Search the Community

Bouncer eyes the entrance of the dungeon, the stone stairs below her don’t look appealing at all. She could feel her heart drop, as the sunlight seemed to get lost in the entrance. She had heard from many that opportunities for adventurers of any alike could treasure hunt and call for bounties for the many monsters. Bouncer’s druid instinct seemed to wonder though what would happen if she continued her hero story differently, making the many levels of a deep dungeon a home of hers! ---- 2 inspirations while I tried to Unplug... "Delicious in the Dungeon" (Netflix Series)and “Walkscape” (game )aka going cold turkey unplugging didn't work and realize I had some really good inspiration around me. A new perspective on how long a journey is and how fluid/open it is. And what type of games/stories are better for me now. Overall goals for 2024: Have a Thriving Base Camp -Fully Unpack, Organize/Declutter, Hygge, Catification Making Delicious in the Dungeon -To be Upfront Money IS TIGHT with my current home, I have a hard time eating only from home while being busy AND staying frugal. Also realizing to work on some financial goals (paying off student loans, having money for needs, and saving for a few dream trips…). The more creative I can get better. Maintaining Making Gold I’m in a lucky life stage, I HAVE many opportunities to make money. My stamina and executive functioning skills are what shortcuts me. Keep my Mana High and Become a better Druid Meditation, mindfulness, Qigong, Eating nutrient-dense food, stay active. All help me keep my energy up and continue my healing. Life is not at my most difficult, but I am in the part of my life to strengthen skills and habits with tools to become helpful in future stresses. Okay, SMART goals for this challenge! Find Base Camp and Learn what Monsters are Edible Restart FlyLady 31 Baby steps, the goal is to do a Morning/Evening routine daily. To make it a little easier I will only continue on the baby steps when I feel confident to continue on the next step (morning check-in). End goal - have the morning/evening goals be a habit. 85%+ - I find a safe place to set up a camp in the dungeon and has what I need, able to start wandering a little safer. Below 85% I might have a random monster attack to get through to keep going through the dungeon. Struggling to write this in a SMART goal. Meal plan/Prep/Eat; stay under budget. Only go out to eat once. Staying in budget is 100% difficult. So will share my thoughts around it.

My partner of over 12 years and I are FINALLY tying the knot in October! It's been a long and bumpy road, and I'm so excited!! I am less than excited though about my health, which has steeply deteriorated the last half a year or so. Between financial stress, family health stress (several cancers have been popping up in my immediate family), and work stress, I've been absolutely exhausted and drained and letting myself go. While my perfectionism would love to focus solely on getting my weight down, I know that would only wind up making things worse. So instead I am forcing myself to focus on making myself FEEL better, and be more healthy in general, and the weight will eventually follow, even though it will likely be a lot slower than I would want. For this first challenge we'll start kinda slow. Nutrition: We have been eating out basically every meal lately, it is hitting the waist line almost as hard as the pocket book and therefore is a HUGE stressor right now. I want to focus on only eating out 5 times or less a week for this first challenge. What constitutes eating out: Takeout, drive-thru, restaurant. What does not constitute eating out: meals at family's house (regardless of whether it's takeout), family gatherings at a restaurant when paid by family (Sunday lunch with my parents after church is still considered eating out). Fitness: I am going to start focusing on getting my core strength up. It is the area I am severely lacking in. To do this, I will be doing the Core Play program by Karina Dimitrovova. This is a 4 week program that I will repeat for a couple times (at least 3 times). It takes approximately 30 minutes a day, 6 days a week, with a 7th day of rest. If I feel up to it after my Core Play routine on Mon, Wed, a/o Fri, I can also do a water aerobics class at my local rec center, but this is completely optional for this first challenge. Mindset/Mental Health: I have been spending far too much time bingeing TV shows and webtoons lately, and just generally being pretty lazy, but lately I started re-reading the Harry Potter series, and remmebered just how much reading really calms and centers me. I have a buynch of books I've bought in the last couple years that I had ever intention to read, and never got to, so I will slowly make my way through them. In addition to rediscovering my love of reading, I have discovered a NEW SHINY HOBBY! of bookbinding! So my goal this challenege is to work for at least 30 minutes daily on either reading or bookbinding projects. In order to keep from going overboard on things to do, I will not be striving to update daily here, but I do need to have some sort of consistency goal for posting or I will completely drop off the challenge somewhere around week 2 or 3, so I will aim for at least 1 post/update a week So excited to get started!!

The creepy guy in the corner turned out to be a Ranger named Strider. He doesn't look like much, but he did save us from the Riders, so I guess I trust him. Bree has become too dangerous to linger; Strider has offered to lead us into the Wild in search of Gandalf. This challenge sort of falls at an awkward time, so I am going to divide my goals into 2 phases to match what real life will look like. I will basically be in survival mode because NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is coming! Health goals will be dialed back a bit, with more focus on self-care while I attempt to write 50,000 words in 30 days. I will be including zero week both before and after the challenge to make a 7-week super challenge. Phase 1 (Preptober): Into the Wild: Move 30+ minutes a day. Each half hour counts as 1 mile traveled toward Weathertop. Movement can include really anything, and should probably include some deep cleaning before November. Second breakfast: Make ahead and freeze food for breakfast, lunch, dinner, afternoon tea, etc to minimize food stress for November. I am not trying to prep 90 meals or anything, but 30 meals or so would be a good start. Write: Flesh out character profiles for antagonist and supporting characters; nail down Act 2 plot holes Phase 2 (NaNoWriMo November): Into the Wild: No change. Movement may shift to more outdoor activities to reduce stress/inspire. I don't expect to reach Weathertop. Midgewater Marsh is a practical goal. Second breakfast: While I will be continuing to keep an eye on my caloric intake using results from last challenge, in light of the stress of WriMo and the numerous birthdays, holidays, etc in this period, I have decided to turn back the dial a bit. I am bringing back the popular eat the rainbow challenge. Eat 10 servings of fruits/veggies per week. Write: 50,000 words in 30 days means I need to write as close to 1700 words per day as I can or 11,700 words per week. 🥵 Here we go!

