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Time really moves fast. Here we are with a new challenge and am almost two days behind. No sense on focusing on missing those two days since I can't get them back but at least I did workout both days. This time around, my focus is all about moving better and as always, improving my Karate. I feel that I am making small improvements but my Achilles is causing some issues. It's not too bad overall but I can feel it and I need to get it straightened out. 1. Karate training - 5 days a week Kihon or kata, five days a week, it's that simple. Anything less than five katas doesn't count. 2. Mobility training - 5 days a week The warm up that I do before my Karate training has been working well and I expect it to keep working. 3. All other stuff - 2 days a week Kettlebell swings, dumbbell and barbell complexes, band work, TRX, landmine or any other type of resistance training is the goal. Extra credit: Just one blog post I started a new blog post over the last challenge but, it just didn't reach the finish line. This time, it will be different.

Let's kickstart our mobility training and do 7 days in a row of mobility work for week 1! Any sort of mobility work you want to do, for any length of time. The idea is just to do it every day. I always start my weeks on Monday for challenge goals, but feel free to start Sunday if that's what you prefer. @Sylvaa and @Maigs are in - anybody else?

This challenge is all about taking what I gained over the last two challenges and putting it all together. I had 10 weeks of solid training and two weeks of wind down and now it's time to clean up and polish my katas for my competition in 12 days. This is going to be a simple challenge with some small but important goals. 1. Put the final coat of polish on my kata. 25 per week With less then two weeks to go, I am not going to make any big changes to my kata. Power and speed are at their peak and now some small adjustments are needed to clean it up. 2. Mobility training. Keep the body moving and pain free with four mobility workouts per week I think I will get more than four each week but at least four is the goal. 3. Meditate with the focus on relaxation. Keep the muscles and mind relaxed three times a week I still meditate each day but some extra focus is needed on keeping my muscles and my mind in a relaxed state. I have some old meditation tracks that I found that I used to do before Karate classes and it helped keep my head in the right place. Three a week should be easily doable. Extra credit: One good blog post. Since this hasn't been going well, the number target is lower but it has to be one good blog post. I have something in mind already and now it just needs to be typed.

The last challenge went very well. I put in a lot of time and made more progress than I expected but at the same time, I learned that I have a few more things to improve on. I was able to get in a lot of kata but I need to narrow the focus to better quality not just quantity. The core work went well too but again, it needs a little adjustment and maybe some other work to get me to where I need to be. I still need to start blogging again and I need to find my creative soul that seems to be missing. Kata - 35 quality Shotokan katas per week and 20 Iaido katas per week With only six weeks left until the tournament, my kata focus needs to narrow to quality not quantity and still be at the top of the list. Core work - 3 times per week The core workout has been working well but it needs a little extra to keep me improving. I am cutting down the days from five to three but I am going to increase the sets. Supplemental training - 2 days a week DDP, weights, band work or flexibility training are in this part and I think it will enhance my other training. Blog posts - One a week I have been very far behind on my blog posts and setting the bar low on this might help raise it higher. Shotokan Kata - 0 / 140 Iaido Kata - 0 / 80 Core work - 0 / 12 Supplemental training - 0 / 8 Blog posts - 0 / 4

The last challenge was my best so far and this time around, I want to push it further. I learned that I could push my body harder than I thought and make improvements that I haven't seen before. After doing so well last time and trying do more this time the Captain is asking me, are you nuts but it might be a rhetorical question? Focus on Karate even more: 130 katas 120 katas last time means 130 this time around. Stretch my limits more with DDP: 19 mobility / flexibility workouts Having found that the DDP workouts are really good for me, I want to try to get one more workout in this time around. Getting 18 last time came down to the wire but you don't get better if you don't at least aim higher. Get back to kicking with an extra 10 percent: 220 side thrust kicks Kicks are getting better each challenge so why not add another 10 percent to last time. Extra credit: Publish six blog posts Five blog posts were published the last time even though I was only aiming for four but either way, six posts should be doable.

Lately, I've had energy?? For the longest time, I was tired and foggy daily. I've been the type of person who can easily take 3 naps a day. But lately, if I take a nap it's out of habit (or procrastination) rather than any actual need for a nap?? I have no idea what's going on, but I'm ON FIRE these days. So I'm going to run with that. Last challenge, I restarted aikido AND started doing crossfit. I also signed up for a Japanese class that starts in 2 weeks or so. ALL THE THINGS. Regular fitness: 7 mobility mornings/week (20 sessions over the challenge earns me some sort of mobility reward - a class, a tool, etc.) 2 Crossfit sessions/week 2 Aikido sessions/week 1 Startbodyweight session/week 1 smaller muscle session/week (little stuff for muscles in hips, feet, etc.) - this can be combined with the startbodyweight session or broken up throughout the week 2-3 GST stretching sessions per week Walk 16 miles/week (12 to pass, but 16 earns $10 towards hiking/backpacking gear) Run weekly (shins allowing) Mobility Supplementation: Toe touch sequence daily Shoulder stretching daily Squat movement daily Yoga weekly? Soft tissue work as often as possible/needed "Triathalon" Goals GET MY FRIGGIN' BIKE TUNED UP AND RIDE IT ALREADY. SHEESH. Go swimming 3 times Other Goals: Stand OR sit on the floor to work 3 hrs/workday Do something weekly to connect with my father Continue to check off tasks on the nutrition program I started last challenge Put on clothes by 9AM on weekdays

