Search the Community

I have decided to set up several sets of long-term goals. They center around recovering from a back injury, the desire to improve my health and overall fitness and to get my finances in order to buy my dream home. (This is currently a work in progress that will improve over the next couple of weeks) I have decided to start a Battle Log to keep track of my progress and to catch areas in need of improvement. The biggest change I plan to make is in the creation of my Builder Goals. In my reflections of my challenges this past year I have found that I can nail my goals in the short term, but after the challenge is over, I slide back into old habits. To prevent this I will create builder goals for physical fitness, healthy eating, water intake and generally good habits, that I want to maintain. I have decided that these will start out and primary goals during a challenge, but for the next challenge they will be moved into the builder goal. This goal won't earn more than 1 wisdom point, but I will also lose points if I don’t complete them. (I know this isn’t standard, but I’m not a standard rebel so bring it!) By the end of 2017 I want to… I want to improve my mind/body connection through the following goals... Explore several forms of traditional meditation Explore several forms of movement based practices (yoga, qi-gong, tai chi) and decide which one I can best incorporate into my daily life. Practice journal writing 3 times a week Write 2 letters a month Read 1 book every other week (This means starting a new book no later than every 3 weeks) Work on limiting my TV time to 2 TV shows or 1 movie a day I want to improve my hygiene and grooming practices. Brush twice a day, floss & rinse once a day (God! I hate rinsing) Set up a regular schedule for threading my eyebrows Set up 2 more treatments for laser hair removal I want to learn 3 nice hair styles for different activities (One professional, one active one sexy) I want to take “Makeup 101” class and get some good makeup I want to continue improving my eating habits and water intake Develop healthier eating habits for workday vegetarian diet (less processed and junk foods, more fresh prepared meals) Learn to prepare 3 Afghan dishes, 3 Turkish dishes and to try 4 different cultural dishes I want to make it habit to log my food and water intake daily and my weight weekly. (I will be using fitbit) To improve my finances I will work on these goals... I want to set up a “working” budget and practice following it. (I have a budget, but not super functional) I want to have $1000 set aside for emergencies by the end of the year I will either be in Grad School or a better apartment and job by the fall. I want to improve my physical fitness through the following methods… Weight no more than 270lbs by the end of the year Making my physical therapy a daily habit Start a simple strength training regiment Swim weekly (This is open to change if I get a new job where I don’t have access to a pool) Explore 3 different forms of self defense or martial arts (Plan on starting one full time in 2018) Start exploring Parkour Become proficient in Florentine flogging I also want to meet the following physical goals by the end of 2018 Run 3 miles in 18:00 or less 80 sit-ups in 2:00 80 push-ups in 2:00 12 pull-ups Finally I want to have a healthy social life so I will meet the following goals… Attend tango twice a month Cuddle/movies twice a month 1 group outing a month 1 class or club outing a month

Holiday Hustle Gotta hurry in the bustle and get into the holiday hustle! Fortunately I am already in said holiday hustle, but I'm not feeling rushed! In fact, I am strategically planning to make sure things get done without anyone wanting to pull their hair out. No one wants that during the holidays! I want to enjoy it with my family, lay under the tree to admire the lights, and sip coffee while watching all of my favorite holiday flicks without too much worry or care. Along with that, I really want to push myself more into the cardio world. I do love my yoga and meditation, but when it gets cold, this will get the blood flowing! Not that yoga doesn't do that, but I think a little more movement and work will also help my mental state. So I went digging around on the DAREBEE site, and I found some pretty decent beginner Cardio workouts. Perfect! I. If you want them cookies, you gotta shake that tooshie! I've found three workouts that I think will work really well! Cardio Inc. Workout Slow Burn Workout Mermaid Workout My first quest will be to do, at least, one of these workouts 3 days a week. I thought about every day, but being a person who hasn't done a great deal of actual cardio exercise, I don't want to overwhelm myself. I will also be incorporating the 2016 DAREBEE Advent Calendar into each day as well! I LOVE Advent Calendars! *_____* II. Reindeer ain't the only ones chompin' carrots! I'm actually pretty good when it comes to eating vegetables and fruit, but I need to do more of that. I LOVE them, but I find myself eating less and less of them. Why? I'm not entirely sure, but that will change! Apples or celery with peanut butter? YUM! Carrots with hummus? Double yum! Cucumbers and peppers? Yes, please! I know I have options. I just have to, you know, EAT THEM. Stop being so dang lazy and CHOP 'EM UP! Can't let convenience make me so complacent, right? Right. On, Dasher! (...on, dancer! on, prancer! on, vixen! on, comet! on, cupid! on, donner! on, blitzen! ...and yes, I did that totally by memory.) III. Keep yourself from going loco and drink a little cocoa! (This one is a two-parter!) With the planned workouts and mindful intake of better snack/side dish options, that doesn't mean I have to tread lightly around things. Make myself snack baggies with 2 cookies in them, and set them aside. Mark a day on them, and once that day's cookies have been had? That's it and I look forward to the next day! Portion and moderation is key! Along with enjoying the sweeter side of life, I have to start enjoying the little things in life. Taking time out to read for a bit, paint my nails, have a spa day, draw...etc! Keep the mental state in check and balanced. Medicine can only do much (and it does a GREAT deal), but I also need to help myself as well! BONUS STAGE! The Holly and The Ivy Complete The Herbal Alchemist's Course and make Professor Sprout proud! Here is to the last challenge of 2016!!!

