Search the Community

Changes indeed - I officially went back to work on Monday the 18th, but only have 42 more school days until summer (thankfully, because the sub left one heck of a mess!!), at which point I will go back to grad school and my husband will move into a summer administrative position because holy cow does it pay stupidly well for only 6 weeks worth of work. And then in late July we should both get a short break before transitioning again back into our normal positions. Baby Girl is transitioning to childcare for those 42 days as well - and that has been a challenge in and of itself! But after much angst, a surprise opening appeared in my district’s daycare, which had been our top choice originally except they were full when we tried to enroll her last summer. Whew! It’s a much better environment than the other daycare we were going to settle for, super convenient (only a 4 minute walk from my classroom), very affordably priced, and I can even stop by during the workday to feed or cuddle her if I don’t have class or can beg for a few minutes of coverage So far she’s been happy there, though she’s already showing signs that she’s caught her first cold…sigh, such is the daycare life! The other nice part is that since it is a part of the school district, she can be home with me all summer for free - no paying every week just to hold a spot, and her leave/return schedule will match mine perfectly. With all that said, I tried to set up this challenge to support the most critical immediate needs while remembering that the “real” goals are honestly still a few months off: Quest 1 - Nutrition I have a terrible habit of skipping either breakfast or lunch, but going back to work means I really cannot do that without my milk supply taking a hit, which I super cannot afford (I overproduced with my son, but not so much this time around) - so my first goal is to always have food prepared for both of those meals! And they really need to include a focus on protein as we go through this period of routine growth spurts. It will also help if I make sure to drink enough water - bare minimum 80 ounces a day - though that has been fairly easy to hit most days lately (I’d guess about 4-5 days every week I hit that without specifically trying right now). Quest 2 - Movement I have been cleared for any form of exercise I want, which is a luxury I have not had for nearly a full calendar year! I’m going to start slow though by saying I want to fit in some form of “extra movement” at least once a week. My idea is that this will primarily be neighborhood walks or lake path mini-hikes with Baby Girl in a carrier since we are going on our first camping trip as a family of 4 in early June and we always do at least one hike. My 6 year old has worked his way up to 4.5 miles on an “advanced beginner” trail, so I want to make sure Baby Girl and I are not the ones holding the family back! But since it is still early spring, if it is too cold or rainy, I’ll replace that with something indoors - like maybe a YouTube yoga session? Quest 3 - Family So Baby Girl also deserves a quilt - and I’m finally using the heart pattern I originally picked for my son’s quilt! I got a little bit of a start while on leave but am not very far yet: row 1 is done and rows 2 and 3 are both started (they have to be made together in order for the heart pattern to work) but they’re only about 15 inches long right now and they need to get up to 76.5 inches before I can attach them to row 1. My goal is that by the end of this challenge I can have through row 5 done? That might be pushing it a little too hard but it’s worth a shot, especially since there are 45 rows in total. I’m also going to make a minimum of 1 weekly post on Moment Garden for each kid! It’s basically like a super private Instagram where each kid gets a “garden” page where they or their parents can post photos or short videos that are only visible to the people you invite (all via email addresses, there’s no search option to find a particular kid). I especially like it because every evening it sends me an email showing any entries from that exact date in previous years, which is super fun! And for infants like Baby Girl, it shows photos from 1, 3, or 6 months ago so they can be included too. All 3 grandparents and sole remaining great-grandma have invited accounts, and my son loves it when they ask him about things they saw without him having to share what he’s been up to first ❤️ But when life gets busy, I often forget to post anything, so this is my reminder to look for those cool things my kiddos are doing and make those posts happen! Quest 4 - (42 days of) Work I do have one major task left for the school year (outside of, you know, finishing teaching and everything): getting my curriculums uploaded for every single prep. Blargh. I have Spanish 2 fully uploaded so my goal for this challenge is to get Spanish 3 and 4 both in. If I have time, I’ll also start on French 1 and 2, but I can push those off until May if necessary. I also need to read more and make extensive reading quizzes for my Spanish classes! Ideally I will expand this into French as well but man, it’s just going to take a huge amount of time. I’m going to try to add a minimum of 15 quizzes this challenge (3 a week) starting with a Magic Treehouse book I already bought, Piratas después del mediodía. And because I’m a glutton for punishment, I also started playing Lingo Legend for Japanese. It’s a gamified language learning app I found while I was trying to stay awake for a late breastfeeding session. I am very much still not convinced this will eventually lead to a third certification or program, no matter what my counseling office wants from me, but it does at least help keep me alert while Baby Girl is eating! I’m going to try to play at least 4 times a week (probably still while feeding Baby Girl)…just in case I do eventually get talked into doing something stupid like running a third language program…

