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Guys. Updates: 1. I moved! No longer in the quarantine bubble, I have my own place! 2. I very suddenly got a new job yesterday! And now I'm FREAKING OUT Whole new job story: And now that its sinking in..... I'm getting massive imposter syndrome. I've never coached before!!! I have NO IDEA what I'm doing!!!!! I have to keep reminding myself that i HAVE taught parkour classes and that's what I'm going to be expected to take over after two weeks training. I'm not going to be the primary rec coach until fall. BUT STILL So I'm not 100% what my goals are going to be yet but I'm going to use zero week to try to wiggle it out. I know it will generally be: 1. Something to prep me for this new job and lower my anxiety levels 2. Programming new workouts now that i can go to the gym 7 days a week if I want EDIT: S.M.A.R.T goals for this challenge: 1. Work on Level 2 floor skills 30 mins/week 2. Work on Kip-up progressions 30 mins/week 3. Watch two(2) coaching-related you tube videos per week

A ranger? Oh no! I've been an assassin so long. Okay, not that long, but the Rangers is the largest guild, and as Plutarch, "I live in a small city, and I prefer to dwell there that it may not become smaller still," I didn't want to be a ranger, EVERYONE'S a ranger, come on now. But maybe it's time for me to accept that the real action is in Rome/that my entire life is a mediation of the driving need to do ALL THE THINGS with the necessity of choosing some subset of Things to actually get done, at risk of being paralyzed by how very many things there are in the universe. So: Ranger. I went to a hockey game last week, and decided I wanted to learn how to skate on hockey skates/maybe eventually play hockey. So, I have three fitness Things that I want to keep up this challenge: -Gymnastics: Wednesday/Sunday, with Wednesday being my main training day where I can go to the gym while EVERYONE ELSE is there and marvel at all the gymnastics happening, and Sunday I come in a bit early before I coach my adult class to do some flips. Lifting: Tuesday/Thursday/Friday. I'm still trying for Thursday, even though i teach a Zoom class at 2:30 and had been spending Thursday mornings wandering around the house muttering maniacally to myself about math for a pretend audience. But if I take the car to the gym that morning then I'll have plenty of time. (I usually take the bus.) Skating: Once a week! There's open skate Mondays 2:30-3:30, so I'm going to aim for that. I need to look up stopping, backwards skating, etc. Other things I will do this challenge: learn python (I got a summer job that... has something to do with data science? I literally have no idea what it is or how I was chosen but hey), learn classical mechanics (my one class that I am taking this semester is first-year physics, which yes hilariously I am taking first-year physics and teaching first-year math, because when I went back to school I MEANT to take science classes that I'd been scared to take in high school because I couldn't do math, but then I had to take a math prereq first, and fell into a rabbit hole of math, and now need to get around to those science classes, and going from differential equations last semester to a physics class which does not have calculus as a prereq this semester is a really bizarre form of whiplash and confusion), keep practicing and making reeds even though concerts are cancelled for the entire month, buy peg dope and new strings for my violin and take it out of the case for 15 min/day, keep up my now weeklong duolingo streak (anyone want to be duolingo friends? https://www.duolingo.com/profile/_tei) and-- GO TO BED BY 11:30 AND AIM TO WAKE UP BY 8 SO I HAVE TIME TO DO ALL THESE THINGS

Hi, hello, I'm not late, this is exactly when I meant to arrive. I have been getting medicated for ADHD, getting my concerts constantly scheduled and un-scheduled due to COVID, doing school, applying for engineering programs, wondering if I should apply to nursing programs, coaching gymnastics, reading Mary Renault, becoming obsessed with Alexander the Great, being totally normal about everything, etc. Anyway, my big fitness-related goal for this year is that I'd like to start learning MAG. For the uninitiated, mens' and womens' gymnastics are basically two different sports, with areas of overlap but also significant differences including whole events. So part of the impediment to trying to fix any of the dumb gender bullshit in the sport is that even people who would theoretically like to run gender-neutral gymnastics classes or do gymnastics in a gender-neutral way have a hard time because you likely only have a foundation in one side of the sport. I learned womens' gymnastics in recreational as a kid, so that's what I've worked on as an adult, and this year I want to fix that! Which means making a significant effort to learn the physical foundations especially of pommel horse, rings, and p-bars. I shadowed the MAG coaches at my gym a few weeks ago, and one of the kids in the class who was injured and didn't have much he could do was kind enough to coach me on mushroom circles, and now I can DO ONE MUSHROOM CIRCLE. Sometimes. So that's where I'm starting from. I thiiiink my big goals for the year are to get two mushroom circles in a row, a kip and swing to handstand on p-bars (I used to be able to do a kip on them, but I lost it 😭) and a muscle-up on rings. To that goal, I am going to: a) at home, work a lot on back and side supports. These are essential for pommel horse, but the back support position (and really anything that involves strength or flexibility with the arms extended behind the back) is completely absent from womens' gymnastics. b) do chin-ups and dips whenever I get into the normie gym. I don't really know how often this will be, because plague, so keeping that one kind of vague. c) Do something on all three of my MAG events every time I get into the gymnastics gym. I think I have at least once a week set up that I can go in, but again, life is *waves hands* you know.

