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T2sarahconnor is preparing herself for Judgement Day. She has learned many things at NF that will be helpful when the attack from Skynet comes. She has seen a glimpse of the future and needs to prepare herself, mind and body, to be strong and resilient in order to deal with what comes at her. Obstacles have been thrown into her path and she takes on the challenge with success but her over all training has suffered with no consistency in weight loss. T2sarah has thought about the fight she has over the next six weeks and realizes planning is the key to her success. She is writing these goals as actionable steps and will measure herself to these goals daily and recap weekly. Her friends here at NF will hold her accountable to her goals as she does not want to let them down. Main Quest-- Lose weight and gain strength. Goals Nutrition----+2 CON and +1WIS 90% Paleo. No gluten at all this challenge with the exception of one cheat item a week. The only non Paleo allowed is rice and potatoes, butter and hard cheeses. These will be in small amounts. I will keep the carbs in check by logging on MFP daily. Carbs should be under 100g daily. Will adjust this goal if needed after collecting data from MFP. I have also gotten off track drinking enough water. My diet soda intake is still only 1 can a week if that. I drink 1 large cup of coffee in the morning but no artificial sugar anymore. I have made great strides in this area but in my original challenge I drank 3 liters a day and could really tell a difference. Scoring---3 pts a day for 90% Paleo, 1 pt for 3 liters of water a day, and 1 pt for tracking on MFP daily. 5pts/day. 35pts/week. 210pts/challenge 210-189=A. 188-168=B. 167-147=C Bonus points for any 100% Paleo day, bonus points for keeping total carbs under 50g, minus a point for any cheat item over 1/week. Exercise----BBWW on MWF +2 STR 20 minutes cardio on T and TH +2STA Walk for 2.0 miles 3 x weekly +1STA Extra stretching 10 min daily +1DEX 15pts/week. 90pts/challenge 90-81=A. 80-72=B. 71-63=C Bonus points for functional fitness and doing challenges on my Striiv pedometer. Body/Mind +2 CHA +1DEX Failed at my take 10 min meditation last challenge. I do take a few minutes before bed to relax and do nothing and it works for me. This challenge I want to try yoga again. Goal is yoga 2x week. When I do it you think of nothing but how your body feels and breathing. Also I am reading some Eastern Philosophy books that I picked up. To combat the " underpants gnomes" (http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2012/04/05/underpants-gnomes/) which I am so guilty of, I will try 2 new things each week and share. I will continue to do my am/pm routine which my skin really loves! 11pts/week. 66pts/challenge 66-59=A. 58-53=B. 52-46=C Bonus points for spa days and for reading for pleasure. Life Goal. +1 WIS +1 CHA For those of you following my hum drum life you know that the basement had been finished and furniture has been delivered from my newly emptied storage space. All but a few boxes have been gone through and I purged a ton of stuff at the garage sale and what didn't sell got donated. I am still working on getting the furniture cleaned up and everything put into its place. Goal is to live a clutter free life. Will probably be working on this one my whole life but I am making such strides I will continue forging ahead on this quest. My tactic has been simple. Complete one task daily towards this goal. This is of course above and beyond normal housework. I also want to make sure I stay active and start to mentor new rebels on NF. I will continue with the RPG fanatics group. I will do one other PVP challenge ( not sure which one yet) and follow at least 5 newbies that are good candidates for adventurers. 14pts/week. 84pts/challenge 84-76=A. 75--67=B. 66-59=C Bonus points for recruiting to adventurer guild, extra challenges, groups or events. Also for extra large projects for the clutter free goal. Long post but well worth it to me. Clear goals and points, all working towards ultimate goal. My motivation is to live a happier life. Love, health, family and friends. What more can you ask for. Just want to take it to the next level because I deserve it.

Soon after the Band of Brothers' encounter with the Medusa, they explored the cave further and came across a strange room that was paved with a clear glass. As the Band explored the room, they found in the middle of the room a strange statue "Huh, that's odd, I thought after Red slayed the Medusa, that all of the people returned to normal." Blue commented. "I heard that the longer you stayed a statue, the longer it'll take to be normal." GC added. "Isn't... Isn't anyone going to help me? I'm still injured, you know!" Red cried. "Nah, you're fine!" they both replied. As they chatted, an old voice echoed in the room, "Perhaps I may be of assistance." Suddenly, the statue turned to flesh! Standing before the Band, an old Sage casts a cure spell on Red! "Oh wow! I feel a LOT better! Thank you... err... Who are you?" Red inquires. "My name is FuSoYa, I'm a Lunarian Sage." The Band looks at him puzzled. "Allow me to demonstrate." He reveals that he was standing upon a teleporter. "Here. Follow me, I have a feeling our meeting was not by chance. I have a gift for you." "So do we follow the strange old man?" "Well, let's see what this guy has to offer." "He doesn't seem like a bad old guy." Soon the Band finds themselves in a crystal palace, they stood there in awe and were mesmerized at the beauty that they were standing in. "Where are we?" "You are on the Moon." Immediately, they were filled with shock. "The-the-the Moon?!" "How is this possible?!" "W-W-WHAAAAAA?!" "Calm yourselves, yes, you are on the Moon," FuSoYa said, "I've brought you here for a purpose, I'm going to give you Lunarian teachings." "Err... Assuming you have gathered yourselves. You'll find that you're lighter than you normally are, back on Earth." In fact, You'll probably lose 10 pounds. Of course, you can also achieve this by wisely deciding to eat healthier things and drinking water more so than anything else. Lunarians can obtain +3 Wis and +2 Con with this." "Lunarians have a strong core, They can reach a 5 minute plank just by following the instructions written in the scroll here: http://30dayfitnesschallenges.com/30-day-plank-challenge/ Lunarians can get +3 Sta and +1 in Str, for it is a tedious undertaking" "Lunarians rise and fall asleep with the Moon and you shall as well. Sleeping earlier and waking earlier are essential to Lunarians. You currently don't have a set schedule, but I will make sure you sleep by 11:30 and wake up by 7:30 all exceptions are excluded of course. Lunarians gain +3 Wis from this." "What is that music? It sounds interesting" "Ahh, So you do hear it, then you shall learn it so as to remember the Song of our people. I'll only ask you to play and learn the first part of Moonlight Sonata on Piano as it is a rather difficult task for Earthlings. Lunarians easily gain +3 Wis by learning this." (Would you three come down here!?) \/