vs Was debating in-between Avatar Last Airbender or Winx Fate themed... Fairies are winning for now, in the end this is the Realm of the Rebellion... I can come up with my own world of combination of both. For this challenge its the whole forming habits, while taking the medicine I've been told to take for a while.... Some background, this is my first Fall of not only being out of school but with a full time job (supposedly graduated idk where my degree is though). I'm still living at home with my mom and official stepdad (they just married) where we are finishing the move by Halloween (exactly 4 years from when we moved into the apartment). I work as Security, and for once don't feel overwhelmed (or incompetent) but seeing it as a place to settle for a year (unless I like security). Last few challenges even if I wasn't here I found if I just meditated daily or listened to a chanting music video. I was doing better, wasn't getting energy tied up in areas that don't match my life. So what would happen if I got started on most of the list? Mind/Spirit (aka Grounding)-- Everything in life seems to fall in place when I take this seriously. Sometimes tough stuff, but these are key factors -Listen to chanting music for first 30 mins in bed -Meditate or Qigong for 5 mins -Bed by midnight (if O/T bedtime within an hour) Nutrition -- Following a Naturopath's advice, and seeing strengths for eating from home. -Follow Naturopath Diet Guidelines with "no 2 in a row being the goal" (50% of the time avoid flour and sugar foods) -Follow Med Supplement Plan when I get them -Eat only from home at work Fairy Tower -- (Konmari in a smaller goal, as I pick up the mess I make daily and try to find new habits. While moving more stuff from my old apartment). -Do some picking up/putting away/declutter around my room All of these are daily goals 🌱 I will be tracking daily on weekly counters, and get the percentage each week. 🎃- Mean I hit it 👻 - didn't hit the mark. If I hit 50% good results on all these goals, I will have $100 to spend for fun at the end of the challenge. If not, it goes straight to student loans... One thing I did in 2021, have a good budget and know I can have this easily by the end of this challenge (and a too long wish list to spend). If I do hit 90% or higher... I will double the winnings. Above will have saved me enough money/time to give a 6 week reward! Also! One more mini challenge: 👻 🎃"Not-so-Halloween Mini Challenge"🎃👻 So we're moving, but things are being taken care of. Only biggies is getting certain paperwork changed like addresses and Insurance. I've been dragging my feet. So I'm putting $60 on the line to help myself! I get this right away, if I don't finish goals by Halloween (which I have listed somewhere). I will not get the money because I have to cover other fees. So I'm busy... but may have more time on the forums because I may get bored at work Edit: Update to focus on major goals 10/31

I have free time at work... so I'm using it write the new post. Work = Rec and Park Internship where I get to try out the "manager role/admin duties". I'm a Rec and Park undergrad finishing up my degree with this internship. Will be working until Fall, but getting my degree in August (yay!) Internship is going great, like seriously "perfect Internship I couldn't even dream of level". Especially during crazy pandemic still continuing. Downside, I'm no longer in a physical job. Upside I am taking advantage of a normal job routine, and live in a place where its quite a bit less stressful. So taking advantage of the situation as I'm getting this groggy after work, continuing weight loss... I just passed the 20 lb milestone, for 2021! This challenge is definitely going to be a grind on creating habits (may finally have to read the habits book...) Keeping at if even if my job blew out my brain a bit... Routines: This is a hate/love relationship right here... Morning and Bedtime routines. Hoping to find a good "routine" to check off of every morning and night. No screens after 8: Find I tend to go to bed faster or finish things up when I put the phone away at 8. YNAB: Doing something on the app once per a day gives me a point. A budgeting software I tried on and off for years. I was on the fence for this goal, but honestly this is a goal to get handled where I hope to master. I have some money habits I would like to get in check, especially as of the many unknowns after graduating this August. No Screens with meals: This was on top of my list from my Naturopath... I can do this, it is not as hard as it was 5 years ago (where my mind was my enemy). I just need a reward... Going to add eating and driving, since I realized eating a pack of nuts and lara bar before driving home might do me better than driving home. Bonus: Working out: I have Ring Fit, I have trails I need to walk on my own time... just making the time to do it will help. Meal Prep: I'm actually giving myself a point for every meal I prep in advance. Allowing myself frozen dinners, but getting this in would hit my goals better. Myfitnesspal: I don't hate it as much as I used to, find it less stressful then YNAB actually. Right now using it for "checking in" tool. ' Since I'm earning full time pay, my hope is to turn my goals into points... that I can cash out when I hit a goal. First goal: Oats Overnight... started eyeing them for breakfast or a bed time snack. Will see if I like them.... Also I actually need to watch this show.....

First off, I totally love this stupid possum image I found and I will likely keep using it because it makes me happy Physical health things to do this time around: Act like a good little kid and go to bed when my Mum, aka the alarm on my phone, says it's bedtime Prep food for work based on the hours I will be working and the general level of effort that shift will require. Follow the very easy, very doable plan set up in my yoga app and hopefully earn back some of the flexibility and ease of movement I used to have. Mental health things to do this time around: Play WoW with my girlfriend at least twice a week for at most 3 hours. I'm paying for the game and it's an easy low energy thing we can do together that won't sap her limited energy and doesn't require masks. Finish reading one actual novel off my bookshelf that I had not read before... After I finish re-reading Ender's Game 🙄 Listen to music and take some solo time at home at least twice a week. I don't have privacy, but I want to see if this will help. Environmental things to do this time around: Do the dishes, check/take out the trash daily. I am bad at letting things pile up and then I run out of things like forks, and floor space... Crack open all the windows and sweep/vacuum the apartment. Go through the kitchen cabinets, the bathroom cabinet and the hall closet and throw out what is just trash, and move anything that is a seasonal item down to the storage locker. Things I want do but likely won't because lately, my brain doesn't let me have nice things: Get a haircut, this shit is getting unruly and it is very uneven. Paint my nails purple!

So uh, man... lots of stuff happened last time and kind of threw me off. Basically it all comes back to a Sinus cyst I had to get surgically removed. Lots of limits, I couldn't even blow my nose for almost 2 weeks. Couldn't lift more than 15 lbs, no straining allowed, no breathing through nose, it was... a lot. I started back at work but I noticed that 2 weeks of being able to do p much nothin has not had a great effect on my str and sta stats. I feel like I got hit with an ability drain effect. So here we go in an effort to get back into shape! I'll be p much using the same rubric as last round. Starting Stats Age: 30 Height:5'4" Weight:222# The Goals: Log Foods Daily! I don't really know how many calories I should be eating anymore, but I definitely need to get back in the habit of keeping track! I'm on MyFitnessPal, my username is RoachRex! 7 days- A 6 days - B 5 days - C 4 days - D 3 or less - F Meal Prep! My goal is every week, to prep my meals for the entire week. I'm honestly A-ok with eating the same thing every day, I even was into Soylent for a while (but it messed with my gut too much). Honestly, the reason I eat junk is out of convenience. So if I can batch-cook and make all my meals in advance? Ain't nothing more convenient than that! 5 weeks - A 4 weeks - B 3 weeks - C 1-2 weeks - D 0 weeks - F Exercise 3xwk!! My plan is to do bodyweight training 3x a week. I'll incorporate things into my off days when I can but I'm not gonna stress too hard about it. 3x a week is more important. pass or fail Save up! I am planning to move in just a couple months and i need to save up for moving costs. Luckily I have a place to go already my main barrier is saving up. (I also need to find a job before I move but that's in process.) I certainly expect the meal prepping to come in handy here though! $1000 - A $800 - B $600 - C $400 - D $0 - F

