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So There is no better hockey theme in the world than Goon.... Which also happens to be the SO's and my favorite date night movie next to Deadpool. Meet Doug, The Thug... Glatt Fire under my ass time. I have been lazy, and un-motivated for quite a while. So I said F'it, I am going to (hopefully, which I managed but just) fit my ass back into my Hockey gear I bought years ago and finally learn how to play properly. I had set up my first personal lesson, and the lady training me said I would be fine going to the team clinic that her and her husband run so that is that. By summer season next year I will be on the rookie roster I know I am a warrior but I am putting the heavy shit down and getting some agility and endurance so rangers was the place to be. To complete this half year goal I need to... Train Hard! - Circuit Training/HIIT/Cross Training twice a week - Hockey Clinic on Wednesdays - Skate on Saturday or Sunday - Walk/Cardio twice a week - Yoga once a week Adult Hard! - Figure out daily/weekly chores and get them done - Get the new deck sealed weather permitting, hopefully it will get cool and dry enough to get this done - Get one disaster removed from the house, and possibly paint some shit. Lose Hard! - Keeping this simple, 1600 calories average with 1800 on hockey clinic day. Will fine tune if needed, but everything will be tracked in MFP Extra Credit * Save Hard! - Cancel Gym Memberships, and stop spending on frivolous shit so that I can afford the hockey clinics/skating and save up for the new car I want come December. Now to get to work...

Well, life has been interesting. Got into a good grove working out with a coworker, start playing hockey in a local beer league, started playing with software defined radio, wrenching on a beater suburban, lots of goodness. Then I slowed down on working out with my co-workers, had excuses not to play hockey (Sunday night), and put on more weight than I needed. Oh, and let my housekeeping go to entropy. Goals and metrics are easy. Every day - one action against entropy to clean/improve the house. Sunday night - hockey - starting tonight. Strong lifts - squat, press deadlift, and squat, bench, power clean - alternate and lift twice a week. Walk the dog - if you don't patrol it you don't own it, and I plan to take to walk twice a day in the neighborhood and the open space near my house. Bonus points - maintain my beer fast for February. I am fasting from beer, not living on beer. Bonus points - get out of February at under 200 lbs. Bonus points - 1 March start the mustache. Robin Olds. Okay, this is a lame post, I must do better with funny pictures, that is my ultimate challenge this 4 week go. - Murphy's Roommate

"Your doubts will become your failure. Your failure will lead to anger. Soon, the dark side shall have power over you, and you will welcome it's embrace." It has been some time since I have truly run a challenge with focus, sincerity and commitment. I need to get on game here. I don't need to aim for perfect execution; though that would certainly be welcome- but aim for perfect effort. While the goals are getting monotonous, I need to keep them where they're at until it's my routine life, and not something that must be reached for and tallied. I want to continue to try new things though as well, so I will set my weekly goals and also have a 'to do during the challenge' list. Conquer Defeatism "Try not! Do, or do not. There is no try." Young Jedi also learned that defeatism was just as dangerous as overconfidence. Although it might have seemed contradictory to the goals of conquering overconfidence, a Jedi would first plan for success, then for failure. Jedi who always plan for failure expected to lose, and usually only used minimal effort—enough to say that they had tried. #1 - Write weekly schedule on Sunday night or Monday morning, planning the week ahead. #2 - Track calories for food daily. #3 - Keep track of progress on excel sheet, because visible progress encourages me. ** Stop telling myself that I cannot do these things. I CAN do them. I WILL do them.** Conquer Recklessness "Learn to recognize when speed is not important. Race when being first is important; move at your own pace at all other times. It is not necessary to always strike the first blow, to provide the first solution, or to reach a goal before anyone else does. In fact, it is sometimes vital to strike the last blow, to give the final answer, or to arrive after everyone else." Many young Jedi lacking in self-restraint were always ready to ignite their lightsabers and plunge straight into battle. They perceived a goal and rushed towards it, without any consideration for unseen dangers or other options. And so Jedi were taught that speed did not necessarily lead to success. #1 - Approach lifts and exercise slowly as I get back into routine. #2 - Strength train 2-3x/week. *Pending hockey schedule. IE, do not be reckless. #3 - Move 2x/week. *Hockey will be extra. As I shift from biking season to running season-> Start. Slow. ** Legit reasons are valid. All other reasons are excuses. Start slow, aim for reasonable improvement. Patience I must have.** Jedi seek to improve themselves through knowledge and training. “There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.” No longer will one act on ignorance, but search for true knowledge of a given situation. Do not act on assumptions, but rather from facts gained from learning. Find calm so that you might study and learn about a scenario instead of acting without learned information. Do not become lazy, lest you end up lacking the knowledge needed to complete a task correctly. #1 - Continue to practice drawing/art. 3x/week #2 - Find a book or tutorial to start really learning Manga Studio. #3 - Work on sewing/costuming. 1x/week ** Playtime must come after personal improvement time. For the jedi, there is time to game as well.** List of things to do during challenge: - After Oct 1st, eye doctor (We are getting a vision plan on Oct 1st!) - Go through old pictures, retake kid-friend pics and send collage to my dad. - Finish costume. **More to come. It's wicked late right now. Let's get this training started! Starting Data Weight 154.4 (ugh) Measurements (to come)