I’m tired of feeling bad. Bad physically, bad emotionally, bad self-image... not all the time, but enough. I have been a bare, brown, hibernating plant, trying to survive the winter and drawing what nutrients I could from my surroundings. But it has not been enough. I can’t rely on the change of seasons or the warmth or the rain or the love and care of those closest to me to bring me out of this hibernation. If I want to bloom again, it must come from within. ...Ok, that was dramatic. Enough of that! I’m taking a leaf (ba dum tsssss cos plants haha get it? Get it?!) from Tank’s book this challenge. Recently I have been feeling internal stirrings of “I’m ready to be a better version of myself, let’s do this, raaah!” But those feelings are fleeting and unreliable, as evidenced by the fact that I don’t feel them at this moment. But it has made me realize something: I always complain about how bad I feel, but then I continue on in my old habits and never do anything about it. If I want to feel better, I have to ignore my desire for instant gratification (“but I wanna eat that whole tube of pringles”) in favor of my long term goal (“man I can’t wait till my tummy doesn’t spill over my waistband anymore”). I heard a song on the radio a few weeks ago called Nothing But Flowers, and while I do not share the pro-industrialization viewpoint of the songwriter, it made me laugh. (I don’t completely eschew modern conveniences either, there just needs to be a balance.) And then I was trying to think of a theme for this challenge, and I was inspired by the lilac bushes in our yard that are starting to bloom voraciously, and then I remembered the song, and it just all clicked together. Except I do wish for more flowers. Here’s the song, in case anyone else hasn’t heard it before (it came out in 1988 so a little before my time, plus I live under a rock hehe): Alrighty, goal time! ~~~~~ Mobility: daily, approx. 30 mins/day Plants need to be able to bend and move with the wind. Wrists: a routine I found from GMB’s YouTube channel Shoulders: tbd Hips & ankles: physical therapy from mom’s doctor Strength: 3x weekly, 30mins/day In order to thrive, plants need to have a strong root system. Wrists: Unbreakable Wrists flow from GMB Shoulders: planks and maybe pushups if my wrists feel up to it Hips: squats - regular & caveman Ankles: Unbreakable Ankles flow from GMB Daily Movement: well, uh, daily! Minimum 30 mins/day Plants aren’t lazy - they grow every day! Go for a walk, hike, or bike ride. Even a little one. Nutrition: daily Plants won’t thrive if they don’t get the right nutrients in the right proportions! Start with smaller portion sizes. Limit 2 snacks per day. Veggies with at least one meal. Personal Edification: daily, 30 mins/day each I'm not sure what the plant equivalent of this would be~ Bible study - Galatians or Praying God’s Word by Beth Moore. Read for pleasure. Study physics textbooks. ~~~~~ It looks like a lot, because I broke everything down so far. But really it’s only 4.5 to 5 total hours of stuff to do, and a few mindful decisions, and I have an average of 14 hours of wakefulness in which to spread these things out. Let’s goooooo~

Hey y'all!! Another unthemed challenge from your local uncreative green blob! ^^Me trying and failing to come up with any creative themes, but all gifs are welcome! Last challenge I had commitment issues but then ended up with mostly the same goals week-to-week, so we're gonna try really committing here. I recently started an "Unbreakable Body" membership - it's pricey but I think it could pan out to be a good injury prevention / pain management tool for dance, plus it means I don't have to read a ton of info then come up with my own program like I sometimes do. Two big buckets of goals for this challenge, plus an FYI bucket of other things I'll be posting about. Take care of your physical body (all from Unbreakable Body): Daily movement practice (1x+ per day, taking the place of nighttime stretching and maybe also as a workout warmup - it's a 10-minutes or less flow, nothing too crazy) Keep following Unbreakable Feet programming - noticing a difference in strength and mobility here and no dancer can have too strong of feet Work through the self-massage / soft tissue stretching movements in the program (~30) for initial assessment by the end of the challenge Do the pillars strength building stuff (basically, shoring up common joint control / strength weaknesses) at least 1x / week Take care of your soul (idk how I feel about the word, but feels easier than physical / mental / emotional health - I badly need it after an anxiety/perfectionism/depression flare up this past weekend): Qi Gong breathing exercise 2x/day, repeating my mantra (currently "I am human; I am enough" because I had a STRONG perfectionism fit over the past week) Pray daily - remind myself that I believe in some sort of spiritual connection between humans Write a daily gratitude journal about my "shadow self" (hat tip to @RedStone for pointing me to a podcast on this topic; the oversimplified version is that we have to acknowledge the parts of ourselves we don't like because they're usually the other side of a trait that makes us awesome) Read every day, even just 1-2 pages, from an actual book FYI / in the background: Strength and conditioning (juggernaut-ish) program including some warrior kryptonite a.k.a. cardio Travelling to a wedding this weekend, dance competition next weekend, then home til around labor day, I think Ballroom Dance practice (partnered and solo) and teaching (adorable little and not-so-little kids) Starting my own dance teaching stuff (I currently work in a youth program my coach organizes, would also like to start teaching some of my own adults for a little extra cash money) Continuing good sleep habits Exploring new roles in my company and navigating a recent org change (also processing some negative feedback I got last week) Still doing a kinda sorta cut but we're not calling it that - just doing the nutrition thing consistently and embracing the results as they slowly-ish trickle in (down 15 lbs since January 1st, so actually not that slowly, somehow - idk, this don't track and eat lotsa carbs thing is working pretty well for me)