The journey continues... Last we saw our hero, Wild Wolf aka The Wolfitrator take on demons of unknown origins. The challenge was steep, and while not perfect, Wolf crawled out of the fire more battle hardened then before. Where there was magic and swords before, what lays before you is gun powder and frag grenades. This new journey is unforgiving. One simple mistake, one slip up can mean the difference between a look at your kill cam and a victory dance while tea bagging the enemy squad. Wild Wolf will need to dig deep and become a wraith on the battlefield, something more than mere human. He must become a tactical human. Not only in body but in mind and spirit, too. He must hear the rifle report before the 7.62x39mm round lands home. He must see the enemy before they see him. He must infiltrate the spawn points and take up every power position he can get his grubby hands on. Nothing is guaranteed. Nothing is promised. But success is there for the taking. Stay tuned as our tattooed hero checks his magwell and gets down to brass tax! *Click Click BOOM* Goal 1: Firing on all Cylinders Workouts. Diet. I started a perfect trend the last two weeks of the last challenge and want to keep up the momentum. I still haven't established the discipline I want and so the journey continues here. 3x a week workouts. At least 2 meals with veggies in them. Ready-set-GO! Possible Stat Points: +1 STR, +2 DEX, +2 CON Goal 2: Safeties Off Truth Time: I've been avoiding HIIT style workouts because they suck. They're hard. I sweat a shit ton.... but these are just whiny excuses that the old me would be ok with. NOT. ANY. MORE. On top of the 3x a week strength training, 1x a week (bare minimum) will be dedicated to a HIIT workout. These can be quick too. 10, 15, or even just 20 min will get me so much bang for my buck, it's unreal. Utilize my 35# and 45# KB's as well as the gyms array of KB's to get in a sick metcon that melts the fat and explodes the metabolism into overdrive. Possible Stat Points: +3 END, +2 DEX Goal 3: House Hunting April 1st marks the end of our tenure at the apartments we are in. And so begins a new chapter for the Wolfpack™. We're going to do everything we can to ensure we get into a house! WOOT WOOT! My mom is a real estate agent and has been sending us various houses to look at and the time is NOW to get things rolling. We are about 45 days away before we need to have something nailed down so when I say it's crunch time, it truly is CRUNCH TIME! I don't work 2 jobs for the hell of it. I've had my site set on getting us into a house every since I started working at Costco back in late-July of last year. Heather and I and our kids are soooooooooooooooo looking forward to this new chapter. We need to be diligent. First things first, we need to get our income tax filed. We should have that done in the next 2 weeks. Then... we start house hunting! Possible Stat Points: +2 WIS, +3 CHA Is there a word that exceeds being focused? If so, that's what I am right now. I'm BEYOND focused right now! Thank you for taking the time to support me during this crazy and exciting time in my life right now . Let's rock n roll! Wolf

Looks like I’m back again! A big shout out to whoever posted to the Texas rebel Facebook group about the challenge. I’m wanting to catch up with the community here and share shenanigans that happened while I was away. For those of you who don’t know me… Hi I’m Korranation and my life is kinda crazy [video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PhiYI5GGZA[/video] Sorry for those of you on tapatalk. The hidden feature doesn’t work and yall are subjugated to a wall of text that is my life. I’ll sprinkle in some pics and illustrations for some pizazz. The last challenge I was writing about had something to do with creating a and maintaining fictitious animal crossing village seen only via text-based story. And honestly, I was using that as a means of escapism to distract myself from my job at the time. A few weeks after my last post I went to the doctor’s office for a checkup. I was diagnosed with a chronic disease. And a few days after my diagnosis I was let go from my job. I wallowed around in my apartment for a few months. After a time of locking myself away in my apartment in self-isolation I decided to get a grave yard shift job so I could get out of the house, have to physically move around, and do something while I listened to audio books. After some more time there, I decided to bust my bum and network my way into a desk job again. Now I have a job with less of a commute time and a great working environment. My life has hit a good plateau right now and I feel like I have enough time to be posting regularly here. I’ve finally healed my body and gotten rid of my toxic head space. I want to focus on healing up and prepping my body for the onslaught that is the holiday festive foods. I want to make sure my tummy is all good this challenge, then start reintroducing foods into my diet next challenge. I know you’re thinking “But Korranation, haven’t you been on AIP so your symptoms wouldn’t come back?” And my answer is why yes of course I did. But then just like everything else, I fell off the bandwagon. I did start small with things like rice, then potatoes, then dairy which I can do in small doses. You can’t keep this rebel away from her prized sea salt and vinegar chips! RAID ALL THE KITCHENS CHALLENGE Water – drink X amount of water I usually don’t drink much water at work and don’t until towards the end of day where I end up chugging +32oz in one go either because my legs are cramping, my saliva is getting foamy (which means dehydration), or I’m feeling hungry after I’ve eaten but I only want bad foods. Food – try new AIP recipes and post them here I meal prep all the time. I have morning smoothies every day. Which is kale, coconut water, avocado, banana, and collagen peptide protein. I don’t want to give myself a certain number to do each week or challenge since I can make enough food to last me the entire challenge in one meal prep session. Tracking – log in all food into MFP I need to start logging things into the app anyways. I know if I don’t hit a certain calorie amount at lunch or have a snack buffer to fill that deficient, I’ll end up binging when I get home or go to the snack shack at work and get either caramel popcorn or gummies which has no nutritional value and causes a later crash. I want to use this time to find more nutrient dense foods and snacks that I can always go to. I may invest in the MFP premium since I’ve been wanting a more in-depth look into nutrients other than the macros (protein/carbs/fats) Lifestyle – Stoic evening routine I found a video going in-depth about stoic methods important people in history tried. Plus I found a free pdf copy of Marcus Aurelius’ journal called Meditations. It was his private journal that was never meant to be read. But I want to see what the most powerful person in that time period worried about. From the summaries I’ve read it seems to be no different that the morning pages I do. I’d love to do other things like: doing a morning stoic routine so I can clear out the flotsam and jetsam in my mind to be ready to have a focused and more productive day writing every day so I can be done in time for the end of NaNoWriMo maintaining my L.inked.In everyday in hopes of finding a recruiter to move me to a full time employee position so I can get some healthcare having an overall evening apartment clean up routine so I have less mess to walk through and deal with And start a garden on my patio so I can have home grown veggies I can enjoy But all this is less interesting to discuss on here, it’s mainly maintenance that will not lead to a big reward at the end of this challenge (excluding the professional social media one). Anyways...