And maybe always has been? Hello friends its been like...actual years. How goes it. Knife to see you again. With the seasons changing and some of the crises of the last few years calming down a bit (literally covid-19 was like a 4 out of 10 of what’s been happening since I was last here,) I got the urge to work towards some goals! A little over a month ago I was up at 3am and was like “I need to learn to juggle knives” and since I had bought some dulled knives for our Roomba (and they came in a large pack) I dug those out and started messing around. I was, predictably, terrible. I couldn’t even throw them from one hand to the other or flip the knife one time in my hand and reliably catch it. No I don’t know how to juggle other things already. Should I have looked up a youtube video on juggling? Anyway I’ve been screwing with that for about a month and sent a progress video to my friend and he was like “I expect to see a Loki cosplay in the future now that you have the skills” and this was on the same day I took a ‘what superhero are you’ uQuiz and got Loki (and a scathingly accurate mental health commentary? uQuiz you don’t need to go so hard.) I hadn’t thought about this character in like 6 years lol, but it keeps sliding into my orbit (especially since the new show came out, which I have Opinions™ on.) Since it fits all my goals for this challenge I’m going with a Loki theme. Skill Goal: Get to 10 reps with juggling three knives I am currently solid with 3 reps in a row. I have ONE time done 7 in a row. I think it was a fluke, however I believe that with solid practice, I will be able to nail 10 reps in a row at least once, even as a fluke, in 5 weeks. Method: Daily juggling practice, even just for a few minutes. Preferably for about a half hour a day. For reasonableness, I’ll call this a pass at an average of 5 days/week. Motivation (why I want it): I’ve been getting seriously into circus arts lately and a variety of knife tricks is just one of many things I’ve wanted to do since childhood. My eventual year-long goal is to hit 100 reps, which might be a long shot, but I’m taking it in steps. Fitness Goal: 360 Inward Dive Roll Ehhhhh sort of lol. So the roll itself is actually a long term goal. It’s well outside of my current skill level. Fitness Goal: 360 Inward Dive Roll Improve overhead strength so that I do not break my fragile little neck Method: This is a little more free-form than I usually like my goals, but I’m going to be working a variety of things. The Specific and Measurable part of the method is to do a full handstand workout each Monday. It’s a 30 minute routine that really works on the handstand strength, for holding duration and also HSPU work. The less specific and measurable part is when I’m messing around with my tumbling practice (Wednesday Thursday Friday) I’m going to squirrel around with some roll variations, getting my easy dive rolls dialed in, trying different ways to roll out of a handstand, ect. Not too much strength work, but movement exploration/making new neural pathways. Motivation: The 360 inward roll is one of the most advanced rolls in a list of rolls I want to know how to do, to throw into parkour stuff and tricking and just cool looking flows. I’m going to work my way through them piece by piece until I get to the “Final boss” lol. This video shows a lot of the rolls I want to get locked in: Life Goal: Mental Friggin Health Because we all know Loki is the poster child of a stable mental condition. Interestingly enough, I have just started the therapy that Loki actually needs lol. With all the latest Loki hype on tumblr I’ve been seeing a lot of meta, and many by actual psychologists that say he has all the diagnostic criteria for Borderline personality disorder (not narcissism, frell you Michael Waldren?) And I just got officially diagnosed with BPD this week (*worlds most pathetic party sounds* yayyyy…….) But while that sucks, I have been told that if someone takes therapy seriously and does the work, symptoms can be reduced to almost none in an average of 5 years. I am nothing if not a hard worker. So. Method: It’s a two-parter. 1. I’m supposed to do the mindfulness thing. Back on the headspace app I go. I need to restart this habit into something long-term and really focus on making it happen EVERY day. 2. Do all my therapy homework. It looks like this therapist is into that pretty often. Motivation: While I’ve always been hostile toward therapy, honestly I’m really ready to stop being everyone’s problem. So I’ll even try this. And any scientific endeavor is useless if you don’t commit to the experiment. Alright guys,

