last year, my bf and bought our first house and moved there. It was exhausting and very stressful, but in the end, we do live in a nice house now. We still have to do a lot, but at least there are no deadlines anymore :). Now that I have time to think about what I want again, I decided to respawn here for a new challenge. My bike-commute has almost doubled to 9.5km (~6 miles) each way, and the climbing gym is even farther away. Still, I want to keep up using my bike as main transport mode AND keep rock climbing twice a week. Moreover, I want to become stronger, more flexible and more relaxed. This is what I'm going to focus on this year. January goals: - hold a forward fold with hands flat on the ground - sit in a deep squat - do 10 consecutive push-ups with arms parallel to my body - follow along a "yoga for abs" youtube clip at the end of the month without pausing - find a place to train for pull-ups January missions: - Do 4 stretches of GMB's focused flexibility every day. In weeks 1 and 2, this will be the modified downward dog (mainly calves), kneeling lunge with foot elevated (quadriceps and hipflexors), seated forward fold (calves and hamstrings) and half pancake (latissimus dorsi and lower back). After 2 weeks, I'll choose new stretches. - Practice yoga at least 2 times per week. This can be anywhere from 10 to 60 minutes, any style, any time. - Do push-ups and core exercises at least 2 times per week. My back is already doing a lot of work when climbing, so I need to work the opposite side as well to prevent injuries. Currently, I can do 3x5 push-ups, and hold a 40s plank. For core work, I will mainly focus on abs and obliques. At some point in the future, I want to be able to hold an L-sit, which requires core strength and pushing strength.

Hi. I am llw. I am a monk. I used to hit things but now I climb things. This is my challenge. These are my goals: Climb 3x per week. Or do a supplementary work out, but primarily climb. Eat vegetables. 4 cups per day. Yoga 1 hour per week. I purchased a yoga program for climbers. There are 9 routines, I will be completing and repeating the set focused on shoulders and core for this challenge. Read 30 minutes everyday. Either a book I am working through or a published scientific study for a paper I hope to publish, or for prospecting graduate school. Please note: All readers who post comments stating or referring to how I rarely or never complete challenges will owe me a doughnut when I kick this month's ass. By commenting as such, you agree to these terms.

I know what I'm doing! Kicking it off with the first Nerd Fitness Challenge! I attempted a challenge last month in the midst of the holiday craziness, and it didn't turn out well. There was just too much going on at once, and attempting to juggle a challenge? I was driving myself insane. But I'm not giving up! I never want to give up and stop trying. I will continue to come back, push through challenges, ask for help and motivation, and keep my chin up until I have built a concrete and successful routine to better my lifestyle. I did a lot of reflecting on what I need to do in a Respawn Point post, and I plan to dutifully stick to everything as much as I can. I can say that, on an emotional/mental level, I've been doing pretty good! I have been doing things to keep a smile on my face. I'm still learning to accept that being a sensitive individual is NOT a bad thing. I'm no longer pushing myself into social situations that I absolutely do NOT want to be in. Would it be nice to have a few folks to hang out with outside my family? Maybe, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I don't need to do that. The times I have gone out in an attempt to meet folks, I just didn't enjoy it. I tried to tell myself and others that I did, but I was trying to make my self-conscious believe it so that I would keep trying I guess. Our brain works in funny ways like that. I've also been fighting with a lot of past events that I still seem to fall back on at the oddest of times. Bad ex-roommate/friend situations, bad job situations, and just bad or sad things in general. I'm not sure why, but it happens every now and again. There were times when I felt guilty about the roommate/friend ordeal, but I have started down the path that I cannot and should not carry blame. I know, in my heart, that I did everything and anything I could for said group of people. I was there when they needed me, took care of them when they needed it, and gave far more than I should have. In the end, I was labeled as the bad friend, but I know the truth. I know what really happened, and that is what I'm going to remember. As for my work situation, I was not happy with my job. I didn't really like my job. It was stressful (probably too stressful for what I was getting into mentally) and just put a lot of pressure on me. I stayed there because it paid very well, offered me a lot of perks, and I was able to work remotely. I was able to visit family during holidays, and stay for a long period of time. In the end, I just couldn't handle it. Not in the state that I was. I am letting go of these things - these feelings and regrets - and not looking back. I am going to continue to look forward. I am going to learn from these lessons and work to be a better me! ALL OF THAT SAID: 2016? And now I move on! QUEST ONE: YOU BETTER WORK, WORK IT GIRL! I found three workouts that I wanted to do in order to start building up some stamina, muscle, endurance, and what not on Darebees. I plan on revisiting these three workouts as they are good for beginners. This quest is going to help me get back into a exercise routine while burning some calories, greasing up rusty muscles, and hopefully boosting my energy levels! I am also going to incorporate one day of yoga a week. This should help me work on my flexibility, maintain some good energy vibes, and possibly help with some lower back pain. THREE TIMES A WEEK: cardio inc workout | slow burn workout | mermaid workout ONCE A WEEK: various beginner yoga sequences QUEST TWO: MILLIONS OF PEACHES, PEACHES FOR ME! TRACK YO FOOD. That is literally what my second quest is going to be. When I was tracking my food, I was eating better. I was junk fooding less. I was just feeling better because I wasn't eating so much. I know that, in the past so many months, I have gained a lot of weight from overeating. Some of it has been stress eating. Some has been eating out of boredom (which is the WORST). There are a lot of things, but the most important thing is that I get back into tracking what I'm eating. Whether it's through My Fitness Pal, in a notebook, in a Google Doc; RECORD IT. Also, record how much water I'm drinking. I was drinking LOTS of water, but have been slacking. I also need to cut back on my soda drinking. It hasn't gotten out of hand, but I want to go down to one a week. I was down to drinking no soda, but I do enjoy Ginger Ale or Sprite every now and again. TRACK ALL FOOD. ONE SODA A WEEK. MORE WATER. QUEST THREE: OOH-OO CHILD, THINGS ARE GONNA GET EASIER! This one contains a WHOLE LOT of things that, I think, will make life EASIER and BRIGHTER. I may also have been watching Guardians of the Galaxy while writing this up. EITHER WAY? IT WORKS. I want to take time out to just make ME feel better. I want to make OTHERS feel better. I want to take better care of myself and not feel so G R O S S in so many words. Whether it's painting my nails, doing one of my Craftsy classes, working on crafts, or watching a silly movie that I love, I NEED TO DO THIS. I also want to do all of this with MY MOM. She needs lots of laughter and smiles right now and always. If I can keep my spirits up and keep myself in a good place, that will help HER be in a good place. See? IT WILL GET EASIER AND BRIGHTER! DO FUN THINGS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. (Once a day, a few times a week, WHATEVER! Just do it.) GET OUT OF YOUR JIMMYJAMS. (Even if it's to put on sweatpants or leggings or whatever! Brush your hair, take a few minutes to reflect, and smile!) YOU ARE IMPORTANT. (Take better care of yourself, girlfriend. You deserve it!) EXTRA: YOU CAN COLOR MY WORLD WITH HAPPINESS ALL THE WAY! As my extra, I keep picking up and putting down my sketch pads with little to nothing to show for it. My creativity and inspiration is very low almost like that weird snow you get on bad channels. STATIC! It's very frustrating because it use to be on HIGH ALERT for a long time. Apparently anti-depression medication (and medication that messes with your head in general) can cause this to happen. I don't want to force it because then it's not fun, but I want to get SOMETHING going. I've been poking around in my "ADULT" coloring books and working with color palettes. I need to find something to give me a bit of a jump start. There are a lot of challenges, inspirations, and what not on Pinterest and Instagram that I might look through. See what speaks to me and everything. I am ALSO trying to do a silly selfie a day through 2017 on Instagram! I just want to bring happiness and smiles to others, and remind myself not to take everything too seriously. I'm having a lot of fun with it so far. I'm even using some great Snapchat filters to add a little VA VA VOOM to them. It's great because the feeling of laughing just makes the day better. I'm very excited about really taking this challenge and owning it like a champ! I know I have a lot of great folks here to help me along the way, and to help me keep my rear in gear!