I'm trying to look at these challenges as parts of a larger journey, rather than discrete units of success or failure, so despite falling off the wagon a bit in my last challenge, I'm still moving along the same long road heading towards the same distant goal. I've climbed out of the ditch where I lazed about for a while, and am moseying along once again. The Long Road continues, and so will I. Goal #1 ~ Running Run 3x/week. At least one run per week should be 2.4k, and be part of a FitPin test (more on that later). Bonus goal: map out a few routes that won't suck too much in the hill department but will allow me to increase distance. Pick one route of 5k or longer and run it at least once during the challenge. Goal #2 ~ Pushups and Other Things So, the OPP has changed their fitness requirements. I no longer have to do the PREP test (though I still need to if I want to apply anywhere other than the OPP), but I do have to pass the FitPin test within 1 week of being hired, so I want to know I can pass it relatively easily before I even apply (and, if I can pass the FitPin easily, I should have the fitness to pass the PREP with just a bit of practice, so it helps if I decide I want to branch out at all). There are 4 components: pushups, a forward fold stretch, a 2.4k run, and a weird posterior chain/core thing that I can't adequately describe. The running is being taken care of in Goal #1, and the stretch in Goal #4. That means this goal is about the pushups and the Other Thing (which is what I'm calling it now, I think the OPP call it the trunk extension). So I will work on pushups every other day. One session of pushups will be a single max set, and will be part of a FitPin test (more on that later). Bonus goal: figure out some way to practice the Other Thing on the regular....... it's an awkward thing to do (I mean, the exercise itself is awkward to perform), but I may have to summon up my 20 seconds of courage and ask the coaches at the gym, they were all more than happy to help with the shuttle run, so... Goal #3 ~ Meal Prep This is an on again/off again thing with me. Partly it's because I don't think ahead quite as much as I should, and run out of food with no real plan to make more, and partly because I get tired and/or lazy and put it off to the next day, and then the next day I get tired and/or lazy and put it off to the next day, and on and on until I have nothing in my fridge but 30g of moldy cheese, a couple wrinkly apples, and a single stale tortilla. This isn't the most concrete of goals, at least not at the moment. I think for now I'm going to tackle this by making a plan for my next meal prep as soon as the current one is done (eg. if I cook on a Sunday, once the cooking is done, I'll sit down and think about what I want to make next, make a grocery list, estimate how long my food will last, and then pick a day to shop that will give me some overlap, but not lead to spoiled food). Obviously the shopping day is flexible, if I badly over- or underestimate how long my current batch of meals will last me, I'll have to shop sooner or later, but I'd like to have an idea in my head of when I next need to head to the store. I think having a plan about what I want to make and what I need to get to make it will go a long way by itself, so that's my main focus for now. Bonus goal: simple crockpot recipes will be helpful here, I think, since I can just chop some things, throw it in the pot, and then go to bed/to the gym/to work/to whatever, and come back to a tasty meal. Even if I don't have time/energy to do a full meal prep, at least I'll have a crockpot full of food for the next day to give me some wiggle room. So I will find some new crock pot recipes, and try at least one during the challenge (suggestions welcome). Goal #4 ~ Stretching and Other Things My perpetual goal of physio and stretching. Daily, because if I give myself an inch and say 5/7 days per week or something, I'll take a mile and do it once and never again. Bare minimum: 4x physio exercises (3 for my posterior chain, 1 for my thoracic spine), plus quad stretch and calf stretch. In a perfect world it will also include butt/hips, hip flexors, extra hamstrings, feet and pecs. Bonus goal: find a way to work GMB's Elements program into things. It's not logistically possible at the moment, and getting this done during the challenge is a very long shot due to things out of my control, but I want to work towards this (more on this later). Goal #5 ~ Bedtime I often watch TV to wind down before bed, and occasionally play video games, and often come on here. This won't change, when I say bedtime I mean TV/computer off and I start reading a magazine. Usually I'm off to sleep within less than a page. So, on nights when I have to get up early, I'll do this by 10pm. On nights when I have to work but not until later, it'll be 11pm, and on nights when I have the day off, it'll be midnight. Most often this will mean Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday will be 10pm; Sunday and Wednesday will be 11pm; and Saturday will be midnight. Goal #6 ~ The FitPin Test As part of the new fitness requirements, I should be practicing the entire FitPin Test at least once per week. I asked the recruiters if I could practice each element separately (an ideal situation), but alas, they told me I should not (they didn't say 'cannot', but I want to try my best to do as they suggest). So, I need to figure out how to do this. Three of the elements are easy enough to do, I go for a run, then do a stretch, then do some pushups. It's the Other Thing that will be the difficult thing to fit in. I have an idea of for how to do it (ie. I have worked out the theoretical logistics), but it requires a helper, and I will not always have access to a helper on the day I will be doing this test. The most logical day to do this test would be my full day off, which is almost always a Sunday, but Tuesday afternoon would work as well, depending on appointments/other commitments, so we'll see how this one goes... No bonus goal for this one, just doing it is going to be hard enough. Other Things ~ Move forward with preparing the basement for my Imminent Arrival (my mom wants to make my current room a spare room for her to go to when she has a bad night, and I want to move to the basement so I have more room to contain me and my life). If I can get this done it's a win/win, but I might have to be the motivator on this one, which means I may have to learn how to paint a wall, since I don't think my parents will pay for that but want it done before I move down there, as well as the carpet being redone, but I think that one is beyond me. Being in the basement will also give me the space to practice the Elements program whenever I want and in privacy, which will make the bonus part of Goal #4 a lot easier to achieve. ~ Explore options for courses to take to help make my resume look better than it does. This could be in person or online. One resource is CPKN, which is a site that offers police-related online courses (sadly, none are free), but another thing to look at is improving my mental health intervention skills, or conflict resolution, or something like that. ~ Clean my g-d room! I've stopped making this a goal, obviously, but it'll need to be done if I'm going to move to the basement, so a head start on that wouldn't be a bad idea. At the very least, I can try to purge some old magazines and other junk that's accumulated here and there.

