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I love the movie Princess and The Frog, and the character Tianna Tianna's dream was to own a restaurant. She knew that in order to reach her dream, she would have to work hard. Work hard goals 1) Make a master list of things I would like to accomplish this challenge 2) Each week;write out a small list of things I want to complete that week; 3) Each day; write out a list of things to do that day Reward: Weekly 80% completed on tasks earns .5 points on Constitution Work Hard Strength Goals 1) At the end of the challenge I will like to be able to clean and press the 30 # bell 3 times. Right now I can c&p it 1 time To achieve this goal, my plan is to follow the Enter The Kettlebell program, cleaning and pressing the 25# kettlebell 2) At the end of the challenge, I would like to level up on my L-sit. To do this I need to do 2 sets of 5 L-sits, with good form. To achieve this goal, I will work through the exercises in the NF L-sit tutorial Reward; 1 point for strength if I lift the 30# bell 2 times, 2 points if I lift it 3 times (with good form) 2 points for flexibility if I level up on the L-sit Prince Naveen; Tianna needed Naveen to remind her to stop, play and take time to enjoy the goodness of life. Summer is a nice slower pace. I want to take time and enjoy life.Sometimes I need to schedule it in. So , I'm going to make a point of having some of my lists be play things. Other times, I will just use my freetime to play a bit Tianna loves to cook.I do to. Yesterday,I made some dairy free strawberry ice cream, that was amazing. I want to play around a bit with ice cream recipes this summer and find some favorites Geocaching! I've gotten away from weaving , so that would be nice to happen Reading,and laying in the sun reading= heaven having my friends over for scrapbooking Other stuff: Going to be doing more yard work. Also, big project this challenge is finishing the bedroom redo. Going on walks. Not trying to lose weight. Not going to even try to be particularly concerned with the weight. Trying to come at it from a positive mindset. Eating veggies, some carbs, and a good amount of protein makes me feel better. Also keeping up with the water And adding in some magic, hopefully I will accomplish my goal Quest goals to be done by challenge end invite friends for scrapbooking party paint trim get 80% of guest bedroom list completed clean deck trim rhododendrons if time start getting rid of ivy Week 1 quests paint trim help with wedding reception look at closet organizers -forgot about this. bonus- if time trim rhodies a bit 2nd week goals look at closet organizer find a place to geocache for next Monday clean deck week 3 repeat week 2 quests Week 4 closet organizer- in progress email friends scrapbook list for backyard projects

This challenge is all about.... life after the kettlebell sport world championship. So while I'll be talking about that a lot, the main thing I want to do during this challenge is enjoying the freedom of not having an important competition to prep for! That means it's time to do some serious strength training AND lots of play I'm choosing a journaling theme because I want to reflect, practice my writing, practice sharing AND I'm just really enjoying my bullet journal.. it's been a bit life changing, so I want to share about that a bit too perhaps. Goals: 1. Journaling reflect on experiences at and leading up to this worlds share things about / from my bullet journal and why it's so good for me 2. Training keep track plan (and lift) a serious strength training cycle do something playful/different every week, chase some skills or other shinies (suggestions for this are VERY welcome!) 3. Finish my online course While it's all very interesting the video's I have to watch are SOOO dry and I already know a lot of this stuff which makes it really hard to concentrate and to find the motivation for it- but I want to finish this within this challenge.

so more or less in time this time! this challenge will be done on 4 different fun activities 1: Poi 2: Juggling 3: Contact Juggling 4: Handbalancing. The plan is to shoot progress videos on the different things following each sunday, if everything goes as planned .

So time to try again. As I figured out a lot of times before I need to keep this simple in the start. so Week 1 is a warmup and then its a 3 week challenge 1: Successful defend the thesis so I can get my bachelor of physiotherapy. 2: be active in here at least 3out of 7 days pr week in the assassin guild 3: sort and upload at least 5 india pictures pr week in the last 3 weeks of this challenge 4: Hangdstand - accumulate 5 minutes each of hanging and handstanding every day for the remaining of this challenge. @@mu ill try to make you proud

I was going to sit this one out, because I don't have anything in particular that I am targeting right now. All of my major goals are in the "keep doing what I'm already doing" category. I'm hitting cals and macros pretty consistently, lifting a la Starting Strength 3x/week, meditating, drinking water, don't currently have any compelling reason to change any of that. But I have some space right now in my life to add a little nonsense, so I am going to stay and play for a bit in Wonderland, just because I can. Two goals. Simple. Ride the Bandersnatch I go to the gym on Mon, Wed, and Fri mornings. Okay, great. What am I doing the other four days of the week? Nuthin'. So keeping this in the realm of the realistic, because I am over 50 and recovery time is a thing, I want to shoot for doing something physical at least 10 minutes a day. Lifting up weighty things is the only thing I've ever been consistent with, so I like to say it's the only thing I like. But there are so many ways to play, and I have time in small chunks through the day to just move about in the world more and differently. Things that will count include but are not limited to: practicing basic Irish step dancing moves learned from YouTube (before I commit to spending money to buy this) hitting big tire with sledgehammer doing all or part of a yoga, pilates, or other video (either YouTube, e.g. Yoga with Adriene, or some of the many DVDs I've bought and not used over the years, like Core Fusion) playing with grandminion (counts if my heart rate elevates >110 as measured by Apple Watch) heavy gardening (there has to be a shovel or some earth-moving tool involved, idly trimming stalks off a rosemary bush won't make the grade) taking a long (at least 1 mile) brisk walk around the campus during my lunch break stopping by the gym after work on the way home to push the Prowler pull-ups stuff: e.g. bar hangs, assisted pulls. I always say I'm going to do this, and I never do it, and I don't know why. Make a Hat I have a million art/craft/writing projects that I could be working on, instead of coming home every night and laying on the sofa and surfing the internet until it's time to make dinner and go to bed. Why don't I? I love making stuff. And Steve's article yesterday about what to do when you're overwhelmed/stuck reminded me that I am always happier when I am creating something (#7). So, goal = spend at least two 30 minute blocks of time per week Making. Maker things that I can do that will count towards this (others may arise): decoupage some of the outlet/switch covers for the Hobbit Hole work on the Alice drawing for HH Work on chalkboard art for church Write/outline/character sketch on any of the myriad novels that live in my head that I never touch outside of November/NaNoWriMo I always do better if I bribe myself have a loot reward planned, so if I can hit 25 out of 28 days of fun, intentional movement, and 7 of 8 Maker-time blocks, I'm buying myself a new pair of Rothys. Ride the Bandersnatch: 0/28 Make a Hat: 0/8

