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First thing first thanks for reading. It really helps to have accountability. Second challenge here at the Rebellion so I figure I should do a better job of it. I didn't do as well as I wanted on the last one and I didn't workout at all in the weeks in between so I'm not where I want to be right now. I'm going to be working out either more or less depending on how it goes. First goal. 2 strength training workouts per week. 3 STR Second goal. 2 cardio workouts per week. 3 STA 1 DEX Third goal. 2 martial arts training sessions per week. 1 STR 1 STA 3 DEX Life goal. Practice guitar 1 hour per week. 1 WIS 2 CHA I wanted to do a themed challenge but I can't post pictures and if you can't do that what's the point?

"OK! This time will be it! I'm going to do it!" Red exclaims to himself! Chest puffed out, hands raised determinedly in the air, ready to take on the world! "Hey you! Get back to work!" a voice cries out from behind him! "Y-yes, Mistress!" He shrieks as he resumes his job As the days pass, Red notices that the weeks fly by, rather quickly. The general labor is tough, and he has gotten somewhat stronger, but something is missing. This strength is... Raw, unrefined, incomplete. Red understands far too well that the muscle that goes forgotten shrinks and withers away. Friends and companions that he doesn't put the effort into maintaining communication will leave him behind. Knowledge that isn't constantly refreshed will be lost in time. "But not this time!" Red says to himself, "I will not let this happen!" Tired as he was from his work, Red was determined to not let his other stats fall, not while he has a chance! Armed with items that'll help him improve in some areas of his life, he starts his challenge armed with high hopes and seemingly random stuff! Practice Guitar 3 times a week! (for at least 30 minutes) Pts - Cha +3 Dex +2 Build up to working out 3 times a week (Advanced Bodyweight routine by Steve) Pts - Sta +3 Str +1 Check Nerdfitness community once a week (to update the community and check on others if there's enough time) Pts - Cha +2 Reading every day for 30 minutes! Pts - Wis +3 Cha +1 Monday: Comic books (Starting with Marvel's Civil War) Tuesday: Catholic Bible (Student's version) Wednesday: Physics of the Human Body Thursday: Art of War (then Marcus Aurelius' Meditations, then something else philosophical) Friday: Human Anatomy: Descriptive and Surgical

Well hello there, Are you ready for another 6 weeks of fun? Good, me too. So there is some scheduling fun going on for me this challenge, the last 2 weeks of this challenge I will be on travel for work and out of 6 weekends I will only be home for half of them, with one of those 3 weekends hosting house guests. So weekends might be quiet around here. I'm ready to pounce on this challenge, and adjust as needed with the hectic schedule Last challenge I went for the make, do, learn approach. I really liked it so I will be using that template again Quest 1: Make a Mile Counting Lock box I have been looking for an electronics project to do, and I was thinking I need to get out and walk/run more how could I put those together? Well here is my answer! I plan on designing and building a raspberry pi or arduino powered lock box that syncs up with my mile log, so every 5 miles or something it will open and something awesome will be inside (maybe a plant that needs to be watered, or some other kind of reward). What will be inside is still up in the air, the building part is what I am focusing on this challenge Quest 2: Do, Run / Walk 3x a week I gotta get up and moving more, when I get home if we don't go climbing, I don't do much. Now with the help of you all I will have motivation! Longer term goal - I want to make it to Rivendell by October, progress will be displayed in my signature Quest 3: Learn, Guitar So we have Rocksmith, I should just play it. Lets say 3x a week for 30 minutes. Because who doesn't want to learn guitar (probably a few people)? The only exception is when I am gone for work the last 2 weeks of the challenge. In that time I will read a book, possibly about guitars. Life Quest: Be Social, Don't Lurk I am keeping this quest in from last challenge, I had some great support last challenge hopefully I can provide that to others this time So this challenge I am aiming to post 5 times a week to any threads that are not my own. That is why we are here right? To support and encourage each other, and post gifs Feel free to stop in and say hi . You will possibly hear about climbing activities and board games and maybe plants, plants are growing now