Aghhh, hi friends! Sorry I've been out for the last couple of weeks. Things have been hectic, which I know isn't a real reason not to be here because things are usually hectic in Raptronland, but I have done a bad job of making the time to be here. And I cannot miss the 10th Anniversary Challenge, agh! So here, I am, with some brief updates and a new challenge! I'm still your friendly neighborhood flipperdoo, who spends most of her time doing gymnastics, lifting, going out with friends, or actively trying to recover from one or all of the three. I finally snagged a job offer around the start of the year after many months of actively searching and started at the beginning of February, the day after I got back from a spur of the moment trip out to London to visit a very good friend of mine from college. I picked up a life-sapping lower respiratory infection that made me sleep a lot and sound like death, but I'm mostly over it despite some residual lung residue. What am I doing this challenge? Well it's gymnastics season (oh yes, I compete in gymnastics as a fully grown adult, mostly against college kids), so let's pick all-gymn related goals. Go over the vault - Vault 1x per week, attempt half-on/half-offs at least 3x over the course of the challenge Free the hips - Free hip circles and/or hip circle drills on uneven bars 2x per week, attempt free hip + kip + toe-on connections 2x per week Connect the series - Work on any acro series on beam 2x per week, front walkover ab training 1x per week Condition the body - Conditioning 1x per week. JUST DO SOMETHING. Where did I come from? Oh boy, my NF history. My very first challenge, back in the summer of 2013 (oh my god) was about GYMNASTICS TOO. I had just found a cool gymnastics gym that catered mostly to adults and was excited about jumping back into the swing of things. I've been firmly on board this adult gymnastics train since then, honestly. I took a couple of breaks from competition, but it has been a fixture in my life. I also wanted to start lifting back then and it ALSO became part of my regular schedule. Even with injuries, I don't think I've taken more than a consecutive week off since I started and it's because I love it? I have had you guys along with me the whole way. I used to spend a LOT of time in the old IRC channel with a whole NF crew, most of whom don't spend a ton of time on the forums anymore, but some of whom became my lifelong friends. My real life hangs with NF people have included in-house powerlifting meets in Texas, obstacle course races across New England, GORUCK events in Boston, bar visits with folks across the country (and internationally), and introducing me to amazing, local folks I love to spend time with whenever I can like @RisenPhoenix, @CourtnieMarie, @The Tin Man, and even @Knightwatch when we invade his lands. NF helped me rediscover that it is okay to TRY, it is okay to fall, and it is even okay to fail. I, like many folks on here, suffered a lot from perfectionism and fear of not being great at something as soon as I tried it. This community helped remind me that you can't learn anything if you up and quit at the first signs of struggle, that failure is where growth comes from, that it isn't so bad to fall if you have people to help you get back up. I've learned so very much about myself and what works for me. What were my very first goals here, though? Let's see. 😂While legitimate goals that I made great strides toward, I've found that the mindset and mentality gains I've built in my years here have been far greater than any physical ones. I think they will be longer lasting and overall more beneficial to my health than my new booty. And I have you guys to thank for them.

Hi, I'm Raptron. I had a big year last year (had my first year being a truly single person since 2008, moved into a new apt with random roommates, facilitated new cat friendships, went to a bunch of weddings, took a lot of weekend trips, got super into spending too much money on tattoos, hit the job search for months, etc.). Now, I am in the final stages of negotiating a job offer at a new organization that will be a big change in just about every way. And otherwise my life progresses at its usual breakneck pace. The holidays are dead! Long live MY HOLIDAYS! 🎊 What's going on this month ⭐ 1/11-13: Friend visiting from out of town ⭐ 1/16-22: Visiting Mexico City (including ✨my birthday ✨ on 1/19~) ⭐ 1/30-2/2: Maybe YOLO to London to visit one of my besties ⭐ 2/3: Possibly starting a new job?? Gymnastics season is having a bit of a late start this year just because of how the meets are shaking out on the schedule. As it stands right now, I don't think my first one is until late February. There is a mock meet on Jan 11 that I am considering skipping because of my friend's visit, but idk, we'll see what happens. My focus in the gymnastics world is trying to get skills and routines ready for competition. My lifting gets a final peak before I transition to a new, lower intensity program to go alongside the ramp up of gymnastics season. I don't have any life-y resolutions right now or significant themes/trends I'm trying to pursue yet, so it's just going to be trying to save some money after the hemorrhage that was the holidays. 1. Lifting Test new bench 1RM Run 2 more weeks of weird double deadlift progression Pick a new program to run after CDMX (I have a couple ideas, but just need to settle on one) 2. Gymnastics Free hip circle drills 1x per week (trying to connect to a toe-on directly) Back handsprings 1x per week on whatever beam Floor routine with tumbling at least 1x per week 3. Living a life too full (and too broke) Only buy a breakfast food 1 work day/week Limit dinner out to 2x/week (when not traveling) Make 1-year late highlight video of the shenanigans from the 30th birthday scavenger hunt last year Plan out what the heck we're doing in Mexico City Maybe book that last minute trip to London, if you're actually doing it

Hello, hello, hello! Raptron here! I'm so excited we're all playing together this December. If you don't know me, I'm a gymnast and powerlifter that gets distracted by all of the shiny things like bouldering, acro yoga, pole dancing, even a dang 5k here and there. I've got a good handle on most of the things that are important to me, but still love challenges to socialize with y'all and add in a few things that I'm either slacking on or want to add into an already packed schedule. 😀 1. Balancing fun: play with hand balancing and hand balance transitions 2x per week 2. Bench accessories: lol, get swoleeee! you can't get swole if you keep skipping accessory work 3. Back handsprings: do them on the balance beam at least 1x per week 4. Be festive: seek out winter-related activities each week (holiday parties, pop-up markets, cozy drinks and christmas movies, etc.) The last goal is a softie because I'll definitely already be doing that, but it helps keep this whole thing more festive! Side goal to NOT buy more than uh... 2 new holiday dresses. They're sparkly! Or velvet! And burgundy and forest green are color faves of mineeeee. It is a difficult side goal. 😜

