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I am new and finally unafraid. It's taken me a long time to get to a point where accepting help, accepting truth, is something I can live with. I come here exhausted, mentally ill, and ready to heal. Fix Your Life Goal: From October 22nd - November 18th (or the remainder of this challenge), I will not purge any food I eat. I will accept the consequences for the food I eat by keeping a diet log; noting what I eat, when, how much, and my anxiety level involved. Diet: Part of what causes the negative thought cyclone I get sucked in to are the foods I eat. Or don't eat. I have the bad habit of fasting, binging, purging, chugging an energy drink and starting all over again. For this challenge, I will eat foods I know are good for me. Going off of Nerd Fitness' paleo pdf, my meals will consist of 2/3 vegetables OR 0 carbs. Fitness: Can't neglect my body! While nutrition is my big goal, I will attach a routine of yoga (Nerd Fitness Yoga, Down Dog Routines) for 20 minutes, 4 days a week.

Hopefully this won't be the longest intro ever long story short 5 kids, a couple of difficult pregnancies and pretty bad OCD threw me in a downward spiral. Been working out consistently for 8 weeks now and taking care of myself. I feel so much better and my energy is way up. This is my battle log to remind myself of how far I have come! That wasn't too long at all. Posting day one below.

It's time. IT'S TIME. For what, you may not have asked- BUT I'LL ANSWER ANYWAY! IT'S TIME... to get strong. Powerful. Bad. Ass. Becoming a certified and recognized badass takes time and effort, of course. The first of which I have in spades. The second.. ehh. [i'm lazy] A Bit About Me: I'm a 5'9 1/2, about 145 pound 18 year old girl who is currently attending college.I'm currently taking karate at my college [going on 6 months now!] and will continue after my classes are over.My Goals For This Challenge: Taking My Medicine Daily - It looks gross and tastes gross, but damn if it doesn't do well for my mental health.Water World - Drinking exclusively water. Liquid calories are no bueno.1 Minute Horse Stance - This is mainly to strengthen my knees; I've always had joint problems, so this SHOULD help. Any other suggestions would be welcome!Current Badass Level: Kitten. I have claws but no idea how to use them- Suck. This challenge is mainly to show myself that I CAN stick with something. There aren't any fitness-specific goals, only because of my Karate classes twice a week, which don't necessitate a goal at the moment. 3 is also a nice number.

Introduction: Day 0 There's nothing out here but a wasteland of misery and destruction- and a shit-tonne of dust. I am weak, and ill-prepared. If I am to survive, I will need to find shelter- recover my health, and build my strength. I shield my bleary eyes and look up to where the sun lays, giant and aggressive at the crest of a cliff, it's unending shower of painful rays strangling out the last shreds of moisture from the choking landscape. I gaze so long I begin to see dots- dark smudges against the backdrop of fierce, fiery orange. Strangely still for a trick of the eyes. that is when I notice it is not a trick of my vision at all, but an actual, physical object. A shack, standing strong in the nothingness that surrounds it. It is ramshackle, it will surely need a great many repairs to fortify it, but it is there, and it is real. Shelter at last. Ashtree's 6 Week Challenge! My name is Tree, and this is my first 6 Week Challenge, and my theme is Post-Apocalyptic Shelter Repair! i.e- I'm gonna clean my garage and turn it into a dance studio/gym! My long-term goals are fitness and recreation based- in my youth I was a member of a scout-like club called "Pathfinders" and I did so much outdoorsy-fitnessy-healthy stuff, but I have since gone way off the rail. The past 10 years have been a struggle of fighting mental illness and fixing myself emotionally- now that I have it under control (not cured, but controlled) I want to rebuild myself into a greater version of who I was