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While this is supposedly a Doctor Who themed year, I tend to do a special Valentines themed February, to be hot and shallow and slightly drunk. (Mostly shallow, as I still largely aspire to either of the other two.) So we will have a short diversion. After all, one can get into a rut. 1. Strength training Dating on Vulcan requires a lot more combat than you might expect. So physical training is important. But what will not do is upsetting the delicate hormonal balance that keeps you from killing half a dozen people with sharpened hockey stick. To keep cortisol down, the goal is one single strength exercise a day, from this list: plank, bridge, horse stance, superman, maybe some rowing if I'm feeling it. Also, my stupid daily walk for my stupid mental and physical health. I will count anything. The goal is consistency. But I do want giant muscles, cuz I have people to beat with a lirpa, so strength. Goal: be strong, do an exercise 2. Eat the plomik soup. Dating on Vulcan requires correct fueling of the body. We're aiming for closer to therapeutic keto this time around. Brain needs ketones. I don't know if we'll get to that macro split, but we can manage a stick of butter. Goal: eat a stick of butter (or equivalent fats) Goal: drink a gallon of water 3. Rest Dating on Vulcan requires quality sleep, or at least some quality meditation. Goal: 11pm bedtime with meditation. 4. Emotional Management This is me lately. Also, I recently heard someone say that time management these days is really emotion management, and I think that's very true. For me, this also hits some ADHD stuff, cuz ADHD tends to magnify strong emotions. I'm gonna practice spotting and reacting to emotions or emotional spirals (hopefully not too many of those). Treating the don't-wannas with rest counts. Goal: one emotional intervention Bonus: Vulcan eye makeup Vulcans play a good eyeshadow game, so this probably requires at least some eyeliner. Okay, wait, this challenge is entirely inappropriate for a February challenge. It involves actual stuff, and not, like, stocking my bar and upgrading my wardrobe. I may need to reconsider this. Sigh. Vulcans do not know how to have a good time.

August is usually pretty miserable when it comes to the weather. It pretty much just totally sucks. So I need to take care of myself so I don’t turn into a puddle. Or a fried egg. Both are pretty unappealing fates. Looking back at my last challenge, it was really successful. So I think I’ve found a system that fits me nicely. The basic concept is to ramp up the goals over the course of the challenge. And to utilize a cork board I have over my headboard, with my tracking sheet as the focus of attention. It has stickers! Going into this challenge, I’m adding in a ranking system, plus a stat system I first introduced last fall. The ranking system classifies things as a goal, habit in training, or habit. A goal is a new or modified goal. A habit in training is a goal I succeeded at from my last challenge. And if I keep succeeding, it graduates to being a habit! My stat system lets me group the things I’m working on into five different categories. It streamlines things in an app I use to help me track. Plus it’s cool. Mostly it’s just cool. And fun. The stats are Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Sanity, and Charisma. Now, on to the actual Things! Which I’ll be starting during zero week. So, now. I have two habits in training, taking my AM and PM pills (Sanity), and staying hydrated (Constitution). I did very well on these last challenge. So, I need keep doing them every day so they become ful And then I have my new goal: washing my face. I’m going to build this up to doing it every day. I’m starting with twice a week. And then add one to that each week. Finally, there’s my Training Program. I’m not training for anything specific, but that sounds better than workout schedule. It is a challenge goal, but it’s written as a monthly schedule, instead of following the actual dates for the challenge. So, to round out July, I have a kettlebell workout on the 26th, 28th, and 30th. And on the 30th I decide if I want to move up in difficulty, or keep it the same. Moving into August, I’m adding in walking (Constitution) on Sundays. And the kettlebell workouts (Strength) will be Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. With a work in progress plan for what to do when I have a week long migraine. And I think that’s about it! For anyone that doesn’t know me, here’s a few things about myself:

After a depression & no motivation break, I’ve returned. Yay me! A little bit about me first. I’m a gamer who enjoys music, hiking, and photography. I would love to learn parkour and snowboarding. I’m a non-binary asexual person who is on the autism spectrum. My two biggest weaknesses are that I’m a perfectionist and vain as hell. And I struggle with depression and C-PTSD. This is a 3 goal challenge, designed to build up to what I want my actual goals to be. #1: Build up to exercising every other day. I’ve written down the days I plan on doing an at home kettlebell workout. The 4th, 8th, 11th, 17th, 19th, 21st, and 23rd. It roughly translates to progressing from twice a week to every other day. Or something like that. It makes sense visually on a calendar. It’s a beginner workout that I was doing the last challenge I was here. So I already know how my body deals with it, and that every other day won’t physically be a problem. Mentally, it might get a little rough. #2: Take both of my meds every day. I have a morning medication (mood stabilizer), and a nighttime medication (anti-depressant). This should be relatively easy. I just easily forget to take them no matter what “sure fire” methods I’ve used to make it easy just do it. For my first challenge week, the goal is 3 times a week. And then 5 times a week. And finally the last week is every day. #3: Hydrate myself. And being hydrated is drinking however much Plant Nanny 2 says I need. Which right now is about six 16 oz cups. I’m counting everything I drink, except any alcoholic beverages. And how many days is exactly the same as the take my pills goal. 3, to 5, to 7. I’ve set up a cork board in my room to track everything. There’s a couple papers with the days/numbers written down. And I get to put a sticker when I do a thing! Because stickers are awesome, And yes, I’m starting today.

I haven't been active on here since 2017 and I think back then I only completed maybe 2 challenges. Since then I have let laziness and a near fatal fall over a year ago keep me from adequately taking care of myself, however, today I say NO MORE! It's time to get back to being serious about my health, even if the main motivator is that I recently started a job as a delivery driver for Amazon and end ever day feeling worse and worse (especially my knees, lower back, and shoulders). So without further ado here are my current goals. BIG PICTURE: Increase mobility in order to not be in pain every day and overall feel healthier. HOW DO WE GET THERE?: Start every morning with a full body warm-up/stretching routine. Complete the Beginner Bodyweight Workout 3x per week. DRINK WATER!!!! At least two bottles per day I know I'm getting here a few days past the official start date, I hope that's not too much of an issue.