Hi! I'm Raptron, your friendly neighborhood flipperdoo. I competed in my 3rd powerlifting meet a couple of weeks ago and got my big 300# squat finally, hiked a mountain (or what passes for one in New England), and did some sporadic traveling last challenge. With the meet out of the way, I don't have any excuses to stay in what passes for one rep max shape. So, here we are! I don't really have a theme, I just like alliteration. Maybe I will be rewarding myself for doing the things I already plan to do with the things I'm already planning to buy myself during the post-Thanksgiving sales. MAYBE THE REWARDS WERE THE FRIENDS I MADE ALONG THE WAY -- YOU GUYS!!! D'AWW. Soooo, what are we working on? Well, how about we pick some adjectives I want to describe me by the end of this challenge? 1. Competent Practice new floor choreo outside of the gym 2x per week Run new floor routine in practice at least 1x per week, even if it's just part of it Vault 3x over the challenge Back handsprings on balance beam every practice 2. Fit Conditioning-focused workout 1x per week (can be an add-on to a lifting workout, but must be REAL EFFORT) 3. Steady Hand (or other) balancing practice for funsies 2x per week -- random partner acro or pole classes also count! 4. Profesh Apply to 5 new jobs THAT ACTUALLY APPEAL TO YOU per week HMMMMM, this might be a bit too much. Maybe it's just enough! TUNE IN TO FIND OUT!

Hi, I'm Raptron! One of your friendly neighborhood flipperdoos. I'm in the middle of a hot, hot summer of action, but still trying my best to make time for gymnastics, lifting, friendships, prepping for a road race, bachelorette parties and weddings, non-wedding related travels, etc. Things are going to be a little wild the next few weeks: 7/31 - 8/2: Overnight work retreat 8/2 - 8/5: DC trip with childhood friends 8/9 - 8/11: Tennessee for gymnastics camp 8/17 - 8/19: Cape Cod for 7 mile road race on Sunday 8/31 - 9/2: Bachelorette weekend in Rhode Island 9/7: Wedding (local) 9/8 - 9/12: Possible trip to ??? for my friend's birthday I also have signed up for a powerlifting meet on October 12. Once the 7 mile race happens, I'll have 8 weeks to meet prep, so I can't really be slacking before that either! I need to be in a good spot to get my prep in gear. And finalize what I want my meet prep approach to really look like. I'm in something of an in-between program at the moment. With these things in mind, I'm going to try not to lose my mind. I love a fast pace and I love travel, but I can't ignore the things I have on my plate -- mostly my workouts, the fact that I'm trying to get a new job before the year's out, and maintaining sanity by saving downtime to digest my thoughts, try to divine my feelings (we're pretty estranged), and work on some personal projects. 1. Jog at least 3 times before the 7 mile race 2. Lift 3x per week 3. Journal 2x weekly + write 2x weekly (planes are a good place for writing!) 4. Work on new job applications 2x per week And that's that! Given my schedule, I may not be updating at the normal frequency this challenge. But, I'll do my best and I have a good record of sticking around.

1. Lift your lifts 3-4x per week. Not that I won't, but it's nice to check off the box when I do. 2. Shenanigans take two 1x per week. Actually find something fun/unconventional/goofy movement-wise to do every week. (Maybe @KB Girl and I can collab? :D) 3. Write 2x per week. It is outside drinking season again and my Guide to Daydrinking project is calling to me. Random creative writing or poetry prompts also count!

Hi friends! I'm Raptron, I am a grown-ass woman who does gymnastics with a team of likeminded adults, lifts weights, loves food and drink, and generally overbooks herself with social engagements. My gymnastics national competition is April 12, 2019, which very nicely coincides with end of this challenge. What's on the horizon: 3/15-3/17 - quick trip to NYC 3/24 - Gymnastics meet (last one before Nationals!) 3/30 - Season send-off party / big team event / debuting the 2019 hype videooo (that I have to make) 4/11-4/17 - Nationals & post-competition vacation in Florida A lot of the things from last challenge actually went really well, so I'm just going to carry them over for the next 4-ish weeks. Maybe I'll consider what life holds for me when the season ends along the way, but mostly I'm just here to grind it out and do my very best in our two remaining meets. 1. Comp season strong Vault 1x per week High bar direct connections every other practice Beam routines every practice 2. Don't break the bank Limit meals out and/or 2+ drink nights to 6x between March 18-April 10 3. Hold yourself together Shoulder PT 2x per week Ankle prehab 1x per week Pelvic floor control drills 3x per week (90/90 breathing, intentional relaxing, pri squat things, etc). 4. Write it out Some sort of creative writing practice 2x per week

