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This thread is where I post metrics around training and diet, as a companion to the changing monthly challenges, and with bonus content to house challenge-specific metrics. It should be a boring list with more engaging narrative happening on the challenge threads. See my signature for the current challenge.

Oh dear! But I'm here. I just got back from a road trip vacation in British Columbia (which was a blast). I had thought about making my thread before I left, but was feeling super indecisive about my goals. Now though, I'm feeling so refreshed and re-energised after not worrying about anything for a whole week, and I'm ready to get back to it! Goal Number One: Don't eat like an asshole. It's not even fun anyway. This is really my biggest priority going forward, because I need to get this nonsense under control. Part 1: No eating out. Buying food at work / bailing on making supper and getting take out is expensive, never good for me, and always regretted. - Exception - I have to go out of town for a work thing during the last week of the challenge. Hopefully only for 3 days, but possibly longer. I will be super prepared and have awesome food for breakfast and lunch, but we'll be going out to eat as a group for dinner. I can still avoid eating like an asshole during this though. And at least the expensive part is negated, since I'll be reimbursed. Part 2: Cut out the wheat. I'm not actually gluten intolerant or anything, but eating bread etc is a slippery damn slope that leads to cravings, bingeing and just way too much carbs in general. I used to be awesome about really barely eating any and that's somehow turned into like a daily exception. I want to get way back to a Primal style diet, and this is the first step. 1 variance per week permitted. Part 3: Minimise alcohol. Not that I drink too much, per se, but more than I need to. And again, alcohol is expensive, and we're trying to get our finances back on track as well, so this is a good double whammy. I'll allow exceptions for social situations, (hanging out with the husband does not count as being social) and one freebie. Part 4: Meal prep! This supports parts 1 and 3 as well. A little difficult to grade, but I will say that as long as I do at least one protein and two vegetable batches per week, and post my meal plan for dinners on here, we'll count that as success. Since my diet goal is so expansive, I'll keep things simple elsewhere. Goal Number Two: Move it. Get 6 workouts done in the next three weeks. Kettlebells, yoga, whatever. Goal Number Three: Watch less TV. It's been getting mindless again lately. I have better things to do. No more than 4 hours per week, and at least two totally TV-free days per week. Alrighty, folks, so what we have here is a road map to eating like a goddess, giving my muscles the time of day, and getting more productive crap done. It gonna be a good three weeks.

Whoohooo! Milestone birthday - haven't had one of these in a while. I'm super okay with moving up a decade, and while I know it's NBD, I like birthdays, and I like arbitrary deadlines, so I'm using it. My birthday is on August 12th, so right before the challenge ends. And I just want to feel proud of where I'm at when I hit that marker, so that's what this next month (And you know, like the last 3 years) are about. Point of Pride #1: Be SO Strong I'm going to lose all of my kettlebell muscles this summer if I don't start doing them at home! Working out by myself is a huge hurdle for me, so I'm going to make it simple and straightforward - it doesn't have to be long or intense (although bonus points if it is!), but at a bare minimum 3x per week I need to do 100 swings and 3 TGUs per side. This is quick and easy enough that I have NO excuses not to do it, and chances are once I start I'll do a little more anyways. +3STR A : 12 B : 10 C : 8 D : 6 F : <6 Point of Pride #2: Be a little Bendy Let’s be honest. I’m never going to be SO bendy. Flexibility just ain’t in my genes. But I can be bendier than I am! And yoga is good for the soul. I just want to do yoga at least once a week. +3DEX A : 4 B : 3 C : 2 D : 1 F : 0 Point of Pride #3: Be SO Swift All the biking! I’ve been very rain-adverse lately, but I need to suck it up. Or the weather needs to improve. Either way. I am going to ride at least 150km over the course of this challenge. If I just bike to and from work every day, I’ll get there, but I can do it outside of the bike commuting if I so choose. +3END A : 150km B : 125km C : 100km D : 75km F : <75km Point of Pride #4: Be Lean like Lioness I carry most of my excess weight in my belly – which is apparently really bad for you! I’d like to reduce the spare tire further. The best way to do this is to eat reasonably – no fork outrunning here. I’ll be using my usual metric calculations as a measure of success here. Goal: <1,800 Calories per day <100g Carbs per day >80g Protein per day 1 pt per day for each item – target is 16 pts per week. +3CHA A : 64pts B : 125km C : 100km D : 75km F : <75km Point of Pride #5: Be a Contributing Member of this Community Funny how awarding arbitrary, unredeemable points offer an incentive to do something! This worked really well last time – I need to update my own thread 3x per week, and comment on someone else’s thread 10x per week. +1CHA +1WIS A : 52pts B : 45pts C : 39pts D : 32pts F : <32pts

So I was panicking for a little there, worrying about what I was going to do to replace kettlebells when classes end for the summer - I couldn't find another reasonably priced class that I was interested in. But I've decided to just roll with it, and change things up for the summer, and become more of a Scout/Druid hybrid. I'll still attempt to get some 'Belling in a home, to prevent total annihilation come Fall, but the focus this summer will be logging miles (biking and walking) and improving flexibility (yoga). And that's okay. Goal the First: Bike Commute! I've been mostly bike commuting since the start of May, and probably averaging a little under 4x per week. The aim is to bike EVERY day that I work, although realistically weather and needing a car directly after work interfere on occasion. For the length of this challenge,I should be working on 18 days. I'm going to allow myself to make up for any missed days additional rides, evenings and weekends. A = 18 B = 15 C = 12 D = 9 F = <9 +3 END Goal the Second: Be Bendy and Strong! My usual workout routine includes kettlebell classes, 2x per week. That will be wrapping up at the end of June, so I'm transitioning to a yoga-based workout schedule during this challenge. There's a $5 drop in "Yoga in the Park" that runs after work, 3x per week, weather permitting, and incidentally is right on my route home. Between both activities, I'm aiming for 2-3 workouts per week. A = 10 B = 8 C = 6 D = 4 F = <4 +2 DEX, +2 STR, +2 INT Goal the Third: Walk a bunch! It's time to resurrect the step goal. It's (generally) gorgeous out, it's light out late, and I have hour long lunches once again. The target is 70,000 steps per week. I'm hoping Hiroro is still up for our Weekend Step Challenges!? A = 280,000 B = 255,000 C = 230,000 D = 205,000 F = <200,000 +2 END Goal the Fourth: Eat so good. The usual metrics - if I can actually follow this, I have wonderous success! The plan is designed for one YAYFOOD day per week, plus two misses on one of the items, which gives me a little wiggle room if I feel like I need more calories or carbs on a workout day... or just need some flexibility for no terribly good reason Carbs >100g Protein >80g Calories >1800Kcal 3pts per item per day, 16 points per week A = 64 B = 56 C = 48 D = 40 F = <36 +1CON +2CHA BONUS GOAL I have a bad habit of ghosting from the forums in the middle of a challenge, so I'm adding a check-in goal: 6x per week:Comment on someone else's thread 3x per week:Update my own thread A = 36 B = 30 C = 24 D = 18 F = <18

Quick place holder for zero week. Preview: Suburi will be maintained, and if the weather cooperates, may involve naginata suburi outside, so I can actually swing a blade without knocking things off shelves, knocking over fireplace tools, or putting holes in the ceiling. Measurements will be taken. They may even be recorded. Metrics baby, yeah. Travel plans...they are a happenin' Weight will be lessened. Pratchett will be quoted. Also - hell dropped a couple of degrees - I actually went for a walk today.

