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My goals are geared toward preparing for my introvert hiking adventure in June! I am super stoked for the trip. I'm hoping it will be rejuvenating and that I might learn a thing or two about myself. Last challenge my physical goals were: Move your feet, Endurance, and Strength. I did great on moving daily, pretty good on endurance, and pretty lack luster on strength. I feel that everything needs a bit more work to really settle into habit. Because they went well last time I combined daily movement and endurance into one maintenance task. Strength got it's own task because I really struggled with it. Physical Health: 1. Maintain progress made in last challenge Move your feet - get up an move daily (walk, hike, ruck, run, etc). Endurance 2 times a week - run/walk or ruck 2. Strength train 2 times a week - weights, body weight, core, or ruck. 3. Make it out for a hike at least twice during the challenge. Somewhere other than the little local nature preserve. Life Goal: A Cleaner House - do a 5 minute clean up daily before bed. Set a timer for five minutes and clean/tidy up. If I'm traveling I can clean/tidy up my luggage, hotel room, or car. If I'm sick in bed I can throw my pile of tissues away or something. I'm considering making this a 100 day project. On Going Projects not part of this challenge: Daily Fiddle Practice: This is a 100 day project - the goal is 100 straight days. Read 24 books in 2018: Only two completed so far Introvert Adventure Planning

Hi friends! I'm new here and really excited to join a community of fitness-obsessed nerds like myself It was like a light switched on in my brain when I realized I could actually train myself to do the things my favorite movie/television/video game characters do instead of just sitting on my couch wishing I were that cool. It's been a long and ongoing journey of constant change and self-improvement, and I'm really proud of how far I've come. I feel like parts of me belong in each of the guilds but I picked the adventurer guild because I lost my first 50 lbs when I discovered my love of hiking, and adventuring outdoors is still one of the most peaceful and inspiring parts of my life. My current workout regime looks something like this... 5 days/week : lifting heavy ~40 min (I'm on week 2 of Ashley Horner's Charlie Mike program right now) 2 days/week : 1 hour bootcamp classes or other cardio conditioning 3 days/week : 45 min cardio (run or elliptical) *or* trail run I really enjoy working out - it has been more effective than any anti-depressant or talk therapy My main struggle is with nutrition (I am a sucker for sweets) so I've been working on maintaining a diet at 1400 cal and 50-60% protein. It's going well so far and the nutritional guidelines I'm following don't make me feel hungry, deprived or lacking energy. I just started eating meat again to help meet my protein goals. I really liked being a veg but it's hard to meet my goals that way, so I'm just trying to get responsibly sourced meat/eggs. STRENGTHS: - Healing/Herbal Lore - Lifting heavy things - Hiking/outdoor sports - Endurance WEAKNESSES: - Cookies, Doughnuts - Running - Charisma - Agility (mediocre, looking to improve) GOALS: - Improve my 1RMs by at least 10 lbs in 6 weeks (I picked this kind of arbitrarily but I think it's doable?) - Weight loss 2lbs/week (I don't usually condone numeric weight loss goals for anyone but I'm giving it a shot because I already have a substantial base of lean muscle mass and I'm trying to cut fat) - Meditate 3x/week for 7 minutes - Stretch every day - Foam roll at least once/week - Trail run or hike once a week (5+ miles) - All-around badassery I'm also a beginner climber so if any assassin friends have tips for n00bs, please share TIA my lovelies, looking forward to meeting everyone!

Yo! I'm hiking up the ridge line of the "M" trail (the path that goes to the windsock) When: Sunday, May 8th at 10am. Where: Meet at trail base on the stairs. Who: Me! I'll be the dude wearing blue water pack. Why: Because life. Because social. Because GTFO of the house. Because friends. Because meaningful. What: We'll hike, talk about life stuff, you'll see me do stupid things like hike barefoot and grunt about it. Do. It.