Building onto my January Challenge, here goes Lucky Fire Dragon Shifting Shape Part 2 Observing myself in week Zero (and probably it started way before) I noticed, I've become a bit too serious in my life again and as serious often equals stiff - how can I possibly shift shape this way?! Time to lighten up a bit again So I decided to take a more pleasant approach and what is the most pleasing 5 letter word? Exactly!!! So this will be my approach for the February/March Challenge. I won't cry at the same problem twice although I might laugh at the same joke twice and as worrying is truly pointless, I will rather choose to Soup or salad a well nourished body is a happy body is a fit body - eat moar veggies is the goal here. Current level of salad intake approx 0, current level of veggie soups maybe 1/week, not good enough! Get those nutrients and have either salad or soup or at least something veggie in raw every day Hoping this will reduce cravings for too many carbs or sugar. I've managed to get down from 70kg to fluctuating between 68 and 69kg, would love to have a 67 showing a few times now Monkey time Get strong: Daily 10 (chin ups from tip toe, push ups, knee tucks from hanging) will continue. Will aim for full push ups again even if it means spreading the 10 out over the whole day Get nimble: go to the flipping yoga classes! They do me good, I pay for monthly membership, I must GO! Take part in 6 classes over the course of the challenge Simply play: dangle from pull up bar or rings or hoop or roll on floor attempting flows or goof around pole, the goal is simply to move and have fun without serious expectations, maybe this will get me at it more often? Inspiration Receiving and sharing inspirations: Reading something inspiring every day, even if it's just two sentences. Currently I am reading "Big Magic" by Elizabeth Gilbert, "The Secret Language of the Heart" by Barry Goldstein and I have other books waiting that I know will make me want to jump up and work in a good way, yet I often forget to actually read them Keep up meditation, maybe create a tailored mix of the Dr Joe ones that contain the pineal gland breathing as well as tuning into new potentials.... Keep writing for my meditation book, also I have a silent retreat coming up that I'd like to prepare as best as I can and in March I am teaching a workshop for energy healing which I haven't done in years and want to do very different to back then, so will need to draft a whole new script and everything. 4TW will hopefully see me busy Laugh and love Spend time with my dear ones and make them laugh or at least crack a smile every day. They do laugh often as is, of course, but it's a fun goal to remind me to lighten up myself and it will also make me extra aware of their cheerful moments, which I want to soak up simply because Embrace whatever comes along. Be kind to myself and others as best as I can. Don't worry too much and not cry over the same problem twice. Rather take a deep breath, give myself or whoever needs a hug and tell myself "I got this" That's it, folks. Should be fun

I skipped last round of the challenge because... well, because. The previous challenge I had participated in, I had accepted that I'd be using crutches for at least another year (I already had nearly 9 months under my belt - plus two months from ACL surgery). Then I met a magic chiropractor the same day I had met with a surgeon to schedule foot reconstruction. The chiropractor made some tweaks and adjustments. If my leg hadn't been so atrophied from not being used I think I could've walked out of his office without crutches. However, I walked 2 miles two days later with my crutches slung over my shoulder on the return trip. It has been six weeks and I have very little pain (the pain is from days when I overdo things). My biggest problem now is holding myself back because I'm super excited to return to normal. I'm not exactly sure what happened. What exactly the chiropractor did so that I could walk without pain and swelling? His reply was I had damaged a part of my brain from a climbing accident I had 20 years ago and he was helping my brain remember that I had a left leg. It's a similar rehab used for people who have strokes. So with the second chance, I want to make sure that I live with more intentionality. That is what this round is about. I plan to: - Continue rebuilding my body. I'm currently doing an upper workout with dumbbells, pilates with a lower workout (I'm allowed to do 3 sets of 3-5 squats and lunges), something cardio (I can walk, bike, or run 40 minutes per day), yoga sessions on the floor or in a chair, and chair cardio. I don't have a set schedule but I'm trying to do weights a minimum of two times a week. Right now I base my exercise on how I feel pain-wise. I push my limits. - Remove pounds. Since my visit to the magic chiropractor, I have removed 5 pounds. I have 25 to go to return to my weight before my first ACL surgery. I don't want my weight to be my focus, but I can't ignore that it's a tangible goal I'm working on. I'd like to keep the trend of removing half a pound to one pound per week. My target weight is one that I felt the best at when I was in great shape (about four years ago). The goal for the end of the challenge is to be 2-4 pounds lighter. - Be intentional. My hubby and I had one of those arguments where we weren't fighting about the issue that triggered lost tempers but something deeper. Truth spilled out and I realized that I have to stop putting others' needs before my own. Putting myself last makes me a tough person to live with. With that in mind, mornings are mine to work at my novel or freelance writing projects, to read, to paint, to draw, to workout, to do whatever I want for me. The afternoons are for teaching my teens, working with clients, running family members around, doing errands, catching up with extended family members, preparing meals, etc. My intentional me time needs to happen 4-5 mornings a week. - Push my comfort zone. I got cozy in the life I created. I hadn't realized it until I faced losing another year to eighteen months to recovering from a surgery that didn't have guarantees of fixing the problem. There are so many things I hadn't done yet that I really wanted to do. Yes, they can be done with knee scooters and crutches but it becomes much harder. So with intention, my comfort zone needs to grow. Here are the things I plan to have done by the end of the challenge: Meet a stranger for coffee. Fill out Submit the paperwork for my family to get our passports. Reconnect with a long lost friend. (They aren't really lost, I just haven't spoken to a few of them for a year or more.) Fill out and submit my application for the church band. This one freaks me out because I want to sing for the band and I've haven't sung in front of people since I was 12 years-old. Pay cash for everything. (This will help accelerate the funds we're setting aside for our mega road trip to the Southwesterly states - NB, CO, UT, NV, CA, AZ, NM, and KS.) I haven't decided how frequently I want to post updates on the forum. I'm thinking I should try for at least 3 times a week. I've noticed when I don't check in regularly I feel disconnected from everyone. And, of course, I want to follow everyone more regularly too.