before. Nerd Fitness is how I hope to attain that! So, without further adieu, my 6 Week Challenge Goals: Main Goal 1: Clean the garage, turn it into a great studio for fitness. A good survivalist has priorities: Shelter is one of the highest. This is something I HAD to do anyway (the cleaning part) so why not make it a goal, amirite? To achieve this, I need to do the following things: Sort and organise camping equipment.Find containers or storage for gardening stuff- especially the fuel.Sweep the entire garage.Debug. Despider (move them outside nicely)Purchase and lay-down foam flooring.Purchase and set up new "studio mirror" (it's an old dresser with a giant mirror...)Set up curtain dividing storage space from studio space.Attach power source (no power at the moment)Purchase and set up punching bag and frame.Set up lighting. This goal will be graded based on how many of the items I complete- 10% per item. Main Goal 2: Swimming, at least Once a Week! A good survivalist makes use of accessible resources! Both of my housemates go to aqua-aerobics, and also just plain old swimming, twice a week. I'm not in the financial-space to pay for sessions, but there's no reason I can't go to the pool with them and just swim. I also live near beautiful beaches, with ocean baths- that are free. It's hitting summer here, so I should really make use of those. Grading wise, I'll assign 10% to each session, which means I *won't* be able to make 100% just by attending. The extra points can only be made by swimming laps while there (I tend to just...float and splash). 5% per lap. Main Goal 3: See Doctor, Create Weightloss Plan: A good survivalist takes care of their health: I am a fats. I have always been a fats. What I have not always been is unfit. As a child, I was involved in everything- camping, hiking, sports, orienteering, canoeing, band camp- if it was an optional activity on a sign-up sheet, I was there. Since mental illness took over in my late teens, I have neglected myself in a big way. I am no longer able to hike 25km in 2 days with a 15kg pack like I could when I was a teenager. That was something I loved doing and something I miss greatly- as you can see in my "goal bars" below, I want to- however long it takes- get back into the rough scrambler mode I once was, and hike a cumulative 100km with a pack. To get there, I need to get myself in shape- my pack belt doesn't even clip around my waist anymore. I don't know how much I weigh but it's more than conventional scales can display, so my only step for this goal so far is to see a doctor about my weight, make some plans, find out what I actually weigh and go from there. 100% just for seeing the doc on this one, because I have been putting it off a long long time. And now- just for fun- Side-goal: Just be a little bit tidier in general, geez Tree... A good survivalist is neat, tidy- with a solid working knowledge of their inventory. This one is easy- over the next few weeks of this challenge, I just need to progressively tidy up, get rid of stuff I don't need and organise what I do need. I'm about to start a course online, so I need to make sure my work-space is workable. I have to share that room with my housemates, and it's also where I feed my cat- so it *really* needs to be organised. As well as my room. And the bathroom- the sinks have standing water in them that need to be fixed too- I basically need to make this a livable environment. Grading? 50% for initial clean of whole house next week, 5% per "upkeep" job thereafter. I think that's everything covered now- WOO! LET THE APOCALYPSE BEGIN! -Tree