Gymnastics season continues! This time... WITH A VENGEANCE... and ice capades?!?! I'll continue to strive for 2-3x per week of lifting, 2-3x per week gymnastics, and yoga 1x per week. More weeks will probably shake out to be 3 gymnastics/2 lifting than the other way around, which is good for the season. BUT, that isn't the goals. That's just like... what I do because I like to do it. What are my GOALS? Okay, well this is what is going on -- Upcoming Events: 2/16 - Local gymnastics meet 2/22 - 2/24 - Vermont gymnastics weekend w/a meet on Feb. 23 3/9 - 3/12 - LA trip w/meet on Mar. 11 3 meets! With that in mind, most of my focus will be on improving my gymnastics routines and skills over the next 4-5 weeks. Beyond gymnastics, I'm going to tackle a bit of financial reprioritization. I've spent a lot of money in the last couple of months with the holidays, moving-related expenses, and front loading some of my travel purchases into the start of the year. But, my #1 extraneous cost category is food and drink (you don't even want to know how much I spent last month). Meals out and/or 4+ hours of $12 cocktails... add up to a lot. And while I generally love and cherish these experiences, they can take a bit of a break this month. Because there are two trip this challenge, I'm going to focus on reducing that spend during everyday normal time. Finally, I uncovered my journal from when I was 13-14 and I talk a lot about how much time I spend writing for recreation/personal entertainment. I do only a little right now in the form of poetry mostly, but I'd like to get back into it! I have a lot of "what's the point if it's not going to be good/no one is going to read it" feelings about it now that I apparently didn't have back then. I'd like to tap into that self-assurance that any use of my time that pleases me is a good use. 1. Upgrade season Must practice 2 of the 3 at each gymnastics practice on beam - front walkover + round-off on floor - fhs front pike front tuck on bars - free hip into flyaway on high bar Vault once per week Spend time on active splits drills once per week 2. 5s isn't conditioning like 10s is Conditioning focused THING 1x per week 3. Food and beverage maximum Do not exceed 6 dinners/lunches/2+ drink "meals" out between Feb 11 - Mar 8 Cap of 1 breakfast pastry per week 4. Write Set a timer and write 2x per week -- can be characters/story for D&D, poetry, or a new project!

Hi, I'm Raptron. I'm really good at staying active and maybe have a problem with recovery... sometimes. I mean is it a problem, really?! This challenge, I will channel some of my inner Salem Saberhagen, from Sabrina the Teenage Witch and be... lazier. 1. All the sleep Aim to be IN BED by 11 pm on 4 of 5 weeknights per week 2. All the eats 4/5 work lunches per week must have (at least a fistful of) protein, green vegetables, and a starchy grain or other carb-dense food One weekend meal must meet the above criteria 3. Pamper thyself Schedule a massage Heavy shoulder PT exercises 2x per week Pick one thing for my Christmas "treat yo'self" gift (this is more to head off the usual "well I might as well get something for meeee" trend I fall into every year) 4. Do what makes you feel good One yoga session per week Meanwhile, I'll still be gearing up for gymnastics season and our first competition on December 8th, participating in a lifting mock meet on December 15, running a 5k on Dec. 1, trying to get more cardio-focused conditioning in, and otherwise staying up to my usual shenanigans.

Let's keep this challenge a bit simple this time around too. I'm coming off of my powerlifting meet this past weekend and starting the slow ramp-up to gymnastics season. I want to be a bit more deliberate this time around to make sure I get in good shape without compromising myself with injuries. My first gymnastics meet isn't until December 8 (and we are usually about 60% ready by December) so I'm not in a big rush to go all out just yet. My stamina is in a bad place, so I'm going to add that in to get started. The pulling goal is because I've been neglecting them all year and I think I might be back in a place where they'll be helpful to bring back into my routine. House decluttering is because now that it's getting cooler outside, I'll be home more and having so much STUFF in my field of view stresses me out. Heart rate raiser Run stairs or go for a jog (or other cardio activity) 1x per week Don't fall to your death Chin-ups or pull-ups 2x per week Exorcise the house Throw away clutter from one room per week (bedroom, bathroom, office, and kitchen)

Hi, I'm Raptron. I do stuff like gymnastics, lifting weights, drinking cocktails, making cakes, running around sometimes... and I HAVE A POWERLIFTING MEET ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13. So I guess this conveniently scheduled challenge will be all about that. I've got a SINGLET to wear and a place to wear it -- though I do want to alter it and/or buy a new one because the one I used for my last powerlifting meet is too tight on my thighs. Oh, so very tight on my thighs. What am I going to do about it? 1. Do workouts 2. Do pec mobilization "And season?", you ask. "What season?" Well our new gymnastics team leotards also just arrived and the first meet there is December 8 (unless we go to some Virginia Tech meet, but ha). THE SEASON OF SPANDEX. Plus, Halloween's also coming up and there's usually spandex involved... I don't know. I can't think of a theme. Or other goals. But I'm here!

