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Now that we have prepared for the worst, I'm going to try to avoid it! Last month was my first challenge back and it was clear that I was out of the habit of...well basically everything. I'm stuck at home without a gym membership, which is a new situation for me, so I need to revamp my fitness (and life) habits. Quest 1: Workout 3 times a week. Easy to say, harder to accomplish. Doesn't matter what it is, I just have to get off my butt and do it. Hopefully this will be a MWF thing. Let's get serious [+2 STA] Quest 2: Complete the Bloglates 30 Days to Splits progression. It looks like this challenge is only 26 days, so I'll get started tonight and compress the first few days so hopefully I'm hitting Day 30 on the last day of the challenge. I'm also going to get starting measurements for all my splits this weekend. I'm so jealous whenever I see people do the splits, especially straddle! [+2 DEX] Quest 3: Pushups! I like the progress I saw in this last round, so I'm going to continue this challenge. Week 1 Monday I'm going to start off with 1 pushup, Tuesday I can choose to do 1 again or move up to 2. By Sunday I should be doing 5. Week 2 I'll do 6-10, week 3 11-15, week 4, 16-20. I get one day off a week. I think I'll just document this using a number of days tally and a current number of pushups counter. Gotta work on those pecs! [+2 STR] Quest 4: Alcohol restriction. Same as last time, 7 drinks per week. I need to work harder on building this habit. [+2 CON] Quest 5: Make myself feel pretty! I think I got makeup and dressing like an adult down, but I need to figure out something to do with my hair! Each week I will try a new simple hair style (probably from the freckled fox) and try it at minimum two different days, posting results here. [+1 CHA, +1 WIS] As long as I avoid any of this we should be fine. Bring it on challenge! Stat points added, and for grading I'll just do each week as a Y/N grading, each worth 25% within each quest, I need to get over 60% overall to level up.

(Big thanks to starsapart for the theme idea!) This challenge should be less chaotic than last, but let’s knock on wood to be certain of it! That said, I still have a lot going on between a vacation to New Mexico during Week Two and entering tech/Hell Week for The Mikado at the end of Week Six, but hey, I’ve had successful challenges in the past for a lot more going on, no reason this should be any different! And I have an end-goal in mind to keep me motivated: making sure I’m as proud of my body as I can be for Cabaret rehearsals and performances this summer, because rumor has it, I’m going to have to flaunt it. Time to spirit myself away from poor body image issues to confidence and love for my body! MAIN QUEST: Get into Cabaret-shape! Because while this isn’t a production where they require all the Kit Kat Girls to be skinny/fit because they want us all to be of different shapes and sizes, I want to be as comfortable and confident in myself as possible! QUEST #1: Don’t Eat Like No-Face! [+3 CON, +1 WIS] One of my biggest weaknesses when it comes to eating is eating sweets and snacks just for the hell of it. I don’t want to give up sweets and snacks altogether, but I do want to make sure that treats are for a good reason rather than just because. So 6x/week, if I ate anything in between meals, I’ll have to own up to you all on NF why I had it. Nothing is held against me if I had the treat for an acceptable reason; I get penalized if I eat outside my meals for an unacceptable reason. Ideally, I’ll do this every day, but I’m giving myself a freebie in case of Life. (Acceptable reasons: it was a special occasion (birthday, party, etc.), it was the end of the day and I had the calorie allotment for it or I planned for it, I was legitimately hungry (and I chose a healthy snack), it was immediately after a workout (and it was an appropriate post-workout choice), etc. Unacceptable reasons: I felt like it, it was there, emotional/hormonal turmoil, I didn’t want to be rude, etc.) A = 6x/week passed | B = 4-5x/week passed | C = 2-3x/week passed | D = 1x/week passed | F = never QUEST #2: Be Bendy Like Dragon-Form Haku! [+3 DEX, +1 CHA] While our version of Cabaret doesn't necessarily call for bendiness, I want to be as flexible as possible, which will help me in the long run for future castings and dance. I’ve been kind of haphazard on my flexibility routine lately, so it’s time to redirect focus to it. So, 4x/week, I will dedicate at least 15 minutes to good, long stretches. Yoga will also count for this, as well as stretching done in jazz/ballet classes. A = 4x/week | B = 3x/week | C = 2x/week | D = 1x/week | F = never QUEST #3: Never Stop Training! [sTR, DEX, STA] – exact stats TBD at the end of the challenge (5 pts) One of the fears I have about not dedicating any quests to my training plan is that I’ll let it slip, so this quest exists to make sure that I don’t. Every Sunday evening/Monday morning, I’ll present my workout plan for the week and stick with the plan the best that I can. Obviously, I won’t count anything against myself if I get sick or injured or if Life happens. What I will count against myself is poor planning and the “I didn’t feel like it/was too tired†excuse. No real ideal schedule, to be completely honest, especially since Week Two and possibly Week Six are going to be crazy enough! What I'll most likely fit in are dance classes, Stronglifts, bodyweight workouts, and running, and the flexibility exercises from Quest #2. Vague and optional plans are acceptable; sometimes, it'll just be better to give myself leeway, especially when I know I'll be presented with difficulties for xyz reasons. A = 7 days followed | B = 5-6 days followed | C = 3-4 days followed | D = 1-2 days followed | F = never Starting in Week 4, I will be changing this quest to a simple workout 5x/week with the intention of working out 6x/week, but giving myself an extra day of rest in case things get chaotic. This quest is actually a lot more bothersome than I thought it was going to be. The spirit of the quest will remain the same but with more freedom to change my mind on a day-to-day basis. I will still lay out my intended weekly schedule at the beginning of each week, but I will not be so strict in my adherence to it. A = 5x/week | B = 4x/week | C = 2-3x/week | D = 1x/week | F = 0x/week LIFE QUEST: Do Better Than a Ponytail! [+2 CHA] I need to stop relying so heavily on the hair and make-up artists when I perform, especially for two of my upcoming shows (The Mikado and Cabaret) where we have a huge cast of which I am not a principal but ensemble, and the principals will need to have the attention far more than ensemble members. So it’s time to learn how to do hair and make-up all on my own! It’s an essential skill for an actor, after all. I will spend at least 30 minutes a day 3x/week playing around with hair and make-up. Yes, I will provide pictures! And yes, expect ridiculousness since this is theatre training, not adulting training. A = 3x/week | B = 2x/week | C = 1x/week | F = 0x/week In Summary: 1. Mindful Snacking 6x/week (ideally 7x/week) 2. Flexibility Training 4x/week 3. Keep to the Plan 7x/week 4. Hair & Makeup Training 3x/week Attribute Point Distribution: ? STR | 3+ DEX | ? STA | 3 CON | 1 WIS | 3 CHA (5 points to be distributed to STR, DEX, and STA per completion of Quest 3 and what exercises I do over the course of the challenge. Tentatively +2 STR, +1 DEX, +2 STA) Weekly Recaps: Day Zero | Week One | Week Two | Week Three | Week Four | Week Five | Challenge Complete! Mini-Challenges: +1 STA earned! +1 STR earned! +1 WIS earned! +1 CON earned! +1 CHA earned! Before Pictures: Measurements: Waist: 27" Waist @ Navel: 37" Hips: 37.25" Thigh: 21" Calf: 14.75" Bicep: 10.5" Wrist: 5.75" Neck: 12" (I will not weigh myself because I do not care about that, or I'm trying to force myself not to care about that.)