I know. Long time no see. *sigh* The tl;dr version is that I've spent the last 1.5 years not working out much aside from tons of walking, gaining weight (not the good kind), and feeling fatigued. Also, the whole family has been in a funk. So, thanks to covid and my husband getting 100% telecommute, we moved across the country 1.5 weeks ago. Our pod full of stuff arrives tomorrow! I'm hoping that a new location means a new start and a new lease on life. I'm also excited about the new Dune movies coming out. I'm a huge fan of the books and loved the Dune and Children of Dune miniseries that came out 20-ish years ago. I also literally moved from the swamp to the desert, so the loose theme seemed fitting. Goals: 1. Earn 14 fitness points for each of strength, cardio, and stretching. Right now, I have a garage that will soon house my weights, rings, a mini climbing wall, and a silks rig (I already have the silks set up!). I also have a 8' deep, maybe 40' long backyard pool. Since I want to keep things light and easy, the requirements won't be huge for this. I get 1 strength point for every 10 minutes of silks, rings, or weights, 1 stretching point for every 10 minutes of yoga, and 1 cardio point for every 1 mile walk or every swimming session. 2 (tied to point 1) "But it's a dry heat..." Most summer days, it reaches 100+ degrees. I can't let that prevent me from working out. So, the plan is to work with the weather rather than against it. I need to make outdoor, non-swimming workouts happen before 9 am or after 5 pm. Or I need to suck it up and deal with the heat. I'm not allowed to laze around in the mornings, decide it's too hot, and then after 5 pm decide that I'm too tired to bother with a workout. +1 point per day of compliance 3. Be mindful of the water - The goal is to take water with me everywhere and make a point of drinking a lot of water. Hydration is going to be trickier here, and drinking enough water will also help with some of the binge eating. +1 point per day of compliance 4. Wear my stillsuit - This one has two parts. (a) Check the UV index and put on sunscreen if I'm going outside and it's over a 3. (b) wear a cloth mask whenever I'm going to be out in public. +1 point per day of compliance. Bonus: Have fun exploring - Yay for this one! The whole family reached a point where we were bored with everything in the area and even within a weekend trip from our old house. Now, we have tons of new places to explore, and we're about a 10 minute drive from a couple different national forests with great hiking trails, a 40 minute drive from a mountain summit that is 20 degrees cooler and has great rock scrambling, and a 2 hour drive from some lakes that actually have good scuba. We're also 15 minutes from a climbing gym. So, there will be tons of exploring to do both now and after covid has died down a bit.

I wasn't going to do a challenge. It seemed like my path is fairly set. I mean, unless I decide to go the whole Keto route, my food is fairly set at this point. And I'm not taking on Keto right before Thanksgiving and Christmas. Talk about setting myself up for failure. My exercise is what it is. I lift some, I run some, repeat. Depending on what my body says (and the thermometer) I pick one and go with it. I'm not too worried about falling out of habit at the moment as I go through something akin to withdrawal if I miss more than 2 days in a row of training. So, doing the battle log was where I was going to go and just record where stuff was at. Then it occurred to me that there are a great many other variables that have an effect on blood sugar and can lead to an overall better state of health. So, I'm going to put those in a challenge. I'll still report in on nutrition and exercise, but they won't have actual goals. Those are here: MOAR Sleep - My sleep average is poor. I currently have dipped back down to about a 7 hour average. And that is including the weekends when I sleep in to make up for missed sleep. So, for this challenge, my goal is going to be to be in bed by 10:30 PM. I may not be asleep, but I gotta stop getting into the bed after 11 and waking up before 6. Less Screen time - Wow, that goal looks so easy. 3 words. How hard can it be? It's not like I sit in front of screens for a living or have to be on call every hour of the day periodically...oh, right. Since the evil geniuses at Apple have updated my phone to keep track of how much time I spend on it, we're going to try to make that average go down. Last week I average 2 hours and 45 minutes a day on my phone. I'm going to be shooting for dropping that average 10 minutes each week. Should put me close to 2 hours by the end of the challenge. That on call week the last week of the challenge should be fun. MOAR hydration - Alright, so despite having my macros dialed in fairly well, I suck at drinking enough water. Coffee doesn't count does it? No? Didn't think so. But, the more fluids I'm drinking the better my blood sugar should be. So, shooting for more hydration. I'd love to say, hey I'm going to drink 128 ounces of water every day. But, considering I might get to 32...on a good day...we'll shoot for that old common wisdom target of 64. I'm only counting water mind you. Not coffee or tea or diet soda or...just water. We'll start with that. I'll try to bring in some more for future challenges, but for now this is enough.

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:

This will be my second challenge on here but first with you guys (I was lurking last challenge and y'all seem awesome). Anyway on to the goals! 1) Follow the push-up program on hundredpushups.com 2) Run 3 missions a week on the 'Fit for Battle' app 3) at least 10 minutes of yoga every day (not strict) 4) HYDRATE at least 64 Oz. Of water daily BONUS ROUND update this thread on a regular basis. I didn't keep up with it on the last challenge so I hope to do better this time around.