I’m going to do this right now, before I get swept away with my week and forget about it. Over the last year, I’ve been working on meal prep (and eating it), stretching more, and trying to maintain my outdoor activities. This year I’d like to really nail down these habits. With this, I ultimately want to work on cutting some excess weight. I don’t really know exactly where to put my goal, but I plan to chunk it out 10 pounds at a time to make it seem attainable. As far as life goals, I officially hit my first savings goal. My main focus in 2018 will be turned to paying off as much of my student loans as possible. I also would like to be conversational in Spanish, and keep reading through the books I have (it’s like meditation, so not necessarily for learning purposes). so for challenge #1 Fun story, I’m actually out of town starting January 31st until February 15th. Lifting: lower the weight being used for Wendler’s and work on the Boring But Big program for added volume. For this challenge, I’m just looking at completing 1 cycle. Stretching: Make this part of the morning routine somehow, whether it’s after the gym or while coffee is brewing. Should be every day. Ideally I’ll also foam roll 2-3x per week. Food: No takeout at all. I’ll start here. January is cold so the threat of physically going out to eat is pretty low, but I’ll allow it on occasion for social purposes. Weight: I’ll weigh in on my first Gym morning next week. From there, I’d like to lose 5+ pounds during this challenge. Duolingo: 30 minutes per day. Ive been enjoying reading and doing it regularly, but if I find that I haven’t in the first week I’ll adjust to add that goal as well. I just don’t want to get carried away. Same with bikes, although I suspect with walking dogs and the cold I won’t really have the capacity for a consistent 2 fun rides per week.

So, I'm putting this up now because I'll be out of town tomorrow & Friday, then Saturday will be doing a "party ride" and that will likely result in me being intoxicated and / or passing out by 6pm. I'd like to start this challenge on Sunday, so figured I'd get a jump on figuring it out now. Also I have more than 4 goals, because I'm basically building on habits that I've been working on over the last year but for whatever reason if I don't list it as a goal, I'm likely to just blow it off. As with the last challenge, one of the big things I'm trying to do is keep myself moving outside as the temperatures drop. Last year I walked to the gym several days a week but otherwise didn't go out for fun early in the season and before I knew it, it was super cold and I couldn't make myself do anything. Two years ago I was out riding when the temperature was as low as 5 F(with a wind chill well below 0) so I know I have it in me... somewhere. I have to find it again. Lifting: I have four solid weeks between holidays, which means I can do the next Wendler's cycle. Beyond just doing the workouts, I'd really like to try to get my squat & deadlift back to where they were... which I think will mean eating more than an apple before walking to the gym. My goal for this challenge will be to hit a surplus on all of the + sets (even if ti's only one or two reps). If I can't do this, I think after this challenge I'll actually test my 1RMs again to see where I'm actually at now, and recalculate everything to start the new year. Eating: I didn't do this during the last challenge, because I had been doing alright... but I think my sudden increase in cardio, especially in the cold, is wrecking my diet (I've observed this in the past). My goal is to not eat gas station snacks or order takeout. If I'm going to eat out, it must be socially and only once a week (ideally less). Also I'm not allowed to buy candy at the grocery store and consider it to be groceries, especially because Aldi sells full packages of candy (not individual bars). Riding for fun: My goal during the last challenge was focused solely on mountain biking. In general, I would like my fun rides to all be in the woods (drivers in Pittsburgh are TERRIBLE). However, as we get into the freeze / thaw season, the weather could easily prevent me from getting into the woods without damaging trails. SO... I want 2 fun rides per week. If on the road, they should be about 10 miles. If in the woods, I only require that I hit 1 single track trail. It's getting colder, but since I have to be out anyway for dog walking I think I can actually assimilate to the dropping temperatures and keep myself moving through the winter. ALSO this requires that I fix my stupid bike before Sunday. Stretching: Do mobility work in the mornings after my workouts, and after any riding. They're short sessions so I should be able to squeeze them in, and waiting until right before bed just hasn't been working in my favor. Also I'll be warmed up if I do them immediately after exercising. Bonus Health Goal: Since April, I've lost about 12.5 pounds (at this exact moment anyway... my lowest point was another 4 pounds below where I'm at now, and I've fluctuated quite a bit). I'd like to lose another 6 pounds in the next four and a half weeks. I'm not necessarily going nuts with this goal though, but basically hoping that if I do all of the above things that it'll happen. I'm also basing that on my weight as of this past Monday... so Thanksgiving food will count against me (no gaining 5 pounds in holiday food and then starting from there). Duolingo: 2 hours per week seemed like a pretty do-able goal. I'd like to get to the point of doing half an hour per day, just to keep everything moving along. Right now the app is saying that I'm 46% fluent (which I'm assuming just means 46% done with their program) so if I succeed in this challenge, I may finish the duolingo program and will have to move on to another method of learning & practice. Reading: Read before bed every night instead of watching Netflix until I'm too tired to read. Adventurer things: This time I'm not making it a bonus goal. Find & sign up for a wilderness survival / first aid class. Since I don't drive, I'm pretty limited to ones I can actually do (there aren't many in the city, but they do exist). I want to make sure I know when the next one is coming and be signed up so that I'm committed to it.

Korranation's back onboard I had to take a break from the challenges for a bit. Here's a little backstory to it So here's the goals/objectives part. Part One - Food Pictures - take pictures of all food (excluding repeating meal prepped items). Totally stealing this from Deffy Tracking - Put all items in MFP the night before Snacking - all processed food snacking is banned. I found snacking on baby carrots gets me through the workday and working on a pomegranate gets me through the evening. Part 2 - Health Workout - I'll either do +30 min on the rowing machine or the modified NFA workout Sleep - Go to bed minus looking at the phone before 10:30 Water - drink +8 cups of water. Or drink 2 cups of water 30 minutes before every meal. Part 3 - leveling up Language - practice Spanish on duolingo every day. Gotta keep that streak bonus going. Learning - spend +30min every day prepping to apply for grad school. That means either writing a personal letter, reaching out to old professors for letters of recommendation, and studying for the GRE... or doing classes at khan academy or reading peer-reviewed papers. Loving - Do some self-care every day/evening. (e.g. some work de-stressors, other non-work ideas, avoiding the non-profit compassion fatigue pitfall, yoga... LET DO THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey guys so I'm once again trying to get in shape and figured I would ask for some advice since this site seems to be full of more like-minded people than others I've looked into. I figured I should give a little info first. I was just recently diagnosed with GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) and it was heavily implied that losing weight would help with my symptoms or its just going to get worse. My weight has always fluctuated and I'm currently at my heaviest. I've had periods where I lost a lot of weight but always gained it back because of work or school or something I used as an excuse. I'm also a bit of a picky eater and I really want to change that as well. I'm currently about to start back to college in a few days and I just know that my weight is going to get worse from stress eating and stuff so I've considered doing meal preps so that I don't just give into temptation but that whole thing is still new to me so I'm trying to wrap my head around how I might do it. With the whole GERD thing, its restricted a lot of foods that I can or can't eat (mostly tomato based food). When it comes to exercise, I have an exercise bike that I can use at home since money is going towards college and things might be hectic for a while with the schedule and work, So with all of this being said, I was wondering if you guys have any advice that might help me out? I'm open to anything like home work outs, examples of meal preps, meal prep containers, good recipes, or any advice. I hope this is the right area and I'm open to offering any other information that I may not have included.