I am a loon in a dino suit and leotard. I AM A PRODUCT OF ALL OF MY ACTIVITIES AND CHOICES, and by golly there are plenty. I lift, I do gymnastics, I technically have access to bouldering and rock climbing but rarely partake BUT COULD, I ruck, I reluctantly run sometimes, I bake, I drink, I dance, I socialize probably too much. I do all of these things and all of these things have an impact on who I am and what kinds of physical performances my meat sack I call a body will be able to achieve. I am going to make the choice to focus on the following in the next 4-5 weeks because I want my meat suit to be able to do well in a 12 mile obstacle course race in May and I've heard tell it's smart to train for your goals. 1. Endurance Conditioning 2x per week 2. Anti-gravity Pull-ups or chin-ups 2x per week 3. Joy Play 2x per week, can take the form of yoga flows, arm balancing, handstand work, splits training, or other interesting human body engagement 4. ...Wisdom? Something Important at Least Spend <$200 at restaurants and cafes (Not including travel for Nationals)

Destiny Island Zone 1 (February 15 - 28) Core Objectives Explore the Zone - Run 7 Miles Keep the HP Up - Drink 56 Healing Potions (16 oz water bottles) Get to the Healing Ports - Spend 104 Hours Relaxing in a Healing Port (Bed / Equivalent) Kill the Heartless: Hit 1000 minions and 10 mini-bosses with my Keyblade (Mini-Bosses are difficult responsible things to do, minions are words written on my work projects.) How I Play Every Challenge, I'm going to post a new topic, talking about the Zone that I'm in. Each Zone revolves around a few core objectives - each specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely, measured in the frame of four weeks. But it is not held within the temporal bounds of those four weeks. Nor do these topics - and the number of challenge-coinciding topics I've completed - decide when I Level Up. (They do In fact, I don't really "Level Up" at all. My Weapon Leveling happens however fast it happens, and is based on a completely different system, detailed in the following section. Back to these Zones. So for instance! This first challenge is measured for the exact two remaining weeks. My intention is to walk 0.5 miles a day... but it's an average, not a hit and miss. So, 0.5 miles average for 14 days is 7 miles. So my Destiny Island (Walk-to-Mordor) objective is 7 miles. If I hit 7 miles, 56 healing potions, 104 hours of Healing Ports, and 1400 words on projects on the intended measured day of the 28th (a breakdown of 0.5 miles, 64 oz, 8 hours, and 100 words a day) then, perfect! I begin the next Zone on the first day of the new Challenge Sector. If I hit 7 miles before the others have reached their Zone 1 objective, I can start moving into the Zone 2 correlating objective. If I hit 7 miles, 56 potions, 104 hours, and 1400 words each before the 28th, then I'll open my Zone 2 challenge in this thread, and re-announce my Zone 2 challenge and progress there-in when I start my new Challenge Thread on the 29th. And if I haven't completed all of them when the 28th ends? Then I open my new challenge as a continuation of Zone 1, until the point when I move into Zone 2. No such thing as failure. Only progress. My Weapons The following are statements I desire to be true - some of which are partly or even completely true! But each aspect is something that makes me excited to think about it. I will not be leveling up. Each of these interests will be leveling up, separately, as they gain experience points. Athletic Skills (My body is confident in...) - Partner Dance - Spirit Dance - Aikido React (in response to tantrums or thoughtless physicality, in physical play, in grounding ease) - Aikido Fall / Land / Roll - Use of a Bo Staff - Gymnastics - Original Play / Lion Cub Wrestling - Zumba Dance - Passion Running - QM (Quadrupedal Movement) - Hunt / Free-Fly Nature Parkour Knowledge Domains (I know a lot about...) - Gamification Psychology - Developmental Psychology - Motivational Psychology - Childhood Education / Psychology - Community Building Games - Ancient Civilization Myths, Gods, Creatures, and Stories - Zumba Choreography (The Set) - Performance Choreography - The Musical/Princess Disney Movies (Details, Lyrics/Lines, etc.) - Neurochemicals - Psychological / Neurochemical Mis-wiring and Re-organizing Craft Skills (I'm very good at making...) - Personal, Relatable, Performable, and Catchy Songs (Original Songwriting) - Parodies (Parody Songwriting) - YouTube Videos - New Dress Designs (Dress Design) - Dresses (Sewing / Fabric Handling) - Original Games (Game Invention) - Italian Food - A Variation of Soups - Royal Breakfasts - Holiday Meals - Beauty War-Paint Masterpieces Presence Skills (I have a cultivated talent for...) - Emotional Aikido Separation - Impassioned Connection - Courage of Visibility - Motivational Speaking - Networking - Piano Performance - Guitar Performance - Jazz Singing - Show Singing - Holiday Carols / Chorale Singing Communication Skills (I can speak...) - Spanish - ASL - French - Chinese - Japanese - Italian - Upper Class (English) - Thespian (English) - Millennial (English) - Child (English) - Play Language - Directing - Group Coordination and Organization - Large Group Activity-Direction and Management Self Care Experience (I am capable and knowledgable about...) - Self-Comfort - Supportive Structure - Environmental Psychology & Interior Design - A.D.H.D. - Habit Psychology and - Sex (Safety and Knowledge) Bridge Domains (I can talk about my specialties in their relation to...) - Classic Science - Hank Stuff (Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Meteorology, etc.) - Human Understanding - John Stuff (Literature, History, Sociology, Philosophy, etc.) - Current Events (News, Politics and Goverment, Current Situations, etc.) - Economics The above is the only section that I am NOT excited to learn about - but I am contently interested to learn about and definitely value having those weapons in my belt.