This will be my first challenge as an Assassin, so I want to make it good. This may be a bit boring, but I found that doing 2 strength routines and 3 cardio sessions a week really helped me toward my weight loss goal last time around. That being the case... * 2 bodyweight workouts/week: I also now have *rings* - so those will come into play big time. Going to use them for ring pushups (to supplement any other kind of pushup) and bodyweight rows. I do not have a specific workout in mind, but I'll likely alternate between my beefed-up version of the NF Beginner's Bodyweight Routine and a 5x5 circuit I concocted the other day. The 5x5 consists of bodyweight rows (rings), pushups, weighted step-ups, and hanging leg raises (rings). It is much harder than it sounds on paper. * 3 cardio sessions (at least 30 min/session)/week: Squash, dance, stationary bike, walking/jogging/SPRINTING. Anything that gets the heart rate up. Good for the ol' ticker and the waistline. NEW STUFF: ========== * Hand-balancing: Taking my inspiration from ßean on this one. I'm not at handstand level, so I'm going to focus on crow pose. 5 mins practice every day. * Hit up the parkour gym: Just learned there's a parkour gym in my city. Check it out at least once or twice during the challenge. Bonus points for taking a class. * Create a dance routine: Pick a song, use some things I've learned so far in dance class, and slap together a routine for 30 secs or so. If I'm feeling really bold, I'll even commit it to film. * Shred! Been playing guitar for a long time, but rarely practice or record much these days. I'm going to tackle the solo section of X Japan's "Silent Jealousy" and make a video of myself doing a playthrough by the end of the challenge. Solo starts at 4:38. * No PIZZA. Just not going to eat pizza this whole challenge. Yep. * No Booze: Technically doesn't start until March 1. Going to take the month off from beer/wine etc.

This really should have been a theme for my last challenge, but whatever. Yawara! A Fashionable Judo Girl was a very long running manga series in Japan from 1986 to 1993. It was also adapted into an anime. I've read the first 20ish issues (~3 volumes) of the manga and it's funny. I should finish the rest (see below). Compete in the Kata Competition This one is pass/fail, though if for whatever reason my partner ends up bowing out and I can't go with anyone else, I will void the goal. He's pretty motivated so that shouldn't be a problem. I am wary of goals that depend on someone else. The tournament is in March so we're spending March break working on kata until we dream about it. Try to do some randori with someone significantly stronger/larger than me at least once per week x/5 I'm excepting March Break from this. There are no formal classes over March Break and we'll be working on Kata only. This one perhaps requires explanation. I tend to either work with the younger ones closer to my size or shy away from working with the big guys in Randori. I'll go in for ne waza with the big guys anytime but I really don't work with the bigger guys in Randori. People bigger than me force me to use technique instead of muscling them around like I can with some of the people closer to my size. Burpee Challenge with the Judo Guys (x/2015) 4 of them have signed on so far :-) Read at least 3 times per week (x/18) The last challenge has demonstrated that I really do not make the time to read anymore. I'm not even putting a time limit on this. Suggested reading: Kodokan Judo, Mind Over Muscle, Yawara Manga for something lighter. Bonus goal: Practice Guitar 4x/week for 15 min. Decide whether to continue and look into getting my own. The course I'm taking recommends this for beginners. Had to borrow Yui from K-On! For this one.

Hey all, I'm Jason. And I know I'm a little late, haha So even though I just started a few days ago I want to go ahead and jump on this six four (now) week challenge. Thanks, nerdfitness, for providing a community of positive and ambitious people to share my dreams with. Main Quest: Explore Nerdfitness, build good habits for future challenges. Very general goal for my first one. Quest no. 1: - Complete 3 modules (Mindset, Nutrition, and Fitness) in Nerd Fitness Academy and start quests for all the different classes. Loot- Gym/Pool/Karate membership for next challenge Quest no. 2: - Join a cooking group on Nerdfitness. Focus on ONE recipe each week and make 3 times until comfortable. Then add the recipes to my Pinterest. Loot- Sharp knife set? Something to help my cooking as i do more Quest no. 3: - Write daily journal entries (for ~30 min) in Penzu, atleast 5x/week Loot- Buy SSAS or AOC or Lift coach Side Quest 1- Complete 2 lessons on Rocksmith or learn a new song on the guitar for an hour, 3x/week. Loot- Buy guitar lessons for next month Motivation - Make it a great one Bonus stats: - Week 1: +1 wis - Week 2: +1 cha - Week 3: +1 cha - Week 5: +1 wis

