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Hi Fellow Nerds, I'm a Level 6 Warrior, and I'm not like I used to be. But I'm also not like I want to be. I'm in the middle on this journey, and this is about my journey from Madness to Sanity. Looking back I see how crazy my views of myself and health really were, and I am slowly replacing that insane thinking with sane thinking. I'm going to be the kind of guy who logs what he eats and how he exercises for 90 days so that I have accountability and encouragement in what I am doing. The BROAD goals for me in these next 90 days (starting July 1st): Level up my Nutrition from NF Diet-style Level 3 to 7 - This is a reasonable goal for me, because I have been eating more and more healthfully over the last 10 months, with the last month here moving to a more NF diet-style. I'm also going to work on logging what I eat on a daily basis and make it available to accountability partners. If you'd like to see what I'm eating, go to http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/mawnstroe. Level up my Workouts from Level 3 to Level 4 - I'm currently doing NF Level 3 Bodyweight workouts and they are just the right amount of butt-kicking I need, so I think a good goal is to move up to Level 4 BW workouts. I have injured myself in the past too often by aiming too high, only to strain or tear something, so I am going to take the NF Mindset to heart and work on small, long term changes rather than try to change everything at once. As for where I am right now: Mindset: I have my Big Why (posted in my intro post on these forums). I've been hacking my sleep and it's really improved over the last month, I use the Sleep Cycle app for iPhone and Android. I get 6-7 hours of sleep a night and that is plenty. I can't sleep more than 7 (or 8 at the absolute max) no matter how hard I try. I'm just one of those guys who needs less sleep than others. I have accountability with a friend, and this thread is another version of that to widen my circle of friends and accountability partners I have set up some Loot! rewards for myself when I reach my goals, which I will post another time I am working on getting my Batcave customized, though I have the things I'd like to do, I haven't yet implemented them Nutrition: I'm on level 3 of the NF Diet-style, working on high protein breakfasts, eating vegetables with every lunch and dinner, and replacing normal carbohydrate or starch for 10 days out of a 2 week period. I've already conquered not eating pasta, and things like eating broccoli instead of French fries or asparagus instead of white bread, that sort of thing. I am working on limiting my bread consumption as well as carbohydrates in general. My goals right now are keeping carbs under 150 g a day. Workout: I'm currently on Level 3 Bodyweight workouts, and defeated the Widowmaker last week. w00t! I have had 3 weeks of regular workouts without missing one. I walk 10,000-12,000 steps a day and track it using my Misfit. I use "Zombies, Run!" app to make my walking more fun for me, and I like to also go hiking with my kids on weekends. If it's not fun, I'm not going to be doing it for long! I am paying close attention to my knees and shoulders because in the past I usually ended up injuring one or both of them and I am not going to do that this time around. I will pay attention to my body and I will not be afraid to modify my workouts so that I will not miss a workout. So I think that's about it for now. My goal for tomorrow is to report that I did my bodyweight workout today and also to go over my short-term goals and their subsequent Loot! as well as complete any other details I need to fill in. This is me living and leveling up one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time, accepting hardship as a pathway to peace and health. Rawr! - Mawnstroe Level 6 Warrior

One idea that I thought would make for a good post would be the concept of Alignment. For those of you don't know what I'm talking about, when creating a character in D&D or Pathfinder, outside of race, gender, and class, you must also choose your character's alignment. This helps in deciding their actions, motivations, and how they interact with the world. There are 9 different alignments in total, ranging from good and evil, to lawful and chaotic. To help people understand the differences between all of them, I like to use comic book heroes as a reference: Batman, is Lawful Good. Even though he operates outside the boundaries of conventional law, he follows a very strict personal code that he never breaks, i.e. no killing. Batman doesn't let anyone stop him from his crime fighting methods, not even fellow J.L. members. Superman, is Neutral Good. While following no personal code, Superman helps out anyone who's in distress, even by unconventional means at times. Who else can rotate the earth backwards to reverse time? Green Arrow, is Chaotic Good. He fights for what is right, but usually with a snarky, sarcastic attitude, and a sense of flair and charisma. If you're gonna be on the side of righteousness, you might as well have fun while doing it. The Punisher, is Lawful Neutral. If you've broken the law, you must be punished, regardless of you who are, or what you've done. Uncaring and unsympathetic, he deals justice to anyone who's run afoul of the law, quickly, and without remorse. Catwoman, is True Neutral. Neither good nor evil, lawful nor chaotic, she acts under who own personal motivations as a thief, and associates with both heroes and criminals. Deadpool, is Chaotic Neutral. "The merc with a mouth" is definitely the anti-hero poster-boy; shooting bad guys in the face, and doing pretty much whatever he feels like, whenever he feels like. Nothing says "chaotic" like guns, swords, more guns, and tacos. Two-Face, is Lawful Evil. All of his actions are dictated by a coin flip. Even as a crime boss, he must abide with what comes up from the coin landing, whether he agrees with it or not. Poison Ivy, is Neutral Evil. She does what she believes is right for mother earth; making trees and nature grow abruptly, stopping the progress of pollutants, and even enslaving humans to do her bidding. Nothing stops her from achieving her ends, if it means harming innocent civilians. The Joker, is Chaotic Evil. Think of Michael Caine's quote from The Dark Knight: “...some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.†'Nuff said. When you're choosing your profession here at NF, you should probably also be determining your alignment as well; what it currently is, and what you wish it was. However, changing your alignment is one of the most difficult things to do, and D&D and Pathfinder highlight this in incredible detail. Changing your alignment doesn't happen overnight. It takes time and dedication, and usually stems from powerful moments of corruption, or kindness. But think about this concept applies to your daily life. For example: if your diet is chaotic, and you're eating whatever you want, whenever you want, then perhaps it's time to become lawful, and develop a sense of discipline in your eating habits. Or, maybe your life is too lawful, and you feel obligated to your job and daily duties. Perhaps in reality, a more chaotic life awaits you, in learning new things, and traveling to new places. And while I suspect most people here aren't evil, maybe some of you could be more gooder (And yes, I know that sentence is a grammatical nightmare. Shut up.) Perhaps you've notice all of the resources in your life that you've been given, and have considered giving your time or material possessions to those less fortunate than yourself. Or maybe you just want to brighten the world, with charity, compassion, and the occasional dirty joke. In D&D and Pathfinder, on the rare occasion when a character changes their alignment, good or bad, it's an extraordinary and memorable event. Of all the stories that exist in the world today, I feel that the ones people love most, are stories of redemption. Whether it's Darth Vader saving Luke's life at the end of Return of the Jedi (spoiler alert), or 6 criminals all coming together to save the universe in Guardians of the Galaxy (again, spoiler alert), changing your alignment could be one of the most positively powerful changes you could make in your life. So, fellow rebels, as you progress on your epic quests, perhaps it's time to ask yourself: What is your alignment?

Each week I will defeat a different baddie. From Three-headed dogs to revolting aliens, I will own them with my parkour skills and assassin strength! Enjoy Dudes!