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Jackdaw gets fit Ok, so finally I am gonna focus on what this forum was designed for: fitness! My main goal is pain relief, getting back in shape after injury and working on my posture. Exercise three times a day (15 min) I am gonna do Liebscher Bracht routine. It is focused on pain relief and improving mobility, but actually it is quite strengthening too, my core was super sore after the first few workouts. Stretch throughout a day Bracht has lots of one-two minutes exercises while standing, so I wanna implement it into my day. Besides I am gonna report about other fun things I am into recently. These days I am totally hardcore about learning Morse Code. I am already fluent with the alphabet. I am excellent at sending, but not so great at receiving. It’s very hard. My brain just doesn’t catch up with noting the sounds. I am working on it every day. I am practising with an Indian soldier (My life is interesting, huh?) I met on an app for learning Morse. Many people all over the world message there in Morse. It’s really cool. For quite some time, I’ve been fascinated about making electronic gadgets and had thought about trying it myself, but I never had time for it. I don’t need to learn German anymore, so I think it’s time for developing some new hobbies. I’ve got my eye on a an electronics course (together with tool kit) for beginners, so that’s what I am gonna do after we move - learn basic electronics and learn how to make the most primitive circuits. I am totally excited about it. It’s my dream to make a simple robot (one day) and a toy car. I am also searching for a new job. It hate the idea of working again. I’d like to stay home and learn stuff I am interested in forever. But on the other hand, if I work, it gives me lots of satisfaction I can feed myself. So quite conflicted here. In the last four months I moved four times. We’re just about to move again. We’re both jobless and the euro currency is bleeding our pocket quickly. I am having a job interview in a field I have no idea about (logistics) but they want someone who speaks Polish, English, Chinese and German fluently, so they invited me over. Life has been like standing on the edge of a precipice with one idea what is down there when I jump. Because of my anxiety disorder, I hate that situation, but in some perverse way, I love it too. I love life to be like an action movie. My new morning routine: 1. Get up early 2. Coffee & morning reading/writing diary in Chinese 3. A walk in a park 4. Job search/interview preparation 5. Morse Code practise

Little late, but here. I am moving again roughly a week after this challenge ends, assuming nothing changes. And I am so over it. Packing a few bags, setting everything on fire, and jetting off to a warm beach somewhere is starting to sound like a sensible and rational plan, but even that would involve packing bags, and who wants to do that? This whole situation is psychologically wearing and often overwhelming to think about, and in order to make time (which I then procrastinated away), I abandoned the habits that are supposed to help me cope: exercise, prayer, gratitude, fiddling joyful music. (I have mostly kept up the reading). Which left the only "acceptable" thing to do working on the move, which of course led to procrastination, extremely long breaks, ruminating on other stressful things, etc. Not the most productive in terms of stress reduction, mental health, or basic self-compassion. So this challenge, while I am carrying over goal-oriented items from last time, my real focus is on the habit items (bolded). My non-habit goals are going to be of the take-that-box-and-fill-it-with-things variety, but if I need a break, I still intend to roll against my list and do Something Else when I need to. Assuming my habits are all done, of course. STR Exercise daily with GMB programs. Make a list of specific movements that could be interesting to build towards, such as a pullup or pistol. DEX I will build a skill tree to figure out which movements "unlock" harder skills. CON Eat at least two meals every day. INT Read two books per challenge, one fiction, one non-fiction, both of a different genre/topic than previous challenge. WIS Find a study circle and join it. Read Quran every day, even if only a handful of verses. Pray every day, even if just a quick prayer of gratitude. CHA Start training for volunteer position (scheduled for early March). Occupational Get all my Amazon stock listed. Assemble tax information and place it in an easy-to-find place pre-move. Art & Tool Practice fiddle every day. Find a challenging fiddle piece as a goal for the year. Have another look at the many organization categories that need purging and make some sort of realistic plan for this. Try one fun new thing per challenge cycle. One session of trying it out is fine to fulfill the goal. Language Activate and/or schedule plan for practicing languages. Schedule annual goal items. Continue my daily Duolingo lessons in at least one language per day, as well as my Arabic lessons through Bayyinah (at least two per week).

The more things change... By the end of the first week of the new challenge D and I should have closed on the new house and my son will be visiting to help us unload the U-Pack Pods. We're purchasing some of the furniture in the house, this includes a treadmill, I can walk/run/intervals again! This should also mean the beginning of my new schedule and mostly working from home I know I haven't talked a lot about my new job but I love the fact that I get to be an accountant, utilizing programs and processes that are valuable should I need to find another position in the future, and my boss is really fuckin cool! I'm not expected to just know it all and I actually am being shown what to do and what I'm responsible for! Oh, and in a paperless office The Plan... Control - Comfort eating and drinking was an issue, be mindful of this until in the house then back to Cardio. Update - Post in thread three times a week. Track - Sleep (at least 7 hours a night) Food (eat when hungry, stop when full, track to be mindful) Extra - Rides, 5k's, events, and life events go here Done - 🌈 Not Done - ❄️ So as we can see things will change about mid-way through, I'll have to be flexible while life settles into whatever a normal pattern will be,

I could have sworn I used that title about 5 years ago or so but I guess not...I checked So once again I find myself in the midst of a move to another state...hopefully by the end of this challenge my house in FL will be sold (as in closed on) the closing date on our house in FL is the 27th, my last day at my job is the 1st, Pride is the 2nd, and I will be in Atlanta on the 3rd. Having to change a few things since most of my house is now packed up in preparation of the move, about half way through the challenge the U-Packs will be picked up on the 18th and after that I will be staying with my mother in law...so cardio is on hold until after I get settled in GA. The Plan... Control - Comfort eating and drinking have been an issue with everything going on, need to get this under control. Might be tough after the 18th but I'll figure it out. Update - Post in thread three times a week. Track - Sleep (at least 7 hours a night) Food (eat when hungry, stop when full, track to be mindful) Extra - Rides, 5k's, events, and any other random stuff goes here Done - 🌈 Not Done - ❄️ Hopefully everything goes as planned and my next challenge will be to set up my new house 🤞🏼🤞🏼 there is a 5K in Piedmont Park on 11/20 that I really want to register for!