Hey guys! So I've been trying to come up with a meal plan to simply my week and my budget! My goal is to have a food budget of less than 10 dollars per meal and keep it within the paelo basics (along with whole milk, brown rice and sweet potatoes to bulk up) I plan on gaining 20 pounds so I'll be right in the good weight for my height (5 foot 3 inches) and pack on muscle with heavy barbell training! Breakfast: Protein (shaker) Protein shake on 10 min break (shaker) + sw potato w cinn sliced+microwave for 5 min Lunch: steak (kinda having trouble settling on the cut choice, I want it to be cheap but also healthy) (6oz) + Asparagus + brown rice and beans Lunch 2: 2 pieces of chicken ( I get whatever is on sale, just as long as it's 6oz each) + 1 steamfresh bag broccoli, califlower, carrots + brown rice Post workout: Steve's muscle building shake + nuts Snack: bag of chicken (3oz), carrot chips frozen mixed berries, nuts Dinner: Meat (either chicken or steak) (6oz) with veg Any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks guys!

Hi everyone! I realized that I tend to by the same things every time I go to the store, win! But there's a point to it, I'm not sure what to do with all of this heathy food! Loss! I have around 20 items and I need help creating recipes that would be easy to meal plan with. I'll leave the list below, thanks! P.S also any way you can help me with budgeting all this would be greatly appreciated! I'm a poor college student now! Protein 1. Whole Eggs: cage free 2. Any of these could be in my kitchen, Lean Meats: Chicken, turkey, lean cuts of pork (like tenderloin), beef, along with wild game (buffalo, venison, elk, ostrich, rabbit) if I want something different. 3. Fatty Fish: Salmon, mackerel, sardines, and anchovies can help to increase mood during my long shifts and stressful calls. Likewise depends on week 4. Fermented Soy: This produces natural antibiotic agents to increase the body’s resistance to infections. Legumes 5. Beans: Small red beans, kidney beans, chick peas, and black beans depending on what's available for cheap, it's in bulk. 6. Lentils: Low in calories and perfect for reducing the chances of heart disease. Bulk Vegetables 7. Tomatoes: They can help with connective tissue strength and even help to improve vision. Get 8 8. Spinach: Packed with Vitamin K, which contributes to building stronger bones. Buy a box or two 9. Cruciferous Vegetables: Packing your plate at the firehouse with broccoli, cabbage cauliflower, or Brussels sprouts will leave you feeling fuller longer in-between meals. Steamfresh if possible Fruits 10. Avocados: Studies have shown that avocadoes can reduce cholesterol and even help you burn fat. Bag 11. Citrus Fruits: Oranges and grapefruit Bag it and tag it when available 12. Berries: Raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, and cranberries Frozen Starches and whole grains 13. Sweet Potatoes and Yams: These act as your body’s storage tank for energy. You better have just the right amount of energy if you’re going to be fighting a fire. A few lbs 14. Quinoa: High in protein, but more importantly, high in riboflavin, which has been shown to reduce the frequency of migraines. If there's someone who deals with enough migraines, it's emergency workers. Bag and tag 15. Amaranth: A great solution to having more fiber since it contains three times more than wheat. Bag and tag Heathy fats 16. Nuts: Walnuts, almonds, cashews, pecans, and pistachios can all help reduce inflammation and even lead to a better mood and mental process. Can also be eaten in nut butter form. Bulk it 17. Seeds: Flax, hemp, chia, and pumpkin all contain good fats that help you feel fuller for longer. Bulk 18. Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: This is high in antioxidants and the healthy monounsaturated fats, which can help to control your cholesterol. Drinks 19. Water: Water makes up approximately 70% of our body I carry around a gallon of water while I'm at work, especially on hot days when your uniform and gear will cause you to lose more water than normal. 20. Green Tea: A chemical in green tea called EGCG can help lower cortisol (your stress hormone) and increase your immune system after long shifts.

Last challenge I committed to completely giving up alcohol. I was successful in this endeavor (as well as my other goals), and found a new appreciation for all the benefits that come with not being a regular drinker. I have decided to continue this goal, in the hopes it will be the keystone to my overarching effort: In the past few challenges, I have focused on improving my diet and working out consistently. I am now at the point where I have a solid foundation of recipes I enjoy meal prepping and consuming, and a workout routine that I both enjoy and innately push to see progress in. Now I want to hone these choices into a singular effort to start pairing down on the extra inches I've been carrying around. I am overweight by an estimated 15Lbs (-/+). I make this estimation based on previous clothing, rather than pounds - but the number on the scale has increased in conjunction with my clothing size, and I cannot ignore that correlation. My intention is to use my clothes as the final measure of my progress, and the scale for weekly indications of my speed and direction down this path. And.... *deep breath*... I will commit to posting weekly Challenge progress photos. Not because I think I'm going to make that much progress, but because I want to start documenting my progress with pictures so that I can put together the Ultimate Flip Book of Fitness Progress. Let the saga continue… ULTIMATE GOAL: Gain the High Ground Intelligence Report Materiel Report Assault Plan RANGER TRAINING 10 minute Warm Up - Rowing machine - Cycling - Walking (outside/treadmill) Active Work - Pick 3 exercises for 4 sets each - Barbell: Squat / Deadlift / Bench Press / Row - Dumbbell: Curl / Press/ Fly / Kickback / Side Raise / Row - Cable: Pull-up / Pull-down / Extension / Curl / Fly - Bodyweight: Plank / Weighted Russian Twist / Flutter Kicks / Ab Roller Wheel Cardio 1 mile run (treadmill) Scoring I’m doing this the old fashioned way and keeping a straight tally. Only mini-boss and boss fights are worth more: 5 marks for a mini-boss, 10 for a boss-boss. There is no end goal: I want my high ground to be an ever-growing mountain of the skulls of my enemies. Tally W1 ///// - ///// W2 ///// - ///// W3 ///// - ///// W4 ///// - ///// 12 Feb - 11 Mar One mini-boss battle included Grade: F 19 Mar - 15 Apr One mini-boss battle included Grade: A 23 Apr - 20 May One mini-boss battle included Grade: B 27 May - 23 Jun No mini-boss battle this 4WC Grade: B+ 09 Jul - 05 Aug One mini-boss battle included Grade: B Shit that's changed No more crazy work shifts for myself or my husband, so I am hoping that this challenge remains uneventful throughout. DOMESTIC RANGERING M Vacuum & Sweep T Clean guest bathroom W Vacuum & Sweep Th Clean master bathroom F Vacuum & Sweep Sa Laundry & General Pick-up (house & yard) Su Grocery shopping & meal prep Daily: Clean kitchen before bed Clean litterbox