"The way we choose to see the world creates the world we see" I'm going to be keeping this challenge as simple as I can. I am up against a writing deadline, a birthday party for my soon to be 3 year old, 2 races and 3 stained glass projects all before this is over. I must remember that I have created a world for myself of my choosing. I will no longer let my health suffer because "I am too busy". With that in mind, I present to you, my challenge, in musical form: "Take your time. Think a lot. Why, think of everything you've got" - Cat Stevens - "Father and Son" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q29YR5-t3gg I'm rushing through my meditation recently. I will end that and give it the time and attention it deserves. This will be done more than the 3 days a week I've been averaging. Meditation per week: 7: A 6: B 5: C 4: D 3 or less: F "I can lead a nation with a microphone" - Flobots - "Handlebars" I noticed something last week. I really don't care about my job. I was on the phone with a customer and I really wasn't selling them on my company. I was getting an order. This bothers me a great deal. I once had a passion for sales in that I could show people that what I was talking about is important. That some things are worth the extra money spent. A job done well is better than a job done quickly. Midway through the call, I remembered that I have an amazing voice for sales. Not just the pitch and tone, but I have a way with words that borders on a talent and I am squandering it. I tapped that part of me again and I felt awake for the first time in over a year. It resulted in 2 new projects for my company. If I am to be stuck here, wasting what I know to be my valuable time, then I am going to be great at it. I will put forth effort to do create more than my minimum amount of sales for each week. I will lead this small team to glory! New sales per week over my min: 5 or more: A 4: B 3: C 1 - 2: D 0 - Failure! "Who's to say, I can't do everything? Well, I can try" - Jack Johnson - "Upside Down" I've been slacking on my unicycle practice recently. My son pointed that out to me yesterday and he's right. I've been a huge slacker. I haven't gone more than 10 feet on it. Well, by the end of the six weeks, I'll have had 3-4 parades that have gone by. Too many for me not to have been riding it. Practice, practice, practice. And! I will have to get at least one picture per week posted of me riding it or I'm dinging myself one grade. Practice per week: 4 or more: A 3: B 2: C 1: D 0: Failure! Less fitness in this as there was in the past, but this is what I need right now. As a request for all of you, I ask that you post something here every week. Doesn't have to even be words, but a picture, a gif (Bats) or anything else that has made you smile that week. I'm not saying you can't follow along if you don't, but it's much more fun when people have some skin in the game. Don't worry if it derails the thread at all (Bats) or if it doesn't fit into the current topic. I want to hear from all of you. You all make me want to be better. On Monday, we begin again.

Just seeing if anyone has fallen in love with any albums releases this year! I'd love to see what everyone is listening to for new releases. In no order, here is what I have fallen for in 2014: "Glass Boys" by Fucked Up "Photoelectric" by When Particles Collide (Great local band! Definitely check them out) "Dalliance" by Gold-Bears "M. I." by Masked Intruder "Ocean Death (EP)" by Baths "Boys" by Herzog "Singles" by Future Islands "Strange Tonight (EP)" by Stepdad Cheers!!

Do you have a creative quest among your challenge goals? Then join this ragtag, eccentric group of nerds to level up your health and fitness habits and your creativity. Sure, that's a lot of balls to juggle over the course of six weeks, but it's a lot easier and more fun when you've got buddies! YOU are invited to join The Renaissance Rebels for fitness, fun, creativity, and camaraderie! You can check out previous Renaissance Rebels challenge threads: 1, 2, 3, and 4. If it looks like fun, signup on the Cross Guild page and post a reply below to introduce yourself. We're happy to have you!