THROUGH PASSION, I GAIN STRENGTH "It is our goal to be stronger, to achieve our potential and not rest upon our laurels. We are the seekers, not the shepherds." ―Yuthura Ban Only recently attuned to the Force and beginning to understand her powers, Starpuck begins to see the potential that comes with them. Having found freedom as she starts to break the chains that hold her, our young Force user now looks to delve deeper into the codes that direct the use of this great energy. For this challenge, the goals and schedules are going to have to be looser, and more flexible. Sunday the 12th (Week 1 if you start on Sunday) I am running a Sprint Triathalon. OMG. The end of Week 2, start of Week 3 I will be visiting friends in Canada. (Thur-Mon) And of course, Week 4 includes a super summer holiday of July 4th. Non-Specific Goals For Challenge Do not back out of the Triathalon! Finish Nia Shanks 12 Week Dumbbell/Bodyweight Program (Have weeks 11 & 12 to finish.) Buy new Nikon so I can learn it before my trip to New Mexico/Texas. GOAL #1 - "Through Strength I Gain Power" "Without strife, the victory has no meaning. Without strife, one does not advance. Without strife, there is only stagnation." This challenge will present many obstacles if I want to keep to my training schedule. While I've said I plan to be more flexible, that does not mean I will be lax. To account for trips and holidays, I must make sure I am meeting my goals on the rest of the non-eventful days. The busy schedule is my strife. And I will have victory even through it! Hockey 1-2x / week :: Total Required 5-7 Lift 2-3x / week :: Total Required 10-11 Run/Move/Active 1-2x / week :: Total Required 7-8 GOAL #2 - "The Force Shall Free me" "The Force is our servant and our master. Our teacher and our companion. A weapon and a tool. Know it and you know the universe. Master it and you master the universe. Strive for perfection and the Force shall reward you." This has to do with food stuff. Namely, calorie counting. There is a nice parallel to what Yuthura Ban said as it relates to my relationship with food and counting calories! It can be a tool or a weapon with me... a weapon that hurts myself. The goal here is to aim for keeping on track (perfection) when I can, and not obsess about it otherwise. *I* am its master. Not the other way around. Track Calories 6x / week :: Total Required :: 21 days Vacation = No Track, Just Smart 4 days :: Total Required 4 days (I'm gonna pretend that is a sandwich in front of her... so hard to find Star Wars gifs related to food.) GOAL #3 - "Embrace your Passions" "To think us creatures beyond the need of simple passions is a delusion." This has to do with art, photography, travel ... ie, hobbies, interests and passions. Arts 2-3x / week :: Total Required :: 10-11 LIFE GOAL - "Through Victory, my Chains are Broken" "One who has freed themselves from all restrictions has reached perfection… their potential fulfilled. Perfect strength, perfect power, perfect destiny." This one is to build on my last challenge of self affirmation and building up a better, more positive body and self image. It's time for the next step, and that step is a big one that leads OUTSIDE of my comfort zone. I have to think on this more, and figure out what sort of things will accomplish this, but that in and of itself is a prime example of how terrible I am at this. An easily stressed, anxiety ridden, likes her routine person, is going to intentionally step out of her comfort zone at least once a week and then share the experience on here. Comfort Zone Left 1x / week :: Total Required :: 4 I must unlearn my fears and step beyond my current boundaries.

