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It's gonna get busy in here. I don't even have time to come up with an original title. Hi. I'm Stronkey Kong. Been here doing this thing 9 years. I'm still fat but making the best of it I guess. How's that? WORDS: I'm doing NaNoWriMo this year. I need to hit 1667 words daily to hit 50k by the end of November. I'm going to track my daily and total word count for November. And (despite some lame planning and number crunching on my last challenge thread) I'm going to strive to hit that 1667 minimum every day. I also have two writing events to attend. The first is a NaNo write-in at the local writing center on 11/5. The second is a writing class, same place, on 11/15. Nano is win/lose, but I can grade myself on word counts and EC for events. In the end, I'm just trying to get myself on a working routine with writing. WEIGHTS: Still following Greyskull. I'm gonna go back to MWF, base program, but with both front and back squats and M and F. Deadlift day, W, also has barbell rows programmed in. WALKS: I want to walk with coffee and audiobooks on at least two of the days I don't lift. WINTERIZING: I have to get the house ready for winter. To-do list style: plastic on windows finish the bathtub painting so I can get it all indoors rake leaves -- if I time it right, all I need is 40 min of leaf raking for the whole season) get HVAC contractor to look at my furnace depending on their answer, raise hell with the gas company. Last challenge I was really all about scheduling and time management, and that helped, or at least I was able to figure out what will work best for this challenge. I work 10 hour shifts, M-R. On those days I will exercise in the morning, and write in the evening before bed. On F, I often go into work for OT. I will continue to do so except on 11/15 which is my writing class. These days I only work a partial, 7-8 hour shift so I can fit in extra weightlifting and writing on both ends so no big deal. On weekends I plan to do extra writing to get that word count up, like aim for 2000 words to get ahead of days where writing gets constipated. Winterizing will be a weekend thing mostly.

It's probably a long shot, but does anyone know of any good online tutorials for HEMA greatsword? I recently got a training sword for my wedding outfit and want to try practicing as a fun fitness option. I have no interest in actually joining a club, just want some videos showing me how not to hurt myself.

I've always been a fairly active person, but the last few years I've been getting more and more sedentary (despite Pokemon Go). I started getting back into working out this past week. I've been logging my progress over on my tumblr: http://liampboyle.tumblr.com/post/148705874765/so-this-was-last-weeks-exercise-summary-this http://liampboyle.tumblr.com/post/148738098010/training-log-10-august-2016 "Before" picture to show what I'm starting from http://liampboyle.tumblr.com/post/148787291900/training-log-11-august-2016 http://liampboyle.tumblr.com/post/148837454530/training-log-12-august-2016 So here's the current workout plan: Taiji CMC/ZMQ 37 posture form - 1 round to the 1st cross hands - 2:00 minutes. Stretching - 5:00 minutes. Strength Circuit Training 1st circuit Bodyweight Squats - 1:00 minute Pushups - 1:00 minute Lunges (forward) - 1:00 minute Plank - 30 seconds Sit-ups - 1:00 minute 2nd circuit Bodyweight Squats - 45 seconds Pushups - 45 seconds Lunges - 45 seconds Plank - 15 seconds Sit-ups - 45 seconds 3rd circuit Bodyweight Squats - 30 seconds Pushups - 30 seconds Lunges - 30 seconds Plank - 15 seconds Sit-ups - 30 seconds The goal is to do as many repetitions as possible in the alloted time while keeping proper form. I then went to Indian clubs. Wrist/Shoulder rotations - 1:00 min External arm rotations - 1:00 minute each arm Internal arm rotations - 1:00 minute each arm Front and back sideways swings - 1:00 minute Arm Cross Swings - 1:00 minute Front swings with twirl - 1:00 minute Front and Back swings - 1:00 minute Yoga - 15 minutes (for cool-down) This is going to be my standard M-W-F routine. Tuesdays and Thursdays it will just be taiji and yoga.