So I have to confess I was having a bit of a hard time with things. It just seemed like one thing after another for a few months there. And my coping mechanisms left something to be desired. I wasn't happy with the choices I was making, but I just could not. Stop. Making. Them. Which was just making things worse. Vicious cycle. Exacerbated by continually failing challenge goals. So I took a break. Things have been going better lately though. And I've got my head back on straight. And I'm ready for another challenge! I've been working out, eating great. My house is... maintaining a baseline of cleanliness that is slowly increasing. And while we had to say good bye to a wonderful old friend and ranger companion.. we are going to get a dog in a couple months! So that's exciting to look forward to. Anyways, my optimism is renewed, I have awesome pumping through my veins once more, and I'm ready to challenge the F#&* out of March. And here it is: 1. Food is good: A) Metrics: Been killing this lately, and it's working. Calories: 1400-1800 Protein: >80g Carbs <100g 3 possible points per day, 6 days per week. B ) Evening Snacking: Pretty sure this was one of my first challenge goals... very early on anyways. I get over it, I slip back into it... can't seem to beat it for good. It's time for another round at this beast. Eating is done when dinner is. Sometimes this is a little late (kettlebells go until 7:30, and I need to eat afterwards). I'm going to give myself two freebies a week. 5 possible points per week. A=90+ B=82+ C=74+ D=66+ F+<66 2. Workout-Berserkout: 3x per week: Kettlebell class twice a week, and one additional workout of my choice. A=12 B=10 C=8 D=6 F+<6 3. Steps: Time to resurrect this one again. I've been still tracking, but not really making a very active effort. I'm hitting around 35,000-45,000 per week lately. I'm going to aim to hit 50,000 per week to start with - we're having a crazily mild winter, and barring any blizzard, I think I can really pick this up. A=200,000 B=185,000 C=170,000 D=155,000 F=<150,000 4. Puppy Prep: DH has decided that the house requires ultimate organization levels prior to canine companion acquisition. Fine, whatever. Actually we've been working on this for a bit, it's getting there. Task for this month are to get the storage rooms in order. There are two. That's one for every two weeks. Manageable methinks. A=Both C=One F=Neither Okay, alright.

Ahhh the good ol' Winter is Coming, Pre-holiday Challenge! No big surprises here, just the usual tweaking things around. Eat good food and sweat. That's where I'm at. Goal One: Workout +2STR +2END +1DEX Kettlebells 2x per week NF yoga 1x per week for: 3 pts per week A : 18pts+ B : 15pts+ C : 12pts+ D : 9pts+ F : <9pts Goal Two: Metrics +2CON +2CHA Calories: 1400 - 1800 per day Carbs: <100g per day Protein: >80g per day All of the above, 6/7 days per week. 1 pt per item per day. A : 105pts B : 95pts+ C : 85pts+ D :75pts+ F : <75pts Goal Three: Crafting! +1WIS +1CHA +1END Near the end of the last challenge, I started learning to make amigurumi, and that is what all the little ones will be getting for Christmas! I also have to finish crocheting a blanket that I started almost a year ago, which is also a present for a little one. If I'm excessively productive though, I'll make her a stuffy too, and save the blanket for her birthday. Complete one project per week: A : 6 B : 5 C : 4 D : 3 F : 2 or less Goal Four: +2WIS +1END Organize my freaking house. Choose your own adventure style: 1. Finish cleaning/organizing craft/cat room (it's ALMOST done, but has been sitting in its unfinished state for weeks now) (15pts) 2. Bedroom (Achieved this a few challenges ago, but it's majorly slipped) (20pts) 2. Purge the basement! Get rid of: - Extra couch (20pts) - Random collection of boxes (10pts) - Leftover sheets of drywall (10pts) 3. Clean and organize laundry room/food storage (20pts) 4. Change all the damn burnt out lightbulbs. (10pts) 5. Put up curtain to separate fridge/bathroom area in basement. (10pts) 6. Deal with all the crap piled in the "dining room" (20pts) 7. Tidy storage area. This got deepcleaned about a year ago, but it's gotten a little unorganized since (10pts) Aiming for about 20 pts per week. I may add to this list as we go. A : 120pts B : 100pts C : 80pts D : 60pts F :40pts or less

I have made the excellent decision to start taking kettlebell classes again - I took them before, for about 8 months, but it's been about a year and half since I've gone. I've tried to keep up with it at home, but it's just not the same. I'm excited to get my fitness level back up there again (can you say guns?!), and since I HAVE to eat well in order to not die at class, I'm hopeful that it will help with sticking to my nutritional goals as well. Goal One: Work out like an awesome person. Kettlebell classes are 1 hr, Mondays and Wednesdays (although I can go on Tues/Thurs if I need to due to scheduling conflicts). My goal is also to do at least one yoga session per week, to keep me at least somewhat flexible and to help with mobility. I'll be using the NF yoga videos for this. Kettlebells 2x per week NF yoga 1x per week for: 3 pts per week A : 18pts+ B : 15pts+ C : 12pts+ D : 9pts+ F : <9pts Goal Two: Eat like a reasonable person. Although I have troubles sticking to this for long periods of time, I know perfectly well that I feel good and perform well when I more or less follow this pattern. And crappy food choices make themselves known pretty quickly, as I can't get enough good energy food in if I'm eating junk. While it's not technically one of my goals, this will be supported by bringing breakfast and lunch to work with me as often as possible, and batch cooking. Calories: 1400 - 1800 per day Carbs: <100g per day Protein: >80g per day All of the above, 6/7 days per week. 1 pt per item per day. A : 105pts B : 95pts+ C : 85pts+ D :75pts+ F : <75pts Goal Three: Stretch like a limber person. I have hips so tight they could crack a nut, and poor posture from slouching at work. I have a solution to this. I just need to follow through with it. 3x per week: Hip Opening Sequence + NF Yoga posture mini session A : 36pts+ B : 32pts+ C : 28pts+ D :24pts+ F : <24pts Goal Four: Communicate like a Rebel (person)! As Darkfoxx pointed out, when I actively participate in this community, I do better. Not only that, but I need to give back for all the support I receive from my fellow rebels. Lately, my behaviour has not been in line with this, so I am making it a goal to not only update my own thread, but check in with others often also. 5x per week: Update my own thread 3x per week: Post on at least 3 other Rebel's threads A : 84pts+ B : 75pts+ C : 65pts+ D :55pts+ F : <55pts