'Tis the season for a new challenge! Yay.... I think. I'm saving my Swords of Power challenge for January/February when I will have maybe come up with a way to assign attributes that aren't all purely mental and habit control (ex: "avoid the influence of Mindsword/Skulltwister by not even looking at memes or Netflix or Crunchyroll or <insert long list of distractors>", "do not sit at home doing nothing for all of break like you're possessed by Soulcutter", etc etc). Anyway, what better way to theme at this time of the year than through Christmas celebration! (awkward fragment is awkward lol) Note: still a draft. "The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear." Practice clarinet and accumulate at least 10 points per week -2 points for no or insignificant practice 0 points for significant practice less than an hour in duration +2 points for the first hour in a day +1 point per each additional half hour +1 for singing practice "The four food groups are candy, candy canes, candy corn, and syrup." make good choices in food so I can make all the bad choices when Christmas cookies and candy roll out. Goal: average 2 points per day He's making a list, checking it twice Basically making sure I stay on top of academics into the Finals season and through winter break. I'm taking Bio 2 next semester but it's been 6-and-a-half years since I had AP Bio so woot. Going to keep working on Japanese as well. All the tacky Christmas clothing! Tacky Christmas socks Flexibility exercises for splits. EVERYDAY. Following advice from 30 Days & Stretches to Splits with supplementary material from GMB Fitness (both links I found here on NFR) Tacky Christmas sweater 100 Push-ups challenge starting on week 1 column 1 Tacky Christmas hat At the moment, this just encompasses all the other physical activity I might do. He knows when you are sleeping, he knows when you're awake Sleep! I've been doing better with the sleeping part. Now I just need to do better on the awake-time time management without sacrificing sleep (oops). Happy Birthday Jesus Daily reading the Bible in preparation for Christmas. Even if it's just 5 minutes. Church.... kind of counts? So 8 possible pts /wk I'm running out of list related metaphors. I need to post a log (or at least a point distribution) here every week. I'm going to make it so that if I don't post my weekly log, all of my positive logging points negate. I also need to update my spreadsheet daily (so I don't forget details). I'm not 100% sure yet but I think this week is going to overlap both the end of my SU challenge (because the infrastructure is already there in that spreadsheet) and the beginning of this challenge. I'm still going over some ideas with regard to point distribution, category weights, and adjustments so that negative points just zero out instead of bleeding into other categories. I might use a combination. Reward system (likely related to presents under the Christmas tree) forthcoming.

It's ridiculously late at night/early in the morning for me to be typing this, but here we go. I just saw the current challenge was already active, but only a few days in and suddenly motivation came back to me. I figured hopping on the train now was better than never, right? (Note: it is 6am and I haven't been on this site in a year, so I apologize for any formatting/posting errors). My current state: A 5'5"ish, 19 year old guy who legitimately weights 102 lbs. (There is no muscle happening here, whatsoever, largely due to weird metabolism + hyperactive college student lifestyle. I'd like to fix that, among other things.) Not nearly as flexible as I used to be. My amalgamation of quests: A. Bodyweight Workouts: I. 30-60min of bw workout, 4-5 times a week, with break days spread as necessary. (I'm just fixing a hormone imbalance, so gaining muscle mass may be POSSIBLE now, which is an exciting prospect.) B. Healthy Food: (college is doing me no favors here) I. Reduce/elim soda: down to 3-4 a week. (Trust me that's a large reduction from 7-10+ and I cant cut the caffeine out.) II. More protein/healthy meals: 3-4+ genuinely healthy meals a week. III. Stop late night food: Try to stop eating from 12am-5am. Nothing good is consumed then. C. Flexibility: The Split. I. Stretch every or nearly every night, 20-40min. Throw some yoga in to mix in up for less painful days. (II.) Get closer to the split. I used to be that flexible, but 2 years of mostly sitting hunched over schoolwork in strange, back-destroying positions has taken that from me. I doubt I can get back to a split in a month, but I can sure get closer. I won't set an inch measurement distance goal, just for fear of pushing myself and getting injured. I'd rather just see where the flexibility training gets me. All right, that's all typed out (sorry roommate, I hope I'm typing softly enough). With that, I'm going to get some sleep. Note: Next week MAY be sloppy due to the existence of finals, but I'll try to prevent that.