Look at me posting on zero week! I want to focus in and start this challenge now, because for the last part of the challenge, I will be on vacation. Goal 1: Looking cute in my shorts: We are heading to Arizona the last part of the challenge, and right now my shorts are snug, so I want to continue the leaning out progress I started last challenge. 1. Mindful habits; eat slow, pay attention to satiety, before I grab a second snack or seconds on food, pause, and think about why I am eating. 2.Track protein; aim for 120 grams a day 3. Weigh myself once a day, measure once a week, look at weekly average for weight 4. Drink water Goal #2 Get strong and fit I have a 4 day split, 2 days arms, 2 days legs. Also fit in rowing , walking, mobility, GMB as time and energy allows. I kind of would like to do a rowing HIIT interval once a week, but will see how that works with the 4 day split. Goal #3 Life 1) Last challenge, my goal was to work on finishing my guest bedroom. That did not happen. This challenge, I will choose a bedside table. Bonus, if I buy a lamp to go with it! 2) Read 2 chapters of Atomic Habits and work on the skills 3) Do the things I need to for vacation prep- first thing to do this week is make a to do list This week: I am going to track my calories in MFP. I did this for the longest time, and got really burned out. I felt like the only way I could maintain my weight was to do that, and I hated that thought. Now, I have practiced more skills to help me maintain, This week, I will track, just to see where I am at. I may choose to track to see if I can hit my goals for one or two weeks after that. Or I may not.

For Christmas, I received a new kettlebell and a pair of dumbbells! I asked for a 15 lb. kettlebell. I already have one, but wanted two of the same weight. I just got back from a spur of the moment mini vacation to San Antonio, and my head is still spinning a bit, but I decided to just put some of my thoughts out there. My ideal goal is to think it through all carefully, and roughly plan out some goals for the entire year, but that hasn't happened. So, here is my not perfect, but still doing something challenge. I may adapt it a bit later. 1. Fitness I wrote my own program - a first for me. It is more lifting weights than I have done before , and I'm excited. My plan is to have Monday be leg day, Tuesday arm, Thursday whole body. I'd also like to do some Literal Immortality workouts, some rowing, and walking. I'm not scheduling that. Part of it is weather dependent and time dependent. 2.Weight. I'd like to lose some of the extra pounds I've put on. In times past, I super focused on it, and calorie counting worked for me. But, now that just turns into a rebound of eating all the things. So, I'm trying something new. 1) Continue with the skills I've worked on before- eating slow, using my senses to enjoy me meal, having no distractions with snacks, balanced plate 2) Upping my protein a bit. I'm pretty good at this, but I'd like to see the effect on my hunger, if I focus on getting protein. The plan is to eat 40 grams at breakfast, and the day's total to be 120 grams. Some days it may be a bit more , some days a bit less. I can track on MFP, or in my head, whichever seems to be working 3) Measure: Twice a week take measurements. Some of the weight I've gained is muscle. Yay! Taking measurements helps me to remember this, and have a good way to track beside the scale. Weigh myself_ ideally every day, so I can see the trend, but at least days a week. I need to keep track of these measurements in Onenote 3) Last Year I read James Clear's books Atomic Habits. He has some great ideas, and at the end of each chapter, he gives some assignments, I want to do some. I'm not putting down a specific goal here, because I'm not sure how long it will take. But, at the end of each week, I want to be able to post on here that I have done something. 4) Re doing the guest room. I've been working on making my guest room pretty, and I'd like to do some on that this challenge .

Hi All! 💜 I just got home from a great afternoon at the lake. I feel calm, centered, and content and thought this might be a good time to write up my challenge. I want to try to carry this happy ease with me as I go. My mobility and stamina are improving quite a bit. I'm walking ~5000 steps a day 4-5 days a week. I'm doing the Beginner Bodyweight workout through the NF Journey app every other day. I intend to keep these two things up during this challenge. My big goal for this challenge is to figure out how to meet my daily protein macro of 130 grams. I'm getting ~70 grams most days, I think. I'm tracking haphazardly, could stand to be doing that more diligently. I'd prefer to not be supplementing with protein powder or bars more than once a day, but I know what our budget looks like and I don't have a ton of wiggle room for groceries so whey powder might be the MVP here. This major challenge comes in three parts: 1) Meal Planning: Using my extensive cookbook collection and the BudgetBytes website I am going to be planning my meals. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Every day. I will batch cook as much as possible to ease some of the workload. Dave is away for chunks of this challenge so I have reduced the meal kits to two a week for the time he's gone to prevent me wasting food. 2) Tracking: Entering what I'm having into MFP with the sole purpose of tracking my protein macro. I can observe other macros and calories for information purposes only. If I start to get preoccupied with other numbers I need to figure out a different way to meet this objective, maybe using a pen and paper or something. 3) Eating: I need to pay attention to when I am eating so I have enough time in my day to get all my food in. I'm really bad for missing breakfast, for example and my protein macro takes a hit if I do. So I need to strategize my timing more than I currently am. I think that's it! Walk, squat, eat. Sounds doable, right? I'm going to take my measurements and weigh in tomorrow so I have that data and then check in again with that at the end of the five weeks. I haven't taken measurements in a very long time. I'm prepared to be upset by it. That said, I had two non-scale victories today: I bought jeans that were a size 22 not a 24 or larger and my bathing suit still fits well after not wearing it forever. So yay! 🎉 Looking forward to cheering you all on! 💜