* I just saw that my status is "Innovator". It is so fitting with the Tinkerer theme * I love these books! The girl is of mixed heritage and grew up with the Tinkerer. He taught her all kinds of things from carpentry and metal work, to building a flying machine and how to make things go "BOOM!", as well as respect for nature (she has an affinity to nature) and cooking, cleaning, basic math, science, etc. My boys probably think they are The Tinkerer's Sons because I'm usually busy building or making something, whether a cage, bookshelf, or just painting the house, drawing pictures, working in the garden, busy with the animals, or even cooking. My cooking can be quite "adventurous" at times, because I tend to "tinker" with the recipes. It's a normal day for Tink and her boys. In the morning they do their chores and then school work. Then they basically each go their different way for the day. Oldest has started a dinosaur business, teaching people about dinosaurs you find in the wild. He has his two miniature ankylosaurusses to thank for that. They are the size of Great Danes of old, are very clever, and herbivorous. He has taught them to pull in a harness and they help him to plow the lands. He has obviously inherited her affinity to animals and nature in general. She has seen him sway the most verocious troop of Compies to calm down and not attack! Youngest on the other hand is almost always busy in the workshop. If he isn't busy creating something new, he is tinkering with swords and fire craft. Why just the other day he gave her a huge fright by creating what he called a "boom stick"! It shot a hole the size of her palm in the wooden plank. He definitely has his father's knack with weapons! Tink can't help the sigh that escapes as she thinks of the not so distant past, and how they ended up on the outskirts of Maritzborough. With her husband being in the employ of the King, she and the boys had learned over time to always be on the lookout for strangers. Just before leaving on that last secret mission her husband had again impressed on her heart their plans if danger came too close. And this time it did. They came in just before the low swoops of the pteranodon flocks. That already drew a lot of attention, for only strangers didn't know, not to be in the street at that time of day. Those flying creatures were as regular as clock work, flying low over the city, stealing all kinds of food like freshly baked bread cooling off on window sills or fruit or vegetables out of the garden! The curious birds would peck at anything with their long, sharp beaks, whether edible, or clean laundry hanging on a line. The men had rushed to the old Dragon's Inn in another part of town, but word reached her ears soon enough that two strangers were asking after the Captain's family. Luckily their friends sent them on a merry chase around the country side the following couple of days, which gave them a chance to reach the Gryffin Caves. They had grabbed their emergency backpacks and set off. She had extra clothes and food in there, along with jackets, other things too precious to leave behind, and of course she had packed her tinkering tools. She won't go anywhere without them! She remembers that day as if it was yesterday, and truth be told, it wasn't that long ago. A month? Maybe two months? ... The Griffin Sire is the alpha of the pack, with the strong muscled body of an African Lion, and the head and wings of a Bald Eagle. She showed him the appropriate respect by bowing slightly in front of him, then held out her hand, palm up, for him to inspect. There was a time that she flew regularly with him, but the last while it would have drawn the wrong attention. Now she had to ask the gryffins to fly them as far as the border of their province. The gryffins weren't allowed outside that area, as they were in service to the King. The alpha pushed her hand away, and came closer to nudge her head softly with his beak. She made the crooning sound her father had taught her, while tickling his feathers softly with her fingers. He enjoyed this attention for a little while, and probably sensed the anxiety climbing in her, as he suddenly lifted up his head and screeched for other gryffins to come closer. Saddles and bridles weren't necessary, so they climbed up on the soft backs. The alpha walked to the edge of the ledge and with a strong bound leaped in the air! His front legs immediately folded back a bit to cover and hold her legs in place. His wings were stretched out to either side of her, brown feathers ruffling in the breeze caused by his flight. She lightly held on to the tuft of hair where the eagle neck became a lion's body. On the gryffin behind her, Oldest was laughing out loud. He loved every minute of it. Youngest wasn't too keen on flying, but a small smile curved his lips. From the air the trees looked like soft green cotton balls, the rivers like thick blue wool, unrolled across the land. The land itself sped past underneath them. What would take a person a day to cross on horseback, takes the gryffin a mere hour or so. Soon they could see ragged, scarred rocks and a deep canyon beyond in the distance. The border. The gryffins will land on the other side of the military post guarding the bridge. The soldiers will only know that someone came, not who, and not why. Their on gryffins, the King's transport, so they were exempt from being questioned. With a strong thrust of leg muscles and flap of wings the gryffins jumped back into the air, lifting up, circling once then heading back the way they came. Tink and her boys hefted their packs, making sure everything is tightened. They filled their water bottles at the fountain, had a quick snack then set off for the forest. They still have a long way ahead of them.

...because if it's written down, than it really did happen. I find it's hard for me to eat well, so I'm hoping that having things typed out will encourage me to eat better.

'Elendil fell, and Narsil broke beneath him; but Sauron himself was overthrown, and Isildur cut the Ring from his hand with the hilt-shard of his father's sword, and took it for his own.' -------------------------------------------------------- Hey gang--I'm back! And, six days after I dragged my sorry butt off a plane and through the ridiculousness of US CBP, I'm sort of feeling maybe a little human again. The tales woven during my adventures could literally take me all day to recount via text, so I'm not going to try. Here's the highlight reel: - Denmark is a pretty cool place. Copenhagen: officially recommended as destination. - AWESOME freakin' concert. 5 bands, 5 hours, and officially now my favorite live concert of all time. - The Mosel river valley is a great place to hang out, and doubly so if you're a wine fan. - Roman ruins = always fun, as proven by my visits to Bath, UK and now the Black Gate of Trier. - NERD MEETUP at Medieval Market in real medieval village! Image verification to follow, unless she beats me to it. - Driving in Germany is like driving in Boston, except the roads are half as wide, and occasionally there are in fact no speed limits. The good part is that despite eating nothing but delicious and sort-of-exotic restaurant fare for two weeks and pretty much being constantly dehydrated, I somehow managed to stay pretty much the same weight or lose a pound or two. The bad part is that there was really no room or opportunity to do much exercise except walking--oh, and my routines are totally borked. Which brings us to Narsil. --------------------------------------------- I need to rebuild my routines here and make sure that everything goes back to the way it was, so that I can resume my progress toward my ultimate goal of being ready for anything. For the first time in FOREVER, I'm actually going to make attending Kung Fu class part of my challenge goals. I've decided that it's time for me to add a new sword to my collection. It's been several years (not counting my pair of Chinese Dao--I do love them, but they're for a specific purpose and are outside of my historical European sword adoration) since I obtained one, and it's time. So, I'm going to be using challenges as a way to encourage myself to put money aside for this purpose. The foundation of any sword is the hilt. The foundation of progress is a solid underlying routine that can be built upon and extended to reach improvement. Therefore, the rebuilding of my routines is the hilt of shattered Narsil. Attend Kung Fu Class: Each Kung Fu and lightsaber class attended during these four weeks is worth $1 to my sword fund. Maximum: $16 (4/week) Bring Lunch to Work: Each day I bring lunch to work instead of buying something at the cafeteria is worth $1 to my sword fund. Maximum: $20 (5/week) Meditation (6 minute minimum): Each meditation session I do during these four weeks is worth $0.50 (max 1/day). Maximum: $14 (7/week) This brings me to $50 that I could potentially earn toward my new blade during this challenge. I haven't figured out exactly which one I want yet, but I'm narrowing down the field. I'm probably going to need $200-$300, so it's going to take a bit. I'll need to be patient. Glad to be back, and I hope everybody had a great two weeks! =)

I have been gone from the challenges and the forums for a while now. Life has been crazy. I respawned early in the year with a simple idea: eat healthy and incorporate movement into every day as much as possible. My goal was pretty big for a 30 year old lady with a desk job: lose almost 20 lbs to get down to the weight I was at 8 years ago before I started my undergrad. Today, I stepped on the scale and realised that my slow and steady, sustainable and maintainable approach had gotten me to my goal weight of 140 lbs! My challenges had gotten pretty boring for any NF readers, which is why I decided they were unnecessary. Generally success was measured in not going over my calorie deficit goal and making sure I walked at least an hour every day (often, due to an active an hectic summer, I got much more physical activity than that, but it was a good baseline). Today, I saw the results of my hard work: success!! But this is not the end of my journey, oh no. That was merely chapter 1. The next step is clear, I will need to up the ante and improve my overall fitness, especially my strength. This is a pretty awesome milestone, with lots of room to keep improving! Hopefully I will be on my way back to a Warrior's Guild near you in the near future to get back to strength training! Good luck to everyone else in crushing their health and fitness goals!!

"I won't give up, no I won't give in 'til I reach the end and then I'll start again. No I won't leave. I wanna try everything. I wanna try even though I could fail." I'm returning after a month hiatus for my next challenge. This song has sort of been my anthem for the past couple of weeks. It makes me smile and gets me pumped up too Here are my goals for this challenge. Goal #1 Physical Activity I would like to do some sort of physical activity at least 6 days a week. I know this sounds like a lot, but it could be as simple as a five minute walk. Out of these six days, at least two should be a little more difficult such as cardio or strength training. Goal #2 Healthy Eating/Meal Prep I would like to prep my lunches every Sunday for the week. As a teacher, I sometimes skip lunch, by cooking my meals for the week beforehand, I hope to prevent skipping lunch. My meals will include a protein and a vegetable. So I should be eating a veggie at least five times a week. Goal #3 Perseverance This is where the song comes in. Realistically, I will have days that I mess up on my goals. I'm really not trying to be pessimistic here, but it's likely that I will at times fall. The issue is when I fall, I beat myself up and get discouraged. When this happens, I'm going to listen to this song, and remind myself that I'm not giving up on myself. Like the song says - "Don't beat yourself up. Don't need to run so fast. Sometimes we come last, but we did our best." Goal #4 Look At The World With New Eyes Now I'm bringing Zootopia stuff in here *Some minor spoilers follow* One of my favorite scenes of the movie is when Judy gets on the train to Zootopia. The amazement on her face as she sees this large city for the first time gets me every time. I want to see the world differently - as a fantastic and beautiful place. So I'm going to search for something beautiful everyday. *End Minor Spoilers* In summary, I'm looking forward to this challenge. Now everyone sing with me "I won't give up no I won't give in 'til I reach the end and then I'll start again. No I won't leave. I wanna try everything. I wanna try even though I could fail. Oh oh oh oh oh Try everything!"