So for those that are new, I'm moving, sometime in the near future...my wife was offered an amazing position in Atlanta to away we go!! I realized this is the 10th state I will have lived in. We will be moving back to Florida once we retire. There is a lot to do to prepare to sell the house...this challenge will be focused on that. After zero week it will be me and the animals here, hopefully I can get most of the big things done and be able to focus on maintaining after that. The Plan... Cardio - I'm going to plan on and hold myself to 20 minutes on the treadmill 3-4x a week and one strength training a week. This is doable in the time before work and still allows me time to get ready without having to sacrifice sleep. Treadmill has been sold, C is now Cleaning (and with that, packing up the house) once this is done I will use the Fiton app for workouts (because D won't be here and I can use the living room space ) Update - Post in thread three times a week. Track - Sleep (at least 7 hours a night) Food (eat when hungry, stop when full, track to be mindful) Extra - Rides, 5k's, events, and any other random stuff goes here Done - 🌈 Not Done - ❄️ While all of this is exciting I really thought this part of my life was done...picking up and relocating to a different state is not as easy as it used to be for me, I was looking forward to not ever having to do this again.

Hello. I am Stronkey Kong. I've been on NF about eight years . I'm still fat and making the best of it. My NF Birthday is July 8, and I'm turning 8. Four days later is the closing date on the house (aka Wizard Tower) I'm trying to buy. Tho it's less of a tower and more of a single story bungalow. This challenge will revolve around surviving that while trying to do the basics here. I meditate and am for all intents and purposes a Tibetan Buddhist of the Gelug Lineage. I am have it in my head to hit the trails and do some camping this summer, tho I will be quite busy. Right now my fitness goals are basically: Stay functional and limber and don't throw out your back doing stupid shit. Eating so I can maybe drop a few pounds And get some movement in so I can push back some of the medical trauma that runs in my family. I am also writing my fantasy novel again, and reading for inspiration. And, yeah, here's that big list I keep bringing up at the beginning of these things. Frankly, buying a house is THE BIG ONE on the list so as long as I pull that off, this challenge and this year is a win no matter what. MEGA GOAL: BUY MY FREAKING WIZARD TOWER AND MOVE INTO IT This is just one big, pain in the ass TO-DO List that will, like a snake, slither left, right, turn, coil, snap, wrap, and constrict my life until the process is done. As of now: Inspection: June 19, 9:30 am. Decision: Jun 20, 11:59 pm -- make the final decision whether to buy and promptly notify my apt. complex I'm moving the fuck out. Buy Homeowner's Insurance Pay Appraisal and admin fees Closing: July 12 But, I don't want to forget about the little things. So I'm going to just keep nibbling daily. Goals: MEDITATION: do at least one session daily -- this is mostly solid habit now MOVEMENT: 15 min. of exercise: rucking, yoga, qigong, stretching, and dammit, packing counts. WRITING: 15 min. or one writing task including making a character profile, outline a scene, describing a place or thing in my novel. READING: a combination of reading for writing inspiration and studying Tibetan and Buddhist philosophy. I've been good at doing this before bed, but any 15 min or more of reading, any time of day will suffice. I'm good with that. If I can at least keep some regular momentum on all those things while buying a house and moving.

This is mostly a placeholder at the moment, but I wanted to jot down some thoughts to get started. We'll see if I leave this and then write a "proper" "first post" later, or just edit this one. This challenge, plus the two zero weeks on either side of it pretty much exactly cover the time span I have to get everything ready to move. So, a lot of this challenge is going to be me working on that and adjusting to my new job. Which is going to require me to start at 6am because everyone else is in the eastern time zone while I am in the pacific. I guess that means I'm going to be forced to work on my sleep habits, because if I don't, I'll die. Also planning to keep my daily exercise habit going. I think I've got a fairly good handle on this one, even if I did miss a few days this month. Might try to do some harder stuff, may have to scale back. Going to be very flexible, as long as I do something, because there's lots of crazy going on. Tomorrow marks 90 days until summer starts. I want to try to get in good shape by then, or as least as much as possible. So, I think for now I'm going to avoid grains and cut back on added sugar - one coffee in the morning and one treat a week max. With a few planned exceptions, like the macarons I'm going to make shortly (don't know when, exactly, but I going to make them!) . If that goes well and I'm not feeling overwhelmed by that plus the moving stuff, I may try to add in something to clean up my diet further, but I think that's a good start for now. This actually has more of a plan than I thought it would, so I guess I will leave it as-is. Maybe come back and add some Mandalorian gifs (edit: done ), even if the costume is now on hold until after the move.

Or, When it Rains it Pours This particular challenge begins with two big things that may happen during it: 1) Finally moving to the Wye. (90% chance.) 2) Start my new job. (??!?!?% chance.) If that last one confused you, it’s okay. I’m a bit dazed myself! The short version is that an amazing contract writing opportunity dropped on me out of nowhere last week and Mr and I agreed that although the timing was somewhat less amazing (since we’re on the cusp of a cross-country move and we hadn’t really about thought of me going back to work before Enting started school), the career path it could open up for me (games writing) was too good to ignore and we’d made it work if it came through. I’ve since made it past the first round with the initial writing sample I did for them, and they’ve hired me to write them an opening script based on their game premise. If the script goes over well, it may turn into a longer term contract to develop and write rest of their launch content. (And after that, possibly ongoing content.) breathes (I told Mr that even if I don’t make it beyond this stage, the boost to my confidence has been huge. And I will still have a current professional credit on my CV.) ANYWAY. Goals during this challenge: 1) Assuming the move continues forward, the next stage will be choosing which removal service we’re using. There’s also going through and getting rid of misc. junk that has piled up, admin like getting mail redirected (I’m particularly worried about the timing of the move and my absentee ballot for the US presidential election), choosing a new surgery/dentist, etc. And if the contract pans out(!!!), I need to figure out a fast childcare solution for the Enting on the other side. (Luckily, his current nursery has been really flexible with us over the last couple of weeks.) 2) Finish the script. Submit it. Make it the best thing I can while showing them I can keep a tight deadline. 3) Continue the Walk to Mordor/4 miles each day (done by average of days). Since I will be, at least for the next several days, back to doing a lot of computer work, I need to make sure I’m caring for my body. I woke up this morning with my body feeling like I was 111 years old, and I don’t like that at all. I’m only 41! 3a) Mr has suggested we start doing pilates or something together. Give that a go. I also need to update the WtM app. It’s been a few weeks This has been done now. 4) Don’t drop my eating standards (too much). Things are busy, and I will not have as much leisure to cook elaborate healthy meals, at least in the short term. Compromises will need to be made, but don’t completely let go. Goals 1-2 are moving targets that will develop on how things both inside and outside of my control proceed and I’ll probably set objectives at the beginning of each week. 3-4 are fairly static. And that’s it for me... here’s to big awesome changes!