Because maths and me don’t really get along, and time slips. I did the research, and this is actually my 20th challenge. Name also spelled correctly in title? Check. — Challenge Theme: Wommens. I’m too scattered to coalesce all my disparate goals into just one theme. Plus, from the title & teaser alone, I’ve already got 2 fandoms representing. So: let’s just roll with Badass Women and see how far I can carry that loose thread. — Google image search for badass elf: While I picture my handle with a bow or a blade and somewhere up high, this is probably much more of an accurate depiction of my personality elf-ified. Fire. Combat boots. Urban. I’d go for purple hair over pink. Vaguely gothy. Tatts. Plus, this elf doesn’t have gigundous boobs, and her outfit at least looks comfortable. -- As summer wanes and race season slides into its slow decline, I can’t help but look forward to Winter and what the next chapter in my story may bring. I feel like all of 2015’s big hurdles are behind me (except TM; but I’m not focusing on TM, lest I freak myself out re: possible hypothermia and tear gas) and I’m trying not to languish in the post-race-season doldrums. What I Have Left 2 virtual 10ks in September Tough Mudder in November Probably the Turkey Trot 4-miler on Thanksgiving Maybe one of the hot chocolate runs in December Whatever other virtual runs or rucks I have to do to beat the DH’s number of medals for the year For the remainder of this season (I’m calling either my last official road race of the year or December 31 the end of season - it remains to be seen when this will actually be), I want to continue doing things that bring me joy and keep me engaged, while forcing myself out of my comfort zone so I’ll actually accomplish the things I want to accomplish instead of frolicking in easy mode all willy-nilly like, as I am wont to do. What I Like Real life rucking badasses Rucking. Who knew? I’m still shocked. Since I’m liking rucking so much, I plan on continuing to do that while the weather holds out. I’ll be stuck inside all winter with only the treadmill for comfort, why miss out on prime fun time when I don’t have to? Plus: Ranger street cred. Who doesn’t want more of that? Will this help with my overall goals? I don’t know, but weight + distance can’t be a bad thing. So, On Mondays, We Ruck. I can only dream of being this badass when I’m her age Yoga. Yoga is fun, and my body needs it in order to accomplish the things it wants to achieve. Without yoga, I’m a hot mess of injuries and hobbles. Yoga is definitely staying, and I’ll still continue to try adding cool new poses to my arsenal, while working on building rock solid fundamentals. And, because I have not yet used her and she’s the OG woman badass (at least to me - this is the first identifiably physically strong woman in a move or on TV I looked at as a kid and went ‘I want that!’) Bodyweight exercises. My body and I both prefer bodyweight exercises over lifting weights. I need to remember this, stick with this, and go back to HIIT workouts with a video so I actually HI of the IT. I love me some Darebee workouts, but I have a tendency to do them at *my* pace, which is not the pace I should actually be going at. I say I should switch back to videos, but Darebee has released a cool new semi-immersive semi-game thing - Age Of Pandora - which I've started and am totally digging. I can do these workouts, plus make upgrades to my Avatar on top of doing other things. Maybe if I choose shorter-length HasFit videos and combo them with AoP chapters. Not sure how this is going to look yet. What I Really Need To Be Doing A goddamn pull-up. I know, I know, I was so gung-ho about getting a pull-up this summer … but then I chose not to work very hard for it. And I found other things I loved. And I have exercise ADHD. Plus, I’m not overly fond of doing hard things until they’re no longer that hard. I need to STFU and f-o-c-u-s. This needs to happen. If it takes keeping the pull-up bar out 24/7, it takes keeping the pull-up bar out. I need to do this, as my ruck schedule allows. Enough Said Working On Specific Skills That Will Help In OCRs - like rope climbing, monkey bars, wall climbs, and bucket carries. Monkey bars I can do and I can practice - I need to work on grip strength and other types of bar crossings (like skipping a bar, or jumping from bar to bar)Rope climbs are going to be tricky, since I don’t have access to a rope. What I do have access to is the Internet, with many suggestions on other things to do to ensure I at least build the right muscles (Onnit has a good video for this)It’s likely that I will always need help over walls, but I can practice hoisting myself up over lower walls so maybe I don’t need a boost for every single damn one. Parkour fundamentals would help hereBucket carries are the worst thing ever. But, I can buy a bucket, the garden in my building has rocks in it, and I could practice carrying them around the garden area. Don’t wannaBurpees. Everyone hates burpees, but I need to be able to do more in a row without absolutely killing my hip flexors Ummmm. Yeah. Building Endurance. Also boo. This winter, I need to do some targeted speed building on the treadmill and work on inclines to tackle hills. Pouting. —— Goal 1: Continue Working Out 4-5 days a week + Bonus Monday Ruck Day Yoga 2x Dedicated cardio or endurance work 1x Wildcard 1x - maybe get that OCR game Eric reminded me of? Or, HasFit HIIT videos In September, this is going to pan out as follows: Mondays: Ruck Day (+AoP, +squat challenge) Tuesdays: Yoga or bodyweight videos or cardio class (+AoP, +squat challenge) Wednesdays: Yoga or bodyweight videos (+AoP, +squat challenge) Thursdays: Yoga (+AoP, +squat challenge) Fridays: AoP, squat challenge (+ try to do something else active one weekend day) Saturdays: AoP, squat challenge (+ try to do something else active one weekend day) Sundays: AoP, squat challenge (+ try to do something else active one weekend day) Goal 2: Metrics Metrics. Matrix. They both start with M. I haven’t really deviated from this metric plan in over a year, and don’t see any reason to start. For those of you that are new to me, my metrics are based on those outlined in the Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson. My metrics are as follows: 100 grams or under of carbs, 70 grams or over of protein, 100 grams or under of fat and around 1,500 calories. This plan seems to work for me, and if I stick to it, my weight stays where I want it and my body stays fueled without being sluggish. That said, I have recently begun carb loading for races and eat whatever my body is screaming at me it wants post races (generally a bigass steak and/or a face full of carbs). This seems to be working well, and I’ll be sticking with it. I also shoot for 64 ounces or so of water (2 refills of my water bottle + a coffee), and track my general activity and sleep with a Misfit Flash. I’m on My Fitness Pal and Fitbit. Goal 3: Biohacking This would be awesome, but I'm starting on a much smaller scale. I’ve already started my sleep biohacking - started September 1st. Gathered 1 week baseline readings: Check Week 1: Introduced white noise - Check Week 2: Introduced sleep mask - In Process Week 3: Add nightly meditation to the mix Week 4: Add melatonin 1 - 2 nights Week 5: Add daily magnesium supplements Week 6: Add fats right before bed (collagen or raw honey + krill oil + brain octane) Goal 4: The Minimalist Life It stands to reason that waking up in Raccoon City for the umpteenth time means you don't have a lot of crap you're worried about hauling around. I'm doubting Alice has a storage container somewhere. I have my wardrobe pretty dialed down for the summer season; I may need to do a little cold weather whittling here, and I may add a few pieces meant to replace less durable items. What I really need to focus on here is stuff in the ‘other shit’ category. I need to actually address the other shit taking up room on my shelves and in my closets. I need to reduce something (a closet or a shelving unit) by at least 20% per week here). To accomplish this goal, I’m taking part in a 30 Day Minimalist Game. Starting September 14, I will be getting rid of +1 item per day (Day 1: 1 item, Day 2: 2 items, Day 30: 30 items) to see how far I can take it. I may supplement with bigger purges as my impulses drag me. Gotta strike while the iron is hot. Goal 5: Arts & Crafts When I did a search for badass women who craft, for some reason Ripley came up in the results. I’ll take it! Finish the shawl and secret cross-stitch project I’m working onStart the baby blanket for my sisterAnd … since last challenge we were talking about wanting badges for adulting or Ranger Tasks, I think I’ll flex my graphic design skills and make some. The goal is to complete 1 digital version a week based on my fellow Rangers’ goals and/or accomplishments. If this turns out well, these may assume corporeal form some time down the road. Mini Challenge Feats Endurance Feat - 10k ruck with 20lbs in my pack if this week falls within September - if not, some other type of rucking - maybe a mileage total to hit for the week. Match Wolf for a little PvP action?Strength Feat - For this week, concentrate daily on pull-ups or upping the strength in my ankles/calves to increase my effectiveness in balance poses (depending on which side of my body has DOMs).Speed Feat - 10k for time if this week falls within September - if not, something else for time. Something for time. Combat Feat - Go have a climbing or archery date with the hubbs.Healing Feat - Work on my little fascia daily this week - my jaw connectors and head connectors are always tense; work on loosening these babies.

I had to give this a lot of thought - I didn't want to take on too much, but I also had some goals I wanted to add... and still need to keep a handle on the good habits I've been working on. After some contemplation though, I decided to go for the "All the things" route. Hey, this is supposed to be a challenge right?! Goal One Metrics: Calories: 1400-1700 Carbs: <100g Protein: >80g 1 point per item per day: A = 100+ B = 85+ C = 70+ D = 55+ F = <55 Goal Two Self-propulsion: I did a good job of getting in to a routine with both of these last challenge - this is just cementing the habit. Bike Commuting: 4x per week (1 pt for each way) Steps: 70,000 per week (1 pt per 10,000) A = 90+ B = 83+ C = 75+ D = 68+ F = <68 Goal Three Work out: This will probably be largely comprised of yoga, but substitutions are fine. 2x per week A = 12+ B = 10+ C = 8+ D = 6+ F = <6 Goal Four Hip Opening Work: I'm going to try this routine - it looks promising. May change it up as we go on, but I've GOT to do something to loosen up those hips! And I'm hoping making it an actual goal will help. 3x per week A = 18+ B = 15+ C = 12+ D = 9+ F = <9 Goal Five Kitchen Purge My cupboards are tiny, poorly organized, and way too full. Need to get rid of a bunch, and better sort the rest. This may happen in a binge session some weekend, or I might spread it out, we'll see. 8 cupboards A = 8+ B = 7+ C = 6+ D = 5+ F = <5

Last challenge cycle brought 2 OCRs, a 10k, and a 5k. This cycle encompasses the dog days of summer (and it currently looks like we’ll actually get some summer - NYC is s-w-a-m-p-y), so I had planned on taking it a little easier in August (and by a little easier, I mean 1 big GoRuck + an unspecified number of runs for bling). Of course, now I’m having second thoughts about this “easy†business, and am itching to do moar things. I’m also sad that I only have 1 OCR left this season. It’s a biggie (Tough Mudder in November), but still … it’s not right now. I know, I know … doing allthethings gets me in trouble physical-wise, feeds my gnat-like attention span, and makes me a jill of all trades but good at none. But …. Work It Out I want to continue on with yoga, especially around races; I need to continue working on the dreaded running for stamina; and my muscles want in on it all too. Plus: I still haven’t hit my ‘this summer Imma’ do a damn pull-up’ goal. Aaaaaaaaand my focusing power monkeys are jumping. So, shotgun approach it is. I like my 4 day a week scheduled activity + walking as much as possible on the weekends program. For this challenge, let’s reign in the monkeys a bit with some direction so I'm not stuck in vapor lock mode. Model A Monday: Bodyweight circuit in the gym Tuesday: Cardio in the gym Wednesday: Yoga class in the wild (sub yoga in the gym if time doesn't allow) Thursday: Yoga class in the gym Friday: Optional bonus day - take a class or lift some weights Weekend: GoRuck, race or walk as much as the weather permits Model B Monday: Yoga class in the wild Tuesday: Bodyweight circuit in the gym Wednesday: Bolly X class in the wild (sub gym cardio if time doesn't allow for travel) Thursday: Yoga class in the gym Friday: Optional bonus day - take a class or lift some weights Weekend: GoRuck, race or walk as much as the weather permits Races, Etc. August 8 is GoRuck Light In order to stay on track for beating my DH’s number of race medals this year, I need to pick up two 5ks during this challenge. EDIT: I picked up two virtual 5ks. I'll be doing the Phone Home 5k through Moon Joggers sometime this August, and the Jedi Challenge 2015 either later this month or also in August. The Jedi race is open on both dates and distances - depending upon when I pick to do it in relation to GoRuck, I may shoot for overkill and do a 10k. We shall see what happens with the PPTC Speed Series (weeknight 5ks thrown by my DH's running club) for the rest of this summer - if I end up doing more of those, I won't attempt to kill myself with an indoor kid 10k. EDIT EDIT: Goddamn it. I picked up another challenge - this one a total mileage challenge - the Road To Hogwarts 52-mile virtual race. I have until October 1 to travel that distance. What was I thinking? Metrics I haven’t really deviated from this metric plan in over a year, and don’t see any reason to start. For those of you that are new to me, my metrics are based on those outlined in the Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson. My metrics are as follows: 100 grams or under of carbs, 70 grams or over of protein, 100 grams or under of fat and around 1,500 calories. This plan seems to work for me, and if I stick to it, my weight stays where I want it and my body stays fueled without being sluggish. That said, I have recently begun carb loading for races and eat whatever my body is screaming at me it wants post races (generally a bigass steak and/or a face full of carbs). This seems to be working well, and I’ll be sticking with it. I also shoot for 64 ounces or so of water (2 refills of my water bottle + a coffee), and track my general activity and sleep with a Misfit Flash. I’m on My Fitness Pal and Fitbit. Satisfaction Is The Death Of Desire I am still sloooooowly working toward minimalism for my surroundings, and I feel the need to jettison a bunch of stuff all at once. I think I’ll start with the kitchen. Two people who don’t entertain that much don’t really need 6 double cabinets full of crap. Even if one of them cooks a bunch and blogs about food. For this goal, I’m picking at least 1 cabinet a week and purging my little heart out. I also want to continue adjusting my wardrobe to fit my actual needs and not have 9999 things in my closet that don’t fit either my lifestyle or size, while having 3 things I like and wear. I should also get rid of some other shit/work on letting myself let go of things that I keep for no damn reason except habit and/or a sense that I may suddenly wake up with I'm 60 and miss the things. Other Other Shit I want to continue practicing another language using DuoLingo. Last challenge it was French in prep for my trip to Montreal. I think this challenge I should switch to Ukranian in prep for this fall’s trip there. I also need to foam roll, even though I hate it with the passion of 1,000 burning suns. EDIT: I also need to make a conscious effort to work on stretching my feet more. And I'm * * this close to letting peer pressure get the better of me and making this more of a concrete goal, instead of just a weekly feat goal + the vague promise of doing better this time. And I need to continue on with my creative pursuits (currently knitting and card making). Oh, lookie here - another damn EDIT. This time for weekly mini challenge feats: Endurance Feat - GoRuck. Not dying at GoRuck. If this feat does not happen to fall on GoRuck week (or the week prior), double up on 5ks. Strength Feat - Do A Damn Pull-Up (again)Speed Feat - Attempt to crack a 34-minute 5k.Combat Feat - I have to make it out of the building to do Bolly X or something new(ish) other than my favorite yoga class this week. Whining, but no excuses - summon that 20 seconds of courage. Healing Feat - 1 week of foam rolling for at least 5 minutes every work day + working on stretching my feet out.

This cycle's challenges are based off of the feats from the mini challenge exercise for this cycle. More info here. Feats Endurance: Complete: Spartan Sprint + Oakley 10k + Savage Race + Rugged Maniac - DONE WEEK 1 Strength: Improve throughout this season's OCRs + Perform A Single Damn Pull Up Speed: Work on furthering my yoga pose skill set (I'm starting with holding crow for longer + headstands) Combat: Complete the Spartan bodyweight program + continue to work yoga in where I can - Edited to include working with the pull-up bar every week day this week on top of my yoga workouts Healing: Foam rolling + Duo Lingo to learn more French + Metrics + knitting/creative pursuits

Placeholder for this next cycle. I have impending vacation/fml it's monday brain and can't think of much else right now. TBC. Probable goals: 1. my usual fitness + focusing more on specific skills. I think I need to re-evaluate the skills toolbox I wanted to build a few challenges ago and work on some of those specifics. Plus work on lowering my 5k time, and get ready for /compete in this season's mud runs. And I should probably address my damn hip flexor that keeps getting super-pissed after 5ks. 2. Metrics per usual - nothing is changing here. 3. Probably a continuation of my catchall 'get shit done' goal - creative projects/minimalism/digitization 4. I should really keep my 'get out of my comfort zone' goal -- and I should look at upping the pushes.

I want to say thank you to everyone that helped encourage me last time, and everyone that will follow along this time. It really helps. My life atm is a bit chaotic, I have 2 more weeks of 14+ hour days. Then I should be back to a more normal schedule. My last challenge was all about maintaining some resemblance of fitness in the midst of this work schedule. I did that by incorporating some activities into my daily activity. I like that and plan to carry some over. Paint by numbers, were always fun as a kid. I also like the idea of tracking numbers ( as long as it doesn't get overly complicated.) So my goals will all be based on numbers I want to hit, stay under, or overcome. 1. Lift + body weight 3 times a week. I started lifting heavy weight 2 challenges ago and I like it. I will also use my time tested body weight routine after. I like both, and want to continue using both. Simple to judge I either do it 3 times a week or I don't. 2. Walk 10k steps everyday. I started this last challenge and I like it, so I will continue it. My phone keeps track of this for me. Again simple to judge, I did it or I didn't. 3. For F^*k sake just eat right dummy, stay under 2k calories. This is my goal from last time "This is regularly a goal for me, and I have had off and on success. I traditionally gain quite a bit of weight in Jan/feb because of my work. The plant always has an incrediable amount of junky food around since were all here so long. last challenge I stayed even. I want to eat in a deficit this time. This boils down to a will power item. I have set my self up for success with delivered meals etc. I just need to not eat junk food! Wish me luck!" Well again I have not gained or lost weight, so that is a fail last time. I plan to weigh in weekly and post it! I can't keep it a secret, someone will hold my feet to the fire I will track my food using my fitness pal, and weigh in weekly. My starting weight is 214.7lb For grading purposes, I will keep my daily food consumption to under 2k, and the weight in is just to hold me accountable. I don't want to look like a failure to all my NF buddy's. Life Goal Have fun at least 1 time a week! Work has been overly taxing. Long days, working weekends etc. I am stressed out, and tired, and bored. I will be making time to have organized fun at least once week. Go shooting, off roading, knife throwing with my buddies, watching super hero movies, card games, etc. I have lots of and interesting hobbies/friends, and I feel very disconnected from them. I want more pictures of me smiling doing what I love. TLDR; 1. lift 3 times a week 2. walk 10k steps daily 3. Eat less than 2k calories 4. Have organized fun at least once a week Again thanks for the comradely, good luck to everyone. And now for my obligatory Wile E Coyote Gif of awesome

Barred Spiral Galaxy NGC 1300 More This challenge cycle is all about building on the momentum I recovered during last challenge to prep for this year’s race season. On the calendar so far: March US Road Running Pirate Virtual 5kLadies First 5kApril Spaceballs Virtual 5kECU Color Run 5kMay North Face Endurance Race 5kSpartan SprintJune Savage RaceJuly Rugged ManiacAugust NoneSeptember NoneOctober NoneNovember Tough MudderDecember NoneThere are quite a few races I’m keeping an eye on for official date announcements, and I want to find 1 more OCR to do. The goal is to do 5 OCRs + at least 1 5k per month. Maybe a 10k if the Oakley Women’s Only happens again this year. On months with no OCRs, I need to up my strength training and complete more races. Goal 1: Fitness I feel like I need to continue with strength training/maybe focus on it more, but I really like bodyweight work. So, I think I’ll continue on with the HIIT/tabata style workouts I did last challenge through my PopSugar challenge + continue to work in cardio sessions on the treadmill. Those hill days are killer, but I know they’re doing me some good. I also need to buckle down and focus on getting that damn pull-up before my 1st OCR of the year. Goal 2: Metrics Metrics make me happy and they work for me, so I'm sticking with them. As a refresher, my metrics are: 100 grams or under of carbs, 70 grams or over of protein, under 100 grams of fat and around 1500 calories. Water is the recommended 64 ounces. I track food with My Fitness Pal and need to find a good balance with apps to track sleep/water/exercise. Last year I had a Fitbit - since it decided to jump off my wrist, I’ve replaced it with a Misfit Flash, but am currently having issues getting the new majigger to play nice with all the apps it needs to be able to talk to. Weight and BF are still being tracked with my FitBit Aria scale. I also use a combo of FitBit + Zombies, Run! To track my quickly moving through space workouts if they're in the wide world. If I venture into the wide world, that is. Goal 3: Get Stuff Done I have so many little tasks I want to complete. On the top of the list: finish getting my old family pictures, etc. boxed up and sent off for digitization, finishing my ombre scarf knitting project, continue to weed out possessions I really don’t care about but feel pressured to keep. Also, I need to work to plug all my clothing into the Stylebook app, so I can get some good metrics/help realize my minimalist goals. Goal 4: Get Out Of My Comfort Zone I’ve been doing really well with this over the past few challenges, and I need to be mindful of continuing down this track. The goal is to do 1 thing that forces me out of my schedule/hermit lifestyle a week. Meetups, book clubs, Facebook group meets, workout classes, or sportsy outings in places that aren’t my house are good, as is going out and exploring things on my own when the hubbs isn’t home on weekends. Lunch by myself out - very uncomfortable, especially when not submerged in my phone, but good for me.

I’ve been enjoying the amount of graphic designs I have made lately for my blog and want to continue on in that vein. To that end, the “theme†of this challenge is playing with texture and font by making my own versions of those uber popular Instagram and Pinterest click bait quote images. As for challenge, I’m keeping things on the simpler side this go round. Last challenge I got really lackadaisical and really didn’t post much. I continued on (mostly, minus some completely off the rails time), but really didn’t feel like posting. NF seemed like a ghost town - most everyone on my friends list either bailed on the last challenge (last *few* challenges) or didn’t really update. I *know* these things shouldn’t deter me, but dammit, NF had been slacking for 3 challenges in a row and it’s hard to keep going when you feel like you’re screaming into the void. /rant I know myself and without the support of this community, I totally wouldn't be where I am today - and wouldn't have the stamina to shoot for my big goals this year. This year, my goals continue on from last year - I want to continue to improve my body; I have a bunch of OCRs & quick moving for bling things going on; and I still feel like I need to minimize the crap I have lying around. I also still have that GD SCARF to finish. I’m tired of that damn scarf. Oh, and to make things more interesting, I’ll be doing a Whole30 this January. So, there’s that. Goal 1: Fitness I think I want to go back to bodyweight workouts. I like barbells in theory, but I really miss my jumping all around and working on the fundamentals workouts when I'm not doing them. I plan on either grabbing a Neila Rey program or trying the January program from PopSugar's new app - and I'm starting late (on the 5th) because I'm battling some hefty thigh DOMs from last week. Goal 2: Metrics Metrics make me happy and they work for me, so I'm sticking with them. As a refresher, my metrics are: 100 grams or under of carbs, 70 grams or over of protein, under 100 grams of fat and around 1500 calories. Water is the recommended by FitBit 64 ounces, and on the weekends I like my step count to be over FitBit’s recommended 10,000. I track food with My Fitness Pal and exercise, sleep and water with the FitBit app. Last month, my FitBit Flex fell off my wrist sometime between here and the grocery store and I have yet to decide what I want to replace it with (ok, so I'm waiting to see if I want the Apple watch - shocker). Weight and BF are tracked with my FitBit Aria scale. I also use a combo of FitBit + Zombies, Run! To track my quickly moving through space workouts if they're in the wide world. Goal 3: Get My Shit Digitized I bought a Groupon waaaaayyyy back last winter to get another chunk of my mother’s pictures digitized, and just purchased another to get some of the other things scanned/duped as well. Maybe those VHSs of my tiny little blonde self singing in the church choir as a kid (BWAHAHA) won’t disintegrate after all. Goal 4: Get Out Of My Comfort Zone I’ve been doing really well at getting out of my comfort zone over the past few months, but I want to do more. I plan on going to exercise classes outside my bubble, socializing with new people, and creating new things. I’m not putting a time crunch on myself so I don’t burn my little introverted brain out, but I will continually look for new and different things to do. So far, I have at least 1 yoga class and 1 dance(!) class that I may go to in my building’s new gym + 1 yoga class out in the wild at of all places - Urban Outfitter’s flagship store. I did this class last month, and it was fantastic. And I didn’t die of exposure. Win.

Another new challenge, another fresh start! And speaking of fresh starts, I am starting a new job one week from today! I am very excited, but also quite nervous, as I know it is going to be a huge change from what I'm used to, and I will have so much to learn. That, combined with the inherent stresses of the holiday season, mean that I really need to keep my mental state managed, and not resort to eating and drinking my stresses away (especially since it's not so much "away" as it is "later"). GOAL ONE: Eat like a reasonable human being who is perfectly aware of what foods don't agree with her. Because I am that thing I said. I am going to stick with the same metrics goal I had last time, because I really do feel best when I eat like that. I really, really, really need to remind wheat that he is not welcome also, because I know eating it makes me feel crappy, but I do it anyways. And particularly as the holiday baking starts appearing everywhere, I could use a little extra self-control - I don't even LIKE cookies... I just like Christmas, and somehow that translates into eating cookies. And whatnot. 1. Eat less than 120 grams of carbs per day 2. Eat 80 grams or more of protein per day 3. Don't eat any wheat! (Not going to stress about small amounts, like in sauces and stuff, but no bread or baking.) 1 point per item per day = 21 possible points per week. A : 120pts+ B : 105pts+ C : 90pts+ D : 75pts+ F : <75pts GOAL TWO: Yoga, yoga, yoga! Simple. Do a minimum of 15 minutes of yoga. Every single day. For scoring purposes, I'll give myself one day off per week, but still aiming for 7. Self-guided, use a video, go to a drop-in class, whatever. A: 35pts+ B : 30pts+ C : 25pts+ D : 20pts+ F : <20pts GOAL THREE: Prepare outfit and lunch for work the night before. This will both help keep my meals on track, and reduce the stress that is a hectic morning. 2 possible points per work day. A: 55pts+ B : 50pts+ C : 45pts+ D : 40pts+ F : <40pts GOAL FOUR: As usual, I am going to try to make as many Christmas gifts as possible. I have had the horrid realization that this means I will have to make a minimum of 3 gifts per week if I'm going to get through my list! Time to get started... A : 18 gifts B : 15 gifts C : 12 gifts D : 9 gifts F : <9 gifts So there we have it. A challenge which will (hopefully) keep me on track, calm, cool and not a crazy person. Let's do it!

Holding to see if something witty comes to me this weekend... Edit: When in doubt, Internet cats. Overarching Goal Hasn't changed - still trying to get my body comp where I want it through tight-ish metrics + building strength to be able to do all the OCR-related things I want to do. I realize I *could* accomplish this goal faster by adhering to stricter weekend metrics and incorporating more intense workouts, but I'm lazy at heart - let's just stick to doing what I can do and to upping the baseline intensity level, rather than attacking a heavy-duty something all at once and fizzling out because no one's watching/my program has ended/I lose interest. Goal 1: Fitness Like always. Since I'm trying to claw my way out of a little motivation slump at the beginning of this challenge, I think I'll focus on building the toolkit of cool shit I want to be able to do. And I have a 5-miler to train-ish for on Thanksgiving. Cool Shit Toolkit Pistol Squats Real (not wall) handstands (knowing me, I'll be working on back walkovers right after) Yoga headstand Better/longer/more consistent crow + variations (like flying pigeon)Pull-up (unassisted)Chin-up (unassisted)Bow pose (better - knees up farther)Finally sitting on my damn toesFlat-heeled down dogMaybe someday finally getting into a full splitBetter, longer planksHigher quantity of push-upsMore realized dancer pose for more than a few seconds without falling Goal 2: Metrics Metrics make me happy and they work for me, so I'm sticking with them. As a refresher, my metrics are: 100 grams or under of carbs, 70 grams or over of protein, under 100 grams of fat and around 1500 calories. Water is the recommended by FitBit 64 ounces, and on the weekends I like my step count to be over FitBit’s recommended 10,000. I track food with My Fitness Pal and exercise, sleep and water with the FitBit Flex. Weight and BF are tracked with my FitBit Aria scale. FitBit. I also use a combo of FitBit + Runkeeper + Zombies, Run! To track my workouts, though I'm thinking of dropping Runkeeper and who knows what will happen when iOS8 and the new Apple Health comes out. I'm sure I'll be jumping at least some of these ships in favor of that, if it's as awesome as advertised. Goal 3: Other Shit This 'other shit' goal worked well for me last challenge. While I didn't get anything actually crossed off my list, I *did* make progress toward most of these goals. I need to continue on that track. Whittle more things out of the house - I'd like to clear enough off of a bookcase to get rid of it. Continue the leaving my house on weekdays (maybe even sometimes without my hubby) and being at least somewhat social. Work on the damn scarf I've been knitting for 2 years now. Finish before Spring? Continue streamlining my wardrobe/getting rid of shit I don't need/getting things that are too big for me altered so they're not wasting space/get the shoes I need cobbled cobbled.Drag the clothes I'm donating out of the closets they came out of out the door and to the donation place.

Ok, so no theme this time. I thought about a Friday The 13th thing, but finding appropriate/fitnessy memes sounded exhausting. So: dragons. Dragons are always good. Plus, this way I get to search for dragons every morning before jumping into work. Booonus! Deviant Art, here I come! Overarching Goal Hasn't changed - still trying to get my body comp where I want it through tight-ish metrics + building strength to be able to do all the OCR-related things I want to do. I realize I *could* accomplish this goal faster by adhering to stricter weekend metrics and incorporating more intense workouts, but I'm lazy at heart - let's just stick to doing what I can do and to upping the baseline intensity level, rather than attacking a heavy-duty something all at once and fizzling out because no one's watching/my program has ended/I lose interest. Goal 1: Fitness I actually didn't do bad on my 'choose your own adventure' workout schedule last challenge, much to my shock. So … I'm going to go down that track a little further. I still want to work on doing an unassisted pull-up, I think the Spartan 30 challenges are kind of fun, the Spartan daily WODs are good for me (but intimidating), I love me some nerdy bodyweight routines, HasFit is fantastic, and I want to continue on with the mix of cardio/bodyweight/light weights/specific movements/yoga I'm already doing and see where that gets me. I'll be pulling from: Spartan WODs, HasFit, Neila Rey, and other places as I see them - my yoga class, for sure. Upcoming Races: Merrill Down N' Dirty OCR - October 5 Color Run 5k - October 18 Goal 2: Metrics Metrics make me happy and they work for me, so I'm sticking with them. As a refresher, my metrics are: 100 grams or under of carbs, 70 grams or over of protein, under 100 grams of fat and around 1500 calories. Water is the recommended by FitBit 64 ounces, and on the weekends I like my step count to be over FitBit’s recommended 10,000. I track food with My Fitness Pal and exercise, sleep and water with the FitBit Flex. Weight and BF are tracked with my FitBit Aria scale. FitBit. I also use a combo of FitBit + Runkeeper + Zombies, Run! To track my workouts, though I'm thinking of dropping Runkeeper and who knows what will happen when iOS8 and the new Apple Health comes out. I'm sure I'll be jumping at least some of these ships in favor of that, if it's as awesome as advertised. Goal 3: Get Your Shit Together I need to. I'm a grown-ass adult with responsibilities, short people that might notice if I no longer exist, and family members that totally don't want to deal with the headache of slogging through my shit should I croak unexpectedly. I should have a will made out. And know where all my important documents are located. To this end, the goal is to fill out the Get Your Shit Together stuff + enter all my other important crap into Evernote so I can actually find it (like my marriage license and the deed to my house - which may or may not be in a box at the bottom of one of my closets. Maybe I'll finally get that fireproof box my hubby has been wanting for years. UPDATE: GYST LIST Week 1: Will Week 2: Living Will Week 3: Life Insurance Week 4: Money Week 5: Details Week 6: Personal Items Other Goals Whittle more things out of the house - I'd like to clear enough off of a bookcase to get rid of it. This is going to take action, rather than planning. Continue the leaving my house on weekdays to at least think about being social trend.Work on the damn scarf I've been knitting for 2 years now. Finish before Spring? Continue streamlining my wardrobe/getting rid of shit I don't need/getting things that are too big for me altered so they're not wasting space/get the shoes I need cobbled cobbled.Drag the clothes I'm donating out of the closets they came out of out the door and to the donation place. Even if that means I have to backpack clothes out in batches every week on the way to the grocery store. Quit being lazy. This is a nebulous goal - more of a goalposts goal. I'll be reporting on progress, but won't be including this in my overall grading scheme. You know what? Screw that. This is a real goal. Worth up to 5 points. Internal dialogue edit: This is not a hard goal to accomplish in the grand scheme of life. Quit being lazy, dammit. Risk Internet failure less than a perfect grade. Now drop and give me burpees.

Sorry I don't have a fancy theme for this challenge. If anyone wants to suggest one, by all means, hit me with it I figured it was more important to get this posted than to delay it for "pretty-ification" So, I stepped into the realm of getting a personal trainer the other week. It feels so weird to have one, to have sat down for a consultation/talk and really got my brain picked and examined AND got to butt heads with a great smart guy. This challenge is really about me following direction (from someone I signed a waver form with lol). I'm kinda nervous about this and I'm really realizing just how stubborn I can be! This challenge is defined by the goals we set (and might change) depending on how my body reacts and such. I talked to Cody (mine and my wife's personal trainer) and purchased some sessions with him. I don't think I'll have the extra income to get more sessions after the initial four, but I am going to do my best to implement what he teaches and shares this challenge. He asked me what my main motivations were, so I shared them... he knows them now... no turning back, right? The goals I shared were the following: 1. Be healthy and around for my kids (best. motivation. ever.) 2. Do a real pull up (because it would be bad-arse!) 3. Do a Tough Mudder (because I'm crazy?) 4. Get more comfortable in the gym (told him about the mental struggles I've had and still do to some extent) 5. Get comfortable with lunges again (used to be in fencing in freshman year of college and loved it) I know they're all over the place, but he said they were good things and was impressed. Fun part is that I've got a trainer who's girlfriend is a HUGE nerd (and fitness) person. I really hope by the end of this time with him I can convert his girlfriend to Nerd Fitness lol. His exact words were "I believe my girlfriend loves Link more than she does me." He also told me one of his own goals is to do AMERICAN NINJA WARRIOR, so that's pretty cool. Main Quest still remains, do a real pull up. Two "Simple" goals yet again. 1. Workout I'm working out 4-5 times a week. (3 workouts 1-2 cardio days)Doing my best to do what is prescribed. (not a clue what he's got in mind yet)I already know he wants me to do warm-ups on the stairs machine.... I think that's to get me more used to lunges and such (and to make me use something I've never touched in my life lol) 2. Food Metrics! Follow prescribed/adjusted metrics as best I can.Calories 2,500Carbs 250Protein 188Fat 834:1 egg ratioPic logging with Metal_WeaverTrack food on gym site as best as possibleHe said I wasn't eating enough to lose weight. Which after looking at things, it makes sense. I've basically been starving my body even as I push it. If I don't fuel it properly, it will go into starvation mode and hold onto everything. In this area, he kept mentioning low-fat foods and while I can't follow paleo to the letter of the law, it still made me cringe. I will do what I can to eat reasonably and still try and avoid so much of this 'low fat' stuff. If that means I have to cut out cheese (<has a moment of silence for this loss>) for this or do his suggested 4:1 ratio on eggs to egg whites... then I'll do it. It's just one challenge and I need to show some trust and willingness to listen to his advice. I know he's the type of trainer that's not going to harp on the food thing, so that's reassuring. I'm also going to keep pic logging with Metal_Weaver throughout this and doing my best to log things on the gym site so Cody has a good idea what I'm eating. Oh and I did get to pick his brain on warm-ups. He equated it to studying for a test the night before the exam. If you study all night and then don't get much sleep, you're going to perform worse on the test than if you actually got a full night's rest. Same goes for warm-up. It's to get the blood flowing, but it shouldn't be a separate workout all in itself. Overall, his take is that it's a mental thing to get you ready to workout. so that's good to know. I've also asked him to show me stretches to aid in whatever we're doing for the day, so if there's any pre-stretches that would make an exercise better I'm hoping to pick them up Note: Also, this month, August 16th, to be exact, I hit my 35th birthday. (My dad also has his birthday on the 24th.) So, that'll be something to both look forward too, but also to plan ahead for on how I'm going to handle the celebration. (I think if my parents give me cash for my birthday, I'm going to go up to the gym and get some more sessions lol) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This section is a reminder to myself that I have come a long way and yet the journey isn't over. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Previous 9 Challenges: BlamedCat Wars: Episode 1: The Fatman MenaceBlamedCat Wars: Episode 2: Attack of the GroansBlamedCat Wars: Episode 3: Rehinge of the PithBlamedCat Wars: Episode 5: The Return of Three Dead NighBlamedCat travels to Mt. KoltsBlamedCat trains on Mt. KoltsBlamedCat's Second Rite of Ascension Challenge!BlamedCat's Return - Lets have a dark match!BlamedCat's Enough is Enough (Let’s get down to business) Challenge

This challenge is Batman themed, in honor of Batty's 75th. Overarching Goal: Building A Better Bat My continuing and overarching goal for this entire NF journey has been to build a better/more healthy/more fit/whathaveyou version of me. What does that look like? I don't know. There's the image in my head and then there's the more modest and realistic goal - and I'm guessing reality is going to lie somewhere in-between. (vaguely - 15% body fat & guns ala Linda Hamilton in T2) To achieve this goal, I've leveled up my food (mostly and some cycles better than others), I've participated in a couple of muddy obstacle courses (and plan to do more), "run" a "real" 5k (also plan to do more), followed a few fitness-oriented programs, and have made working out a priority 4-5 times a week. I still have a ways to go, but I think I'm on the right track - I just need to keep this trajectory going + add some more specific challenges into the mix. Goal 1: Fitness - aka be capable enough to escape the Joker whenever Always fitness. I like my 4-5 days a week workout schedule, so I'm sticking to that. The Spartan WODs seem to be working well for me so far, so I think I'll continue down that path with yoga worked in on the days I don't want to do the WOD/can't because it's raining or something. This is dangerously close to one of those pick your own adventure plans that I suck so horribly at, but since I've been able to keep it up for a week, maybe I can keep it going? I would also, ideally, like to work in one of my other side goals here - like being able to do an unassisted pull-up - but we will see how drained this kinda intense workout plan makes me. Goal 2: Metrics - aka Sciiiience! Like Poison Ivy? (go with it) Metrics make me happy and they work for me, so I'm sticking with them. As a refresher, my metrics are: 100 grams or under of carbs, 70 grams or over of protein, under 100 grams of fat and around 1500 calories. Water is the recommended by FitBit 64 ounces, and on the weekends I like my step count to be over FitBit’s recommended 10,000. I track food with My Fitness Pal and exercise, sleep and water with the FitBit Flex. Weight and BF are tracked with my FitBit Aria scale. Although I don't eat cow dairy any more, this was too great not to share Moving on. Goal 3: Socials - Like With Superfriends & Shit Ok, so I'm not really talking about social media here, but stick with me I feel the need to force myself to be more social. Mostly because my comfort zone is warm and snuggly … also because I realize that snuggling in my comfort zone doesn't really get me what I want in life. I'm not 100% sure what that is, mind you, but it most likely involves someone paying me for doing something I find more fulfilling than what I'm currently doing. So I should probably speak to humans. In meatspace. Life Side Goal - Get My Wardrobe Dialed-in Like Harley Quinn Wardrobe restructure. I've been really into building a minimalist wardrobe lately and think I might be ready to make the jump. Sites like this and Pinterest are fueling this current obsession. My need to purge crap from my house is also driving this desire. Diet Side Goal - NaNa NaNa NaNa NaNa I'm pretty dialed in here. More 'Batman Does Not Eat' shenanigans here. More Bats And More Bats Starting Measurements Neck: 11.5 inches Under Bust: 29.5 inches Waist: 26.5 inches Hips: 38.5 inches Arm (left): 9.5 inches Thigh (left): 19 inches Body fat (calipers): 19.6% Weight (at wake up): 119.3 lbs

I dunno .. because it’s time for Dr. Who .gifs? This challenge will encompass the final realization of the Big Picture Goal I’ve been working toward for months and months, as well as one of the two ‘back home’ vacations I have planned for this Spring/Summer. The Big Picture Goal I’m sticking with my overarching goal - Mudderella. Mudderella is on the 10th and I need to continue what I’m doing in order to be able to finish without dying. Allons-y! Goal 1 Fitness, per usual. I will finish my HasFit Hero 90 program 2 weeks into this challenge cycle, and after that I will be increasing my interval training using Zombies, Run! and creating my own program based on the HasFit platform - incorporating 1 day of yoga with 2 days of Zombies, and 2 days of strength training per week. Goal 2 Stick with my moar metrics agenda. It’s an oldie, but a goodie. Goals are the usual 100 grams or under of carbs, 70 grams or over of protein and 1500 or so calories. I’m still tracking food with My Fitness Pal and exercise, sleep and water intake with the FitBit Flex. Metrics make me happy. Goal 3 I should probably throw a creativity goal in here … I need to paint some tea towels for my brother’s wedding - and I also would like to finish something — like throw pillow covers, or the dress i started working on 2 years ago. Or that scarf my poor hubbs didn't get to wear this year because I am a slacker. Life Goal More culling and organizing. Everything fits in the new place just fine thanks to last cycle's cleaning/organizing goal, but I think I’m ready to move toward the type of house look I actually like - minimalism. I have a bunch of stuff I can jettison that I'm only really keeping out of some bizarre sense of 'these are the things people have' and 'I've had this thing for 30 years!' It's time to unload some crap, while keeping in mind that I don't need to get rid of all the things. And those damn DVDs. I still haven't finished addressing building a user-friendly spreadsheet for those damn DVDs. Diet Side Goal Let’s not fall completely apart while on vacation, shall we? I’d like to avoid going crazy this year and feeling like utter shit halfway through the trip because of the amount of crap I’m pouring into my body. This is a pass/fail goal. Gratuitous Time Lord Imagery And just for funsies

Ok, so I have no real idea where I’m going with this analogy business, since Castamere is a ruined castle in Westeros, and not a land with hills - but bear with me. I’ve had a lot of crap to deal with lately and my brain is broken. This challenge cycle feels like 1 part autopilot (since my goals haven’t really changed in awhile), 1 part maintenance (since my schedule has gotten all screwed up and life keeps throwing hammers at me), and 1 part open waters (why? dunno - Spring, maybe?). The Big Picture Goal I’m sticking with my overarching goal - Mudderella. This challenge cycle is the last before the big day (May 10) and I really need to stay the course in order to be able to finish without dying. Goal 1 As always, fitness, first and foremost. My goal is to continue on with my HasFit Hero 90 program and kick ass at it. I’m hoping against hope that my building’s gym will be completed by the end of this challenge and I’ll have even more facilities at my disposal. For now, my old standby of living room & free weights it is! Goal 2 Stick with my moar metrics agenda Goals are the usual 100 grams or under of carbs, 70 grams or over of protein and 1500 or so calories. I’m still tracking food with My Fitness Pal and exercise, sleep and water intake with the FitBit Flex. Metrics make me happy. Goal 3 Dump the baggage. Downsizing and moving has let me know in no uncertain terms that we have too much shit. A lot of it is shit we don’t really need. I need to weed through some - a bunch - of it and get rid of stuff. Mementos included. Editing needs to happen. LSQ Going hand in hand with the previous goal, I also need to tackle some better organization and finish my DVD matrix from the last challenge. Something simple and spreadsheety is fine. It just needs to get done. DSQ My diet is pretty good, but I’d like to carry on the wealth of inspiration I had during Whole30 last challenge on. This goal is to focus on making inspired meals with an eye toward blog worthiness. I would be happy with 2 recipes per week that are good enough to post - I usually hit 1, and really want to work on staying out of a flavor rut. Whole30 Recap Starting Measurements (taken 02.24.14) Neck at narrowest: 12.5" (up 1/2" from last cycle start) Bust under breast: 30.5" (down 1/2" from last cycle start) Waist at narrowest: 26.5" (down 1" from last cycle start) Hip at widest: 39.5" (down 1/2" from last cycle start) Thigh at thickest: 21" (up 1/2" from last cycle start) Arm at widest: 11.25" (up 1.25" from last cycle start) Weight at wakeup: 118.7 lbs. (down 5.2 lbs. from last cycle start) Height: 5 ft. 2 3/4 inches (5’2†for measuring purposes) According to the FitBit scale, my BMI is: 21.72 (27.3% fat) - mid normal range (down 1 full point from last cycle start) According to calipers, my BMI is: 19.6 - lean range (down from 23.4 at last cycle start)

Prologue: Who is this Guy? So, hello everybody! I'm not a person who normally posts on a board, but I'm also not a person who normally sticks to his fitness plans long enough to see results. Therefore, time to change. My name is Scrum and Villainy (Scrum for short). It's my Derby name from roller derby, where I am the Head Non-Skating Official for a top 20 WFTDA league and I also help out with the nation's number 2 MRDA league. My basic job is making sure all the stats are gathered during a bout. I am what they call a Derby Nerd. That being said, I'm a life long nerd. My older brother had me into TT RPGs before I can remember (D&D, then TMNT, then onward). I started LARPing when I was 14 in what would later become the Camarilla. I have played M:TG at tournaments, WoW for the first 3 years starting with beta, Starcraft in a Korean PC Bang, and my first computer game love (Ultima IV) I played on a Commodore 64. I am a fan of Lovecraftian Horror, semi-classic sci-fi (Ender's Game is my favorite book of all time), board games (History of the World will always have my heart), turn based strategy, statistical analysis, critical jurisprudence.. you get the picture. I'm a nerd. A little over five years ago my life sort of fell apart. I lost my job, my relationship, and went through my savings. It took me over four years to find work I could survive on, and by that time I was a host of bad habits, bad self-esteem, and bad health. There were days I didn't know where I would sleep or what I would eat, so when I got back to working I started eating all of my paychecks. I paid rent, but most of my money went into eating out, drinking with friends, treating the people who had treated me. My weight (which had yoyod over the previous years) has settled down higher than I care. My clothing, which hasn't been supplemented in years, is a little tighter than I was comfortable with and becoming thread bare. In short, I am still lost. For years I've wanted to be healthier. I have done little changes in my diet for a bit, maybe go to the gym regularly for a couple weeks, and then I drop off. There are excuses, good excuses, for why. Aren't there always? In truth, I've been in bad need of getting my head screwed on straight. For the first time in my life the majority of the people I interact with are in pretty damn good shape. They drink, party, eat burgers, a couple even smoke (luckily one bad habit I never picked up). They are real people. But for most of them most of the time they are the healthiest people I've ever met. And what more, they'd like me to be. They keep asking, "So Scrum.. when are you going to come skate?" I usually say its as soon as I get skates, but the truth is I know I'm in no shape for it, but how long will I let that excuse go on? Behind this are those deeper goals. I’d like to be a father, and I would rather have positive healthy habits established before having children. I’d like to live a long life with my friends and my hobbies to enjoy this world. And, of course, I’d like to look good naked and possibly even in a costume. Main Quest: The Taming of Ouroboros Ouroboros, the Dragon Who Consumes His Own Tail, protected Ra during his trip through the underworld, and is a symbol that out of every death is a birth, and every retreat is a return. My quest is to tame this (conceptual) beast, marking my own return. The wyrm stands also as a reference to the circular nature of the roller derby flat track. I will know I have achieved this goal when I get certified for contact by my local derby league. Chapter One: Take One Level in Badass (Accepting the Call to Adventure) Quest A: Ubiquitous Capture (Wisdom) If I'm going to make it to my goals I'm going to have to be wise as to how I work. I like numbers (in case you couldn't guess), and I know I'll have to gather them all if I want to feel in control of this. To this point I will take body measurements weekly (on Sunday), a front and side photo (again on Sunday), and I will keep a daily record of what I eat, how I work out, and my daily bank account balance. This quest is about control. Metric: My weekly grade will depend on how well I keep track of my metrics. As with all task, there will be a maximum of 100 points achieved each week, earned in the following manner. Weekly measurements: 25 points, minus 5 for each day late. Photos: 25 points, minus 5 for each day late. Daily Record of Food: 35 points, minus 2 for missing a meal, 5 for missing a day. Exercise Log: 10 points, minus 3 for any day missed (minimum 0). Finance Log: 5 points if done every day, 0 if a day is missed. Quest B: 100 Push Ups (Strength) To be successful in derby you have to be strong. One man on the local men’s team embodies this – Neil Death Experience. I’ve seen this man knock another down with a flick of his shoulder, or ‘assist’ one blocker by jettisoning him towards an opposing jammer to knock them out. He’s a beast. I am a long way from being a beast. So I will start with the 100 push up challenge. Tomorrow (Saturday, August 3rd) I will perform my calibration test. Metric: My weekly grade will depend on how well I stick to the schedule laid out in the 100 push up challenge. There will be 100 points to be earned for doing every day the challenge asks for, reduced proportionately for each day missed. I will post the schedule at the beginning of each week. Should I not be ready to move up a level at the end of the week, 10 points lost. Quest C: Zombie 5K (Constitution) From paying attention to the stats in derby I have noticed something. The team that wins is the one that holds it together the longest, as measured by endurance. If I want to be successful at this sport I have to stop being winded by a 60 second run. Therefore I will engage in the Zombie 5K training to train up my endurance. Metric: Like Quest B, my weekly grade will depend on how well I stick to the schedule laid out by the Zombie 5k training. There will be 100 points to be earned for doing every day the challenge asks for, reduced proportionately for each day missed. I will post the schedule at the beginning of each week. Should I not be ready to move up a level at the end of the week, 10 points lost. Sidequest: Conquering My Own Personal Tribble (Intelligence) As I mentioned above, I have had a tendency to eat all of my pay check lately. To combat this I will work on planning my meals (which should help with Quest A) and eating out less. Metric: 50 points each week for planning out my meals and buying the needed groceries. The other 50 points are earned based on the number of times I ate out that week: 1/week – 50 points, 2/week – 40 points, 3/week 20 points, 4/week 10 points, more than 4/week – 0 points. Drinks out with friends count as eating out, while a meal out while on a business trip does no. This weird curve accepts that I am likely (for socializing) to be called on to eat out once or twice during a week, but I should really try to keep it under control. Grade Score GoldA 90+ 15B 80- 10C 70- 5D 60- 1E 0- 0 Loot As a gamer I respond well to treasure, so I decided to incorporate this in my quest. There are two types of treasure in this chapter of the quest – store items and quest items. Store items are things I want to pick up – sometimes they will make me more effective at one of my quests (equipment), sometimes they will help me out otherwise (miscellaneous magic), and sometimes they are vanity items (customization). This is what I spend my quest reward gold on. Not wanting to be overly clever, or to over spend, I am currently translating each gold into a dollar. Items which are most definitely in the store are new running shoes (equipment), a good cookbook (miscellaneous magic), and a new bowtie (customization). I hope that anyone out there who follows this will help me with advice on what sort of items the store should be stocking. After all, we all love to look through the magic item lists! Quest items are those things needed for Derby. We might consider this a gear set, and they will include Pads, a Helmet, and (of course) Skates. Through the next weeks I will put together a A, B, C tier set (A being the best, and again I would love input and help) and, at the end of the 6 week challenge, should I get a C or better average, I will pick up the appropriate level set. And so it begins… I know I got this on here a little late (but still in the first week). The challenges for me will begin on Sunday of this week and move forward. I hope you have as much fun following this as I hope to have posting about. Motivations toughen up to play with friends longevity to love life longer habits to be a good role model look great naked

As part of my current 6 Week Challenge I'm tracking my percentage of paleo foods on a daily basis, and on top of that, the number of calories and protein I also consume. I'm three days into tacking all of this, but most of what I eat is pretty regular, especially Monday through Friday, so I don't expect a lot of variation from day to day and not certainly on a weekly basis. That being said, I am concerned with my total caloric intake (and protein too). I'm currently 6'3" at 217 lbs. According to a variety of calorie calculators, I should be at about 3100 calories a day, with moderate exercise (I was being conservative). Right now my goal is to work out 5 days a week, 3 strength and 2 cardio, so that calorie figure should factor in the calories lost due to exercise. For protein, I figure I should be at 1 gram per pound of bodyweight, but damn 217 grams of protein a day sounds like a lot! My main goal right now is not weight loss, though body fat loss would be desired. I want to focus more on building muscle mass particularly in the upper body. My question is, for starters, do I need to be at that 3100 +/- calorie intake? From what I've read on this site some people have been at 3500-4000 cals a day while strength training. Am I risking depleting lean muscle by being at a 800 +/- calorie deficit every day? Second, 217 grams of protein sounds like a ridiculous amount of protein to take in every day. But- am I doing a disservice to myself by not coming close to that number? Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated. I've included my log for yesterday as an example. Thanks! Daily Food Log 6_3 - 7_15 - 6_4.pdf