Hi everybody and welcome! This challenge is going to be similar to my last one, but with an added focus on healthy eating. I'll try to keep my previous goals running: · Sitting pauses -includes FF amongst other things. · Go out! -city, country, terrace. · Have fun! -acrobatics, jeet kune do and P1. · Side quest: small actions towards excellence -includes cleaning, pedagogical project, icelandic and Feldenkrais. And will add a Take care of yourself new goal, which will contain several parts: 1) Meditation. I've taken a break from it last challenge, but it'll do me good to come back to it. 2) Supplements. I take breaks every now and then, and this last one was a long one. These last weeks I've noticed several things that show I need them back. It is not a difficult thing to do, I just have to remember to take them. 3) Food. I'm going to take the gentle approach, and be positive. No forbidden foods, instead, will focus on points that help: · Protein in every meal. · Fat in every meal. Of different types. · No fruit at breakfast. The only exceptions accepted can be those that are less sweet like berries. · No home-made smoothies or ice creams unless they have avocados, coconut milk/butter or eggs in them. · Plenty of fermented, raw and cooked vegetables for gut health. · Never, ever, leave the table hungry. This drives to lots of trouble. · I won't push myself out of cravings by guilt. If I want something sweet in the afternoon or in the evening, I can have it, at least on the first stages of my plan, but I can't allow myself to feel guilty or bad about it. This is also a psychological battle and I know guilt drives to defeat. I'll let my body to regulate itself by doing all this above and will let the cravings disappear by themselves. The Untamed will be listened and taken into account. I don't want everything to be fixed right now. Changes in diet will develop themselves challenge after challenge. By now, these first two weeks (0&1) I am going to track whether I actually eat protein, fat and vegetables in every meal, how much fruit and fermented vegetables I consume, and whether I leave the table full or hungry (as I said, leaving the table hungry leads to much trouble). I will also track sugar and bread intake. I will pay special attention not to criticize myself for what I eat, whatever it is, and I will do my best to listen to and understand The Untamed. Week 0 will be taken easy anyway, because I must have eaten some spoiled food and thus my gut is definitively not ok since yesterday and I feel drained. So a few slower days won't hurt. This challenge will include at least a short trip to the coast, at the end of this week (no tenants in the appartment right now, so I'll be spending a few days there with my boyfriend, my brother and his girlfriend), and later -I hope- some camping, hiking or another type of short trip. So I'll try to meet my food goals but it won't be bad if I can't due to lack of options. Points: Sitting pauses 1DEX Go out! 1CON Have fun! 1STR 1DEX 1STA Excellence 1CHA 1WIS Meditation 2WIS Tracking food 0.5 WIS More points might be added later during the challenge for specific tasks regarding this goal. On your marks, get set... GO!

Balsquith doesn't give up My last challenge started strongly and ended not all that badly, but was under attack from life (and injuries) a lot which made it feel like a losing battle. Still it was, hopefully, a great learning experience and one which I can transfer almost directly into this challenge, as..... my goals will be the same! This feels a little bit like a cop-out, but I view all of these goals as core and if I can't get these down I don't want to distract myself by doing something else. So my goals are: Goal 1: Get up to my alarm Frequency - Daily Tactic - Set alarm sensibly to give 8 hours sleep Criteria - Out of bed within 5 minutes of alarm Bonus - Every 7 days on my chain unlocks something good (to be decided) Goal 2: Regular exercise Frequency - At least 3x per week Tactic - Go to gym to ask trainer about working around injuries Criteria - Any concerted effort counts as exercise Goal 3: Plant-based diet Frequency - Daily Tactic - Ensure breakfast fulfils criteria to ease the blow of life getting in the way later Criteria - At least 50% of meals must be heavy on vegetables Goal 4: Useable German Criteria - Acrue 14 points a week (30 minutes study = 1pt, courage to speak to someone = 3pts)

I've been on this health/fitness journey for exactly two years now. Over the last few months I've kept up with things, but I haven't really been challenging myself very much. My big overarching goal when I started two years ago was to feel better and to be able to do more. Not very specific I know, but I succeeded! Far beyond what I thought I could do. Even though I knew I wasn't where I wanted to be I stopped trying so hard. I've kept up with things enough that I haven't lost any ground in fact I've lost a few more pounds. Reading other peoples threads and peelout asking me what my goals were forced me to step back and realize that I've stopped making any real forward progress because I didn't know where I was going. So I sat down and determined what my new goals were and this time I was specific. I purposely did not make any weight goals. I believe that as I work toward my goals the weight will naturally take care of itself. I still don't want to take on too much at once, because I want to create habits. I sat down and made a list of six healthy eating changes and six exercise habits that I think will help me reach my goals. For the rest of the year I will tackle one healthy eating change and one exercise habit in a challenge. Every third challenge I will work on maintaining the habits from the previous months but will not add any new ones. That is how I started two years ago and it worked really well. Usually after a couple of months there will be at least one habit that needs a little more work and this way I have time to work on it, instead of trying to add new habits on top of unstable ground. Quest 1: I still want to exercise every day and I can still employ placeholder workouts as needed. My elbow is not healed yet so I'm keeping the type of exercise open for the most part. One workout a week however, MUST be a run or a run/walk depending on the distance. Measurement: A = 26-28 workouts and 4 runs, B = 23-25 workouts and 3 runs, C = 20-22 workouts and 2 runs, D = 17-19 workouts and 1 run Quest 2: Several years ago I did the Weight Watchers Core program. There was a "core" list of foods that you could eat as much as you wanted and everything else required "points". There were certainly problems with it (too much fat free and artificially sweetened) but I have honestly never felt as good as I felt when I ate that way. The majority of the core foods were fruits, veggies, lean meats, fat free dairy, eggs, and whole "intact" grains. I'm going to do a little experimenting with my diet but I know that this general framework works well for me. I've tried going back to this before, but I haven't been able to maintain it. I think it was partly because I was trying to change everything at once and partly because, without the "points", I didn't have a firm limit for eating outside the plan. This time I'm starting with eliminating bread instead of going cold turkey. I'm also borrowing the term "variance" from Tank and I'm allowing myself 2 variances a week. Bread includes bread, rolls, buns, tortillas, cake, pie and cookies; essentially anything baked and made with any kind of flour. I actually am making some other changes to my diet right now, but none of the others are "required". If I fall off the wagon with them there is no guilt and it has no effect on the challenge. If I succeed, YAY! And I'll probably need to rework my plans for later challenges. Measurement: A = 8 or less variances, B = 9 variances, C = 10 variance, D = 11 variances Quest 3: I'm sticking with the 10,000 step average a week. Later on I'll probably increase the amount of steps but I'm definitely sticking with averaging the steps over the week. Measurement: A = Average 10,000 steps all 4 weeks, B = Avg 10,000 for 3 weeks, D = Avg 10,000 for 2 weeks Life Quest: Every time I get groceries I have great plans to eat lots and lots of produce, so I buy lots and lots of produce. Sometimes it works out well and I use most of it. Other times it doesn't work so well and I end up throwing a lot of it away. Sometimes it doesn't work at all and I might as well have set fire to the money I spent for all the good it does me. So for this quest I'm going to throw out no more than 10% of the produce I buy. This is a tough one to measure. I decided to make a note of each of the different types of fruit and veggies I buy and then decide how much of each type I throw away. For example let's say I bought 10 different types of fruits and veggies. Then I threw away half the broccoli, a quarter of the lettuce and all of the oranges. That would mean I threw out 17.5% of the produce. It's not exact by any means, but it's the easiest way to track it that I can come up with. Freezing stuff (if it's freeezable) before it goes bad is allowed. That may lead to another quest down the road where I have to eat the stuff I froze, but that's a worry for another day. Measurement: A = Throw out 10% or less of the produce I buy, B = Throw out 10.1%-20% of the produce I buy, C = Throw out 20.1%-30% of the produce I buy, D = Throw out 30.1% - 40% of the produce I buy