I suppose you could say I'm here as a mentor? (If that doesn't sound too pretentious or anything...) I've done a good number of challenges, not always successful, not always at my best, and rarely in one guild for too long. A bit of an introduction would probably be good... (It's spoilered because it's long and a bit of a brain dump, and some people already know a lot of it.) So I've narrowed it down to four goals to focus on this time around. I'm also grading this challenge, which I haven't done in awhile. Hydrate Drink at least two liters of fluid five times a week. Engage Post at least once on this thread and on someone else's thread five times a week. Hunt Work on job hunting stuff at least four times a week. Explore Go outside and explore at least once a week. Grading Each success will count as 1 point. So, if I 100% this, that makes 15 points a week, for a total of 60 points. Bonus points are also possible. Rewards are to be determined. I have to be creative since I can't really buy much. A+ = 65 or higher A = 60 - 64 B = 50 - 59 C = 40 - 49 D = 30 - 39 F = 29 or lower

I really need to work on following through with the good habits I've started. In that vein, most of my quests this challenge are things that I've recognized as worthwhile habits, but I have issues sticking to them and following through. Mainly I just get really lazy -- I feel way better when I follow through with all of these, but here lately I've been talking myself out of doing them (things like I don't have enough time/I'm too tired, etc) Quest One: Settling into a morning routine! I have recently discovered how awesome yoga is, and I've done a few different yoga exercises on my own. I also have been meditating for a while, but I want to work on setting up a daily practice for both. I know I feel so much better (mentally and physically) when I take the time for myself and focus on how my body feels, I just need to buckle down and actually do it. My goal is to do a 30 day yoga challenge for this, along with about fifteen to twenty minutes of meditation following my yoga workout. A+ - 30 workouts / 30 days of meditation A - 27 workouts / 27 days of meditation B - 24 workouts / 24 days of meditation C - 21 workouts / 21 days of meditation D - 18 workouts / 18 days of meditation F - Anything less than 18 workouts / 18 days of meditation Quest Two: Fueling the fire! I really feel better when I eat breakfast, but I suck at remembering to eat it. I'll either get too busy and forget, or just wake up and stare in the kitchen cabinet (I am living at home presently, so I don't do the shopping myself) at the cereal and go 'meh'. I'm not the biggest cereal fan; I don't know whether I've just not found the right cereal or what, but if all I have to eat is cereal I do generally pass it up. I'm cool with other stuff like bagels and oatmeal and even overnight oats! So my goal is to actually make breakfast for myself (either in bulk a few times a week, or put together some overnight oats the night before) so I have no excuses to not eat. Or maybe look into a protein smoothie for breakfast, but the point is I just need to eat something healthy in the morning or else I'm cranky and I run the risk of eating all of the bad things that lurk on the break room table. A+ - 30 days of breakfasts! A - 27 days of breakfast B - 24 days of breakfast C - 21 days of breakfast D - 18 days of breakfast F - Anything less than 18 days of breakfast Quest Three: Commit to Hydration Another thing that I've sort of started, but need to fully commit to! I have been drinking at least 64 oz of water sporadically and I do feel way better when I do -- less thirsty, and less tired. But I sometimes forget to drag the jug (as I so fondly call it) to work and then I ruin my weekly streak, all because I get in a rush and forget to fill it in the morning. My goal is to get up in the morning and fill up the jug when I let the dogs out (which is well before I have to get out the door) and put it by my bag so I've got no excuses, then make sure to get through it over the course of my workday A+ - 30 days of at least 64 oz A - 27 days of at least 64 oz B - 24 days of at least 64 oz C - 21 days of at least 64 oz D - 18 days of at least 64 oz F - Anything less than 18 days of at least 64 oz Quest Four - Knit and Prosper I love to knit! It's my anxiety relief and fun time rolled all into one, but here lately I haven't been making time for it. There's been a lot of really heavy RL stuff going on, so I've been more stressed than ever and I need to make this more of a priority. Plus it's fun, and I love gifting my knitted items (I just have to finish them first, haha). I've got at least one major WIP I need to work on (a basic shawl that was supposed to be a birthday gift in March >_> ), along with some smaller projects (a gauge swatch for a sweater, a pair of socks, and a thumb on a pair of fingerless mitts). My goal is to avoid the startitis and focus on finishing what I have already on the needles by committing to 30 minutes a night for knitting. A+ - 30 days of at least 30 minutes/night A - 27 days of at least 30 minutes/night B - 24 days of at least 30 minutes/night C - 21 days of at least 30 minutes/night D - 18 days of at least 30 minutes/night F - Anything less than 18 days of at least 30 minutes/night

I’ve been noticing a trend in myself -- the small changes are harder than the big changes. I can go for lunchtime walks. I can make myself workout or run. It’s the little things that keep getting in my way… so this challenge will be all about treating the symptoms of a passively healthy lifestyle. Getting proper hydration. Getting a minimum amount of steps in. Staying in a net range of calories. The things that should be mindless at this point. Main Goal: Build better simple habits to improve my overall fit life to maintain or decrease my weight or measurements as a sign of personal improvement. Goal One: Yellow Exercise 4x per week (bonus point for 5) 4 points per week; 20 points available Goal Two: Red 4,000 steps minimum on work days 5 points per week; 25 points available Goal Three: Blue 60oz of water a day 7 points per week; 35 points available Goal Four: Multivitamin Net 1500 calories a day. 7 points per week; 35 points available Let's do this! TOTAL POINTS: 115 30 Points Defeats RED 35 Points Defeats BLUE 40 Points Defeats YELLOW Beginning measurements: Weight - 165lbs Hips - 42in Waist - 32in R/L Thigh - 25in/24.5in R/L Arm - 12.5in/12.5in Chest - 31in Bust - 38in Ending measurements: Weight - Hips - Waist - R/L Thigh - R/L Arm - Chest - Bust

Hiya! I am doing the Spartan Trifecta this year and want to get a good hydration pack that will stay out of the way of barbed wire while also keeping my dehydration-prone self nice and fueled for rope climbs and bucket carries. Anyone have a good recommendation for me?