Last challenge was a great success. Status report: I am 95% rehabilitated from my tweaked back. Only occasional pain when moving quickly into the edges of my range of motion. It needs a little warmup. I can put my hands on the floor! I can get my pants on without flailing! I can do yoga sun salutes without holding on to the door frame! It is very exciting. My car is still in the shop. You know the saying, "You can have it fast, cheap, or good - pick two." Well, I picked cheap and good. He's an old man, and he takes his time. This means getting to the gym is unlikely to happen for a while. I will have to work out at home. That is fine - it just means lighter weights & higher reps, because without a rack at home, I can only squat what I can clean. My calorie restriction experiment went well. I am happy with where I am at now. I'm still tracking and eating more protein & veggies, but basically eating when hungry. For this challenge, I wound up with three goals, that each have three parts, and just a lot of threes in general, so I ran with it. WEEKLY ROUTINE: (Goal 30pt/week. For each activity, 4x=15pt, 3x/wk = 10pt, 2x/wk=5pt, 1x/wk=2pt) Barbell workout (at home or at gym) 3x/week. SQUAT 3x5 OVERHEAD PRESS 3x5 CHINUP 5x3 (or just 15 total) Hike (1-2hrs) 3x/week Violin practice (at least 1/2 hour) 3x/week DAILY ROUTINE (Goal 30pts/week, 10pt each) Morning Routine ( every day = 10pt, 6x/wk=8pt, else 1pt each) FIRST THINGS: Before leaving my room, turning on computer, checking phone, etc: Look at my list for today Take all meds/inhaler/etc Do 10-15m of yoga, including 5x sun salutes. BREAKFAST: oatmeal, fruit, and finish my 1st liter of water. GO OUTSIDE: generally walk in the woods with the dog. (At least 15m, but can be one of my 1-2hr hikes) Lunch - whenever we are both home at noon, make eggs & greens to eat with Raven. ( 10pt/wk if done on every available day. miss 1 = 5pt, miss 2 = 2pt, miss 3=1pt) Evening Routine - ABBREVIATED (every day = 10pt, 6x/wk=8pt, else 1pt each) CHECK IN: Look at calendar, talk to Raven, make tomorrow's list. Take pills/etc Prayers FOOD (Goal 40pt/week, out of a possible 49pts) WATER: (1pt/day) 2 quarts plain water or "weasel-ade" (homemade unsweetened electrolyte drink) THREE "PN-STYLE" SMALL MEALS: (1pt each, max 3pt/day) Roughly follow Precision Nutrition guidelines ~1/2c each meat, starch, two veg. Mostly whole foods, healthy fats. TRACK: on myfitnesspal, OR in notebook (using same ballpark method as last challenge). (1pt/day each, if within 10% of target) Calories: ~2000kcals, plus whatever MFP calculates for exercise OR: 8x vaguely 250kcal portions, plus one for each 1/2hr vigorous activity or 1hr moderate activity Protein: ~120g, OR: at least 3 good sized servings of meat/eggs. Fiber: ~40g, OR: total of 2c fruit, 3c veg, 1c legumes, 1c oatmeal. 18 PREVIOUS CHALLENGES:

I have been MIA on NerdFitness for quite some time. A few days ago I got a random bug to plan an introvert adventure. Some where nature like. Alone. As I've fleshed this idea out I'm leaning towards a rustic (hike in!) cabin, or maybe camping + hiking. This kind of trip would require some training and planning. I'm kind of out of shape and have never done anything like this before. A four week challenge is perfect for getting me started on prepping for my adventure. Move your feet I will go on a walk once a day. It can be long or short - just so long as I do it. Condition/Endurance Twice a week I will do some combination of: run/walk intervals, hiking, or rucking (bad weather sub: rowing machine) Strength Training Twice a week I will strength train: weights at gym, body weight at home, or rucking. I can't count the same rucking session for both Condition/Endurance and Strength Training. Life Goal: Plan the Adventure Pick a date and location, make a plan of what to do while I'm out adventuring, figure out what gear and supplies I'll need & make a packing and shopping list. Let the adventure prep begin! Edited to Add: I have some on going self improvement projects that I didn't include as part of this challenge, but still want to update on! 100 days of Fiddle/Violin Practice Any length practice so long as I do it, can be fiddle music or classical music. Sick and travel day contingency plan: listen to pieces currently working on, or use a music theory app to do some music theory study. Read 24 books in 2018 Pretty self explanatory! I'm going to at least partially work through Book Riot's Read Harder challenge to help expand my reading choices.

Hi folks! Ann of Vries signing in, a returning Adventurer I’m a hiker/rambler (urban and wild), traveler, fantasy, and RPG geek who moved to London 2 years ago from Seattle. This has been an excellent opportunity to explore and have new experiences, but in between I tend to become a hermit for weeks (*cough-or-months-cough*) at a time and leave the house as little as possible unless my husband drags me out on a new adventure (thank goodness for him), and I’m looking to change that. Especially now that I’m 33 weeks pregnant, and I know how easy it could be to lock myself up in my hobbit hole and just watch Netflix and eat donuts—this could spell doom for my adventuring life if I don’t stay proactive. I don’t want that; I've managed to stay fairly fit so far during the pregnancy (despite some periods of Netflix and donuts), but I need to keep those habits going into the home stretch. Fitness Quests: Keep on Wandering: Continuous walking (20+ min) 5 days a week; at least 3 of those days should be 30+ min. (Measured by Active Minutes on my FitBit.) Insert usual disclaimer that this will get adjusted based on pregnancy/midwife concerns. A guiding philosophy: I’m a bit of an online shopping junkie, and I want be more engaged with my local area, so: more walking out to the High Street shops when I need something (particularly, groceries I can carry. I will still order in large or heavy items). I’m unclear how to measure this one, so it’s more of a note to get myself out and about than an actual goal to check off. Increase Hydration: 8 glasses of water (or herbal tea, etc.) a day. (Last challenge I averaged about 7.) Life Quest: I did technical writing for several years as a day job, and I’ve been writing fiction for as long as I can remember (hobby/semi-pro), but I’ve always been intrigued with narrative/creative nonfiction. Now that I’m living my life as an Adventurer, I want to put a renewed focus into developing my narrative nonfiction skills: Module 1.1 Intro to Travel Writing: Since I came to London, I’ve been dissatisfied with my attempts to write my stories of moving abroad and exploring my new country (even just for my friends/family back home, who aren’t exactly looking for High Art). I also don’t want to be a total homebody after I have my child in a few weeks (EEEEK), so I’ve decided to learn more about travel writing—both in how to write engaging tales of my experiences, but also to encourage me to keep exploring, now and after. I mean, I live in London. There’s so much exploration to be done without even leaving the city. Why am I not taking more advantage of this? (I can't blame the bump, this was true before that happened.) Module 1.1 Objectives: Complete the Travel Journaling and Travel Writing courses I bought. Go on at least 4 Field Trips (overlaps with Keep on Wandering) Practice travel journaling and writing based on courses, with Field Trips as inspiration (no requirement to share my practice writing, sorry )—four 500 word essays: each outlined, drafted, and notated for future revisions. Update on Mondays (at least): I’ve been attempting NF challenges on and off for years… I’m often good at keeping up on the goals (or at least the spirit of them). It’s always the tracking on the forums I fall off on. So I will plan to update on Mondays. (Too often and I feel like I’m spending more time tracking than doing.) I'll put it on my calendar as a proactive step. However, this time if I disappear--particularly late into the challenge--it may be because someone decided to show up early and I got a little distracted. XD Cheers, Ann x