"Through strength, my chains are broken..." Goal #1 - Train the Body "Through Passion I Gain Strength" - Continue training for functional strength and general fitness and performance. Strength Train 3X / Week Move 3X / Week Hockey 1-2 / Week Goal #2 - Fuel the Body "Through Strength I Gain Power" - Continue data gathering to dial in my specific dietary needs. Fuss with numbers less; stop worrying about how many calories I am burning with every walk, run, hockey, session. Eat a predetermined amount of calories per day and see what happens. Adjust based off of results. Weeks Zero & 1 : 1600 calories / day Weeks 2 & 3 : TBD Week 4 : TBD. Goal #3 - Free the Mind "Through Power I gain Victory, Through Victory My Chains are Broken" - Build up my mental and emotional fortitude so I can more easily overcome fears and defend against negativity. Post a positive thought, comment, revelation about myself daily. Share a pic with a body positive comment 1X / Week Goal #4 - Express Emotions & Practice Passions "The Force Shall Free Me" - Do things that bring me joy and happiness. Explore my creative side and take pleasure in the journey of learning and progressing. Continue practicing art / digital art - aiming for 3X / Week Work on photography- trip coming up and I want to get some good pics. Extra Life Goal : Complete Apprentice Training I will be taking a trip at the end of July which I would like to attempt a mountain hike on. I am not great with edges when heights are involved, and this will be an 8 mile round trip hike, with an elevation gain of almost 3000' in the first 3 miles. It will also be the middle of summer, in the Chihuahan Desert. In order to prepare for this I am going to start doing weighted practice hikes. With pictures! Because that will also help my photography goal. A little bit on the theme choice... This past October, my Sunday night gaming group made the switch to Star Wars Force & Destiny. Now, if we go way back, you'll come to discover that Star Wars was my very first Nerd fandom as a child. At age 5, I wanted nothing to do with Barbies or dolls, but everything to do with getting those awesome speeders for my Star Wars figures and ... oh, the Ewok Village??! YES PLEASE. As I've been reintroduced to this world and its lore, I've found myself really drawn into it again. It may seem a little ... dark side, sure. But rest assured, I've no intention of blowing up planets or anything. I just need to embrace my emotions and follow my passions, and well, those fuddy duddy Jedi aren't into that sort of thing. I have a lot of negative voices in my life- many don't even mean to be negative, but I am surrounded by a chorus of 'For your age,' 'you're not so young any more', 'you can't keep doing this, you're pushing 40' etc etc. Then add in my own voice about how I should look, what size I should be, how I am failing this, or suck at that, can't do this. It needs to stop!! And, the Sith Code seems better suited to guiding my path in that endeavor.