It has been months since my last challenge and I think it's time I came back to it. I was really happy and fit when I was participating and I really want to recapture that. Without further ado, may the Hunger Games begin! Clean eating until Halloween [CON +3] I have recently gone to Chicago to visit my parents. As one does on vacations, I ate like an asshole and gained more fluff. Again. To be honest with myself, it really makes me angry how much I have let myself go this past year. I am hoping being on NF again will light a fire under my ass to improve. Things I will be focusing on: No sweets No bread/pasta products Stick to Primal for majority of the challenge Keep calories in 1800-1900 range; don't break 2000cals I foresee cheat meals during this time, because life happens. That being said, no more than one cheat meal per week is permitted. I'm trying to curb my eating here Run 3 times a week, for a mile [CON +3] Hot Chocolate 5k is happening on October 2nd (OMG SO SOON) and I have not practiced at all. Actually, I am utter crap at running and I always wonder just why I sign up for any races to begin with. All in all, this one is only 3.1 miles so I should train at least a little. One mile three times a week should be sufficient training. I'm only glad there are treadmills at work so I don't have to run outside at 8pm (which is when I am done with my daily activities) Even though the event happens in the middle of the challenge, I will continue running. I strongly believe that being able to run a mile without stopping is an important skill to have. Minimum 64oz per day, pre-workout [CON +3] This is a habit I have struggled to form for a very long time. I live in Colorado, so 64oz of water should be a bare minimum for somebody of my size and activity level at such elevation. It rarely happens so this challenge shows up all the time. One of these days I will do this without constant reminders. Today is not one of those days. Tomorrow doesn't look good either. Let's hope I'm better at this at the end Note: Tea, coffee, and juices do not count. It needs to be WATER. 50 push ups a day, 5 days a week [STR +3] It wouldn't be a challenge without an over the top exercise section. This is it. I remember knocking out over 800 push ups in a week once (it hurt, it was for a mini, I lived to tell the tale), so 250 should be no problem at all. That's the theory, at least. I will try doing these at work only, so I can have a breather over the weekend. That being said, it gives me two extra days to accomplish my goals in case something pops up. Do something weird/different/new once a week. [WIS +3] I've noticed that I don't really do anything new and exciting, almost ever. I am very cozy in my daily/weekly routine and I hate change. I also love new things. But wait! Contradiction! How? I enjoy having experiences, but I'm already entering into the 'old fart' category where all I want to do is sit on my ass and be lazy all the time. Let's go do stuff instead! Some new things I plan on trying in the coming weeks: Get a Wyoming key chain (which requires traveling there) Try escrima Check out the newest exhibit at the Museum of Nature and Science Go to Red Rocks (for a workout or otherwise) Let's go!

It's about time Starfleet decided to create an actuarial1 department. And I'm perfect for the job! I mean, who told them to get rid of red shirts to lower workers' compensation and accidental death & dismemberment claims? Yours truly, that's who! But did they listen? Nope. Some other consultant (*cough* Wade Wilson *cough*) convinced them that they'd save on their uniform budget by sticking with red, which doesn't show the blood as much . . really? You'd think Starfleet could at least afford new uniforms for everyone. Now that they've learned from they're mistake, I'm coming on board as the Chief Actuary2 of Starfleet. Woohoo! To prep for my first day, I'm doing the following: Improve water intake. Dehydration leads to physical and mental fatigue FAST. To be at the top of my game, I need enough water. Week 1: Track water intake. Week 2-4: Steadily increase water intake until I complete the "High Quality H2O" NF Quest (3L of water per day for 5 days out of 7). Physical fitness. Continue with the Zombies Run 5K program. Should be able to run a 5K by August 15, which will give me some 'street cred' with the admirals I'll be working with. Also continue with the NF gym workouts, with extra focus on improving my push-up form. This will definitely give me street cred with those admirals. Injury avoidance: Finish reading ChiRunning, and incorporate 2-3 suggestions into my running practice. No workers' comp claims from me! Stress management: Help one of my kitties get on the fitness bandwagon - increase her activity level by playing with her daily. On the off chance I get to go on a site visit to a Starbase or Starship (wouldn't that be awesome?), I need my pets healthy enough to come along. Those are looong trips. When all that is done, I know I'll look awesome in my new uniform: blue dress (for actuarial science) with a command pin (cuz I'm in charge!). And maybe then we can do something about that red shirt liability issue. Notes 1) Actuary (noun): a person who compiles and analyzes statistics and uses them to calculate insurance risks and premiums. Basically, an insurance geek. 2) Yes this is a real title. I didn't make it up. Well, the Starfleet part is made up. And no, I'm not a chief actuary in real life (yet).

So this 4WC is about my prep for the Great North Run, the world's largest half marathon. 1. Run four times per week. My plan says that I should run between 3-4.5 miles every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Depending where I am in the plan will determine whether it's an easy, steady or tempo run. On Sundays I should do my long slow run. I will allow myself to alter the days slightly if necessary but will do the four runs. In addition to my training runs I am leading two beginners groups and one intermediate group each week, and I run with a private beginner runner twice per week. These runs are either very slow or very short so I won't include those in my plan. 2. Cross train twice per week. I recently saw a sports therapist who said that the knee pain I had been having was due to weaknesses in my quads and glutes so I will cross train at least twice per week to help strengthen those muscles and my core. I will mix this up a bit. I can do some exercises or some yoga at home, or I can visit my gym and train there or have a swim. 3. Keep hydrated. I have finally given up the Diet Coke! Big achievement for me. I am currently having investigations to see if I have interstitial cystitis so I now only drink water or an occasional pear and blueberry juice as that's the only fluid that doesn't cause a flare. It's boring drinking the water though so I find I only drink it when I feel thirsty, which is when I'm on the way to dehydration. I will aim for two litres a day. I will have a 500ml bottle four times a day, breakfast and through the morning, lunch through the afternoon, during the evening meal and in the evening before bed. I will drink an additional litre the day before a long run or race as I know I perform better if I do this. I am going on holiday to Spain for the final week of the challenge so that's going to really test me! I managed to run on holiday last year but I was only doing twenty minutes at a time then. My long run during that week is 12 miles so that will be tough with the change of climate! My husband is also very unhappy about me running in a foreign unknown place alone. I have checked on google maps and found a 2.5 mile route around where we are staying so I am also going get bored of that route very quickly!