Well, it's been a while... 6 months or so I guess. I don't even have a clue. And the last few challenges I did here had pretty poor results. For the past few months I've just existed. Nothing has really sat well with me and I've yearned for times past or future. I recognize the patterns and can feel the slow spiral into a fugue state of depression from which recovery will be so much more difficult. So I'm back. Starting fresh, hence being in the REBELS thread Last time I felt truely good about myself I was working out and eating healthy(ish). A big catalyst was access to a gym - the psychological devision between "workout time/space" and everything else was a great benefit to me. I enjoyed the workouts and the sense of achievement when I hit a progress goal. So... One step at a time. I prepaid 6 months of gym membership the other day and that removes 90% of my excuses. Goals: Will be updated and given more detail over the next few days. Gym 3 times per week at a minimum. - starting gently, I'll be looking at some steady state cardio. Not my favourite thing but It'll help get back into the swing of things. - I'll restart my strength training with bodyweight exercises and the machines for few weeks, before moving on to free weights again. Keeping weights low for now, high reps to develop ligament strength and endurance. - I'll add in some kettlebells as "functional" training too. Limit of 16kg KBs for now. Study: Started a digital project management degree recently, which has helped give me a bit of a shove towards getting my head out of my ass (and demonstrated a need to do something to immprove my energy levels). - keep on top of my units and workshops. - set up a weekly google hangout with my team AND STICK TO IT. Karate / HEMA: My course might end up preventing me from attending my usual wednesday evening karate class so I need to keep up practice in my own time or possibly go to one of the "sister clubs" from time to time. My twice a week HEMA class needs to become once a week. - Karate: keep practicing and investigate alternate training night. I've found that working through my katas is a good warmup for exercise, so might be able to kill two birds etc... - HEMA: Limit it to just Sundays but work on quality training. I have been going through the motions somewhat lately. That'll do for now. Will edit / update soon.

Post from www.thearma.org. Published by John Clements.

A bit late to this party due to needing some extra recovery time for an injury. Feeling grand now though Last time I might have bitten off a little more than I could chew so I'll be carrying some of the goals forwards to continue exploring them. Other things were ideas and experiments that perhaps didn't go as planned. A truncated version of my last goals and how I did: Kobudo - not too bad... though not as good as I'd like. HEMA - Got the longsword syllabus done. Katana - not good. Only did a couple of practice sessions. Spear - Pretty good. Conditioning - Did a few sessions but not as many as I should have.... Definitely a good workout for my next 4WC. I have a few things going on this next month... I've got a HEMA seminar / tournament coming up in a couple of weeks. Gotta train for this. Prepare for Battle! I have been failing to properly implement frequent moderate exercise so have decided to make a small, simple commitment to go for a 20 minute walk/jog/run each day time I am sitting about at my friend's house while my wife is working (PA for said friend). I can even take my friend's dog for a run about while I'm at it My cardiovascular system and blood pressure will thank me. Specifics: Martial Arts Training: HEMA: Twice a week, sparring at least once a week. Karate / Kobudo: practice my karate katas twice a week and my kobudo katas once a week. My usual training isn't making me a better fighter... Cardio: 20 minutes of walk/jog/run fartlek exercise each day I'm waiting about for my wife at work (three days a week - typically Monday, Tuesday and Friday) Workouts... for the sake of workouts: Once a week - bodyweight (and maybe kettlebell) workout including a conditioning section, HEMA-Style like last 4WC. DON'T INJURE MYSELF: For the last couple of weeks I've been hobbling about with either a damaged achilles tendon or a pulled lumbar muscle... need to take it easy and not damage myself again for a while (especially not before the tournament - I want to represent my club without limping too much...). I'm sick of lurching about like Igor... Compete in the Longsword Tornament at Féile na Gaiscígh. Not a training goal so much as a milestone / club outing. (Mustn't drink too much on the Saturday night ... ) Want to do better than last time when I was knocked out in my first fight.

This is kind of a placeholder... more details will be edited in soon. MOAR WEAPONS! Of late, I've been neglecting my weapons training somewhat. I've barely picked up a sai, bo or katana recently. I've done ok as a HEMA teacher but my own skills have been somewhat sidelined in favour of teaching, so I want to make an effort to do more weapon training. I need to practice my current kobudo katas and get learning the next one(s). I need to get my arse in gear and sort out a HEMA syllabus for longsword and maybe cutlass. I miss practicing with my boken / katana. Will include it here. Additionally, I'm interested in looking into spear fighting - I'm curious if a safe facsimile can be cheaply constructed for HEMA class... AND I want to use weapons training as body conditioning / cardio / muscular stamina training to help get me back in the habit of regular exercise. more to follow...