I'm gonna try and get more serious again, things are going fairly well so lets keep it up!! Challenges: Go to Krav 1x a week!! I got a groupon thing for a bunch of Krav Maga classes, but the schedule doesn't really work. The 2 times i can go are friday night or saturday morning and I know going 2x in a row would kick my ass. So just 1x a week would be great! Stay under 1462 calories 6x a week I followed a formula to get this number for how many calories I need to eat while on like a 20% deficit or something. I'll be monitoring this on myfitnesspal ( y'all can follow me there, I'm RoachRex ). And the 7th day is cheat day! (saturday is my cheat day). I am starting to learn about macros but tracking is a pain so I think I'll stick with this version for the time being. Level up in cooking! My goal is to bake a loaf of bread!! I'd also like to cook more, but bread is the focus this time around! Get outside! I've got some gear together so I really want to go camping!! But if I can't go camping, then at least I want to go on a day hike!! Weather may not permit me to go camping (I live in socal and our wild places tend to be a little bit on fire) but in that case then I'll try to at minimum go for a hike in a local park or botanical garden or something. Ideally more than once but, we'll see.

Safe on the other side of the ravine, Vixen decided to make camp. Building the fire was no problem, and soon a pot of water was boiling merrily away for tea, but putting up the tent was a bit more of a struggle. "If only I had someone else to help me," Vixen grumbled, before clapping her hands together in delight. That was it! She'd struggled on the vines because she didn't know what she was doing, so why not invest in some help? Before you could say 'product placement' Vixen had signed up to the NF rings and handstands courses and was flicking through the pages on her phone. The terrain ahead of her though... hills and mountains. She wanted to learn how to swing on a vine, but for the road ahead, what she really needed was a Ranger. She looked back down at the phone in her hand. Time for a team up. So I'm still going to be working on my goals from last month, but I'm also going on a walking holiday in North Wales over Easter, so I wanted to incorporate that into my story, heh. My Ranger is one of my BFFs, she's working on her mountain leadership qualification, and she's agreed to do some truly gnarly ridge walking with me. It's still too cold to climb outside. In my soft southern opinion. Hang Glide When I was little I said this was my life ambition. I've decided to actually just do it this year. Because there's no time like the present. Hang glide this year was my 2018 New Year's Resolution. E-mail to ask when the deadline is for booking in June Book onto a tandem hang glide session in June Become a Gymnastic Ring Aficionado I'm on the last level of the bodyweight path in the NF Academy, and I'm ready to take it to the next level. I've just bought the NF rings and handstands course, so time to work that out. Read through both courses Create a workout plan Strength train x3 a week (except for holiday week) 1 2 3 Become Proficient at Aerial Hoop Hoop is my new favourite thing in the world. I love it. I want to do it MORE. Schedule classes for the month except for holiday week Practise once a week 1 2 3 Write First Draft of a Story Another one of the things I always said I would do. I went on an OU creative writing course last year, now to start putting it into practice! Vixen is a character in one of my WIPs, btw. Schedule in one writing session a week (except for holiday week) Write once a week 1 2 3 Find a New Job My other half is a doctor, and we will be moving for his work in August. I'm trying to put in the groundwork now, so I can find a new job that I like! Job interview prep - read their websites - familiarise yourself with their research - answer the sample questions S gave you Apply for at least one other job Complete Care Certificate SIDE QUEST: The Misty Mountains Going to Snowdonia with a crowd of my bestest buddies, and I want to go walking with my favourite Ranger/Hobbit Make a kit list Finalise travel plans Find two really challenging walks that I want to do Liaise with the Ranger about how feasible they are WALK

There's planning and there's planning... I need to see the big picture ahead to keep me moving and motivated. If I can complete even 50% of these goals, I would consider 2018 a good year. To do better than last year's monthly mileage, 'have to pick a higher number: 2018-Jan: ran 101.72 miles out of 100 miles goal 2018-Feb: ran 75.78 miles out of 115 miles goal 2018-Mar: ran 126.66 miles out of 120 miles goal 2018-Apr: ran 89.35 miles out of 120 miles goal - 2018-May: 128 miles 2018-Jun: 126 miles 2018-Jul: 125 miles 2018-Aug: 120 miles 2018-Sep: 100 miles 2018-Oct: 100 miles 2018-Nov: 100 miles 2018-Dec: 100 miles The plan has always been 4-5 high points a year and 4-5 ultra races a year. Had to find the best dates to race as well as find ones whose cut-offs I may be able to make. Plus, it has to not cut into the High Point trip dates. High Point Goals: May/Jun - Oregon - Mt Hood Jul - Montana - Granite Peak Aug - Wyoming - Gannett Peak Sep - Hawaii - Mauna Kea Racing Goals: May 12, 2018 - Pennsylvania - Dirty German Endurance Fest - (50K) - completed 50K in 08:28:52.887 - Jun 16-17, 2018 - Ohio - Mohican Trail 100 - (50M) Jul 28, 2018 - Wisconsin - Hot Hilly Hairy Ultra Solo and Relay - (85K or 50K) Oct 27-28, 2018 - Arizona - Javelina Jundred - (100K) Dec 8-9, 2018 - Texas - Brazos Bend 100 - (50M) Other goals: To do a handstand by end of June - lol, why did I pick June? Why didn't I pick like December? Be consistent with my gratitude journal Improve my diet - Been trying to do keto but I can't seem to digest all that fat.