Valkyrie lay in the woods, comfortable in the familiarity of her surroundings. The leaves she lay on were soft as a feather down mattress, and she lay there for as long as she could remember. Now and then, she attempted to get up, but her limbs felt heavy, her head was muddled, and every time she settled again into her comfortable bed of leaves, unaware of the vines and roots of the darker things in the forest that had begun to wrap themselves around her body as she rested, utterly deaf to the sounds of the creatures which lay in wait for her. These creatures were Sloth, Complacency and Doubt. Suddenly, she opened her heavy eyelids and saw the snare for what it was, the creatures threatening only in their insidiousness. With a cry of alarm, she ripped her arms and legs free of the unkind foliage and staggered to her feet, weakened by her prolonged immobility. The creatures stood at bay, watching her with hungry eyes, but unwilling to advance upon her while she faced them. Determined, Valkyrie sized them up, then observed her surroundings with new eyes. Her previous bed of leaves was a moldy patch of mulch, where nothing could grow. To her left was the path she had wandered down to end up in this place, that she realized now was the creatures' den, a path that went in endless circles. The ground on this path was dappled with sunshine, clear of obstacles and debris - but full of deadly pitfalls, which led her every time back to this place, and a smell of decay permeated the air. To her right was a path that led...where? Surely away from this place! The ground was gnarled with roots, the sunlight strained to break through the old growth, but the air smelled fresher in that direction, somehow. As though, perhaps, a fresh water spring might be just beyond the thicket. Valkyrie knew one thing: she could not continue the way she had if she wanted to arrive someplace different. Valkyrie embarked upon a path unknown, a path less traveled, and that would make all the difference.

Hello all! It's been quite some time since I was last part of the scouts or the NF community. You may remember me from my previous account, username "Sora". I made a post HERE yesterday detailing my absence and change of account. Regardless, I'm back, and that's what's important! Part of the reason I'm starting this challenge a few days late is my account troubles, but I figure better late than never. So Let's Go! This Summer, I'm completing an internship in Japan, near Kyoto. Some of you may remember my challenges from the past that led up to my first trip to Japan, and I'm really happy to be back in this amazing place. However, I have found that I haven't been living a very productive life while I have been here. It's been almost a month, and I'm sick of being unproductive and wasting this amazing opportunity to improve myself. So, for this challenge, I have decided to channel Saitama from One Punch Man and work towards a better me through aggressive repetition. Goal 1: Workout! Rather than taking Saitama's workout directly (100 push ups, 100 sit ups, 100 squats, and 10 k of running everyday for three years), I'll be adapting it so fit my my current fitness level and timetable: Run 5 days a week, and incorporate body weight exercises... week 1: 2 days / week 2: 3 days / week 3: 4 days / week 4: 5 days The idea is to get back into running consistently again, while adding in some other moves to make myself more well rounded. I'm hoping to try out some types of fitness in the next year, so the body weight work (primarily push ups, squats, and sit ups) should help me gain some strength outside of distance running and improve my overall fitness level. There is also a good chance that I'll be climbing Mr. Fuji in July during my trip to Tokyo, so I'll need all the strength I can get! Goal 2: Cook! Cook 1 meal a day at least six days a week. At least one recipe must be new each week. This is my first time living and cooking 100% on my own for an extended period of time, and I've been wasting a lot of money the last few weeks eating out. The food here is AMAZING, but I need to start eating a little healthier and economically. My Goal here is to expand my cooking ability through consistently cooking and trying new recipes. One of my ideas for the next four week challenge is to work towards a paleo diet, but I think the first step towards this goal should be simply cooking in general. Goal 3: Hydrate! Drink 100 Ounces of Water a day, and limit soft drinks to once a day. At home in Michigan, I'm usually much better about staying hydrated. However, since my lifestyle changed significantly when I moved here, I have found myself drinking less. It's also much hotter and humid here than I am used to (yay rainy season!), so it's even more important that I am intentional about my hydration. I also need to try to avoid the many options that the plethora of vending machines here have to offer (Japan has the highest ratio of vending machines to landmass of any nation worldwide). I have downloaded the "iHydrate" app to track my progress. Life Goal: Daily Routine Complete at least three of the following each day, and complete all of them at least: Week 1: 1 time Week 2: 2 times Week 3: 3 times Week 4: 4 times Tasks: Read (20 minutes), Vlog (Film one video OR Edit one video), Study Japanese ( 1.5 hours), Clean (including laundry, dishes, etc. Basically anything in my apartment), Adventure (go somewhere I have never been before), Draw (1 completed sketch of 30 minutes working on full drawing) I have a lot of things I want to accomplish while I'm here, and the only way I'm going to be able to do that is by consistently practicing all of them. I've been doing fine doing them individually, but the problem for me has been giving attention to all of these things at once and finding the proper balance. So, through this goal, I'm hoping to slowly add more on to my plate and adjust to the balance gradually. IN SUMMARY: I'm hoping to slowly add more onto my plate as the challenge progresses. Through repeating everything consistently, I'm hoping to become a hero like Saitama! I'm super excited to be back among the NF community, especially the scouts. I'd love to talk more with you all, and I hope we can all reach our goals together! Let's go!