Ryuu1011 Travels Across Hyrule My Flexibility and Travel Adventures (Now with an added Boss Battle!) Challenge #7- October 30th - November 26th I made a lot of great progress towards my goals during the last challenge and my hope is that I can continue the momentum during this challenge during some tough Boss Battles coming up in a couple of weeks. This challenge is going to be crazy busy for me because of all the traveling that I'm going to be doing plus all of the things I have to do for my job before Thanksgiving.Therefore I've tried to make these goals possible no matter where I am which should allow me to prevail during this challenge. Goal One: Improve my Flexibility = Complete 3 1h+ Yoga sessions per week ____/12 And Gymnastic Bodies Fundamentals 6 days per week ____/24 Link has to be very flexible to accomplish all his tasks and save Hyrule both mental and physically, so I'm going to be primarily focusing on that for this challenge. I've been getting better about stretching and my flexibility over that past challenge but for this one I'm really focusing on it and trying to become significantly more flexible. I also began doing a quick 20min yoga session in the morning and at night that have been very beneficial. If you're curious I currently use the Yoga Studio App on my phone and it was probably one of the best purchases I've ever made. I'd love to add some more metrics to the goal, but I'm not entirely sure on how to measure my flexibility by myself but some of my pose goals for this are: Heels on the Flood during Downward Dog- I'm about 1, 1 1/2 inches off right now Elbow and forearm on the ground in Lizard- I'm super close to this and can tap it to the ground currently, but would like to get to a comfortable hold. Improve distance down the wall in full Standing Back-bend- I need to get a baseline for this measurement Full head to knees compression in Seated and Standing Pike- I can already tap my head to my kness but I'd like to be able to hold it there comfortably Lower chest closer to floor in Pancake/ Seated Straddle Split- Probably one of my worst, I just can't seem to get my torso lower on my own without having someone push. [Place Holder for more] Goal Two: Gain a Heart Container = Loose about 4lbs and 1.25%BF Since he is running around and fighting constantly I'm betting Link is ripped, but also has super functional muscles, just like my ideal body. Start: 164.6lbs Goal: 160lbs Start: 17.3% BF Goal: >16% I made great headway on getting back into the body (and clothes) that I wanted and I want to continue towards that this challenge. I'm going to continue to use my Scale as well as the body composition sheet to get a closer to accurate picture of my body fat. As well as body measurements and pre/post pictures. It is going to be exceptionally challenging because of all the travel that I am going to do but I am committed to making healthy choices and continuing to track my nutrition on MFP (as much as possible) while I'm away from home. Starting Measurements Abs/Waist: 32Arms (unflex/flex): 12.5/13.5 Calf:14Chest: 40.5Hip: 33Shoulders: 46.5Thigh (R/L): 21.5/ 21.5 Butt: 39.25Neck: 14 Goal Three: Improve my Handstand= Practice my Hand balancing* 5x per Week ____/20 Ultimate goal= Solid 10 sec (not moving) Handstand w/ Video Proof ____/10 Link seems to be the perfect master of his own body and what better way that to show that off than with a handstand. (I'm sure he could do one if he tried ;P ) I've been trying to get a solid handstand for most of the time that I've been on the forums and I think I'm now in a position to finally make this goal. The last time I specifically worked towards my handstand goals I'm pretty sure I over worked my wrists by trying to practice everyday, while I did make significant progress during that time it also made me take a long break from hand balancing while my wrist recovered. So to alleviate something like that happening again I'm going to only try to train for 5 days and also allow for specific wrist training days to count too. I've also created a Hand Balancing playlist on my Yoga app and would like to try and complete that at least 1-3 x a week to "cross" train other hand balances for my handstand. And because I really need to get over and start posting progress videos this is only going to count if I post the progress video here (yay for you guys ;D ) Goal Four: Sleep like Link= Raise my average sleep time per week by about 15min per week _____/60 Link has got this one down to an Art. I'm pretty sure he starts every game sleeping or napping. My Fitbit tracks my sleep time pretty well and I figure it about time that I start using that bank of data to improve the amount of sleep I get each week. I definitely want to try and improve by about one hour over the course of the challenge but I know it will be especially hard because of all of the travel time and jet lag. Current Weekly Sleep Time Average ~ 6h 30min Goal: ~ 7h 30min Current Bed Time ~ 11:00-11:30pm Goal: 9:30-10:00pm Mini Goals: Cardio (walk, jog, sprints, or bike) 2x per week ____/ 8 Plan (possibly purchase) my next strength training program, [NF, GMB, or GB?] _____/ 1 Research what it takes to become a personal trainer, compile questions and ask 2 of the Personal trainers at my gym for feedback ____/2 Boss Battle: Friday Nov. 4th - Sunday Nov. 13th Levart Twin Fang, Dragon of the Sky 150HP (135/150HP) I will be traveling a lot during this challenge and to see if I can over come I decided to make this into a Boss Battle. I will be headed to Denver, Colorado For 2 days and 2 nights on Nov. 4th for a Professional Development Conference and then after being home for only two days (Nov. 7th and 8th) heading to Madrid, Spain for 3 days and 3 nights on the 9th of November though Sunday Nov. 13th. Don't get me wrong I'm super excited But I know that working towards my goals while I'm traveling will be super tricky. Levart has the power to derail and confuse all but the most prepared of adventures and will be a hard foe to vanquish. To aid me in my quest I have devised a list of task to accomplish before and during my travels to give me the best chance of fighting him. Battle Prep- Tell my bank I'm going to be traveling (-5hp) Try and try get Euro's ahead of time from bank (-5hp) Prep Snacks to avoid unhealthy in flight snacks (-5hp) Prepare my travel journal (-5hp) Purchase a comfy travel neck pillow (-5hp) Purchase ear plugs and an eye mask (-5hp) [GF already had ear plugs so I just got an eye mask] Purchase a travel yoga mat (-10hp) [Purchased a pack capable of carrying my normal yoga mat instead] During the Fight- Do yoga in Denver Co. (-10hp) [ ][ ] Go on a jog in Denver, Co (-10hp) [ ][ ] Attend a class at the Awaken Gym in Denver Co. (-20hp) [ ][ ] Choose the healthy option/ Eat 1/2 portion (-10) [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] Go on a jog in Madrid, Spain (-10hp) [ ][ ] Do yoga in Madrid, Spain (-10hp) [ ][ ][ ] Get 10,000 Steps (-10hp) [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] Go Salsa Dancing/take a Salsa Class in Madrid, Spain (-20hp) [ ] Boss Loot I'm not sure I'll have the extra $$ to get some loot specifically for beating the boss but rather I'll use my loot to help me beat him classes and such while out traveling, choosing a healthy meal option (which was more expensive) ex...

