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Briefly, a Who I Am: I'm a 44 year old American woman living on a 10 acre woodland property in rural England I call Owlshire with my partner and 5 y/o son. I work in gamedev, our son is home educated (by ourselves and outsourced help), we have a bouncy adolescent golden retriever pup, a flock of plucky rescue hens, and as a family we enjoy nature and gaming. We moved to Owlshire not quite three years ago in the midst of the Global Pandemic/UK Lockdowns and we're still trying to find/form our tribe of fellow misfits and geeks. This challenge looks a lot like the last one, but with more travel. I turned 44 at the end of the last challenge, and my intention is to embrace the unknowns of our unique and quirky life and not worry so much that just because something changed that everything is "bad" or "wrong." Because it isn't at all! It just doesn't look quite what a past me thought it would look like! We are living an off-the-road-most-traveled adventure, and here be dragons. Dragon Form Building my strength and stamina and getting a sleeker dragon shape. Continue to aim for 80,000 steps a week. My weight at same or lower by the end of the challenge. Also, reduce snacking. This has become a real problem, I'm nibbling on something between nearly every meal and I'm not even hungry. I suspect it started as stress eating and has now become a habit I need to break. Dragon Wings Exploration and adventure at home and beyond. I have two overnight trips known for this challenge: A two day business trip to London. A three night trip to Devon for pleasure (my annual "Mum's holiday") There are some more in discussion but not yet defined. I decided not to do the cruise I was pondering last challenge, as it was causing me a lot of stress to decide on and figure out, and the whole point was a holiday plan that didn't stress me out. I haven't yet decided when or what I'll do instead. I also need to set up arrangements for trips which will happen later this year: Dragon Heart Vision, community, and mental health. Update Vision Statement One things I realized during the last challenge is that I was feeling out of sorts because life had deviated from The Vision. But actually, life was going in good--even great--directions. I'm still walking toward the same Mountain, it turns out; I'm just approaching from a different route. So I'm updating The Vision. I'm still working to align it and make the verbiage pretty rather than just a bunch of haphazard bulletpoints, but I'm already feeling better. Complete the Vision 2023 Update. Be more social Reach out and arrange things with local people. This includes with my family! Arrange regular games and outdoor activites with Enting Arrange regular date nights with Mr. Spirituality/Pagan Studies Spend more time on spiritual activities. It always ends up the first things sacrificed when things go sideways, and that's probably when I need it the most! For this challenge I'm focusing on lessons and learning as part of the pagan groups I'm in because it's easily measurable and pleases my inner Hermione Granger. Complete 3 lessons (including the one in progress) for my coven. Reinvestigate the Hearthkeeper's Way (ADF) to integrate in my practice. Dragon Horde Taking care of Owlshire, creating a comfy place to live. Continue the decluttering project. Look after my autumn garden. There are pumpkins!

Hello friends! My name is Sky, and most of the time, I don't feel very good! I have anxiety, irritable bowel syndrome, and a thyroid gland that may or may not be working correctly; I am overweight and don't exercise; I don't often take time to cook varied, whole foods that I enjoy; much of my life is unplanned and disorganized; and I spend much of my time dissatisfied with my appearance, achievements, wardrobe, and daily accomplishments. I'm really a ball of fun, let me tell ya. 😜 But this is the season for taking stock and making plans for things to improve in the new year; and this year, I would like to take steps to help my body and mind feel better. In the Big Picture, "feeling good," to me, would look like: Having energy most days to complete, not only my necessary tasks, but also after-work projects or activities that I want to do. Having a workout routine that I perform regularly, which helps me be functionally strong for daily life and increases my sense of well-being. Creating and maintaining a daily, weekly, and monthly routine for my household cleaning, storage, shopping, and chores that keeps my home reasonably clean and frees up mental energy from making those decisions intermittently. Regularly cooking healthy meals, rich in vegetables and protein, that I enjoy making and eating. Being able to travel and do most things without IBS symptoms. Developing and implementing spiritual, mental, and emotional habits that help me be gratefully grounded in the present, and spend less time worrying about the future. Intentionally making progress toward my big goals like buying a home, buying a car, writing a book, planting a garden, upgrading my wardrobe, etc. Regularly engaging in creative endeavors I enjoy (writing, photography, needlecrafts, desktop publishing) and sharing some of that work with others. Having a happy, thriving relationship with my husband that's nourished through conversation, play, intimacy, exploration, teamwork, and working toward shared goals. Cultivating and prioritizing a daily Bible study and prayer practice, including striving to apply what I learn to my daily life and consistently worshiping and studying with other Christians. Making space for giving back to others, through hosting, donating, volunteering, visiting, and messaging. So in a nutshell: I want to have more physical and emotional energy, make space for things I enjoy, support a nourished body and mind, and have tangible and intangible resources to share with my family and community. This is, obviously, MUCH more than a challenge-long or even year-long project. Striving for this state of being is more of a lifelong pursuit and a process of giving myself grace and patience when life looks much different than that ideal. But at the same time, I can make meaningful steps toward each of these aspirations, and I can build a lifestyle that supports my feeling good more often than not. Now, the kicker is, I've been setting short-term goals related to this Big Picture list for the last few months, and I just ... don't do them. I start out feeling convinced that my small efforts won't make a difference, that I can't achieve the things I want to do, that I don't deserve success, and so on. So before I start haphazardly reaching for my kettlebell or adding a bunch of vegetables to my grocery list, I want to work on mindset and realistic goals. Here's my breakdown for the five weeks of this challenge: Week 1: Mindset Write down 7 affirmations and save one for each day, either on my bulletin board IRL or here on NF. Identify key values associated with my goals (i.e., hospitality, courage, openness, self-honesty, trust) and orient the affirmations around these. Find Bible verses related to these values and copy them down along with the affirmations. Create a vision board with images that remind me of these values, affirmations and verses, and print it and use it as a desktop wallpaper. Week 2: Break it down Organize my Big Goals into similar topics / areas. Select either a handful or all of the Big Goals and figure out 3-4 smaller steps to move me toward these goals (for example, if the goal is "buy a house," one smaller goal could be "talk to Eamon about a realistic down payment and calculate how much to save each month toward this amount"). Week 3: Take steps Select one small-step goal from each topic area and add to my daily habit tracker. Try to perform the small goals consistently for the whole week. Week 4: Reflect Pause to figure out what's working and what isn't, without judgment - if it's not working, either it isn't really a high priority to me, or else I need to try a different tactic. For things that aren't important, let them go! There are plenty of other things to focus on! Week 5: On my way! After reflecting and adjusting, add updated goals to habit tracker and try to consistently perform them for the week. Do something fun to celebrate progress! I'm seeing a lot of things on social media about taking it slow in 2023 and not pushing so hard to set goals; but honestly, I kind of did that in 2022, easing into my new life as a newlywed wife in a new state, and I'm feeling ready to push and stretch myself again. This feels like a lot but I'm feeling good about it. (One last thing that's floating around in the back of my head this challenge, which I have mentioned in previous challenges and likely won't be able to refrain from mentioning in this one, is that my husband Eamon and I have been casually trying to conceive for the last few months; so in addition to riding the rollercoaster of "Is it happening this month?", I'm working hard in therapy to unpack my fears, hopes, expectations, and goals for parenthood while I work on these other goals. Ideally I will limit how much I brain dump / vent / rant about that in this space, but also, I'd rather do that than get triggered and go off on my loved ones who are trying to help me, which is what I've been struggling with lately, so ... no guarantees. ) I'm glad you're here and I'm excited to discover some health, vitality and joy together in 2023! ❤️