I am feeling super inspired by my re-playing through all the Kingdom Hearts games lately so... I'm going to stick with this theme for the second challenge in a row. I may do it again for the next challenge too because WHY THE HECK NOT?! I'm feeling a little lacking in the inspiration elsewhere but Kingdom Hearts seriously never ceases to get me riled up in all the best ways so it's just going to have to do for now Two challenges ago I didn't have very specific goals and just wanted to stick to my routine. Last challenge I tried to add a bunch of new things to my routine This challenge I'm going back to not really having goals, but this time my routine will incorporate some of the habits I developed last challenge (and some not that didn't really work for me). This pattern of chill then go hard then chill gain seems to be working pretty well for me. So this will be a chill challenge cycle GOAL 1: SHOW UP Post my weekly schedule and goals each week by the end of the day Tuesday. Try for Sunday or Monday, but Tuesday's fine. My weekly schedules will include my usual stuff like lifting, dance, and ROMWOD plus some new stuff from last challenge like Unbreakable Feet and meditation. GOAL 2: DO THE THING Do what I said I was going to do and stick to my schedule/goals for each week. GOAL 3: REFLECT Post what I ate for each meal of the week and why (if applicable... I don't need to post why for a meal prepped meal for example) and how each meal made me feel physically and mentally. This really worked for me two challenges ago so I'm going to do it again. GOAL 4: DANCE I want to start taking private lessons again, I haven't in a few weeks. So for this one I'll make it a priority to take at least 2 private lessons this challenge. Bonus: Figure out what the heck I'm going with my dance goals (ie do I want to compete and if so how soon and in what dances) ♥ And that's it! Woop woop let's do this!

Hello! I'm The Roving Reader, lover of books and exploration. I'll be turning 28 at the end of the month (woo!). Each time my age increments, it feels like I didn't accomplish enough during the previous year (maybe you know that feeling?). I hope writing down the things I do will help with that, and what better place to start than with my wellness habits? This month, I'll be spending 10 days in California, 10 days in Montana, and the rest at home in Washington, so it'll be interesting to see how my routine feels across these locations. Quest 1: UNLOCK MY HIPS Backstory: I have had hip impingement in both hips for as long as I can remember. It manifests as an inability to pull my knees toward my chest - child's pose is the hardest yoga pose for me! Don't even mention trying to do a squat with proper form. It's only the past year that I've realized how much it's been holding me back, causing pain and restricting my movement in activities like hiking, climbing, and dancing. This has been my primary fitness focus this year. My routine involves strengthening, stretching, and incorporating new movement patterns. For those who are curious, here's everything that's involved in my hip mobility regime. I've built up to this slowly over the last 10 months, so I know I can maintain it: 3x a week hip strengthening routine (20 min) Warm up with leg swings and standing hip rotations 3 sets of 20 one-legged hip thrusts or elevated one-legged glute bridges per leg 3 sets of 20 kickback squats or kickback lunges per side 3 sets of 20 elevated clamshells or sideplank leg lifts per side 3 sets of pike compression practice, holding 15 seconds and pulsing 10 times Cool down with some static hip flexor stretches 7x a week yoga (30-60 min) Focus on breathing into the hips and using the surrounding muscles to pull the hip capsule back Once a week, do a restorative routine with no additional workouts 3x a week myofascial release and banded hip distraction Slowly work the hips from all sides with a lacrosse ball, letting it sink into the most difficult spots before using micro-movements to work the tissue If my hips aren't too sore, do additional stretches with a band, 5 minutes each side Play with movement whenever possible When moving a short distance between locations - say, to get a glass of water - get there and back in a weird and interesting way. (Sometimes I pretend I'm an animorph that's in a partially transformed state.) Quest 2: FINISH CARBON & DUST BODYWEIGHT PROGRAM Backstory: I've completed 20 days of this workout program from Darebee already, so I have 10 more to do on the days when I'm not strengthening my hips. The workouts are built into a science fiction story, which is fitting since I do my morning workout while watching an episode of Start Trek TNG (on season 6 right now). I'm also reading Leviathan Wakes, so there are a lot of starships to keep track of! Quest 3: GET OUTSIDE AND GO 'SPLORIN Backstory: I love the outdoors, which means it sucks when I spend all day working on the computer and look up to see the sun is gone. My prized possessions are an inflatable kayak and my backpacking gear, and it's that time of year when I can really make use of them! Walk or run daily Eat outside daily, weather allowing Complete 10 "Zombies, Run!" missions Find 10 geocaches Go camping at least once Go kayaking at least once Quest 4: BE MINDFUL OF SELF-CRITICAL THOUGHTS Backstory: I suffer from chronic low self-esteem. I try to remind myself that my thoughts do not define me and are not necessarily correct. I only returned to meditation a month ago, so this is a relatively new habit, but it's already adding more moments of ease during my day. Meditate 15+ minutes every day Practice a few mindful breaths whenever my critical thoughts start to run away, or any other time I remember (like now!) Bonus Quest: GET MY FAMILY TO PLAY VR CHAT. My family just invested in an Oculus Rift (my brother works on VR as a 3D animator). I've been enjoying hanging out in the virtual on my boyfriend's brother's Vive, and I can't wait to witness my family experiencing the chaos that is VR Chat.