On the night that Noor VonKlaven cracked the curse that trapped her body in stone, the room filled with light and magics coursed through the air, painting her hut in light bright as day. She held her arms wide open as the faystone coursed down her body, running like water to pool at the base of the stone wall at the back of the hut. She breathed deeply and shook her finger tips in a shooing gesture. The stone writhed in a purple glowing mass for a moment before springing upward. Written upon the wall in a shimmering purple-silver script were the following words. To break the curse, to shed the stone For actions taken you must atone Free yourself from habits staid Run, walk, jump, dance, Fight with sharpened blade. A body reflects how we dine Whether mutton or breads, Sweet grasses, water, mead Or glowing elven wine. If a Halfling’s body you do seek Then with Halfling’s pride you must eat. Small of stature swift of feet, Climbing walls with ease Move in silent shadows, Glide down alleys, smoke down streets. If a rogue’s smooth grace you crave, The rooftop faydance you must brave. Stature is not strength or brawn; Small fighters’ blades are true. To build the strength within the arms, The Heart’s true strength guides you. If it is strength in arms that you desire You must brave the ring, defeat Balefire. Three seasons time you have of grace To quest, to journey, to find your face. If you cannot by springs first thaw Forever keep your body broad. By stone and magic one times three The quest is given, so mote it be. --,--‘--@ So Noor is free from the stone that encased her, and I am free from the metaphorical stone of inaction. We still have a long way to go before we make it to the springy ball of death and magick we want to be though. As such, here I am. Hi there Assassins. Well met . Long Term Goal: I am hoping to lose 200lbs. I do not have a finish date for this because slow steady weight loss is better, but I think 3 years should do it. I would love to be at my goal weight before my 35th birthday. My short-term-long-term goal is that I want to lose at least one dress size before I start my internship in August. Goal 1: Whole 42: In order to cleanse my body and improve my metabolic outcomes, I will be engaging in strict gluten free, grain free, primal eating. We used to eat strictly primal and my wife and I were both much healthier. Plus, my hypothyroid condition will be better managed. +3 CON 38 or more days Primal +2 CON 28 days or more Primal +1 CON 14 days or more Primal Goal 2: Endurance Through Cardio: I used to be a runner and I loved it. Now, walking for 15 minutes causes pain and struggle. In order to improve on this I am going to make a goal of 20 minutes of daily cardio in the afternoon and evenings. This will have an added bonus of helping to reduce stiffness and leg swelling from sitting all day at work.The initial goal proved too much for my back, so instead I am going to work on increasing my daily steps per day. I need to meet or exceed my Fitbit steps per day goal to get credit, and I will increase this by 2K per week, gradually increasing my movement overall. Then, next challenge, cardio again. +3 STA 38 or more days +2 STA 28 or more days +1 STA 14 days or more Goal 3: Getting Strong and Flexible: When training I prefer to work strength and flexibility both, training flexibility on my rest days from strength training. I find that I am less sore overall when I use this method, and I can simply alternate between 2 programs in the same 30 minute block of time, making it easy for scheduling and consistency purposes. I will alternate the following two programs this challenge: STRENGTH: the Angry Birds Workout +2 STR 19 or more days +1.5 STR 14 or more days +1 STR 7 or more days FLEXIBILITY: AM Yoga for your week +2 DEX 19 or more days +1.5 DEX 14 or more days +1 DEX 7 or more days Lifestyle Goals: Self-Care in Two Domains: I have the most stress and crazy possible right now because my final year of my doctorate is wrapping up and I am going off to internship. The two most important things for this for me are regular sleep and a creative outlet. Goal A: Sleep Schedule: Now, life is complicated. If I were working one consistent job, I could probably manage a consistent bed time daily with little variation. Since I have functionally 3 right now, things are a bit more complex. My goal is to be in my bed lights out by midnight every night. My bedtime will be 10 PM when my schedule permits it. I will be up no later than 8 am. Schedule permitting I would like to be up by 6.