Hi everyone! I'm new to the forums. Enjoy running and strength training. I don't know about you, but I LOVE having good music to workout to. So, got any suggestions for my workout playlists? My current favorite playlist has the following: Work B*tch - Britney Spears Let's Get It Started - Black Eyed PeasApplause - Lady GagaHappy - Pharrell WilliamsMove Like Jagger - Maroon 5Stronger - Kelly ClarksonBad Romance - Lady GagaAll The Small Things - Blink 182Jai Ho - A.R. Rahman and The Pussycat Dolls Die Young - Ke$haTik Tok - Ke$haPaper Planes - M.I.A.Can't Be Tamed - Miley CyrusMy Life Would Suck Without You - Kelly ClarksonI Believe In A Thing Called Love - The DarknessSmells Like Teen Spirit - NirvanaKimdracula - DeftonesDown With The Sickness - DisturbedLiberate - DisturbedWomanizer - Britney SpearsSince U Been Gone - Kelly ClarksonLose Yourself - Eminem

This is a weird question, but does anyone work out to classical music? I don't currently, but I think my superhero alter-ego Gilgamelissa probably would. Maybe pieces like Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No 3 1st movement. Unfortunately I was never a band nerd, and I'm not at all well-versed in classical music, though I've always wanted to be. If anyone would please point me in the right direction I'd be super stoked. Thanks ahead of time

I'm not doing karate this challenge. But I am going to do this challenge right. It's going to be challenging. It's going to take effort. And it's going to be worth it. I'm going to keep this simple. No exceptions. No codicils. Just a goal to reach and a prize to obtain. LONGTERM GOAL: 6 PACK CARDIO! What: Run 100 miles Specifics: None, really. Just run 100 miles over the course of the challenge. Sprint or jog, outside or treadmill, it doesn't matter. Why: I'm signing up for a half marathon in September. A coworker told me that I have time to prepare for the Chicago Marathon in October, but I'll wait until the end of the challenge to decide if I'm crazy enough to try that. Points: 4 STA+DEX (To be adjusted based on how much sprinting/jogging I do) Motivation: Bike - My plan is to buy a nice hybrid one once I get my tax refund and have someone hold it over my head until I finish my 100 miles. STRENGTH! What: Strength training 3x per week Specifics: Circuit of jumping rope, pull ups, push ups, RPoD, and bulgarian split squats Why: I'm vain? Points: 4 STR Motivation: Kettlebell - I've wanted one for a while. If I complete this challenge, a nice new one will be mine and I can use KBGirl's tutorial to train with it next challenge. DIET! What: Lose 5 lbs (Starting weight: 154.4 lbs.) Specifics: <=2,000 kCals daily and post daily calorie count on here. Why: Abs are made in the kitchen. I'm getting somewhat close to my goal weight, so I'm not sure if I can do 5 lbs in 6 weeks, but I'm damn sure going to try. Points: 3 CON Motivation: Clothes shopping. I have very few decent and even fewer nice clothes that fit. A new suit is in line once I hit my goal weight (140), but I need some clothes to wear to semi-formal occasions like khakis where the legs aren't like twice the diameter they need to be. LIFE! What: Practice piano or violin daily Specifics: Minimum 2 minutes of playing. This should get me involved that I'll continue more often than I'll stop. Why: I know I should pick one and work more on that instrument, but I really can't decide. I plan to use this challenge to see which one I choose to work on more, since obviously that's the one I prefer to practice. Points: 5 CHA Motivation: Sheet music for the instrument of my choice. I have a little bit for both, but most of it is way out of my skill level, so this would allow me to get some stuff I might actually be able to play. I want to play mostly classical (though with some ragtime on the piano: I love Scott Jopin), so a lot is available for free online, but I would rather have something I can trust to be accurate. SIDE (NON)GOAL! What: Prepare for my trip to Germany Specifics: Apply for a passport, learn basic German Why: My company is going to fly me to Germany for a week in July to look at some equipment we're going to be installing. I need to get the passport done soon so I get it in time. I don't actually need to learn German, but languages are fun and being able to practice constantly for a week or two (I want to take a week or so of vacation and stay for extra time, since they're already paying for the flight) will be incredibly beneficial if I get a basic grounding before I leave. This isn't really a goal, just something that I'm going to be working on throughout the challenge. Motivation: Somebody else is paying for me to go to Germany. Considering I love travelling and I've never been to Europe, I really don't see what could be more motivating than that. So those are my goals for the next 6 weeks. It seems like there's a lot of them, but it looks like I'm have a decent amount of free time during the week, which will be awesome. Run | 1.5/100 | Lift | 2/3 | 0/3 | 0/3 | 0/3 | 0/3 | 0/3 | 1/18 Nom | 6/7 | 0/7 | 0/7 | 0/7 | 0/7 | 0/7 | 2/42 Play | 6/7 | 0/7 | 0/7 | 0/7 | 0/7 | 0/7 | 3/42 I'm also going to add quotes to my updates. Some will be amusing/jokes, and some will be inspiring. And some will be really long and you'll think it's going to be a joke and you'll be waiting for a punch line that never comes. Because I like to watch the world burn.