mar·vel ˈmärvəl/ verb 1. be filled with wonder or astonishment. ◄ Also, this girl! So another challenge is on the horizon, and after the last few, I have to admit I am feeling a bit down on things! So I got to thinking about what I am doing right... and explore what I might be doing wrong. I'm active. I consistently do something intentionally active at least 4x a week, and often 5-6x a week. I run 2-3 miles at a time, I play ice hockey, I train my body to pick things up and put them down. I bike ride, play dance games, frisbee, take hikes, etc. I stretch, I foam roll. This list is not found on someone who is lazy or inactive. I'm health conscious. I don't eat whatever I want whenever I want to. I may not get this right 100% of the time, but I consistently put thought into my food choices. I track calories (more consistently now) and try to eat balanced. I'm creative. I have my hands in a lot of creative activities. Drawing, writing, roleplaying (which also allows me to be socially active). What I am not? I am not very kind to, or appreciative of, myself. I never look at all of those ▲ things and say, "Wow Starpuck, you're pretty awesome!" And therein lies the name to this challenge. I need to start marveling in myself. I need to start really, really cheering myself on for all the amazing stuff I am capable of doing! And what better time to do it than now... leading into ACEN, where I will be cosplaying as Wendy Marvell. With that wordy challenge introduction out of the way, let's get to the details! STARPUCK BECOMES WENDY IS MARVELLOUS Goal #1 -- Fuel yourself properly! Do not starve yourself, you need energy for all those magical attacks! Track Food Daily (One off day/weekend) Get more protein and spread meals out throughout day. Fill up on healthy sources of macros. TOTALS PER WEEK 6 CHALLENGE TOTAL __ / 30 Goal #2 -- Train for all things! All around training is required so you can face a range of unexpected situations! This boils down to my interest in straight up functional strength. I don't need to aim for lifting PR's or certain numbers of anything. I just want to be functionally strong so that everyday life is easier, and so that my bones and muscles stay strong and ready for life well into my senior years. RUN 2X/WEEK STRENGTH 3X/WEEK HOCKEY **X/WEEK TOTALS FOR CHALLENGE RUNNING __/10 STRENGTH __/15 HOCKEY __/ 8 Goal #3 -- Practice your Art! Wendy is a master of support magic, and that requires a calm mind and great focus. For me, this means maintaining my creative side- which forces me to slow down and get quiet. I am going to continue with the idea that I should do my art, but change up one thing. No longer will it be on 'these certain days, you do art before other stuff'. Because sometimes I am just not FEELING it. So, still aiming for 3x a week, but it can be broken up however. ART 3X/WEEK TOTALS FOR CHALLENGE ART __/15 Goal #4 -- Compliment yourself! Wendy starts off as a shy, uncertain girl in Fairy Tail. But she learns to build her confidence by believing in herself. Twice a week I will post either a picture of myself being awesome, or comment about something I am capable of doing, in such a way that I praise myself and love on my body for all that it does for me. Can we say awkward? >.> STARPUCK SHOWS OFF HER AWESOME 2X/WEEK CHALLENGE TOTALS __/8 You may have noticed I have some goals that are including all 5 weeks (off week + new challenge) and some that start next week proper. That's intentional. I also have data and a fun calendar (flaunts for @Karinajean) I need to post in a follow up post. But, work is crazy now, so I need to hit Submit Topic before the internet eats all my hard work!

â–² This is me trying to come up with a challenge format on a weekend!! Hello my peeps! It's been a while eh! Nevermind the assassin title there on my signature, I assure you, we are totally here as bonafide, genuine rangers. Yus. Absolutely. Did I say we? I meant I... We would suggest a small infiltration group, and I of course, am here, all alone... yes. As a ranger. Ok enough with the jokes! (Or maybe they're not jokes...) I ran my first 2 years here as a ranger. I can't believe I've been here since 2013! And as my training is really taking a shift back to a combination of many things, I felt a return to my first guild would be in order. I run, but nothing past a 5k. I strength train, but it's a combination of a lot of things at this point, and I hockey. The thing is; In early September I tried water skiing. (I totally got up and I love it.) BUT, I'd been nursing a 'chatty' shoulder since May. Nothing insanely painful, just certain motions (bench press and push ups) bothered it and I kept sleeping on it and mucking it up. Water skiing wasn't just a nail in the coffin, it was freaking LANCE THROUGH THE SHOULDER! Long story short, cortisone shot + 3 months of PT and ... no relief. Nothing is torn, there are no spurs, I just have hella inflammation and impingement. My original doc (not happy with him, trying other approaches) said that surgery is now the next option. I'm not fan of surgeries to fix things that aren't mechanically broken, so I am opting to give myself 3 months of self rehab. â–¼ What my shoulder felt like after water skiing. â–¼ What my last 3 months of fitness, diet and overall health looked like. So, while the shoulder has limited me away from the things I love doing (pull ups, cry. I was up to 7!! SEVEN IN ONE SET, and they are all gone now..) and has in general, been a royal pain in the ass, I have to decide: Let it control everything, or learn how to work around it and really really be consistent on fixing it. Without further ado. My challenge.... Goal #1 - Shoulder Rehab Traumeel rub 2x/day (After shower, before bed) Ice 3x/day (After bf at work, after lunch at work, after dinner at home) Stretches 2x/day, foam roll daily. Home rehab program daily, as written.I know that's like 4 goals in one, but they really all need to be worked on and two of them are just quick little things and the other two could technically be combined. This will act as the 'strength' portion of my fitness until I can add in other strengthy goodness. I may, after I get in a good groove on the shoulder stuff, split the shoulder moves between two days, and add in lower body/core work in so that every day is a light, but still full body circuit. Goal #2 - Running Run 2-3x /week. Simple. Work back up to running 5k at a shot. (Flexibility to allow for weeks there is much hockey.)Because some dumbass signed up for a triathalon in June. (Just a sprint distance, so 1/2 mile swim, 13 mile bike, 3.1 mile run.) **What. Dafuq. Was I thinking?** Goal #3 - Track Food Track food in MFP daily. Aim to eat 1500-1800 calories. (This is slight loss to maintenance level depending on my activity for the day.)I've done it before and succeeded with it. I already have hundreds of things built into MFP so this isn't a monumental thing to try and to with the rest of my goals. Try as I might to 'wing it'. Especially now with my usual activities having to change up, I need to know what I am putting into my gut. I also want to really try and mimic the anti-inflammation diet as much as I can without being zealous about it. Life Goal: Art something twice a week.I have a huge creative side that I do not nourish enough. I was gifted a drawing tablet and software for Christmas. I do not know how to use it at all. Like at all, at all. This is going to be a very good challenge for me to work through something I am not 'immediately good at' and learn how to put in hard work and time and effort. Since I'm torn on music and drawing, I've the challenge simply as art. It can be hand drawing, digital drawing/learning or playing the piano. But twice a week, slow my roll and do something creative. Prep work for tomorrow is: Take my home workout from my PT and separate the stretch moves from the rehab moves so I have quick visual markers for what is what when I do it. Take measurements as a new starting point. And possibly a before picture. (Anyone else have like seventeen different "befores" lol.) Make a grocery list for work food.Starting Measurements: Weight 152.2 Ugh! Bodyfat 33.3% Muscle 27.6% Alright! Let's do this!

