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GRAVITY FALLS THEMED CHALLENGE, YO! Format: week to week challenge goals (thanks deftona!) in categories of: NutritionCreativeLife GoalPreparationMaintenance Here's what I'm starting with. I'll see how the first week goes and then if I need to I can edit/ re-evaluate from there. Quest 1: Smile Dip Days in deficit! Action: Goal is for 6 days in deficit for the week Grading A= 6 days in deficit B=5 days in deficit C= 3-4 days in deficit D=1-3 days in deficit F= 0 days in deficit Quest 2: "Grunkle Stan, I’m an arts and crafts master. Why do you think I always have this glue gun stuck to my arm?†Action: A creative thing! Drawing, guitar, writing etc. 5x per week. Grading A= 5x per week B=4x per week C=3x per week D=2x per week F=0x per week Quest 3: The Bunker -Preparation Action: Prepare for the next day with a to-do list. OR 2 hour blocks 7x per week Listing my intentions/goals for the day seems to help. So I'm going.... Grading: A= 5-7 to do lists/ 2 hour blocks B-3-5 to do lists/ 2 hour blocks C=1-3 to do lists/2 hour blocks F= 0 to do lists/2 hour blocks Quest 4: Maintaining the Mystery Shack I've been slacking on meditation. And meditation is super important for my mental health. So I am re-dedicating myself to it, in a challenge goal. Action: morning meditation 7x per week Grading A= 5-7 morning meditations B-= 4-5 morning meditations C= 2-4 morning meditations D= 1-2 morning meditations F= 0 morning meditations Other ungraded stuff I will be doing: Gratitude: 7x per week Inspiration: 7x per week Exercise: same as usual, now with after meal walks! Really just wanted to use this gif Former Quests: Quest 2: Working at the Mystery Shack Action: job applications 2x per week Grading A= 2/2 B=1/2 F=0/2 Grade A since I got a job MOAR GRAVITY FALLS GIFS: AND I'M OUTTA HERE:

I have missed a few challenges this summer and I am coming late to this one, but I am doing a diet change anyway so I might as well do it with some support from NF. I have been gaining weight especially around my waist. Along with the skin issues and other indicators it seems I am having menopausal issues. So I am working on balancing my hormones and optimizing my health. I am using the Hormone Reset diet to guide my through this. It is a 21 day program of elimination of red meat, sugar, alcohol, fruit, grains, caffeine, and dairy from your diet. Basically you eat veggies, eggs and fish. For this challenge: I will follow the hormone reset diet Write a daily gratitude statements Journaling about food choices and diet progress Try at least four new recipes from the book 30 minutes of mediation Daily diet requirements: eat one pound of veggies per day Starting measurements Height: 65" Weight:153.5 (I went back to the scale the next day it read 160.5) Waist: 34" (this is the one that scares me because I was 29" a year or so ago) Hips: 42"

Hello Druids! This is my second challenge but my first as part of a guild. This is part two of my journey learning how to take care of myself and well... care about myself. I guess it's a journey in learning self compassion. I learned in my last challenge that happiness is built from the inside out so I'm focused on re-inforcing my interior scaffolding. I’m hesitating on grading some these because self care should be its own reward. I won’t put a time limit or value judgement on most of these. What matters is my consistent and persistent effort. Some of parts of the quests are maintenance goals from the last challenge. As ever my primary goal is to become the person I want to be, one baby step at a time. I have listed some lesson objectives for each activity next to it, though of course there will be many more unplanned lessons throughout the challenge. Grading will be done as a percentage however the only failing grade is a zero, so if I do 50% that’s still a C because something is better than nothing. Going into this challenge I will shoot for 100% because it is possible but I do not expect myself to be perfect. Perfection is the enemy of progress. Quest 1: Mind Gratitude statements: letting of of the negative by focusing on the positive (New) total possible points: 42 Daily Meditation: total possible points: 42 Walk to Mordor: Miles from walking and running added weekly total possible points: 6 Quest 2: Body Overall Challenge Goals: +Maintaining previous challenge exercise schedule +1 more weight training session per week +Mindful Eating (Continued from last challenge) +Water (Continued from last challenge) +Daily Shower (New) Exercise activity every day Water Goal: 2L per day Grading : X/84L total points: 42 (fractional points awarded for this challenge) Maintain mindful eating Continue mindful eating, especially mindful of sugar. Using MFP to track my calories. Reporting food in my challenge thread every day. This was not an official part of the last challenge, but it helped a lot to clean up my diet. My diet is focused on whole foods, categories to be mindful are fruits, nuts and cheeses. I’m going with 1700 calories a day, revised based on my activity levels. So 11,900 for the week Grading: X/71,400 minus one letter grade for every 500 calories over total goal (so I have a buffer) total points: 42 (fractional points awarded for this challenge, -.25 points for every 100 calories over goal) Hygiene (New) Shower daily. This is a symptom of my depression. Showering (sadly) needs to be part of my self-care routine. I have to make the time for myself. total possible points: 42 Quest 3: Soul Chocolate Bar Challenge: One bar of my favorite chocolate bar (cadbury milk w/ caramel) spread over six weeks. I used to eat two of these in one sitting so one chocolate bar has to last the whole challenge. At a pace of approx. 3 squares per week total possible points: 6 Daily Inspiration: This is very centering. I started it informally last challenge and I would like to continue. total possible points: 42 No weed It’s aggravating my anxiety (New) total possible points: 42 Reading every day total possible points: 42 Total possible points for challenge: 402 Actual points total: ????? Life Quest: -POSITIVITY WALL -Creative Writing 3x per week, a sentence is fine. Progress is progress -Get ready for school- letter of intent Dr’s letters Dr’s paperwork beanie’s harness Beanie’s carrier