Work in Progress Storyline to be inserted here My commitment for 2014 is to participate in seven consecutive NF challenges with the following definite aim: To overcome my current limitations (physical disability, bad habits, faulty beliefs and attitudes) and attain a high level of fitness and a healthy body weight, through a strategic combination of healthy eating, targeted physical activity, and systems design. ~ My Aim is Driven by My Motivation ~ I resolve to not die with my best dreams and work still inside me For I can bring beauty, joy, and healing into the world through my art, music, and writing ~ To accomplish My Aim, I must pursue My Main Quest with drive, determination, and discipline ~ "I am as unstoppable as the Shadow Lion!" This is my new battle cry when tempted to skip training, indulge in sugary foods, or slack on my practicing... Day by day, I plan to gamify my challenge and draw inspiration from the best qualities of my hero and literary creation, Ariel ha' Cathach, the "Shadow Lion." This will be a year of modeling my fitness, health and creative pursuits on that "ranger's ranger" who's kickass fit, doesn't take "No" or "You can't" for an answer, never gives up on her main objective, and always, always, always follows her heart. She is utterly committed to her friends and family, and believes in herself and her mission. Exactly how I want to be when I grow up! To achieve my goals, I have broken everything down into SMART goals with scoring in a detailed, and rather lengthy, Plan of Action to be posted in my Battle Log. A summary of the key components follows: 1) Eat Right, Lose Weight CON-4 FOOD SUCCESS PLAN 1 ) Accountability - Log, photos, measurements. 2 ) Specific Tactics - Plan meals, try new recipes, batch cook and make ahead. 3 ) Disaster Management - Carry food with me when on the road, have some planned "free meals," go for 80/20 clean/free. I am not setting a goal that defines a certain number of pounds or percent body fat to lose this challenge. Those have not been helpful and I do not know yet how my body will react to my new crossfit regimen. Instead, I am going to trust that behavior changes will move me closer to my ultimate goals and see how far those will take me this challenge. I do have a long-term goal in mind, but will wait and gather information before considering a new deadline. 2) Become a sleek, strong, and supple ranger with lots of stamina STR-1 STA-3 DEX-1 FITNESS SUCCESS PLAN 1 ) Accountability - Log, class/coach/crossfit 2 ) Habit Reinforcement - Workouts at regular times and places, daily mobility work 3 ) Recovery - Keep to sleep schedule and get enough protein and calories overall, keep perspective and don't over load 3) Build effective, efficient, and sustainable systems to achieve my goals WIS-2 CHA-1 BASIC SYSTEMS SUCCESS PLAN 1 ) Accountability - Participate actively in the Renaissance Rebels accountabilibuddy team 
2 ) Productivity - Continue my solutions from previous challenges on a daily basis, use checklist/spreadsheet for tracking, create larger strategic framework, use various methods as needed to maintain focus and keep stress in check 3 ) Disaster Management - Create a written fallback plan with creative solutions for tough times. Front load challenge activities early in the day and the week. Fall down seven times, get back up eight. 4 ) Evaluate & Iterate - Track progress daily, evaluate progress weekly. Reward good behavior; learn from the bad. Notice what promotes good behavior - do more of that! 4) 


Level Up Life Goal(s)
 WIS-2 CHA-1 CREATIVITY SUCCESS PLAN 1) Art - Start and complete drawing for mom's birthday. 2) Craft - Finish knitting projects already started and not done (socks, shrug, pillow). Post progress pics. 3) Music - 
Practice regularly (still determining amount and pieces). Complete the goal started challenge-before-last: Learn one new (or complete one "half-done but abandoned") song per instrument and have each memorized and performance-ready by end of challenge. The songs don't have to be long or terribly advanced repertoire, but they do have to engage my interest and be something that would be pleasing to an audience. Guitar, Harp, Violin, Piano, Voice (may double with one of the other instruments). 
Share with accountabilibuddies. 4) Writing - WRITE. Write a lot. Write at least 20 minutes a day, 6 days per week, even if crazy busy, tired, don't feel like it, blocked, yada, yada, yada. Then write some more. Preferably on the novel, but personal journal counts, too. Write 18,000 words by the end of the challenge.
 The specific, measurable steps that correspond to the above goals and objectives (as detailed in my Battle Log) will be graded with the standard A, B, C, D, or F system using the usual percentages.

It's a New Year and a New Reality! We are the Renaissance Rebels and YOU are invited to join us in making 2014 a year of fitness, fun, creativity, and camaraderie! Do you have a creative quest among your challenge goals? Then join this ragtag, eccentric group of nerds and level up your health and fitness habits and your creativity. Sure, that's a lot of balls to juggle over the course of six weeks, but it's a lot easier and more fun when you've got buddies! This is the Renaissance Rebels third challenge. You can check out our previous challenge threads here and here. If it looks like fun, signup on the Cross Guild page and post a reply below to introduce yourself. We're happy to have you!