+3 CON 38 days or more +2 CON 28 days or more +1 CON 14 days or more Goal B: Creative Process: I am a writer. I have always been one, since I started journaling in 3rd grade. I don’t ever take the time to write anymore. Since the school part of graduate school is pretty much over after the 15th when I turn in my dissertation draft, I am making a goal to write for 1 hour a day. For the purposes of this challenge this has to be creative writing or journaling of some kind, be it poetry, fiction, or other.+3 CHA 38 days or more +2 CHA 28 days or more +1 CHA 14 days or more My motivation, as always, is to shed the curse brought on me by mental illness, stress, trauma, and life. I want to get back to me. UPDATES:(one)(two)(three)(four)(five)(six) --,--;--@ * @--'--,-- MINIS:(one)(two)(three)(four)(five)(six)

Sovellis woke with a blinding headache, cursing the sun, festivals, wine, himself, and pretty much everything else. Now that the festival week was over, he felt he could use a holiday from his holiday. Perhaps he had gotten a little too carried away during the festivities. Heh, well his father was fond of reminding him that he never did anything half way, for good or ill. He should probably get up. Maybe. Eventually. Then there was the decision between throwing up, having breakfast, or both. He began a fresh round of cursing when he heard a sharp tapping sound at his window. What could be making such a racket? Grumbling incoherently he threw the first thing he could reach at the window. The book hit the wall a good ten feet from the window, utterly failing to deter the source of the torturous sound. With a low growl, the elf climbed out of bed, brushing his long black hair from his face. "Whoever you are, you'd better have a damn good reason for waking me!" he threatened, stumbling to the window and throwing it open, only to have a small bird fly in. He started swearing and swatting at it, but crumpled into a ball on the floor, holding his head. What the hell was he doing with his life? He used to fight monsters and start insurrections, now he was defeated by a songbird."Hey there long ears I hope this finds you well," the voice startled him and he jumped. "Noor?!" Trying to get to his feet, he only managed to trip on a pile of papers and fell hard, swearing again. Only then did he realize that it was the bird talking, and not his old friend. "Of course you sent an animal. Always with the animals." The bird continued, "I am in a bit of a bind in the far north mountains above Soar Craig- you know the ones, where Ingy got that lovely curse and then we accidentally fell through a mountain to Intregoss. I took a job guarding a stupid fat merchant up into the old hall and something... fell on us. Killed my battle boar outright. I should really stick to dogs. tehy are somehow more durable. I am the only survivor, but I am... changed. In order to get myself back, I have one doosy of a quest to go on, and I need my sharpshooter and resident bard to figure it all out. Besides, it's not been the same since the Path disbanded. I miss you Sov. Just whisper your answer to the bird and it will fly it to me. blessings of Jensa be upon us both. Solosu as well." Shaking his head, he stared at the bird in disbelief, then leaned forward. "Noor, you crafty little shit, you scared the crap out of me! I'm not sure how much help I can be, but at least my injuries are healed now. I'm on my way. Can't wait to see you again, you curly tailed quarterling!" As the bird flew off to deliver his response, he leaned back against the wall. What good could he be to her? He was useless, nothing like he had been, but he had to try, right? Alright, that settled it, he had to get up and get dressed so he could prepare for his unexpected journey. <------<<< So! This is my first challenge as a ranger, and it's going to be a tough one! I realized a lot of things in my first challenge that are holding me back. It is time to set things right and get myself healthy, both physically and mentally. Main Goal: Feel better about myself. I suffer from anxiety and depression, as well as some serious self image