So I have soft goals of getting the house clean enough to really live in and limiting screen time. Right now, I'm spending all of my time uselessly wandering the internet because I can't stand being here, but the feeling intensifies after I've been somewhere and come back. Some of the decluttering and organizing is up to hubby, so I'm not going for a firm milestone in progress. What I do want to do is really documenting how much effort I'm putting into what I can do and post it on tumblr. Password is: ilovenerds The old stuff really shows how the house has been worse. The text part of my check-in will be here. A rough guideline is that I should snap pics of the kitchen and any other room I plan to work on in the morning, and again when I'm finished cleaning. I think every room downstairs should get at least one snapshot a week. (Skipping the bedroom and the bathroom since there's no space to really get messy besides a few stray blankets.) The upstairs only needs to be documented if I'm working on it or manage to build the "fun" area. For the limiting screen time, I'm talking about not sitting down at the computer, especially before breakfast or getting something done. I can use my tablet to grab morning pictures, my phone to get the tv going, and the kindle if I'm up for reading. Otherwise, there's really only one thing that's important enough to turn my screen on first thing, and I haven't been writing lately.

Two goals. The first is to account for every day with housework, food, and play. The second is to check my master list of things I should be doing instead of futzing away on the internet. Master list of things I should be doing: Misc Routines:Know what's for dinnerGroomed and dressed (Earrings today?)Do artWrite down art and writing ideasCheck on the busywork preparationsHousework Laundry put away Tables cleared KitchenPut dishwasher on dirty, run if fullCutting boards cleanKnives cleanLarge pan and lid cleanCounters wipedSink drains clearedPlayOrigami and paper starsCross-stitchColoring pagesWooden blocksPhysical puzzlesBoard game solitaire (Tsuro, Quirkle, or Dominoes)Play preparation, have these things ready and waiting for fussy moments.Cross-stitch projects chosen and aida cloth cut to sizeOrigami paper and star strips already cutColoring book pages photocopiedArt

I decided to use a positive topic this time, so let's see if reality conforms to it by the end. "Gobnait is competent" Since my goal of making the house comfortable relies on hubby's help, I'm going to focus on what I can do to keep things from going to heck. I think part of that is to focus on fun instead of frustration. If I get into a kitchen-rut again, I may go on a cooking strike. By November 2, I should have a list of "Things I should be doing" that is hanging up instead of hidden away online. The kitchen list that is already on my fridge, once I write "Know what's for dinner" on it, is good enough to count. But I would rather get a bulletin board set up. I think I should consider "have adventures weekly" with some sort of instant reward if I manage it, but I'm not sure what will really have an impact. I want to have busy-activities ready and actually say that I used them and replaced them. I don't want to say I hung out online for all of my down-time. I think that I should keep an at-least weekly photo blog with how the house looks. Morning and evening for days where I might have done something significant.

I want to play kids games again. I used to rock at hide and seek because no one looks up. :-) What kind of games did you play? Are there any groups that get to gether just to play? I've only ever seen adults playing orginized sports with equipment and tons of rules.

I just copy-pasted my tags from last challenge. This challenge I think should be about end result and reporting my progress every day. The future keeps changing... one week, we're not going to be here next xmas, the next we're stuck in this area for life.

The town of Metroville, grateful for having once again been saved from destruction in the hands of evil villains, wanted a special way to honor Elastigirl . The town’s mayor created a game with Elastigirl as the heroine. Game play allows the player to take on the role of Elastigirl therefore . In order to win the game, the player will have to accomplish many feats. This will require tenaciousness and determination. The evil foes- Shiny Object Distraction, It’s Too Hard and You’ll Never Make it- will be constantly throwing their weapons. But, if the player sticks with the game long enough, they will be able to eventually win the trophy and Unleash the Power of Tenacity. I have been working on the main quest of this goal for 2 challenges. I decided that I needed to tap into my tenacity in order to keep me motivated to stick with it another challenge. I have broken the big goal down into many smaller goals. I may (most likely) not reach the Final level by this challenge, but I will get closer. After this challenge, I may switch gears, for a little bit, and do a different workout. But then I will return and keep working. I will keep working at this until all levels are complete. The Power of Tenacity:game objective : Swing 44# lb KB 100 in 5 min: 5 reps, each side,35# TGU in 10 minutes Level 1 : 35# 100 one handed swing 6 min- badge Level complete! Level 2: 35# 100 one handed swings in 5 min-badge and unlock prize-Yoga socks-Level Complete! Level 3: 30# 5 reps TGU in 10 minutes-badge and prize unlocked-lacross balLevel complete! l Level 4: Beserker Round- 30# 5 reps TGU in 10 minutes, 1 minutes rest and 35# 100one handed swing 5 minutes- Beast trophy and prize unlocked- starry night socks Level 5: 3 full 35# TGU-badge Level 6: 5 full 35# TGU- badge and unlock prize-yoga stretching band Level 7: 5 full 35# TGU reps in 10 minutes badge and unlock prize-juggling balls Level 8: 44# 100 one hand swings 8 minutes-badge Level 9: 44# 100 hand swings 5 min-badge and prize-TBD Final Level-35# 5 reps TGU in 10 minutes, 1 minute rest and 44# 100 one handed swing in 5 minutes-Tshirt: Game Win badge *Due to nature of game play, some higher levels of one kind (swings or TGU) may be reached before another. This is allowed by the rules. In order to win the final Level all prior levels must be complete. A unique feature of this game is its frequent reminders to the player of the importance of tenacity. During game play, motivational quotes will often flash on the screen. The player can then hurl them at the villains who are trying to throw the player off the path. The Power of Tenacity (challenge goals) Quest 1:Strength: Workout 4 x a week The workout I will be following is Pavel’s Simple and Sinister. It consists of two exercises; the swing and the Turkish Get-Up. I will also be using this program to help me level up on my swings http://rdellatraining.com/blog Quest 2 Fuel: Maintain strength by eating healthy food. Track food 4x a week. Make sure I am getting enough calories and hitting my potassium goals * eat healthy all the time, but this game play is set on easy, so player only needs to track 4 days of the week, though at least 4 of those days need to be weekends Life goals When she is not busy saving the town of Metroville, Elasitigirl is trying to make sure the Incredible's home is a comfy place to retreat to after a hard day fighting villians. Now that she has painted her dining room chairs, she will complete the project by buying new chair cushions. Morning Routine: It's a busy life, managing a home and fighting villains. This is why Elastigirl is working on building consistency in her morning routine. This goal is familiar, but she wants to keep at it tenaciously until it become routine. Read Bible, walk, kitchen chores. After two of these are done, she can set the timer for 20-30 minutes and check her computer. After the timer goes off, she will finish the other task and workout. Goal is to do this routine at least 4 x a week. Side goal: Remember to enjoy the game. The workout can become a bit monotonous. This can be combated by having some side adventures. There should be time some days to play around with animal flows, skills stuff, balance stuff, whatever Elastigirl thinks sounds fun. This is allowable and even encouraged, as long as the workout is completed.