Hey everyone! This will be my second challenge, but my first was a bit of a wash unfortunately so hopefully this one goes better! My goals this challenge will be more based around keeping habits than actually getting to a specific place in my health/fitness journey so all I have to do is keep doing what I'm doing. I couldn't wait for the challenge to start forming new habits so this will be an accountability exercise more than anything else. I'm so glad I've got you guys to cheer me on! I was with the Scouts my first time around but I want to focus on a more rounded fitness journey so I thought I'd poke around here with the Rangers and see what this is all about. Thanks for being around. GOAL ONE: The Vegan Challenge I've been vegetarian for eight years now and I really feel like it's time to up the challenge, diet wise. This is mainly a moral/ethical choice for me but I'm also interested to see how it will affect my health. It took me a while when I first became vegetarian to be healthy and disciplined and so I've decided to step it up. So, my goal: to be vegan for six weeks and see how it affects my health/weight/wellbeing. GOAL TWO: The Documentation Challenge Because I'm working out quite a bit, I feel it may be a challenge to get enough (healthy) calories being vegan so this is my challenge to write down everything I eat and figure out if I'm eating enough and what I need to eat more of. I'll also be writing down my workouts. GOAL THREE: The Running Challenge I've just purchased the Rebel Running and Strength Guides and I'd like to sign up for a 15 km charity run in March. I've been running on and off for the past few years so this is me stepping it up (once again) and getting back into the swing of running regularly. The last time I was training for a fun run I mostly neglected strength work and I fell off the wagon pretty soon after the race so hopefully this time I'll stick to my guns and be more disciplined. I'll be following the Rebel Running guide, using the bodyweight workouts from the Strength guide for my gym days. GOAL FOUR: [LIFE] The Guitar Challenge I like knowing how to do things, but I'm often too impatient to learn how to do them. I just started getting guitar lessons from a friend of mine and I want to challenge myself to practise every day, even if it's just for five minutes. Apparently it takes just 20 hours of dedicated work to learn how to do something on a basic, just-for-fun level, and that's where I want to get with guitar.

Do you write, paint, draw, play an instrument, sing, create yummy dishes, throw pottery, dance, act, sew, craft, do something else creative or combine some of the above? Rangers aren't just jacks-of-all-trades in fitness. A lot of us carry that trait over into our more creative work and play, too, either as "Renaissance" men and women when we create and succeed, or alternately as dabblers, dilettantes, and dreamers when we don't follow through on our projects. Let's inspire and encourage each other on to Leonardesque greatness in our fitness and our creative goals!

We are the Renaissance Rebels... We're having a Creative Revolution and you're invited! Do you have a creative quest among your challenge goals? Then join this ragtag, eccentric group of nerds and level up your health and fitness habits and your creativity. Sure, that's a lot of balls to juggle over the course of six weeks, but it's a lot easier and more fun when you've got buddies! This is the Renaissance Rebels second challenge. You can check out last challenge's thread here and if it looks like fun, signup on the Cross Guild page and post a reply below to introduce yourself. We're happy to have you! Let's rock this challenge together! daggart - prepare to a half-marathon Devyn - WTF Is A Kender, Anyway? Gobnait - Gobnait keeps a log. IronGlider - IronGlider's Bodyware & OS - Challenge 1 Jakkals - Jakkals se kaskenades laurabzz - Tiny Beautiful Things Lt_Laurel - Becoming the Shadow Lion MolecularMachine - Attack on Self-Loathing rowan - RADIO ROWAN: TRUE GRIT RukimiRC - Rukimi's Road to Warrior Princess twitchii - First step to findng my inner Laura Croft vibrantnotions - Winter is Coming - Stocking Up Wollio - Wollio and the Battle of the Willpower Wastelands

It is still dark when I awake. I slip out of bed, already dressed, and gather up the things that I laid out the night before. I put on the warm cap and jacket, and stuff a cloth bag in my pocket, then sneak downstairs to the kitchen. I am in luck. Most of the preparations for tonight's celebration were finished yesterday and no one is in the kitchen yet. So I stuff a couple of biscuits and several slices of meat into my bag and exit out the back door that opens onto the kitchen garden without having to make up any stories about where I am going or what I am doing. All is quiet as I pass around the back of the armory and the two buildings where my mother's students live. I am so excited at what today will hold! I have waited almost a year and a half for it, ever since I saw my older sister receive her training sword the day she turned seven. Today it will be my turn and I intend to be ready. My Main Quest: Become as unstoppable as the heroine in my novel! (The gory details of the following can be found in my Battle Log.) 1) Build effective, efficient, and sustainable systems WIS-2 CHA-1 To achieve my Main Quest and Life Quest Goals, I will follow the Plan of Action as detailed in my Battle Log. The Plan addresses these areas with specific, measurable actions: A ) "Basic Systems," the Foundational Success Plan B ) "Eat Well," the Food Success Plan C ) "Train Hard," Fitness Success Plan 2) Lose 12 pounds and 6% BF CON-4 3) Become a sleek, strong, and supple ranger with lots of stamina STR-4 DEX-1 To achieve this goal, I will use a mix of mobility, strength, and endurance exercises: 3 x 1 minute planks, 30 sec rest interval 5 regular pushups 1 exercise band assisted pullup 2 x 25 bw squats 2 x 10 bw lunges per side Complete Tai Chi form (24 movement) and saber form memorized 15 minute mile on level ground, no pack weight 4 ) Creativity Quest WIS-2 CHA-1 

 ART/CRAFT
 - Knit a pair of socks 

MUSIC
 - Complete the the repertoire goal started last challenge and share with accountabilibuddies. WRITING - Write 18,000 words All of the above goals will be graded with the standard A, B, C, D, or F system using the usual percentages. EDIT 0823 11/17/2013 - Removed previous challenge gamification storyline in anticipation of inserting new material. EDIT 1530 11/17/2013 - Changed Topic Title from "Lt_Laurel - Becoming One of ha'Cathach's Rangers" to "Lt_Laurel: Becoming the Shadow Lion, Episode 1 - Earning My Sword" EDIT 0039 11/19/2013 - Added first part of new storyline to head of topic post.