The central tenet of Virginia Woolf's seminal essay A Room of One's Own is: "a woman must have money and a room of one's own if she is to write fiction" (yes, run away now). That was as true in 1929 as it is today. Goals a-comin': 1) Write a play! One of my goals in the last Challenge was to "stay in school" and I utterly failed in this, due to having to work long hours on a contract job, and spending time putting down good habits for my first month of Strong Curves. This month's goals are much the same, but the emphasis will be on my brain and self expression. I got paid rather well for the contract job and for the first time in my life, have no imminent debts. I've been wanting to write my own one-woman show for a while and I'm happy with the research I've done so far. I'm an actor and I'm finally creating my own work. It's 70% based on a real person, and 30% on me, but with some artistic licence it just about qualifies as fiction, VIRGINIA. I'll know if I'll be selected for some free research & development space by the end of February by a lovely theatre company, and were I to be chosen I'd need to be able to walk in the room with something by mid-March. I'm aware this probably won't happen but every other theatre seems to want a full draft, so there's no harm in starting. Some writer-friends have offered to read it too, and what with having nothing planned work-wise for February I thought I just need to get on with it. Everyone I've spoken to - friends, people I admire, people who can help me - think I've got a good idea. It's quite a lot of pressure to put on myself (my first time writing), so for funsies I'm going to break it up with MIT's Introduction to Computer Science and Programming With Python, and write a blog and a talk on running a successful Diversity & Inclusion programme in tech. I have a few days to timetable this before the challenge begins, and I will make sure I do so, lest the health and fitness stuff dominate again. I will nail down exactly how I'll quantify this, whether it's words written or time spent by the start of the challenge. Definitely time spent in front of the laptop/with a notebook: four sessions per week. As I build a writing habit I'll be able to work out exactly how long a 'session' is. Will post a provisional writing timetable for the coming week every Sunday. 2) Stay on track with health and fitness I'm really enjoying Strong Curves - not so used to dialling back the incremental weight progression because I'm on a cut, though. As I said at the end of the last challenge, I can spend up to two hours (because I do food shopping on the return journey) at the gym, so timetabling is a must: I have a bad habit of blowing off the rest of day if I've had a long workout. In addition to logging calories and doing Strong Curves I'd like to: a) Incorporate some exercises for my horrible arches as a preventative measure. Left one's pretty collapsed and I'm only in stability running shoes because of it - otherwise my gait's pretty neutral. I think doing it first thing in the morning would be best for building the habit. b ) Do at least two treadmill runs per week - three being ideal. If up to it on Tue, Wed and/or Fri, do a treadmill run, but recovery from weightlifting takes priority. c) My partner has booked a us a week-long holiday in the gorgeous Lake District (look it up, if you've never heard of it) in week three of the challenge. I hope my glutes hold out for all those ascents - though my cardio is pretty disgraceful. He's a long distance runner, has legs like a mountain goat, and I wish I had a chance of keeping up with him. One of our best friends is joining us, so continuing on the literary theme, we'll be the Shelley's to his Byron in the Villa Diodati... Best friend is able to keep up with him, even as he deteriorates over the week. I'm quite happy to stay at home and write for some of the time, while overlooking one of the best views in the world. i) I'll be doing the bodyweight version of Strong Curves ii) You'll forgive me if I forgo the aforementioned treadmill run over this period - I'll be walking A LOT. Could post my steps - that will keep me honest. Edit: This is a week of pure LISS! I'll be grand! iii) I'll do my best to log as accurately as I can, but seeing as our friend's a bit of a foodie, he'll want to cook most of the meals himself, with the occasional trip to a local gastropub. I'll try and make sensible choices, but I shall be eating more than usual and no one can stop me. iv) I'll post pictures! I've truncated three goals of the last challenge into one, and I'm writing a bloody play, so no more goals for this challenge. I'll be back with a timetable and some beginning stats in due course. Timetable is in a later post, with stats posted on first day of Challenge. Wish me luck - I'm terrified!