Those of you who followed my last challenge know I scrapped it halfway through and decided to focus on sharing one positive thing every day. And it made such a huge difference on my mindset. So this time we're keeping the positivity rolling. Feel free to share your own positivity here too! Today's positive thing: it's been hot around here, and the office air conditioning isn't bothering me at all! The first week they had it on in May, I was miserable. Throat burning, eyes itchy, terrible. I was starting to worry that I wasn't going to be able to stay at this job I really like because the freaking air conditioner was going to do me in. But it's been fine now, which leads me to believe that there was a lot of winter crud blowing out the first time they turned it on, which isn't great, but at least it's temporary.

Every time I fail a Nerd Fitness challenge, it's because I've forgotten about it in the happy chaos that is my life. So, time to fix that! 😂 Goal #1 - Find a tracking method : I have bought an Arc planner and a hole punch so I make my own sheets. I will be experimenting with various bullet journaling layouts, both for daily/weekly/monthly/yearly tracking, but with a focus on finding an easy habit tracker that will nudge me to remember my daily goals. Goal #2 - Go Doggie Walking! : I have a working car now and the weather is decent, so time to make sure I get Bucket out to the park! Unfortunately the park opens and closes with the sun, so I may have to check in with work and see if they are okay with my taking a long lunch in order to make it work on the weekdays. 🤔 But at the minimum I want to take him out at least once on the weekend. Goal #3 - ALL THE STAIRS : My knees do not love the stairs... and the only way they will get better is if I practice. The basement and second floor also need cleaning/decluttering, so I figure I'll make a goal to do at least one 'extra' set of stairs a day. Sidequests: - I need to go through all my clothes and donate things I no longer need or that no longer fit. I'm to the point where I have to buy new jeans and working remotely means I don't need a full set of 'work' clothes... so lots of things to donate to Goodwill! 😁 - NaNoWriMo prep and NaNoWriMo : write ALL the words! (Actually this goal is more 'go to ALL the virtual write-ins!' and me being more social) 🐇📚 - It looks like work is going to be less work for the near future, so I need to sit down and plan out things to code/learn on my own. My development team is losing members, so in theory there will be more work for me to do, but if not-- time to hit the books! 💻 - Poke around at coming up with some sort of 'these things need to be cleaned every X days' layout for the various areas of the house. I'm very haphazard right now and it would be nice to be a little more organized about it. - Focus on making more art/writing so I can hit my goal of breaking even this year with the creative microbusiness! 📚🎨 - Continue to work on hasing out my 2022 plans (and future NF goals!)

it's been a while, friends! here's the brainstorming for this challenge, based on an ACT therapy tool about living into your values. BUT HOW YOU MAY ASK??? well. by tracking my time. i have been playing one particular game a lot lately (genshin impact) and it's taking up too much of my time during the day. there are other things i need to do, i need to make the time. but i need to know where i stand, first. so this might be a stages challenge? what is my next step after tracking my time? finding the ways i want to be spending my time: - meditation - chinese - insurance certification for work -VARIOUS OTHER THINGS i also used to do daily inspirational quotes so i think resuming that is a good way to get me jump started for the day. i haven't been sleeping well and had my second covid shot tuesday so i'm not feeling the best, but i sat down in the shower this morning and just felt like i needed something new. or something old that's new again. so that's why i'm here! looking forward to going around to all the other threads and saying hi to old friends.....i miss the doodlies! here's today's inspiration: Keep your face always toward the sunshine - and shadows will fall behind you. -Walt Whitman