My long-term goal is still to be awesome, as defined several months ago. Continuing with my quest, I still have several issues that keep coming up, so will address them this round, hopefully making some better habits. Physical Goals Eat low-carb. I define low-carb as anything below 100g of carbs per day, with 60g per day as the target to allow some overshoot. My goal is 100%, but I will count it good if I do it 80% of the time. I have been doing better lately, but not there yet. +2 STA, +2 CON, +1 CHR Work at learning a handstand. My long-term goals include a headstand, but handstands are more impressive. Steve just posted an article on how to gently pull it off. I will practice for 5min per day during the challenge. With any luck, I should be able to do it by the challenge end, since my major problem is dizziness inverted, not strength. +2 DEX, +2 STA Start tracking my workouts again. I used to track repetitions and weight, but my old PDA died and I have yet to find another app to do it well. I have a shiny android phone with a nice display (Nexus 4). I will find an app and start using it. +2 STRLife Quest I love playing my mandolin and violin, but don't do it enough to stay sharp. I will practice music for thirty minutes at least three times per week. Goal is five to seven times per week, but life has been a bit too complicated lately to make this realistic. +2 WIS, +2 CHR

Yay, new DBL for Evicious! So the Army is now sending me back to Korea for a year. I had been notified that I would be deploying to AFG to take the place of a piece of shit warrant officer who should never have deployed in the first place another member of my unit who was returned for no fucking reason other than the fact that he's a piece of shit minor medical reasons. I was all spun up, packed up, and ready to go, only to end up waiting on orders for the next few weeks that never came. I learned later that was because orders had already been cut to send me back to Korea before the unit tried pulling me to AFG. I'd honestly rather have gone to AFG, too. My first duty station was in Korea, and while I adored the food (KIMCHI!!!!!!!!) and my unit there was... alright... I was really hoping to spend any other time overseas in different locations, rather than revisiting places I'd already been. Also, I can't take my fiance' with me and the timing is seriously screwing up my wedding plans. Obviously I'll make the most of it though. I'm definitely looking forward to the food (KIMCHI!!!!!!!) and I'm making it a goal to spend at least one day every weekend hiking one (of Korea's numerous) mountain trails that will be available to me. Depending on what position I end up filling in the unit, I may also attempt to complete some basic college courses while I'm there (much like I had anticipated doing when I found out I wasn't on the initial deployment roster here in LA). Who knows? I anticipate many open evenings and weekends, since I won't have my man there to keep me busy, and I want/need to stay busy and productive. A lot of what I am and am not able to do will depend on where on the peninsula I end up being stationed. Hopefully, I won't have to fight for every little thing and I can just roll through the year until it's time for me to come home. So that being said, here is what I will be using this DBL for: Tracking my weight Tracking my workouts Tracking my progress in other goals Random babblings

Hey guys! I was wondering if you had any tracks you could recommend that would fit into the Tabata Training times. I've googled about it and the only options I've found that are cool are from Itunes and I'm kind of broke right now Thanks!!!

Hey there! I figured I wanted to get a bit more involved (and I realise that a battle log isn't the best way to do *that* but it might help me to remind me to check the forum, and participate ). For food I think it's important I don't obsess too much (hence the 'keep it simple'). I'll post my weekly meal plans and comment on food when I have something more to say on it. Exercise-wise I aim for at least 3 solid work outs a week, so I'll track those. Other than that I cycle to work every day (15 minutes each way) and if I don't have to work I cycle to the stores, city centre, church etc. Other interests which might pop up are scripture reading (reading 15 minutes/day was my goal during the last challenge, I try to keep it up), reading (in general, fiction and non-fiction. My goal for the year is 50 books, I'm currently at 47) and music (I play the harp and ocarina, focussing on the harp lately. I try to play a little bit every day (didn't play for about 2 years, need to get back into it). So... Let's start! Meal plan for this week (And because it's the first post: Last week ) My workouts are always over at Dailymile (see signature). This week I didn't do a lot just yet But it's in-between challenges, so I'm taking a rest-ish week. I'm going to do a BW workout today, and I plan on doing one more (or going for a run, depending on the weather) this weekend. Which will bring my 'official' workout count to 2 for the week. I also did some handstand practice (anyone else get achy eyes when upside down? ) and went for a walk on Tuesday.

Main Quest This will be my third challenge on my "year to awesome" quest. I have made some progress toward the physical goals, more toward the life work goals. I have been very consistent about getting old projects done, furniture fixed and refinished, etc, but have still been neglecting my music a bit too much. My main area of work this challenge is getting my body fat percentage down. Short Term Quest Keep carb consumption down to 100g per day or less, subject to 80/20 rule. STA +2 CON +3 Drop an inch or more of waist size (currently 36.1"). CHA +2 Work on headstands at least four times per week. I still get dizzy when I try them and I need to get over this. STR +2 DEX +2Life Quest Publish some music, somewhere, and let this community know where. I currently have several projects in the works that could qualify for this. WIS +2 CHA +2