Hot dog, hot damn, I've got a LOT going on this challenge, socially and travel-wise. I'll only be home the final weekend (Sept. 8-9) as it stands right now and that's not even a guarantee because my BFF's birthday is around then and she might want to do something. We've got 1 weekend of gymnastics camp, 1 river float weekend, and 2 weddings. It's gonna be GREAT, but that means my goals can't really be ALL that ambitious. Let's have some fun. Bench it Bench accessories or shoulder work every lifting workout Offseason fun Do fun or dumb exercise challenges 1x per week (can be a flow, a hard balance, some weird skill I saw on instagram, etc.) Saving green and eating green Only 2 allowances for eating out Monday - Thursday over the course of the challenge Keep the PROGRESS in work in progress Work on Guide to Daydrinking 2-3x Work on Underdark Campaign 2-3x Rejigger my monthly budget categories At least 1 driving practice (can be a weekday!)

SO, I am going to just accept that I am crap at updating Challenges, and leave this here to update when the fancy strikes me! Currently: Freaking out because TOMORROW I get to try out my new gymnastics class for next year! I had been planning on joining provincial/JO for next year, and had the head of the program reluctantly convinced to let me do so, but then I got some extra job responsibilities and am now unsure of how much free time I'll have next year. Just as I was pondering this, another coach at the gym actually approached me and asked what my goals were, and suggested that I join her group, which is a semi-competitive-type program. It will be less stressful and time-consuming, and the age thing isn't a problem at all (I'm 26, the oldest athlete in the group currently is 15, but since they don't compete provincially it doesn't matter.) And the coach is really excited to have me and keeps telling me so! Which is a nice contrast from the "well I guesssssss you can join but you realize everyone will think you're weird and maybe hate you" that I got from the provincial coaches. Also, since I posted last, been doing a lot of crossfit. Or... a crossfit-like substance not officially branded crossfit, and somewhat more intelligently programmed, but still. SHAME ON ME. It's so fun though.

1. Balancing Classwork Hand balancing participation in the Crow PVP Do 3 accessories with lifting workouts 2. Avoid the Freshman 15 Salad Club salads 5x per week Monitor late night snacking (personally, not really in this thread) 3. Adult-ish Responsibilities Keep up driving practice weekly as possible (aim for another 4 practices) Clean out kitchen drawers (again) Dishes 2x on weeknights (you can't cram all your dishes on SUNDAY all the time, okay?) 4. Extra Curricular Activities Bonus points for running Bonus points for working on the Guide to Daydrinking Bonus points for signing up for an aerial arts sampler class Bonus points for going to the ninja gym

Nightcrawler_Bamff Rejoins the X-Men (Take 2) Nightcrawler: Me Rogue: Unknown (but AMAZING!) Photo: Burump (Instagram) Goal: Get back to within 2lbs of my Weight Watchers goal so I can start going to meetings for free again and stop paying for the online tools. This was the goal for the last challenge, but I fell off the wagon and ended up at the same weight I started at. I am currently 6lbs away from this goal. How: 1. Weight Watchers: WRITE IT DOWN!! I'm figuring out that if I eat something that isnt very Weight Watchers friendly, I end up counting the day as a loss and continue making poor choices for the day. That ends up impacting the rest of the week too. If I track it, I am less likely to let that affect the rest of the day or week. I am planning ahead for three days that I will not be tracking - friend's wedding and two going away parties...*read that last part in a cryptic voice*...more will be explained soon!!) 2. Exercise: Work out at least three times per week. The last challenge, I tried to say specifically to go to the gym (NOT including gymnastics) three times per week, but my schedule ended up limiting that. My goal for this challenge is still to work out three times per week, but I can replace one of the gym workouts with gymnastics class if needed. 3. Work pantry: STAY OUT! This will not be a problem for part of the challenge (*use cryptic voice again!*) Interpreting: I am working on a continuing education program with my peer mentor and our goal is to do one lesson per week. I would also like to add in some extra practice. I think I can commit to 10 minutes per day, five days a week of working either into English or American Sign Language. If that ends up being too easy, I will tweak it during the challenge. Gymnastics: I will give weekly updates on anything fun that happens in gymnastics class. I just connected a front handspring and front tuck for the first time the last week of the last challenge, so lets see if I can keep it and if I can build on that!