I was going to sit this challenge out because we were supposed to be on a space-a flight to England by now, and my internet access was spotty last time I went. Instead, in another shining example of my husband's command's abusively neglectful disregard for his welfare, they told him that he didn't need any paperwork to leave the country, then at the last minute they tell him that it takes a month to go through all the paperwork. They told him it was his fault, and they washed their hands of him because he's not at the school anymore (vacationing between commands.) We're loosing a very expensive commercial return-trip, and it was money we didn't like to spend in the first place. The thing that's stopping me from going without him is that I would have to buy a commercial flight because I can't fly nearly-free without him. I got a little bit depressed and overwhelmed by the house last time he was deployed, but he also never really recovered. His ship kept increasing the amount of stress with the amount of work he needed to do, the random schedule, just using him up so much that what time he did get off wasn't enough. It would have been better for me if he wasn't there at all instead of having to take care of him when he didn't have any energy to interact. He was almost returning to normal during Christmas break, but then they started using him up so hard that having a vacation between the ship and the school was needed but denied. Also when I started panicking and being convinced that they were trying to kill him, they just casually dismissed that there was a problem. He's fairly stoic about it most of the time, but he's been dragging home stress and not being there for me for over a year and it's been wearing me down. The only thing I can do to express my frustration and anger is to say "It's not your fault" because he knows and he's helpless about what his commands do to him. Also my gradual fear of driving and inability to cope fed the problem. (The traffic here scares me, but mostly I was scared of having a panic attack while driving, which mostly would have been brought on by the fear of having a panic attack.) I also hated driving because we only have one car and his schedule isn't predictable. I told him to find me something that runs better than it looks so I won't have so much anxiety about some nut-job hitting me. I'll be checking in every once in a while, but probably not much. First I'm going to go visit my mother so that hubby can have solitude, and hopefully it will break the stress-cycle. Then in return for me painting her baseboards and a few other chores, she's going to talk me through the problems caused by my hoarding and help me get my house so that I can keep it presentable and ready for play with an easy routine. Right now, I'd have to move a bunch of stuff that doesn't have homes off of the table just to do a small puzzle. I still haven't been able to find the box that I put my cross-stitch stuff in. I stopped cooking because I got sick of cleaning the kitchen and cycling the dishwasher every single day, and then not being able to do anything fun because the rest of the house was a blocked-up mess. Hopefully I'll be ready to have a goal like "play with legos or something every day" and have it not be a chore by the time the next challenge starts.

It's said I run like a stubborn tide, Unstoppable, untamed and wild, But a brave face isn't brave I've learned, And as I searched for wisdom I remembered your words, You told me "sing for the wind my love, fear not for tomorrow, Cos love's the journey of a lifetime, and where you finish isn't where you start" So tomorrow doesn't worry me, And though the path be untravelled at least I'm free, To be great not just to be, That's what your wise old words taught me. You told me "sing for the wind my love, fear not for tomorrow, Cos love's the journey of a lifetime, and where you finish isn't where you start" Last time on the Rebellion... I spent my last challenge challenging my fears. The darkness within loves to taunt me with my worst fears. Fear of not being good enough, being enough for those I love. Fear of the unknown. Fear of losing those I cherish the most. Not being able to start a family. Fear of attempting things that stretch my comfort zone. And I kicked that fear to the curb. I am feeling better than I have in a long time. The difference between where I am emotionally and mentally is night and day compared to when I started with the Rebellion. You guys are awesome, thank you so much for all your support! I have proved to myself and the darkness within that I am a strong woman. Strong in body, spirit, mind and soul. Let's go be unstoppable, untamed and wild! Time for an update in my motivation.... Motivation I will face each day with an open heart, be adventurous in all the ways that piqued my curiosity, have specific long-term goals, and practice kindness and compassion towards myself. I will meet myself where I am with love, compassion, and without judgement. I will celebrate the smallest of successes and be gentle with myself if I fail, focusing instead on learning what works for me. I am a unstoppable, untamed and wild force of nature when I go through life with all of my mind, body and soul. Main Quest Building strength, calm, harmony, and restoration of my heart, body, soul, and mind. - Time for a main quest update. For now, I am going to let this stand until I finish thinking about an update. Challenge Quests I'm focusing on getting lean this challenge. I have lost a fair bit of body fat (36% to high 20's) since September according to the Navy method. I would really like to lean down some more to be able to do some of the awesome bodyweight moves I'm working on easier. All my challenge goals will support this overall goal. I choose 25% as a metric for this challenge, because I think its doable and I like numbers.However, I'm awarding stat points based on effort not total loss. If I'm doing the things I've set out to do, the rest will come. Challenge Aims Physical: Decrease my BF to 25% and lose 190 lbs http://www.precisionnutrition.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/pn-calorie-control-women-771x1024.png Quest One: Unstoppable I've done some work cleaning up my diet over the last couple months that have had awesome results. This challenge, I'm going to focus on portion control and eating only when I am hungry. This is my way of loving my body and being mindful that food is fuel. The method below is a guide, which I can adapt as needed to respect where my body is at on a daily basis. Week 1 - Record the number of times I stop eating when I am no longer hungry. Week 2 - Quest 2: Untamed I have been terrible at tracking things and keeping up with how things are going towards the end of my challenge. Time to add a tracking goal! I know some people have lovely spreadsheets but I tend to go ooooo shiny then forget about the spreadsheet part way. Going to complete a daily log on paper to build a tracking habit. Weekly items to track: - Weight - Waist measurement - Hip measurement - Neck measurement - Photo - Weekly update posted Daily tracking - Physio done? - Pain levels - Workouts - Sleep quality - Food intake - Other? Acquisition: >20 days tracked Consolidation: 20-30 days tracked Refinement: >30-40 days tracked Bonus quest: If I post a weekly update for every 6 weeks, I will buy myself a treasure item!! (TBD) Quest 3: Wild My mental health has drastically improved from my last challenge. My physical health is being challenged currently by a fibro flare up and some ongoing chronic pain issues. I would really like to have more time to myself in the morning, building towards a better morning routine. My keystone habit is going to be to wake up >60 minutes before I have to be out the door in the morning. This will create space for other habits I want to add later (fasted cardio, yoga, meditation) but I need to create the habit of leaving time for this first. Once I'm up, I can't go back to bed!! (I'm bad for this). Acquisition: >20 days awake 60 minutes before leaving time Consolidation: 20-30 days awake 60 minutes before leaving time Refinement: >30-40 days awake 60 minutes before leaving time