I was a bit late for the last one so I just skipped it while I dealt with some other stuff. Slowly I've been pulling myself out of a sort of funk (#depression) and I'm ready to start going after this again. My work schedule changed so that took some getting used to and i'm ready to start chasing my goals again. Challenges: Go to the GYM at least 2x a week!! So I got signed up but I have to get a habit/schedule going. I'm going to be following this plan from bodybuilding.com so I have an idea of what to do at the gym lol. Stay under 1462 calories 6x a week I followed a formula to get this number for how many calories I need to eat while on like a 20% deficit or something. I'll be monitoring this on myfitnesspal ( y'all can follow me there, I'm RoachRex ). And the 7th day is cheat day! (saturday is my cheat day). I am starting to learn about macros but tracking is a pain so I think I'll stick with this version for the time being. Level up in cooking! I want to learn how to use spices not just in frying but in the other ways that I cook as well. Additionally, at least ONCE this challenge I want to bake a loaf of bread!! Get outside! I've got some gear together so I really want to go camping!! But if I can't go camping, then at least I want to go on a day hike!! Weather may not permit me to go camping (I live in socal and our wild places are kind of a little bit on fire) but in that case then I'll try to at minimum go for a hike in a local park or botanical garden or something. Ideally more than once but, we'll see.

It's nice when things cross over. I've known my partner over 5.5 years. He loves running and ridiculous hikes in the Lake District. I like sprinting (if I have to run). The place is insanely beautiful - I've been four times since I met him - but I have no endurance muscle, and after eating all the things I've packed in my rucksack I still feel wobbly and have to go home early after a couple of hours. To this day I don't know if my symptoms were hypoglycaemia or a general lack of fitness. It breaks my heart knowing I'm holding him up, which is why I end up leaving. Paying to stay in a place I don't get to see is also pretty depressing. After starting Strong Curves this year, I can report that those 20 rep sets of high step ups and endless glute bridges pay off in the real world! I didn't really feel anything in my legs or glutes today, though the descent aggravated my knee. Only annoying thing was overheating in subzero temperatures - it was sunny and I ended up trudging though snow in yoga leggings... Views were what I imagine Swiss Alps in summer to be. Didn't get dehydrated and didn't have to keep stopping for water/al fresco peeing. My cardio is still pretty poor, but I did well to keep up with someone who's been climbing this region since he was 12. I was planning on doing the bodyweight version of Strong Curves while I'm here, but I really don't need to. 29,600-ish steps (we walked a couple of miles on the road back to our cottage) 10.4km/6.5 mile hike 2414ft of ascent I just wanted to share with you how quickly your body can change for the better, and how ridiculously happy that can make you. I have also eaten and drunk all the things (~2700 calories), and it feels good. I hope I can move in the morning.

In recognition of the wacky new year's challenge dates, I have decided to do an epic 6-week challenge starting tomorrow! And yes, the Mt. Doom part is meant literally, I will spend the second half of my challenge on holiday in New Zealand Details to follow....

Newbie here... I wanted to insert some .gifs but my uploads fail... Oh well, on with my story and 2018 challenge. I found hiking or rather hiking found me for nothing better to do in 2009. I met like-minded hikers who introduced me to lists and I was never the same again. Who knew there is a Catskills 3500 List (which I have completed both the Regular and Winter lists), or the ADK 46er List (which I try to do whenever I can drive up to New York), and of course, my epic quest, the 50 States High Points List (started in 2010 and have done 43 out of 50). I guess one can never have enough lists. Then in 2013, never having really run before, out of the blue, I decided to sign up for the 24-Hour NJ Trail Series and ended up running 50 miles in 15 hours. You never know how far you can go until you try. This began my love affair with running. I love to run on dirt and trails and hike up mountains too. And yes, the start of another list - 50 States Ultra (3 out of 50). Since moving here in NC, there have not been many opportunities to hike. So, I just run on nearby trails or in the gym. Sadly, I miss the Northeast. There is nothing like the enthusiasm and great vibes you get from fellow hikers there. For my 2018 Challenge 1, I tend to start off excited and all raring to go, but if I miss two days in a row that annihilates my running streak. I get messed up and start feeling down, have no motivation to run and beat myself up for being lazy. So, I'm hoping some scouts come to my rescue and push me back on track and keep me accountable - run, walk, crawl. whatever... Let's do more running than resting! I'm going to keep it simple so I can focus and build on small wins to hit my goals. Start: 2018-Jan-01 End: 2018-Feb-04 Fitness Goal 1: Run at least 4x a week Fitness Goal 2: 5x5x5 Core I can run long but my core needs work. So, I thought of doing this routine at least 5 days a week to build some base. I tend to get bored if it has nothing to do with running or hiking. So, baby steps. If 5 minutes of core doesn't kill me, I guess it should make me stronger! 1 min Jumping Jacks 1 min Squats 1 min Lunges 1 min Push-ups 1 min Mountain Climbers Fitness Goal 3: Evening Stretch Routine Work has me sitting in front of a computer for hours. A 10-min or so evening stretch since my lower back hurts at the end of the day. Level Up Goal: Gratitude Practice I keep a gratitude journal, but have not been consistent. So, write 5 things I am grateful, thankful for everyday in my gratitude journal.