This time next week, I should be a Black Belt. I've been dabbling in martial arts for years and studying Matsubayashi Shorin Ryu specifically for the last few. I've worked hard to learn the basics, the katas, the concepts... and all the rest... and now the time has come to do my black belt grading. My grading is on Sunday 10th of April so I can't really make this entire 4 week challenge about it but for this first week it will be my focus! I've had the last two weeks off (though I've been busy with some family stuff) and have just found out my internship is not renewable so I'm unemployed! This does mean that, once my current commitments are executed, I'll have a bit of free time while jobseeking. I intend to make the most of that free time once it's here, to get out into the "wilds" of Leitrim a bit more. My principle plans are below but I'll add more detail later, ... especially as my "job uncertainty" and finishing off current commitments / projects, leaves a lot of variables pulling on my time The concept: Food Karate and Kobudo HEMA Exercise The Plan: Food - try to have some breakfast most days. Try to limit coffee to two or three cups per day (instead of five or more). Be mindful of what is in my meals so I can try to reduce grains/carbs and increase veggies. FME (frequent moderate exercise) - if nothing else, Get a 30 minute walk twice a week and do some "exercise for it's own sake" twice a week. Week 1 - Focus on practicing my katas, both karate and kobudo (the kobudo katas aren't really needed for the grading but I think we'll be expected to do some demos for the juniors and their parents during the day). Week 2 - Maintain kata practice. don't neglect HEMA. Week 3 - Begin learning next karate kata and kobudo kata. Week 4 - Go camping. The Nitty Gritty: Week 1: Less coffee, more breakfast, more veggies, less grains - as outlined above. Karate Kata every day, even if it's just a quick run through of a single kata. (Naihanch Nidan is a particular weakness for me so it's the main one I'm trying to smooth into my conditioned reflexes). I'll also try to get my Sai and Bo Katas up to scratch for demos on the day. I'll be skipping my HEMA practice on the Sunday of my grading so I'll do my utmost not to miss the Thursday sessions on ether side of it. Frequent moderate exercise: I should be involved in two kayaking instruction sessions and an overnight island expedition this week so it should cover the FME aspect. I'll try to get some walking and "exercise" in as well but daily kata practice is more of a priority this week! Week 2: Less coffee, more breakfast, more veggies, less grains - as outlined above.Keep practicing the katas that (hopefully) got me my black belt! Keep up with the HEMA - If I have the free time, I'll begin putting together longsword and cutlass syllabuses. Keep practicing katas every day. FME: Again, I might be doing kayaking and such but if not, I'll be sure to get in the walks and exercises (most likely squats, pushups and kettlebells). Week 3: Less coffee, more breakfast, more veggies, less grains - as outlined above. Keep on keeping up with the HEMA - If I have the free time, I'll begin / continue putting together longsword and cutlass syllabuses. Keep practicing katas every day. Pick a new* karate kata and kobudo kata. Begin training. FME: My "job uncertainty" means I really don't know how active I'll be but if not otherwise active, I'll be sure to get in the walks and exercises. *by new I mean one which I don't really know. Week 4: Less coffee, more breakfast, more veggies, less grains - as outlined above. Keep practicing katas every day. Keep practicing the "new" katas. HEMA - If I haven't already begun, now's the time to get the HEMA syllabuses on the go. FME: Again, my "job uncertainty" means I really don't know how active I'll be but if not otherwise active, I'll be sure to get in the walks and exercises. Go Camping: I intend to head up into the hills (or paddle out to an island) and do a solo overnighter. Nothing fancy, I just want to take the step and consider this the first of a regular thing.