I’m Ann of Vries, often Adventurer and occasional Ranger. I decided it was time to do my semi-annual “holiday” to the Rangers Guild. I’m an American currently living in London with my British husband and 2 year old son (more on him later). However, this urban status is to be short lived as we are in the process of purchasing a woodland property in the magical Wye Valley/Forest of Dean and expect to move there this autumn/winter (move date TBD). (You may not have heard of the Forest of Dean, but you’ve probably seen it. A lot of movies and TV shows have been filmed in its faerie tale woodland.) Meanwhile, I’ve been on a pilgrimage of my own to follow my heroes the Fellowship of the Ring on their Walk to Mordor. During the last challenge, I just missed my goal of arriving at the Trollshaws (211/221 miles). For this challenge, I will put my chin up and continue my journey. The recent months have been difficult—there’s been the global pandemic crisis, of course, and myriad challenges caused by Lockdown restrictions in the UK. My husband was unemployed at the beginning of the pandemic but thankfully found a new contract in the midst of it and has been working from home—which presents its own challenges. (He will eventually be commuting to the Midlands part-time and working from home part-time, probably starting early next year.) Oh, and there’s all of the issues of moving house as well, which isn’t easy even during the best of times. But then there is also my toddler, the Enting, who is in the throes of the Terrible Twos and can foil my attempts at lengthy walks and... well, anything and everything else I’m trying to accomplish! The Challenge: Find the Entwives There are a great many tasks involved in any moving of home, and this one of course is no different. We need to keep on with the solicitors, get the building survey done, go through our things, decide what’s going with us and what’s going away, set up a removal service once we have a date, etc. Part 2 of this search for the Entwives is to Find Joy in Growing. The Terrible Twos have been pretty hard on me. I want to remember the joy of little Entings instead of spending this time always feeling exhausted and frustrated. Beyond Rivendell I’m about 100 miles from Rivendell, but I intend to get much further beyond it. My goal is 205 miles—which should take me just past the “6 Days Past Rivendell” milestone on my Walk to Mordor app. This is based on an average of 6 miles a day starting in Week Zero. These miles are taken straight from my Fitbit—they include any puttering about, errands, long walks, chasing of toddler, etc. I stick to challenges better when the record-keeping is easy and straight forward. Learn from the Rangers They say that you’ll be chasing your toddler until you’re exhausted and in a way that’s true, but I’ve found that doesn’t seem to include going on long walks which has always been my principle form of exercise and was fine when he was littler and less mobile since I could just put him in the carrier or buggy and go as far as I wanted. Add in Lockdown restrictions/social distancing in a big city, husband working from home, preparing for selling/buying/move of homes, and I’ve found my weight frustratingly ticking up. I need to find alternatives I can do in a shorter time frame—preferably that don’t require much (if any!) kit change, new equipment, or set-up since I just don’t have time for that (and I’m trying not to buy things when we’re about to move). This is an exploratory goal. I aim to try different things over the course of the challenge with intent to choose one (or some) to continue with by the end. They don’t have to be formal “exercise.” One idea I have is just playing “tag” with my toddler in the park. (Suggestions welcome!) Maintain or Lose I want to either maintain my current weight (which is admittedly a touch higher than I prefer), or make progress on it going down. I’m already a pretty “clean” and healthy eater, so I feel that weight gain is mostly about my activity level. Ever on we go....

*plunks* well, THAT was the most fun year I never want to have again. 2018 was... a rough, gross, terrible year for me, even apart from the general chaos that seems to have sprung forth the last few years in everyone's collective lives. It started out with losing my grandpa suddenly to massive heart failure the day I got back home from family holidays that he and Grandma didn't make it down for, and I wound up unemployed due to budget cuts at my local school district (I didn't get laid off, but it was a situation where I felt like if I didn't take the buyout offer I was looking at the possibility of getting laid off and not getting a nice jump off point for finding a new job with said buyout. They let us know that if 4 people didn't quit, layoffs were coming.) And unemployment / job hunting is much less fun than it sounds, and I'm aware that it even sounds like shit. On top of which general shittyness, my ADHD, anxiety and depression all decided to have a party. Thankfully, in November I found a decent paying job, the first one I've ever had that actually uses even part of my degree (that piece of paper I'm still paying for? Yeah, that one) about 45 minutes from where I live, and today I found what I hope will be my new apartment in that town if all goes well with my application to said apartment. So I'm cautiously optimistic that maybe, possibly, hopefully 2019 might be slightly less horrific. So as long as nothing else blows up in my face and draws my entire attention again, I'll look forward to actually respawning with challenges here in the new year.

THE SILVER ARCHER: BOOK II Chapter 5: Solo Mission The theme of this month's challenge is really about self-care. I feel like I've been doing a lot of that lately and I'm more than ready to get back to butt-kicking, but as the sun rises on Week One, I will be in a van driving ten hours away from the only hometown I've ever known, preparing to spend three months working an incredibly high-stakes internship, living with two strangers (and their cats!), learning the rhythm of a metropolitan region, and basically upending every imaginable portion of my currently quiet, happy, predictable Midwestern life. Recipe for freaking out. So this month, I will be laying out goals to help myself stay centered and not withdraw into a melty puddle of panic during the move and subsequent transition. Week Zero will be move-related goals; the main challenge will help me check in with my morning and evening routines, make sure I'm eating well, and try to work in some physical activity to release stress and keep me feeling good. This will also be a fluid challenge, as I don't know yet what my daily routine at my internship is going to look like (other than the fact that it begins way earlier in the morning than the night-owl schedule I've been keeping) and what is going to be feasible and realistic. I may create small sets of goals at the beginning or end of each week instead of one big set at the beginning of the month. Tomorrow I'm going to create a plan to help me finish packing and getting all the utilities turned on properly (everything is in progress, just not getting accomplished as quickly as I'd like), and this will guide me in the second half of Week Zero. Yoga and physical therapy exercises must happen too, and eating reasonably despite stress and sharks. And lastly, Sky's narrative may or may not appear in this challenge, just to be realistic. But whether or not I find time to write it down, I am very aware of what she is doing currently, and she and all the wisdom she has gathered over the last few months are close with me while I pack and prepare for my own "solo mission", as she prepares to set out into the forests of Middle Earth and uncover the Dark Elf's latest evil scheme.