Last challenge, I stopped counting calories and started eating meals, regular-fucking-human-stylez. Yay! This challenge, I am finalllllyyy moving out of my cray-cray house and looking forward to doing lots of cooking now that I can venture into the kitchen without being subjected to cray conversations with cray people. Over the course of this challenge I am also going to be doing some rad things like GOING ON TOUR WITH BUFFY SAINTE-MARIE OMG. HERE"S SOME GOALZ: Make friends! Ever since I finished school, I have been moving at least once a year, sometimes more. Much of that time has been spent long-distance relationship, and after a few years of shipping out as soon as I started to get settled... putting effort into social relationships started to seem futile. Like, why invest in your friendships if you're just going to leave? Now, I have a full-time job in an orchestra, I love my colleagues, and Mr. Tei has decided to quit his job and come join me here. This is a place I could... stay? Maybe for just a little bit, or maybe for the rest of my life? In any case, I am definitely going to be here two years in a row, which hasn't happened recently! So, it's time to start putting some effort into building a social scene. I am... open to suggestions on how to acheive this, lol. My current plan is to aim for at least 2x/week suggesting an activity to someone to inviting someone to something? So this could be texting my climbing friend that I'm going to the gym, or suggesting to colleagues that we grab lunch or drinks after a service, or... something else. IDK! Friends?? Anybody??? Get organized with work. I am doing an audition on May 3rd. I am not at all sure that I actually want the job (see: previous explanation of finally being in a place I could stay long-term!) but doing auditions is part of keeping your skills sharp as an orchestral musician, and I want to make sure that I feel proud of my performance both at the audition and for the rest of the season. Goal for this is to practice 2 hours + at least a 1/2 hour of reedmaking every day that is free or only has one service, and 1/5 hours + reedmaking on a two-service day. Foooooooood! As I said, I have been avoiding the kitchen in the place where I live, due to abnormally high levels of cray. This has actually been decent for my eat-three-meals-a-day goal, because I just go to the store, buy a meal, and eat it. Not great for the bank account, though, or the sense of being a grownup who can feed herself. The goals for this are so many! Once I get into my new place I want to re-start my sourdough starter (or maybe buy some to start feeding because my attempts at starting one from scratch here have been frustrating...) start making yogurt again, and get a gross vat of kombucha going. Also want to get in the habit of buying whole chickens and using all the various bits for various stuff. Woooooo home cooking! Workin' out! I have been getting in the habit of morning workouts, which is working out well for me! (heh.) The plan is to keep that up-- lifting 3x/week, and gymnastics/other stuff 2 or 3x. I alsooooooo stopped in in a super weird gym in my neighborhood to be like "so yo what's your deal" and apparently their deal is that they're moving out of my neighborhood and into the warehouse district, which boooo, BUT for the excellent cause of expanding their acrobatic and parkour offerings and THEY'RE GETTING A SPRUNG FLOOR AND A FOAM PIT!!!!!!!! Sooooo that place is hella expensive buuuuut could be worth it if I could quit my normal gym (and also probably the climbing gym, honestly, because I haven't been going there all that often and when I do I mainly just want to do flips on their mats) and tumble like every dayyyyyyy zomg!!!!! (This is the place, if you want to evaluate its suitability...) Let's do this!

********************************************** References / Sources of Information. Gymnastic Bodies Programs 8 Weeks Out - BioForce Conditioning Course ********************************************** Previous Holo-Log And so another Holo-Log begins, continuing the focus from the last. The previous log was an introduction to the idea of a Jedi Sentinal, and was focused around a specific 8 week block that I had whilst away from home. This Log will continue to monitor my progress towards Gymnastics Skills and my Cyber Security studies. It will also cover the usual suspects, like Philosophy, and maybe some of my creative projects - however the focus will be to record my physical training. The 4 week challenges can be used to surge in other areas. However, I received good news at work and I'll be moving into a command position - very exciting. To prepare for this I will be incorporating training from the BioForce Conditioning course (see references). The pillars I'll be focusing on for training are: 1. Cardiovascular Fitness - general endurance, aerobic fitness and recovery capacity 2. Strength Endurance - muscular endurance and ability to carry loads 3. Stress Tolerance - capacity to perform in high stress conditions Blended with this must be my interest in Gymnastics and my desire to progress in this training. Conditioning It is difficult to give a weekly schedule, and it will likely change from time to time. As a start point, it will look like: Mon: High Performance Recovery Training and Gymnastics Stretch Tue: Stimulation Day - Conditioning and Upper Body GST Wed: Development Day - Conditioning and Work Training Thu: Core GST, High Performance Recovery Training and Gymnastics Stretch Fri: Work Training (weight loaded walk), High Performance Recovery Training and/or Gymnastics Stretch Sat: Stimulation Day - Conditioning, Lower Body GST, Hand Stand GST Sun: Development Day - Conditioning and Upper Body Gymnastics Will run concurrent to conditioning and in-line with Gymnastics Bodies progressions. Programming may change depending on the conditioning block. The end point for this log will be the conclusion of the year, and assumption of my new job. Lets begin.

Quick Introduction I'm Natalee, fun, funky, fabulous mother of 2 sweet little boys charting her course in waters rough and rugged. I've been struggling to get my fitness, specifically bodyweight fitness in order these last few months and it came to mind to visit this wonderful haven and lo and behold a challenge is about to start, so here I am. For the next four weeks my aim is to do all of four things Bodyweight train 6 days a week, actively rest on Sundays, a part of this bodyweight training will be a focus on improving flexibility. Improve my eating habits; I need to make healthier choices, increase protein intake and decrease the consumption of cookies. (Cookie monster Alert!!} Develop the program outline for my proposed physical education program. Listen to Bible and personal development audios daily. I'm short on time at the moment... working on work... but this is the outline and I will add an in depth breakdown of my goals, adding my workouts and diet plans when time permits. I feel really excited, NerdFitness has helped me before, and I have all confidence that sharing with you all will help me to LEVEL UP! Can't wait to meet you!