So, the goal of my last challenge was to start recovering my right shoulder while working on Cardio. Well, here's what I have been doing for shoulder: Lots of stretching Rear Delt work. Standing L laterals Seated L Laterals. I'll add more rotator cuff work as I get stronger but generally, super light weight is best. It helps target the desired muscle group. Heavy weight begins to recruit the larger muscles and they don't need work. I got my bike back from the shop last week so I'm good to go for cardio. I'm going to take it easy and slowly work up the weights on most lifts. The major focus is really delts and mostly rear delts and rotator cuffs. If these are strong, everything else should start working. AND, shoulder is behaving for Cello again. YAY!!

I realize today is the first day, but I am still ironing things out. Regardless, I will be here and I am going to do whatever it takes to get back onto the health train. More to come!

Main Goals: Weight Loss, Increased Flexibility, Best. Ass. Ever. Challenge One (continued from previous) - Food Prep: I will make 3 Crock Pot meals and freeze into lunch portions at the beginning of the Month. I will prep fruit/veggies ahead of time to make packing a healthy lunch easier. Last Challenge I actually pre-prepped TOO MUCH food, and it was a scramble to eat things before they went bad. On the other hand, there was a lack of easy breakfast food. Breakfast options to be determined and prepped. Challenge Two - Muscle Building: Glutes and Pecs! Pecs, you say? Why does a busty gal like me need pecs? Well because they hold up boobs, duh! I will kick gravity's ass...Also, I'd like a nice round booty, so lots of squats in my future. Need to research more exercises that work pecs, and increase my push-ups. I used to be able to do 3 sets of 10 regular push-ups, now it's more like 1 set of 10 knee push-ups! Ugh. Hate lost progress! My Tues/Thurs workouts at the office gym will focus on these areas, plus my other usual stuff, plus I will do at least 10 squats and 5 push-ups per day at home on my non-gym days. So, good ol' T&A for this Challenge Challenge Three - Flexibility: Yoga! Swimming! Primal Movement! Been spending too much time in the gym and on the couch, and not enough time doing REAL things. I've built some muscle (I can feel it under the squish), but now I have decreased movement! Ooops! So more stretching, more twisty pretzel yoga poses, more hiking/climbing/crawling/walking, and more swimming. I went swimming yesterday and I've got nicely sore muscles all over. I love how you find muscles you forgot you had when you go swimming I will go hiking and/or swimming at least once a week. Personal Challenge: Get move involved in the NF Community by reciprocating all the support I've been getting. I'm going to try to follow the challenges of my regular followers more. I won't be able to jump right in and read EVERYTHING, because some people already have 3-4 pages!!!! (omg! TL;DR!!!), but I will keep up with the updates, if not the replies. Now that I'm done the super exciting can't-put-this-book-down series I've been reading for the last two months, I can return to the real world a bit more and actually interact with human beings again. I might even try to get a Vancouver Meetup going, though there's only been one successful one that I know of.

So, Feb. 2 was Imbolc, which is a holiday that celebrates the growing strength of the sun (after Yule, which is the shortest day of the year) and the first "milk" of the coming spring (when ewes and goats have their first young). This is a special holiday for Brigid (equivalent to the Christian St. Bridgette), who is a poet, healer, and blacksmith (and also the inventor of beer). Hence, the title for the quest - I worked my goals into a ritual to give myself a bit more motivation and strength for this challenge. Here are my goals for this challenge: Part 1: Physical Health (76 points) Exercising 5 days/week - Walking, belly dancing, or weight lifting, for at least a half hour.Tracking my caloric intake every day and keep within the limit set with my doctor (1,800 cal/day) - I will also refrain from snacking, except between lunch and dinner, and only drink alcohol socially.Taking my meds - Morning pill every day.Part 2: Spiritual/Mental Health (48 points) Meditating 5 times per weekGetting to bed by 11pm on weekday nights (except Tuesday, which is gaming night)Committing to spiritual study 2 hours per week - My special goal as part of this is to commune with a tree, according to my lessonsRead one book from year-long book challenge - I am going to read a book written by a former coworker of mine, as she will be in town for an author event on Feb. 16. I think her book will fall under a book published this year (or, in the last 12 months, anyway).Part 3: Financial Health (8 points) Planning my expenses and tracking free money for each pay period - I am still struggling with this. I plan my budget, but do not stick to it, hardly ever. That is what I really need to work on.52 week challenge - For this month, that is $5 for Week 1 (5th week of the year), $6 for Week 2, $7 for Week 3, and $8 for Week 4

The end of 2015 and the beginning of 2016 were very trying. The overload of emotional stress was overwhelming, and it took a lot to dig myself back out of the hole I was sitting in. I haven't quite reached the top yet, but I am getting closer to the opening. I am so happy to be jumping back into the challenge routine. I am keeping things very simple, but effective. Quest One: Eat Three Balanced Meals Every Day I'm really terrible at making sure I eat a breakfast and a lunch. I usually end up either not having breakfast and going right to lunch, or I eat a very late breakfast (brunch?) which means I skip lunch. By dinner time, I'm starving. This goes hand in hand, in my opinion, to making sure you're eating the right amount of calories/fat/sugar/etc. If you're not eating, you're not getting the amount your body needs, which doesn't help in the health and nutrition field. Did I have a breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day during the challenge? Yes or No Quest Two: Drink 8 Glasses of Water Every Day I had gone almost 300 days without drinking Soda until the second week of December 2015. I drank a total of five sodas, and I regretted it afterward. I felt so sick since I had not had any soda for so long. Needless to say, I have been successfully cruising along the No Soda road since then. However, I am not drinking nearly enough water, or I am trying to cram all glasses at one time in the evening. This should not be difficult because water = feeling good, no headaches, and no body aches. Among other healthy positives of course! Did I drink 8 glasses of water every day during the challenge? Yes or No Quest Three: Yoga for 10-20 Minutes I feel off my yoga train as well, which is very sad. I keep saying that I am going to get back into the routine, but I need to push myself to do it. I have been doing a lot of re-reading in the Academy, and I want to make this commitment to myself. I want to show myself that I am worth those few minutes every day. Even if it's every other day, I am allowed to take that time for myself to work on a better lifestyle. Did I do 10-20 minutes of Yoga for, at least, three days a week during the challenge? Yes or No Quest Four: 15 Minute Sketching To work on leveling up my life, I am going to take 15 minutes every day to sketch something. It does not have to be perfect or complete, but something will have to be on the paper. It can be anything! Rather than continuing to say I need to get back into drawing and art, I will do it.