Anyone who knows my Nerdlife knows that Kingdom Hearts is PART OF MY ACTUAL SOUL. These games are seriously my favouritest thing ever, and I may or may not have a keyblade tattoo in the works. Basically Buffy and Kingdom Hearts are at the core of my being, and for some reason I haven't done a Kingdom Hearts themed challenge before in my 30+ challenges?! What's with that??? With the potential leaking of the release date of them FINALLY dropping KH3 (like seriously we've been waiting since 2005 guys let's get this show on the road) maybe possibly hopefully this October, now's as good a time as any to do this. So join me on this journey and let's do this challenge thing. This being the theme is actually well timed too, since I really need to dig deep and do some real self care this go around, and the KH series gets really deep in terms of personal growth and friendship and all that is good in the world, so... yeah. Anyway I'm at the point where I know I will be doing a lot of the things that I've tried to build up as a habit over the past few challenges - namely ROMWOD, lifting, and dance. I'm really never not going to do these things, because I love them, and in prior challenges I've hiding behind them by saying I've done those things and kind of down playing that I haven't done the other things. Time to just focus on the other things. OTHER THING ONE >> FOOD << This will be my #1 priority. My biggest issue with food is where I live. I live in a city where there is delicious amazing wonderful authentic ethnic perfect anything you could possibly imagine food everywhere. EVERYWHERE. And it's... so hard to resist. Last challenge I did a really good job of reworking my brain a bit so now when I eat out I (usually) end up getting something pretty healthy. I thought this would be tough, but it turns out healthy food at restaurants is still delicious. My current problem is I just cannot afford (literally $$$) to keep up the habit of eating out so much. And it makes tracking macros mega hard because really who knows what's in that stuff. I need just let it go and be an adult and cook my own darn food! *quietly mumbles Simple and Clean at my desk* I'm a really busy person so honestly a lot of times I eat out because I don't have time for anything else, and this is what I'm aiming to fix. Because I am near Kairi level tears thinking about giving up all the food in my area all together (#foodie4life), and because I realize I realistically will never have the will power or desire to do so, my goal here is to never eat out because I don't have time to cook or because I'm too tired to cook. Going out for Reasons is just fine, I've just got to say the reason here and it has to be legit not like, it was my cat's half birthday or something. Food Goal 1: Meal prep at least 6 meals each week. Food Goal 2: Only eat out for Reasons. Report Reasons here. Scrutiny on the legitimacy of Reasons from my NF Fam is encouraged. OTHER THING TWO >> BRAINSTUFFS << As I think I alluded to in my previous challenge my job has been really frustrating lately. I was absolutely loving my job for years, and it was continuously getting better and better, and then something I was completely and totally excited about was snatched out from under me and cancelled and has me feeling really bummed and useless. I have other things I need to do, it's not like I don't have work, and it's not like my job is in danger, it's just I like to feel like I'm doing something important and not wasting my day away being a bean counter and that's kind of how I'm feeling now. But, I'm young, I know people value my work, the project was not cancelled having anything to do with me, and I know things will look up soon. I just have to not let my brain be a jerk and drag me down. So, more than ever, I need meditation right now. I tried to incorporate it back into my routine last challenge to varying degrees of success but I want to really focus on it this time around. I am always less stressed when I have a meditation routine going and I think it will really help get me through this stressful time. Brainstuffs Goal 1: Meditate AT LEAST 3x/week using Headspace. Brainstuffs Goal 2: More of a bonus goal to chase and not really something mandatory, but try to build up a meditation streak of more than 10 days at some point during the challenge. OTHER THING THREE >> SLEEP << My sleep hygiene is so bad. So so so bad. I have regular insomnia and sleep paralysis issues, and not having good sleep habits REALLY exacerbates this issue. I know sometimes those issues rear their heads and there's nothing I can do, and I can adjust from there, but I need to do my best to set up myself up for success. I need to go to bed on time. A lot of this is related to the food goal, since a lot of times I'm up late cooking or trying to find something to eat when I get home from a busy day, so I think fixing the two will go together. Feeling tired and exhausted all the time just can't be a thing any more. It's not good. Sleep Goal 1: Get in bed 8 hours before I need to wake up. Lights out at least 7.5 hours before I need to wake up. EVERY. DAMN. DAY. Sleep Goal 2: Stop the social jet lag. Wake up before 9 on weekends to try to maintain some semblance of sleep schedule instead of sleeping in until noon and then not being able to fall asleep on Sunday night in time to wake up again at 4:45AM Monday for work. OTHER THING FOUR >> MOBILITY << OK so yes I did say already that I do ROMWOD almost every day without needing to keep myself to it. This is true, and I LOVE ROMWOD and I'll probably never stop doing it. But I know that mobility is not JUST stretching - even the specialized yin-yoga-esque ROMWOD stretching that addresses fascia and musculature issues. True mobility also deals with rewiring our brains to fire our muscles appropriately, with making sure our muscles and fascia are supple and not crunchy, and with building strength in the right areas and the right ways. Especially with all of my dancing, I want mobility to become more of a priority for me. So I have basically been obsessed with Kate Galliett (of Unbreakable Body) since the first camp NF I went to. She is seriously AMAZING, and after talking with her after class she gave me some drills to do and some horrible back pain I was having for ~6 months was healed in about a month. She's a huge proponent of foot mobility and this is something with all my dancing I need to make sure I am on top of. So I was THRILLED when she dropped a new mini-Unbreakable body series - Unbreakable Feet! The full Unbreakable Body has always been way outside of my price range and a bit beyond what I want to commit in terms of time and programming, so this little mini-program was super exciting for me. Anyway, I splurged and I got it. I also have been really digging the MWOD videos that NTB turned me on to, which are quick little sessions (~10 minutes) that focus on strength and soft tissue work. I've been kind of doing those here and there and not really holding myself to it but I'd like to be more consistent about it because I definitely notice a difference on days I do it vs days I don't. So in addition to my daily morning ROMWOD (which relaxes me and I look forward to) I'm going to do The Hard Things for mobility, which are: Mobility Goal 1: Do the Unbreakable Feet drills 3x/week. There is a four week progression through them but depending on how I feel I may move through them slower than that, but as long as I do them 3x/week that doesn't matter. Mobility Goal 2: Add an MWOD Perform routine to each lifting workout, and every day I lift do an MWOD Recover routine before bed. --------------------------- And that's my challenge! I'm pretty excited about focusing on some hard stuff, hopefully it's not too hard! *runs away to contemplate playing through all the KH games again for about the 14th time*