and body issues. I want to learn to see the good in me, and not just my failures or inadequacies. I plan to attack this on multiple fronts. Goal 1: Trail Rations! (CON) I am cutting all the junk out of my diet. No grains, no sugar (except a small bit of honey in my coffee). I plan to be eating pretty much only lean meat and vegetables. On one hand this shouldn't be too hard, since I don't have a sweet tooth or anything, but on the other hand, I do eat a lot of rice and potatoes and I'm a sucker for potato chips. +3 CON 38 or more days +2 CON 28 days or more +1 CON 14 days or more Goal 2: No taverns in the wild (CON) I am going to allow myself only one day each week when I can have any alcohol at all. I need to stop sabotaging myself with my love of beer. +3 CON 6 or less drinking days +2 CON 12 or less +1 CON 15 or less Goal 3: No jungle rot (CHA) Even in the wilds it is important to maintain a basic level of grooming, something I have been struggling with (yay depression!). I have set up a scoring system for basic grooming tasks such as brushing my teeth, shaving, or showering. I will post that separately from this (this post is getting pretty long already). Goal 4: Climbing through the mountains (STR/STA) I will continue my strength training and C25K (indoor bike if weather is uncooperative). +3 STR/STA 38 or more days +2 STR/STA 28 days or days +1 STR/STA 14 points or days(a completed day will constitute cardio plus either weight training or archery) Life Goal: GRADUATE - I am working on getting my doctorate in clinical psychology. All I have left is internship and dissertation, and both of these have been rather epic quests in and of themselves. Here is a link to my friend Noor's challenge thread! http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/63198-noor-stoneshod-journey/#entry1445491

Well I'm getting a late start this time but better late than never. Main Quest: Lose 10 lbs (4.5 kg) Starting weight: 195 lbs (88.5 kg) A= 10 lbs lost B= 7 lbs lost C= 5 lbs lost D= 3 lbs lost F= Less than 3 lbs lost Quest 1: Follow modified primal/paleo diet for at least 1 meal a day Follow cabbage soup diet +3 WIS, +3 CHA A= 7 primal/paleo meals per week Pass/Fail B= 6 primal/paleo meals per week C= 5 primal/paleo meals per week D= 4 primal/paleo meals per week F= 3 primal/paleo meals per week or less Bonus: +1 WIS, +1 CHA for every week of 100% meal compliance Quest 2: Light weight lifting at least 3 times per week +3 STR, +3 CON A= 3 times a week B= 2 times a week C=1 time a week F= 0 times a week Bonus: +1 STR, +1 CON for every week of lifting every day Quest 3: Meditate at least 3 times per week +3 WIS A= 3 times per week B= 2 times a week C=1 time a week F= 0 times a week Side Quest: Reduce credit card debt by 5% Starting debt, $10K :/ +1 WIS Bonus: +1WIS for every 10% reduced Life Quest: Make our 11 acre plot my new home Step 1: Get a portion fenced for chickens +1 STR *COMPLETE* Step 2: Get a house +1 WIS *COMPLETE* Step 2.1: Get house moved onto land +1 All Stats Step 3: Get house hooked up to water, septic, and electric +1 WIS Step 4: Build functioning bathroom in house +1 STR, +1 CON Step 5: Build functioning kitchen in house +1 STR, +1 STA Step 6: Move into house +1 STR, +1 CON, +1 STA Week 2: W- meditated, primal meal TH- primal meal, meditated F- meditated, primal meal 189.4 lbs S- meditated, primal meal SU- meditated, primal meal Week 3: M- primal meal, meditated 192.3 lbs T- meditated, primal meal W- meditated, TH- F- S- SU-

First challenge. http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/50587-candace-koller-improve-health-despite-depression/ It started off well but then life got in the way. Now I'm right back up to where I was when I started with only 4 days left to lose 5 lbs. That's not going to happen unless there's a miracle. Diet plan, modified primal/paleo. Mostly meats and vegetables. No fruit or fruit juice, nothing with added sugar, and a little heavier on the dairy, a lot of cream and cheese (and cream cheese). Goal carb intake below 50g. Goal fat intake at least 60% of my calories from fat.