Hello Adventurers! I'm fairly new to Nerd Fitness and looking to start a challenge (plus make some friends while doing this). For Christmas I received a Fitbit, so some of my goals below will be easier to track with it. BTW, here's to a new year... Goal #1 (Diet) - Have a salad, fruit, or veggie each day. Goal #2 (Diet) - Cook one healthy meal at home per week. Goal #3 (Fitness) - Walk 5k steps per weekday and 8k on weekend days. One day my goal will be 10k steps. Goal #4 (LUYL) - Get at least 7 hours of sleep each night. Eventually the goal will be 8 hours of sleep, but I barely get 6 or 7 now. To follow along with my progress, please click here. Points (out of 104): Goal #1 - 1 point per day completed (max. 28) Goal #2 - 5 points per week if a meal is made (max. 20) Goal #3 - 1 point per day completed (max. 28) Goal #4 - 1 point per day completed (max. 28) A = >92 B = 92-83 C = 82-72 D = 71-62 F = <62

So I thought about it means to be a successful assassin and found it covers many things. Endurance, strength, stamina and dexterity are obvious, but things like stealth and adaptability are also important. I decided to give myself a basic fitness test (no judgement, just want to know where I am starting) and as a result, I have determined the following goals. My first goal will focus on stamina. If the Zombie Hoards start coming, I need to be able to get away quickly and regroup. I want to be able to run (not walk or jog) a whole mile. If I manage to do this before the 4 weeks are up, I will work on improving my time. I would like to do this 5-7 times a week if possible. Week 1 run at least .25 of a mile walk/jog the restWeek 2 run at least .5 of a mile walk/jog the restWeek 3 run at least .75 of a mile, walk/jog the restWeek 4 run full mile= 3(STA) = 2.25(STA) = 1.5(STA) = .75 (STA)Next I need to work on my body strength and dexterity. If I need to climb the side of a mountain or navigate treacherous terrain after taking out the evil warlord, I need to be able to move. I worked with my physical therapist (dealing with a back injury) and developed the following workout. 3 Sets (Every morning for stretching) Trunk Rotation 10 times Bridge 10 times Spinal stretch, Hold for 15 seconds 3 times both sides Dog to Camel pose 10 timesKnee Planks, Work up to 2 min each setQuadriceps Stretch, Hold for 15 seconds 3 times both sides2 Sets Heal lifted squats with 16lb weight 10 times Over-the-Head weights with 10lbs 10 timesLateral shoulder raise with 8lbs 10 timesBoxers, 10 each side, 3lbsCurls with 8lbs 10 times= 5 days a week = 3(STR) & 3(DEX) = 4 days a week = 2.25(STR) & 2.25(DEX) = 3 days a week = 1.5(STR) & 1.5(DEX) = 2 Days a week = .75(STR) & .75(DEX)Let's face it, if my diet sucks, I won't be able to accomplish any of my physical challenges so I must take on the task of "Fruit (and Veggie) Ninja". I need to eat a total of at least 3 servings of fruits and veggies every day. (not to be confused with 3 servings of each, every day) = 6 days a week for both = 2(CON) = 5 days a week for both = 1.5(CON) = 4 days a week for both = 1(CON) = 3 days a week for both = .5(CON)Finally, what good is an assassin if they are only limited to basic English?! A truly successful assassin can travel and if necessary help our allies, so towards that end I will teach myself French. = 1 hour 6 days a week = 2(WIS) & 2(CHA) = 1 hour 5 days a week = 1.5(WIS) & 1.5(CHA) = 1 hour 4 days a week = 1(WIS) & 1(CHA) = 1 hour 3 days a week = .5(WIS) & .5(CHA)

Hello Druids! My name is Noor and I am a halfling assassin who was cursed into the form of a stone giant by fae magic. If you take a look at past challenges, there are many bits and pieces of story there cataloging my quest to regain control of my body and mind from this curse, which is a metaphor for mental illness, hormonal imbalance, and the stresses and struggles of being a fat pansexual genderqueer professional in modern America. I come to the druids because I am seeking balance and centering after months of rapid change and high stress. I am in the process of completing my doctorate in psychology and my internship year is the first time I have been working full time since I left the workforce 5 years ago. I am also commuting over an hour each way, so taking care of my body and finding work-life balance has to be a huge priority. so yeah, that's me, doing my best to live a values-driven life in a mad and mixed up hectic world. ​ Goal 1: Yoga and Stretching. My body has become stiff, calcified by the necessary evils of a commuter's life. I have worked and worked over my time at NF to build exercise into my routine and pretty much every challenge I have gotten hurt, or aggravated my back. Instead, I am holding off until I can get in to see a physical therapist and build a routine under supervision. Instead, I am going ot focus on flexibility and core strength through low or no impact exercises and regular stretching. My goal is to do 15 minutes of core strength work 3 days/week, and at least 10 minutes of yoga every day. CORE (+3 STR) 15 or more days; (+2STR) 12 or more days; (+1 STR) 6 or more days YOGA (+3 DEX) 35 or more days; (+2DEX) 28 or more days; (+1DEX) 14 or more days Goal 2: Diet and Nutrition. I want to lose weight. I am tired of carrying this burden and I want to have a long healthy life. I can't really articulate my long and complicated relationship with food here, but it suffices to say I have an eating disorder that I have fought with since college and one of the best ways for me to manage food is to focus on eating appropriate quantities of healthy food that I enjoy. In my case that means generally a higher protein PaleoPrimal plan. IN order to make sure I am consistently eating the right amounts of food and staying in balance there, I will track food daily. TRACKING (+3 CON) 35 or more days; (+2 CON) 28 or more days; (+1CON) 14 or more days Goal 3: Sleep. My sleep cycle is getting dysregulated and I am not prioritizing my wellbeing over video games, media and social time. I have a long commute to work every day and I have to be up at 5am. That means bedtime is at 10 PM. That's lights out, in bed dozing off at 10pm. I get a break on weekends, no curfew on gaming nights, and shoot for midnight on the non-gaming day BED ON TIME (+3 STA) 27 or more days; (+2 STA) 20 or more days; (+1STA) 10 or more days Goal 4: Writing. I am completing NaNoWriMo this month. I have been struggling to prioritize creative things and to give myself more outlets in my life to be imaginative as I find that to be very renewing and important for my self care. I have always wanted to be a writer since I was little and have written tons of short stories, poems nad even longer pieces but never managed to complete a novel. Hopefully this will push me to do so. I am making a goal to write for at least 15 minutes a day. NaNoWriMo (+3 WIS) 35 or more days; (+2 WIS) 28 or more days; (+1WIS) 14 or more days