Intro: At the end of January 2015, I weighed 255 lbs, hated myself, and constantly felt sick and tired. I started watching what I was eating, and then at the end of February took the plunge and joined a gym. I came across NF a week before the April 2015 6WC started. There are links to my introduction/origin story and my first nine challenges in my sig below. Feel free to go rummage around in there. I’ve made steady progress through the challenges over the last 12 months, with just the occasional setback. Over my first four challenges, I set a specific goal of getting properly fitted for a good quality, tailored, three-piece suit, and get a good photograph taken wearing it, because I was sick of being disgusted when I looked in the mirror or saw a photo of myself. Having achieved that goal, the focus is now on getting to a target weight of 180 and staying there. During the last challenge, I had a mid-point epiphany. I’d been making precious little progress because no matter how hard I worked out, I was still eating like crap. I was staying within my allotted calorie targets, but eating the wrong things most of the time. So, for the second half of the challenge, I dropped my cross-trainer calorie count (keeping it as a warm-up exercise only), started to focus more on strength, and switched to Paleo instead of calorie counting, to try to break the cycle of poor eating and frantically trying to work it off. This challenge is an extension of weeks 3-4 from the last one. No Week 0 this time around, as I re-engage my motto, to be read as Jaqen H’gar: When a man takes a Week Zero, a man will become a Weak Zero. Quest 1: A Man Owes Three Deaths to the Iron God Three workouts each week. A workout will consist of cross trainer to warm up and cool down, and a combination of lifting and body weight exercises. Each complete week is a pass. Achievable Points on offer: +4 STR, +1 STA A – 5 Weeks (Points x 1) B – 4 Weeks (Points x 0.75) C – 3 Weeks (Points x 0.5) D – 2 Week (Points x 0.25) F – 0/1 Weeks (Fail. 0 Points.) Quest 2: A Man Must Learn to Lift Himself 3 sets of 10 bodyweight squats each weekday morning. 1 set regular, 1 set Bulgarian split on each leg. Each complete week is a pass. Achievable Points on offer: +3 DEX, +1 STA A – 5 Weeks (Points x 1) B – 4 Weeks (Points x 0.75) C – 3 Weeks (Points x 0.5) D – 2 Week (Points x 0.25) F – 0/1 Weeks (Fail. 0 Points.) Quest 3: A Man Must Choose His Poisons Carefully Continue the sugar & wheat detox by eating paleo for the entire duration of the challenge. Each successful week is a pass. Achievable Points on offer: +2 CON, +2 CHA A – 5 Weeks (Points x 1) B – 4 Weeks (Points x 0.75) C – 3 Weeks (Points x 0.5) D – 2 Week (Points x 0.25) F – 0/1 Weeks (Fail. 0 Points.) Quest 4: A Man has a Thirst Drink 20 litres of water per week (15 on week 5). Each week over target is a pass. Achievable Points on Offer: +2 WIS A – 5 Weeks (Points x 1) B – 4 Weeks (Points x 0.75) C – 3 Weeks (Points x 0.5) D – 2 Week (Points x 0.25) F – 0/1 Weeks (Fail. 0 Points.)

Intro: At the end of January 2015, I weighed 255 lbs, hated myself, and constantly felt sick and tired. I started watching what I was eating, and then at the end of February took the plunge and joined a gym. I came across NF a week before the April 2015 6WC started. There are links to my introduction/origin story and my first nine challenges in my sig below. Feel free to go rummage around in there. I’ve made steady progress through the challenges over the last 12 months, with just the occasional setback. Over my first four challenges, I set a specific goal of getting properly fitted for a good quality, tailored, three-piece suit, and get a good photograph taken wearing it, because I was sick of being disgusted when I looked in the mirror or saw a photo of myself. Having achieved that goal, the focus is now on getting to a target weight of 180 and staying there. Sticking roughly with what I did last challenge, as it seemed to break the malaise a little. I’m still going a little lighter on the cross trainer, and lifting more weights. I’m also sticking with weekly pass/fails to determine my grades. The most important change this time around is the switch from the Adventurers guild to Rangers. I had a fun run over in the Shire, but there comes a time in every man’s life when being content to shave your toes and have second breakfast isn’t enough. It’s cold and grim North of the Wall (Hadrian’s, that is), so it’s time to Ranger up. Night gathers, and now my watch begins. Quest 1: The Fire that Burns Against the Cold 4,000 calories burned on the cross trainer at my gym. Achievable Points on offer: +3 STA A – 4000+ (Points x 1) B – 3500-4000 (Points x 0.75) C – 3000-3500 (Points x 0.5) D – 2500-3000 (Points x 0.25) F – < 2500 (Fail. 0 Points.) Quest 2: The Sword in the Darkness Three weight training sessions each week. Each complete week is a pass. Achievable Points on offer: +4 STR A – 4 Weeks (Points x 1) B – 3 Weeks (Points x 0.75) C – 2 Weeks (Points x 0.5) D – 1 Week (Points x 0.25) F – 0 Weeks (Fail. 0 Points.) Quest 3: The Horn that Wakes the Sleepers Bodyweight squats each weekday morning. 1 set regular, 1 set Bulgarian split on each leg. Each complete week is a pass. Achievable Points on offer: +4 DEX A – 4 Weeks (Points x 1) B – 3 Weeks (Points x 0.75) C – 2 Weeks (Points x 0.5) D – 1 Week (Points x 0.25) F – 0 Weeks (Fail. 0 Points.) Quest 4: The Light that Brings the Dawn Log food, and stay within my weekly calorie target of 11500 (8500 for short week 4). Each week under target is a pass. Achievable Points on offer: +1 CON, +2 WIS A – 4 Weeks (Points x 1) B – 3 Weeks (Points x 0.75) C – 2 Weeks (Points x 0.5) D – 1 Week (Points x 0.25) F – 0 Weeks (Fail. 0 Points.) Quest 5: The Shield that Guards the Realms of Men Drink 20 litres of water per week (15 on week 4). Each week over target is a pass. Achievable Points on Offer: +1 CHA A – 4 Weeks (Points x 1) B – 3 Weeks (Points x 0.75) C – 2 Weeks (Points x 0.5) D – 1 Week (Points x 0.25) F – 0 Weeks (Fail. 0 Points.)