Main Challenge- Attend every HEMA and SCA practice in preparation for the Pas d'Armes and my belt test on the 30th and 31st of January. Side Challenges- Attend one parcours session a week, preferably Saturday mornings. Drink 1L of water daily Perform at least two Spartan Workouts a week (not counting the mental workouts). Use any two FitDecks (choices are Bodily Annihilation Bodyweight [custom deck], Strength Stack 52, Yoga, Pilates, SAQ, and Stretching) at least once a week. Rewards to be determined once the new character creation and quest mechanics are up.

“Without change something sleeps inside us, and seldom awakens. The sleeper must awaken.†- Duke Leto Atreides / Frank Herbert (Dune) For some time now I've been out of the fight. Assorted excuses and... well... whatever. No excuses are valid. I'm back. A bit late. Too late to have any lofty goals for the first challenge but here I am, stepping back into the ring. One of my resolutions this year is to not consider any resolutions until the 1st of Feb anyway so that works I've been trying to imagine my ideal self at "level 50". Every time I try, the image swirls and morphs. It take aspects of all sorts of paragons of my goals and ideas but never quite settles in any one form. With some contemplation and reflection I've moved my viewpoint through the swirling mists and myriad forms to cut through to the core. Me at level 50: I'll be fit. Nothing amazing but fit... fitter than I've ever been before. Slim enough to fit into off the rack M-L clothing, tough enough to run a 5k in less than 25 minutes, barefoot. Strong enough to do a dozen pull ups. Agile enough to kip-up. My fitness training will be based on the primal blueprint and will incorporate as much wilderness fitness as possible (trail running, hiking, generally running about, lifting stuff and climbing stuff in the outdoors). I'll be working, either in outdoor pursuits and/or in some kind of skills development / training / teaching position. I'll have a black belt in Karate and probably in Kobudo too. Maybe be approaching black belt in another art such as Jujutsu or another grappling art. I'll be practicing and teaching HEMA in my spare time. I'll read more actual books and get more actual sleep. I'll be eating healthily, have a dog that my wife and I take long walks with on a daily basis and we'll be secure enough to occasionally go on holiday (something we've never been able to do). The dog will also accompany me on my solo excursions up into the hills or forests of wherever I live, for camping, bushcraft and general time to be among the green places. In short, I'll be in tune with and shaped by my environment. Like a Fremen... but in much wetter weather. The description is by no means exhaustive and will doubtless change from time to time. So, on the the last week or so of the existing challenge: Simple goals just to ease back into things... 1: Get to bed before 1:30AM every weeknight. 2: Eat some kind of breakfast every weekday morning. That's it. There's no XP or anything here, just a step onto the path of the Irish Fremen. to be continued.

(to be updated with specifics for scoring etc) Greetings and Salutatons. So. Here I am back again after a long haiatus. Since last october I've done embarrasingly little to keep myself fit and healthy. I've used injuries, illness, work, general busyness and moving house as excuses for inactivity and poor self-care. I've decided that my return will have me joining the ADVENTURERS for now. A focus on general health and fitness rather than specializing will give my body and mind the foundations they need. Main Quest: Slightly modified from previous 6wCs: Return to where I was a couple of years ago: Run 5k in under 30 mins, improve power to weight ratio so I can do a pull up and improve muscular/cardio stamina so I'm not out of breath after 5 minutes of longsword duelling. I think these are reasonable mid-term goals, achievable within a year. The first stage is to start shedding some excess weight. Goal the First: Eat the Right Food: Sounds simple but can be, and has been, oh so difficult for me. Willpower is part of it, avoiding having easy access to crappy food is another part. I'm keeping it simple and starting off small. I'll be making sure I have a filling, low carb breakfast most weekdays - Either a green smoothie or eggs, most likely. More veggies and salad with meals rather than carby stodge like potatoes, bread or pasta. Some rice is ok for now but not too much. Goal the Second: Build the habbit of regular exercise for it's own purpose. I do karate once a week and HEMA twice a week but I do precious little exercise outside of that. So I'll make a point of doing a specific workout twice a week. It doesn't have to be a massive undertaking and it will probably only be a 10 minute AMRAP interval circuit at first. I might even try to build it into a warmup for my Sunday HEMA sessions... Goal the Third: Practice: I feel that my Karate practice has slipped lately. I've been "phoning it in" to some extent and not really practicing outside of the dojo. I WILL practice my Katas two or three days a week, even if it's just a single run through of all the ones I know. Additionally, I'm going to learn three new katas by the end of the 6wC. I need to learn a few for my next grading so now's the time. Goal the Fourth (optional extra credit): To be determined... That'll do for now - this pot is as much a placeholder and self motivator as anything. See y'all soon (off to run through my Katas)