"Pick up the pieces and keep going, one painfully slow step at a time." -Hiraedd, The Conqueress (Bare bones, to be elaborated later. It's certainly quite blunt as it is now. But it's written, and I'll work from there.) 1) A task a day A distance net-course due 30th of June, and another 30th of July. Marketing law and Strategic marketing. Soft deadline aimed at 21st of each month to give some space to maneuver. 2) Honorable Order of Rebellious Appraising Yeomen and Gratitude statements Positive, honest self-appraisal. Once a day. --> HOoRAY Things outside yourself that I am grateful for. Three times a day. In the challenge thread and cross-posted there rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/26507-3-things/ 3) ZenHabits1000 cuts 1) The Zen Habits 1000 cuts Plainly from the previous challenge. 200 points, 3-4 things a day. Adding that 5 min of streching, or every 5000 steps over the daily 10k I usually get, are worth one point. 4) Something from Brene Browns work, a single step towards recognizing shame and the symptoms, but I dont know how. I will think this a bit more.

This challenge is inspired by heat conditioning research, see the video below. I tried a weight-loss goal last challenge and well... I learned that doesn't motivate me and I crashed and burned on that goal. I am all about feeling good. I enjoy how I feel after lifting and I enjoy how I feel when I am eating well and have lots of energy. When I am lifting I eat better and sleep better. My shoulder is still sensitive and improving. I am going to be easy with it and not push too hard. I am thinking working out twice a week, once during the week and once during the weekend. Maybe Thursday/Friday and Sat/Sun options. 12 times lifting and 12 sessions in the sauna will be the goal for the challenge. Lifting Goals I am starting back to an empty bar and keep learning about good form. With 5lbs increases my goals are as follows: Squats - 100lbs Bench press - 70lbs Row - 70lbs Dead lift - 70lbs No overhead press - too hard on my shoulder I need a replacement for that. Maybe just dumbbell lifts? All those goals are under my top weights from a year ago before my shoulder issue so I feel comfortable with them. Sauna Currently I can do 20 minutes without any issues. During the week I will do 20-30 minute sessions During the weekend I will work toward 30-60 minute sessions as I build up tolerance. The sauna heat conditioning is new to me. I have used saunas thoughout my life, however this is intense use. I don't normally do well during the hot summer days, luckily we don't get that many in Buffalo So this heat conditioning could be helpful for me. In highschool playing tennis on hot days would ruin me. I get really red and sweaty in temps higher than 80 and nearly pass out. Now if I run into issues I will cut back or stop. I do already add salt to my diet on a daily basis. (Doctors orders when I was in my 20s to help with fainting spells.) Fancy pink Himalayan salt of course! I also take supplements and drink 2-3 bottles of Pellegrino sparkling water and some still water esp when I am working out, BP coffee in the morning and peppermint tea thoughout the day. It is all just an experiment in wellness. It is a better motivator for me than a weigh-loss goal. I think I have given up on those! If I lose weigh ok if not thats ok too. I am feeling better than ever, and I am looking younger and younger. My skin is in great shape, I still get some break out issues when I eat the wrong thing. I get red blotches on my cheeks and sometimes my whole face gets red and itchy. I am interested in the effect of sauna use on my skin. The research about growth hormones and aging is interesting as well. I will admit I love looking so young and people are shocked when they learn how old I am. So I am going to keep going with it, I am naturally young looking and I can make choices to keep looking that way. I have lots of energy, I am in a good place mentally; spiritual development is coming along as well. I like to listen to Ken Wilber, Osho talks and meditate using Holosync and enjoy experimenting with that as well. I am hoping this challenge is clear and simple enough that I can be successful with it. Anything else I do will be icing on the cake. The yoga ball therapy, gratitude statements, yoga, belly dancing, diet changes (always on-going!), skin issues, the black color clothes break-up, etc... those are just extras. Of course my challenges start out with one thing in mind and ends up somewhere different. We will see where this next challenge takes me! Thanks for reading this.

