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Back for my 5th?!?! challenge. Time flies when you are searching for gifs on the internet. Getting back to ass-kickery on this challenge. Fitness (+3 STR) ♦ 20 consecutive push-ups Is this crazy? I don’t know. I set high goals for myself and I can usually reach them. So I figure I’ll set the push-up mark high to really “push” myself. I’m going to steadily increase the amount of push-ups that I do day-to-day. (+3 DEX) ♦ Interval sprints once a week. Self-explanatory. Diet (+2 CON +1 CHA) Grilling outside at least once a week (may be modified) I love grilling in nice weather. This might not be much of a challenge, but it will provide me with Vitamin D and delicious meats for devouring. Paleo/Primal eating has become a no-brainer, so this quest is more to get me outside more. Perhaps I will add some different objectives like grilling seafood or finding/making a smoker. We will just have to see where this quest takes us. Life (+2 STA +1 STA) Wake-up at 430am Some may think this is crazy. Most people will think this is crazy. I have to wake up at 5am to get to work on time, but I would like to wake up a little bit earlier to start the day with exercise/stretching. I’ll try to wake up at 430 Monday – Saturday. Keeping Sunday for a rest day… just as the lord intended. (+2 WIS +1 CHA) resume, portfolio site, job hunting This is boring stuff, but stuff I need to take the time to do. I don’t see a lot of growth potential at my current workplace and I am not doing exactly what I want to be doing. It is time to get the ball rolling on this task. Side Quests (+3 DEX) I kind of stole this idea from ApfelStrudi. Variety is the spice of life, so I would like you (my friends) to give me side quests. This can be anything. I’m not scared. I will however make a request that my bendy friends challenge me with bendy things, because I am so very un-bendy. Click on the icon and it should take you to the Google Doc Reward: Sword! time to slay some dragons!

When someone asks how I'm doing in February and March: Life is busy. Too busy for a formal challenge. I'm exhausted. Two jobs and the impending end of Crazy Work Season is really taking its toll. Four of the next six weeks will be spent trying to maintain as much sanity as possible (the last two, recovering). So, with that in mind here is my short and sweet "I just want to play with you guys" challenge. 1. Self care. Meditation, yoga, sleep, whatever I feel like I need to maintain sanity and manage my stress levels. 1a. Meditate daily. 1b. Workout at home when I can't get to the gym. I lift 3x weekly. If I can't get to the gym I lose motivation to workout. So, my ass needs to be in gear at home. 1c. Don't die. (back by popular demand) Low key, it is. But rest assured next challenge is going to be amazeballs.

Quest for Oneness This is the continuation of my quest for a healthier, more balanced life (check out my last challenge for a little more background). The Journey So Far Over the last two challenges I've Built support team of doctorsSuccessfully completed an autoimmune protocol elimination diet and began reintroductionsBegan meditation as a form of stress reliefTook steps towards meeting new friendsBegan tackling weaknesses in my trainingStarted mindfulness of mouth (read: don't be an asshole)I've had different levels of success with each of these, and many are works in progress. The big challenge this go 'round will be maintaining (and building upon!) the health I've achieved while changing some life factors. New workout routine (back to ALL THE SQUATS!) complete with mucho conditioning, preparing for the GoRuck Light on November 9, and experimenting with foods as I do more reintroductions. Recovery is king here. Without proper recovery I'm going to get knocked on my ass. How Not to Get Knocked on My Ass Tasty, tasty recovery: It's hard to eat a lot doing an AI protocol. Many days I found myself at 1500 calories and under 100g of protein. Lame. I need to eat at least 1800 cals and 130g of protein. Those are my bare minimum goals. Aim will be higher but points will only be taken if I go below this threshold. Grading: A- 40+ days with minimums hit B- 30-39 days C- 25-29 days D- 20-24 days F- 19 or fewer Stats: +1 STR, +1 STA, +2 CON Meditation: Continuation from last challenge. Going to aim for 2x per week at home. Yoga only counts if it's for zen purposes-not stretching or exercise. This, allegedly, helps manage stress. My body reacts much more negatively to stress than the average joe's (example:last week when I had family in town for 2 days and ended up exhausted and crying) so this is really important for my recovery. Grading: A- 11-12 meditations B- 9-10 meditations C- 7-8 meditations F- 6 or fewer Stats: +3 WIS, +1 CON Ruck: I bought my bag and bricks early on. Both are sitting in my closet, unused. Lame. With the ruck looming I figure it's time I put the bag on and get out there. Do something crazy with my ruck at least 1x weekly (this includes hiking, long walks, shortish walks, bring it to the gym for finisher shenanigans, etc). Grading: A- 6+ ruck adventures B- 4-5 ruck adventures F- 3 or fewer Stats: +2 DEX, +2 STA I'm also considering adding a part 2 to this that would involve using my ruck as a day to day bag (with bricks!) but I'm not sure about that. Thoughts fellow Ruckers? Life Side Quest Don't be an asshole: This is a continuation on last challenge. My focus is going to be entirely on maintaining professionalism, giving concise answers, not losing my cool in front of coworkers, etc. Grading: Say 1-3 unnecessary things: A Say 4-6 unnecessary things: C Say more than 6: F Stats: +4 CHA No additional side quests this time. And while it won't be part of my goals I'll be spending this challenge working on food reintroductions. I've got a nifty document drawn up to track dates introduced and reactions (with ratings!). I'll keep that stuff updated here, too. And, since I'm starting a new workout plan there may be things I tinker with. So, that'll be updated here, too. And gifs. I promise there will be gifs.