This is the story of me and my roleplaying character leveling up together and building up some STR, STA, DEX and CON on the way. Luciana Valerosa von Culming is my character in P&P, but you can call me Kate. She is an herold from Almada and like the rapier. I'm my a broad sword person. You can see my training sword in the picture. Hallo, I'm Kate and this is my first challenge. I like to go for a long walk and cycling. I would like to be able to run for ten minutes, but I'm not a good runner. I also enjoy fire spinning and fencing. Sometimes it's hard to get myself motivated for these hobbies, because I don't have anybody to train with. Currently I'm a student and have semester break. The lessons will start again in April. So I use daylight for outside activities and work at night. Oh, and I'm from Germany. So I'm not in the same time zone as you and English isn't my mother tongue… as you may have already noticed. I already created some healthier eating habits and introduced fitness into my daily life. But I have a hard time sticking to the plan. Especially with keeping myself away from junk food. My boyfriend is writing is master thesis until the end of March and we have a lot of chocolate, chips and other stuff in the house to keep him motivated. At least I enjoy drinking tea and don't have to keep myself from soda, because I think it's much too sweet. You can read more about my hobbies and activities in my introduction. Or you could ask me. My Main Quest: I would like to stick to a regular workout routine for this month and create a workout plan I can follow through during study time. I'm exercising, because I want to get my stamina and strength. I would like to improve my fencing skills until August for our meet up. Quest 1: I want to train for fencing at least once a week. It will be hard to train alone, but I want to pick up my sword at least once a week to get a feeling for it. My sword is a little heavier than my boyfriends, because I enjoy shorter and heavier swords. If I'm not as tired at the end of a session next moth, I'll know I reached this goal. Measurement: A = 6h in 30 days, B = 4h in 30 days, C = 2h in 30 days (I'll alter this a little if the challenge works better than I thought) Reward: A = +2 STA, +2 STR, B = +2 STA, +1 STR, C = +1 STA Quest 2: Eat less junk food and eat more vegetables and fruit. My boyfriend really hates vegetables. My eating habits changed since we moved together and I want to reintroduce them into my daily diet. So I'll try to eat one salad for dinner or some vegetables. And I want to substitute chocolate and crisps with fruits or raw vegetables. Measurement: A = 3 vegetables or fruit a day, unhealthy snacks only once a week; B = 2 vegetables or fruit a day, unhealthy snacks only twice a week; C = 1 vegetable or fruit a day, unhealthy snacks only thrice a week; Reward: A = +2 CON, B = + 1 CON, C = + 0,5 CON Quest 3: Get moving six days a week. As I said, I want to built some workout habits. I don't feel like doing the same things again every day. But I want to do something fitness related once a day. Walking for more then 30 minutes, cycling for 30 minutes, hitting the stationary bike for an episode of "Lie to me", doing my bodyweight exercises, ... Measurement: A = 6 workouts a week; B = 4 workouts a week; C = 2 workouts a week; Reward: A = +2 STR, +1 STA, +1 DEX, B = +1 STR, +1 STA, +1 DEX, C = +1 DEX Life Quests: I want to get leaner and drop some weight until I reach 58 kg. At the moment I weight 64 kg and I'm 1,57 cm tall. On the other hand I want to gain some muscle, agility and endurance. I want to have enough energy to run back home from the train station regulary. I want to be able to do push-ups and pull-ups. At the moment I can only do kneeling push-ups and never did a pull-up. I want to feel better and respect myself. I want to like my own body and feel more sexy. And I would like to accomplish healthy eating habits without counting calories. Motivation: I want to get fit for our next community meeting in August. I couldn't train sword fighting with the others, because I was so tired from cooking for everybody. Also this was my excuse, because I still have trouble with the basics. I really want to train my stamina and my endurance to keep up with the others next summer. I don't want to miss the fun this time! Mini Quest 1: Update goals to fit within the SMART goal standards-set self up for success= +1 Wis Mini Quest 2: Make some friends= +1 Cha Mini Quest 3: The Library= +1Wis Mini Quest 4: Checking your Starting Credits Mini Quest 5: The Cafeteria= +1Con Summary: Finished about 90% of my challenge this time. Eating: I meet my eating goals almos the whole challenge. 5.5/6 points ~ 91% Exercise: Five out of six weeks I followed my workout plans. ~ 83% Fencing (5 hours 40 minutes of 6 hours) 94%94%