Yearly theme music: Liquid Cinema - Valor Challenge theme music: Robin Gogberg - Hit The Ground Running Inspiration: Emphasis on the last part: I am what I've got and what I've got is plenty. Organized Chaos: "You can't control the world at large but, deep within, there is something that you do have control of. Find it, go there and, from there, expand." Welcome! Let's start with some feedback: I'm used to not care about my needs and wants: I react to the environment and deal with it. It has pros and cons; right now, the cons outweigh the pros (though this mindset is what makes me able to proact now so it was a path worth taking). Last year, I have registered to a hike guiding training in order to take my head off work. During the sessions, I've come to realize that there would actually be a way to make that a living venture, though the average consumerist client might destroy my spirit and dealing with them could eat my soul, so the plan is to become the ultimate survivalist instead and organizing seminars and camps around it. Ultimate survival implies being able to survive and thrive in today's nature, survive in a post-apocalyptic world but also and most importantly, to be able to deal with life in society, to develop a balanced state of mind, to master one's finances, to nurture and pursue our dreams and to be able to state our true will, be it for a "yes" or a "no". As of the end of January, I'll be able to take people out in nature with me while being properly insured and having access to all the required medical equipment. I need to gather 200 hours of practice in order to be able to register to the licensing exams. I want to hit the ground running. That means I plan to take friends and acquaintances with me right off the bat to start practicing as soon as I am able. That's one goal. More fundamental is the putting together of my whole life. I've defined an ordered list of yearly goals to pursue and put it in my battle log for rememberance: I'll be following it during this year's challenges. Let's start: Goal 1: go to work, make it sustainable and make it bearable. Register 9h/day at work in order to eat back the negative hours I've accumulated in 2020. Use one of these hours for low activity tasks like filing or planing. Goal 2: show up for my hiking courses. Buy the necessary equipment for the session of the end of January. Show up in courses and do the required work. Gather information and plan for the federal licensing exams. Goal 3: keep practicing mini-workouts to sustain my mindset. Every other day: bodyweight squats (4x10). push-ups (4x10). bodyweight inverted rows (4x10). hollow holds (4x10s). Goal 4: keep following my finances and make sure it takes off or, at the minimum, sustains my stated goals. track expenses. build-up emergency fund. Have fun! That's it. Easy to follow ground work in order to be able to build on it. I'll have few energy to spare so I'll probably not wander a lot in other challenges. I still love you and you're still rocking. Crush those goals, mates! Let's rock!

Not sure what this challenge holds for me, so I'm coming in with an open heart. Stay tuned, because this is the mindset that usually means the doors get blown off. ❤️

Hello everyone. I'm back. It has been a long while since I've been here on these forums. I've been doing NF Coaching, and I feel like that alone is not enough. I need to find some way to do better and get my life back. I don't like where I am or what I have been doing. I am not taking care of myself and I need to do better. I would really appreciate ya'll's support. I miss my NF family. Trigger Warming - Death and Grieving in spoiler. I'll also be talking about this quite a bit during my challenge because it is my biggest hurdle right now. So, that's where I'm at. I'm having real trouble with depression and trying to find the ability to remember that I want to live a healthier life style and want to live a fulfilling life. So, I'm reaching out to you guys and I'm going to be here to stay for a while. So, I'm starting this challenge in the middle. Better late than never. Considering I'm feeling kinda dark, and I just finished watching The Witcher on Netflix, that's what I"m going to use for my theme. Goal 1: Find a purpose (Big Why) Every Day I'm going to either list or remind myself of my big whys. I need to find my purpose and focus/meditate on the reason I want to live a healthier lifestyle. I need to get in touch with that and make it a priority in my life. Goal 1: Drink Water, not Soda I'm going to start drinking tea or water instead of soda. I'm going to start this by for the first two weeks not having soda for breakfast. I will get a bonus if I avoid soda for another meal of the day, but to say that I have completed the challenge, I'm going to do just substitute tea for my morning soda. Goal 3: Eat at Home I have been too lazy to do much of anything, let alone cook. I'm going to try and have at least one home cooked meal a day for the next two weeks. Doesn't matter if it's just a sandwich and some chips. It just can't come from a restaurant. I really appreciate all support and check ins from you guys. I need to do this. Thank you!

My Story: I have journeyed for 11 years on a path spanning three countries. I have gathered companions in the way of my husband, my two children, my aged parents, and two dogs. We have finally settled down in a stable location with ample space to roam and build. Food has never been scarce but when addressing the needs of others I fail to address my own. Time is another factor that is absent between work and chores. Finally, stress - there is the constant threat of destabilizing forces both imagined and real, internal and external. This is my story.

Ever since joining NF, I have been wrestling with the "Big Why" question. I have a lot of "whys" for wanting to shed my excess physical baggage and build my physical strength, but none of them seems big enough to overcome the negative inner voices and attitudes in my head and heart. I know that if I tried sharing about my inner demons with pretty much everyone who knows me, they would have trouble believing me. I'm that good at projecting a fearless, take-no-shit persona. It's not all BS, but there is an inner glass ceiling in my head when I become too successful. Over and over again, I make a new start, start seeing real results... Then, WHAM! The demons are there, telling me there's no point, that I can't do it, that I'm not enough, that I'm not worthy of success. That's when the self sabotage begins, my momentum stalls, and I slip back into old, unhealthy patterns that keep me broke, fat, and unhappy. A lot of people talk about fear of failure, but what about fear of success? For me, failure is familiar. It is comfortable. It is safe. And it's killing me, slowly, inexorably, like a poison in my heart that no one notices until it's too late. But I feel it, and as much as I hate it I don't know how to break free of it. I'm not asking anyone to fix me. Mostly, this is me dragging my demons into the light. ~RT~

