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This challenge is what it says on the tin. I just really like gymnastics, lifting, eating, and sleeping. And want to do lots of them. 1. Lift moar! So, I have been... kind of doing stronglifts for seven months. Except for, um, a BUNCH of exceptions... like, I decided on day three that barbell rows are just Not For Me and I wasn't going to do them. I also started adding weight to my deadlift way before I could actually do a solid set of 5 on the previous weight. (Which I had good reason to do since I was training for a lift test at work, but still.) I also have some stuff that I do like and want to add in: pull-ups/chin-ups and cleans, in particular. I'm not really sure what to do about this: I like the simplicity of SL, and I would even be willing to give rows another try! But I also want to progress on the pull-ups and cleans and also keep my workout short enough that I also have time to stretch thoroughly after each workout and not be spending more than an hour and a half at the gym at the very most. (Stretching takes 15 min, my warmup takes 10 min or so.) So, for this Challenge, I will be doing 3 workouts a week, on the following schedule: Day 1: Squats 5x5 OHP 5x5 Deadlift 1x5 Day 2: Squats 5x5 Bench 5x5 Cleans 5x5 Day 3: Squats 5x5 PUx10, CUx10, working towards being able to do all 10 in a row for both Deadlift 1x5 However, because I can already hear the hordes of r/fitness shouting "DON'T MAKE YOUR OWN PROGRAM, N00B! DO YOU THINK YOU'RE SMARTER THAN [iNSERT FITNESS ICON HERE]???" I guess in the market for an expert-created program that I can force myself to stick to for the next 6 months or so at least w/r/t lifting, and includes all or most of the movements that I'm interested in. So I will also be doing some research this Challenge. ALSO part of this section because I can't think where else to put it: I would like to start running again. I stopped for a while so it didn't ~steal mah gainz~, but I am going to add in 1 day a week of running. Possibly on Saturdays with the running group I used to go to, if I end up being in Toronto on any Saturdays. XP up for grabs: 1 XP for every week of 3 lifting days, 1 XP for each run. 2. Flip moar! Okay, well, I can't actually go to gymnastics any more than I am already, because one class a week is expensive enough. However, there are two things I can do to assassin better: - Stretch every day! particularly splits and bridge, my comfort with which seems to vanish if I miss even a day of it. 2 XP for each week stretched every day. -I have 9 classes left on a pass I bought ages ago, before I signed up for gymnastics, when I was filling the gymnastics-sized hole in my soul with pole dancing. So I would like to use those up, 1 XP for every week I take a class and 1 additional XP for the following classes which are, um, outside my comfort zone: -Erotic Pole -Fake it to Make it -Heartthrob dance -Erotic Chair dance I mean... might as well use the opportunity to gain some skills I won't learn elsewhere 3. Eat moar! My goals for this are pretty much the same as last challenge: I want to not buy any food outside the house except at grocery stores on approved grocery days. This means cooking, eating and bringing with me enough nutritious food that I don't get hungry while oot and aboot. I get 3 XP for every week I succeed. The slow cooker is my friend, as is the freezer-- a secondary goal is to build up a stockpile of homemade microwaveable freezer meals. I will probably have to buy more tupperware for that, like so: 4. Sleep moar! ...pretty self-explanatory. Last challenge my goal was 5/7 days a week of going to bed at 10:30, reading for 1/2 an hour, and waking up at 6. I didn't get a full week at any point, but I definitely was closer to that schedule on more days than I would have been otherwise. So I am going to continue with that goal, and include a provision for 1 additional XP any time I get in bed at 10 instead of 10:30. 8 hours of sleep, im comin 4 u. 5. Bonus: Write moar! Stealing shamelessly from NeverThatBored: I am gonna go back to 750words.com this challenge. I tried having a writing portion to my very first Challenge, which was to write in my paper journal every night, and it went abysmally, so I am trying a different tack. I have signed up for the March challenge on the site and 10 XP are waiting for me if I win it. Also, my personal first day of this challenge is March 1st, because Feb 29th I got an IUD inserted so I arbitrarily decided to receive All The Exemptions that day

The headmaster of the Ranger Academy was an imposing man, and the enormous mahogany desk, set into a dais raised a foot above the ground upon which any supplicant before it stood, wasn't helping matters. Tei, whose halfling stature was already a matter of some good-natured teasing among her entering class of Rangers-to-be, felt even smaller than usual. The headmaster was reading, slowly and deliberately, the piece of official Academy parchment that Tei had filled out the previous day. "A leave request," the Headmaster intoned. It seemed like a question. "Yes," she said. "You wish to take part in the Technenian Games, that meeting and great contest of the Assassins." "Yes," said Tei again, a little irritated. "That is what it says on my application." The Headmaster shot her a barbed glance, but continued. "To take part in this contest, you must journey to the Plain of the Tall Oak. The road is long, and you must undertake your training even as you travel the roads of Land of the Sparkling Lake. This passage is perilous, and you have been here at the Ranger Academy but one cycle of the moon. Some would say that this desire indicates a lack of focus." "Some would say that those with specific focus usually end up somewhere other