Discipline A good assassin practices discipline, and great assassin lives it. Instead of focusing on different aspects of being an assassin, Snuggles needs to focus on improving the discipline in her life. She needs to focus on the things she can control and actively change. Physical #1: Working on the back. I have joined a Pilates group that meets twice a week. I also want to get back into my physical therapy. Week #1 of my challenge: Focus on physical therapy 3 times Week #2 of my challenge: Focus on physical therapy 4 times & Pilates twice Week #3 of my challenge: Focus on physical therapy 5 times & Pilates twice Week #4 of my challenge: Focus on physical therapy 6 times & Pilates twice Week #5 of my challenge: Focus on physical therapy 7 times & Pilates twice Physical #2: I need to do something physical every day. Things to include are walking at least 2 miles, hiking, weight training, knife practice or something else. Week #1 of my challenge: 3 times a week Week #2 of my challenge: 4 times a week Week #3 of my challenge: 5 times a week Week #4 of my challenge: 6 times a week Week #5 of my challenge: 7 times a week Bonus: I would like to average at least 70k steps a week and 10k a day! Prize to be determined… Diet: Snuggles needs to start interacting with food in good ways again. I need to eat breakfast 6 days a week. Sunday Brunch is acceptable if I get at least a piece of fruit early. Week #1 of my challenge: Week #2 of my challenge: Week #3 of my challenge: Week #4 of my challenge: Week #5 of my challenge: Tracking is King: Finally Snuggles needs to start incorporating her many interests into her daily routine. (The To-Do Chart has returned!) In the past my chore chart is a wonderful indicator of what works and where I need work. It gives me a weekly visual so I know very quickly where I need to focus my energies. I will use this along with my Fit-bit to track food and activities. Activities include French, Knife Defense, Knitting, Lockpicking, Game Night, etc. Week #1 of my challenge: Week #2 of my challenge: Week #3 of my challenge: Week #4 of my challenge: Week #5 of my challenge: Builder Goals: I will be starting fresh so this challenge will be spent focusing on creating a baseline. Week #1 of my challenge: Week #2 of my challenge: Week #3 of my challenge: Week #4 of my challenge: Week #5 of my challenge:

I hope everyone had an awesome holiday. This was a tough one for me personally because it was our first without Papaw. But it ended up being drama-free, and I was surprised to find myself less concerned about gifts and money and instead enjoying time with family and friends. My challenge set-up this time may be edited later as ideas/problems/concerns arise. I plan to continue certain daily habits, such as early rising, prayer, getting outside/earthing/stretching in the morning, Bible study, etc. but they probably won't be mentioned in the challenge goals below. As promised, this challenge will be LOTR themed, focusing mostly on the book series (but with plenty of gifs, pics, vids, memes, etc. from all sources). Each goal is named after a poem/song from the Lord of the Rings book series. Quest 1: The Road Goes Ever On (Walking/Hiking) walk at least 10,000 steps per day at least one 30 minute mindful/adventure walk per day at least one 30 minute hike per week Quest 2: The Riddle of Strider (Strength/Fitness/Nutrition) at least 3 bodyweight/Spartan/HIIT style strength workouts per week at least 1 day per week of 4 all-out 80+ yard sprints (with 10 second rests between each) at least 2 5ks per week (aim for every Saturday and Wednesday) eat whole food/Paleo as often as possible (aim for 2/3 meals per day) intermittent fasting at least 5 days per week (not eating before 11:00am) drink at least 64oz of water per day every day Quest 3: I Sit Beside the Fire and Think (Meditation/Mindfulness/Study) meditate at least 20 minutes every day read at least 20 minutes every day (Bible and LOTR, of course) at least 1 outdoor ("beside the fire") meditation per week (Fri, Sat, or Sun?) at least one language session/lesson using Duolingo Quest 4: Song of Beren and Luthien (Love/Affection) at least 30 minutes uninterrupted time per day with my queen at least 1 "date night" per week with my queen (don't be picky about this; the key is to spend time alone together) speak the top love languages of my queen (acts of service, quality time, and words of affirmation) to bed with my queen every night, even if this means moving princess Arabella to another bed (see past challenges)

Hey everyone, I kind of forgot about last time around but I'm back! and I even lost some weight while I was gone! So let's keep it up! Challenges: Go to the GYM at least 2x a week!! I finally signed up at a gym! It's close by my house and open when i'm omw to work! I'm going to be following this plan from bodybuilding.com so I have an idea of what to do at the gym lol. Stay under 1500 calories 6x a week According to myfitnesspal this is the number of calories for me to lose weight on. ( y'all can follow me there, I'm still RoachRex ). 7th day is cheat day! (saturday is my cheat day). I am starting to learn about macros but tracking is a pain so I think I'll stick with this version for the time being. Level up in cooking! This time around my goal is sort of two-fold. I have a basic understanding of the frying process but I don't know a thing about spices or herbs so it always comes out a bit bland (salt helps sure, but I want more!) So i'm gonna start trying to experiment with herbs, spices, and marinades! I want to eat healthy but I also want it to taste good!! Get outside! I've got some gear together so I really want to go camping!! But if I can't go camping, then at least I want to go on a day hike!! Weather may not permit me to go camping (I live in socal and our wild places are kind of a little bit on fire) but in that case then I'll try to at minimum go for a hike in a local park or botanical garden or something. Ideally more than once but, we'll see.

Welcome to Fair Middle Earth, my fellow Hobbits! should you accept the challenge - I urge to consider carrying the RING OF POWER through most of Middle Earth. Now the purpose here isn't just to wittily drop LOTR references (tho' that would be nice- who doesn't like a Great LOTR reference)? but to revel in the challenge of walking ALL the way to Mordor in 2018. 3405.5miles! .... I see there is nice little history to this challenge (https://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/93325-walk-to-mordor-and-back-again-2017/) congrats to all those that slogged along most of that way in 2017. Lets start it again! so anyways. I myself would prefer something of a text based approach: I shall check my distance and glory in my current destination...