My Motivation: I resolve to not die with my dreams still inside me For I can bring beauty, joy, and healing into the world through my art, music, and writing My Epic Quest of Awesomeness To Bring Out the Best That is Inside Me To succeed in this I must conquer my Fears and Bad Habits I must be HEALTHY, FIT, FOCUSED, and PRODUCTIVE I MUST BECOME UNSTOPPABLE My Main Quest: BECOME AS UNSTOPPABLE as the heroine in my novel! She's a kickass fit ranger who doesn't take "No" or "You can't" for an answer, never gives up on her main objective, and always, always, always follows her heart. So, first things first. (She keeps her priorities straight, she does.) Over the next six challenges, I will get in the best shape of my life through healthy eating, lifting heavy things, moving around A LOT, and creating routines that support my quest. My first three missions are very similar to my second challenge as they're still the best fit for my Main Quest. I have updated my Life Quest to reflect my relatively better performance in that part of the last challenge, plus some new developments. 1) Eat for health and performance Continue to clean up my diet and maintain at least a 80/20 paleo-primal to Standard American Diet (SAD) split. I will maintain my compliance and momentum on this in the following ways: a ) Increase the variety of meals that I eat by preparing one new recipe per week and planning my menus and shopping ahead for the week so as to maximize variety. b ) Minimize failures (due to my taking the easy way out and eating bad foods when life gets in the way of my aspirations) by having some fast and easy snacks and meals prepared and ready to go at all times. c ) Allow for a certain amount of social and emotional eating by building in some limited cheating, to be fully enjoyed without guilt or remorse. d ) Keep a detailed food journal to ensure I'm meeting these sub-goals. Weigh weekly; take measurements at beginning, mid-point, and end; take photos at beginning and end. Aim to lose 6 pounds and 3% BF. STR-1 STA-1 CON-2 CHA-1 2) Become a sleek, strong, and supple ranger with lots of stamina a ) Do a daily mobility workout of at least 10 minutes a day, six days per week. New focus area - working on posture and back/neck flexibility and alignment. b ) Strength training at least 2x per week using primarily body-weight exercises and modified cross-fit style workouts. More than that - BONUS POINTS! Each additional workout earns $5.00 towards videos and music. (Hmmm, or maybe a new wardrobe a few challenges hence?) c ) Move! Walk, bike (stationary or otherwise - just move!), dance and/or do tai chi for a minimum of 30 minutes per session, at least 3 days per week. More than that - BONUS POINTS! Each additional 30 minutes earns $5.00 towards videos and music. STR-2 DEX-2 STA-1 3) Build good, simple, and sustainable systems to support the above goals a ) Participate actively in an accountabilibuddy team. Aim to contribute at least 7 posts per week. Limit thread following to a manageable number. b ) Get enough recovery - a minimum of at least 4 hours uninterrupted sleep, and at least 6 hours sleep per night, plus naps as needed. Track this in journal, too. c ) Learn from last challenge's "challenges" and create fallback plans and advance creative solutions for those days when I'm crazy busy, feel crummy mentally or physically, or "life happens" and causes my willpower to falter or my time to be limited. Whenever possible, do challenge activities early in the day and the week - front load - so as to have some reserve if I get crunched later on. d ) Create spreadsheet/tracking system for this challenge's many goal components. Experiment with Kanban board, mindmapping, and app solutions the first two weeks of challenge, put system into place during third week, and maintain for the remainder. STR-1 DEX-1 WIS-1 Level Up Life Goal(s) Ah, yes, I am definitely a ranger, a jack of all trades. I've been a musician/teacher, artist, firefighter/EMT, multimedia software developer... despite all that I've been told all of my life about the value of specialization! ART a ) Complete my two portrait commissions by end of challenge. (Due date of Nov. 1, 2013) b ) Update personal business card, logo, and web avatar c ) Design and create guitar society logo Bonus Points - Create portrait of one of my novel's characters. Post for NF enjoyment. MUSIC a ) Learn one new (or complete one "half-done but abandoned") song per instrument and have each memorized and performance-ready by end of challenge. The songs don't have to be long or terribly advanced repertoire, but they do have to engage my interest and be something that would be pleasing to an audience. Guitar, Harp, Violin, Piano, Voice (may double with one of the other instruments). Bonus points if a piece is an original composition. b ) Review and revise lesson policies, mission statement, other business docs, in light of the new realities of being a traveling teacher and working with co-op studio. c ) Progress, however small, on music method and associated game. Consider outsourcing game development. Bonus Points - Record one or more of my new songs and post for NF enjoyment. WRITING a ) Finish outlining the series - Is it three novels, or four? Do I go with the one that is almost done first, or change the order? b ) Get information on self-publishing and building an audience; keep working with my mentor. c ) Most important of all - WRITE. Write a lot. Write at least 20 minutes a day, 6 days per week, even if crazy busy, tired, don't feel like it, blocked, yada, yada, yada. Then write some more. Write 30,000 words by the end of the challenge. Bonus Points - Post an excerpt for NF enjoyment. Done 9/22 WIS-2 CHA-1 All of the above goals will be graded with the standard A, B, C, D, or F system using the usual percentages. I feel good about all of my goals except the eating clean. I've been so bad the last few weeks, I'm not sure I can do it. This is where I get to choose to be like my hero, or not...