At long, long last, my squat form looks decent, so my primary goal for this challenge will be to build it back up. Technically, I started that last week, but I had friends in town last weekend, and I knew that would have gotten in the way of getting my goals done, had I set them. I'll leave my other goals the same, but I might swap out bedtime or mobility for something more interesting if I can get my thoughts together. Goals Retain good squat form while working through a linear progression. I'll be doing this pretty aggressively, but I don't want to get sloppy. I got up to 175 lbs. last week but didn't do it for sets across. I don't have a starting number from tonight, because I was super tired from staying up late this weekend and decided to make this a rare Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday week. Do mobility work every day. This will still be the squat-focused exercises I got from PT in most cases. Get to bed by 11:30 pm 5 days each week. Work on SICP for at least an hour and a half each week. One day has to be a weekday. I've been thinking that I should try to inject a little more novelty into my life, and I'd kind of like to make one of these related to that, but I haven't formulated a useful goal yet.

Continuing on with the momentum from the last challenge, this one is going to be similar. Setting goals for the entire challenge is working better for me than setting weekly goals. Karate training: Kata and stances - 12 times The kicking training has been working well and I am going to try and apply it to my kata and stance work. For these to count, I have to do at least five katas that day or 10 minutes of focused stance training. Kettlebells and kicks: 700 swings / 200 side thrust kicks The kettlebell swing has become a staple in my training and the swings with side thrust kicks in between seems to be working better than what I have done before. Potluck workout: 12 times This part of the challenge gives me some room to explore some other workouts. I really want to start playing with the trap bar more and even get in some focused upper body and maybe even some band work. Extra credit: Publish four blog posts Writing has been hard lately but I am going to make myself do it this time around. I know that I don't have to write a novel each time but it still has to be useful to count.

I learn something new with each challenge and I want absorb what is useful and discard what is not. I think Bruce Lee said that an it worked pretty well for him so why not follow in his footsteps but create a path of my own. That's a Zen riddle if I ever heard one. During the last challenge, my knee thought it would be fun to derail my carefully planned workouts and made me spend a bit more time in my chair than I should have but it was still a lesson. With that in mind, I will train in the moment this time around, doing what can be done with the tools I have to work with. 1. Beach body workout - 12 times I am finding some interesting mobility workouts in the Beach Body programs. With Yoga, Pilates and some other decent movements, I think it will help make these hips work even better. 2. Karate training - 50 focused competition katas and 300 side thrust kicks I am still planning on a return to competition but I need to focus on my kicks and katas again if I plan on stepping back on the tatami. The katas are feeling pretty good overall and the kicks are still improving so it's a good time to do more of them. 3. Quick mobility drills - 16 times I have found a handful of quick mobility and flexibility drills that are helping my knee, my hips and lower back. They take between 5 to 10 minutes and they feel really good. Extra credit: 6 blog posts Using the momentum that I gained over the last challenge getting all four blog posts, it's time to raise the bar and shoot for 6 over the next four weeks.

Been fairly sick for the past 4 - 4 1/2 years. Been climbing out of the hole for the past 14 months or so. Sometimes I fall back in as one does. I go through phases/waves of symptoms which makes things interesting as I never know what to expect. I kind of have to just rearrange things to focus on my strength at the time. Things have been more consistant so I am trying to rebuild my life. Things to work on: Keto: I am on a keto diet per my doctor. I have been on it since Feb 5 with a couple slip ups. My calories have been at 2000-2200. I was at 2000 and upped it to 2200. I am undecided on if I want to stay there. I am trying to lose weight, but I seem to notice a performance difference at 2200 calories. I've said it before and I'll say it again. I hate this diet. It is super hard to adhere to, slip ups are huge set backs, and I don't lose weight on it. Mobility: I have been having a lot of muscle issues. It is sort of always unclear as to whether it is part of a symptom or not. I go to a crossfit style gym so predictability of your soreness is not something I have. I did this last challenge and I definitely noticed a difference. So I need to do at least 5 minutes daily. I can always do more if needed. Starting is the hardest part anyway. Supplemental Exercises: I have been having some issues with my left quad/knee. It has been fairly elusive as to what the issue is. I've had to change my workouts a bit due to them. So no squatting motion at all. And I go to a crossfit style gym and there is never squatting in CrossFit right? Yeah Also I sprained my right ankle a little less than 2 years ago and it still gives me problems despite 2 rounds of PT. So my goal is to try to work on some of the leg weaknesses I know of. My goal is to do supplemental exercises 3 times a week. It doesn't have to be a lot, but at least something. Likely options: wall sits, monster walks, lateral banded raises, VMO weighted leg raises, glute bridges, hamstring curls, and something I have been calling dorsiflexion heel raises. To-Do List: Due to sickness I am quite a bit behind on regular maintenance sort of things and have piles of papers and such I want to attend to. So I have a list of things that need to be done and hope to chip away at it. I discovered last challenge that I am super motivated by a fake point system. I have various points assigned to things some as low as 1 point and some (one?) as much as 25 points. My goal is to hit 125 points. If I do I get an item valued at about $10. For a bonus if I get to 175 points I get another item valued at about $25. (Or trade in both in for 1 item at $35.) I have been looking at bluetooth speakers. It would be handy sometimes, but not really something I would normally buy myself. This started the next day after the last challenge. Extra: Run: I am training for a 5k at the end of April. Which may or may not be a 5k. The first year it was a mini-Tri and last year it was a 5k. However I think they will stick with that as it is easier to organize and more likely to have participation. My coach made up a running program for me and I have been adhering to it. This will be my 3rd week on it. First week went well, but last week both runs seemed more difficult than normal. Heavy legs the first run and super sore and sluggish the second run. I may have to cut back on my other workouts. My current workout schedule has me working out 4 days in a row, which might be too much. I seem to be a little slow on recovering. I will see how I do this week before I make a decision. My goal in this run is to beat my previous PR which is 37:26. I am sort of hoping my nephew will do this run too and I would like to come in closer to his 31:00-ish time. We shall see what I can do. I would be happy with a 34 honestly.