I’ve said it before, and I’m saying it again: something has got to change. That’s up to no one but me. As 2021 draws to a close, I find my body in a state that my back is starting to act up again in a big way (which happens when I hit a certain body fat percentage), 80% of my closet doesn’t fit, and I feel suuuuuuper heavy and unresponsive in my yoga classes. This is no bueno. The good news is, I 100% know how to fix it. Like, that exactly - minus probably the pasta, in my case. Nutrition Thinking back to all the nutrition protocols over the years that have worked best for my body, paleo was the clear winner. I think what worked for me there was the protein consideration (making sure I at least hit that one metric before all else), the consistent working out (20-30 mins/ day 5-7x a week), the focus on getting enough greens, focus away from carbs, focus away from processed foods, and the lower amounts of alcohol (zero, actually). I haven’t had the desire to be but so strict with myself over the past couple years, so I’m going for a hybrid here. Protocol Guidelines 80g/day protein When in doubt, more veggies Bread only when it’s going to be actually worth it - not just because it’s in front of me (killer fresh naan? Yes. Crappy sandwich because I’m bored, no). Rice at a restaurant: after the main and a few sips of water. Alcohol limited to 2-3 drinks per weekend If all goes to plan, this should naturally put my calorie consumption back down to where my body seems to like it (around 1200 calories), and if I’m focusing on protein first, carbs and fat should sort themselves out. If not, we will reassess. I may reassess to add green smoothies back into my life if I can hit my protein goals otherwise, but will be starting out at least with 20g-ish breakfasts. I’ll look for a good protein powder, too, because I do miss my green veg hit in the mornings. I’ve also got a new toy - an air fryer - and will be experimenting with that. I’ll be taking y’all along for the ride with pics and menus. Movement I’m still loving my 4x a week yoga classes with walks to and from, and will continue on with that. I’ll also be adding in simple kettlebell workouts on Thursdays at first but a day or two aside from that as the weeks go on. Edited to add: My schedule just had a little shake-up, and it looks like I’ll be able to block in a first(?) second(?) kettlebell session on Tuesdays on weeks I don’t meet up with my girlfriend in person. Other Crochet projects Crafter Box project Closet clean-out Kitchen reorganization Protein _____ Breakfast Lunch Dinner - Movement Yoga Kettlebell - Other Crafting Organization Closet Clean

((Edited Friday afternoon (7 Aug) to add a couple of side quests, and update some formatting.)) Hello everyone..I'm Luxia. I'm choosing to post here instead of the Level 1 group because I've been here before, just a long, looooong time ago, and I know this is where I belong. I'm a dancer and a fencer, though the fencing is very new for me. I'm a little late to the game for this challenge, but I figure, better late than never! I'm working on trying to keep it somewhat simple, especially with my first dive back here. So, here's my plan for this challenge. As I said in my intro post (linked in my signature), thank you all for still being here! Epic Quest: Get to 25% body fat - - As of Tuesday (4 Aug 20), I'm at 42.01%. I've had more body fat on my frame, I've certainly had less. I'm choosing to focus on my body fat percentage over my weight, because I honestly don't care how much I weigh, I want to be fit and strong and healthy. A body fat percentage of 25% feels like a healthy and manageable goal, while still requiring a lot of effort to get there, which I'm fine with. I like a challenge. This is a long term goal for me, obviously. I don't have a short term version of this goal, aside from making progress each week/challenge. Challenge Quest #1: 100 kettlebell swings everyday - - I was challenged by a friend to do 100 sings for 100 days. Yesterday was Day 13. I'm currently using a 20# kettlebell. I started with 10# but switched things up on Friday. I want to, and plan to add, more exercise than this to my workouts, but in addition to using the swings to build some strength, I'm using the commitment to 100 days of swings as a way to get back in the habit of working out. Challenge Quest #2: Reduce gluten intake to near nothing - - My body does not like gulten. It's not a full-blown allergy..thank the gods..but I can really feel all the extra inflammation in my body when I eat it. A little bit here and there doesn't bother me, and with my history of disordered eating, completing eliminating foods is not healthy for me. So, for near nothing for me means not eating gluten everyday (or even every other day), eating minimal amounts when I do, and being intentional when I do eat it. Challenge Quest #3: Eat ~100 grams of protein everyday - - While losing body fat, I'd like to keep and gain some muscle. Keeping my protein intake up is going to help with that. I'll be tracking my protein intake in MyFitnessPal. Side Quest #1: Make progress on my 1560s Venetian outfit (Added 7 August) - - I'm a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism (sca.org). It's a historical reenactment group. One of the big projects I started and have been working on during the pandemic is making a 1560s Venetian outfit. I post about each completed garment of the outfit on my blog (Luxia Sabina), but I need more accountability for actually making regular progress. I know it has absolutely nothing to do with health or fitness, but I hope you all don't mind! Side Quest #2: Do fencing point control drills 3x everyday (Added 7 August) - - I'm getting started with doing fencing. Due to the pandemic, my local group isn't able to meet for practice, so I'm doing what I can to work on my technique at home. I made myself a couple of point control targets (one for indoor, one for outdoors). Working on my fitness and strength building will help with being ready for practice once the time comes, but working on getting more comfortable with actually using my sword and hitting a thing will go along way. Here's a picture of my indoor target and my sword.