So, I've started rebelling in this community for just under 2 weeks now, and (like most people) love working out to music. I was writing this list for another user, when I realized I would love to know what everyone's been listening to... There's got to be a thread here about it, but I can't find any, so I decided to make a new one! Here are some of the tracks this week that I've been listing to! (TIP: Try to post the youtube link, following brackets of reasons why you like the track. Why? Curiosity, my friend, curiosity... :-) Here's mine! http://www.youtube.c...h?v=nTEIsrBJJRM (Great active track) http://www.youtube.c...h?v=o92cbKpfPu4 (Gets me pumped!) http://www.youtube.c...h?v=R9Fi0JMAMSU (Great to wake up to) http://www.youtube.c...h?v=Zx1_6F-nCaw (A classic imo) http://www.youtube.c...h?v=ZQksmI8kFbA (Euro-love) http://www.youtube.c...h?v=83_CoukIAi4 (Indie love) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5Z2Eo7__kI (Gets me in the mood) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-b1Q8wwREo (The geek in me likes this track! :-D ) I'll make future posts with other music I'm listening to if this is a popular thread! Get posting people! :-)

I didn't see this posted anywhere else on NF and I'm not sure how well known these are, but... I friggin love them, they're pretty nerdy, and a new one just came out the other day. Enjoy! (I don't know how to embed video, but the new one is called "MONSTERS OF THE COSMOS".)

Main Quest This will be my third challenge on my "year to awesome" quest. I have made some progress toward the physical goals, more toward the life work goals. I have been very consistent about getting old projects done, furniture fixed and refinished, etc, but have still been neglecting my music a bit too much. My main area of work this challenge is getting my body fat percentage down. Short Term Quest Keep carb consumption down to 100g per day or less, subject to 80/20 rule. STA +2 CON +3 Drop an inch or more of waist size (currently 36.1"). CHA +2 Work on headstands at least four times per week. I still get dizzy when I try them and I need to get over this. STR +2 DEX +2Life Quest Publish some music, somewhere, and let this community know where. I currently have several projects in the works that could qualify for this. WIS +2 CHA +2

Followers of Eilistraee express their worship through song and dance. Over the next few moons, my quest is to learn the bardic arts. Me singing Pippin's Song from LOTR - https://soundcloud.com/darkelfsong The Bardic Trail Charisma Ask people one thing about themselves in every non-work conversation, and also where possible/appropriate at workGive energetic positive response in reply to 'how are you?' - Practice this at home!Eliminate self-deprecating phrases from speech ("I don't know much about", "I'm not an expert on"...)Keep up work on eliminating vocal fillers (umm, err)Notice if I start sounding like a victim/whining when speaking Music Complete as much of Music Digital Production course as suits me (ideally all of it)Get piano tunedLearn music for LOTR tunes to recordGoal will be scored by: - completing upto and including week 3 of online course - having achieved piano tuning - having learned the songs for Twilight & Shadows and Evenstar Zing Walk with purpose & energyMaintain posture (straight back & head up) while walkingDo 'zing role-playing challenge' - for 2 weeks, aim to live zingily and document my findings regularly (aim: 1ce/day) Life Quest Evening Routine Put things away upon arrival & process any queued tasks (e.g. mail, washing)Attempt to get a net completion of 1 to-do task on the list per dayUndertake bedroom routine 9.15-9.30, assuming meal has been finished by 8.15, if later then undertake routine save for teeth cleaningWind-down routine from 9.30 onwards - includes floor exercises:- wall-sits - back stretches - planks etc Goal will be scored on: - # nights I do bathroom routine on time - # todo’s completed - 1 action on list per day (not net to-dos) - # nights I do floor exercises before bed Diet/Fitness Quest Nourishment Eliminate sugary snacks (dried fruit ok)Don't snack at home before dinnerEliminate the post-dinner snackGet weight back down below 57kg (scales currently hovering around 58.3 kg)

After having several challenges under my belt, I have had beat into my thick head that I really can't do more than a couple of things at once and keep up with life. I have too many plates up in the air. So I am going to make this challenge very simple: Long Term Goal: Make a low-carb / primal diet a deeply ingrained habit. This will enable and boost almost everything I do, since it will give me more energy, help my fitness level, and speed my thoughts. Health Related I will stop eating excess sugar and starches. This means less than 100g of carbohydrates per day. STR +1 DEX +2 STA +2 CON +3 WIS +1 I will decrease my waist size by at least an inch, stretch goal two inches. I am currently at 37". CHR +2Life Related I will trade playing video games for singing/playing/recording/writing music. I have a large number of music related projects I need to get done. CHR +2 WIS +2Just to give a bit more accountability, I will buy the video game of their choice for each of my sons if I do not get at least a B in all items. Since they are somewhat addicted to video games, I really do not want to do this. This will get my "year to awesome" going in the right direction. Diet is the key to everything. I accidentally originally posted this in the last challenge thread a couple of days ago. My two day summary so far: Two days and I have managed almost perfect execution. I substituted a glass of water or a couple of nuts for my sugar urges, and that has seemed to work. Substituting music for video games has also been good. As the Power of Habit says, to override a habit, you need to replace it with a stronger one. So far, so good. I spent the last two nights cleaning up a set of Renaissance dances I digitized from a couple of old vinyl records. I burned them to CDs for the car and created FLACs to use at work. The recording I did last year for my family helped make it easier. I know the software (Audacity) a lot better. I still need to photograph the album covers for reference. It was kind of late last night when I finished. My plan for today is to pick another thing off my big hit list I generated last challenge and start getting it done, after I finish the album covers.