So, I stumbled in the last challenge; I aimed too high and faced (minor) injury and didn't complete any of my fitness goals. However, I did complete a life goal: I got an entry-level IT position. Over the last challenge, I was unemployed and therefore actually had gobs of time with which to go to the gym and my sword play studio. Now, however, since I am working full time (on top of a single class of graduate school), I have considerably less time. Therefore, I must use the time I have better, which is what two of the three of my goals for this challenge are. Included in the new job comes with better mood, as I really like this job and I feel that my life is finally going somewhere, which have been major contributors to my poor mental health over the past year. I've decided to take three different aspects of my physical self for my goals: Fitness, Health, Art. Thus: 1. Develop habits of going to work out: My current schedule is a little crazy, and it's only going to get crazier. For work (in River North, if you know anything about Chicago) MW is 10–18 and TTW, 8.30–16.30. And then I have class Tuesday from 18:00 to 21:15 in Lincoln Park, at least for the first four weeks of the challenge. Week five is spring break and then on week six, I'll have class in the Loop, Mondays and Tuesdays from 17:45 to 21:00 (Office hours may have to change then too). Otherwise, sword (and grappling) classes are offered Monday, 19:30–20:30; Wednesday, 19:30–22:00 and Saturday, 11–13. I also am hoping to get to the gym Mondays and Wednesdays before I have to be in at the office, since I have a little extra time there. So, now for the goal: Work out several times a week (up to five): S Work out a total of 30 times (five times a week) A Work out at least 26 times B Work out at least 22 times C Work out at least 18 times (three times a week) 100%100% 2. Practice better sleep hygiene: Staying up too late and not having a regular sleep schedule is probably one of the contributors to the weakness in my mental health and the irregularity of my exercise schedule. So, I need to work at having screens off around 21:30 and to be in bed by 22:30. Doing so should give my sleep better regularity, which means that I should sleep more and better and therefore be able to manage my time better. My biggest enemies to this are my graduate school courses in the evening and those late Wednesday Armizare Foundations. Hopefully, if I get the rest of the week in line, those will follow. (I know I'm thwarting this tonight by staying up late to make this post, but the challenge doesn't start until tomorrow, so technicality.) S Screens off at 21:30 and in bed by 22:30 a total of 30 times A Screens off at 21:30 and in bed by 22:30 at least 26 times B Screens off at 21:30 and in bed by 22:30 at least 22 times C Screens off at 21:30 and in bed by 22:30 at least 18 times 11.11%11.11% 3. Develop better sparring confidence: Every first Friday, the Chicago Sword Play Guild has their fight night. I've participated with one match each of the previous two. However, all the skills that I practice in class fall out of my head as soon as I don the gambizon. I tense up and have a harder time reacting. So I need learn how to relax and how to keep a hold on at least the basics. My biggest foes here are internal, both directly and indirectly, and probably both stem from my ADHD. Firstly, I've never had good twitch skills: I am terrible at FPS type games as the number of things I have to maintain awareness of usually is overwhelming and then my instincts are horrid. Being tense also makes one jumpy, and the flow and grace that gives one control is lost.Secondly, I am on an amphetamine derived stimulant as a treatment for my ADHD; one of the side effects is a reduced reaction time, which is essential for combat. My dosage of this drug when up just before the last fight night and I think that it may have adversely effected my performance. Hopefully I will get used to this dosage and be able to perform better at the following fight nights. Also, if I get my sleep hygiene in check, I should be able to spar with greater skill. Pass: Fight in two spars at the April Fight Night, one against an instructor, and once against one of my novice peers. In the peer fight, win at least three exchanges. PASSED I still don't have a grasp on the ability points. If anyone wants to recommend some distributions, please go ahead. I also may need a lot of cheering, especially as the busyness increases, to keep me here and to keep me on track.