Well I got instant-killed last challenge by a sudden bout of depression. I guess the good thing I'm getting out of this is the realization that I am not who I used to be, and that I should treat myself as a different person. I can't just skip breakfast and get abs again, or do a 40 kg TGU on a whim. That person lives only in our memories; this guy has to start from scratch. CODING I've got a scheduled course going. It's good to have structure. I also have a total time tracker for time spent coding. I want to target 35 hours of coding a week, which is roughly an extra hour on the weekdays. It's not seeming as confusing as it initially was. PROTEIN Mistake last challenge was having a large protein jump AND the hour workout, which were both huge adjustments starting from nothing. I need to treat myself like a complete newbie, so I'll start with a double-scoop protein shake in the morning. HANDSTANDS Handstands have been my main nemesis, in gymnastic movements. I can't seem to get it, but I also haven't put in any regular practice for more than a few weeks, like, ever. I'd like to make it as painless as possible, and establish an MED of 10 HS Tuck-ups, and 10 Wall Facing-Away Partial Handstands. WEEK 1 Sunday, 10 - did not start. I just banged my hoe all day. Monday, 11 - 2.5 hours of code, check on the protein, no handstands. Tuesday, 12 - 8 hours of code (system did not log 2), protein was in, only got the 10 HS Tuck-ups done. Wednesday, 13 - logged 5 hours, drank protein first thing, but no HS. Thursday, 14 - barely got an hour of code in. System logged 8, so I have 5 to make up for. Got the protein, got the HS. Friday, 15 - 2 hours of code. Protein check. HS missed. Saturday, 16 - 6 hours. Protein check. HS missed. WEEK 2 Sunday, 17 - 3 hours code, drank protein, missed HS. Monday, 18 - 3.5 hours code, drank protein, did HS. Tuesday, 19 - ??? Wednesday, 20 - ??? Thursday, 21 - ??? Friday, 22 - ??? Saturday, 23 - ??? WEEK 3 Sunday, 24 - ??? Monday, 25 - Handstands Tuesday, 26 - missed HS and protein Wednesday, 27 Thursday, 28 Friday, 29 Saturday, 30 WEEK 4 Sunday, 31 Monday, 1 Tuesday, 2 Wednesday, 3 Thursday, 4 Friday, 5 Saturday, 6 WEEK 5 Sunday, 7 Monday, 8 Tuesday, 9 Wednesday, 10 Thursday, 11 Friday, 12 Saturday, 13

First off I know that everyone says you can't build muscle and gain fat simultaneously, but would this actually work? What is it that enables muscle gain - purely protein intake or do you have to increase all macronutrients and calories too? I know this question is kinda dumb, but I was just thinking about it because I've been trying to eat at a calorie deficit for a while now but only recently started increasing my protein intake within that calorie deficit, and (this may not be true) but I feel like I am eating more protein than I used to be when I just ate whatever and at maintenance... :')

Super interesting article on the topic: https://examine.com/nutrition/how-much-protein-do-i-need/ Now, I'll readily admit that this feeds into my bias: that for most people in most situations, 1g protein/lb bodyweight is a good guideline. Obviously for some people this may be a bit too much, while for others it's still insufficient. But what do you think of the cumulative recommendations they've shown? Always interested to hear what conclusions folks have for this kind of stuff!

Hey everyone! I'm new to the group and am looking for some advice regarding nutrition. Basically I'm 6"4 used to be chunky and now I guess I'm on the edge of skinny fat and struggle to gain muscle. I've been experimenting with diet trying to find some nutrition dense foods and have come across Quark (Kwarg) in our local supermarket and decided to try it out! I've been eating a 250g pot nearly every day as I'd read it's like yogurt, it's fat free and has around 25g of protein per 250g pot which is great! However I just noticed on the packet today it says contains 8 SERVINGS?! Slightly freaked out that I've been eating something WAY over the quantity than I'm supposed to. Felt like maybe I'd been eating a tub of Mayonaise a day now! The nutrional content is as follows: Per 100g Kcal - 249 Fat < 0.5g Mono/polyunsaturated <0.1g Carbs - 4.2g of which sugars - 4.2g Fibre - < 0.5g Protein - 10g Salt - 0.15g Has anyone else been eating this in these quantities? Would love to hear your advice! H