New Challenge, new Game so Welcome to: Schaengel vs. the World But first: Do you want to help me? While having fun? And also maybe get better at something yourself? Sounds awesome? How about joining my PVP for this challenge https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1E67yxY5Kh6tlC_zGlU7YJleIQ67jAepJ6RUGwe-UH0s/edit?usp=sharing Quest 1: “And I will walk 500miles Part 2” this one will continue so no scott pilgrim theme ;/ Follow the training plan (meaning between 3-4 runs per week) Go bouldering once a week Boxing 1-2 per week Adding up to training on every day...if I can't make it to bouldering or boxing (because of IMPORTENT things) 20 crunches, 20 push-ups, and 6 30sec planks over the day can coun't. Skipping running is not in the cards this challenge. Background (short version for long version read last thread ): I'm going to run a marathon. It will be in Cologne Quest 2 "Bread makes you fat" (Clean eating again): So I should eat low-carb. I like low carb and it worked for me in the past...also bread makes you fat. So this challenge will have two parts: Part 1 track what I'm eating everyday! Part 2 eat carbs responsibly, meaning if there is a chance of eating no carb eat without carb. If I can eat good carbs instead of bad carbs I eat good carbs. Quest 3 Hydration, the right way: I noticed that I'm really, really bad in keeping hydration the right way and noticed myself eating to realize 20minutes later, that it is actually water I was needing. Also I relapsed back to drinking bad stuff so the plan is. Drink enough water and/or tea per day (3,5l per day) If I have sugar free softdrinks I will match 1 part softdrink with 1 parts water (so if I drink a bottle of softdrink I have to drink a bottle of water after that) No (alcohol free) beer. I'll give myself 4 free passes on the beer so I can enjoy the weekends a little Quest 4 "Get shit done" I noticed that somehow motivation is an issue for me at the moment...and that's just plain stupid because there are so many great opportunities waiting. I also noticed that I am more motivated when I start my day productive. So the plan is to build myself a morning ritual. Write a list with the 3 things I need to do the next day (must be possible to be done at home in the morning) 1. Get up & make coffee 2. Quick cleaning of the basement (max 10minutes) 3. Do list item 1 4 Do list item 2 5. Do list item 3 When done I'll allow myself to start the computer Okay, new month new challenge. Let's be awesome again together

Hi all. After an absolutely horrible job which derailed all my progress; I am back and ready to get healthy again. 1. Since I am still having health issues; I am going back to basics with my fitness goals. A. Walk every day. B. Exercise 3x/week 2. Herbology: finish studying the immune system. 3. Health/Hydration A. Eliminate bread from my meals. B. Drink 64oz of water a day. 4. Get Creative: keep working on my craft projects.

*waves* Hey y'all! Veyva here and this is my first challenge. I'm really trying to create some good habits and routines to get through my day, feel better physically and manage my time. I'm a busy girl who does ALL THE THINGS but I need to get more organized. Especially with organizing my time. As its my first challenge, I'd like to start pretty simple. Here goes: DIET -Drink 64 oz of water at work a day. I'm TERRIBLE about drinking water so I need to get my hydration on. -Eat a salad 3x a week. I need more leafy greens in my diet FITNESS -Hula Hoop for 15 min a day for 5 days a week. i love to hula hoop but have fallen off the wagon. It's festival season so I need to get on that. LIFE -Be on time at least 5x a week I am late ALL THE TIME and it's starting to bug me. It's trickling down to work and to social outings. This is a huge challenge for me as I do so many things and dont manage my time. Let's see how this goes. I will post thoughts and small victories as well as weekly updates! Veyva

Intro: At the end of January 2015, I weighed 255 lbs, hated myself, and constantly felt sick and tired. I started watching what I was eating, and then at the end of February took the plunge and joined a gym. I came across NF a week before the April 2015 6WC started. There are links to my introduction/origin story and my first eight challenges in my sig below. Feel free to go rummage around in there. I’ve made steady progress through the challenges over the last 12 months, with just the occasional setback. In October, I was invited (and thrilled) to become an Ambassador for the Adventurers guild. Over my first four challenges, I set a specific goal of getting properly fitted for a good quality, tailored, three-piece suit, and get a good photograph taken wearing it, because I was sick of being disgusted when I looked in the mirror or saw a photo of myself. Having achieved that goal, the focus is now on getting to a target weight of 180 and staying there. And now, the misadventures of a man experiencing a mid-life crisis and attempting to convince himself that he still has The Stuff… No, Def, it’s not me. This time. Introducing Larry; Larry Laffer. Back when I was still an immature, sniggering buffoon, I found smutty humour hilarious. Shocking, I know. Thankfully, I’ve outgrown such juvenilia. Let’s just imagine for a moment that I haven’t, though. This challenge is homage to my all-time favourite computer game character, Larry Laffer. In the late 80s and early 90s, Al Lowe’s Leisure Suit Larry series kept me glued to my Commodore Amiga for countless hours, giggling at innuendo-laden situations and innocently longing for pixelated nudity as Leisure Suit Larry went Looking for Love in Several Wrong PlacesTM. Disclaimer: There were a couple of terrible console arcade-style revivals in the early 2000s, but they were the equivalent of the American Pie movies which didn’t feature Jim, Finch and the real Stiffler, and should be avoided at all costs. I’ve plateau’d bigtime over the past couple of challenges, partially my own fault. While I’ve generally stayed within my calorie limits, and kept up the exercise schedule, there’s been a bit of general fitness/life malaise, and a constant battle to eat properly, rather than meeting my targets with bad calories. With that in mind, I’m going to change things up a little this time. I’m going to go a little lighter on the cross trainer, and get back to NF basics and lift more weights. I’m also trying something different with how I track certain things. Rather than daily totals, I’m trying out weekly pass/fails to determine my grades. Quest 1: “Buff Sheds Sweat in Search of Sexier Stuff” 5,000 calories burned on the cross trainer at my gym. Achievable Points on offer: +3 STA A – 5000+ (Points x 1) B – 4500-5000 (Points x 0.75) C – 4000-4500 (Points x 0.5) D – 3500-4000 (Points x 0.25) F – < 3500 (Fail. 0 Points.) Quest 2: “Buff Burpees to Boost his Bodaciously Bangin’ Bod” 500 burpees by the end of the challenge. Achievable Points on offer: +3 DEX A – 500+ (Points x 1) B – 450-500 (Points x 0.75) C – 400-450 (Points x 0.5) D – 350-400 (Points x 0.25) F – < 350 (Fail. 0 Points.) Quest 3: “Buff Pushes Pounds in Pursuit of Pulsating Pectorals” Scoring slightly differently this time around. A minimum of three weight training sessions each week. Each week with three sessions is a pass. Achievable Points on offer: +5 STR A – 5 Weeks (Points x 1) B – 4 Weeks (Points x 0.75) C – 3 Weeks (Points x 0.5) D – 2 Week (Points x 0.25) F – 0-1 Weeks (Fail. 0 Points.) Quest 4: “Buff Feasts Faithfully upon the Finest Foods” Log food, and stay within my calorie target. Rather than scoring it daily, it’s a weekly target of 11200 (8000 for short week 5). Each week under target is a pass. Achievable Points on offer: +2 WIS, +1 CHA A – 5 Weeks (Points x 1) B – 4 Weeks (Points x 0.75) C – 3 Weeks (Points x 0.5) D – 2 Week (Points x 0.25) F – 0-1 Weeks (Fail. 0 Points.) Quest 5: “Buff Hydrates His Hotness with H2OHMYGODINEEDTOPEEEEE” Hydrate like Bobby Boucher. Again, I’m scoring it weekly. Drink 21 litres of water per week (15 on week 5). Each week over target is a piss pass. Achievable Points on Offer: +1 CON A – 5 Weeks (Points x 1) B – 4 Weeks (Points x 0.75) C – 3 Weeks (Points x 0.5) D – 2 Week (Points x 0.25) F – 0-1 Weeks (Fail. 0 Points.)