I have a tendency to want to restart everything once I screw up, fall behind, or space out on it. I've certainly done that over the summer this year in regard to my challenges and overall health and fitness goals. It's about this point that I would usually want to pull the plug, find new gadgets and gizmos and start over. Not this time my friends. This time I am going to continue with the characters I have, at the level they are, and keep playing. The great thing about NF (okay one of the many great things about it) is that I can look back at past challenges to see where I had my most success and what I was doing to attain it! So I did that! And... I also wrote down all the stuff that's on my mind that I want to do. Then I plotted it out on a calendar. How do I know that my best bod history was basically between April and August of 2013? I found this pic of me. In a box. And I love it!!! As far as I can tell by past NF notes and updates, I was around 142 here. But that's a sharp looking 142. (I haven't weighed myself in a while, but I think I am around 147, so not far off number wise, but way different shape wise.) I was able to look back and figure out what I was doing at this point. Running 3x a week. Strength training 3x a week. Eating really, really clean. So now I know what pieces need to be in this puzzle, it was just a matter of arranging them. Ok, and adding in things like, hockey, yoga, drawing, gaming, and other things. I also can take past experience to know that, I will NOT get a strength workout in on the weekends. Just never happens. I DO tend to be otherwise active on the weekends though, so no worries. Hockey season is starting up again, so I will have hockey at least once a week, sometimes three times a week. Taking that all into consideration, the plan of attack is this: Strength Train M-W-F (3x/week) Run T-Th (2x/week) Yoga T-Sa (2x/week) Draw M-Sa (2x/week) Hockey W-F/Sa/Su (1-3x/week) Gaming Th-Su (2x/week) Bible Study W (1x/week) Yes, yes it seems like a lot! But the strength training and running is always done at work, on my lunch hour. So the drawing, yoga, hockey and gaming will be my evening activities. If I go into it just knowing that on certain days, I do certain things, it takes some of the brain work away. I am also going to track my food, especially as I may cut out some of the processed grains and breads again. Last time I did that, I lost a lot of weight, but I also think I was eating far too little. I have a vacation that starts on, and lasts through all of week four, so that is going to be really hard. I think I'll just do my best, enjoy the trip, and not worry about it. I also need to think up a way on how to organize and track, and ... oh snap! I forgot about the other goal, lol. Back to budgeting. And with the idea of putting $300/month, physically, into the savings account. Alright, the morning is getting away from me, but I wanted to get this posted before I lost track of my thoughts. TL;DR GOALS SUMMARY Strength Train 3x/week Run 2x/week Yoga 2x/week Draw 2x/week Eat Clean/Track 6x/week Budget $75/week into savings. I'll spew brain vomit on this thread more later. I need fooooooood.