Hey everyone! I have a few questions regarding protein/protein supplements. To give some background on myself: I've been working out 4-5 times a week for the past five weeks (this comprises of about 30-40 minutes of cardio and at least working on one muscle group per session). I've upped my protein intake through protein bars and just monitored what foods I'm eating. Even though I'm trying to eat as many grams of protein as I can, I also pay attention to my macros and try to attain 25%-35% of my daily intake through protein. Because I've realized how many grams of sugar most protein bars have, I've reduced the number of protein bars I've been eating and switched to ISO Dynamite Whey Protein. This supplement has been helping me get the protein I want/need in my diet. I try to ingest more protein on days I'm working out, and not as much on my off days. Also, I try to have a caloric deficit of 250-500 calories a day in order to achieve some weight loss. Even though my one of my smaller goals is to lose a few more pounds, I'm pushing more towards muscle toning and fat loss (even if this means I stay the same weight or not). So far, because of this protein intake for the past month, I have noticed that even though I'm the same weight, I've toned up a bit and I look/feel slimmer. Before I digress, my question to the community I guess regards protein storage. I've been reading a lot of mixed literature on the subject. Some articles claim that any unused proteins are converted in order to be used for non-protein functions (such as fat storage). Some articles claim that protein has no negative effects on fat storage, and it is beneficial (especially to athletes and people who are working out) to get as much protein as you can get. I guess the reason why I'm posting is because I want other people's opinions and experiences on the matter. I only have two friends who have been working out for years and have a very high protein diet, and they are very muscular with a lower fat percentage than most people. However, one of the reasons I'm still confused/curious about this is because they're both men, and I'm a woman, so the result could vary. Any advice or opinion on this will help, from anyone.

The Rangers and people from other guilds, that have been around for a while (at least 2 years i just checked) could know that, in my past, i have dedicated a few challenges in a row to prepping for my first StrongViking Beast obstacle run in the start of 2016. Those were pretty successful challenges, so now i'm summoning the strength of that format again. Because, frankly, things need to be done. You can also say i'm slowly starting to get frightened a bit by the endeavor i have set upon. For the people that don't know, a few facts: *** * T-minus: ~ 23 weeks / 154 days *** * Rat Race Dirty Weekend 2018 *** * UK obstacle run *** * 20 miles *** * 200 obstacles *** * Meeting all the Epic Nerds IRL for the first time!!! There are a couple of things i want to accomplish before that time, and one way or the other i tried to put it all into a spreadsheet which i will upkeep daily. (WIP) A little explanation about all the things: Weeks / Days: Countdowntimers to keep me focused on the time left KCAL/d: I want to be just under 2000 KCAL a day, this is just under maintenance, which will allow me to lose some fat, and keep up with working out. I need to lose some weight to be able to handle all the bodyweight related exercises better, like hanging pulling jumping etc. etc. Protein/d: I don't want to lose the muscle i have built the last couple of years, so protein will be the most important nutrient that i will keep my eye on. Doing 160+ a day is just a little under 2gr/lbs of bodyweight. Drinking/d: I know this is not going to be much of a problem (especially compared to 2 years ago), but i know that if i don't mention this here a few days will be lost due to excessive drinking. Now i rate this on a scale of no / mindful / less than mindful. This gives me some leeway to enjoy the occasional beer. Cause a challenge has to be hard, but you don't need to set yourself up for failure, especially when the drawback (of a single beer) is that low. This untraining of my beer-habit also makes me a bit afraid of the race itself, i owe it to some people to thoroughly enjoy several beers on friday and saturday that i really am getting a bit scared of having to do the 20 miles and 200 obstacles while having a major beer-induced headache. Eat healthy/d: B/L/D a.k.a. Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner. These are the only moments i will eat. The only exception here will be stuff around workout like PWO, recovery drinks and protein shakes. Again this will be scored for doing the best i can. "Best option" means that there was no way i could have eaten healthier given the circumstance at that moment. "Mindfully" means that there might have been a better option which i didn't take but i made a conscious choice not to have that, but also chose not to take the worst option. This is a choice i frequently have to make. I'm not one for meal prepping (yet). And i also don't want to give my kids a bad example by doing some extreme dieting and in their presence i will eat normally but try to do so as healthy as possible. No CC: No Candy no Cooky, no inbetween snacking. This means i just eat at B/L/D and nothing else. This should bring a halt to several of my weaknesses. Especially the one that hit's me after snoozing on the couch, somehow i always wake up with such a sweettooth and stuff my face with cookies or candy just before i go to bed. It will also help in not accumulating those small extra KCALs throughout the day. Lift / Run / Crossfit: These are the workouts i'm gonna do, and my goal is to give them equal attention. I always leaned on lifting more than running, and combining running with lifting was pretty doable. Now that i have CF in the mix it's hard to give running the proper attention. That's why i decided i'm gonna lay down a bit on the lifting and sacrifice one lifting workout for one extra running workout. Even the lifting workout will be geared towards the Rat Race. I'm gonna keep on doing the juggernaut program, and i will do a workout of DL/BP and SQ/OHP + 2 accessory exercises. This program will be written out coming weekend. This also goes for the running workout. I'm gonna go look for a plan that get's me to run about 10 miles within my ~20 weeks i've got. Extra Reps: I just like the idea of doing extra. So this is the excuse to do extra reps, and i'm going to categorize them as hard medium and easy. Hard ones are things i can only do a few of, like pullups. Medium are things like pushups, i can push those out a lot more. And easy ones are the things that i feel i could do all day (and actually have done so), like jumping jacks and mountain climbers. Scoring points are as follows, per rep: Hard 10 points / medium 5 points / easy 1 point. Weight / BF%: These will be here to record how my overall weight and BF% will transition throughout my prep. OSM: OSM a.k.a. Awesome. An awesome day, where i have been completely focused or something else significant happened, will be noted here. I'm hoping a lot of x'es in this column. Comments on missed goals and OSM days: Part of the pressure of accountability, if i fuck up, i have to come clean. Tell how and why i fucked up a goal. On the other hand, this is the place to gloat about awesome days too! So if you want to be part of this success please add some accountability. Nag my ass over things i haven't done or when i tell you i don't feel up to working out. Challenge me (that won't work i can assure you) or find some other way to get under my skin. I'm hoping with the help of you all this will be another good (set of) challenge(s) and i will get my butt in gear to kick ass on the Rat Race. May the lord have mercy on my body So...