At my old school, we just did gymnastics and ate doughnuts all the time, but now I've got the chance for a fresh start and I am going to use the opportunity to just do better: better for my body and better for my personal growth. But, obviously still having fun in the mean time. I mean, I hear there's a kegger on Friday and I bet the cool kids will be there. 1. Homework -Do prescribed physical therapy exercises as they are recommended -Lift 3x per week I want to work on all sorts of fun things (start going to the ninja gym! back twisting on tumbletrak! back handspring series! take a circus class!) but need to get my shoulder straight first. Lifting can be done without compromising it, I am pretty sure, so I will take my PT recommendations in stride and keep trying to get workouts in in the mean time. 2. Bagged lunch -Track daily caloric intake for a few weeks -Only weigh once weekly -Stop tracking if I get weird or crazy about it I've got some new muscle (dude, my legs are insane this year) to show off and I want to lean out a bit for #croptopseason 3. Shut up and drive -Practice driving 4x -Possibly schedule road test, if cannot schedule road test before permit expires, plan to get a new permit Stop procrastinating and do the work. Schedule times to do this. 4. Stop being a slob -Floss at least 5x per week -Callus care at least 1x per week -Moisturize face at least 4x per week All of these are things I do with lighter frequency, so this should just be a nice step up towards doing more things for myself.

I really, REALLY, want to be able to do gymnastics and parkour. A little backstory, I used to be in gymnastics but it was only for two years. I really loved it though and wished I could've stayed longer. That was when I was 12 and now I'm 27 and a mother. I know I need to lose a lot of weight and train in body weight exercises as well as bring my flexibility back up. But my worry is, I completely fractured my ankle when I was 18. I jumped from a tree because I was stuck and couldn't get down. I ended up getting surgery and now have two plates and six screws in my left ankle. On top of that I've noticed my joints haven't been as strong as they used to. I know that could be because I'm 5'8" and 236 pounds. Am I OK to learn gymnastics and parkour still? And is there ways I can improve my bone density?

Lightsaber skills Create a routine for staff containing the tricks I already know plus at least 2 new tricks to learn this challenge. Routine should be around 20 mins including warm up. (probably will be lots of video and bloopers this challenge) Why it's a challenge: Honestly, picking up my staff and playing with it is not really a challenge. I truly love it. However, the challenge lies more in the time management. I am THE WORST™ at time management. I have to structure my morning better to accomodate a 20 minute session and still get everything ready for work and get out the door with pants on and stuff. Why I want to do it anyway: STAFF!! And having more time to practice each day means faster progress. Find Jedi Calm Find two favorite meditations and do them every day, one in the morning and one at night. Why it's a challenge: See time management above. I don't have a solid grasp on how time works. I wake up with 10 minutes before I have to leave and I somehow think i'm gonna workout, meditate, cook breakfast, sit and eat breakfast, bullet journal, reflect on the day, pack for work, pack for after-work activities, and get there on time??? Why I want to do it anyway: Its good for my brain and my old therapist said i should LOL. Plus, you know, I'm gonna be a jedi someday so. Gotta practice. Get friggin' Flexy Using GMB's focused flexibility and some specific stretches my coaches gave me for my sad pathetic shoulder mobility, create a routine and stretch EVERY SINGLE DAY. STRETCH ALL THE DAYS. Why it's a challenge: I'm so, so, so not flexy and I hate stretching and I don'tttt wannnaaa doooo ittttttt Why I want to do it anyway: Big serious reason is injury prevention. The last two times I got wow-maybe-i-should-see-a-doctor hurt, it was because I pulled a muscle that would have been FINE if I wasn't a solid. And both times i went "that's it i'm streching every day now" and didn't. Less serious and fun reason, back handsprings!!! Re-create Spend at least 1 hour per day, or 7 cumulative hours in a week, doing something with no purpose. (ideas include, reading fiction, maybe drawing, playing video games (i haven't don this since i was a child) watching hockey without feel like i have to multitask.) Why it's a challenge: I WANT TO DO ALL THE THINGS!!!! As evidenced most recently by this challenge. I feel like i've "wasted my day" if i don't do something super productive every single minute. If I sit and continue to watch TV for 2 minutes after I've finished eating, I feel insta-guilty. Waste of 2 minutes. Could have been reading a textbook. Could have been doing a handstand. Could have been conjucating russian verbs. I jam-pack my days until i'm so over stressed that I crash, and then when i'm crashing doing nothing, I'm hating myself because i'm wasting time being unable to move. Why I want to do it anyway: If I get to be 75 and I speak all 12 of my target languages and i've mastered algebraic topology and non-relativistic quantum mechanics and i've fixed all the plumbing issues in all my neighbors houses and fixed everyone's laptop who asked and was all these things to all people, but I hated every minute of it?? NEver enjoyed my life? That's a fail. I need to do something purely enjoyable. Be a kid again. Come home and play for a bit before doing productive things.