than the Ranger Academy," Tei retorted, and immediately regretted it as the Headmaster's burly eyebrows snapped together in anger. "Only joking," she muttered, staring at her toes. He regarded her for a long moment. "Obviously you have much to learn in many areas, including how to speak respectfully to authority," he said finally. "But your point is well taken. The skills of the Assassins are useful to the well-rounded Ranger." He picked up the large rubber stamp on his desk, still scowling at her. "Permission is granted." I am doing an adult gymnastics competition on March 12th. Last Challenge, my quests were not really specific enough to be able to evaluate myself on them. This time, I am going to use the Epic Quest system to make sure my goals are specific and it's clear-cut whether or not I get the XP for them. 1. Nutrition: Went to Mordor, Brought Their Own Snacks All Halflings like food. We especially like yummy homemade food, which we stash away for future use to avoid the evils of processed garbage sold in wayside inns and taverns. My goal is to only eat food brought from home, bought on one of my three grocery days. (Tuesday is discount day at the expensive grocery store I have to buy stuff like almond milk in, Wednesday is discount day at the bulk food store, and Thursday is the wholesale produce sale at a local college.) For every week that I complete this challenge, I get XP; 2 for the first week, 4 for the second, 6 for the third, 8 for the fourth, and 10 if I complete the entire month with no slip-ups, for a total of 30 XP. This will be the biggest opportunity for XP I have this month, since it's the most difficult habit for me to cultivate-- going to the gym has become automatic for me, but this... this is hard. Allowable exceptions: 1. In taberna quando sum, I will have either one glass of red wine or one G&T. And no food, even if everyone else is having food! 2. If I am invited to a restaurant meal I can't reasonably refuse (i.e. last concert the conductor of my orchestra wanted to take the principal winds to dinner, the concert before that the Players' Committee wanted to meet over dinner... although I've suggested to them that we find a meeting room at the library...) I will make sure to come to the dinner fairly full, and just order a salad or appetizer. 3. If it's free-- just eat it. 2. Sleep: Resting for the journey Sleeeeeep. Sleep is important. Also cozy. My goal is to be in bed by 10:30 (allowing about a 1/2 hour of reading in bed) and up at 6 at least 5 days a week. There will be some days where this won't be possible because of work, hence the 2 built-in grace days. I get 2 XP for every week that this quest is completed. 3. Ride hard. I kiiiiiinda have a lot to do For level 3 Bars: -Front hip circle (new skill) -Stride circle (REALLY new, skill, aka didn't even exist 10 years ago???) -Apparently level 3 doesn't actually require going to the high bar, but I'm going to anyway because otherwise that would be lame. Unfortunately level 4 needs a kip, so I'm back to the exact same problem I always had hahaha For level 5 floor: -Choreograph my floor routine! (@Ballad, who asked what the music was: a minute-and-a-half long version of this, with the lyrics cut out.) -Put my roundoff-backhandspring-back tuck on the real floor. My ankles were not rebounding in a cooperative way even on the rod floor last class This is the big one that, if I don't have in time, I'll just go down a level. -Front handspring step out-front handspring. (I did it with a roundoff instead of a second front handspring the other day, I am fairly confident I can can learn this one quickly.) -Front tuck to landing (I probably have this already, just need to actually try it on floor.) -Straight arm backward roll to a handstand (never managed this one before. Adventure????) -"Sissoné (135); forward chassé; straight leg leap (150) (0.60) OR Switch†leg leap (150) (0.60); Leg swing hop." "Side passé pose; 1/1 (360) turn in forward passé (0.40)" This is from the rule book. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THESE WORDS MEAN. They are presumably jumps and leaps that I may or may not be able to do. I will ask the coaches about these my first class this month. It's highly likely I won't get all of this in time, which is probably fine since this competition seems pretty chill I don't really know how to keep tabs on myself w/r/t this stuff besides just making sure I grind away at it regularly, so my objectives are: -Choreograph 1 phrase of my floor routine every day (starting from when I wrote this... so basically Thursday) (1 XP for the 4 remaining days this week, 2 for the next 3 weeks) -Go to each class with a list of things to accomplish, and track whether I accomplished that night's objectives -Continue to do weight training; "every other day" didn't work out so hot for me last Challenge, so this time the goal is 3x per week. After each weight training session, stretch out with the full gymnastics freak stretching routine, incl. splits, bridges, etc. (1 XP for every week with 3 sessions) Let's go!

Starting Point Height: 5'0.5"Weight: 160 Diet and Fitness Goals Run 2 miles without walking via C25K. Yes, two. I moved from basically sea level to a place with high elevation and even jogging a couple of blocks is a real struggle for me right now. If I can run two miles then I know I will have the confidence to level up to a full 5K. Go paleo/keto/primal/low-fat-high-protein-low-carb. This will be the biggest challenge but by weaning myself off of wheat and other carbs over a week I will be able to do it. Do body weight and/or dumbbell workouts three times a week. I have no excuse not to. "Level Up Your Life" Goal Acquire a set of 3 lb and 5 lb hex weights. Attributes STR: 2DEX: 2STA: 2CON: 2WIS: 4CHA: 2