Life has taken a very dark turn. The daily stresses are wearing me down. I can no longer do the things I once could. I can't handle what I once could. This challenge will have to be much simpler than the previous ones. My goal has been for a long time now to defeat "the girl in the mirror" who still bears the scars. Maybe instead I should be loving her. Starting weight: 182 lbs (82.5 kg) Starting body fat percentage: 42.8% Starting Muscle percentage: 23.8% Main Quest: Stay Alive Quest 1: Get out of bed every day Quest 2: Eat at least something every day Eat 1 primal meal on weekdays +3 WIS, +3 CHA Bonus: +1 WIS for weekend primal meals A= 5 primal meals a week B= 4 primal meals a week C= 3 primal meals a week D= 2 primal meals a week F= 1 or less primal meals a week Quest 3: Meditate at least once a day Drink plenty of water +1 WIS, +1 CON A= 8 cups a day B= 7 cups a day C= 6 cups a day D= 5 cups a day F= 4 or less cups a day Side Quest: Improve mental health enough to change at least one quest to a more challenging one *COMPLETE* +1 all stats Add diet quest *COMPLETE* +1 WIS, +1 CHA, +1 CON Add exercise quest +1 STR, +1 CON, +1 STA, +1 DEX Add body fat percentage quest +1CHA, +1 DEX, +1CON Add muscle percentage quest +1 STR, +1 CON, +1 STA Life Quest: Make our 11 acre plot my new home Step 1: Get a portion fenced for chickens +1 STR *COMPLETE* Step 2: Get a house +1 WIS *COMPLETE* Step 3: Get house hooked up to water, septic, and electric +1 WIS Step 4: Build functioning bathroom in house +1 STR, +1 CON Step 5: Move into house +1 STR, +1 CON, +1 STA

Hello dudes, dudettes, and various permeantations in between! I jumped in feet first months ago, ready and rearing to go. So of course the Universe decided to slap me down with a tizzy of health problems and life road blocks (so goes the life of a luck-cursed person. As in, cursed with the weirdest "luck" imaginable). Let's start this over, shall we? I'm Caffeineaphile, a 28 y/o "Earth Human" (that's the ticket) female from Emerald City. My main claims to fame are my big mouth and thick skull, and getting blown up in the Army (-before- I deployed. I was our only "casualty" the entire deployment period. Embarassing) In the five years I've been out I've watched my once brick sh*thouse bod turn into something more akin to a pudgy roly-poly thing... and with my short torso that is NOT a good look. The Army gave me a lot to be proud of, but it also gave me most of my current body issues: nerve damage and instability in right leg due to aformentioned exploding, gut issues due to over-abundance of MRE terribleness (and a weird undiagnosed stress disorder), balance issues due to concussion (another "fun" adventure in addition to going BOOM) and though I won't blame the Army for my chemical imbalances in my brain (PTSD, bipolar disorder, blah blah blah) they certainly didn't help. To restate what I mentioned in my initial challenge post, I want to get back some of what I had, and lose some weight, gain some strength, get back to awesome and do it right. I'm looking for community that understands, an intelligent sounding board, and hopefully a few people who aren't afraid to kick some rando internet person's ass if they slack off. I'm always looking for people who know more than I do (that's how you get smarter, after all) and hopefully I can learn as I train and get the mojo back. My inner motivation? I'm LAZY and I don't want to buy new clothes again. I'm also sort of sick of looking at myself in the mirror so that helps. I know I can be better, and I would much rather get a jump on this health thing before my doctor tells me my BP is through the roof or that I'm slowly cannibalizing myself. I guess this is a long winded way of asking for help, encouragement, tips and tricks and a community that isn't afraid of calling me on my bullshit. I'm seriously needing to get back to my old awesome, before I lose all hope of a just world. If there's anyone else out there who struggles to keep fit and healthy while battling mental illness I would love to pick your brain if you'd let me. This is an enemy I never learned to fight very well and it's proving to be my biggest and most gnarly obstacle. YOU are awesome! Ciao!

You see this awesomeness? It's called dancewalking. I love it. I do it around the house. I do it in parking garages. I've even done it coming home from a run to Gangnam Style for some middle schoolers. Now, I want to raise money with it. For every British pound raised for Rethink.org (check them out, super spiffy site they have!) I will dancewalk 10 meters around Biel. Now Biel isn't a huge city, but it's pretty big. And it's super pedestrian-y. And loads of people will see me doing it. Which is exactly what I want. I'll be repping Rethink Mental Illness with a spiffy t-shirt they are giving me while I dance, with Scurry plodding along behind me to record my major debut for your sole enjoyment. I'm even working out how to live stream! My goal is to raise 500 poundaroonies. If I reach this goal by the end of the challenge, that means I will be dancewalking a 5k. How cool is that! Wouldn't you love to see how many random Swiss folk I can get to join along in my 5k dancewalk through beautiful Biel? Yes. The answer is yes. Have I gone nutters?? No doubt. But it's going to be so fun! So come on, dig in for me--pack a brown bag and skip lunch at the cafeteria or give up your morning frappecrappewhatacino and donate to my fundraiser. Please!? It's a challenge goal! You can even do it more than once! IMAGINE! But for all seriousness and real-feels...this is a very important cause to me. Any little donation will probably send me over the rainbow. Check my siggy for the link! Thanks for reading!