Actually, one of our business trips in March just got cancelled, so I'll be coming home this Tuesday night, and I'm only gone from the 11th to the 21st. (Dallas and Atlanta.) I'll be home for 15 days out of 26 for this challenge, which is better than I'd been expecting, but still, modest goals! "Nearly every day" is a minimum of 20 out of 26, but half credit for at least 15. (22=A, 20=B, 18=C, 15=D) 1) FITNESS ACTIVITY - nearly every day. [20xp] I'll be doing a lot of bodyweight based training, because I can't bring the kettlebells to Dallas and Atlanta. (We're flying, and we need our whole baggage allowance for the books we're selling.) While I am home, kettlebelling and running in the woods are top priority fitness activities. REVISED VERSION: I like spreading things out through the day, but it is easy to convince myself I've been "super active" when I've done a grand total of 20 pushups. So, given that, I'm writing up a list of what counts as one point, with a goal of getting 5 (or 10) points. Old version: 2) RESPONSIBLE ADULT MEALS - twice a day, nearly every day. [20xp] I should be able to eat reasonably healthy for two meals a day. My "Responsible Adult Meals" are based on the guidelines from Precision Nutrition that I mentioned last challenge. For now I'm going to focus on the veggies and protein, and be mindful of carbs and fat but not strictly limit them. 4-8oz meat (~1c. 4 eggs. or MORE THAN 30g other protein.) (Target: "two palm-sized portions" ~40-60g protein.) 2c of loosely packed veggies (2x for fluffy greens, x1/2 for cooked greens or solid packed stuff) A reasonable amount of carbs. (Target: "two handfuls", 40-60g carbs, 1-2c grains.) A reasonable amount of fat. If the meat or carbs aren't fatty, add 1-2oz nuts or cheese. (Target: 15-25g) For reference, I'd say an unreasonable amount of carbs is more than twice the target amount. I don't generally go crazy with fat, so as long as I can plausibly call it a "responsible adult meal" I'd say I'm okay. 3) HYDRATION - 2L water, nearly every day. [20xp] This shouldn't be a problem. I'd been having a hard time of this, basically toting a 1L water bottle around everywhere but not actually drinking much. My new plan is refilling two to four 500mL water bottles with my "weasel-ade", and just chugging one of those twice in the morning and twice in the evening. LIFE QUEST: DAILY CHECK-IN & TO-DO LIST [20xp] This'll be really important during the days we are home, but since I'll be doing some daily tracking anyway, I might as well have some kind of daily to-do list. At minimum, I need to: Look at the calendar in the evening, and note anything relevant. Check-in with Raven in the evening. Tell him my plans, ask about any tasks. Check off my progress on my goals during the day. SIDE QUESTS: Continue tracking sleep, nearly every day [5xp] Post kettlebell form-check videos [5xp] Run with the dog nearly every day I am home (10/15 days) [5xp] Post a progress photo [5xp] PREVIOUS CHALLENGES: 1. Weasel Gets Things Done Nov-Dec 2015 More protein, veggies, and whole grains (B+). Sleep Routine (A). "Primal Fitness Blueprint" (A++). Laundry! (A++). Order of the Stick (Success!) 2. Return of the Weasel : Consistency! Jan 2016 Handstands (A), Kettlebells - Pavel's "Simple & Sinister" (A-), Daily Routine (A), Ukulele! © 3. Weasel Takes this Show on the Road! Feb 2016 Continue Simple & Sinister kettlebell routine. (D. Injury.) Track sleep schedule (A). Make a diet plan (A). Write on spirituality blog. (F)

Hi, all. This is my third challenge, and I'm very nervous about it. I run my own business, which is struggling, and I have to juggle a lot of different priorities. Given the amount of work on my plate, I feel like now is the time I'd usually just stop working out and worrying about fitness "until things calm down". But I really want to push through this busy time and establish a stronger habit. So I'm going to make it an easy quest. Fitness and diet quests: 2 bodyweight exercise sessions per week (8 total) drink 96 oz of water every day walk every day for 5 minutesLife quest: Write 750 words every day. I'll give myself a percentage grade for each one. I'm aiming to check in at least once a week, and I'm hoping to be a bit more social than I have been on my challenges in the past. But let's just keep the wheels on and move forward!