Hey guys so I posted this to my 4 week challenge thread but I thought I'd share it here too! I'll be posting the other recipe right after this one so keep an eye out for it! VEGAN TACOS INGREDIENTS MAKES 6 SERVINGS -1 teaspoon vegetable oil -1/2 onion, sliced -2 teaspoons chopped seeded jalapeño chile -1 12-ounce package soy chorizo (sometimes labeled Soyrizo), casing removed -1 15.4-ounce to 16-ounce can vegetarian refried black beans -12 corn tortillas, warm -Diced onion -Chopped fresh cilantro Instructions Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add sliced onion and jalapeño; sauté until tender, about 10 minutes. Add soy chorizo and cook until beginning to brown in spots, stirring often, about 5 minutes.Meanwhile, cook beans in heavy small saucepan over low heat until heated through, stirring occasionally.Stack 2 warm tortillas for each of 6 tacos. Spread scant 2 tablespoons beans over each stack. Top with soy chorizo mixture, dividing equally. Sprinkle with diced onion and cilantro.

I fell off the internet again. I do that time to time, it's fine. Usually due to traveling, which I am not doing for the next month, so CHALLENGE ACCEPTED! I could write for days, because I am a verbose motherfather, but I'll bullet these. I have a big project coming up to overtake the next 7 months, it's called #SpaceJunk, and it's a filmed puppet show. I hope to spend my free creative time building the puppets and set pieces for that show. There's no way I'll be done in a month, I want the build done by mid January, but I also want to travel to Japan for New Year's if I can swing it. So I am hunkering down, which saves money, and building puppets, which doesn't save money, but doesn't spend it either. Oh! I figured out what my "and more" is. To help me get to Japan I need to apply for a special scholarship, but this involves writing a letter to a Japanese sensei and asking to come and study with him... in Japanese. Not my best language (though I am not hopeless, but I am super super basic). So where was I? Number 1. SpaceJunk building. Number 2. Scholarship Application. Number 3? Oh. I want to be vegan. I've been vegetarian for half my life now, so it's not a huge shift, but I am curious how cutting out eggs and dairy will affect my energy, health, etc. I'm not going to be an ass about it. If at someone's house for dinner, etc, I'm not going to demand a list of ingredients, etc, just sticking to the basics. But at my house, it's animal-free. Let's see how this goes. Really, it's mostly just cutting out eggs and cheese for me, which I don't do much of anyway, but it'll be nice to pay more attention anyway, can't hurt, right? and Number 4. Running. I passed someone on the street today running and I miss it. I want to get back into it. I think twice a week is a fair start, three if I can swing it. I have so little free time. Maybe I'll even commit to once a week in the morning, see if I can become a morning run person (I really love the idea of that, but I SUCK at the follow-through there... so... let's make it part of the challenge!) Okay, that's about it for now. This starts tomorrow! I'm excited. I like being excited. Hearts and Stars!