Well, I suppose I ought to introduce myself and tell you a little about me. I'm a writer, primarily, and do a fair amount of theatre stuff as well. I suppose that makes me a writer/bard. Currently, I'm working as a stage manager for a group of playwrights (which is something like herding cats if cats could talk and make rude comments). I'm also looking into graduate schools since I just graduated from college last May. I'm taking a gap year to write and generally get my life together. But that's scarcely enough information for a good story. You're going to need some background. If you want to skip the backstory, much like you'd skip the introduction to a novel (a crime I certainly am guilty of more often than not), I'd suggest skimming down and looking for the words "hero journey." I am currently 220 lbs and 5"1'. I've already done one weight loss journey. When I was a sophomore in high school, I was 200 lbs and I started doing Weight Watchers. By the end of my freshman year of college, I was 130 lbs. Then I started traveling for school. A small stipend to live on and peer pressure helped me gain 20 of those pounds back. Another trip helped me gain another 20. And another. Lastly, emotional abuse on the part of my professors helped me gain the last 30. That and being in a very high pressure environment led me to try to commit suicide last November. Which brings me to my next bit of background information. I have an anxiety/depression disorder. I've been in and out of therapy for the past 12 years. Currently, I'm in a borderline personality disorder behavioral therapy group, which is odd since I'm not actually borderline. If anything, I'm avoidant. However, certain parties were insistent that I go to behavioral therapy and the borderline group was the closest we could get. Now I know what you're thinking. Behavioral therapy? Does that mean you kill people and do drugs and your parents are desperately trying to reform you? The answer is no. I am, and always have been, that kid that you take home to your parents to show them that you do, in fact, have nice, authority respecting friends who brush their teeth and do their homework. The behavioral therapy is largely to keep me from hurting myself. I'm the kind of person who would rather take a bullet themselves than see someone else get hurt. In fact, that's how a lot of people in my behavioral therapy group are. Now you know, behavioral therapy does not mean psychopath. So, now that you've heard my depressing back story, let's talk about what I'm trying to do to change things. I see this as a hero's journey. More specifically, I relate this to the Hobbit. I'm hobbit-like in nature (short, fat, peace loving, fond of good waistcoats) and I know that nature isn't really going to change. I don't want it to. I'm happy being a hobbit. What I want to do is become more Tookish, more like Bilbo once he's on his adventure than when he's at home in his hobbit hole. I figure that means slimming down, becoming more agile, learning to be brave in the face of dragons, and learning to be quick on my feet (both mentally and physically). I'm not trying to become a ranger or a warrior. Leave that business to Strider or Gandalf. I'm trying to become a useful hobbit. One you'd invite on adventures because you know they're going to be helpful in a pinch. One that can help save everyone's lives by being quick enough to start an argument among the ogres about how to cook dwarf properly.* One that can be as silent as night when the occasion calls for it and can also speak her mind when that's called for as well. A good, solid, comfortable, useful hobbit. And to complete this introduction, I'd like to share two quotes that I think is inspiring for this journey: "There is a lot more to him than you guess, and a deal more than he has any idea himself." --Gandalf; the Hobbit "There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West. Some courage and some wisdom blended in measure. If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." --Thorin; the Hobbit *Yes, I know this is just in the movie, but I found it very inspiring so I'm using it. (Also, I'm not trying to insult the ranger or warrior guilds. I just don't think being a "tank" is really possible for someone like me and I don't see myself going on the Paleo diet and trying to be a master of all physical things.)