I'm back again! This last month has been a real test. My wife was laid off (with severance), and we got notice from the landlord that he wants to move back into the house. So we have to be out before July 1st. I also hurt my ankle, so I had to stop walking and running. All this really did a number on anxiety and some depression kicking in. Overall just extremely stressful. So we made some plans, and just started getting through this one step at a time. June is going to be extremely busy. We have to move by the 30th. We have family coming into town for my oldest son's graduation party. Wife hopefully starts a new job. The 22nd to the 24th I will be near Los Angeles to bowl in a tournament. 6+ hour drive. Now today, we got a place. Unfortunately, it is an apartment. So we loose a lot of storage space. So downsizing we go. This challenge will be stressful, and so busy. Let's get in some goals. Last challenge I did not make it to twotopia, but I am pulling into the driveway I am 306 today, so almost there. Maybe I get there before the start of week 1. Most likely, I hit it during this challenge. Goal#1 - Yup, keep up with the Keto Keto has been doing so well for me, I need to continue it. Hopefully, between the two places, I can keep keto. Then of course I have the bowling tournament to figure out how I stay in Keto there. I could always just drop keto for those days, but I think I would rather try to challenge myself to stay keto there. My Intermittent fasting has been a bit all over the place. During the challenge, I am not going to focus on IF. I will try to maintain it when I can. With moving at all different times though, I don't want it to be a factor if I need to eat. I will track my water, and attempt hit hit close to my macros. 1 point for each day tracked food and water (MFP). 7 points total per week. Goal#2 - Sleep Sleep returns for another challenge. I get it nailed down, then I get right off schedule. Here I am at 11:44 pm typing this up, instead of winding down for rest. I will be needing good sleep with all the work that needs to be done here. Since I seem to struggle with this one, I think I will increase points to make me really focus. 3 points for computer off by 11-11:15 pm ( I usually gave myself a little window), 3 points for reading started right after. Off to bed by 12-12:15 am. 6 points per day, 42 points per week. Goal#3 The downsize and move I don't really know how to do this one as a goal. It has to happen, it is just trying to organize it I suppose. My basic goal will be to make it though my checklist. Go through clothes. Donate, and throw out as needed Go through computer equipment. Sell, and ewaste thing things I don't need Clean up the back yard. We had some cans back there in bags that opened up and spread everywhere. I need to pick them up Fill the roll off bin. Over Memorial day weekend, we are getting a dumpster delivered. Time to trash, donate, sell a bunch of items in the garage and house Setup new beds at the new place. To save some space, we have new beds frames for the kids. pack up items to be moved (dvds, toys, etc) Contact moving companies. I am tired of moving furniture all these years. Worth it to pay someone else to deal with it. Get gardener to come clean up the yard as needed Get the house cleaned after we move out switch out the shower heads re box pictures. order boxes for comics sell off old bowling items, or trash/donate them if I can map out how furniture will go in the new place (already started this a bit) See if my sister wants my mothers crystal Figure out what to do with furniture we can't take with us. Figure out how internet access will be in the new place for my older son's room and house in general. (wifi, powerline networking is used now) Move smaller items/boxes we can pack up now. Movers can get the big items There might be more added, but that is all I can thing of right now. This is more of a pass/fail goal. I will pass, because I have too No points. Goal#4 - Register for school I was going to skip a life goal, but I figured I would toss it in here anyway. I won't have time to do any summer classes, but I should be able to get registered for fall classes. I want to start getting certificates at least. Then I can start getting back out there in the work force too. So I just need to apply, then try to do whatever I need to get done. Placement or whatever. Maybe talk to a councilor to see if I should try getting an AA degree or something. No points here as well. It is more of a pass/fail situation Measurements - Week 1 / End of Challenge (will take morning of the 28th) Neck - 20.00 in / Chest - 51.29 in / Waist at belly button - 55.15 in / Bicep (L) - 16.22 in / Bicep (R) - 15.82 in / Forearm (L) - 12.95 in / Forearm (R) - 12.95 in / Thigh (L) - 28.11 in / Thigh (R) - 26.96 in / Weight - 305.7 lbs / Weekly points Week 1 (05/28 - 06/03) - 29.5/49 points 60% D Week 2 (06/04 - 06/10) - 35.5/49 points - 72% C Week 3 (06/11 - 06/17) - 40/49 points - 81% B Week 4 (06/18 - 06/24) - 0/49 points So that is my challenge. Easy on the surface, harder because of the whole move situation.

Well folks, it is about that time. I've got to get to another country, half my stuff or more is in those loveable cardboard boxes, and we are entering into the endgame on this move. My boss has cut me loose on more or less my own recognizance, letting my do all the administrivia that attends moving over seas, as well as make Tai Chi most days. It has been a tremendous windfall and pleasure, training with folks over the last few days. Great to find the more martial aspects of Tai Chi. Training with a former Golden Gloves boxer who now does Tai Chi is amazing. I am returning, slowly, to my very successful metabolic reset and follow on "eating healthy things because I like them" meal plan. The cross country drive and subsequent flight back were not helpful in eating well. Objectives: Pack the House - the Purge Must Occur! Get a Realtor Do Tai Chi - as Often as Possible Back on the Band Wagon - Eat the Tasty Things! Zippo Time. - Magic Man! P.S. For anyone confused by the title/meme, this references to taking off in a jet, which I felt was apropos to the theme.

Well now. Down by about 10 lbs in 2 weeks. Yes, I have it to safely loose and I'm eating like I mean it. This metabolic reset thing is remarkable - no hunger, lots of greens, meats, and carbs. Very strict list of foods, some ridiculous green smoothies in the morning, it felt like I was throwing the rainforest in a blender, but hey it works! Goal is to make it through week three on the reset without deviating. After that, I'm going to go stupid for a day, then return to plan. Continuing on Tai Chi - 2 to 3 days a week. Time to start training again on the off days. That seems like a good idea - 3 days a week. Moving. Holy crap. 7 years of junk accumulation. I've gone through a purge before, this next one has to be epic. 30 minutes a night, cleaning/packing. An hour min every weekend day. I still expect a mad rush for 1 week in March to get this done, but if I put in the time I'll make a lot of progress. Well, time to kick the tires and light the fires! - Murphy's Roommate!