Walk to Mordor and Back Again (2017) All who dare step outside The Shire will likely encounter many nasty adventures. The journey is not for the faint of heart, as the typical traveler must endure years of commitment. There will be other brave souls making the trek, providing much welcomed support and company, but only you can put one foot in front of the other. The fate of Middle-Earth hangs in the balance... are you prepared to walk to Mordor to destroy the One Ring? Begin Your Journey Now! Whether you have been trekking to Mordor for years or just looking to get started, you are welcome to join us at anytime. All miles/kilometers count. You decide how you want to accumulate distance. This is your adventure! (ex. my journey has included walking/steps, hiking, running, biking (distance/3), and swimming (distance*3)) SPREADSHEET Open the spreadsheet, click on the 'Sign Up' tab at the bottom of the page, fill in all fields labeled in yellow, and begin tracking and logging your distance in the appropriate monthly tab. “It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.” - Bilbo Baggins

Guts, renowned for his epithet the "Black Swordsman", is a former mercenary and branded wanderer. I have been wandering aimlessly lately from life battle to battle. I going to use Guts from the Berserk Anime series as inspiration this time. Guts is relentless as he fights through hundreds of enemies. I could use some unrelenting focus right about now. I have been out of the gym for quite some time (about 4-5 months). I previously ran Juggernaut but due to moving cities and not having access to a proper gym I will throw some bodyweight style workouts in with the cable machines and DBs I have available. Swordplay Guts wields a ridiculously huge sword called the dragon slayer. This takes immense strength and focus. I need to get my strength back up to par. Workout 3x a week 2 gym sessions: TBD (I need to see exactly what I am working with to make balanced routine) 1 BW: 50 Prisoner Squats 50 Pushups 25 Jumps 50 Step-ups 25 Pull-ups 50 Forward Lunges 50 Close-grip Pushups 50 Inverted Rows 50 Squats 25 Chin-ups Hack And Slash Guts mows through a million demons with ease. Basically its my motivation to keep up with the no smoking. I had started smoking again after 2 years of quitting. So basically I have to quit again. I am 3 days into it and cheating a bit by still dipping(pouches) for the time being. So this is a simple pass\fail. Endurance Guts has an almost god-like endurance level! I need to up my cardio game for sure! So I have been hiking\walking a lot lately and I want to keep up the momentum. Hike\walk\run for at least 2miles 2X a week Side note: I'm sorry I keep bailing on these 4WC and I plan on updating as often as possible

Hey everyone! My name is Hannah and something you should know about me: I tried enlisting into the Army but was shut down because of my Kidneys. I have Nephrocalcinosis, meaning I have calcium surrounding my kidneys and it can lead to kidney failure if my kidneys are put under too much stress. So instead, I’m going to school at my local community college to become a nurse. And I’m also still working out. Because of spite. Now my workout routine may seem like a lot, and it is but like I said I was going to enlist into the military. Goals: (I’m not going to be able to complete all of these in the next 4 weeks but these are long term goals) - Complete the 2-mile run in ~10 mins - 100 sit-ups in 2 minutes. - 100 push-ups in 2 minutes. - 20 pull ups in 2 minuets - 18 miles with 50lbs in 4.5 hours - Deadlift, bench and squat of 400 (I’m currently at least 200-250 for all of them) - Know how to read a map and use a compass. Swimming: - 2-3x a week, 2,000 meters - Wear fins when swimming for half of it How I do it: Swim any stroke you wish for 200m, get out of the pool and do 20 pushups and 20 abs of choice. Get back in the water and repeat above ten times. This totals 2000m of swimming 100-200 pushups and 200 abs of choice. This is one great workout for the arms and lungs. Hypoxic pyramid adding the PT at every 100m. Hypoxic- Swim 50-100m freestyle breathing every 4 strokes and build up to 10-12 strokes per breath for 50-100m each and work your way back down the pyramid. This workout, if you go from 2 - 12 - 2 using the even numbers as your step will only take about 20-30 minutes but will challenge your lungs to the maximum. Running: - 5x a week run 5 miles (can include biking as a substitute) - 2x a week carry a 30 to 50 lbs 5 to 15 miles at a fast walking pace. (Hiking!) How I do it: The Run and Leg PT Workout: x5 a week Repeat 4-5 times - Run 1 mile at your goal pace (5-6/mile) (no ruck sack) - Squats - 30 - Lunges - 20 / leg - Calves (heel raises) - 30 per leg (this is to stretch) Long Distance Bike / Leg Workout (Life Cycle Pyramid) x2 a week (when I don’t run) On a stationary bike with manual mode and levels of resistance: Start at level 1 for 1 minute; increase resistance level by 1 level each minute until you can no longer pedal in between the 80-90 RPM zone. Typically, I will do this workout for 20-30 minutes. Once at the top, repeat all levels in reverse order and work yourself down the other side of the pyramid. (It’s hell but oh my god do I feel great after a good workout) And, of course, there are long distance ruck marches for 10-20 miles with at least 45 lbs in a rucksack. The best way to train for these to move out with a rucksack for 1-4 hours at a time combined with smart foot care. (I.e wearing 2 pairs of socks and walking for a few hours before heading out to break in your boots.) Go from 3 mile ruck march with a 30 lb rucksack at a 45 minute pace to 18 miles with 50 lb ruck sack in 4.5 hours. put 45lbs in your ruck and move 4 miles as fast as you can. A good goal is to get 4 miles in under 35 minutes. PT: Every Other Day - Pull-ups, 100 (10 sets of 10 reps). - Push-ups, 300 (15 sets of 20 reps). - Sit-ups, 300 (10 sets of 50 reps). i don’t always do the sets back to back, sometimes I run out of time, so I split it up, like during a study break I’ll do 1 set of each and continue on with studying, or if I’m waiting for the bus I’ll do it again with the help of the bus stop’s over hang. Me going to the Y: swim -> bike/ run -> EAT AND SLEEP.! The point is that I keep moving! Afterall, the best motivation is to prove them wrong and showing them that you can do it.