Yep I have no shame, it's Europe to the rescue! Bust out the big hair, we're headed for Venus!! Summary I set out on Jan 1st this year to drop 20kg, there are 4.4kg remaining. This challenge will be focused on cutting the final 4.4kg to get me under 80kg. Goals: 1. No alcohol until I'm sub 80kg. (2 exceptions allowed, this Saturday is my friend's 60th and 28 March I have a work lunch) 2. 4 x F45 challenge sessions a week 3. Eat 100% to the F45 meal plans for the first 2 weeks and 80% after that. 4. 2 x 6km walks a week 5. Rehab my shoulder. Physio exercises 3 times a week on Monday, Wednesday Friday. Please feel free to hold me accountable for this, I never do them. Measures: 1. I have an F45 end of challenge body scan in 2 weeks time, that will be a difference scan of 8 weeks. 2. I have a full DEXA booked for 17 April. This one must see me at under 80kg or I will be disappointed. Rewards 1. I have a drive day lined up for 11 April where I take my MX5 (Miata) on a track with some friends. I'd like this to be my weight loss reward which means I have 3.5 weeks to drop 4.4kg. 2. Something else I haven't decided yet, maybe some new clothes, maybe a massive wig! Let's Rock!

This will be updated throughout the days, and will look back at this later. but here is the first draft! So in the last challenge I worked on reading everyday, however I found out that I had a good habit of reading in the train, I have 2x 45 minute in the train 5 times pr week, and im reading in most of those breaks (when I dont do this challengetext ;)) so I will try to see if I an maintain that without it being part of the next challenge. 1. I won't miss you when you're gone keyword: Minimalism Object: To own 1 less thing for every day of the challenges. Rules: For every day get rid of one thing, (28 total for the duration of the challenge), if I for some reason dont chose a thing, ill get rid of 3 the following day (so 1penalty item) If I buy new things I will have to get rid of the same amounts of stuff, so 1 pair of jeans in, an additional item out. Ill post here either by words of pictures what I get rid of :). Rules 2: I dont count hygiene items like toilet paper and so forth, the same with food items that I need to maintain a daily living. 2. Get your hands dirty keyword: Movement & Balance Object: To have my hands buried in the dirt it being actually dirt or just a dirty floor every day. Rules: Every contact counts, this can include crawling, locomotion, handstand, headstands, grounding or yoga, anything goes. Rules 2: Variety is key, get those hands dirty! what is an assassin covered in dark, if your hands are white! 3. How to juggle life keyword: Juggling, Balancing, Manipulation and Contact Juggling. Object: Spend one turn on the hourglass at least 5 days a week, doing one of the things in the keyword Rules: Anything that can be used should preferable be used: Juggling balls, flair bottle, sticks, Crystal bowl. The duration of the hourglass is 20 minutes. Rules 2: Video update once pr week. 4. On the shoulders of giants. keyword: Shoulder flexibility and mobility Object: Focus on mobility and flexability of the shoulder joint, both directly movement of the shoulder, but also strengthening of the back and relaxing of the chest. Rules: Use whatever you have of equipment to help. Hanging from a bar, foam roller, lacrosse ball, sticks and weights. Just get those shoulders working!. Rules 2: Pictures will be uploaded every week, with baseline pictures this sunday. Eagle pose will be one of the measurements.

I'm still trying to do the same stuff as last time, because I still have the same problems as last time. Goals Squat some weight for 3 sets of 5 with perfect form. I said just the bar last time, but my bar path does seem to get better when I put some weight on. Ideally, I would be able to get in a balanced position without any weight on my back at all, but if my form starts to look good while I'm still warming up and stays that way, that seems like something I could work with. I was hoping that I wouldn't have to keep this as a goal. On Friday, I did back squats with more than 135 for the first time in like 2 months. In general, they looked a lot better than they had before, and when I got up to 185, they actually looked really good. I probably should have stopped there, because 205 was a little worse but still as good as I can remember. Then, today, even though it seemed like I was doing the exact same stuff, they looked a lot worse. So this is what I'm doing again. Get to bed by 11:30 pm 5 nights each week. I've been doing a pretty good job with this, but I probably still need some more time to solidify the habit. Do mobility work every day. My PT has now entered a phase where this really doesn't take much time. It's just a matter of remembering to do it. Work on SICP for 1.5 hours over the course of at least 2 days each week. At least one of the days has to be a weekday, because leaving the whole thing until the weekend doesn't seem to work well for me.