Well, color me surprised. This little rock we call home made it around the thermonuclear death star (cause of, and possible solution to, all our problems - eventually when it goes nova) yet another time. On the bright side, I get to carry on carrying on Tai Chi and getting cold. On the awesome opportunity side, I need to move to the other side of this rock in 3 months, drop body fat (family wager - good opportunity for entertainment), get serious about internalizing Pose Running, and start deadlifting again. Sigh. Paring this down for this challenge my goals are simple. Get an appointment with a bod pod and find out my starting point. I've finished reading the Pose Running books, time to get coaching - so that is an appointment to set and keep. Lastly, take some warmup lifting days then get to where I can take a safe run at my one rep max. From there, develop a plan to work forward. I've been thinking of the meme to capture this, and the best I can do is some Blacklist. That about captures it. Adventure time. - Murphy's Roommate

AHHH YOU GUYS. It was so hard to pick a challenge focus this time. Background: So next up is Challenge #7 - the tomato strikes back. I turn bright red when I exert myself, because I'm a tomato and cardio is just this endless battle. I've been struggling with running for years now. I can run a 5K distance but I struggle to run more than 1-2x/week or increase my weekly mileage above the 4-5 mile range without getting shin splints. I'm very consistent in my running, but I keep getting stuck. So last challenge, I started to shift towards running 3x/week by splitting up the mileage across runs and focusing on using a 180BPM cadence to see if that helps with shin splints. I want to keep working on 3x/week runs this challenge. Most running advice says you need at least 3x MINIMUM to improve, so I'll see if that's true. Here are the deets: Run/walk 3x/week for 20 minutes, getting used to the 180BPM cadence Continue to experiment with factors like running surface, shoe lacing, etc, to see how my shins do If my legs bother me or I can't run for other reasons, try to sub in another form of cardio to take its place so I maintain the habit of doing something 3x/week (biking outside or on a machine, jumping, burpees, etc.) Step 1 is to get used to the cadence so it feels less awkward. Step 2 is to be able to run 20 minutes 3x/week at that cadence without needing to walk. Step 3 is to increase one of those runs to 5K distance ASAP so that I don't lose my distance there. Step 4 is to start to experiment with total weekly distance, sprinting, hill work, and other types of running workouts once I have the base in place. Eventually, I'd like to be able to run a 10K distance for OCR purposes, run a 30-minute 5K, and run an 8 minute mile time for shorter runs. Mini-Challenge 1: Hiking As part of cardio-type activities, I'd like to do more hiking. Hiking is quite possibly one of my favorite physical activities, but I don't do it that often these days. It's crazy good for you and it's fun and low impact. It's also a good way to explore. So! I'd like to go on 1 hike/week during this challenge, both in my current area and in the new area. If I succeed at doing all 4 hikes, I can reward myself with a hiking backpack to encourage even more hiking. I have fantasies about doing cooler dayhikes and things, so this is a good place to start. Mini-Challenge 2: TO DO LIST EXTRAVAGANZA SEPARATELY I'm moving at either the end of Week 1 or Week 2 of this challenge, so there are a million things to do. I'll do a separate mass of to dos before and after the move. BEFORE: Cancel internet Cancel electricity Do the thing with the forwarding address?? List a bunch of furniture on sale via Craigslist and flyers at my apartment Get letter from Aikido sensei confirming my current number of practice hours Figure out what to do with my furniture if I can't sell it, and how the hell to get it out of my apartment anyway (I'm on the 3rd floor of an apartment and there are only stairs) Set up a lunch or something with local coworker-types Get in at least one bootcamp class so I can say bye to peeps there Contact my wrist doctor about anything I need in advance to be able to smoothly transfer info to a doc in the new location Donate other stuff I'm not keeping Continue with swimming lessons / make sure to inform instructor about move coming up Use my actual apartment pool at least once Hit up some of the items on my bucket list BBQ pub Italian place Local bargain store people love Cool burger place in nearby town Try running at a park that's supposed to have some soft trails Maaaaybe the racetrack? But also apparently there have been a lot of horse deaths there this year so I might just boycott. There are some other things but I don't have the list in front of me so I'll update it later AFTER: Find the local library and get set up with it Update address with work Find good places to run both right outside my front door and farther away Find a good place to ride my bike Find an asian market/grocery store Find a wrist doctor Find a place where I can practice swimming Find someone I can potentially trust to cut my hair Find a local farmer's market Find a good lunchtime/after work walking route Explore local fitness options...yoga, gyms, aikido, bootcampy classes, etc. I will not be able to do much until after my wrist is dealt with, but individual classes should be doable in the short term.) Mini Challenge 3: Minimalist Food Leading up to the move, I've got some pantry items to use up. I can get very overzealous about trying new recipes and foods, but I should focus on working my way through what I have and keeping it simple otherwise. I'll also end up going out a few times with coworkers/aikido peeps/to finish up my list of things to do locally, so I want to avoid overbuying food. After the move will be a big adjustment, because my boyfriend doesn't cook and eats out for all meals and we'll have to find some middle ground that does not involve the expansion of MY middle. So it makes sense to try to keep things simple and minimal while we adjust too. So, some guidelines: Only cook recipes I have successfully cooked before (or that are very simple - like I can try a new sauce on some chicken or something if it just involves mixing some things together and cooking it a normal way) One exception...I have a quiche recipe I've already planned to make this coming week to use up some canned green chiles. Finish as much as I can from the freezer/pantry before the move and plan meals off of those items, filling in foods only as needed to round out the meal Keep grocery shopping simple after the move (at least for the first 2 weeks) and try to avoid getting starry-eyed over the excitement of new grocery stores to explore ???

Hi all. The bad: Largely failed last challenge. Late to this one. Moving in 10 days. Doing not much for workouts. My cab budget has been unacceptably high of late. Some supply runs for large things are acceptable but cabbing to work has popped up again. The good: I did have a whole week plus 2 weekends off and I am feeling quite a lot better. Most of my stuff is packed, some of the cleaning is done, and I have been sleeping 6-9 hours/night for about 10 days. My brain does NOT feel like crap. I also read several books! Goal 1 - get the move sorted Complete task list set up on paper/Habitica. Most of the admin details are sorted. Goal 2 - At least minimal exercise Walk to work every day unless it is really raining out Stretch every night At least one proper workout per week Goal 3 - use sleep calculator to set my alarm I ran some experiments and when I am sleeping, my sleep cycles are quite normal. If I set my alarm better, I should continue feeling better. Leechblock facebook and reddit at home except for small amounts of time. Goal 4 - spend extra time with cats daily. Moving is really stressful for them. Cally is quite enjoying the stacks of boxes and the occasionally unearthed spider at least. Trista is extra snuggly. Yeah, this is a bit of a crap challenge. Better soon. Promise.

Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine. I'll quit being a slacker, and actually *do* a challenge. This hype train ain't gonna build and run itself, now, is it? This is step 1 in a multi-part challenge where I: brace for impact but hurry up and wait, (temporarily) lose my DH, jettison 99% of the shit I own, pack my dog and myself up and move halfway across the globe, reunite with DH, and adjust to a whooooooooooole other level of "new normal". I thought this last year was a kick in the butt? Well, I haven't seen anything yet. This first part of the challenge *should* see me through about half of this journey - the DH is scheduled to bounce at the end of this month, and I'll be following shortly after on a grand tour of sorts to see a few people I need to see before relocating my start map. That is, providing this shit actually happens this time and we're not forced to reconsider all of life reeeeaaaaaal quick. Again. It should also see the return of some of my favorite Nerds to the boards, and an inevitable revving up of the hype train. So maybe I'll actually get off my ass and *do* something. Like, I dunno: Work Out, behave my belly, aim in a direction, post more than once a day while half asleep. Goals Since I'm still in a holding pattern as of this morning (I'm actually in an airport on my way back from a fantastic Nerd wedding weekend where I got to see some of my favorite Internet peeps + recharge my social batteries a bit), waiting to see if the last of the DH's paperwork clears and his timeline stays the same, I'm aiming to start small. Goal The First Macros, yo. If I'm not Bucket listing it or at an event with Chef friends, I need to eat what I need to be eating to not feel like utter shit. That includes a mostly-paleo diet following the following macros: 70g protein 70g or under carbs 100g or under fats Now, given my current life circumstances (namely, the best damn brunch game in town run by a friend in my freaking building), a little leeway for fresh English muffins on the benny and chilaquiles is permitted on weekends. Goal The Second Print, codify, collate, and color-coordinate as much moving-plan-wise as possible. Book as much travel as I'm able. Adult things like the dog shots & my vaccinations. Also, film a weekly update for YouTube. And, plan when and how to get rid of my shit - plan the "house cooling" party. Get bins for and pack the shit we're storing with friends. Spend as much time as possible with local friends. Pull the trigger on the Amazon shopping list for travel essentials & clothing basics. Detail aaaaaaaalll this minutia for y'all. Goal The Third I've noticed over the past month or two that the arch on my left foot (my garbage fire side) has started collapsing. At the Walking Store, the foot scan they did showed a false high arch because I tend to stand with weight on the outsides of my foot - which is something I've noticed and tried to remain cognizant of since childhood - and is super totally why that side of my body is jacked up and that ankle rolls if you look at it funny. Duh. I need to work on this. I've found a couple rehab routines that take zero space and almost no time - I need to do them. Daily. Or as close to daily as I can remember to do. My side-eye peeps, go ahead and rev those peepers up. I'd throw in a lofty yoga goal here too, but that's probably not realistically going to happen while my tiny-ass apartment is in chaos and I'm running around like a damn chicken with its head cut off. Goal The Fourth Stay Calm And Support My Nerds Some of the more bananas Rangers *@Raxie* *cough* *@Wolfie* *cough* and I were missing the hype of the Ranger Board Of Old and feel it's time for a resurgence of the hype train. #allthethings is missed, y'all, as is hitting the gas for the sake of hitting the gas. Even though my little corner of the universe is upending itself (again), Imma do my part and throw myself at that shit wherever possible. I'm returning to the minis, answering call-outs, and generally planning on supporting my Herd wherever possible - be that through numbers in a game, exposition, or simply more engaged commenting -- I'll be here with a big bottle of Hype. And some gifs. Even if finding said gifs sux0rs on Tapatalk.

My focus for last challenge was to not just hold my shit together but also rally. All things considered I feel like I accomplished this and everyone around me insists that I have. Dealing with my breakup while living with my ex and looking for an apartment has been one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. Apartment hunting has been discouraging at best. I have decided to take an apartment just a few miles down the street from where I currently live. I'm not super excited about it but I can afford it and it allows dogs. It will also change very little about my day to day life other than where I'm living. That might be a very good thing for me right now. I finished my groupon for Crossfit bootcamp lite and fell in love. I will keep going at least throughout the summer and hopefully I'll find a way to pay for it after that. The people are so nice and supportive I hope this will grow into a social support system where I will make some new friends. My goals for this challenge will remain basically the same with a few small changes. Exercise I love my bootcamp but I need to start running more. Last time I did Crossfit I almost stopped running entirely. I don't want this to happen. Goal 1: Go to bootcamp at least 2-3x/week Goal 2: Run at least 2x/week (ideally one would be a long run and one would be a RWR, I'll be happy if I run 2x outside of BC) Life I am still working on holding it together. I know moving will push me into a different phase of processing feelings. I will still need to keep busy and stay connected to people. Goal 1: Pack and Move Goal 2: Don't isolate- Same as last challenge, I need to be active on the forums and make it a point to stay busy. Reach out to people, make plans, take people up on offers to help. Goal 3: Be friendly at the gym. Introduce myself to new people have conversations with people I have already met! Initiate conversation! Goal 3: No stabbing- figured this was worth keeping. I am going to broaden the goal to include avoiding the low road. It does not help the situation and ultimately makes me feel worse. I will confess my indiscretions. This stays until I actually move out! Diet Goal 1: Log all meals in MFP (guestimate if need when eating out)