The Dragon is awake, but is often still sleepy. During this challenge, I will unlock the energy needed to just keep going, and going, and going... I know I am positing late again, but I actually started doing this challenge on time. I have already learned that consistently doing the challenge goals below helps enormously with my energy and mood. This is a bit of an "unchallenge" in that my goals might not seem overly specific below, though they are very specific in my mind. Goal 1: Physical Power and Control Improve strength, with a goal of reaching the minimum military fitness standard for women by 4th of July. (****Edit later to include actual stats****). I just turned 40, so I will be VERY happy when I do this. Improve aerobic capacity, with the goal of being able to sustain 20 minutes of aerobic activity without stepping down the intensity by the end of the challenge. Maintain and improve flexibility, balance and body control. This is the fun part. The Hobbit is supposed to get the kids to help him build an obstacle course in the back yard which will help with this a lot. Goal 2: Ideal Fuel Follow 70/30 Alkaline Paleo diet. I had a big increase in energy when I first went paleo, and now I am experimenting with alkaline paleo. The basic theory is this: the body has an ideal pH level of the blood that it needs to maintain. Foods tend to have either an acidifying or alkalizing effect on the body. Eating mostly (70-80%) alkalizing foods helps your body maintain optimal health by not needing to work so hard to keep the proper pH balance. So far, it seems to make a HUGE difference in how I feel. Hydrate! Drink about half my bodyweight in ounces each day of water, non-caffeinated teas, and vegetable juices. For me, the goal is 60-65 ounces. Breathe & lymphasize. Take breaks for deep or pranayamic breathing, and bounce on a rebounder for 20 minutes at least 5 times a week. Goal 3: Focus and Fun Meditate and/or visualize goals daily Daily gratitude Practice authenticity at least twice a week. This means I need to do something that makes me feel vulnerable, or like I am exposing a part of myself I prefer to hide. This will probably include finally posting a progress pic... Get social at least twice a week outside of the Geek gaming meetup. This is one of my biggest challenge areas - contacting and seeing friends. Be an involved parent. At least twice a week, spend quality time with the kids or get them involved in a household project with me. Also a big challenge (read: FEAR) area. I am also doing a lot of work on improving my time management, motivation, and my business, as well as the Hobbit's company. I will try to post progress on those fronts as well, at least if something interesting is happening.

For this challenge, I'm going to focus on fully living in the present, rather than dwelling on the past ("before my knee blowout, I could do whatever thing but now I can't") or punting things toward the future ("It would be really nice if I could do...") without taking the steps right now to have any realistic hope of achieving that. As always, I will be doing and logging my usual rock climbing/bouldering, playground parkour, yoga, hand balancing, weapons, hooping, etc. 1. (Fitness)Respect the progressions: There are several yoga moves I'd love to do, but I'm not quite flexible enough. There are also several parkour moves I'd love to be able to do, but I'm not strong or flexible enough. So, rather than just giving up and doing nothing at all to get there (which has kind of been what I've done over the last many challenges), I'll instead dial things backward and work through some easier progressions until I have a solid enough foundation for the full move. The moves I'd love to focus on are: (yoga) Firefly pose- currently need to improve flexibility to get my shoulders under my legs. I can either balance a few seconds with my legs really bent, or I pick up and fall right back onto my rear. So, I'm going to focus on the deep squat with my shoulders under my legs to improve the mobility. I'll also just try to get better about holding with my legs bent. There's no point yet in trying to pick up all of the way and getting frustrated with my repeated failures. (yoga) - wheel to standing or wheel kick over - My backbend/wheel is okay, but in order to stand from it or kick my legs up and over, I need my hands and feet to be closer together. So, I'm going to focus on pushing my torso closer over my shoulders and walking my feet in toward my hands. (parkour) Kong vault - I can't confidently even do a ground kong without having my knees flare out such that they're outside of my arms. I'm also horribly paranoid about clipping my legs, especially since my knee still isn't quite 100%. I'm going to work on good form ground kongs, the kong jump-ups, and just jumping over low-ish obstacles. (parkour) rail balance - While it's still cold, I have parallettes I can step upon. When it's warmer, there are plenty of playgrounds with rails. Rather than getting fancy and trying to move around a lot or do QM, I really just need to practice standing around or walking very slowly. I may come up with a few more things to add to the list. I'm not going to grade based on practicing a certain number of times/week. Instead, it's going to be whether I feel like I'm putting in the honest effort to follow the progressions, rather than giving up or hiding from the skills in question, and whether at the end of the challenge I'm seeing some progress. 2. (Fitness) Tons of Handstands: I've always wanted to have a solid handstand, but I've been stuck at 3-5 seconds freestanding for a long time and have never really put in the effort to improve with that. After some personal training with this, I learned that my shoulders aren't engaged properly when I do handstands. I've instead been doing lazy, loose handstands. Now that I've started practicing really pressing upward, engaging my shoulders, and keeping my core very tight, I feel like I have so much more control. I want to ride this success and finally make some progress with the handstands. Goal is to do 100 handstands/week, but to count, all of the handstands need to have solid form. 3. (Life) Positivity and Gratitude: I truly believe that being positive and grateful is a habit and mindset. Each day of the challenge, I must come up with and post something for which I'm grateful, something that made me happy, or something generally positive. Goal: 42 daily postings. 4. (Life) Learn a new language -For years, my husband and I have been saying that it would be nice if I could speak German, so we could have our own adult "secret language" that the kids can't understand. And for years, I've done nothing on that front. I recently downloaded Duolingo. My goal is to add 250 XP to my total each week. I'm at 659 right now, so assuming I'm around 700 at the start of the challenge, that means I should aim for 2200 XP by the end. Extras: There's no way to grade these, but they're just things I'd love to work on and be reminded of frequently through my challenge. (Fitness) Form comes first: I have a few yoga moves in which my form (shoulder alignment) is off. I also am guilty of taking some shortcuts, or squeezing out a few extra reps even after my form is starting to fall apart. I've spent the last year assuming that everything would eventually work its way out, but realistically, I'm just perfecting bad form. This goal is more about shelving the ego and dealing with not managing as many reps or as much hold time, or having to step back in some of my progressions. (Life) Control the clutter: No one in my house (including myself) puts things back where they belong after using something. So, we're always fighting clutter. Rather than just setting things down out of place and assuming I can put it away later, I'd rather stop generating the clutter in the first place. (Life) Get over it: I'm one of those people who gets upset or over-analyzes things long past the point where I should just accept that things are over and done. So, I want to reach a point where if I'm foolishly getting worked up about something, I can take steps to calm down (whether it's doing some cardio kickboxing, weapons, yoga, meditation, taking a walk, playing piano), and then learning to just let it go.

My 8th challenge and my one year anniversary with Nerd Fitness. My last challenge was really involved. I have learned through this year, I am really inconsistent. Just something to improve on in a loving and forgiving way. I am no robot, I can't just reprogram over all my bad habits and quirks. Here's my thoughts for this challenge: Gratitude - 3 per day - Love to do these. Sugar busting diet - keep getting rid of sugar from my diet. I would like to work with Crockpot recipes. I would have no problem lowering my sugar if I didn't find myself in the middle of the day with nothing to eat but fundraising chocolate bars. Meal planning is key and I have room for improvement with that! Meditation - once per day - I was best with this when I woke up early and used a 15 min. meditation app. Working out - 6 times this challenge, my shoulder is just not right and I am not sure what to do. Rest is not improving it. I would like to lift with the empty bar and see how that goes. Black break-up/redo wardrobe - Getting rid of black in my wardrobe has been awesome. I am amazed at how many people have noticed and I get so many complements, even strangers notice. Most people dress in black and very dark colors, I walk into the room with a bright orange jacket and everybody notices. It would have freaked out if I did that in the past, now it is fun to show others that you can wear colors. I feel there is power in it, to not be afraid to stand out. I have wore some crazy combinations of colors just to not wear black, like bright blue with olive green. I am sticking to my goal of wearing no black and all my friends are watching and checking up on me. I have a lot of accountability on this one! Kindness: Active listening, no sarcasm, smiling. I want to take kindness to another level and work on improving my listening skills. The sarcasm jar is great although I am not putting in the money, everyone is pointing out to me every sarcastic remark I make. I am much more aware of my interaction than before. I want to continue to smile and also smile as I am resting, driving, standing in line and throughout my whole day. Too many people walk around with a frown or terrible look on their face. Smile, smile, smile!!!

Looking at how my life has been lately, I may bring up dark topics, like depression, suicide, sadness, vulnerability... Spending so my time with these thoughts, I've gotten very used to them. 1) To do the right thing Last 2-3 months I have spent about 50-75 % of my time at work on webcomics, and non-work related websites, like Tvtropes.org and Cracked.com. But I have still gotten my salary. That is same as I had stolen the money, and I need to talk to my boss about this. But I might get fired, and/or need to return the money. But it's not mine, so the talk must be had. Continuing the 1000 cuts upping it to 200 points at the end of the challenge. And continuing the gratitude journaling. 4) At least 2 hours of productive homework time/day, 5 days/week. I have a ten page essay (due end of this month) and practical training paperwork to do. -I'm grateful for the NF community among other things for encouragement, and words of hope. -I had a decent meal health-wise lately. -A 3.5 mile/5.5 km walk, and some bodyweight exercises lately. I feel a bit better because of it. (Seems like I can't see much in my life to feel grateful for.) Hence the challenge.

Looking at how my life has been lately, I may bring up dark topics, like depression, suicide, sadness, vulnerability... 1) I will commit to one Random Act of Kindness every week Jitters suggested it'd be helpful to look for opportunities to help other people. Not just opening a door for someone, or a compliment, but something they will remember, and smile about. 2) Zenhabits 1000 cuts "Over the previous challenges, I have several times tried working out as a solid set of bodyweight exercises with a warm up, exercises and streching. It has felt intimidating and pressing to obsess over it and have it as a unyelding chunk. Then, during the Planksanity I found it fun to do planks in small 1-2 minute doses over the day. So it turns out The Zenhabits Thousand Cuts Fitness Program, as described there, http://zenhabits.net/1000-cuts/ is small things along the day. A few pushups there, a pull up when you pass the bar, run when you feel like it. Making them more frequent, harder and preferably something playful given time. So for future comparison, run until I have to stop, 10 push-ups or 1 minute good-form plank are sufficient each for one point." This has worked before, I got results with it, I felt better. I can do 10 push ups, a little planking, a few lunges... I feel like shit sometimes, both mentally and physically. Human beings are meant to move, and when that doesn't happen, it leads to all kinds of problems, right? So I have to get off my butt. 3) Find three significant / beautiful / good things I am grateful for, every day. (I remember Liberator did the same thing before, so tip of a hat her way ) There has to be, and are, good things in my life, I know it. I forget/don't want to look for them sometimes, and still they are there. I am alive. I bought vegetables instead of candy. My workday wasn't a complete disaster. I still did some productive things. 4) Go to work, every day, on time, and do focused, productive work. Last week, I used almost three full workdays on computer games, NF and other shit not related to work. That is unacceptable. I am not proud of it. They pay me to work there, and then I cheat on them like this? Makes me feel horrible. I wouldn't go and steal from the cash register, or lie to my co-workers, but what I am doing is so close I might as well have. It isn't right. I do not want to be that kind of a person. Also, I will not cut a single meeting with my therapist, and I will be honest with them.

Why a Rockstar? A few people have called me a rockstar on different occasions in the past few months. The first time I was embarrassed then a few more people said it. I realized I loved it, so I am owning it and embracing my inner rockstar! I have recruited my colleague and we are planning to have a rockstar school year together. So rockstardom is an on going project of awesomeness. What is a Rockstar? What qualities of a rockstar do I want in my life? Confidence: A rockstar oozes confidence. Mind, body & spirit confidence is my aim. Kick ass body: A rockstar is in shape and ready to rock all night. I want to be up for whatever adventures come my way or I make happen. Fearless, A rockstar takes on life's challenges and lives large. Fun: A rockstar doesn't take life to seriously. Stylish: A rockstar dresses with confidence and personal style and is not afraid to be noticed Rebellious: A rockstar follows their own heart and lives a creative passionate life.Entourage: A rockstar doesn't do it all alone, they have support staff. I want to develop my own "support staff" and a positive rapport with the people around me. Favorite Rockstar Role Models:Sting: I love how Sting walked away from the security of a teaching position and followed his passion for music. I love how chooses to work with other amazing musicians and is open to many different styles of music. I love his writing skills. The man can write gorgeous lyrics! Eddie Vedder: I love his crazy, fearless 50 feet jump and crowd surfing awesomeness. I love his giving humble spirit. Patti Smith: I love her courage and her heart. She has an amazing ability to love.Joe Strummer: Risktaker with passion and meaningful purposeful rebelliousness! My road to RockstardomBlissaplineBodyloveFoodlove (Diet) Awesomeness Planning (Weekly Planning)"Entourage" (People-love)Confidence & Fearlessness CreativityBeauty & Style Blissapline I got to continue Blissapline! It is a joy to do I want to make this the priority. Inner work comes first and is the most meaningful to me. Daily Blissapline is spirit work; it gives me confidence and a calm attitude to take on the day. Yoga: Morning stretching and sun salutations Meditation: Silva methodGratitude: 3 or more per dayAdd:Kindness: Say something nice to a student before homeroom and during each class. Each week I should have said something nice to each one of my students, especially the ones that are quiet. Gold star program! for students in my AP class. Kindness to my family everyday. Blissapline Goal: Complete Daily Blissapline each day of the challenge (42/42) BodyloveWeight: 149.5Waist: 32" Hips: 41" Chest: 32" Bust: 41" Lt leg: 22" Rt leg: 22" Lt arm 10.75" Rt. arm 11.75" Bodylove Goals: Goal Weight: 140# Goal get my waist down to 30" Stay comfortable in size 6 Lifting Squat: 105# goal 145# Bench: 55# goal 75# Row: 70# goal 90# Overhead: 50# goal 70# Deadlift: 110# goal 130# Weight lifting goal: Lift weights 10 times this challenge. Foodlove Stay away from nuts and dairy Drink lots of water Limit breads, waffles, cake, cookies, etc... Limit sweets Eat good stuff; meat, fish, veggies Foodlove goals: No chocolate for the whole challenge! I don't always do well limiting my chocolate I think I need to be 100% chocolate bar free (I will get my chocolate fix with cocoa power in my coffee. Awesomeness Planning (Weekly Planning) Sunday: Awesome planning & Grandparents NightMonday: Creativity day (Life Drawing class); O & me Gym Time & Crockpot nightTuesday: J & me Time Wednesday: O day (Piano & Tae Kwon Do lessons)Thursday: Health Club Day; Lift and sauna after workFriday: Social Night (Happy Hour or Art Masterminds) Saturday: Family Fun Day Monthly Special Days at least one during this challengeFriends Night for OFriend Night for me (Concert w/RL 10/4)Happy Hour w/work friends (9/26)Guys' Night (Boys only movie night 10/4)Date Night (10/11)Nature or Outdoor Fun Days (Fall foliage hike)Family Health Club Night (9/27)Art Masterminds Night Spa Day - Henna hair treatment and facial (9/19) Awesomeness Planning goals: Each Sunday I will spend an hour planning for the week and checking my calendar . Each week I will plan time for health, work & fun. "Entourage" (People-love)What I mean by this is; the people who help me and I help them as well, win/win situation. I already have a daily babysitter to get J on and off the bus and helps out evenings and weekends as needed. I want a work assistant, I had a great kid last year who was awesome and loved to organize things, this year I have kids that hang out after school and make my room worst rather than better. So I need to find another good helper. I am going to delegate more "jobs" in the classroom. I am going to find a financial advisor as well, I am not managing my money effectively I need to get better at this and if I have help it will get done. Entourage Goal: Find work and finance helpers to make my life better. Confidence & Fearlessness I want to develop this but I am not sure how I am going to address this…. Maybe a mantra and a bold action of some kind... Creativity: I am taking a life drawing class. I want to have some new work to enter into shows. I have only done two shows this year. Beauty & StyleSkin: I have had problems in the past with break outs and redness, I changed my diet and things improved.Hair: I went all natural with my shampoo, I want to keep experimenting with natural products. Next is toothpaste and cleaning products. I want to figure out an all natural deodorant.Style: I love Zulily on-line shopping with awesome prices; but no returns. So I am buying more dresses and skirts. For a number of years wore black pants to work everyday. I am not going to buy any black pants!!! I had a closet full of boring black pants. I am going to wear dresses or skirts and tops with great shoes or awesome boots. I love wearing dresses. This makes me happy. Beauty & Style goals:Keep away from nuts and dairyTry two more all natural beauty productsBuy more colorful dresses and skirts, cool shoes & boots (Fall and Winter wardrobe) Have fun with what I wear, enjoy my clothes and my body Reward:???I am not sure… Money for a trip?A chocolate bar?

Work in Progress! I always over commit with my goals, but I need to follow my enthusiasm and see what happens and whittle it down as things progress. Challenge 6 Developing Blissapline Blissapline Gratitude Statement; daily Blind Contour drawings; daily Yoga; daily: spine warm up and three sun salutations Mediation: Osho meditations and Alpha beats Weight lifting; 2-3 x week Work goals Prezi art history presentations; I want to have Prehistory, African, Southeastern and Ancient Mediteranean Art completed this month School prep: Complete all class syllabi by September 1 Hair experiments I have very fine hair. Shampoo makes my hair too clean. One day without washing my hair it becomes greasy and limp. I have tried various "no poo" approaches. So I am trying brushing techniques and "Morocco Method" Skin and diet are under control and will always be a work in progress. I just can't eat nuts or ice cream and the more I avoid sugar and breads the better I feel.

Hi Druids! A Ninja (in training) is joining your ranks for this challenge. Short recap: In my previous challenge, we followed Swen, my alter ego, who is attending a camp in the Shadow Mountains. His mentor, BrusLi, has now explained that Swen for the remainder of the summer must leave and explore the world outside camp. Swen has reached the physical requirements for joining the fellowship of the Shadow Ninjas, but now he has to for the next 6 weeks be prepared mentally as well. In this challenge, I won’t be as thorough as I was in my previous one. For instance, I will meditate daily, but it´s not the end of the world if I miss a session. Looking at the bigger picture is key, and my grading will be based thereafter. Mindfulness and awareness (WIS+4): I will be more mindful, more present, more aware of my feelings and thoughts. In plain English, this means: I will meditate daily (Qigong and/or other meditation forms)I will eat mindfully and slowly (no computer, and preferably no reading either) I will be more mindful during my day (no constant checking the iPhone, not turn on the computer at once when I feel bored etc)I will be aware of how blessed I am by writing a gratitude journal dailyI will focus on how I feel, instead of how I look. This means no weighing myself or looking in the mirror (body composition). This will be tough….I will take a day of mindfulness every week and some nights. This means, no phone, no computer (unless for writing) and no TV. Taking part of in the world (CHA+4): I have few friends, and I feel that I´m slipping away from the ones I have (different interest, so it´s not a bad thing). Therefor, I will expand my circle and trying to meet new people (IRL…..). I will meet new people who share my hobbies and values.I will every day make the world a better place. It doesn´t have to be big things, it can be anything from picking up litter, writing a kind compliment in the woot room to doing a random act of kindness in the supermarket. The important thing is that I do something and that I do it daily to get the habit going. Food and fitness (STR+2, STA+2): This is mainly not a fitness challenge, but I still want to stay in shape, so…… I will track and plan my food intake so as to be sure that I eat enough but don´t binge (>1500 kcal in one meal)I will work out / climb 7 times a weekI hate the rowing machine (ok, maybe don´t hate it, but it just so fricking exhausting J), but since my knee injury won´t let me run, and this is supposed to be a challenge…..I will row once a week (assuming my knees are holding up), starting with 2 K, then gradually going up (goal will be somewhere around 5-7 K). The longest I´ve ever rowed so far is 1 K so I have no idea how my body will react.Life goal (WIS+3): I will write my personal manifesto. The hope is that this declaration will help me focus on what I deem most important in my life, and provide me with guidelines when making decisions. Motivation: “Someone once told me the definition of Hell: The last day you have on earth, the person you became will meet the person you could have become.†This pretty much says it all. I want to live my life to the fullest, and I do this by staying fit, by eating food that gives me energy, by being a “good†human, by not wasting my life in the couch watching crappy B-movies on Netflix. Psyched to be here, and hope to meet some new friend in this guild! Ohh, PS, If you don´t like people who ponder and submit their random thoughts, you probably should´t follow this thread…..

#1 "Healthy Skin" Diet This has become the number one issue in my life. It is not that the skin looks that bad, but I know it is an indication of a bigger health problem. I am not going to be following any particular diet for this challenge. I need to go food by food to note reaction. Everything I eat I need to check for a reaction! No exceptions! Then I need confirm reaction with a second or third testing. My symptoms; hives on face or break outs, red cheeks, itching skin & scalp & palms, dry eyes, soreness under arm pits, dry scratchy throat, post nasal drip, swollen lips and tongue, tightness and burning down my throat, difficultly swallowing, sore, achy joints, brain fog,tightness in my chest, swollen tonsils THE PLAN: A) Go to the doctor's and get some testing done. I have a doctor's appointment (4/25) but don't have the expectation that my doctor will be able to do much for me. I plan on requesting an allergist and getting a Thyroid work up. So I am hoping some tests will shed a little light, but I need to walk in the doctor's office with a plan and list of tests I would like to see done. B Track all eating on Nerd Fitness C) Following Dr. Suzanne Bennett 7-Day Allergy Skin Plan: Things to Avoid (and any additional foods that proved to be problems) No nuts, tea, coffee (Bulletproof tea & coffee are ok) No Starbucks (Burning throat) No dairy (Ghee & butter are ok); No ice cream (burning throat) No grains, breads, things with yeast; No cinnamon french toast (Burning throat) No mushrooms No alcohol ( This one sucks but it needs to happen) No Olive Oil (Fancy gourmet stuff burned my throat, coughing and made my eyes water ) Things that had not caused a reaction (pretty Paleo, don't you think?) - Strawberries, blueberries - Organic grass-fed steak - Ham & bacon - Tomatoes, sweet potatoes - eggs - salt (not sure about pepper) - Butter - Brussel sprouts, asparagus, salad greens D) Feed the skin - I need to watch for Almond & nut oils in products -collagen protein power -collagen cream -Diatomaceous Earth -Proboitic Soap -Clay Mask Pore Cleansing -Charcoal detox E) Learning to listen to my body to figure out what to eat. Things are pretty Paleo but I feel I just need to personalize my diet based on my body's reactions. #2 Thought fitness: Heart & Mind workout Meditation Gratitude Statements Intention Statements Use the power of thoughts to improve my health and the health of my family This is particularly important with my autistic son. Thoughts affect how people react to him. Many people around him have low expectations of his abilities. I need to live as if Jacob is healed and normal ten year old, I need to think and act that way. I know this idea can sound strange to people but our thoughts are so important to our functioning and relationship with ourselves and others. #3 Body Squats Yoga SL 5x5 - 2 to 3 x week during school in the weight room. #4 Cleaning up My Home Home Finances Clearing Space for new things to enter!

..... Just like with the Second Right of Ascension, you have to have your spirit and your mind in the right place, or you will fail. My motivation hasn't been lacking even though I've been doing challenges (last two notably). Due to injury setbacks, I've lost my focus and my motivation, my head isn't in the game and I need to get my passion back. This has to stop before I dig myself a hole and undo all the hard work I've managed to accomplish. Okay, so maybe my challenge won't be THAT intense, but it DOES involve WHOLE30, which, to some people, might be more painful than the ritual of 20 painstiks Main Quest: To do a single pull-up. This has been derailed due to a shoulder injury, but I'm working through rehab and I WILL GET THAT PULL-UP DONE. This is my long-term goal, so it isn't going to change no matter what I'm going through currently. Mission 1: - WHOLE 30 After a much needed "Water Shed Moment"/"Come to Jesus Meeting" I have decided to join Darkfoxx & Fonzico in doing Whole30 to clean up my diet. Specifics: 1. Take a week to read, understand, and prep for Whole30. (Week 1) 2. Do Whole30 with no relapses or excuses starting Jan. 13th - Feb. 11th (Week 2 - Week 6) 3. Share all food/drink consumption with my accountability group, aka take a picture before consuming to be truthful and focused. Be open for criticism and encouragement, be willing to make changes. (Week 1) 3. Track with a spreadsheet Week 1 Mini-challenge revision Mission 2 - Rehab Gotta continue shoulder rehab Specifics: 1. Shoulder rehab 2x a day, NO EXCUSES, NO SLACKING. - Last time I slacked, rehab doesn't work if you don't stick to it exactly like the doc expects. (Start Week 1) 2. Track in spreadsheet Week 1 Mini-challenge revision Mission 3 - Strength & Cardio Fitness I'm in the middle of doing the Zombies 5k, so I should keep this up. I don't like "rapidly moving through space" but with the Z5K, it is fun and rewarding. Also I need to set-up a workout regimen, likely consisting of bodyweight exercises. I've recruited Surge_Supra to give me some direction with where I should go here. I believe (if my health returns tomorrow), that I'll be doing a benchmark workout tomorrow or Wednesday and then we'll proceed from there. Specifics: 1. Perform any combination of Zombies 5K and bodyweight exercises 3x a week. If more is done, great, but this is the bare minimum. 2. Track with a spreadsheet. Mission 4 - Family Fitness I am a good dad. I have been making time for my kiddos, but I need to get back to including my daughter in my fitness. That got derailed when I injured my shoulder, but need to get back on track. Specifics: 1. Make it a point to do something other than sitting around the house with the kids 2x a week. I realize this will be though during these winter months, but I should be able to figure something out. (Start Week 1) 2. (you guessed it) track with spreadsheet. BONUS: Mission 5 - Gratitude A big part of getting my head back in the game is to get my focus back on what matters. My passion will return and remain when I start showing gratitude instead of stink'n think'n. This doesn't just need to be acknowledging something I should be thankful for, but this should be "gratitude that changes a person". Specifics: 1. Carve out time each day to meditate and really thank God for something in my life. Shooting for 42 days here, no skipping, just like with Whole30, skipping resets the whole process. 2. Track with spreadsheet. I'll come back later to do grading scores perhaps, but for now, time for bed! G'night NF!

Hi! I was just reading about the power of gratitude and love the idea of starting and ending the day with thoughts of gratitude. We are all asking a lot of our bodies, changing our diets, not giving it enough sleep, pushing it to lift more and more weight, run greater and greater distances… It deserves a bit of gratitude. So… here's mine: I am grateful for a body that is flexible and can bend down touch my toes and my forehead to my knees with ease. I am grateful for a body that can lift up my ten-year-old son spin him around and give him a great big hug. I am grateful for a body that looks great in a slinky dress. How about you?