Greetings and salutations Assassins! I wasn't sure whether I was going to post a thread in this 6 Week Challenge as I've been (and am still feeling) preoccupied with "life stuff" but the idea of sneaking back into the Assassins playground seemed to call to me, so here I am. My intention over the next 6 weeks is to get back into the swing of things after a couple of months of relative inactivity. During this time, my weight has increased, my diet has gotten poor and my fitness has suffered. I've mostly kept up my Karate and HEMA training but have picked the Assassins guild over the Monks this time round as my main focus will be bodyweight training with the addition of some kettlebell exercises. So, without further ado, here is my main goal for this year: Do a pull up. That's it. Simple and straightforward. I managed to do the odd one here and there a couple of years ago but things went downhill a bit and never quite got back on track. Now I'm more overweight and unfit than I've been for a good while, I've just recovered from a broken hand and I really feel my diet quality and fitness have been dwindling unacceptably. I've GOT to turn this around. My specific goals for this 6 Week Challenge: Consistency Turning up is the key to getting things done. Stick to the plan! I'm making it flexible enough to fit around changing schedules and to require little or no equipment. It's flexible in what days I do stuff and what sets / reps I do to achieve targets. No excuses left not to do it! Bodyweight / KB training two days a week. Diet six days a week. As a reward, I get a treat day each week! Yay! Diet This is always where I fall down the most. It's the one that's most effected by my low, fixed income and my very bad ability with budgeting but I KNOW it is possible to eat fairly healthily on an extremely low income. My tendency is to eat crap foods rather than good foods simply because I can get enough calories to get through the day for relatively little money.... I know, I know. Bad. Very bad. I also tend to pig-out on whatever is around the house when I get in from my typical running about after everyone (I'm the only one in my main circle of friends who drives and is not physically disabled in some way so my time is often monopolised by driving and helping people with all sorts of tasks - good karma and grateful friends but can be very draining). FOOD DIARY: I have tried to keep a food diary before but I have failed. I will attempt to try again but this time, I'll keep it on my laptop and set myself some kind of automatic reminder each day to fill it in. Breakfast: Eggs are awesome! So are green smoothies! Porridge less so, but still acceptable. I'll almost always have access to one of these options before I have to go out and do stuff so I've no excuse not to eat (or drink) breakfast! More Vegetables - Less Carby crap: I can't do full paleo, as much as I'd like to. It's prohibitively expensive hereabouts (rural Ireland). But I can take a couple of small steps: Some colourful vegetables with most meals, sweet potatoes instead of normal spuds, minimise bread, pasta and similar bulk grains (I am allowed toast with my eggs for breakfast. I'm not a philistine!) Healthy Snacks: To be determined but I'll be looking mainly at paleo type options. Bodyweight Training (and kettlebells) At least two days a week - once on the weekends and once during the week. With an initial focus on muscular stamina, I'll be going for volume over intensity for now, using easier versions of exercises when necessary in order to achieve the target volume WITH GOOD FORM. That in mind, I'll have a target number of each exercise I will aim for during each training day, progressively increasing each week. This number can be achieved through any number of sets and any number of reps, as long as I hit the target for the day. Push Ups: I can do proper push ups... but am out of practice and probably can't do very many at the moment so I'll be going for incline push ups for now, especially as volume is my goal this next few weeks. Week 1: 60 Week 2: 70 Week 3: 80 Week 3: 90 Week 5: 100 Week 6: 120 Squats: I'm happy enough with proper squats but I reserve the right to do chair-squats if I feel I'm risking injury by overdoing it. Week 1: 60 Week 2: 70 Week 3: 80 Week 3: 90 Week 5: 100 Week 6: 120 Inverted Rows: Haven't done these for a while so my targets might change if I drastically overestimate or underestimate my capabilities Week 1: 15 Week 2: 20 Week 3: 25 Week 3: 30 Week 5: 35 Week 6: 40 Kettlebells: Clean & press and one hand KB swings (or exchanges). numbers will be for C&P then Swings (will be done with each arm). I'll stick to a relatively light weight for this challenge as I don't want to risk injuring my hand or overdoing it.Week 1: 20 & 20 Week 2: 25 & 30 Week 3: 30 & 40 Week 3: 35 & 50 Week 5: 40 & 60 Week 6: 45 & 70 Other: Moar walking! I have audiobooks and a nearby forest park. No excuses! Karate class each Wednesday. HEMA Class each Sunday and Thursday. Plan and execute something nice for valentines day. Usually we order in, have a few drinks and watch the star wars trilogy or something (yes, my wife is awesome) but I'd like to arrange something nice for her. Maybe go out for a nice meal or something...