Hey guys! It's Hana back again, here's the other thing l'lI be eating on the daily once the 4 week challenge starts! BEANS AND RICE Ingredients MAKES 6 SERVINGS -2 cans red kidney beans -1/2 cup of rice to 1 cup of water -1 stock cube + 1 cup of water -1 leek -2 small onions -salt and pepper for taste Instructions Dice onions and leek finely. Boil the rice and dissolve the stock cube in a cup of water. Cook leek and onions until soft in a teaspoon of oil, covered. Add beans. And a stock cube and shimmer for 20 minutes at low heat. Serve beans with rice.

I'm back from vacation, I (hopefully) have found some new motivation, and I'm ready to get back in the game. I also haven't really improved much with the parkour over the last 6 months, and I'm finally in a mental place where I'm ready to step up my training. Goal 1: Learn to Zig Zag I have been slacking on getting cardio workouts, which in turn makes me less agile when doing parkour. I HATE cardio, but the goal is to force myself to do that at least 3 times/week. Parkour class counts. So does HIIT or shadowboxing. I might even *gasp* go for a jog. Goal 2: Work that dragon ass I've struggled A LOT with knee and hip pain over the last few months. When I did some research and some physical tests, I found that I have an anterior pelvic tilt along with relatively underdeveloped posterior chain muscles and overdeveloped quads. I've already started on the road to fixing this, and I'm already seeing progress. I have stretches for the hip flexors and calves that I need to do. I also have great exercises for helping activate the glutes and hamstrings. I also have started really trying to fix my squat. I had assumed that poor ankle mobility and short calf muscles were the reason I would fall backward or tend to shift weight to the balls of my feet when doing AtG squats. But now I have other avenues to explore. I can actually do a good form squat if I'm front squatting a light dumbbell. The goal is to accumulate time over the week in a deep squat as well as stick with the physical therapy-esque stuff. I will start with a goal of 15 minutes per week in deep squat, and see how that goes. Goal 3: A Girl must Cook I got lazy. And then went on vacation and ate out for a couple weeks. And for whatever reason, it seems harder to cook when the kids are home. But I need to clean up the diet a lot. The goal is to do at least one batch cooked recipe per week and eat out at most once per week. Goal 4: I drink and I know things. While it would certainly be *fun* to have a goal of drinking, it doesn't fit with my goals. The thing I need to drink is protein, and the thing I need to know is how much protein I've been getting. My muscle recovery has been poor, but I also have been much lower with the protein intake than I ought to be. The goal is to track protein and drink a protein shake each day that I lift or do parkour. Bonus: Be mighty like Brienne Work on upper body strength by doing pull ups and grip training work. The goal is to start doing a GtG approach where I have to do a pull up or hang on something anytime I go under the pull up bar or go down to the basement.

Wait, wait, wait. I worry what you just heard was "give me a lot of bacon and eggs." What I said was, "Give me ALL the bacon and eggs you have." Do you understand? I have not watched Parks and Rec much, but I love Swanson. I'm still going to be focused on getting enough protein this challenge (target is 200g or more per day) as my body seems to like a high protein diet. The other thing that's changing is I will add a decluttering/minimizing goal to my Domestic Rangering this challenge. I have a huge pile of stuff to get rid of, so it may be more about getting that pile out of the apartment than identifying stuff to throw away/donate, but I'll go through all my stuff once again. I'll be moving at the end of the challenge after this one (to the apartment where Mi Prometida and I will live after the wedding), so the next challenge will involve packing for the move, this one is about having less stuff to pack and move. Strength: 8 lift days. Pretty straightforward here. I will do Bench and Squat on Mondays or Tuesdays and Deadlift and OverHead Press on Wednesdays or Thursdays. Mobility: 6 NF Yoga workouts. I’ll do one session each of Water A and B, one sessions each of Fire A and B, and one Session of Star A and Yin. I like rotating the sessions because it keeps me from getting bored and Water A and B are shorter, it’s nice having the option to do them on a rushed day. Walking: I have great places to walk, so it’s not hard to get out and do. There will be six walking days, a 2 mile, 4 3 mile walks, and a 4 mile walk are the goals. Domestic Rangering: Still the goal here to do laundry, clean bathroom and kitchen and mop and vacuum once per week. I will also go through all my stuff to identify things to de-own, and get the pile of stuff out of my apartment. Eating: I will cook paleo and only allow myself two variances per week. This seems to be working, the trick is not to use a variance to go crazy. I’m going to track calories on Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays. The goal is to track, when tracking I find I naturally keep myself on target. As mentioned above, I’m not going to make macros part of the goal, but I’m going to try and hit protein goals as often as I can, my body seems to like it when I do that, both with my ability to perform while lifting and with weight loss. 200 is a good goal. I'll consider 175 to 199g marginally acceptable, 200 the goal, and to actually hit or exceed the protein goal set by MFP for the day as a bonus. Here’s what I’ll use in the signature instead of progress bars. Strength: 8 Lift Days _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Mobility: 8 Yoga Days Water A | Water B | Fire A | Fire B | Star B | Yin Walking: 4 Walk Days 2 Miles | 3 Miles | 3 Miles | 3 Miles | 3 miles | 4 Miles Domestic Rangering: Laundry, Mop, Vacuum, Bathroom, Kitchen 1x Week LMVBK | LMVBK | LMVBK | LMVBK | Minimizing | Get rid of stuff | Eating: Cook Paleo with only two variances per week _ _ _ _ _ _ _ | _ _ _ _ _ _ _ | _ _ _ _ _ _ _ | _ _ _ _ _ _ _ |