So we're all probably familiar with Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs. One might notice that it is usually shown as a pyramid, and as Louie Simmons said, a pyramid can only be as high as its base. Performing a self-audit, I noticed how I don't practice what I preach. I'm always droning on about the basics and building a solid foundation before getting fancy. I'm trying to help others self-actualize when I've bypassed a lot of steps myself; I've build an incredibly flimsy pyramid with barely any base to stand on. That might be why I go through every day feeling like I barely made it and life always feels like a walk on the tightrope (while it's on fire, and the supports are on fire, and I'm on fire). No wonder adulting is hard. Foundation-Building * I'm looking to put together a child's daily, weekly, monthly task list. Shower, brush your teeth, bedtime, take your vitamins, eat breakfast, drink water, etc. I realized it's stuff I've either forgotten or never learned. Looking for suggestions. Parents of young children, do you have a particular checklist? I'd like to figure these out before moving on to adult tasks (or maybe even adolescent first). Some startup quests to be adjusted as necessary as the weeks progress: AIR - breathe / meditate for 5 minutes a day. (I have Headspace and Calm. Looking for suggestions regarding which to use.) FOOD - batch cook 12 meals on Sunday. SLEEP - track sleep and get 56 hours a week. Google Docs Tracking Sheet

Last challenge I managed to maintain my weight. This challenge my goal is to refocus on my workouts, and to continue to tweak my eating and drinking habits. I will be adding in a Weekly Menu section (complete with pics) and am committing to completely giving up alcohol. Let the saga continue… ULTIMATE GOAL: Gain the Intelligence Report Materiel Report Assault Plan RANGER TRAINING 10 minute Warm Up - Rowing machine - Cycling - Walking (outside/treadmill) Active Work - Pick 3 exercises for 4 sets each - Barbell: Squat / Deadlift / Bench Press / Row - Dumbbell: Curl / Press/ Fly / Kickback / Side Raise / Row - Cable: Pull-up / Pull-down / Extension / Curl / Fly - Bodyweight: Plank / Weighted Russian Twist / Flutter Kicks / Ab Roller Wheel Cardio 1 mile run (treadmill) Scoring I’m doing this the old fashioned way and keeping a straight tally. Only mini-boss and boss fights are worth more: 5 marks for a mini-boss, 10 for a boss-boss. There is no end goal: I want my high ground to be an ever-growing mountain of the skulls of my enemies. Tally W1 ///// - ///// W2 ///// - ///// W3 ///// - ///// W4 ///// - ///// 12 Feb - 11 Mar One mini-boss battle included Grade: F 19 Mar - 15 Apr One mini-boss battle included Grade: A 23 Apr - 20 May One mini-boss battle included Grade: B 27 May - 23 Jun No mini-boss battle this 4WC Grade: Shit that's changed My husband is working a crappy night shift (1pm - 11pm), so I try work my schedule around his as best I can. I get up at 04:30 every morning in order to get a workout in before heading to the office. I meal prep our lunches for the week on Sunday, so everything is grab-n-go from the fridge. I make a point of getting my Domestic Rangering done as soon as I get home from work, to ensure I don't skip it. DOMESTIC RANGERING M Vacuum/Sweep T Clean bathrooms W Vacuum/Sweep Th General pick-up F Vacuum/Sweep Everyday: clean litter box, pick up yard As needed: wash, dry, fold, put away laundry

This is mostly a placeholder but here are my thoughts at the moment: Goal 1: Walk 4 times per week. Goal 2: Prep at least 3 lunches per week, five breakfasts and five snacks. Goal 3: Write and post a poem every day. Goal 4: Meditation/focus goal? Next week is a big conference that is always super exhilarating and super exhausting, and this year promises to be more of both. So basically all my goals for week one are out and I'm going to be doing something. I think: Goal 1: Stay hydrated (3 nalgenes per day) Goal 2: Lie down on the floor for ten minutes every day. Goal 3: At the end of the day, review your notes and prepare a checklist of tasks/ideas etc to pursue when conference is over. Goal 4: Check-in with my conference buddies at least once a day. Okay, that's it for now.

Hello all, I've fallen off the internet a bit, but I am clawing my way back to the forums and just in time for the 4 week challenge! I'm setting out my goals as such (from the nifty worksheet): Put House in Order (Konmari Method) 4 Weeks of Calorie Counting, goal is 1,200/day Zombie 5K Meal Plan for the week, and making one shopping day. I have already started the KonMari method of putting my house in order, but I am hoping I can finish it up in these 4 weeks. My reward to myself (another chore) is to paint my living room when I am done. Hello, Batcave upgrade! I'm also trying to measure my calorie intake. Somewhat as a diet plan, but also because I like collecting information like that, and I feel like I can't help but course correct decision making if I am actively keeping track. Using "MyFitnessTracker" which I saw suggested by someone in the FaceBook Group. Zombie 5K, I'm using the Zombie Run 5K app, and it's time to get back to it. I am on week 3 now, so will be working through the program in the next four weeks. And meal prep/planning. I'm trying to save money this way too, by making my grocery shopping an all at once errand, and not picking up more than I need as the days go on. It should mean more time for running and gardening after work. Monday is my shopping day, with planning going into it on Sunday. That's about it... but really, I'd love some help with accountability. I am thrilled that as I write this the "MyFitnessTracker" pinged my phone and told me I hadn't logged my lunch today... which is true, I've not had a chance to eat lunch today. Planning will help with this, I do hope. Any plans? Ideas? Friendly advice? RECIPE IDEAS? I need all the help and suggestions I can get there, I love them. I'm a vegetarian, if that makes any difference. Paleo-ish, but not super much. I eat pretty healthy already. But recipe ideas make me happy! PS, if you're interested in my big mega plan, I filled out the worksheet here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XHD01rm1i72EPEqmMX8NEBuE3GMinTrkeWV0nxZ0rNo/edit?usp=sharing