If Bob says we can fix it, then it must be true! Near the end of the last challenge, I had an apparently spectacular collision in hockey (I was in the air, so I couldn't really tell), and as a result I now have a separated shoulder (thankfully it wasn't my head or neck). The main focus of this challenge will be rehabbing that injury. My overall goal from the rehab is for it to be as if the injury never happened, or as close as is possible. My physio seems to think that's a real possibility, but that it'll take somewhere around 10 weeks to get to that point. Which means this challenge won't see me succeeding at that particular goal, but it'll get me a good way towards it. Goal #1 - Do All the Physio! For now I'm just doing passive range of motion exercises 3-4x/day, and I have so far succeeded with this. When I start on the strengthening exercises, this goal will be for me to do what I'm told, and to do it the number of times per day that I've been told to do it. That is all, but the exact nature of what I will be doing and how long it will take will change as my recovery progresses. Grade A - do it all, as much as I'm supposed to Grade B - miss one session on one day (in a given week) Grade C - miss one session on two days (in a given week) Grade F - miss more than one session on one day, or miss one session on more than two days (in a given week) Goal #2 - Bedtime/Get Up Time I'm not good at going to bed when I should, nor am I good at getting out of bed when my alarm goes off. So this goal is to do just that: in bed and electronics off by midnight on weekdays, and 1am on weekends (I'm allowed to read a magazine or a short story after this time, to help me drift off); and laze no more than 5 minutes after my alarm goes off (I'm allowing the 5 minutes until I'm able to sleep on my side. Sleeping on my back because of my shoulder has led to some back pain in the mornings, and lying on my side for a bit seems to relieve that. But once I'm able to sleep on my side again, no lazing!) Grade A - miss no bedtimes and no get up times Grade B - miss one bedtime and one get up time in a week Grade C - miss two bedtimes and two get up times in a week Grade F - miss more than two bedtimes and two get up times in a week Goal #3 - Stretch All the Things! This is only for stretching not included in the physio. I've got a lot of tightness in many places, and since my injury I've let that fall by the wayside (at first, I was legit in too much pain to do anything but lay on the couch, but it's not that bad any more, so now I'm just being lazy). I'm not a fan of stretching, but it really does make me feel better. There are a lot of upper body things that will be difficult with the shoulder, but I'll do what I can. There's no reason for me not to do all the usual lower body stuff. Grade A - stretch every day of the week Grade B - miss one day Grade C - miss two days Grade F - miss more than two days Goal #4 - Eat Well + Track This is especially important with me being less active than normal. It's also important considering that I've been going for easy food rather than healthy food ever since the injury (doing stuff in front of me, such as chopping things on a counter, is still fairly painful, especially if it takes some time). To help me keep honest, I'd like to get back to tracking what I eat using My Fitness Pal. I've had some success with that in the past, though it doesn't come naturally to me and I don't enjoy doing it. I'm shooting for around 1600kcal/day, though I think until I'm a bit more active, less would be better. I have my goals set in MFP to generally go along with the ideas behind IIFYM, and will do my best to stick to it. Just in general, I also want to cut down on the amount of breakfast take out I eat. I don't eat too terribly when I do, but my bank account could use the break, and I'm certain I can eat better if I make my own. To this end, I'm going to try to do the overnight oats thing, which I've done before and it was ok. I also want to batch cook (especially in the crock pot) on Sundays for my lunches through the week. This might take some financial finagling, but I want at least give it a go on a regular basis. Grade A - track all days of the week Grade B - miss one day of tracking Grade C - miss two days of tracking Grade F - miss more than 2 days of tracking Note: I'm ok with not tracking all my dinners. I often do not make my own dinners, I will try to track when I can, but my parents don't often follow a recipe, they just throw stuff in a pan and voila! dinner! So as long as I'm trying to track my dinner, I'm ok with it not being exact. Goal #5 - Saving for Things 'n Stuff I got away from putting money into my savings account and savings jar a while back, mainly because I was broke as all get out and had nothing left over for either. I seem to have gotten a handle on this whole 'money' thing a bit, and am feeling a bit more secure financially (for the record, I'm not always broke, but for some reason September, and to a lesser extent October, are always really tight in the finance department. I used to think it was because I was going back to school, so working less, buying books, etc., but even after I graduated, the pattern continued, so I dunno...) I have a savings account, into which I would like to put $50/paycheque. The intention of this account is to have a sum of money available when I need a big purchase (like a car) at some point in the future. I also have a savings jar, into which I'd like to put $20/paycheque. The intention of this is for smaller items I wish for but can't otherwise afford. In this case, a fuzzy sweater hoddie thing which I don't really need but I want, and after that, a PS4. Of the two, the $20 one will be the one that gets skipped if things get a bit tight, but I will do my best to not let this slide. Grade A - save both amounts 4 times in the challenge (the next paycheque occurs the Friday before the challenge starts, but I'm counting it anyway) Grade B - miss one of the amounts one time Grade C - miss one of the amounts two times, or both amounts one time Grade F - miss one of the amounts more than two times, or both amounts more than one time Note: this is a challenge-long goal, so I probably won't grade it as I go like with the others, but I will note when things have been saved, and give myself a grade at the end. Non-Goal Goal I haven't been running since I did my shoulder, because jostling+arm swinging=ouch. I need to get back to this as soon as is possible, but I also don't want to overdo it on the shoulder. I want to give it a try the weekend before the official challenge start (if everything is feeling ok) and see how it goes. If it seems ok, I'll put running 3x/week in there, with the priority being just under the physio (ie. if I'm forced to choose between physio and running, I will choose physio, but that's the only thing to trump the running). This isn't an official goal because I have no idea how the first run will go (part of me thinks I'm being a rather overambitious), and if it'll be something I'm able to keep up just yet. Until I'm able to run regularly, I want to get out for a walk every day after work (and whenever on weekends). I'll take my dog with me, since I feel less weird walking around with a dog than I do walking around by myself (when I don't have a destination), and it'll probably be mostly at or after dusk, and having a dog in the dark is never a bad idea.

What’s This? What’s This? There’s Yoga Everywhere! What’s This? There’s Smiling in the Air! Hello and welcome to RoseofMay’s third six week challenge! In saying goodbye to Halloween, we begin to approach one of my other favorite holidays: Christmas! What better way to work through this new challenge than with some help from some of the friendly folk of Halloween Town? In this challenge, I am going to continue working with yoga practices, sharpening my food habits, reminding myself of the good times, and simplifying my day with a little practice of time management. Quest One: Sally I am going to be looking for yoga routines that engage your core. I’m certain that nearly every routine and pose does that, but I want to focus on strengthening that area. In addition, I want to work on breathing and finding my center. My goal is to do 15 minutes of core strength work 3 days/week, and 5 minutes of stretching and breathing exercises every day. Quest Two: Lock, Shock, and Barrel...or Calories, Sugars, and Fats I am determined to get into the good habit of keeping track of my food. I also want to put forth the effort to keep an eye on my sugar and fat intake. Staying within my caloric intake is important, but I noticed that despite coming in under that number, things such as sugar and fat would go overboard. Sugar more than anything else. That said, I am going to work to be mindful of the amount sugar things have, good sugars vs bad sugars, healthy fats, and looking for filling foods that will help me feel satisfied rather than hungry an hour later. Calories/Day: Sugar/Day: Fat/Day: Quest Three: Jack Skellington As the weather is growing colder, it means that moods will begin to decline in our house. I have decided to use one of my goals to make sure that I help not only myself, but my Mom. We will take the time every day to make a list of 5 things that make us happy. We will keep them tucked away in a special notebook so that whenever we are feeling down, we can refer to it. I think in doing the above, we will be able to see that there are so many things for us to be happy about should we be having a less than stellar day. Life Quest: The Mayor I need to work on my time management. I know that I could be accomplishing a lot of things if I managed my time better. Stop procrastinating until the last minute for things like projects, dinner, phone calls, cleaning...etc. Get it done early and not worry about it later. Doing this with everyday life will just help make everything go smoother. To accomplish this, I am going to make daily to-do lists along with a weekly to-do list. Instead of trying to narrow down a concrete routine, knowing what I should be accomplishing on a daily and weekly basis will help me prioritize my time. This includes time for myself!

Going to use this space to keep up with my goals during the winter break. Please follow along if you'd like or just drop in to say hello from time to time.