I do not have a fancy theme this time around. Maybe I'll think of something and add it later, but right now, I'm going with simple. Last challenge went really well, overall. This time, I'm going to keep pretty much the same goals with only a bit of tweaking. Eat better some more: Upping the total meals cooked at home to 10 per week. Going to keep dinner set at 2, but add 2 lunches as well. I'm also avoiding wheat, to see if it has any effect on my asthma. Bonus points for eating paleo, but I'm not going to try to track that. Get in shape: Formerly "get bendy." I still want to work on my flexibility, but some of the yoga stuff I'm going for isn't exactly focused on that. However, I like what I'm doing, I think it's working, so I'm going to stick with it for at least one more challenge before I switch this up. Clean the House: Didn't quite get all the rooms picked up/deep cleaned. I've got about 3 weeks until we're likely to have some company, and I would like to have the house fully cleaned by then. Setting the due date on this one at 11/10. After that, daily maintenance. Fancy status tracker: Eat better some more: Lunches - 0/8 Dinners - 0/8 Total Meals - 0/40 Get in shape: Workouts done 0/22 (subject to adjustment if practices get added/subtracted) Clean the House: Finish cleaning the house: Not Done. Daily maintenance 0/10 (cuz that's all the days left in the challenge after part one that we won't be traveling on) I'll come back and edit this so it looks pretty later on. I'm also going to keep posting my zero week updates in the last challenge thread, so look there if you want to see what the costumes end up looking like.

Yay Halloween! One of my favorite holidays! Time to start making costumes, and work really hard to get in shape to wear mine! So many exclamation marks to start! Let's see...goals... Eat Better: Building on my goal from last challenge, I'm going to keep working on cooking at home more. This time, I'm going for 8 meals/week cooked at home, with at least 2 of them being dinner. Not going to track this right now, but I'm also going to try to eat more paleo. Might try to track it later, but for this challenge the focus is really going to be on cooking meals at home. Get Bendy: I need to increase my flexibility to get better at roller derby. Also, I'm planning to be Black Widow for Halloween, so, ya know. I've got an awesome strength and mobility (beginning cross training) program for derby that I'm going to be doing twice a week. It goes for 6 weeks, and since I started it last week, it'll finish at the same time as the challenge. I'm also going to do yoga or other stretching for at least 15 minutes on non-practice days. Pretty much straight copying this one from last challenge. Edit: realized our practice schedule has changed, so I needed to adjust the number of workouts to get in. Clean the House: I'll come back and edit this one after zero week, because exactly what it entails will change a bit depending on what I get done this week. I have two rooms and the storage closet left to deep clean in the house. Then the whole thing will be done. I would like to get that taken care of this week. If I succeed, the challenge goal will be maintenance of the house - everything picked up and put away before bed, no dishes left out. If I don't get that done, I'm going to incorporate getting it done into the challenge in some fashion. Edit: We got part of the remaining two rooms picked up, so week one goal is going to be cleaning up the rest of the house. Then weeks 2-4 will be keeping it picked up. Make the Costumes: Exactly what it says. I have a tiny Captain America and Winter Soldier to make, as well as a full-size Black Widow. And I need to make/acquire a Hydra pin for Husband. If I can get them finished by the end of the challenge, awesome. If not, I've got one extra week. I would really like to have them done by the end of the challenge, so I don't have to go crazy doing everything last minute for once, and can actually enjoy Halloween and the various events we might want to go to in costume ahead of the big day. Score card for easy tracking: Eat Better: 0/32 meals, 0/8 dinners Get Bendy: 0/21 17 workouts (edited to account for a couple extra practices that got added over the course of the challenge) Clean the House: 0/21 days picked up, 0/2 rooms cleaned Make the Costumes: 0% done