On the last Friday of this challenge mi Prometida and I get the keys to our new apartment. I'll be moving in June 28th, she'll mover her stuff in on July 5th and spend a few nights with her parents. On July 8th, we get married. In addition to the normal goals, i'll be packing my apartment as we put the finishing touches on the wedding. As you might imagine, I'll be sitting out of the challenge that begins July 9th, but I'll be back after that one. Goals: 8 Lift days. Straightforward same goals here. 6 Walk days. One 2 mile walk, four 3 mile walks, and a 4 mile walk. 6 Yoga Days. I'll do NF Yoga Water A&B, Fire A&B, Star A and Yin. Domestic Rangering. Do Laundry, Clean Kitchen, and bathroom, and mop and vaccum once per week. I'll have the added bonus of packing up. The goal is to be mostly packed by the end of the challenge. I hope to get the kitchen and bathroom set up at the new place on the Saturday of the challenge along with my bed so I can start staying over there before the big move. Food: Still to cook paleo with only two variances per week. No bells and whistles, this is the time to focus and get stuff done. In other words:

This is me over the next challenge. I'm turning from a home owner to a nomad. I'll vagabond around the world. I'll become a traveling fictioneer. Fictioneer is my made up word for someone who writes and reads fiction. This challenge will have two stages: Before the Move First Stage of My New Life Style My goals will change enormously between the two stages, but I also expect the goals to be pretty fluid during the second part. ~*~*~*~*~*~ Introducing myself or whatever Hi! I'm Dagger or Felicia. I am a fiction writer on the verge of selling my home and living in many places of the world. I'm Swedish. The fiction I write is in English. I have two publications coming out during this challenge, two anthologies that I have stories in. Beside writing, I love reading, gaming (both console/computer, broad games and role playing), being out in nature, walking, gymnastics/calisthenics skills, crime TV-shows, and much more. My next few stops on my travels are: Costa Rica, Boston, and Sweden (yes I go back home repeatedly, especially the next few months). If anyone would like to meet me when I'm in your area, please tell me what area you are in and if there is a better way to contact you then the forum (depending on how active you are). You can easily do this in a PM. I have a list that I maintain over friends who've said they'd love to see me and I will make sure to check it anytime I travel somewhere. ~*~*~*~*~*~ Before the Move My specific to do list related to getting everything done before the move are too long to share here. Plus not that helpful to all you guys. I currently have a loose plan for the next week and a half (so rest of zero week, all of week 1 and a couple of days of week 2). The Big Day is May 2nd. That is the day at 10:00 (am) that I will sign the last contract, hand over the keys and become effectively homeless. Considering, my parents let me have stuff with them and stay with them when I'm in Sweden, I do have somewhere to stay in a pinch. Plus I have friends in many places in the world who have offered a guest room or couch if I need or when I'm in the area. The basics of what I'll do in the next week and change: Decide what to do with the rest of my stuff, basically: travel (if I'm taking it with me), charity or trash. The items that I keep with my parents have already gone with them so I can't add more to that pile. Get my financial papers in order. This is to make sure I don't have to travel home to Sweden in case I need access to specific papers and such. This means putting them in order, scanning them all in and then putting them in folders (and these will also go to my parents). Same thing with receipts as with the financial papers. Trying to sell my more expensive items that I'm not keeping. Running the last few errands related to travel such as: vaccination appointment, recycling, getting the stuff to charity. Cleaning the house right before selling. Beside this I hope to keep up with my self care which includes but isn't limited to: Meditation Tarot card readings Coaching calls with Kate Marolt Playing games Reading Taking walks Stretching Writing ~*~*~*~*~*~ First Stage of My New Life Style So this stage in some ways officially start around noon May 2nd since everything around the house sell should be finished by then. Some might however argue that it doesn't really start until May 5th when I actually leave any place I've lived before. (I will be staying with my parents between those days.) But why go into semantics? ^____^ Here are three things I hope to start on May 3rd (let us just say that): Start using this journal I bought a while ago: Nomatic Planner and Notebook. I don't know how it'll work for me or even if noting things down on paper will be useful for me, but I thought I might as well use it if I own it, right? Journal about a place every day. This might also be shared as part of my travelogue (it won't be here on the forums, if I actually start this online I'll give you guys a link), but mostly this is a practice to build skills for my fiction writing. I'll be writing down what my five senses notice once per day. Movement every day. I want this to be beyond the walks I know I'll take. Stretching and more. I don't want to say more because then I probably won't do it, but when I get it started (almost wrote if) I can tell you all. Of course, I will also still be doing my self care. Same activities as in part 1 of this challenge. However, my coaching calls with Kate will have ended by then (I only signed up for four). That is the only change though. One thing I'll definitely take up more seriously is the weekly mission I get from Kate (another program of hers that doesn't seem to have officially launched yet). On Tuesdays I'll start the mission (I receive it on Monday, but since I'm in a very different time zone from her, it might not arrive until late afternoon or evening in Europe time) if it is daily and if it is once I'll schedule a time for it. So those are the basic goals of this second part, but I mentioned fluidity and that is because on May 6 a retreat with Kate Marolt and Amy Clover (stronginsideout.com) starts in Costa Rica, and I will be there. So during that week long retreat, I will go with the flow of the retreat. I already know movement and self care will happen as a part of the retreat. The journaling goal might or might not happen. My goals for the retreat is basically two fold: 1) Go with an open mind and no expectations. Live in the movement. 2) Give myself space to transform metamorphose into the new version of me that has the whole world as her home. Anything not in service of that will not happen during that week. [Between here I have a couple of days of integration of what happened at the retreat while staying in Costa Rica. Basically I will pamper myself at a good hotel right beside the beach. Thereby getting a lot of thinking time and also staring at the ocean time.] The second time I'll definitely need fluidity is when I visit Boston and stay with our wonderful @Severine. She and I will also meet up with @fleaball. And then on the last day of the challenge (which will be May 21 for me since I do Monday-Sunday challenges), I will land back in Sweden for about a week before going to Italy. ~*~*~*~*~*~ So that is basically what my challenge will be. During the first part I will report my success or failure with accomplishing what I set out to do that day. I will probably also discuss what I've been doing because I like to talk. During the second part I will report on my three new initiatives (tracking on paper, journaling, and movement). Plus talk about anything else that comes to mind. Also realize that during the retreat and my visit in Boston, my internet time will probably be limited (mostly because of choice). A lot will happen during the second part and one of those things I'll be doing is finding new balances for thing such as how much time I spend on the forum. There are many things that will have to adjust and it might just get somewhat painful. Also to calm curiosity and keep my family informed of where I am and how I'm doing, I will have to find a balance of reporting that. Probably some combo of facebook, instagram and my blog. Anyone interested in following me there, please PM me and I'll give you all links. I'm a little too free talking here to want people to easily find my talking here by a simple google search, lol.