So today is the first day of the rest of my -I hate that quote. So I learned a lot from my previous challenge. I learned that maybe just maybe, I wasn't eating enough. It's still funny, I think, that I can't just stop eating completely and the fat go away. It almost feels logical- food = fat so less food = no fat. But the science behind it makes that completely false. I started eating more to lose weight, I started walking and continuing my body weight workouts. The ONLY thing I changed was the started walking and the amount of calories I consumed. I went from 267 to 261. I had energy up the wazoo. Could it be that I found my miracle? Possibly. I found an old journal from when I lost weight the first time. I didn't have a cell phone then, so no MFP to go off of. But I talked a lot about eating and didn't include calories. I DID however include that I was "so damn full" -to quote myself- and maybe that's one reason why I lost so quickly and felt better. So this challenge I'm going to do 2 new things. 1. Walk. I used to walk practically every day. Rain, cold, sun I was out walking. 15 minutes on my break is what I did around the parking lot. Back then I was in an apartment and I didn't even do any workouts at all except that and occasionally dance central 2. I may lower my lifting to twice a week, and go back to dancing Friday nights to DC3 (they need to make a damn sequel already). 2. Eat to feel full. I hate eating. It fills me with anguish and frustration that I even deserve to eat considering I'm a fatty. I hate eating in public for this reason. But I have learned that I have to eat. It's apparently necessary. So even though I feel terrible for doing it, I've increased my calorie intake to 1900 and I'm going to try to meet that every day. I'm still going to keep my carbs low, not ketogenic low, but around 50, and see where that gets me. The last thing I'm going to do isn't new, really, but I'm going to include other things with it. at the beginning of the year I said I was going to start doing things just for me. To quit sitting in my chair feeling like crap and hiding because I'm fat. I'm going to be 35 if I make it to that point this year and while I know I have issues with the fact that I'm no longer in my 20s, I have to let that go and move on. So I'm going to do fun things. I'm going to continue to meditate 3x a week like I enjoy doing. I'm going to probably be more ritualistic about it, and incorporate some Tai Chi in the mix. I wanted to get to start my Wing chun class but the car said that he needed brakes instead so there goes that. But it's not a lost cause, just a delayed one. To round this out I'm: 1. Walk at least 3 times a week (weather permitting) 2. Lift 2-3 times a week 3. Eat more fewd 4. Relax and do more fun things That's it!

Nyxy squints full of disbelief at the ancient armadillo, Best Healer of the Low Shores. The wrinkly sage holds a small bag that reeks of poison in her paw. High quality poison, at that. "Have I crossed the Horsemen's Plains for this? A child knows not to offer poison to an assassin!" "And even a small child on the Plains knows how to cure a Curse of Werewolf!" the shriveled armadillo gniffles. "But you, werewolf! You come to me with a Curse of Human! Been a while since I've seen one of those, I almost regret curing it. But Reverse Curse gets Reverse Cure. Take the poison." "How long?" "Always. Now go be a werewolf elsewhere. It's time for my nap." Out of the healer's hide-hut, Nyxy investigates her "cure". Inside of the bag, a glowing yellow-green powder. On the outside of the bag, a yellow fish is drawn. it's unclear why. "this better works." Nyxy closes her eyes as she swallows the tiniest bit of poison. Her hair rises and her muscles tense. High quality poison indeed.

I start working full time in July. Have less than a month left to fool around and not drive myself crazy with the lack of a schedule. Not having a schedule has been hard because it's definitely thrown off my eating and workout habits. Want to keep having fun with my time off, but also don't want to feel like a slug by the end of it. Goal # 1: Food Tracking (+2 WIS, +2 CHA) * Track what & when I eat * Mindful eating (not snacking in front of TV, computer, etc) * Don't buy junk food for the house, don't go out alone for junk food Goal # 2: Daily Movement (+ 4 STA) * General unorganized stretching every day. * Move (walk, run, bike, whatever) at least 30 min every day. Doesn't have to be all at once. * Do something actively fun (play frisbee, practice archery, paint, pretty much anything where you don't realize you're moving around) Goal # 3: Organized Workouts (+2 STR, +2 DEX) Complete mix of 3 each week: * Cardio - Sprint or distance * Yoga/Stretching video - at least 30 min * Bodyweight Routine - do one of these http://neilarey.com/workouts.html and have fun with it Life Goal: Reading (+3 CHA) Finish 3 books. Obtain 1 point per book finished. * Dance of Dragons by George RR Martin * Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss * TBD I'll figure out grading later. Just wanted to get something down. Goals 2 & 3 overlap, so moving for 3 will count towards 2's requirements.