Cutebug's Survival Skills Challenge! During the last challenge, I made amazing progress in strength training. 12 weeks ago I started to go to the gym for the first time in YEARS, 7 weeks ago I started going to the gym twice a week. I posted my progress from beginning to end: Squat is up by 15 lbs Deadlift is up by 15 lbs Wall Sit variable, but up 20 seconds at its best. Hang from pull-up bar up 5 seconds I started barbell rows and renegade rows, instead of the bent over dumbbell rows I started with. Punches went from 140/min with 3 lb dumbbells to 101/40sec with 8lb dumbells. I had a great challenge, did all the Feats from the optional mini challenges, and also did the extra Rangering Skills from Rangers Gonna Ranger. It was pretty epic. The major stumbling block? I got nowhere nearer my overall goal of losing weight. During the last challenge, I lost NO weight at all. That will be my focus for this new challenge. I've named it Survival Skills because every single little thing is more difficult when you're carrying around extra weight. Being a healthy weight helps you live better in every way. It makes life easier. It makes tying your shoes easier! Walking, running, climbing, pushing, pulling, squatting.... EVERYTHING. So why not make my life easier and be able to do more things? Let's DO this thing! Here's my "before" (which is actually a before, during, AND after, depending on how you look at it) I'm around 195lbs, I guess: Here is me riding a unicorn at Ikea, oh yeah, and it's also my "for now" goal weight (around 180lbs?): Longer Term Goal (about 160lbs): And EVENTUAL loooong term goal is 145lbs, and then re-assess. If I'm super muscly and strong, then 145 is probably juuuuust right, even if I'd still a little squishy in some areas. As long as I am strong and feel healthy and can tie my shoes without having to hold my breath, I'd good SO, on to GOALS for this Challenge! GOAL 1: Stop Eating Garbage! Keep the Fridge Stocked! Take Lunch to Work! When I make a home-cooked meal, it's more often than not very healthy. Piles of vegetables and a lean meat. I stopped buying potatoes and now only have sweet potatoes and squashes in the house. I eat mainly paleo-ish home cooked meals. It's when I eat out, order in, or have snacks that I fail miserably. I know how to cook, I am good at cooking, I have someone to cook for that loves my healthy cooking, so WHY am I still eating crap? Because it's yummy and I lack willpower. To Do: I will review Steve's article about Willpower. I will keep the fridge stocked with healthy food. I will not go shopping while hungry. I will not order in for lunch. I will pack my lunch. I DON'T EAT CRAP. GOAL 2: I will stay accountable to myself, my NF community, and my Facebook Friends, by weighing in weekly and measuring myself weekly. Photos monthly. I have never done the measurements before. I always went by the scale and my clothing. Clothing can be a good indicator of fat loss, but because I was so uncomfortable in my old clothes, I bought lots of big, stretchy things to live in. All the clothes I would *like* to fit into are for the 160lb me, not the 195 or 185lb me. So now it's about measurements and photos. Photos were SUPER helpful last time I lost 30 pounds. I could SEE the difference and it encouraged me immensely. To Do: Take measurements and photos on Monday, September 14th. Take measurements weekly thereafter; take photos monthly thereafter. Post to Thread and Facebook. Record all information in Excel for easy reference. GOAL 3: Focus on Primal Workouts to target certain goals - Core strength, grip strength, Pull/Push & lower body, Cardio/Endurance (Rangering FTW) Core is SO important and EVERYONE should ALWAYS be focused on this. I will be exploring any and all core strength exercises that aren't sit-ups and crunches. I'm LOVING my hanging knee raises. My abs HURT after just a few. Plus that exercise helps with grip AND pull. Yipee! To Do: Steering Wheels with plates, Rolling Bridges, planks, deadlifts... After *FINALLY* getting to try out deadlifting after hearing Steve go on about how great it is, I found out that I really like it too, but I have one thing holding me back: Grip Strength. My hands are weak and I need to improve that to excel in other areas. To Do: Pick up heavy things, climb stuff, pull, carry, crush, pinch, claw grip, drag, wrench, extend... Continue working on Pull-Up training and get back to push-ups. Do more Deadlifts and Squats, but focus more on form than weight with squats. Do the Squat Challenge (get up to 30 mins flat-footed squatting per day). To Do: Bent Over Barbell Rows, Bent Over dumbbell Rows, Deadlifts, Bodyweight Squats, barbell Squats, Holding Flat-Footed Resting Squat, Hanging From Pull-Up Bar, Knee Raises, Dips I always slack a bit on cardio in the fall and winter, because despite living in a temperate rain forest my entire life, I dislike rain. I WILL get out hiking as much as I can, but I will also be adding in indoor swimming and Muay Thai training. A coworker convinced me to purchase gloves and he got some pads. He's going to teach me Muay Thai boxing. I'd love to get a punching bag at some point, but for now I will just hit my coworker To Do: Swimming (let's say every 2 weeks), Muay Thai Training 1-2x per week, hiking 2-4x per month. Personal Goals: 1. Crafting, Creating and Building Combine Art and Ranger Skills - Build with clay and cement. Learn soldering. Whittle, Sand. Leather embossing. Create art from found objects/ nature. Conduct experiments - growing crystals. 2. Sell my Creations Open Etsy Store, research local artisan markets, place ads on CL. Sell paintings, ring dishes, candle holders, earring racks, doily bowls, and other creations. Use profits to purchase more supplies and continue creating and selling.

Hi there! I've been lurking on Nerd Fitness since about March, and I finally decided to actually join up instead of just lurking. I've been sorta working out, sorta healthy for a few years. I've been running for years - first with my Dad, now on my own - and it's something I love to do. I added strength training in a year ago - both bodyweight and kettlebell, and occasionally my Dad's borrowed dumbells - to work out, and I love it. I also love food, but I grew up in a family that didn't really cook at all. I've improved my cooking skills throughout University, and now that I'm living on my own for college without access to a full stove [i have a convection oven & a hot plate], I'm struggling to make healthy meals again. My biggest struggles right now are keeping a consistent eating schedule as well as healthy habits, and continuing to work on strength. The majority of my classes fall right on lunch or dinner, so by the time I get home, I'm starving. Small changes are the way to go, so I'm collecting slow-cooker and prep-ahead recipes to start trying so that I have something healthy to eat when I get home. As for workouts, the struggle comes now it being harder to get access to heavier weights - the school gym is expensive, so until I get a job, I'm unfortunately out of luck buying the membership. But I'm not giving up - this is just another bump in the adventure.

I KNOW YOU KNOW I've been away for a while and have no idea where I left off with levels and whatnot. That all got hosed up somewhere along the line, so I'm just gonna start from scratch. I've usually been an Assassin, but thought I'd come back to the Scouts for a bit because I've got a good running goal. My long-term goal is to weigh what I weighed in high school when everyone made me feel fat, but I really wasn't. Psych is on my mind right now, so Psych is my theme for this challenge. "I had a killer workout this morning." (Shawn Gets the Yips) Shawn isn't known for working out, but he and Gus do run - both toward and away from criminals. I had a recent back injury, but I still want to run the Monster 5K on October 17th, and the Santa Hustle 5K in December. To do this I need to proceed with my Zombies, Run! 5K training program. I ran on Sunday - longest run was 7 minutes - and felt pretty good, so I think I'm okay to proceed so long as I don't try to overextend, which is what I think screwed up my back three weeks ago. Finish 5K program and run Monster 5K (in costume) = STA 3 "I made Jerk Chicken Apology Nachos." (Santabarbaratown 2: Lethal Weapon 5) While I won't be making Shawn's nachos (though they do look delicious), I would like to be making more of my own food and rely less on prepackaged or cafeteria foods. I made a sort of asian stir fry thing with cabbage, water chestnuts, baby corn, green beans and some chicken, all in a nice Teriyaki sauce. I made it up on the fly but it turned out to be quite tasty, and I also put together a couple jars of salad for work. I plan to do more creative meals for home and work throughout the challenge. Bring my own healthy, homemade lunches to work at least 4 days per week = CON 3 "I dazzle. And I stretch!" (9 Lives) Even if I'm not pretending to channeling a cat who is channeling a murdered actress, I need to dazzle and stretch just like Shawn. Thrice weekly, I plan to do a dazzling Stretching and Flexibility workout to get my whole body, and especially my back, in better shape and more flexible. Three stretching workouts per week = DEX 3, STR 2 "I'm also writing a book... I'm on page three so I should be done by Friday." (Psych: The Musical) I'm not writing a book. However I am writing some fan fiction episodes for Psych's Virtual Season 9 - thus my theme. I need to finish the first draft of my solo story - Tag, You're Dead - by the end of this challenge. 25,000 to 35,000 words is the length I'm aiming for. I have an outline but so far no actual story words, so it's time to get going. This one is my 'Life Quest'. Write at least 25K on Tag, You're Dead = CHA 2, WIS 2