Nothing super fancy this time around; plenty of life stressors already in work seemingly moments after I have just gotten back and still moving into my new place after deployment and now prepping for a PCS. PT test next week, with about another month of "normalness" before SHTF and I go full PCS/moving priority. I will be making 3 sessions of Crossfit per week as I normally do and cooking/prepping my own lunches as well. Biggest goals coming around are submitting and getting the VA Home Loan approved, finding an affordable range I can afford in BAH for the Principal, Interest, Property Taxes, Homeowner's Insurance, and some portion of the utilities so I can have more disposable income based on my prior promotion base pay rate (yay more disposable income for retirement savings!); finding a house that fits into the Home Loan affordability, moving in at the end of May and also need to complete my Mustang Cosplay prior to traveling, so by then end of next month as well. tl;dr Goal 1: Get VA Loan Goal 2: Buy House Goal 3: Complete Mustang costuming Probably won't be posting to often...because life >.>

Thanks to Tank, this challenge has a loose theme built around moving and changing. And Madagascar, though I've never *gasp* actually seen the whole movie. I have, however, seen the song referenced I'm sure there will be more of these. Ok. So ... since I'm moving in 20 days, this challenge is going to be all about change. Again. I feel like change is all I ever freaking do lately (or at least for the past year - first blowing up my life to take a coding bootcamp, then the fallout of that, and now I'm moving boroughs - life has not been status-quo for quite awhile now). And with this change, knowing myself, I need to focus on a few things: 1. Be nice to myself. Change freaks me out. 2. Be nice, but not *too* nice lest we subsist off of pizza & hoagies for weeks in the new place. 3. Allow myself to not freak out about shit during this move. It's okay. It's all for fun. Life is long and all that. Goals this cycle are a rollover from last - shoving new things into the mix now when life is getting ready to be flipped upside down yet again is a recipe for disaster. As a refresher: Goal 1: Work Out However this happens, it happens. I'm still aiming for an hour-long yoga class 2x a week - 1 hot; 1 not. As it's been, Wednesday is not-hot yoga - Friday is hot yoga. My not-hot yoga instructor is leaving any day to have a human, so this may or may not throw an additional monkey wrench into my plans. Also: move week I'm not forcing myself to find a class if I can't handle life. Goal 2: Macros I've been mostly keto for the past few months, and am sticking to that. It's working well for me. I need to remember during move week that I feel like absolute shit if I go off the rails (especially if I then eat way too much). This is going to be tricky to remember in the face of new delivery options. Goal 3: Job Stuff The ultimate goal is to find a full-time one. In the meantime ... Continue teaching 2x a week (and figure out if I'll have the opportunity to continue in future classes - plus when those will be). Continue my 5x a week CSS coding exercises until that challenge ends. Pick my Daily JavaScript challenge thing back up when CSS ends. Dedicate 5 - 10 hours a week (aim for 10) to writing copy for my old boss. Continue to do a nominal amount of work for the free company until we launch and/or start making money. Ideally, start on the Version 2 revamp. Continue to submit 10 applications a week and go on any interviews that garners. Attempt to add some weeknight networking meetups in place of Wednesday night yoga (and move Wednesday night yoga to another time) after teacher has bounced. Goal 4: Minimize Move day is the 27th. Until then, pack and minimize. Minimize and pack. When in doubt, throw it out.

My life turned upside down this December. My boyfriend of four years got a job three hours away from where we lived at the time. In two weeks we moved him to a new apartment in the new city. I stayed behind to look for a job. It took me almost two months but I will start working at a University on February 27. At the same time I was looking for work I was applying to schools for my master's degree. Last week I learned that I was accepted. Things are finally coming together and are no longer so chaotic. All of these things are amazing and I am very excited; but the path getting to this point has been hard on my body, mind, and soul. I have not been sleeping well, I have been lonely living apart from the man I love, and I have been under a tremendous amount of stress. I noticed that over the last two months I had lost weight but I had not expected the number that popped up on the scale when I finally did weighed myself. I had lost ten pounds. I am a very thin person anyway so this realization freaked me out a little. I have reached many of my goals recently, but my overall health has suffered. With things settling down soon I want to establish a routine that includes a regular sleep schedule, healthy meal planning, and fitness regimen. What I want to do is take a yoga class. I am a person who experiences high stress/anxiety/energy. For the most part I think that it makes me a stronger, more productive person, but it definitely has its negatives. I think yoga will help me to calm down and bring balance to my mental and physical well-being.

Last challenged started with me starting a new job, having some areas of life running smoothly as far as nutrition and learning to live in this RV...and wondering if I should bother with a challenge...since there were only 3 (now down to 2!) left this year, and they encompass my birthday, thanksgiving, Christmas, etc...I'm just going to take the rest of the year to get everything in place to knock 2017 out of the park! (I work for a minor league baseball team, you can expect more bad puns like this...) Yep, still planning on doing this!! Immediate goal is to pay off/down debt...when my wife was 'restructured' this year it was a huge challenge to find the money to move and keep up with the bills, we both have student loans that are affecting our debt/credit ratio that we need to address, I would also like to pay off the vehicles early since having two car payments is a struggle right now. The progress on this is going better than expected... I've made my other goals more specific as I've noticed some issues (I)nvigorate - my movement and strength training goal, aiming for 5 days a week (Joined a gym, will be going a minimum of 5 days a week, when I am on break I plan on working on more of a weights, etc, routine...for now I'll work on getting my endurance back...never thought I'd be so glad to see a treadmill! LOL) (V)ariety - social goal, aiming for getting out and doing something 'fun' once a week (this needs no adjusting...I'm almost overbooked!) (Y)in and Yang - Work on life balance - get enough sleep, leave work on time (when not required to stay) no bailing on events I say I'm going to (unless financial) (Sleep is still an issue...work tries to throw me out unless it's an event night LOL) I don't do nutrition goals anymore because honestly, I don't need to...I plan menus and my shopping list for the week and stick to it, with my current cash flow situation I've had no choice...I know how crappy it makes me feel when I cheat and it's not worth it... I enjoy power walking, kettlebells, and yoga...I don't like stressing over getting a certain number of these in a week so as long as there is something done five days a week I'm okay with that...I'm just trying not to gain right now, I'll work on losing in the future, it's not a focus right now...I'm trying to stay sane And on to the next Last challenge of 2016!!