Jothra woke to find a ninja star in his chest. Normally this would have disappointed him greatly, but he hadn't slept well the night before, and it was a good 15 minutes before he finally decided he should be startled. "What the nuts?" he shouted. It must not be deep, he realized, since he was substantially alive. He hadn't even realized there were ninja stars in this weird place. A strange, ethereal, black-clad shape seemed to materialize in front of him. "It is time," moaned the shape. "The Rebellion believes you are ready for guild assignment. You have been chosen by the Assassins." "I thought I would be choosing my own guild." The shape, suddenly much closer, yanked the star from Jothra's chest. "We have chosen you. You will need the skills of an assassin to fulfil your destiny. To fail is to die. Do not fail." Then, as quickly and mysteriously as it had appeared, the shape was gone. Jothra found himself completely uninjured, though he could see where the strange weapon had torn his shirt. Great, he thought. As if thing weren't complicated enough already. Up until the exact day I finished my first challenge, I was positive I was going to be joining the scouts. After all, I've been riding my bike nearly every day for a month and a half, I do recreational bike maintenance (it's healthier than crack, but not always cheaper), and I even have a collection of maybe 30 bicycling-related books in my room. Then, one evening, I suddenly realized I was leaving some things out of the equation. The first is rock climbing. I fell in love with this as a teenager, and the honeymoon still isn't over. There are also hiking (scouty) and scrambling (less scouty). I didn't realize until long after I left my mountainous hometown that what I always referred to as “hiking†was actually light scrambling much of the time. Huh. The more you know. My two favourite active-type activities are easily: a.) Bicycling, which means building muscular and cardiovascular endurance, and b.) Rock climbing, which means combining muscular endurance and power (strength-to-weight ratio is important here). I want to improve my ability to enjoy both of these things. Obviously, I've been meant for the Assassin's Guild the whole time. When it comes to my baseline, never-working-out strength, I kind of hit the genetic jackpot. I have a strong build. This often means I get lazy about cycling or climbing properly, because I can just laz out and Brute Force it. Instead of spinning faster on my bike and taking advantage of other leg muscle types, I have always been a serious gear masher. Instead of using my legs to support and lift myself when climbing, I have always overused my upper-body strength, which kills me several climbs earlier than I would like (basically every time I've ever climbed, actually). Basically, more strength can only help, but even though relying on brute-forcing all the time is simpler, it's not nearly as effective as doing things properly. 1.) Main Quest My goal is to pursue the all-around fitness I need to perform these very different activities, as well as developing good habits that will make me more efficient at them (because less effort = longer time until exhaustion = more fun!) My three goal-achieving-type-little-goals-that-add-up-to-a-bigger-goal-goals: i.) Do cadence-related bicycle work three days a week (consisting mostly of spinning faster in easier gears on my actual bicycle or my stationary bike). I may well do more biking than this, but three times a week it must involve spinning faster. Keep in mind that for me, that means trying my best to stay over 80 rpm, instead of my usual high 60s. This is more of a habit-building venture, because I always feel so comfortable mashing gears. When finished, always STRETCH, because after years of bicycling I have tight Cyclist Hammies. Easy scoring: __/18. [+3 STA | +2 DEX] ii.) Perform a bodyweight workout three days a week (and not more. Seriously. I'm too tempted to try and do it every day, which is not useful). Even when I was cycling every day and climbing two or three times a week a few years ago, I neglected actual strength training apart from that offered by those activities. It's time to find out just how strong I can become by adding even moderate bodyweight exercises. I am currently working through the Angry Birds Workout, but who knows where it will all lead? When finished, always STRETCH (see above) Easy scoring here, too: __/18 again! [+3 STR | +1 DEX | +1 CHA] iii.) Maintain a minimum activity level, and watch how much I stuff down my food receptacle. I won't be doing any Adjective Dieting, but even so, it turns out if I'm even maintaining baseline activity (10,000 steps a day, measured by my Fitbit), and keeping track of how much I'm eating, this is shockingly easy. It would be just as easy, however, to stop. So don't. A failed day is one in which my calories are more than 50 over goal (I'm at 28-29% body fat, so if I'm under a little, I'm happy, as long as it's not ridiculous), or my activity is under that arbitrary-but-useful 10,000 step number. __/42. [+2 CON | +1 WIS] 2) LIFE SIDE QUEST Play my guitar every single day. I was thinking of a cartooning-related side quest, but my guitar is beautiful, and it wants to be played. Besides, it helps build finger strength, and is really relaxing. In a super pinch, if travelling, cart along a tin whistle or that daffy ukulele or something. __/42. [+1 WIS | +1 CHA] I'm going to determine scores based on percentage ranges, more or less like on my childhood report cards: A = 86-100% | B = 73-85% | C = 66-72% | D = 51-65% | F = 0-50% 3) MOTIVATION This is the note I stuck to my door last challenge, and it's already made me way more badass. I've basically already started all of these things, and will continue them until the actual start of the challenge, but the grading will -- of course -- start on the 9th. Good luck, everyone!