I am trying to get my life back after some health issues. I am still having some issues which results in me having symptoms in waves. In the past year or so I have had a couple of periods of time being low to no symptoms. I am still trying to figure out what exactly causes those periods. Every time I seem to get back on track there is a set back. In some cases the cause seems obvious, other times not so much which is frustrating. Things to work on right now: 6500 Steps: A couple months ago or so I decided to try to bring up my baseline activity. On bad days it can be difficult to get much done, but unless I am having major problems I figure there is no reason to not have at least 6000 steps a day. This is normally counted without my workout steps unless the workout is basically just a run. My step tracker is my phone so to record my run it is included in that number. I have been working out 3 times a week for a while. I have got back into that. My output varies greatly though still. I have hit 6000 steps pretty regularly so I am trying to up it a little. Particularly on days when there is not a workout. Keto diet: My calories need to be at least 2000 calories with Keto macros. Top priority is to be on a ketogenic diet to try to eliminate symptoms or rule it out as something that can eliminate symptoms. I actually hate this diet. My goal is to be on it solid for 3 months to see if it helps. 10 minutes of mobility at least 6 days a week: I would love to make it longer, but I just don't think I can commit to that right now. I have been having a lot of muscle problems for quite a while. I have been having issues with my knee and I think mobility will help it out as that leg seems to have a lot of tightness. My shoulders could use some love as well. To-Do List: Due to having health issues I got behind on things and have quite a few tasks that need to be done. Some are pretty minor while others will take quite a while. I am trying to figure out some sort of point system. I am still making a list of all of it and put items in groups by number of points based on difficulty/likelihood of getting done. My goal is to have 100 points by the end of the challenge. Most will be 5 points most likely. I still need to work this out assigning the points is difficult. Especially with not knowing how well I am going to feel on any given day. It's kind of like trying to predict how far you can walk each day when you have no idea of whether there is a road to walk on, what the terrain is, what the weather will be, nor the elevation of the route. I guess a couple bonus quests are: I want to read two books by then end of this challenge. One is "The Ketogenic Diet For Athletes" and the other is a book for the book club I am in. I don't remember the name of it. The Keto book is pretty short only 135 pages and I am already 25% of the way through it. I may add in "A Beautiful Work in Progress" which I am also already 25% of the way through. (I don't know why I read multiple books at the same time.) I really need to do some corrective sort of exercises to try to help heal my one leg. It seems banded abductor raises, glute bridges, VMO raises, and wall sits help this out. I would like to continue working on this. I had to put it aside in January due to recovering from a cold then getting the flu. My energy level hasn't allowed me to insert these back in yet. I am hoping to get these back in twice a week soon. I have to be careful as it seems I can overdo it pretty easy. I am still having a lot of issues figuring out what is too much.

Current status: still on Accutane, still low-key have a perma-cold, body is less achy, turns out that running in gross weather is my jam (wtf, self?) Keeping the same goals from last challenge. Accidental ASOIAF/Game of Throne theme #WinterIsHere Previous Challenge Stats STR - 31.75 | DEX - 53 | STA - 54.25 | CON - 89 | WIS - 56.5 | CHA - 50.5 Waist 30.25" Belly 34.5" Hips 37.5" Thigh 22" Weight 162lb Body Fat 26.52% Goals Goal 1: Cardio Run 2x per week. Run outside as much as possible, if the weather is too cold then treadmill intervals instead. +3 STA +2 DEX Goal 2: Food Blah, blah, macros, blah. Variances twice a week, I'm thinking. Points I can get, cause fake internet points motivate me: - 2 points for being within 5% of my goals - 1 point for within 10% - 0 points for being out more than 10% I want 10/14 possible points a week +5 CON Goal 3: Sleep 11pm bedtime, follow my bedtime routine to help make that actually happen. Bedtime routine: get clothes/bag ready for the morning when I get home; do any food prep that I need to do while I'm making dinner; 10:20pm get ready for bed; 10:45pm in bed with a book/journal/etc +3 CHA +2 WIS Stuff and Things You have a journal. Write in it. Post here daily cause accountability and whatnot Also post in at least one other thread daily Do the Mini #TeamHawk #CA-CAW The Road So Far Week One Cardio 0/2 Macros 7/7 [didn't track Saturday/Sunday cause other people's home cooking] 11pm 1/7 Bedtime routine 0/7 Week Two Cardio 2/2 Macros 10/10 11pm 0/7 Bedtime routine 0/7 Week Three Cardio 2/2 Macros 8/8 11pm 2/7 Bedtime routine 2/7 Week Four Cardio 2/2 Macros 9/8 11pm 0/7 Bedtime routine 0/7

The same thing we do every challenge, Pinky. Try to squat correctly! I may made a challenge with this title before. Previously, I attempted to get my bar path over my mid-foot by just sitting back more. I believe these attempts caused me to over-extend my lower back, which may have resulted in my inflamed facet joint, in response to which I am currently seeing a PT. That stopped hurting a few weeks ago, but I also haven't squatted more than the bar in I think over a month. I haven't squatted what I would consider to be heavy in I think the better part of 3 months. I really want to be squatting again, but I don't want to just hurt myself again, so I need to do it right. Goals Squat with the bar for 3 sets of 5 with perfect form. My entire spine should be in a neutral position. My knees should track over my feet. The bar should stay over my mid-foot the entire time. My thighs should reach just below parallel. My feet should stay flat on the floor. Do mobility work every day. I've been pretty good about this for the past few weeks, but it is important enough to my first goal to make it a goal in its own right. Get to bed by 11:30 pm on 5 nights every week. I started setting an alarm to get ready for bed last week, and it seems to be working fairly well. Work on SICP on at least 2 days each week for a total of at least an hour and a half.