(to be continued...)

I believe, after some hard thinking the last few days, that I have discovered one of my biggest hurdles to this whole ... sort of... mission... quest... thing. I always take the negatives and hold on to them for dear life. Example? I don't look forward to what I'll be able to achieve when I start something. I look back and get angry at myself that I've "let something slip" or I'm "no longer as practiced/skilled at this thing as I used to be". If every time I embark on a path, I look back to something I consider an 'accomplishment', and get all pissed off and defeated that I'm not still floating at that point... well then I'm not moving toward a new direction, I'm only moving away from an old one. In order to not dwell on the past- in order to pick up the controller, play the game and move toward success. I can't look back at old save points and lament about what weapon I had at this point last time, or which options I chose that got me a better party member, or how many rare summons I had collected, or if I solo'd that one thing. I have to delete them. That doesn't disqualify the experience I earned getting them the first time around- I learned stuff in those first play throughs!! But for sanity sake, I need to press "New Game" and play it as a new game. That said - I have to treat this like a beginner. Sure, a beginner with some good foundational knowledge to start off with. But someone with no existing PRs, no 'past bests'. no epic loot yet. There is just me. Starpuck. Day 1. Level 1. A copper sword, and some leather armor and ready to face the world. Here's the kicker... they've not invented selective memory erasing software. So it's there in my brain. I have to figure out a way to not let it push to the front. Even if that means faking like I've got nothing to remember from the past. And another rule? No looking at old pictures, or videos of past workouts and achievements until Dec. 31st. And what I mean by that is, I can't look at anything from before Jan 5th 2015. (I can look at the stuff I take/do between now and then, but nothing older.) I'll be doing this challenge a bit different, as I am going to outline goals for each week. A lot of them will be the same for the whole challenge, but I am treating this as a level one character in a new game. You're not sure what you quite need yet ... but you know you need to get organized. ZONE #1 - The Hinterlands (Week 1) :Quests: 1) Locate your rations. [Get some healthy food in your ration bag. Cut out processed sweets this week! Single squares of dark chocolate for the occasions where you're about to party wipe and need a quick buff until your heal spell comes off cool down.] 2) Get used to carrying your pack and load. [use the training camp to work on your strength, endurance and mobility. Your armor, plus your weapons and pack will probably weigh close to 50# so the goal for week 1 is to move 30-50# things around.] 3) Guard your mind. Do not let either the demons of the fade, or the players of The Game, detract from your goals. [Positive thinking! No dwelling on past crap. Think excitedly toward exploring these things, as if I'd never seen or done it before. Journal your steps starting on day 1, and using only present/future thoughts.] Side Quests To Follow 1) Get to the Spirit Healer! (Ear specialist to see if I can get my ears back to hearing normal again.) 2) Get to the field medic. (Persistent cyst on my forehead is getting bigger. Need to get it removed, ugh!) (I ran out of time, go figure, when I finally found some inspiration on goals... so I will finish this later hopefully.) for sure.