Stumbled across this one procrastinating before getting to work. My life will not be complete without one. The dude has apparently made quite a number of them: http://walyou.com/star-wars-guitar-mods/

Hello! I am new to the Assassins Guild and am SO happy to have found you!! Over the last few years, I have gained about 40 pounds. I have lost some then gained it back, lost and gained, lost and gained.... I have had trouble focusing on being healthy and instead have been focusing on being skinny. Though my last challenge (which was my first) helped me to start developing good habits, I was not working or trying as hard as I could/should have been. I have been hating on my body a lot lately, but enough is enough. I am taking charge of my body and my life. There will be no more negative self-talk. I have started treating my body with the respect every goddess deserves. I am going to push myself this challenge. Hard. I want to have a strong, lean, healthy, flexible body…and I am finally ready to do what it takes to get it! I will be doing some prep this weekend and will be getting started on Monday!! For this challenge, I will be focusing on gaining strength, flexibility, and discipline. STRENGTH STR +3, STA +1 **Edited November 12th** To build my strength this challenge, I will be doing BUTI the Beginner Body Weight Circuit in the mornings three times a week (Mo/We/Fr). BUTI is a fusion of yoga, tribal dance and plyometrics (http://www.butiyoga.com/). I have done a couple of BUTI workouts in the past and I always felt good and sexy afterwards, but I was always drenched in sweat. My knee is still tweaked from a previous injury and did NOT like the plyometrics in the BUTI workout yesterday, it is very unhappy today. So now the body weight circuit. I will start with a five minute warm up on my elliptical and then do three circuits of the exercises below, followed by cool down stretches. 20 body weight squats10 push ups20 walking lunges10 kettlebell rows15 second plank30 jumping jacks A = BUTI Body weight circuit 3x per week B = Miss 2-3 circuits C = Miss 4-5 circuits D = Miss 6-7 circuits F = Miss 8+ circuits FLEXIBILITY DEX +4 To build my flexibility this challenge, I will be working on my splits. It has been quite some times since I have been able to do the splits, and I miss it. I will be following the six-week plan outlined at http://www.unique-bodyweight-exercises.com/splits.html and will be practicing daily. A = Practice split exercises every day B = Miss 2-3 days of practice C = Miss 4-5 days of practice D = Miss 6-7 days of practice F = Miss 8+ days of practice DISCIPLINE CON +3, WIS +1 **Edited November 13th** To build my discipline this challenge, I will be eating 1800 calories a day. I did this last challenge, but I did not put any boundaries on it. This time I am giving myself some structure: Protein = 75 grams/300 calories, Carbs = 150 grams/600 calories, Fat = 100 grams/900 calories. This is going to be a tough one. I have a bad habit of late night snacking and I really enjoy cookies and cereal. I will be making an exception for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend (11/28-12/1). I know I will be eating more (and probably more carbs than anything) and do not want to get discouraged by counting those days against myself. I will still be trying to make good decisions though. I will grade this goal daily and average for my final grade. Over the last few days, I have realized that at this point in my life, trying to track/limit my food intake has unhealthy "side effects" for me. Instead of it helping me to control my eating (which I have been doing fairly well with over the last few months) it causes me to not eat. I don't feel that it will be healthy for me to continue this goal at this time, so I am switching to a goal that will definitely be more helpful and healthy for me. To build my discipline this challenge, I will be getting up at 6:00 am every workday morning. I want to develop the habit of getting up early so that I will have time to prepare for my day in the morning. I do not want to be stressed, like I usually am. I want to be able to enjoy the sunrise and the quite that only comes with waking up early. I will grade this goal daily and total for my final grade. A = Wake up at 6:00 B = Wake up at 6:15 C = Wake up at 6:30 D = Wake up at 6:45 F = Wake up at 7:00 GUITAR CHA +3 I have a lovely guitar that my boyfriend bought me for Christmas last year. I have probably spent a grand total of five hours playing it. That changes now. I will spend 30 minutes (at least) playing my guitar every day. A = Play my guitar for 30 minutes every day B = Miss 2-3 days of playing my guitar C = Miss 4-5 days of playing my guitar D = Miss 6-7 days of playing my guitar F = Miss 8+ days of playing my guitar *** Stats and measurements will be posted Sunday night/Monday morning ***