Main Goal: Finish a 2nd challenge. Subgoals: 1. Bodyweight workout 3x a week I already know I have to keep my right arm out of the mix. I also know that I don't want to work just my left arm and risk creating more of an imbalance than I'm already going to have by the time its partner is finally healed. Ergo, the following: Focus on what I can do, sans my arms - squats, lunges, calf raises, flutter kicks, bicycle/regular sit-ups, V-ups, leg holdsTrack progressRecord progress on Fitocracy and NF 6WC threadScoring: Every workout for the week tracked and recorded = 3 pts -1pt every workout not tracked and recorded 2. Walk, Jog, Run x5 a week I *really* miss my spin class, but I need to focus on getting back into running. Walk, jog, or run 5 days a week (hashing does not count, because that's just weekend fun)Track progressRecord progress on Fitocracy and NF 6WC thread Scoring: Every walk, jog, and run for the week tracked and recorded = 5 pts -1pt every walk, jog, run not performed, or tracked and recorded 3. Food choices x7 a week I was doing exceptionally well at this last challenge, and I would really like to continue the momentum. It feels especially important since I'm still being held back by (yet another) injury. Stay at or under 1500 calories a dayTrack daily intake on MFP and NF 6WC threadScoring: Every day caloric goal is met = 1 pt Every food choice for the week tracked and recorded = 7 pts -1pt every day caloric goal exceeded -1pt every food choice not tracked and recorded Total # of points possible: 132 pts Total # of points currently: 0 Total Points ************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************Beginning Stats: Mid-6WC Stats: Final Stats: Weight: Lbs Weight: Lbs Weight: Lbs Waist: in. Waist: in. Waist: in. Arms: Arms: Arms: - R: in. - L: in. - R: in. - L: in. - R: in. - L: in. Thighs: Thighs: Thighs: - R: in. - L: in. - R: in. - L: in. - R: in. - L: in. ************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************ As an ardent Skyrim fan (and always a Khajit), I have determined that the theme to this challenge is going to be completing the Blessings of Nature quest, due to the restorative/healing theme. I'm going to split this quest up into 3 two-week mini-quest lines. Orphan Rock In it the quest, the player must revive the divine Gildergreen tree in Whiterun by first locating and retreiving Nettlebane, a knife capable of cutting the parent Eldergleam tree and obtaining its healing sap. Nettlebane is currently in the possession of the Orphan Rock hagraven; a particularly nasty creature who has no intention of giving up her treasure. Week 1: Travel to Orphan Rock SG 1 - 0 pts (Total # Possible: 3)SG 2 - 0 pts (Total # Possible: 5)SG 3 - 7 pts (Total # Possible: 14) Total - 7 pts (Total # Possible: 22) Comments: Luck was not with Evicious as she set along the road on her quest. Wolves plagued her journey; cold, rainy nights were followed by heavy, humid days; any game she might have sought seemed to have fled from the scent of the wolves on her heels, or else stayed sheltered in secret places far from the beaten path. The only other creatures she encountered were a few stone-eyed hunters just as hungry as she, and some rogue bandits splintered off from their mobs seeking road-worn marks. She was shot in the shoulder during one such an encounter. A pair of fur-clad thugs surprised her at a bend, no doubt assuming that a lone khajit would add an exotic appeal to their current wardrobe. But the archer of the pair was a poor shot and missed all her vital organs, in spite of having the element of surprise. Evicious gutted his partner before he had even stepped from the shadows; a short chase through the trees and the archer also met her daggers, greeted by their red smile beneath his scruffy chin. It was, perhaps, the first bit of luck she had had thus far - but the price was piercing, and the pain of it drained her. Stubbornly, she managed to stumble through the long dark of her injury to Orphan Rock. There, she had her second helping of luck: a soldier from the nearby Stormcloak encampment spotted her before she could proceed to confront the witches ahead. It did not take much convincing before the Khajit allowed herself to be led to the warmth of the nearby fire, and the soothing elixirs from the medic's store. Week 2: Slay the Hagraven SG 1 - 0 pts (Total # Possible: 3)SG 2 - 0 pts (Total # Possible: 5)SG 3 - 7 pts (Total # Possible: 14) Total - 7 pts (Total # Possible: 22) Comments: Evicious stayed at the Stormcloak camp for several days to nurse her wound. Finally, on the eve of the 7th day, she strung her bow and headed up the hillside to an outcropping of rock overlooking the hagraven's lair. By sunrise, the filthy creature's corpse lay stinking outside its shelter; its coven of witches fallen to equal ruin, their bodies strewn amongst the weeds. Evicious held her breath as she rummaged among her victims, then laughed as only a cat can as her claws closed upon Nettlebane's hilt at last. She returned to the Stormcloak's fire triumphant and was much celebrated for her deeds. The soldiers raised mugs in her name and promised to commission a song in her honor, to be sung by the finest bard on Ulfric's coronation day at war's end. The commander also acknowledged his appreciation with a rope of sausages and a brace of pheasant to add to her pack. By midday, she was purring as she set out for Danica and the temple at White Run. Eldergleam Sanctuary Having obtained Nettlebane, the player must locate the hidden Eldergleam Sanctuary in order to retrieve the healing sap. The sanctuary is guarded by several spriggans, including a Spriggan Matron. These creatures may be avoided - but only with great difficulty. Far better to slay them and return the Eldergleam Sanctuary to its original disposition as a place of peaceful pilgrimage. Week 3: Find the hidden Eldergleam Sanctuary SG 1 - 0 pts (Total # Possible: 3)SG 2 - 0 pts (Total # Possible: 5)SG 3 - 0 pts (Total # Possible: 14) Total - 0 pts (Total # Possible: 22) Comments: Week 4: Retrieve the Eldergleam's healing sap SG 1 - 0 pts (Total # Possible: 3)SG 2 - 0 pts (Total # Possible: 5)SG 3 - 0 pts (Total # Possible: 14) Total - 0 pts (Total # Possible: 22) Comments: Whiterun Gildergreen Once the player has obtained the Eldergleam sap, they must return to Whiterun and give it to Danica, Kynareth's priestess and the Gildergreen's caretaker. She then applies the sap, and the Gildergreen is revived. The player gains the favor of the people of Whiterun, as well as the divine blessing of Kynareth. Week 5: Return to the Temple of Kynareth in Whiterun SG 1 - 0 pts (Total # Possible: 3)SG 2 - 0 pts (Total # Possible: 5)SG 3 - 0 pts (Total # Possible: 14) Total - 0 pts (Total # Possible: 22) Comments: Week 6: Revive the Gildergreen SG 1 - 0 pts (Total # Possible: 3)SG 2 - 0 pts (Total # Possible: 5)SG 3 - 0 pts (Total # Possible: 14) Total - 0 pts (Total # Possible: 22) Comments: