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Well, here we are! I'm officially in the Assassins now! This is my second challenge and I'm really looking forward to it. Last time, I had a lot of successes, a few failures, and at least one major milestone. I worked on some pretty simple, straightforward goals, kind of building a foundation for later adventures. This time I'm going for something bigger and more exciting. I'm going to do my best to continue my goals from last challenge but my main focus is different. I've wanted to become skilled at parkour ever since I first tried it several years ago, but then my wrist troubles started and I couldn't work on it for ages. Now that my wrists are a bit better and I'm much stronger than I was before I think it's high-time I get back in the game. Overall Goal: In a nutshell, I want to be a ninja IRL. That is easier said than done, especially when you have an ongoing wrist tendinitis/tendinosis situation. I want to take direct steps toward that goal, including building strength, improving flexibility, finding ways of dealing with boredom, and getting bionic wrists. No, seriously, if anyone knows where one can get bionic wrist replacements please let me know. My specific challenge goals are: Goal #1: Practice a parkour technique at least once per strength workout (which I will be doing 3x per week), and work on at least two different techniques per week. Goal #2: Do eccentric exercise for my wrists 4-7 times per week and continue learning about tendon injuries and how to help them heal, hopefully to see some improvement by the end of the challenge. Goal #3: Do light exercise at least once per week on an off day, including either parkour practice or flexibility/mobility exercises for my notoriously tight hamstrings. I will also be working on some more general goals, such as: Getting back into cooking and making more veggie-based meals, especially from interesting recipes from unusual cuisines I don't often get to have. Continuing to learn new exercises for my workouts and find activities to help myself deal with boredom so I won't feel like I have to resort to snacking. Reboot the creative part of my brain which has basically gone into hibernation since my wrists went bad to avoid the awful experience of having a huge inspiration and being unable to pursue it or do anything with it. I'm still fairly limited in the amount of drawing/writing/typing I can do so I'm not sure exactly how I'll do this or how successful I can expect it to be, but I do have a little more freedom than I used to and I would really like to start feeling more like myself again. So, there you have it. The next chapter in my quest to become an action-hero ninja begins here and now! ⚔️

Greetings, fellow rebels! I'm Riviera16, writer, artist, ninja-in-training, and space/physics geek. I'm a huge fan of Star Wars, Star Trek, Doctor Who, LOTR, GOT, and many others. Currently I'm in the process of watching Babylon 5. I love cosplay and wish I could wear my costumes all the time, wherever I want, whenever I want. I play D&D 3.5e and 5e and am currently in three campaigns and am working on running one. I first heard about NerdFitness from my dad and have been reading emails/articles for a while but only now am actually getting on the forum. This is my first challenge and I'm excited to see where I can go over these next few weeks. But first, a little bit about how I got here. The Backstory: I started following NerdFitness 2+ years ago. Back then I pretty much sat around the house 24/7 and barely did anything active (with the exception of some swimming in the warmer months). Weight hasn't been an issue for me, but muscle weakness certainly has. It had caused a number of injuries for me (an otherwise healthy older teen/young adult) and I was sick of it and decided it was high-time I do something about it. I'd known about NF for a little while at that point and had been reading the emails Steve sent out and the free workout/guide articles. They inspired me to start learning more about fitness and how to build strength. I started exercising at home, but wasn't really getting anywhere. Then my dad and I got together and joined a gym, and suddenly it was like a whole new world opened up for me. There were so many more things I could do there than at home. I did few months of personal training sessions to help myself get started, then moved on to working out on my own. Over the next year I watched as I gradually went from being barely able to do a bicep curl with a 1lb dumbell to doing 0.5 bodyweight assisted pullups. It felt great to be making progress, slowly but surely, and having new milestones to look forward to. The Latest Episode: ...Then the coronavirus hit. The gym closed and I was stuck at home. We have some basic workout equipment at home, a few dumbells and some resistance bands. It was enough for me to do a full workout, but with far more limited options than I was used to. In other words, it got boring fast. I'm the sort of person who craves newness and excitement and I can't stand excessive repetition and monotony. One of the things I like most about the gym was the wide variety of exercises you can do. Doing something different every time I worked out was part of what made it fun for me. Without that, workouts became a chore and it became harder and harder to actually get myself to do them. I've looked for new things to incorporate into my workouts and have had some luck, but only some. I'm still trying to find ways to make my workouts more interesting, but in the meantime I know if I want to stay on track I need something more than interest to get me through. Having come such a long way already I really don't want to lose momentum or set myself back. I know from experience that I need accountability in a situation like this or sooner or later I start slipping. So, I decided taking on a challenge like this would be a great way to stay on target! My Main Quest at this point is to keep building strength with the hopes of one day doing full bodyweight pullups, over 1x bodyweight barbell squats, and (more importantly) learning/doing parkour and/or martial arts (All while avoiding more injuries, because injuries suck.). Basically, I want to be a butt-kicking ninja action hero in real life. My specific goals for this challenge are: Do a strength workout 3x per week. Do a lighter workout at least 1x per week (yoga, jogging outside, late night dance party, etc.) Learn 1 new exercise every week and do it in a workout. I'll be focusing on achieving these goals over these next few weeks, but if I'm inspired I might try a little more. Who knows? I'll keep track of what I've done in follow-up posts and I look forward to seeing where these coming weeks take me.

Hello world! I'm Riviera16. I'm 19, she/her, and have been homeschooled most of my life. I've been following NerdFitness for several years and am excited to finally be officially joining the community! I'm generally a pretty creative person, though my hobbies are pretty varied. I love writing, drawing (including comics), 3D computer animation (though I've only done a little), fashion/costume design, and doing stage combat (how actors in movies do fight scenes), just to name a few. If I had three wishes, they would be 1) world peace and an end to suffering, 2) magic powers that let me bring the stories and ideas I have in my head into real life instantly, and 3) ...saving the last wish for if something goes wrong and someone really needs it. One day, I want to live in Hawaii because I can't stand the cold but love summer weather, beaches, swimming in the ocean, good seafood, and the possibility of working at a radio observatory. When it comes to fandoms, I'm really into fantasy and sci-fi. I particularly enjoy watching sci-fi shows and movies and thinking about how the science behind them works- or doesn't. Which isn't that surprising, given I'm also a huge space/physics geek. I tend to like just about any type action-adventure movies or shows, from Marvel to RWBY (That being said, I do have a certain leaning toward dystopian fiction...). I don't think I can pick a single #1 fandom, but some of my all-time favorites include Star Wars, Star Trek, Doctor Who, The Expanse, Lord of the Rings, & Game of Thrones. I also play D&D 3.5e and 5e and am currently playing in three different campaigns and helping run one more. When I first started working out over a year ago I was dealing with a number of unexplained joint injuries that simply refused to heal. It didn't make any sense, especially considering I'm an otherwise healthy older teen/young adult. We tested for all kinds of autoimmune conditions or underlying issues but got nothing. Eventually, with the help of some physical therapy and a personal trainer at the gym I joined it became clear the problem was coming from certain muscles being weaker than their neighbors or just all the muscles in a given area needing strengthening. I began working on strength training and as time passed things slowly got better. I've made a fair bit of progress since I first set out on this journey but I know I still have a ways to go. My fitness goal, in a nutshell, is to be a ninja action hero in real life. At the moment I'm focusing on strength training with a mix of bodyweight and weight-lifting exercises. I hope to keep building strength while eventually moving into learning parkour and martial arts and possibly even getting back into dance (I did ballet for many years when I was younger but stopped when things became too drill-focused; I never picked it up again and frankly still miss it.). Meanwhile, I look forward to being able to track my progress as I part of the rebellion and getting to meet some fellow rebels! My challenge: https://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/116492-battle-against-boredom/

So I've been working on me every single day. Decided to upgrade my training to a ninja gym- Gripz Gym. It's a new gym opened only for about 1.5 months. I think I broke myself but leveled up my skills: Accuracy 1+ Coordination 1+ Balance 1+ Strength 3+ Power 2+ Dexterity 1+ Here's what it looked like: I highly recommend going to a ninja gym in your area if you're training for ANW but haven't started a backyard course. The rigs were well placed and designed to push you past what's on TV. It's a great starting point. Now I'm on a mission to build something in my buddy's backyard since mine is nonexistent ;D. I'll keep you guys updated on my progress. If you're into ANW, any tips, suggestions, feedback are welcomed. I'm still on level one but I'm my worst critic.