So I currently have less than 3 weeks until I leave for my trip to Italy, I am going to try to lose a little over 1lb a week in order to get to the goal of 180(180.whatever works too) before I head to pasta land In order to get this done I will be focusing on 3 things... Meals: Prep all breakfasts and lunches using the containers that help with portion sizes, and plan all dinners in advance including my 1 "cheat meal" which can be anything but must be portioned well. Training: I am doing a 15 day HIIT challenge starting in 2 days (along with my usual training), after that I will make sure I do 2 days of cardio for at least 45 min (stair master, max trainer, low impact) per week, and 25 min on the stair master after every normal workout. Culture Crash Course: I failed at properly preparing for this trip language wise, time to focus and get as much learning in as possible. Italian lessons every day until the trip, with at least a solid 30 min to an hour on weekends. I will be posting updates daily for accountability on meals (which start on Saturday since I have my catered stuff until Friday), and language. Starting Weight 185.4

Last challenge I managed to maintain my weight. I did, however, noticed that my "mermaid gills" have been reduced, and I am feeling less pudgy overall. This challenge my goal is to continue to tweak my eating and drinking habits: I will be adding in a Weekly Menu section (complete with pics) and am committing to only drinking outside of my home. Let the saga continue… ULTIMATE GOAL: Gain the high ground. Intelligence Report Materiel Report Assault Plan RANGER TRAINING 10 minute Warm Up - Rowing machine - Cycling - Walking (treadmill) Active Work - Pick 3 exercises for 4 sets each - Barbell: Squat / Deadlift / Bench Press / Row - Dumbbell: Curl / Press/ Fly / Kickback / Side Raise / Row - Cable: Pull-up / Pull-down / Extension / Curl / Fly - Bodyweight: Plank / Weighted Russian Twist / Flutter Kicks / Ab Roller Wheel Cardio 1 mile run (treadmill) Scoring I’m doing this the old fashioned way and keeping a straight tally. Only mini-boss and boss fights are worth more: 5 marks for a mini-boss, 10 for a boss-boss. There is no end goal: I want my high ground to be an ever-growing mountain of the skulls of my enemies. Tally W1 ///// - ///// W2 ///// - ///// W3 ///// - ///// W4 ///// - ///// 12 Feb - 11 Mar One mini-boss battle included Grade: F 19 Mar - 15 Apr One mini-boss battle included Grade: A 23 Apr - 20 May One mini-boss battle included Grade: Shit that's changed My husband is back to a regular shift just started working 12 hour shifts. We get up at 04:30 every morning. In support of his renewed interest and commitment to working out, I have switched to an after-work gym schedule. This frees up my morning hours before work, so I am committing to conducting my daily Domestic Rangering before heading out the door. DOMESTIC RANGERING M Vacuum/Sweep T Clean bathrooms W Vacuum/Sweep Th General pick-up F Vacuum/Sweep Everyday: clean litter box, pick up yard As needed: wash, dry, fold, put away laundry

No time to say "Hello, Goodbye” I'm late, I'm late I'm late! Each week I will do the following with a bonus task (see below for week bonuses) The Jabberwock Build strength to defeat The Jabberwock (Overall Challenge Goal : 10 workouts to defeat The Jabberwock) Mad Hatter Join the Mad Tea Party (Overall Challenge Goal : 14 cups of tea consumed at the Mad Tea Party - 2 per prep/home cooking) White Rabbit I’m late, I’m late, I’m LATE! Stay ahead of the White Rabbit (Overall Challenge Goal: 40 times I've gotten ahead of the White Rabbit - hitting snooze buttons) Caterpillar Be advised on how to cope with life’s difficulties (Overall Challenge Goal: 3000 pages filled with how to cope and adapt to life’s difficulties - 1 hour of reading = 100 pages) Cheshire Cat Gain insight on life (Overall Challenge Goal: 28 days of insight - Bullet Journal) Queen of Hearts If the cleaning is not done, off with her head! (Overall Challenge Goal: 120 mins of avoiding beheadings - Cleaning) Bonus Tasks Per week Task 1 : Begin at the beginning, and go on till you come to the end: then stop. - The King of Hearts I have multiple projects to do and I keep adding new ones before I even start or finish old projects. I have 3 projects I want to work on this month and 1 or more HAVE to be finished. I have the whole challenge to finish this. Projects : Mosaic Mirror, 1 knitting Square & Rose Mobile. Task 2 : “It takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place." - The Red Queen It's about finding out what is keeping me in the same place and then figuring out a solution to fix the problems. I know it might seem easier to keep doing the same things over and over and while I’ve made some progress, I’d like to see more. I have the whole challenge to complete this. Questions to ask myself - What do I do that keeps me in the same place? Am I doing things that are making it harder on myself? Make a list and then make a change. Task 3 : “I dare say you haven’t had much practice,” said the queen. “When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” My subconscious can be fairly imaginative, specially if I eat pizza before bed. I dream some funky dreams but that doesn't often translate to my waking hours. I think this is because I’ve set limits and have told myself too many times, “You can’t do that so why try?” I want to focus on building my imagination with practice and action. Either start week 2 or week 3 depending on how the other tasks go. Have 1, 10 min imagination session a day, embrace the multiple spontaneous sessions I can get in, try something I previously said was impossible. Task 4 : There ought to be a book written about me, that there ought! And when I grow up, I’ll write one. - Alice Week 4 is going to tie in with week 3 because I’ve always wanted to write but I’m terrible at writing and grammar. This is a scary goal! Write for 10 mins a day because it’s not impossible, I want to work on my imagination and maybe it will help me learn to express myself better.

Last challenge I managed to lose approximately 2Lbs from my original weight (I also managed to gain and lose 5Lbs over a four-day weekend that included my birthday and a trip to RenFest). Let the saga continue… ULTIMATE GOAL: Gain the high ground. Intelligence Report Materiel Report Assault Plan Workout Regimen (a.m./p.m.) M Cycling/Yoga T Weights/Run W Cycling/Yoga Th Weights/Run F Cycling/Yoga Scoring I’m doing this the old fashioned way and keeping a straight tally. Only mini-boss and boss fights are worth more: 5 marks for a mini-boss, 10 for a boss-boss. There is no end goal: I want my high ground to be an ever-growing mountain of the skulls of my enemies. Tally W1 ///// - ///// W2 ///// - ///// W3 ///// - ///// W4 ///// - ///// 12 Feb - 11 Mar One mini-boss battle included Grade: F 19 Mar - 15 Apr One mini-boss battle included Grade: A Shit that's changed My husband recently got off night shift and moved to the early shift (05:00). Because of his commute, we now wake up at 03:30 on week days. I now have zero excuse not to get my workouts in: I have plenty of time to wake up and get to the gym OR get to work early so I can get to the gym afterwards during its slow hours. Chore Chart M Vacuum/Sweep T Clean bathrooms W Vacuum/Sweep Th General pick-up F Vacuum/Sweep Everyday: clean litter box, pick up yard As needed: wash, dry, fold, put away laundry