I hope it's ok for me to post here as this is only my second challenge! I joined NF back in April, did my first challenge with the Rebels, and then kind of lost track of things. I've been active in the FB group, but not here, and I want to change that. Part of the problem was that I felt like I was wasting too much time messing about online, but I think posting here is actually useful and I love getting feedback and having a sense of community. I think I also got ridiculously over-ambitious with my first challenge and burned out by the end. I set myself 16 initial goals, and probably added a few things along the way (that were things I was doing anyway). I tracked everything using a Google Sheets spreadsheet, which worked well, but I ended up just feeling like I was checking boxes for the sake of checking boxes. Since then I switched to an analog tracking system for exercise, meditation, food, mood, time spent on Facebook, as well as my general calendar and work scheduling, which has been working much better for me. So, for this challenge, I'm drastically simplifying. My goals are: DIET: For the past few weeks I've been trying to reduce my spending on food due to some unexpected and expensive car repairs, as well as realizing that my financial situation isn't as healthy as I'd like. This has actually resulted in forcing me to be more creative and think of ways to use things that have been lurking in my pantry for a long time. I've also been eating healthier as I have only been buying essential items instead of empty snacks. I've also been more mindful of how much food I prepare for each meal, as well as making sure that I'm not throwing out leftovers just because I don't feel like eating them. My goal for this challenge is to continue being mindful about the food I purchase, prepare, and consume, and find new ways to be more cost-effective. EXERCISE: I have two upcoming aerials performances- next week I'll be performing ambient lyra at a fundraising event at a bar, and in October I'll be performing at a Harry Potter-themed event. I'm doing one act on static trapeze as a Dementor (yay I get another use out of my skeleton bodysuit!), and also a duo lyra act with a girl who is being Harry's stag Patronus. One part of my goal is to work on my Dementor trapeze act. I'm reworking my ongoing trapeze act which started as Pris from Blade Runner, and then was adapted last year for a Grim Reaper act for Halloween. Hopefully I'll get some good pictures to share! The other goal, which is more long term, is to focus on developing my split. I just turned 39, and although I am far away from having a full split, I want to have it by my 40th birthday. Some time ago I was actively working on improving my split flexibility and made definite progress, so I know I can do it if I really focus on it. LIFE: I am finally admitting that I have too much credit card debt and my financial habits have been disorganized and ineffective. It's not a huge amount of debt, and I've been sort of ignoring it, but it's not going to go away on its own. I am going to take stock of my expenses and make an actual budget, rein in unnecessary spending, start saving more, and pay down my credit card debt. I'm looking forward to being more active here! (The spreadsheet of doom): (New and improved analog tracking):

...who wanted to rank among the best. These are my some of favorite characters. I have read their story, played their game, watched their show. They are who I strive to be and turn to for motivation. And thus, begins my story. :o) Main Story Quests: Achieve the Splits, Go Down to 18% Body Fat, Eat Healthier This Year: Horizon 2017 Dawn ~ Trophy Guide and Roadmap 2016 Challenges: Team RWBY Training, Overwatch Team Training 2017 Challenges: X-men

What does it mean to be a hunter… I’d say its all about where you belong Warlocks have their libraries, Titans have their Walls, But Hunters belong in the wilds, out there…. If you want to live you need to have a quick shot or a sharp blade.. A lot of us are loners, but thats not the only path. Some of us know the difference a fire team makes… Some of us.. we touch the void, make it part of us. And then we take a name….Nightstalkers Hunt from the shadows, pin them down, never let them see you coming. Grandkai Stalks the Night Goal 1: Train for the wilderness = Complete the Hero's Journey program I need to get stronger to be able to survive in the wilderness. I really enjoyed the 30 Days of Gravity that i did with the last challenge and i wanted to try another Darebee workout. I looked at Hero's Journey before and it looked like a fun program with enough variety to keep it fun. Plus it has its RPG choices which can make other workouts easier or harder. Goal 2: Getting the best advantage point = Perform the 30-day Flexibility Challenge To be able to get to the best advantage point to take down the target i need to be flexible enough to get to that point. So I'm going to perform the 30-Day Flexibility Challenge from Darebee to increase my flexibility to be able to move more. I've done splits during my last challenge, i made great progress with it. And i want to keep that flexibility and one day be able to drop into splits. Goal 3: Waiting for the target = GtG for the Resting Squat (Aim for 5 times a day) When I've found my target i need to hold that position for long periods to wait for my target. I'm going to Grease the Groove for the Resting Squat to be able to easily perform it. When I'm home ill perform it when I'm going through the hall to another room (either toilet, kitchen or bedroom). And when I'm at work ill try to do it when i have a moment of time. I'm going to aim for at least 5 times a day. Gonna try to put something up every day (and hopefully a picture with it, either destiny themed or a cool assassin picture) Let the stalking begin.....

Howdy, I'm new to NF and love to climb. I have always been pretty active but my diet has been the main faulty point. Lately I have been using my work as an excuse saying things like, "I walked a ton today, so that caounts towards a workout." and "I'm just too exhausted to go workout.". Which is total BS and I know better. Diet-wise, I have been eating like garbage. It's been fast food, junk or no food at all. Here is my Challange for the next 4 weeks; Main: Get back to working out daily Body: Climb (in-gym or outdoors) x3 a week Mind: Yoga every morning & Meditate nightly Diet: Start switching to a Paleo based diet. I'll be posting updates daily to help keep myself accountable as well as logging every bit of food and water I intake onto MyFitness Pal. Let's crush out the next 4 weeks!

I have a confession to make: Jean-Claude Van Damme was my first celebrity crush. (Okay, okay it may have been Harrison Ford as Han Solo, but... for the sake of this post, it was Van Damme). I think it was Universal Soldier that got my little 'tween heart all aflutter. It was long forgotten until recently I saw Bloodsport for the first time... And I remembered what all the fuss is about. If you haven't seen Bloodsport, it is basically a film dedicated to Jean-Claude Van Damme's ability to do the splits... ...and make ridiculous yelling faces... (This is me on Monday morning, ready to crush it (yeah, sure)) And there was a little of this... Now I'm just getting distracted.... My challenge is to stretch EVERY DAY, no skips, no excuses. (while channeling Jean-Claude as my inspiration) The goal is to work towards my front splits. I started on Sunday, I just didn't have a chance to post until now. I am 2 for 2 so far. I am going to use my crotch-to-floor distance as a metric for progress (with the help of my other half, cause I can't manage that measurement alone), and measure every week. I'm hoping I'll get a measurable change by the end of the challenge. Starting crotch-to-floor measurements: 15 cm with right leg forward 15.5 cm with left leg forward (assumed accuracy is +/-0.5 cm) And away we go!!!