During the last 4 months of ACL rehab, my lifestyle and activities have been hugely limited and dictated by my injury. Feeling like I have a huge list of things that I have to do but take no joy in, and another long list of things I'm not permitted to do has made me feel quite depressed and helpless. So, now that I've reached the magical 12 week point in my rehab and can do a lot more activities, it's time to take back control of my life. Goal 1: Play every day Yeah, I still have to do PT every day, and I still can't do most of the fun things I love, like climbing, acrobatics, playground parkour with the kids, or handbalancing. But, it's time to find more things that I enjoy. Rather than forcing things for this goal, like requiring pull-ups 3 times per week or whatever, I'm keeping it simple. Every day, I need to do some fitness activity simply because I want to do it and will hopefully find some joy in it (and this will be a lot easier, now that I'm cleared for yoga!). I'm sick of having my exercise routine be either physical therapy stuff or boring stuff that I'm only doing to stay in shape for climbing. It's time to do things just for myself. Grade: #/42 Goal 2: Control the kitchen I'm an okay cook, meaning I have my handful of things that I can make without a problem. But, I'm a pretty timid and boring cook. I would love to reach a point where I have full control over my diet, meaning that if there's something I want to eat, I have the ability and confidence to look up a recipe and make it for myself. To gain confidence in the kitchen, the goal is to try one new recipe each week. Grade: #/6 (Thanks to Hatter for inspiring this one) Goal 3: Reclaim the minutes I'm trapped in the horrible vicious cycle where I'm overwhelmed by my to-do list, so I shut down and just play on my phone a lot. But, wasting that much time playing on my phone makes me even more anxious, to a point where I can't motivate myself to do anything. On top of that, I have a lot of 10-20 minute intervals in my life (from dropping off kids, picking them up, shuffling them to activities, etc.), where the easy answer was to just play around on my phone. So, I've reached a point where I'm always distracted by my phone. The plan is to reclaim some of that time for productive activities. I'm first going to come up with a list of more productive things I can reasonably do in 10-20 minute intervals of time, and then do them rather than always mess around online. I'm also going to make more of an effort to put the phone away when I'm spending time with my family. So far, the productive list is: Playing the piano, cleaning/house chores, reading the news, and watering the plants. I'll almost certainly come up with more ideas over the course of the challenge. Grade is #/42, where I pass if I feel like I did a reasonably decent job with setting down the phone and being productive.

So this is my first challenge as part of the Rangers and I’m very late starting my challenge post, but I have been doing my some of my challenges from the start. If you just want to know about my challenges skip ahead to the bottom, otherwise keep reading for Albertigog’s next adventure. Albertigog and the beast within Cresting the top of a hill after a week in the wilderness, Albertigog got his first view of the valley below and his next destination, a small village at the other end of the valley. “Finally, I’ve found it! But I’m never going to make it that far by dusk. Oh well, best get started.†He continued his journey into the valley heading toward the track leading to the village, but he was indeed right and didn’t make it halfway by the time the sun set. After stopping for the day, getting the fire going and some food cooking, Albertigog sat down against a tree, looking across the valley at the small village marked on the map with the words keep away. “If no one’s supposed to go here, there must be something worthwhile for me on my quest down there.†He muttered to himself with a buzz of excitement at what he would find. After eating and settling down for the night he watched the full moon as he drifted off into dreams of greatness. ...................... As he opened his eyes the next morning, Albertigog had a banging headache and felt like hell. “That’s weird I don’t remember drinking last night. Huh.... where am I? And why am I naked?†As he looked around he could see small houses scattered around and herds of sheep and cattle in the fields outside the village. He’d woken up in a pile of hay. Looking for something to cover himself up with he stood up and fell over again as the headache hit him. “What’s going on? I bet some locals decided to play a joke on me and fed me booze while I slept.†At the edge of the hay he managed a sack to cover himself up with and started to set off to find someone, when he spotted a bloody sheep’s leg next to the hay as well. “What the??? This joke is going a little bit too far. I best find someone.†At that point he heard some shouting from around the corner and went to investigate. Peeking around the building he saw a village gathering that looked more like and angry mob. “All right!! Who lost control last night! Find any youngsters that haven’t changed before, we need to sort this before any more damage is done tonight.†The group crowd replied with a huge yell that reminded Albertigog of his head ache. A wave of nausea caused him to fall forward around the corner. At the noise everyone in the crowd turned around and saw Albertigog. “Get him, before he runs away!!!†“Uh oh†Albertigog tried to run as the crowd swarmed at him but his headache stopped him from getting anywhere. The man who’d been talking before approached him. A tall, powerfully built man with a little too much grace in his step for someone his size. There was something else about, something wild that Albertigog couldn’t put his finger on. “How are you feeling young man?†he said. “Huh, what do you mean?†“Feel like you’ve been on the drink by any chance?†“Yes actually. Why what did you people do to me last night?†“We did nothing, it was you who did all the damage to the village that you can see.†He hadn’t noticed it until now, but looking around there was bit of damaged buildings and broken things everywhere. “How could I have done all this on my own?†“Why did you not follow the warnings and leave the valley? Surely you must have seen them on the path in.†“I wasn’t on the path when I stopped for the night.... Why are you changing the subject?†“This valley is cursed young man! Any adult who sleeps in this valley during the full moon turns into a beast.†“What? So you’re telling me that I turned into some sort of werewolf? Don’t be ridiculous.†Thinking upon what he said, Albertigog began to think that it would explain everything, but it was just not possible. As he looked back to the tall man, who looked rather annoyed, he began to change. His muscles bulged, hair started growing all over his body, his legs lengthened and his face started to shift and move. A few seconds later the man had turned into a huge wolf standing on to legs. “Believe me now young man!?†Albertigog just sat there, gobsmacked with his mouth wide open. The wolf began to shrink and turn back into the man. “My name is Freki and I am the leader of this village. We keep to ourselves and advise others to keep away from this valley, so they do not fall victim to the curse that has now affected you.†“So I really turned into a wolf last night and did all this damage. I’m really sorry, I’ll help you fix the houses and then leave you in peace so it doesn’t happen again.†“I’m afraid that’s not possible, now you have changed once, you will continue to change at every full moon wherever you are. You must learn to control it otherwise you are a danger to everyone you meet. We have built this village to withstand such attacks from uncontrolled transformations, but other villages could be laid to waste in a single night.†“So I can’t leave... If you can transform at will, why didn’t you come out and stop me last night?†“It is too dangerous, when you are not in control you are far more powerful and violent and it would have led to serious injuries. Now young man, if we may know your name so we may help you learn to control the beast within.†“It’s Albertigog.†“Well Albertigog, come with me and let’s find you some clothes and teach you what you must do.†.................. “Thanks for the clothes they fit perfectly†“They belong to my son, so please look after them. Now come sit, so we may discuss the challenge that is ahead of you. Transforming is a highly stressful time and you must learn to cope with this stress and maintain a cool head and keep control over your body and the animal instincts (Challenge 1). You are also always hungry when you transform, hence how you ate almost an entire sheep last night. You must learn to control the hunger and learn to go without food (Challenge 2). Finally, although it takes great control to contain the beast within, you must learn to let it out once in a while otherwise it will build up and make it more difficult to control (Challenge 3). Oh and one more think whilst your learning to keep control you can keep that promise to help us repair the village (Life challenge). If you’re ready we’ll get you started right away.†Challenge 1. HIIT I’m going to do some HIIT training 3 times a week. Improvement in fitness is a sideline goal with this. My main goal is to improve my ability to keep focus and work through fatigue whilst under stress from working at close to 100%. I’m following a tabatas protocol with five different exercises Warm up Parkour rolls Bear crawls (3 steps forward, 3 backwards) Step unders carrying log Forward sprawls Broad jumps Cool down Each exercise will be done for 4 minutes, 20 seconds on 10 seconds off X 8 with a 1 minute break between each exercise. I’ll record how many reps I do as my most for each exercise and how many I do on my least( normally the last 20 seconds) trying to limit that difference. 3 X 6 is 18 sessions, so 17+- A, 16-B, 15-C, 14- D 13 or less is a fail Con- +2, Sta + 2, Str +1 Any suggestions on SMART targets for improvements would be appreciated. Challenge 2. Intermittent fasting. Fairly simple, I’m going to fast 2 days a week, from evening meal to evening meal. I don’t find it that difficult fasting and as I’m a week in I’ve already done 2 days. My hope is to not feel hungry at all whilst fasting by the end of the challenge and avoid thinking a lot about food around the time I would normally be missing. Otherwise success is based meeting the twice a week fasting. 12 sessions in total, 12-A, 11-B, 10-C, 9-D Cons- +4 Challenge 3. Go out and play For me exercise is about be able to do what I want when I want and having fun. I haven’t been doing enough of this recently. So twice a week I’m going to do a decent session of spontaneous exercise play style. Again this challenge will be based on how many times I manage to do it. I haven’t started this one yet so I have a max of 10 I can do in the remaining 5 weeks. 10-A, 9-B, 8-C, 7-D, Wis- +2 Life Challenge. Do something productive every day. This is an attempt to improve my life slowly over time. I realise every day is going to be a bit too tough so I’m setting it at doing it 5 times a week. The productive thing can’t me everyday stuff, like cleaning/washing but something out of the ordinary to makes my situation better. 26+-A, 21+-B, 17+-C, 14+-D Wis or Cha - +4 (Depending on the end results)