BIO Since I'm setting up camp in an entirely new area this challenge I figured I'd delve into some background info. I've been with NF since 2011. I've done countless challenges, made many health improvements, and learned a whole lot about lifting weights. Previously, I've been fighter-boxing, dabbled in Muay Thai and an OMer-longterm love affair with yoga. Currently, my fitness routine is a little hodge podge of bodyweight and weight work (we'll talk more about that below). I've also run the gamut on dietary lifestyles. I spent the better part of 14 years as a vegetarian; some years were vegan, some pescatarian. I'm now (grudgingly) what one may consider paleo (we'll talk more about that below, too). Oh, and I partake in intermittent fasting. Otherwise, I'm semi ranty and enjoy shenanigans of all sorts. Oh, and I have a thing for gifs. I'M A HOT MESS All that stuff we'd talk more about, yeah, here it is: Issue 1: Injured Laura is injured. I just don't know that much about it yet. Something about disc degeneration in my cervical spine. Currently using chiropractic to treat it while I wait for my new doctor to become available. So, lifting heavy is on the back burner for the time being. I can still lift from time to time, but not as often. So, I've got a hodge podge of stuff set up. Currently, I'm trying to own the pistol squat. Issue: 2 This is the big one. My body hates me. Or thinks I hate it and is fighting back? Not sure. I do know that I have anxiety and it's out of control. I also know that I'm not happy. At all. And there isn't really a reason for that. And I know that I've been under intense stress for a very, very long time now (hmmm, funny how this all works together). So, in addition to the neck thing I've started to notice a lot of other issues. I won't list them all but I suspect three things might be the issue: 1. Leaky gut (which sounds gross, yay), 2. An Autoimmune disease (specifically RA), and/or 3. Cortisol/Adrenal issues. Before this challenge I was mostly a primal style eater. I didn't' bother to name my dietary choices, but that sums it up pretty well. Now that my body is freaking the frak out, I'm starting an autoimmune protocol. And I'm not that happy about it. Which brings me to: GOALS This isn't going to be set up like NF recommends, but hey, I'm getting way out of my comfort zone here. Mental Well-Being Goals: Goal 1 Get help. I've seeking professional help but I'm a slacker. I'm not going to grade myself on finding the right person to help me since there's no telling how long that will take. I am going to grade myself on how much effort I put in. Call or email nice lady who offered to help and ask for names Call and set up appointment with someone on The List If, after a few meetings, I deem this person isn't The One, call next person on The List within 3 days. Rinse and repeat as necessary.Goal 2 Guided meditation. I tried alone style meditation before bed previously and that was an epic failure. I think something guided will be better. Also, not before bed. I think I'd like to get an app or something to use during walks (which I generally take during my "lunch" break). Do this at least 4x per week. Goal 3 Walk. Minimum of 20 minutes, twice per week at work, as many times as I want at home. Health Goals: Goal 4 Cut back on coffee. Coffee is a no-no in the AIP world, much to my chagrin. Generally, I drink 2 cups in the morning (black). I do this for two reasons: 1. Caffeine, duh. and 2. It's helpful during a fast. I'm going to slowly decrease my coffee intake and grade accordingly: Week 1, one cup per day maximum. Week 2, half cup per day maximum.From here, I'm honestly not sure where I'll go. I thought about doing X number of days without coffee each week but I don't think that will work well. Also, depending on if this is AI or cortisol the future will vary. Cortisol treatments generally recommend no caffeine, while AIP is okay with some caffeine but not COFFEE. So, theoretically, I could add in green tea, which I miss desperately, but I become nauseated when I consume tea on an empty stomach (all kinds). So, unless anyone knows a way to change that, I'm out of luck. So, I think, starting week 3, I might just go cold turkey. We'll see. Goal 5 Eat for autoimmunity. This is helpful for anyone unfamiliar. I rarely drink, or eat gluten as it is. I don't take NSAIDs unless it's an extreme situation. I do adore eggs and eat a ton of grassfed dairy and love me some nightshades. So, my heart is breaking just a little here. These, along with spices, will be the hardest for me to give up. I've already gone a week without dairy. It was annoying more than anything and I've pegged that as the easiest to get rid of. Okay, well this post was full of long, boring words and lacked my usual gif fest. Not my best first impression, I'm sure But I promise for more fun at a later date. I might add points later to 4 of the 5 goals if that's permissible. I haven't done a challenge in which I felt comfortable leveling up in a little while, but if this all goes well that might change.

Before we begin this challenge's adventures, allow me to share a picture to show you where I'm at right now: Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

BIO You can learn all you need to about me by googling "kitty snuggle gif". Seriously, go do that now. I'll wait. ... Okay, so welcome back! Now that you know me, let's talk challenge: CHALLENGE FOCUS This challenge coincides nicely with the end (or almost end) of Crazy Work Season. While I have plenty of things I want to do I realize starting something new right now, or adding more than the bare bones, is just setting myself up for failure. So, let's maintain and plan ahead for days I know will be the craziest. Everything else is on the back burner. GOALS Come at me, Big Eatah! Plan to eat big on long, crazy work days. There is always ample free food and I always pretend like I won't enjoy it. I fail more often than not. This year: plan to pig out on those days by planning to eat well the rest of the time (weekends included!). Known Culprits: Tuesday March 5 (high potential day)Thursday March 7 (if scheduled as we believe this will likely be 14+ hour day)Last week of Crazy Work Season (dates to be determined but should coincide with the end of this challenge)Tools for Success: Batch cooking (which I already do, and have done, for years)Back up foods for surprise long daysStuff like cottage cheese, greek yogurt, fruitPosting weekly schedule here before the week starts Come at me, Brotape! Last challenge I realized I needed more food so I upped my intake. Must keep track of measurements (every two weeks), take photos again, log that info here. Starting Measurements: Weight: 164.8 Shoulder: 37.5 Chest: 35.5 L. Bicep (held): 12 L. Bicep (flat): 12.25 R. Bicep (held): 11.5 R. Bicep (flat): 11.5 Above: 30.7 At: 34.25 Below: 37 Hips: 39.25 Butt: 41 Left thigh: 23.25 Right thigh: 23.25 Notes on starting measurements: I freaked out a little about the weight. That's 3-7 pounds more than I usually weigh. My increase isn't substantial enough that I think I've actually gained that weight. I definitely feel more bloated than normal. I hope this is because of the increase in carbs.Above and At Navel measurements are both up a little (actually AT is up .5 in from 1 month ago), which makes me worry. Carb increase? Fat increase?Butt is up ~.5 inchThighs are down ~.25 inchWhat does it all mean?!?! But seriously, I guess it's okay if I'm right about the increased water weight from more carbs. Otherwise, it's not okay and I'm getting fat Come at me, Cardiovascular Health! Sweet and simple: Do two finishers each week. Caveats: Getting in any workout is better than getting in no workout. So, on those later nights when I just barely get to the gym it is okay to skip a finisher so I can get home and eat/sleep. Come at me, Bro! Life goal is to keep myself as sane and happy as possible by any means necessary. I'll come back with points later.. maybe...