Last challenge I realized something: I have been doing a spectacular job of figuring out things that DON'T work. Which is great, but it's not really getting me closer to my goals. So, I have decided to take a slightly different approach this time. And also go with a slight Exalted theme, because why not? Earth Aspect: I need a solid foundation to build healthy habits on. I also want to build the same foundation for my kids while they are young, so they don't have this same struggle when they're grown up. Like the Earth-aspected dragon blood, I will be rooted! Goal: Put dishes in the dishwasher after every meal. Run the dishwasher when it's full, and wash the stuff that needs to be cleaned by hand at least once a week. Also spend 15 minutes every day putting away laundry/toys/misc "stuff," and/or vacuuming/sweeping/mopping/dusting. Dishes washed: 0/4 House cleaning tasks: 0/28 Wood Aspect: Like the wood dragon nurtures the plants, I need to nurture my body. Goal: Eat food prepared at home at least one day (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) each week. Using pre-marinated meat counts, frozen or boxed meals do not. Days cooking: 0/4 Water Aspect: Go with the flow, adapt to the situation. I need to work on my flexibility to get better at roller derby, and also to help avoid injury. Goal: I will do at least 15 minutes of stretching or yoga on non-practice days (so, shooting for 5 days a week). Days of yoga/stretching: 0/20 I think that's plenty of goals for now, so Air and Fire will have to sit this one out. Maybe next challenge? I plan to use Zero week to try to work on some meal planning, and also to prepare for derby assessments on Sunday. Really, at this point there's not a whole lot more I can do to try to get ready, so I will make my zero week goal to drink enough water so I'm not going into assessments somewhat dehydrated! Days drinking at least 8 cups of water: 1/7

So I've been watching the Spideyfit YouTube channel lately... What's not to love about a Spider-Man cosplayer who does fitness videos? In the below video Spideyfit states there are 3 important skillsets needed to become your own superhero. Strength, flexibility, and endurance. So I'll be basing my fitness quests on these principles. The focus this time around will be on maintaining existing habits and plans, while also building new ones. Quest 1: Strength Using the Start Bodyweight routine customisation page, I've developed a push/pull split workout plan. The quest here is basically to stick with the plan throughout the challenge and report at the end how well it has worked after 5 weeks. Quest 2: Flexibility Every day I will spend at least 5 minutes working on stretching and/or mobility. Trouble areas to focus on - Hamstrings, hips, lower back. Quest 3: Endurance (modified) Go for a Ruck or long walk at least twice a week. Quest 4 (life quest): Perform at least one act of meaningful adulting every day. Bonus Quests Share the awesome - Weekly highlight reel edition! As always, I'll be posting a weekly highlight reel of all the awesome things that have happened during the past week. The point of this is basically to help me keep a positive mindset by focussing on the good things that have happened rather than the bad. Assassin's Guild Minichallenge Use this thread to keep track of my contribution to the mini. Should hopefully motivate me to keep contributing.

So I've been pretty obsessed with the Spideyfit YouTube channel lately... What's not to love about a Spider-Man cosplayer who does fitness videos? In the below video Spideyfit states there are 3 important skillsets needed to become your own superhero. Strength, flexibility, and endurance. So I'll be basing my fitness quests on these principles. The focus this time around will be on maintaining existing habits and building new ones. Quest 1: Strength I'm currently following a programme based on the Start Bodyweight basic program, but slightly modified to suit my needs. After about 3 weeks I'm already seeing/feeling more progress than I've had in the last 6-8 months. Clearly something is working! The goal here is simply to ensure I do my resistance workout at least 3 times a week. Depending on how the days fall, I may get in 4. But the idea is to never go below 3 session a week. Quest 2: Flexibility Every day I will spend at least 5 minutes working on stretching and/or mobility. **The amount may increase to 10 minutes if 5 proves too easy.** Quest 3: Endurance Perform two intense cardio sessions per week, lasting 15-20 minutes or more. I get a good amount of low impact cardio from walking, but I'm slowly moving over to a more speed focussed approach rather than the endurance stuff I've been doing the last couple of years. I will probably be rotating between interval sprints on an exercise bike, working on increasing my 5k trail run time, or doing hill sprints. Quest 4 (life quest): Adulting Spend 30 minutes a day doing some form of adulting. The time isn't super important, it's really just there to make sure I actually do some form of meaningful or useful adulting. Tasks will likely include job searching, cleaning, organizing financial stuff, and a myriad of all the other fun adulting tasks that everyone loves and enjoys! I will be on holiday from the 20th - 27th. These days the time will be reduced to 10 minutes. Bonus Quests Share the awesome - Weekly highlight reel edition! The last few quests I've been sharing a daily awesome, it's been super fun and uplifting, but doesn't really fit the main challenge this time around. Instead I will post a weekly highlight reel of various little bits of happiness and win that I have encountered that week. Assassin's Guild Minichallenge ..TBA..

My overall objective really hasn't changed from the last challenge, but I did rearrange things a bit to help myself organize a more efficient and effective plan of attack. I have cut things down to only 2 primary goals, but each involve a lot of moving parts (body parts, mental parts, mechanical parts...). I do have high expectations, but I am also happy working my way up to achieving my goals and potential, no matter the time necessary. Thus far, I feel I have been fairly diligent about allowing myself that time to adapt slowly in order increase my chance of success. And now, after a pretty nasty stumble mentally, I am hoping to finally step it up to this next level that I have been eyeballing for quite some time. Additionally, one of these days I intend to complete a nerd fitness challenge to my satisfaction. So why not now? As an added bonus to nailing this challenge, I should be much better off in my race the day after the challenge ends. Mountain Man Olympic Tri in Flagstaff, AZ, August 14! Here we go... Goal #1 - Triathlon Training A. Strength - 5 days a week (push and pull twice each, legs once) B. Swim - 2 days a week C. Bike - 4 days a week (commute 3 times, road once) D. Run - 5 days a week Mon. Tue. Wed. Thu. Fri. Sat. Sun. Run (interval) Bike* (interval) Bike* (tempo) Bike* (easy) Run (long/trail) Bike (long) Rest Swim (interval) Run (easy) Run (tempo) Run (transition) Push Pull Legs Push Pull Swim (long) *commute I am already pretty routine with my 3 days of bike commute, 2-3 of my runs, and 1 swim. My focus will be to get my long bike in every week, get my strength days going, and make that second swim more routine. Goal #2 - Recovery Priority #1 - Turn computer off at 7:00 pm Priority #2 - Bedtime at 8:30 pm Priority #3 - Yoga w/ Adriene at 7:00 pm Priority #4 - Stretch after all exercise I still need to do a lot better about sleep. If I do not get in the habit of shutting down, I will never succeed at keeping a bedtime. My flexibility is horrendous and always has been. I am not content with accepting that that is just they way I am. Let's Get It!!