Without an end, there can be no peace. It gets no easier. Your struggles have only just begun. ~ Flemeth For over a year I have worked toward some undefined goal and sought a path that demanded flawless execution. I've met many obstacles on this journey; sometimes overcoming them and sometimes falling victim to their assaults. Still my eyes never left that path. But now? Now my stamina is flagging and I look far beyond to see what prize lies at the end of this path ... and I see nothing. This cannot be! What is it then? What is my end and where will I find my peace? We stand upon the precipice of change. The world fears the inevitable plummet into the abyss. Watch for that moment - and when it comes, do not hesitate to leap. It is only when you fall that you learn whether you can fly. ~ Flemeth 1) FIND MY DESTINY & EMBRACE IT There are men who struggle against destiny and yet only achieve an early grave. There are men who flee destiny only to have it swallow them whole. And there are men who embrace destiny and do not show their fear… these are the ones that change the world forever. My destiny did not come with an easy path to success. It will always require work - that will not change. What I can change is my attitude toward that work. If I am to truly succeed with this so that it becomes simply 'the way it is', then I must stop the "I can't - it's not fair" mentality. I must embrace my destiny and show it no fear. Tracking isn't fun- but it works. Despite my admirable level of activity and fitness, if I do not track, I hover at a weight that is above ideal for my size, age and shape. I have to always watch for the numbers, just as the Grey Wardens must always watch for the Darkspawn. TASK: Track food in / exercise out 7x/week. [i'm on a 52 day streak at the time of writing this, clearly it can be done.] 2) TRAIN FOR THE TASK You will resist. You will always resist. It matters not. I will not suffer even an unknowing rival. I enjoy activity and love being strong and capable, so getting exercise in is rarely a problem. *Except when dragons throw fireballs at me. I am still recovering from a Grade II MCL sprain and have not been approved for running or hockey, and still suffer pain from the injury that struck me 6 weeks ago. I've done well, thus far, in maintaining an exercise regime that works around this- but, without a plan or set goals, I can easily be deterred by sloth demons to 'give it a rest'. Sometimes I must do what I do not feel like doing. This is a part of life. TASK: Train the Three Essentials; a Champion must be well prepared. [My time spent with my physical therapist has pointed out my weaknesses and imbalances. I have several areas that MUST have improvement if I want to maintain an active, injury free lifestyle that includes sports] Strength - 3X a week *1 Endurance - 3X a week *2 Mobility - 5X a week *3 *1 - Strength can be either PT session or lifting/strength session while PT is still in session. *2 - Endurance; until running/hockey is cleared, can be earning 10k steps in a day. *3 - Mobility is either 10minutes of stretching or foam rolling. 3) DEFEND THE MIND It’s time we start believing in this one. I fall easy victim to fear and doubts. It has always been in my nature and I strongly dislike that about myself. It's also dangerous - I am going to be capable of doing ten pull ups as a 50 year old woman, run a 5k in 30m, play hockey -- and yet have a heart attack from my inability to cope well with stress. The whispers of the enemy can plant themselves in my head almost at first word- and I must draw the line. They cannot be allowed to get a foothold within me. This is perhaps the most important change I must start working on. And I am not entirely sure how to do it just yet. TASK: Build mental and spiritual resistance/fortitude. Maintain the Sunday Church HabitStep out of comfort zone; join a small group, get to know someone at church.Practice, engage in, and post examples of positivity in the face of doubt/fear.Join something new, all on my own, without a wingman.Return to an activity I was previously good at and must relearn.Look for a photography class.**This list will be added to and maintained throughout the challenge.

I am a brand new NF Rebel and I want to use my first challenge to establish healthy habits to build on. I am an accountant and every January through April I go through Tax Season. During that time I generally work 10-12 hours days 7 days a week. I want to improve my fitness and lifestyle habits to make it through that grueling time of year with less stress and better job performance. When I’m not bean-counting, I am a goalie for a recreational women’s ice hockey team. Having played college hockey I consider myself to be a fairly accomplished athlete but I know there is much more I can do to improve my game. 'Much more' includes better fitness and a healthier diet. I tend to be an Eager Beaver so I’m trying to stick to a few small changes instead of biting off more than I can chew. Main Quest: To complete the ladder drill without stopping by the end of the hockey season (The ladder drill for Ice hockey goalies involves increasing reps of different skating skills. You start by doing one shuffle to the right then one shuffle to the left. Next, two shuffles to the right, two to the left. You continue up to five and do that for each of three more skating skills. Strength, technique and endurance are key.) Side Quests: Diet and Fitness Goals: 2 Bodyweight work outs per week Move up to using 10lbs for 15 reps for dumbbell pulls by week 5 No fast food! Life Goal: Save $100 for family Christmas gifts Motivation: Completing this challenge will get me closer to accomplishing my main quest as well as establish healthy habits to build on.

It's that wonderful time of the year again! So far, my teams (Montreal, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Calgary) are either eliminated or didn't make it in the first place. I'm not very good at picking teams to root for. I'm still picking Chicago to win the West, but I think the winner of the Kings/Sharks series will make them work for it. The East is still a toss-up, but I think the winner of Toronto/Boston won't have much left in the tank to go much further. I'll have a better prediction for the East after tonight's Game 7's.

Is anybody else here a hockey fan? Playoffs start tomorrow (4/30) and I'm getting pumped for it. My excuse for not getting enough sleep for the next 2 months? . Let me hear who you're rooting for. Go Wings!