Overview / Motivation: Fresh off a productive and successful 4-week challenge, I'm ready to continue my preparation for the Spartan Beast on April 28th. I'm maintaining my strength training, mindset preparation and core work while increasing my stamina and mileage. During this challenge I'll be ramping up my long run from 7 miles to 9 miles. Let's do it! Main Quest: Complete a Spartan Trifecta Side Quests: Complete 60 miles worth of runs this challenge Points Potential: STA+5 Grading A= Average > 90% B= Average > 80% C= Average > 70% D= Average > 60% F= Average < 60% Average 210 Burpees / Week & Complete Daily Front & Side Plank [2:15 Minute Front Plank with 1 Minute Side Plank] Points Potential: DEX+2 Grading: A= Average > 90% B= Average > 80% C= Average > 70% D= Average > 60% F= Average < 60% Average 2 Weight Training Workouts / Week Points Potential: STR+3 Grading A= Average > 90% B= Average > 80% C= Average > 70% D= Average > 60% F= Average < 60% Life Quest: Read "Language and the Pursuit of Leadership Excellence" Complete Module 2 of the Leadership Coaching for Organizational Well-Being Program Points Potential: WIS+5 Grading A= Average > 90% B= Average > 80% C= Average > 70% D= Average > 60% F= Average < 60%

Overview / Motivation: I finally did it... during the off week I built up my 5 seconds of courage and bought my 2018 Spartan Trifecta pass. Then I signed up for my first of the Trifecta runs - the Beast. After running my first Spartan race last year, I knew I had to prove to myself that I could push beyond what I believed I could physically and mentally do - I knew I had to complete a Trifecta. This challenge starts my focused preparation and training towards the Tri-State Spartan Beast at the end of April. It is time... I'm also starting my 5 month Professional Coaching Program this month which will conclude in June. It is going to take me way outside my comfort zone, and I'm excited and scared as hell to get started! Main Quest: Complete a Spartan Trifecta Side Quests: Complete 40 miles worth of runs this challenge Points Potential: STA+5 Grading A= Average > 90% B= Average > 80% C= Average > 70% D= Average > 60% F= Average < 60% Average 210 Burpees / Week & Complete Daily Front & Side Plank [2:15 Minute Front Plank with 1 Minute Side Plank] Points Potential: DEX+2 Grading: A= Average > 90% B= Average > 80% C= Average > 70% D= Average > 60% F= Average < 60% Average 2 Weight Training Workouts / Week Points Potential: STR+3 Grading A= Average > 90% B= Average > 80% C= Average > 70% D= Average > 60% F= Average < 60% Life Quest: Read "Start Here: Master the Lifelong Habit of Wellbeing" Complete Module 1 of the Leadership Coaching for Organizational Well-Being Program Points Potential: WIS+5 Grading A= Average > 90% B= Average > 80% C= Average > 70% D= Average > 60% F= Average < 60%

Hi all, I wanted to see what you all had to say about mental fitness and how we could possibly track it in a similar way nerd fitness tracks physical fitness. How do you stay mentally fit? Are there any websites like this one for tracking mental fitness? Let's get a discussion going. A website I've been using lately to complement my physical stimulation with mental stimulation is blog.jaretgrossman.com. Jaret is a life coach I've come across on YouTube, and seems to talk about higher level stuff. It keeps me motivated during my workouts. What else would you all recommend?

Hello Nerd Family! It has been awhile since I have been on the Forum but I do lurk from time to time. Today tho I need your help! I recently reached a target goal weight and I feel really proud of myself. I thought today I would have a cheat day and go to lunch with my co-workers. HUGE mistake. I ate a double quarter pounder, a half of a med fry, and a few sips of sprite. The problem now is I am sitting at my desk and I honestly want to cry. I feel terrible like I want to throw up I wont but I feel that bad. My stomach is in knots and mentally I feel like a steaming pile of kryptonite. I know that this one meal wont kill me, and I know I wont be doing it again or making it a habit but I feel like a giant Snorelax right now. What do you heroes do to make it okay or feel better after you slip a little? I can run all I want but you can't out run your fork right. I wish I had time travel powers cuz I would definitely make a different choice. Thanks yall - A hero in need

(This song has nothing to do with anything. I just stole the phrase from it. And like it.) ************************************************** “What if we trusted ourselves, believed in our basic worthiness, believed that we would be OK even if things didn’t work out as planned, believed that we are loving, kind, and innately good human beings?” I've been having a hard time articulating what I want to do this challenge. I've been adding one new habit per challenge this year, with the idea that I'd accumulate 10 healthy habits over the course of the year. But something's a bit off, even though the new habits have been going well. So at first I thought I was just going to take a break for a month to let the new habits settle in more without adding anything new. But then I was trying to articulate WHY I felt I needed a break and what exactly it is that's been feeling off. And it's a couple of things. My progress has begun to hurt me. I’ll work out three times a week and think “ugh that wasn’t as good as the workouts I was doing last year!” instead of “Yay! I did all of my workouts!” And that’s a problem. That’s a stop drop and roll problem. I need to stop and fix it before I move on. Simultaneously, even though all of my habits are worthwhile and positive, I feel like I just don't have SPACE in my life right now to just enjoy things, and I'm not sure if it's the fault of all the things I'm trying to do or something else entirely. I take everything completely seriously, and that's both an incredible strength and a danger. So this challenge, I’m going to stop, drop, and roll. I’m going to take a break from my one-habit-per-challenge approach to the year. There’s no right way to do things. There’s no one thing or even list of things that I HAVE to do to enjoy life. Or to succeed at this challenge. And right now that sense of needing to make progress is robbing me of something else important in the present. And I don't just mean video game time. So this challenge, I both have a goal and don't have a goal. I guess it's a meta-goal, because I'm incapable of completely taking a break. I want to BASK. I want to bask in how lovely and beautiful the world is. I want to bask in how amazing it is that I can run a mile and think it’s no big deal when I used to DREAD running a mile. I want to bask in the fact that I have a boyfriend who I can cuddle and touch and play with. I want to bask in the feeling of working late into the night during an aikido class because we all love what we’re doing and we love moving and learning together. I want to bask in the feeling of sunshine or the pleasure of playing a video game. I want to drop anything that I can’t bask in. If I’m reading a book and I’m not actually getting pleasure from the experience, I want to do something else instead. I want to celebrate what I’m accomplishing. I want to hit all of my scheduled workouts and say "Woo! I'm awesome!" instead of anything else. So for this challenge, I can only post updates about what I bask in. I can complain about unrelated things too, of course. I'm not a monster. But I can't just post a list of everything I've done for the day. I can only share the basking. I'm hoping this will help reset my mindset in the direction I want to be going. So maybe the song has a little bit to do with the challenge. I want to emphasize to myself that there's no one right way to do things. I want to fall in love again with everything I'm doing. And If I'm incapable of loving it, maybe it's not something I shouldn't be doing.

How Do You Want to do This? One of the greatest things about roleplaying games, is that the end goal can be accomplished in a variety of ways. More so, the true joy of the game, comes not from the just succeeding in meeting that goal, but in the journey and adventure along the way. As I've spent the last year struggling and fussing and fighting with frustration, and not knowing what's working or not working, I've become so focused on the final result (or lack thereof) that I've forgotten to focus on and enjoy the path that leads me there. So, we're going to be largely focused on mindset this go around. A successful adventurer needs to be capable of traveling - a lot of traveling - and they also need to be hardy enough to carry the gear necessary for a variety of quests. Along with that, they need to be strong of mind, and have a good support team in their party. They must be clever, and hone their skills so that they bring their own unique talents to the party! So, with that said, here are the goals for Starpuck, and ... how she wants to do this. Goal #1 An adventurer must be combat ready! Training Tasks: Running, Walking, Lifting, Hockey, Boxing This goal is going to be simplified to allow for variety, flexibility and most importantly, the ability to enjoy nice weather whenever it makes an appearance! Activity, 6x Weekly - If my heart rate goes over 100, or I sweat, or get out of breath in any fashion, it's activity! Goal #2 An adventurer must hone their skills! Training Tasks: Art, BuJo, D&D prep work, Cosplay This goal is going to be more focused as I need to make sure I don't let anything slip or fade too much, in lieu of other things I also want to do. Art, 4x Weekly - Can be software, sketches, or doodles. D&D Prep, 1x Weekly - (or as needed) BuJo, Daily - Use the BuJo to keep myself sane with tracking and things on the to do list. Cosplay - Acen is coming up in a month, I'd like to put together something simple (Baccano / DRRR maybe.) Goal #3 An adventurer must be confident! Training Tasks: Shared affirmations, action pics, self care, mindset training. This goal is going to be sort of nebulous in nature. This is about changing how I think, and how I see myself. There will be a few things I mark as 'must do' each week, but it's largely going to be about seeing myself as GOOD the way I am NOW. Affirmations, written, Daily - Keep this up, Write MOAR nice things. Night Routine, Daily - I am hard on my body, and I should give it some better daily care. (wash face before bed, lotions, floss more <.<, etc.) Action Pic, 1x Weekly - Share one pic with my party members, of me being active, or bold, or confident, and OWN IT. Random Quests and Tasks - Get Acen Cosplay sorted out, plan the weekend. - Plan a long weekend bike ride with friends. - Clean up home computer files. - Participate in Ranger mini. - Start planning big August trip. - Work on Jedi uniform. - Find Con to take brother/nephew to this year. And with that ... I think we're good to get this going. I'm pretty excited about this challenge- at least right now I am, though I'm also a little wigged out that it's so loosey goosey in a lot of ways. I left out any of my food goals, and I am not sure if I will be adding them in, or just tracking/planning without having it as a goal. So there may be an adjustment coming. But for now...

To succeed in this challenge, I will need the peace and serenity of a Jedi, learning to control my emotions and passions and become one with the force. To set the scene, I have an exciting announcement! Mrs. Pimpernel and I just had our second baby! This means a sharp decrease in sleep and increase in stress, which is a recipe for diet disaster. However, last challenge I realized that I really need to focus on my diet, and I'm sticking to that. So my big goal for this challenge is: Peace/Serenity - No food with added sugar for the full 5 weeks I've come to realize I really do have a sugar addiction that I need to break, and I think the best way to do that is going cold turkey. I also want to use this as a chance to develop discipline by controlling my cravings and hunger. There are a few clarifications to the rules: I'm going to go ahead and assume all fast food has added sugar, so will also be avoiding that this challenge. This past few days I did have some out of necessity due to hospital/baby time, but I didn't have any overtly sweet things. Meals that are made by my wife or others that are bringing us dinners for a couple days are fair game so long as they are not overtly sweet, and no desserts. Meals that I make will have no sugar added to them, but I'm not going to make a separate meal at this point just because of some brown sugar in the pineapple sauce or something. I'm allowing a little bit of honey for homemade sauces/dressings as needed. This will be used rarely, except for the occasional salad dressing or maybe stir-fry sauce. I justify this because I know it'll be a lot less sugar than any commercially available sauces/dressings. I will also be continuing 2 goals from my last challenge: Knowledge - Complete at least one NFA mindset challenge per week As part of my respawn, I'm going through all the modules again, a little more slowly and seriously Harmony - Track Actions Per Day (APD), and beat last month's average of 5.66 Tracking APD has really helped me make more healthy choices. It overlaps a bit with my other goals, but just provides a little extra encouragement You might note there is no specific activity goal this challenge. That is because I think the no sugar diet will take a lot of mental energy to do right, and that is where I need to focus, and also because I really want to focus on activity that I enjoy, rather than exercising because I feel like I have to. For this challenge, my mainstay will be doing activities for the mini-challenge, and doing some extra to increase my APD score. I hope even with all the craziness of a new baby, I can be disciplined, control my stress/emotions, and find peace like a Jedi. May the force be with you!

I'm going to be a little easy on myself this time around and not set hugely challenging goals, but just ones that need to be worked on! I've got the Four Nations championships on 3 December so I want to be physically and mentally ready. Get my head in the game. My mind is a large part of what's holding me back so I'm going to work through some sports psychology books and exercises to try to change my mindset. I still really struggle to see myself as a good lifter so I need to give myself a firm talking to and start to see myself as others do. Look after myself. Get to bed before midnight during the week. Have an Epsom salt bath at least once a week. Find a meditation app which works for me (kinda part of the one above too). Found one I like so far so meditate once a day. Eat to perform. Keep on tracking and assessing to try to get my weight on track. Plan meals for Monday to Friday on Sunday and make sure that they're doable with minimal effort after training. Chat. Try to get out and about on people's threads and not beat myself up when other people have a more popular thread than mine. I had a powerlifter from Canada visiting over the weekend (not someone I'd met before but she found me on Instagram and we trained together) and it was really interesting to see how others see me. I have a very low opinion of myself a lot of the time (too ready to listen to negatives and ignoring positives) so to hear that she'd had a load of messages from people after we both posted a pic of the two of us together after training was really heartening. I need to stop relying on the opinions of others for my self-esteem, but at the same time I need to remember that not everyone hates me. I'm not still the kid in class who is bullied. I'm not still the girl being laughed at for getting it wrong. Maybe I never was!

I'm back! I just got back from a month long holiday to the US that contained Camp Nerd Fitness (hooray!) lots of food (delicious!) and a shit tonne of walking. Plus some YogaQuest, which is like yoga but nerdy. But I am back and ready to jump into the Nerd Fitness habit building wagon face first. I think. I know it doesn't make sense, I'm still jetlagged, deal with it. Small steps mean big changes --NF Academy bodyweight workout x 2 per week --ride my bike to work x 1 per week Say no to cake --meal prep x 1 per week --practice mindful eating x 1 meal per day Life changes --complete first five quests in Mindset Module of the Nerd Fitness Academy --clean up my batcave/bedroom This week I'm going to be reading up on the Academy and starting up the challenge (in fact, if I complete the first five quests in the Mindset Module this week, I'll have to come back and edit this, which will be awesome) but I need accountability so feel free to comment/help me out!

Ok. So my previous week was a bit down because of my injury. But I will go back to the gym from tommorow so there shouldn't be any problems. During the last month there were actual a lot of possible challenges that popped up in my mind. So maybe it becomes a lot. I will see what is possible. CHALLENGE 1: intermittent fasting I want to work on my diet and eating habits. The second week from previous month I tried intermittent fasting. I have to say, it worked great. I even felt more energized during my morning workouts. I will make this a challenge to stop eating around 21h00 and start eating around 13h00 this follows my lesson schedule. Sometimes they end around 13h05, sometimes earlier. I don't think those few minutes matter that much. In the evening I eat with my family so sometimes I will eat around 18h00 but sometimes I eat later. If I eat early I can eat something light before my fast begins. I want to add paleo next month as a challenge. CHALLENGE 2: meditating I don't know... I did this fora long time a few years back. I feel it is important to add in again. I want to try some form of meditatingI at least once a day and also do some research on it. The hardest part is to do plan it in my busy schedule. Maybe after my first meal I could try it. I also need to look for good music than because most of the time it will be in my atelier which is an open place which I share with other people. CHALLENGE 3: achieving +90k squat and doing my first pull up I HOPE that I can do a 90k squat or higher at the end of the month and will try to add weight every workout. With the two weekk rest I just had this should be possible. My deadlifts will get very heavy to do every workout after this month I guess so I will change to pull up. CHALLENGE 4: 20 seconds of courage There is a guy at school I'm really interested in. Maybe I'm going a little bit fast after my previous relationship. But I'm very bad at these things and I just want to ask him for a drink. Which is so hard... (Weird for someone as social as me...) I will see how it goes from there. Maybe he says no, but at least I dared to ask him out

"Without change something sleeps inside us, and seldom awakens. The sleeper must awaken." -Frank Herbert, Dune --- Hey, all-- It's my first challenge since my Birthday Respawn, and I'm super excited for some structure in my NF life. Slowly (so slowly), I've built a really good water drinking habit (96 oz per day), workout habit (2 bodyweight workouts per week) and sleep habit (at least 8 hours every night). So I'd like to stretch just a little farther and get a little better. I feel impatient for improvement because I feel like I've been stalled out, but I'm trying to find the middle path between stalled out and burned out. I just finished a really big month of change (lots of travel and learning) and re-read Dune for the umpteenth time, so I figured that would be the theme for my challenge. September 26 - October 23 Here's the short version (full agonizing detail to follow): Diet/Fitness SPICE MUST FLOW: Eat a vegetable or fruit with lunch 3 days a week, as a side (e.g. a cup of roasted/steamed veggies, an apple, 2 slices of melon, a cup of baby carrots). BENE GESSERIT TRAINING: Complete the NF Mindset module. (currently on Quest 3: Find Your Big Why). SWORDMASTER TRAINING: Complete the NF Bodyweight Level 3 workout 3 times per week. (currently doing 2/week). Level Up My Life MENTAT TRAINING: Finish my PHP class (I am at 17% completion). EDITED: Reach 50% completion on the class and finish my first Drupal 8 module. --- Details/concerns: 1) SPICE MUST FLOW: I work from home and have been really stressed lately looking for a new job. This has led to a sad amount of macaroni and cheese lunches. Some day, I will have fancy, healthy, protein-rich lunches, but for now, this still seems a little bit challenging (mostly because I have tried a variation of this challenge before without success). I made it a smaller challenge than I have in the past (only three days per week) and I'm enlisting the help of my partner. Worst case, I'll steam some frozen veggies! 2) BENE GESSERIT TRAINING: I respawned back in JULY but have been slow to work through the various NF Academy modules. I will focus on getting through those--I was struggling to find quests I could believe in and going through the rest of the Mindset Module would get me in the right headspace. Called this BG training because they are masters of the mindset. 3) SWORDMASTER TRAINING: I've been reliably doing 2 workouts/week for several months now. I've been wanting to move up to 3/week but felt like I didn't quite have the momentum behind me....until now! LQ/MENTAT TRAINING: I also have been struggling to get through this PHP class I'm taking online, mostly because I only give it a few minutes every night. I really need to get through this class. I'll feel better about myself when I've done it, and bonus, I'll know something I didn't know before and will be far more employable! I'm going to be setting aside larger chunks of time to focus on this, instead of leaving it to the end of the day. The last two diet/fitness quests and my LQ will all take extra time I don't currently spend. I will proactively schedule the NF and PHP studying times, and I have already scheduled in my workouts. I've recently started playing an addictive phone game, and that might need to go, or perhaps I will use it as a motivator. I also need to plan so that I make sure we have veggies/fruit around for lunches.

So it’s been a few years since I last engaged with this site, but after some blunt conversations with myself I’ve come back more determined than ever to overhaul my lifestyle, diet and habits with a complete reboot! My goal – to fit back into my scalloped print dress! So a little background about me: · Age – 32 · Height – 157 cm · Weight – 70kgish?? So a few years back when I came to this site I was struggling to build on my strength training. I was enjoying Olympic lifting, but struggling with my diet which was and still is pretty limited (carnivore/ sugarwhore). I loathed running and avoided it at all costs. So fast forward to today and it’s a complete reversal – I’ve scarcely lifted a bar in two years and recently taken up running! But my diet is still a big sticking point, and after two years of lifting zero I’ve lost any muscle I did have which carries me through to the dress. The last time this dress fit me was November last year when I brought it and it looked perfect and oh so flattering! But not anymore and I’ve got a closet full of many more similar stories. The last time I was seriously attending the gym, I was at my best (OH Squat 50kg, Clean 50kg and front and back squat 60kg, deadlift 70kg, snatch 50kg). Compare this too last month when I signed up again and begun the starting strength program was a huge shock! I would really like to be able to build back up to where I left off in my lifting, I used to get a real satisfaction out of it as well as incorporate some running into my schedule. I only recently got into running earlier this year, and while I call it running – my stride isn’t much faster than a quick walk. In fact its real slow, but for me each run is an accomplishment because it’s something that I thought I would never ever do! Challenges: Magpie season is real. I haven’t had any real issues on my runs just yet, but the season has only just begun and I’m on high alert, seeing them everywhere. Mindset. This is one of my biggest weaknesses and has held me back from a lot of things. When I’m running I try telling myself to build the momentum at the foot of hills and focus on controlling my breathing, but sometimes its hard work just telling myself to keep going. So hopefully by holding myself accountable to this blog, I’ll be able to slowly but surely build back up a routine and cement new habits and a whole new outlook. Diet. I guess this one goes hand in hand with mindset, but it deserves its own mentioning. I currently eat sugar without even thinking, its the first thing I reach for and sometimes I’ll have eaten a whole block of chocolate (200gm) mindlessly. I also have some pretty weird phobias when it comes to the smell and texture of a lot of foods. I’ve looked into SED and while I don’t think I’m full blown like that I do recognise I’m picky and need to work on eating more greens, vegetables and variety so I’ll be looking for some great tips on how to introduce new foods and your favourite recipes. Today In Review Diet – So for breakfast I ate half a cup of sultanas at work, followed by a ham and cheese toasted sandwich and chocolate jam donut at lunch and half a packet of red frogs for afternoon tea. I then had 6 mini steamed dim sims while I waited for dinner to cook (I was staving after my run!) as well as roasted potato, pumpkin and zucchini with left over roast pork. Mind you, in full disclosure the zucchini was burnt to a crisp, as was the pumpkin as they were cut to a quarter of the size of the potato. This is a fairly typical day for me, although its much improved since I’ve banned myself from buying chocolate now at work. Exercise - 9km run after work. This is a long distance for me but it was a fairly flat and easy track. The dress – ok so I don’t plan to post on this all that often, may be monthly until I start to see some progress. But currently that zip ain’t going up much higher than 1/3 of the back! Note: Due to my limited technical abilities I haven't been able to upload any photos, screen shots or memes as they were all over 2MB!?? Not sure if anyone can offer me any advice?