Earlier this year, I felt direction from God in which He instructed me that this was to be a year of "running light," based on verse 1 of Hebrews 12. This would be a year of "throwing off everything that hinders and the sin which so easily entangles." This throwing off would enable me to better "run with perseverance the race marked out for [me]." This had multiple implications for my life, from losing weight, to getting free in my finances, to simplifying the number of my possessions, to seeking to conquer certain bad habits in my life (both seen and unseen). During my last challenge, I got completely freed up from debt! I'm continuing down the path of physically getting healthier during this challenge, while also adding a more creative life challenge. Here are my goals. Most goals will be achieved via regular bodyweight, free weight, and barbell exercises, done three times per week, and paying attention to what I'm eating and how many calories I'm consuming. Goal 1: Reduce my body fat by 3%. Last challenge, I tried to reduce this number by 3% and got really close to attaining this. I think I'll be able to do it this time. Goal percentage: 25.23%Attribute points awarded: 2 CON, 1 WIS, 2 CHA Goal 2: Be able to do ONE full, regular pull up. This has been on the goal list for the last 2 challenges. This challenge, I think this goal is FINALLY actually within reach. Watch out, Rebellion, the full pull up is on its way! Attribute points awarded: 3 STR, 1 DEX, 1 STA Goal 3: Lose 1.5" from around my waist. This one is on a total whim. This is a measurement I track regularly anyways, and last challenge, I decreased by 1.25", so this will be an aggressive goal, too, though achievable. Goal measurement: 38"Attribute points awarded: 1 CHA, 1 WIS Life Goal: Continue exploring and learning the guitar. I started an online guitar school a few months ago, but have been struggling finding times to practice. This will give me added incentive. My goal is to practice at least 4 times per week for at least 30 minutes per session. If I go longer, even better! Attribute points awarded: 2 DEX, 1 CHA Starting Stats Weight: 190.8 lbs Waist: 39.5" Body Fat: 28.23% BMI: 25.87

Epic Quest = Enrich relationships with the people I love. 1. Run a 5k in less than 45 minutes with my husband. My parents-in-law are also training to run a 5k for this challenge, so we can encourage each other and share ideas about training. My husband and I will train together, and we plan to run 2-3 times per week to build up our stamina and increase our distance to be able to run a 5k race before this challenge is over. (2 STA, 2 STR) 2. Complete a 6-week Marriage Fitness Program designed by my husband BigBen. We are happy, but are always looking for ways to enrich our marriage by learning new skills, having new adventures, and learning new ways to show our love for each other. (3 CHA, 1 WIS) 3. Learn to play three songs with my electric guitar by the end of this six week challenge. My husband is working on the same three songs, and is learning the bass parts for each song, and my father-in-law is working on the drum parts for each song. In six weeks, we should be able to jam! (3 DEX) Life Quest = Change TV time to workout time. Anytime I watch a TV show or movie at home during this challenge, I will spend at least half of the air time doing bodyweight workouts. (3 STR, 1 WIS) **I'm in the off-season for roller derby now, so I'm trying to find other ways to stay fit during the break. This is my third NF challenge. Bring it on!