Main Goal: Become world champion in kettlebell sport. (shooting for the stars!) Where I'm at: Since joining NF in june last year I went to my first international competition, finished my kettlebell-trainer degree + physical tests, set up a small group training, found 14 people crazy enough to train with me, taught my first couple of workshops, won the dutch national championships and did my first set with the 24kg kettlebell which qualifies me for pro division internationally. Last challenge was focused on competing with 24kg for the first time, I can happily report that I did not drop it on my head! So this challenge (nr 8) I need to take a bit of a mental break and focus on different things. Goal 1: follow the program Need to find a bit of a groove with my regular training schedule. It's so different when not working towards a competition.. #strength training (legs and shoulders) 3x a week, #kettlebell training (just maintaining) 2x a week, #running (maintaining endurance) 1x a week. Goal 2: movement practice and play Do fun things, learn how to play, be a better mover... next to my regular scheduled training I'll try things like kb juggling, some jumping/parkour, ido portal style flows, handstands, bouldering/climbing? Who knows- anything goes! Suggestions are more than welcome! #three times a week, try something fun! Goal 3: meal prep Eating more healthy, more protein and maybe lose some weight are my goals. Diet can cause a lot of anxiety for me.. luckily my little sister (who lives with me) wants to team up with me- together we'll prepare our food for the whole week, freeze stuff, pack lunches etc. She's the boss, i'm the assistent (with the moneys, hehe). #by the end of the challenge be a regular meal prepping star. Lifegoal: gardening Last challenge I started setting up my new garden to enjoy during the spring and summer. I want to finish this project and get in the habit of actually taking care of my plants instead of leaving them to die or thrive on their own. #make a list of things to do (buy a bbq!!!), #get maintenance into my system If I weren't a kettlebeller, I'd do this kinda stuff full-time.

Hey Everyone, So I am Jeremy, otherwise known as Omnianimaphobia, an I'm a gowk. Simple math Geek + Jock = Gowk. I am a group fitness instructor, assistant director of a fitness center, marathoner, paleo enthusiast, obstacle course racer, on and on and on. I am here cause I want to encourage everyone to stay active, get happy, and enjoy life! If I can help, I'll do my best! Never been a big forum person, but NF seemed right up my alley. Looking forward to reading everyones stories and maybe even learning a bit at the same time as well.

So after much thought and consideration without making any progress I need to just pick something. So here goes.... #1-Flexibility-I used to be very flexible. Able to drop into a split at any time without even needing to warm up. I've lost that. So in hopes of gaining that back or at least getting closer, I'm making a solid few minutes of stretching required after every run and every leg workout. Short and sweet and I don't have to make a separate time for it. It's just a few minutes on the end of a workout. AND something I should have already been doing. Grading-TBD but likely the % I keep up with it, and bonus for being able to do a split again at challenge end. #2-Fun-Play at least once/week whether its a short "parkour" run or trying different holds/moves at home or going climbing. I need to do some less boring stuff and to work in jumping/climbing/playing even if play is trying arm balances or other static holds. Grading-TBD but based on the weekly implementation of a play day. #3-Intensity-I'm very good at doing my workouts, but I lack intensity. I know I can take it up a notch & push myself further. Squeeze out more reps, strive to increase from week to week. Grading-TBD but since I track everything, I want to see improvements in every movement. Whether its upping reps or moving to the next progression. EVERYTHING must go up. #4-Neatness-No dishes in the sink overnight/ nothing on the living room floor. This one is self explanitory. Summer can get busy, but before bed, I make a sweep of the kitchen & living room. No dishes in the sink(or counter) and nothing laying around in the living room that shouldnt be there.