There is quite a sturdy rumor that my circus gym will be re-opening some time in July. I've been in and out of a fitness-funk for the last 8 months while they've been closed/relocating so it's time to see if I can be in some kind of decent shape once I can get back to class. Lift weights My old faithful push/pull/legs split 3x/week, please! 15 workouts total Core progressions So much about being in the air is reliant on core strength. I am sure mine is not where it was 8 months ago, so lets work on that. Hollow body holds, floor tucks (no idea what to call these, really, but it's mimicking an aerial inversion on the ground) and maybe the ab wheel will be the cornerstone of this work. 2x/week 10 core sessions Stretch When I don't have class, I am terrible at this. I think I can count on one hand the times I've had any kind of stretching session since November. Sigh. Setting the bar low, here. 1x/week 5 stretch sessions Sun salutations A few challenges back, I made an effort to start each day with a few (5-ish) sun salutations. I quite liked it, really and I'd like to get back to it. With a little room for error/forgetfulness. 5x/week 25 mornings of greeting the sun No theme, no fancy formatting, no distractions. Just work.

*Copied from my Battle Chapters aka Daily Log* I have been apart of the Nerd Fitness rebellion now for about a month! Woot! As such I wanted to show my June progress: I want to do the splits all ways, but have been focusing on front ways. In the beginning of the month I didn't measure but now I am less than 6 inches from the ground!! Woot!!! I want to get down to 18% body fat. Therefore I bought a measurer and measured myself at 22.1% body fat last month and today I am 20.3%! Woot!! I want to eat healthier. The month of June, I have been cooking just about everyday (or having leftovers) from paleo or paleo-ish recipes that I find online. I hardly eat out and keep cookies/desserts to a minimum when I can. I have been reading labels and eating the appropriate servings. Counting calories and trying to keep my protein high. Usually averaging ~50 grams a day. But I want to boost that to ~75 grams.

So this challenge may look really familiar…as in almost identical to the last one. Last challenge went so well, and I made good progress in everything, so I want to build off of that energy again. And with it being a slightly crazy month, I want to keep this challenge somewhat familiar. (No theme yet, I almost want to do Drag Race again, but that's undecided.) I’m going to go with a Monday start again, and I’m going to get started right away during zero week. I’m traveling during the first week and from the middle of the third week to the end, so I’m keeping things a bit more simple/flexible for those weeks by dropping my numbers for the “times per week” requirements. Quest 1: Splits: I will do stretching work 4 times a week, for 6 minutes minimum. I can work on whatever feels tight, but I have to sit in the almost splits for at least 30 seconds per side. During traveling weeks, this will drop down to 2 times a week. I also want to be sure to focus on middle splits and not just left and right this round. [+2 DEX] Quest 2: Mobility-two components • General: At least 4 times per week, I want to roll out my muscles (Travel drops to 2/week). I have to hit at least my calf (which will hit the other part of this challenge too), hips, glutes, back, shoulder, and bottom of my foot (this one loosens the front of my calf to help with splits flexibility). [+1 STR, 1 DEX] • Ankle: I realized that ankle mobility is one of my main issues in my squats, so 4 (2) times a week I need to do some ankle mobility work for a minimum of 4 minutes. I currently cannot touch the wall as discussed in this article so my mobility definitely needs some work. I'll probably take my stretches from that article and others. [+1 DEX] Quest 3: SIDE Crow: Last challenge I made great crow progress, and I want to try something new. I want to practice my side crow 4 days a week (2 when traveling). I also need to look up one new article with crow advice a week (unless traveling) as I found last time that finding the right cues made all the difference. [+1 STR, 1 WIS] Quest 4: Alcohol: This new form worked well last time, so I want to try it again under potentially more challenging circumstances. So I will not drink at least 3 (2 when traveling) days of the week. The other 4 days of the week I will keep myself from going insane because I'm still trying to fit into my calorie count, so I won't overindulge on those days. [+3 CON] Generally it will be my goal to get all this done during the weekdays because that's when I have the most motivation and time, but I'll have the weekends to catch up if I need. Tracking: Splits: 0/4, 0/2, 0/4, 0/3, 0/2 Mobility 1: 0/4, 0/2, 0/4, 0/3, 0/2 Mobility 2: 0/4, 0/2, 0/4, 0/3, 0/2 Crow: 0/4, 0/2, 0/4, 0/3, 0/2 Crow research: 0/1, 0/0, 0/1, 0/1, 0/0 Alcohol-free: 0/3, 0/2, 0/3, 0/3, 0/2

I wasn't entirely sure where to put this (feel free to move), but I thought I'd share it: http://www.nick-e.com/mobility-assessment/ From the page:

Howdy Scouts!! I am making my return to the rebellion after quite a few challenges away and am ready to get back in the good fight with all my fellow nerds. This will be my first as a scout, as my fitness life has taken a drastic turn toward much more endurance activities. That, and I just wanted to see how things are done in the scout camp! Honestly, I have never been a huge fan of running just to run, but have been trying to convince myself otherwise. I have always been good at running, just never pushed myself outside of casual sporting activities. Now I am really wanting to hone that skill. My problem, as it always has been, is that I want to be good at everything. As a compromise, I have taken up the sport of triathlon. That is all well and good, except I am unwilling to ditch my strength goals. I have been tweaking my strength routine here and there to try to make it as compatible as possible while still allowing me to possibly achieve my goals. I have an updated plan, and where I really need help is with some good ol fashioned accountability! This is all a test case of the possibilities and my capabilities, but if you have any suggestions, I am all open ears. I am always looking to learn and willing to adapt. Quest I am honestly not entirely sure. I really need to figure this out. Not knowing this is the primary reason I am always jumping around and never really fully achieving my goals. Goals 1: Strength Training - 3 days a week 2: Running - 5 days a week* 3: Stretch or Yoga - 6 days a week 4: Be in bed by 8:15 - 7 days a week* 5: Figure out my Quest *leniency if necessary Upcoming Races August 14, 2016 - Mountain Man Olympic Tri in Flagstaff, AZ October 22, 2016 - Pumpkinman Olympic Tri in Boulder City, NV February 25, 2017 - Phoenix Marathon in Phoenix, AZ Training Schedule Monday: Run (interval); Swim (interval); Strength (upper) Tuesday: Bike* (interval); Run (easy) Wednesday: Bike* (tempo); Run (tempo); Strength (lower) Thursday: Bike* (easy) Friday: Swim (long); Run (trail); Strength (upper) Saturday: Bike (long); Run (transition) Sunday: Rest *commute Triathlon Training Plan Week Run (interval) Run (tempo) Swim (interval) 8;24;B 8 x 400 meters 3 miles 8 x 50 yd, 8 x 25 yd 7;25;B 4 x 1200 meters 5 miles 4 x 200 yd 6;26;BR 6 x 800 meters 7 miles 10 x 75 yd, 10 x 25 yd 5;27;B 3 x 1600 meters 3 miles 5 x 150 yd 4;28;B 10 x 400 meters 5 miles 16 x 50 yd 3;29;BR 5 x 1200 meters 5 miles 2 x 400 yd, 4 x 100 yd 2;30;P 7 x 800 meters 8 miles 10 x 100 yd, 10 x 50 yd 1;31;P 3 x 1600 meters 10 miles 4 x 400 yd 0;32;T 12 x 400 meters 3 miles 10 x 50 yd Long Run--------------10K pace + 60 to 75 sec per mile Long Tempo (8-10)--10K pace + 30 to 35 sec Mid Tempo (5-7)------10K pace + 15 to 20 sec Short Tempo (3-4)---10K pace = 6:10 per mile 1600m Repeats------10K pace - 35 to 40 sec 1200m Repeats------10K pace - 40 to 45 sec 800m Repeats--------10K pace - 45 to 50 sec 400m Repeats--------10K pace - 55 to 60 sec 25-75 yd-----10 sec RI 100-200 yd--15 sec RI 200+ yd------20 sec RI Strength Training Plan Upper Body: Vertical Pull - Pull-up Progression Vertical Push - Handstand Push-up Progression Horizontal Pull - Row Progression Horizontal Push - Push-up Progression Lower Body: Squat - Squat Progression Core - Back Lever Progression Hinge - Bridge Progression Core - Leg Raise Progression Looking forward to a wonderful journey with you all! Let's Do This!!!

Why So Serious Calibre?!? Why??? Because I need to be, because I have to be, because I want to be!!! Last challenge saw me having a good time at my convention, having a little depression afterwards.... then I just ghosted!! Lack of focus, lack of drive, lack of motivation. OK, OK, you're judging me, I get it Joker!!!! So what needs to happens is that I need to focus on myself. Really, truly focus on myself. No really, I'm serious!! Don't burn all my stuff!!! Now, what do I mean by focusing on myself?? I have to set some very realistic goals. I have never been the best at any kind of physical fitness so I really need to start by doing things by inches instead of leaps. I'm not moving as well as I used to so that needs to improve, especially if I want to live the next 40 years even half as well as the last 40. I can move well enough with work during the day but at night I need to keep moving. Goal is for 30 minutes of some kind of activity nightly: walking, weights, yoga, anything that will keep my blood pumping. I've had the new car just over a month and I've eaten out more than I have since getting my new start. Goal is preparing and eating a real meal for dinner 5 of 7 days per week. I need to get myself organized and orderly, in every conceivable aspect. Goal is to reorganize all my space, physical, emotional, mental. Mostly physical though (since I can actually measure that). Let's get this crazy ride going!!!!

am currently undergoing a preliminary test to see if I can qualify for rescue swimmer school (search and rescue SAR swimmer) in July. that means I have to attain at minimum the following: run 1.5 miles in under 12 minutes swim 400 meters in under 11 minutes pushups at least 30 situps at least 50 pullups at least 2 The qualifying test it THIS FRIDAY!!! So I better be on my a game this week! I proved a few weeks ago that I can accomplish these things, however it was a real kick in the teeth to realize how much I've lost in time on the run (or gained rather) and how the pushups didn't feel as easy as they used to. I am challenged most by the run. I can do it in the time required, however it is not easy and I really have to keep my pace and not get distracted! Here is my challenge summary and grading criteria! goal 1: Run faster: current run time is 11:50 for 1.5 miles. I want to shave that down to 9:30 someday, but just "better" for this challenge will satisfy this goal A = run 3 miles 3x per week aiming for a 7:30 pace (if this becomes easy to obtain this will drop) B = 2x per week C = 1x per week F = < 1x per week goal 2: I have very little control of my diet, so I'm going to put stretching in here as it will force me to moderate the quantity A = 7x a week B = 6x a week C = 5x a week D = 4x a week F = 3x a week goal 3: hand balance training = better/stronger upper body for pushups A = 7x a week (an hour minimum focused training session) B = 6x a week C = 5x a week D = 4x a week F = 3x a week Life goal: Circus performance means moar ROUE CYR spinning! A = spun 3x a week (one hour minimum can be cross trained with handbalancing) B = 2x C = 1x F = <1x my starting stats: age: 23 height: 5'3" weight: 141 May 20 I hope to update my page consistently at the very least weekly, however, thanks to my occupation, I will have trouble with contact for loads of weekdays so expect updates mostly on weekends. The best way to be encouraging to me is to simply post a little check up blurb should I be late in posting for a week. Also, ASK ALL THE QUESTIONS YOU HAVE!!! I am a true introvert at heart but I love to push my limitations and I am in no way reserved about my love of circus so you can actually HELP me by expressing your curiosity about all the crazy apparatus and things I do! (what a great way to fulfill both objectives) this also will help me be more clear to begin with because all these terms and phrases have become so familiar I sometimes forget what "normal people" understand .