Damn, what a handsome bunch of assholes you are. Hold on, let me capture this wonderful Kodak moment. Beautiful. That one’s going in the spank-bank folder. Now, down to business. You losers know why I called you all here. You invaded my fucking universe and all claimed to be the one true Deadpool. You've been involved in all kinds of fucked up shit and I'm the one getting the blame for all of it. This bullshit ends now. We're going to have a little competition to determine who is the best and the one and only Deadpool. Whoa whoa, hold your horses guys and gals, it's not going to be a fight. We all have the same super power and if we start slicing each other up, it'll go on forever, and I'm gonna be left sweeping up a huge fucking pile of severed limbs. We're going to settle this like little kids and have a race. Only in this race, the fastest one doesn't win. You have four weeks to get as far away from here as possible. The Deadpool that's the furthest away in 4 weeks time wins. Oh and one more thing. Attempting to screw over your competition is wrong and will not be tolerated…. Nah! I'm just fucking with ya! Be the deplorable bunch of ugly ass mercenaries that you are! You wanna hack of someone's leg so they have to hop for the next 3 miles until it grows back, go for it. Actually, do that, record it and share it to the Facebook group, it'll be fucking hilarious. I wish you all the worst of luck and I hope you all fucking kill each other. Now you all wait here while I….. head out this back door……… for no reason whatsoever...... Later, dickwads! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is the same as the previous "how far can you go" PvP that we ran a few months ago. Except this time, you get to be Deadpool! Select your Deadpool variant by putting your name under your selected character on the sheet. Put your name and character selection on the logging page Character & Logging Sheet The Rules This is for running and walking only, no cycling! Running / walking can be outdoors or on a treadmill The challenge is for any miles that are additional to any "regular" miles you may do. So, for example, a daily walk to work or walking around a grocery store this doesn't count. Log all runs / walks on the spreadsheet. It doesn't have to be full miles, part miles are allowed. The person with the most amount of miles at the end of the challenge wins! This challenge is open to all. There are 15 characters on the sheet, so if more than 15 people want to join in, you can either add your own DP variant or let me know and I'll add some more Good running everyone! And remember to run like the taco truck is pulling away!

How auspicious that @Sylvaa poked me the same day the new challenge starts! I will be back later to actually post my challenge.

Hi there I’ve already posted this in a few different places but I didn’t realize I didn’t do it already for the challenge! So here you go! Swimming: - 2-3x a week, 2,000 meters - Wear fins when swimming for half Swim freestyle for 200m, get out of the pool and do 20 pushups and 20 abs of choice. Get back in the water and repeat above ten times. This totals 2000m of swimming 100-200 pushups and 200 abs of choice. This is one great workout for the arms and lungs. Hypoxic pyramid adding the PT at every 100m. Hypoxic- Swim 100m freestyle breathing every 4 strokes and build up to 10-12 strokes per breath for 50-100m each and work your way back down the pyramid. This workout, if you go from 2 - 12 - 2 using the even numbers as your step will only take about 20-30 minutes but will challenge your lungs to the maximum. Running: - 5x a week run 5 miles I’ve been incorporating at least two or three of the following workouts in hopes of decreasing my time, my goal is to have a sub 12 minute 2 mile. Workout #1: - Run one mile easy/stretch - Repeat 8-10 times - Run 1/4 mile at 10-20 seconds under current mile pace - Jog slow or walk 1:00 Say you are running a 9:00 1.5 mile run = 6:00 mile pace = 90 seconds 1/4 mile run. Try to hit these 1/4 mile intervals at 70-80 seconds. Benefits - increase foot speed, and build VO2 Max. Workout #2: - Run one mile easy/stretch - Repeat five times - Run 1/2 miles at 10 seconds under current mile pace - Jog slow or walk 2:00 Workout #3: - Run one mile easy / stretch - Run one mile at 10 seconds above current mile pace - Jog 2:00 slow - Run one mile at current mile pace - Jog 2:00 slow - Run one mile at 10 seconds faster than current mile pace - Cool down jog 5:00 - Stretch Workout #4: - Run 5:00/warm-up/stretch - Run for 30:00 total BUT - Run 1:00 sprint / followed by 1:00 slow jog for 30:00 Hiking: on the weekends The long distance ruck marches for 10-20 miles with at least 45 lbs in a rucksack. Rucksack for 1-4 hours at a time combined with smart foot care. 18 miles with 50 lb ruck sack in 4.5 hours. A good goal is to get 4 miles in under 35 minutes. PT: Every Other Day - Pull-ups, 100 (10 sets of 10 reps). - Push-ups, 300 (15 sets of 20 reps). - Sit-ups, 300 (10 sets of 50 reps). Hope everyone has had a good start to thier challenge! Keep up the good work!

Could someone please tell me, What's the difference between walking and hiking?