Overview / Motivation: Pumped up for another 4 - week challenge. I enjoyed seeing some of my goal numbers (Bench, Squat & Pull Ups) build back up over the last challenge and hoping to keep that momentum going. I've still struggled with getting up early to knock out some workouts, and therefore want to build more of an Iron Will (mentally and physically) to create a higher level of consistency and discipline. Adding NF Yoga back in since I am still feeling pretty achy each morning and need to be more intentional about combating that since I refuse to believe the way I feel at 32 years old is how I need to feel from now on. I'm also excited for the mental aspect of this challenge - specifically with the book, "Life as Sport". I'm still trying to build out my leadership style, and this books seems like some good content to help marry the athlete's mindset with business or other non-athletic professions. It's a good next step in continuing to build a fortify a winning mindset. Main Quest (revised for 2016): Hit the following benchmarks in strength and stamina: Bench Press 250 lbs. Squat 250 lbs. Complete 20 Pull Ups Side Quests: Average 3 Weight Training Sessions / Week Points Potential: STR +3 Grading: A= Average > 90% B= Average > 80% F= Average < 80% Complete 2 - 2 Mile Runs per week Points Potential: STA +3 Grading A= Average > 90% B= Average > 80% C= Average > 70% F= Average < 70% Average 4 Planks / Week - hold for 2:00 Average 2 NerdFitness Yoga Sessions / Week Points Potential: DEX +4 Grading A= Average > 90% B= Average > 80% C= Average > 70% F= Average < 70% Life Quest: Read & Explore: Read the Phoenix Project by Gene Kim (WIS) Read Life as Sport: What Top Athletes Can Teach You about How to Win in Life by Jonathan Faver (CHA) Points Potential: WIS +2, CHA+3 Grading Pass / Fail

Commitment has been a hurdle for some time now. Always eager to begin, reluctant to continue. "A Jedi must have the deepest commitment, the most serious mind. This one, a long time have I watched. All his life has he looked away to the future, the horizon. Never his mind on where he was . Hmm? What he was doing." - Yoda to Luke, EP IV My hurdle has always been looking to the past. What I used to be able to do, what I have previously accomplished, where I was before this or that happened. It's self defeating and takes away from the accomplishments I earn in the present. I am largely going to be repeating my last challenge, albeit with more side quests. I faded away there during and after my vacation (as I had feared might happen) and we're going into fall and winter. I normally gain weight at this time of the year --- this year it's more dangerous because I did not LOSE weight over the summer like I typically do. I've taken a nice long break from tracking food and calories, and even lost almost 2lbs while on vacation. (Since gained back... damn Oreo addiction.) I want to try and do the impossible. I want to lose weight over the winter this year! There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no Ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is only the Force. GOAL #1 - There is no emotion, there is peace. This is not to rid myself of all emotion, emotions are good. But the focus will be to counter the negative emotions! Like, stress, anxiety, frustration, lack of patience, etc. My form of meditation will be prayer. Because I'm really bad at this. Really really really bad. This will be a perfect chance to work on developing a new habit. So as not to overwhelm, and to keep things attainable, we're starting off with a very small goal, and allowing some other things to count toward this. Prayer, Meditation, Yoga: 3x/week GOAL #2 - There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. It is time once again to focus on knowledge. The Dark Side would see us fail by ignoring what information we have access to! I will return to tracking calories in and out for the duration of this challenge. At that point, I will see what results were had, and adjust from there. Four weeks is not that long - and this is not new to me. It will go by fast, and I will have regained some baseline data. Track Food and Exercise with MFP: 7x/week Minimum to consume 1500, maximum based on exercise. **Exceptions allowed during vacation to Isle Royale. Track as best as I can, but no stress over it. GOAL #3 - There is no passion, there is serenity Newsflash. When Starpuck gets into something "new", she tips the scales at a fast and hard 150% involved point. I love a lot of things. I need to become a better steward of my hobbies and passions. I've just added a new thing I want to get into. It's impossible to just keep adding plates, and things to plates. I must learn to balance them. Creative Outlets: 3x / week Includes: art (sketching and digital), website/RPG projects, and the newcomer to the mix... sewing! (Attempting to learn to sew for costuming reasons.) Step out of Routine, explore your world: 1x / week Examples: A more significant hike, a bike ride in a new area, meeting with friends instead of playing online, doing things that others like even if it's not your favorite thing, try new things, pull out an old hobby, etc. GOAL #4 - There is no chaos, there is harmony. Total freedom on the exercise front seems to not go so well. Setting goals, on the other hand, seems to work well. It allows me to better fit in the various types of training I want to accomplish -aka, harmony between my activities. Force Lift: 2x/week engage in strength training. Force Push: 2x/week engage in movement, pushing myself to run, bike, etc. Force Balance will include yoga, and may be performed any number of times per week, but count toward my meditation goal. GOAL #5 - There is no death, debt, there is only the Force. An adulting goal. Primarily, this will consist of writing out and sticking to a budget. I realized that I am in a great place to save some money, if I just manage it better. My vacations are over and paid for. My weekend at the con will happen the day before this challenge starts. There will be no reason for impulse spending or random purchases. Step 1: Write Budget Step 2: Follow Budget Step 3: Put $300 into savings by end of challenge. Side Missions for this Challenge Find the Jedi, and potentially, a master to train under. - Join one of the small groups at my church, and/or get more involved in serving. Join the Rebel Alliance - Push past my comfort zone and get involved/accepted to the Rebel Legion Fight in the Battle of Endor - Potential goal here, not yet decided. Do a forest photo shoot while in the U.P of Michigan. Force powers; ForeSEE - Stop procrastinating on finding a new eye doctor, and get in for an appt!

"The monastry door opens a bit and through slips a student who hasn't been seen for a while by the other monks. He roamed the lands for while and he looks slighty bruised like life happend to him a few times. But he has a warm smile on his face and seems happy that he is home again. He gets back to his usual spot in the yard and starts training his forms again." After a skipped challenge i'm trying get back on track. I want to do the following: Each Day: * get to bed before 12 am. * sleep 7 hours * drink two litres of water * meditate ten minutes Each week: * Finish 3 academy quests * Write a summary on sunday