This is my fourth challenge and I’m excited to officially make the transition from Adventurer to Ranger. Let’s get right to the meat of things… Fitness Goals 1. Run at least three miles, three times per week In my last challenge, I exceeded my goal and set a new PR (personal record) for the 5k with a time of 26:42. My 2013 goal is to run a 5k in under 25:00 so I need to keep my progress moving along. However, in this challenge, I want to run for the enjoyment of running. I’ll run three times per week without being too concerned with speed. DEX: 3 2. Do P90’s Sculpt three times per week I’ve always struggled with strength training since my body type is more geared towards aerobic exercise than weights. However, I’m committed to a more balanced regimen and for this challenge my strength training will come in the form of the Power 90 (P90) Sculpt exercises. To be clear, this is P90, not P90X. I did P90X a few years ago and my body is not prepared for something that intense yet. The idea is to get my cardio from running (instead of P90’s Sweat exercises) and my strength training from P90’s Sculpt exercises. STR: 4 | CON: 2 3. Run at least 7 miles at pace of 10:00/mile or faster One of my other goals for 2013 is to run a 10k race in 60 minutes or less. I really think I can do better than that. I can run 5 miles now at a 9:20/9:30 pace but I don’t like running distance. I want to use this challenge to get me up to 7 miles at a decent pace. I can then work on improving my speed. With my next challenge, I may try to do my 10k in 50:00 or less. This is a first step in that direction. STA: 3 Life Goal 4. Study Spanish 4x per week, have a brief conversation in Spanish at least twice per week, and read at least two children’s books en Español We’re taking a family trip to Peru and I want to be able to speak Spanish as much as possible during our time there. I believe this is a good way to start preparing. WIS: 3 Bonus Goals (but no points...) 5. Play guitar 5x per week I love my guitars and I love playing them. Unfortunately, my time to play gets set aside if I'm stressed (and just want to veg in front of a TV) or if I'm busy. I'm going to recommit to playing on a regular basis with this goal. 6. Meditate for 24 minutes at least 4x per week I’m pretty good about meeting this goal already but I want to keep it on my list so I’m accountable for staying active. Thanks for taking the time to read through these and I hope to have your support and encouragement along the way!

Sidelined by the flu and a pretty nasty bug, I've dropped my efforts on this challenge. I'll be joining again on the next round. Adam

Hello everyone! I'm new here. I just stumbled across this challenge while googling fitness-related things (which I tend to do whenever I feel like I should do something for my health, because researching is easier than exercising); since the timing is perfect, I figure I might as well give it a shot. About me: 26, vegetarian, grad student, tall, relatively slim but in terrible shape. Nerd at heart, if not in habit. My goals: 1. Go to at least 12 fitness classes (mostly barre and hot yoga) over the next 6 weeks. Ideally I'd like to go to two per week, but I know I won't be able to go to any over spring break, so I'm giving myself some room to maneuvre. 2. Do at least 15 minutes of yoga, stretching and/or dance on days when I don't go to a fitness class. Dancing at the bar will count, of course. I'm hoping to be able to touch my toes by the end of the challenge... 3. Eat at least three servings of vegetables per day. Keeping track will probably be the real challenge. 4. Work my way through the first three sessions of Learn and Master Guitar (lessons on DVD). I did this before (around five years ago), but I've forgotten almost everything. Students are expected to spend around 2-3 weeks on each session; I'm hoping to progress relatively quickly, since I've done them before. Tomorrow I'll do an initial weigh-in (I'm not too concerned about losing weight, but it might be interesting to see what happens). I might even post a picture... I'm looking forward to meeting all of you!