I'm continuing my studies at Hogwarts, with many of the same themes. Hopefully, this time I don't pull a 3rd year Hermione and bite off more than I can chew. New Classes: Herbology: Goal is one new cooking recipe each week. Also, evening snack must include a veggie. I'm hoping to reduce and make my snacking healthier, and add a little bit more excitement to my diet. Arithmancy: Goal: Complete the entire 3rd problem set 8 problems selected from the 3rd problem set on cryptopals.com or from projecteuler.net (difficulty rating must be 40% or higher). Complete at least 3 more chapters in my crypto book, along with the corresponding problem sets. History of Magic: This is where I'm putting my sleep goal. Sleep has been terrible lately, so I'm going to revisit some tried and true methods of improving my sleep. Drink tea and stop eating at 9:00. Reading only after 10:00. And, here's the meat of my challenge: I'm joining the Quidditch team, and I'm determined to win the Quidditch cup. Quidditch is largely going to represent my (flying) goals of parkour and now silks classes. I'm also going to gain points for any supplemental activities that support parkour or silks. Gryffindor (courage): + 10 points for every new flow or new thing attempted at parkour. +10 points for doing anything at the parkour gym that scares me. + 10 points for doing anything at a greater height than I normally would. Ravenclaw (intelligence): + 10 points for drilling down into techniques at parkour or silks class. + 20 points for any home reviews of technique. Hufflepuff (kindness (to my body)): + 20 points for any yoga or mobility work. I'm not flexible, and it's hurting my performance at the parkour gym. Slytherin (nastiness): + 20 points for strength workouts. The goal is to net 200 points in each, and see which house wins the cup!

Don't Turn to Stone I have all the mobility stuff ... foam rollers, lacrosse ball, miracle ball. Do I use it? Nope. Never even think about it. I'm pretty flexi-bendy for my age, years of dance, martial arts, and forced yoga marches had a lasting effect. Still, though, I am older than I was, and I do have aches and pains and stiffnesses. Challenge Goal: Work on mobility, mostly cervical spine but other areas as needed, at least 5 min/night at least 5 nights/week. 25 points possible Enjoy Second Breakfast Challenge Goal: This one is simple - I am now on week three of my gym's three-month Nutrition Transformation Challenge - continue to comply with coach's meal plan. Bonus points: streamline meal prep down to 5 hours (currently about 7). 5 points possible (one point per week, including zero week) Walk to Mordor According to my often-ignored fitness tracker, I average about 6k steps per day. Challenge: Walk 7,000 steps per day at least 28 of the 35 challenge days (counting zero week) A Hobbit Hole Means Comfort I've made some dents in the library/junk room/cavern. I'll take pics when I'm home during daylight (probably weekend). Time to buckle down and get this library party started! Goal: Get rid of enough junk that I can move the remainder to the center, leaving room around the perimeter to start prepping the walls for paint. Scoring is simple pass/fail Don't Turn to Stone 0/25 Enjoy Second Breakfast 0/5 Walk to Mordor 0/28 A Hobbit Hole Means Comfort 0/1

so they may not have a cool catch phrase before going into battle, besides, "try not to die" but they're a fun and mostly smart team. i would like to be fun and mostly smart this challenge. Exercise. MOLLY – keep up that mutant strength. 5 workouts per week. I’d like to get at least 3 lifting sessions and 2 cardio sessions GERT – use what you have. like a telepathic link to a dinosaur or, ya know, a pull up bar. pull up bar play 6 min per week. especially do this on non-work days. KAROLINA – embrace your free spirit and solar energy absorption. do yoga on sundays (65 mins/week total). read/watch a new mobility article/video each week. I’ve pinned a lot of mobility stuff “to read later” time to do that. Food. CHASE – as the oldest, he knows it’s not all science and fun gloves. consume 25g fiber on weekend days. plan out what will be available to make this happen each Thursday: beans, berries, prepped vegs, etc. NICO – just because you can magically summon food to your door, doesn’t mean you should. eat out or take out less than 7x over challenge. i have 4 already planned meals out this challenge. no more than 3 more beyond those. let's do this.

Adding rep cycling to my program hasn't burned me so far, so I'm going to keep doing that and keep trying to be conservative. I'm not going to make a goal for it this time, though. The main thing getting in the way of my lifts right now is some nagging lower back pain when I squat and do a few other things, so I'm going to try to fix that. Going light didn't seem to work, and taking a break from lifting didn't either, so I think my next step should be seeing a doctor. Goals See a physical therapist. I'm aware of one nearby with a sports medicine focus, or I think just any old doctor with expertise in sports medicine would probably be sufficient as a first step. I've been putting off making an appointment for awhile, because I hate making appointments. In order to complete this goal, I have to actually go to a doctor's appointment before the end of this challenge. Do mobility work at least 4 days a week. I changed up my routine in the last few months, and what I'm doing now seems to be no worse than what I was doing before, so I guess I'll stick with it. Get to bed by 11:30 pm at least 5 nights each week. Probably not tonight. Work on SICP for at least an hour and the half over at least 2 days each week. This was my goal last challenge, and I got pretty close to it. I need to spend more time than I have been if I want to consistently make headway, but I think I need to build up to it gradually.