So... Here I am. Right hand is broken. I'm in the middle of moving house. Teaching HEMA on Sundays. Karate on Wednesdays. I didn't do the last 6wc due to hectic life stuff. I was kept pretty busy on my course though: lifting heavy, sprinting, swimming and getting my lifeguard qualification. Other than the gym and pool time, the course has become an onerous chore... my initial excitement waned as the discipline and the tutors' control over the group did likewise - with clearly stated intention to do nothing to rectify the matter. <sigh> Over the past month or so, I've been looking for other options in terms of training courses, etc... at the very least trying to find a way off the course without loosing money (I get a training allowance equivalent to social welfare payments, neither of which I would continue to get if I just quit) but my hand injury has rendered it all a moot point. I can't write, type quickly, or do the practical aspects of the course. So I've got all the reasons I need to step back from it. This challenge, I'll be rehabilitating myself, settling into my new home, gradually building intensity and frequency of exercise and working on my martial arts, both western and eastern. 1 - Diet: Winter is coming and I can feel my vitamin reserves dropping... So more fruit and vegetables. This can be achieved by densely packed smoothies in the mornings! (4+ days a week) (Fruit smoothies and green smoothies.) CON +2, WIS +1 2 - Exercise: During the first week I'll still be moving house so walking about and lifting stuff will be my exercise. After that is done and dusted... Strength: Squats and lunges. Depending on the state of my broken hand, I'll see what kind of upper body exercise I can manage. Cardio: Mostly walking. I'll aim for a long walk twice a week. But once the cast is off, I'll try to get a sprint session or two in each week. STR +2, STA +2 3 - Martial arts: Karate: Every Wednesday*. Work on katas at least twice a week outside of class. Can't really participate in karate this week as still moving house and wearing a cast but hopefully will have cast off in a week or two. HEMA: Every Sunday. Until the hand is better I'll be using the swords left handed. See improvement in all the students and try to codify the learning journey and lesson plans. DEX +2, CHA +2 4 - Life: Move house, leaving old place tidy, clean and the garden in good order. Sort out all the utilities, bins, etc at old and new places. Let hand heal by not doing anything too dumb.WIS +2, CHA +1, CDO +1* *this is to even out the uneven decimals... they bother me. CDO is like OCD but with the letters placed in alphabetical order!

Welcome everyone! This challenge will consist of push ups, pull ups, martial arts and writing. Let's get this done! Goal 1: Martial training (+1 DEX, +2STA, +2 CON ) 1x week Western Martial Arts 1x week Krav Maga I already know I can't make it every week due to other obligations, so if I can't go, I can substitute going to class with training at home. Goal 2: Strength training (+3 STR) 2x week Bodyweight Workouts Strength training for all the obvious reasons. Workout: Warming Up: 20x Push Up 10x Pull Up 4xMax Frog Stand 20x Push Up 10x Pull Up Workout: 5x5 Weighted Pull Up (Current weight: 38 lbs) 5x12 One Armed Push Up 5x5 Towel assisted One Arm Pull Up Cooling Down: Yoga Goal 3: Pushups! (+1 STR, +3 STA) Do a 100 consecutive pushups before the end of the challenge. This is going to be done by following the one hundred pushups program. Goal 4: Training the mind (+3 WIS) Finish my university application before the end of the challenge. I have a lot to do for this. Pass/fail goal. Not a thing anymore! See page 2 for details!