Gus Challenge 2 Overall Goal for Challenge: Be nice. To myself, to others and care more, kinda by caring less… After some self-effacing moments in the last week or two, I realized that I need to chill and I was incredibly hard on myself in many ways. My enthusiasm was making it hard for others to get to know me. Sometimes I feel like I have this knowledge or insight that no one else has, which is fantastically ridiculous! I have so much desire to help; I piss people off and make them not want to listen to a word I say. Growing up each day at 42, blissful pain. After realizing that I need to have a whole lot more of one thing, and that is fun, and that may mean cheap and fun ideas. We are climbing our way out of a recent deed-in-foreclosure, which means we have to put a butt load down on a home in order to get out of an apartment, which is basically a hole in which we throw money, and a ‘filing cabinet for yuppies’… thank you Mr. Narrator. We’ll come up with some fun, cheap things to do and do them. I was ever so close to turning my cable on to watch the NBA again and after my wife and realized the ridiculous idea of watching my favorite team & game be marginalized by superstar fouls and marketing for awful beer, cars I don’t want and food I’m not going to eat. I said to my self: self, “I can start going to a gym with that money, a cool gym, centered around rock climbing. It will be a great new hobby, and I can get outside of my head on a wall, instead of ‘Climbing Up the Walls.’ So, after tracking my measurements, BMI, body fat, and weight loss all at once I’ve realized I need to relax on the numbers, and move in a direction of achievement. Numbers can mislead. I feel that while I feel good about what a statistic says, I feel empowered if I achieve something. Prior to my last challenge I was less active, and pretty weak. The challenge stipulated that I work out 5 times each week. I only achieved that once during the 6 weeks. This goal will have to be more achievable. I want to be stronger and fit all-around. I want to be able to run. I will have to work up to this goal. I have some frickin’ pain on the outside of my left-calf in a specific spot that started during the last challenge and it’s going to be an obstacle. So here is the challenge and the grades associated with each: Goal 1: Complete a physical standards test: 50 push-ups (full range of motion) 8 pull-ups 50 lunges – body weight 40 squats – body weight Run a 5K and not walk Goal 2: Get to be a flexible guy… not like Gumby, just be able to be more flexible Successfully complete this cheap yoga DVD we have at home and participate in a yoga class Goal 3: Eat Paleo 80-90 % of the time If I eat 5 times a day that allows one meal to be non-paleo - this can be fun. Eat a Paleo Breakfast 100% of the time Monday – Friday Cut out self-sabotaging trips to Farmburger or some fail restaurant, thinking that just because it’s grass fed, or it’s just a little rice, I can eat a bun, and/or have a root-beer float… don’t kill my progress with instant gratification is what the goal is here. Cut out dairy in my coffee… all of it Goal 4: Play better guitar Learn 5 nice solos for acoustic Sing and play 5 songs, which are all not four chords wonders Get together and play with a friend and make actual music, cover or not Grades for each Goal: Goal 1: Complete a physical standards test: 1. 50 push-ups 2. 8 pull-ups 3. 40 lunges – body weight 4. 40 squats – body weight 5. Run a 5K and not walk • Complete all 5: A • Complete 4 of 5: B • Complete 3 of 5: C • Complete 2 of 5: D • Complete 1 of 5: F 5 Bonus points for 10+ reps of 1, 3 & 4 - 5 points for each additional pull-up – 5 points for another mile ran Goal 2: Get to be a flexible guy… Seated Meditation Leg High Forward Fold Down Dog Leg High Bent Knee Warrior I & II Plank Knee to Nose Supported Headstand Goal 3: Eat Paleo 80 percent of the time This is basically Pass/Fail, so I will add this: Eating Paleo 100% of the time each day can add two points to my overall grade. Goal 4: Play better guitar Learn 5 nice solos for acoustic Sing and play 5 songs, which are not four chords wonders Get together and play with a friend and make actual music, cover or not 1. Karma Police – radiohead 2. Lola – The Kinks 3. The Killing Moon - Echo & the Bunnymen 4. You & I - Wilco 5. Wild Horses – The Rolling Stones • Complete all 5: A • Complete 4 of 5: B • Complete 3 of 5: C • Complete 2 of 5: D • Complete 1 of 5: F