Last challenge I focused on high reps on my weights, I’m going back to my regluar periodization program for this challenge. However, my focus this time is on Protein. I changed my protein goal in MFP to account for a larger percentage of my calories. I tried out a protein powder and have used it often to help hit my goal. Doing that means even on rest days I’m shooting for at least 200g. I have found that hitting that goal even a few days a week has produced good results. It’s not going to be a formal goal, but I tod plan to be more mindful of my protein intake this time around. Strength: 8 lift days. Pretty straightforward here. I will do Bench and Squat on Mondays or Tuesdays and Deadlift and OverHead Press on Wednesdays or Thursdays. Mobility: 6 NF Yoga workouts. I’ll do one session each of Water A and B, one sessions each of Fire A and B, and one Session of Star A and Yin. I like rotating the sessions because it keeps me from getting bored and Water A and B are shorter, it’s nice having the option to do them on a rushed day. Walking: I have great places to walk, so it’s not hard to get out and do. There will be six walking days, a 2 mile, 4 3 mile walks, and a 4 mile walk are the goals. Domestic Rangering: Still the goal here to do laundry, clean bathroom and kitchen and mop and vacuum once per week. Eating: I will cook paleo and only allow myself two variances per week. This seems to be working, the trick is not to use a variance to go crazy. I’m going to track calories on Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays. The goal is to track, when tracking I find I naturally keep myself on target.As mentioned above, I’m not going to make macros part of the goal, but I’m going to try and hit protein goals as often as I can, my body seems to like it when I do that, both with my ability to perform while lifting and with weight loss. ETA: I think 200 is a good goal. I'll consider 175 to 199g marginally acceptable, 200 the goal, and to actually hit or exceed the protein goal set by MFP for the day as a bonus. Here’s what I’ll use in the signature instead of progress bars. Strength: 8 Lift Days _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Mobility: 8 Yoga Days Water A | Water B | Fire A | Fire B | Star B | Yin Walking: 4 Walk Days 2 Miles | 3 Miles | 3 Miles | 3 Miles | 3 miles | 4 Miles Domestic Rangering: Laundry, Mop, Vacuum, Bathroom, Kitchen 1x Week LMVBK | LMVBK | LMVBK | LMVBK Eating: Cook Paleo with only two variances per week _ _ _ _ _ _ _ | _ _ _ _ _ _ _ | _ _ _ _ _ _ _ | _ _ _ _ _ _ _ |

I'm Lieutenant Dan. Fuck you 2016. Woo...it is a new year. A brand new spanking year that I desperately need. I have been out for the forums quite a bit last year for one main reason! Quick reminder for all of you folks who have yet to meet the Queen of Gifs; I am BlackTezca and I first joined the Rebellion back in 2014! I started out with my very first post in From Lurker to (Newb) Rebel! I also started a new battle log for the year titled BlackTezca's Daily Battle Towards A Much Better Year (We all need a much better year). I had a lovely challenge during my Golden age in BlackTezca's 14th Trial: An Artsy Geeky Amazon Goes Back to School!!! and the challenge ended up being a pretty damn good success! I was ready to kick the rest of Octobers' ass and really rock the rest of 2016 until...disaster struck. Monsters abounded... I know a lot of folks who have figurative (and literal) battle scars from 2016 and I have to say...I am one of them. Some of you may have know this already, but the hubs and I lost our clone, Ezekiel, better known to us as Zeke. Zeke was...too much for this small puny world to handle and went off to conquer far, far, far away celestial places. He will be miss, and his departure hit us really hard. That was the best, and the very worst, Halloween weekend I have ever experience. That was what I shall call, the Eclipse moment. If you are familiar with the anime Berserk, which was...fittingly, gonna be my October challenge theme, then you know the Eclipse moment. The moment where everything goes to literal hell in Berserk and the dark dirty world transforms into a Apocalyptic Fantasy horror landscape. I really truly believe that losing Zeke was that moment; sure I didn't lose an eye nor lost an arm, but things are definitely not the same anymore. I didn't go on a 2 year hunting down Apostles hiatus like Guts did, but I did have a hiatus so I can heal physically and start healing emotionally. Cause I'm back bitches!! Time to kickass and get back to my main quest! As we all may remember, I have one hero that I always admire, one hero that I aspire to be! Her movie is coming out soon (JUNE 02 2017) and as such I must prepare myself to follow in her awesome footsteps...!! My Main Quest to be as POWERFUL and BATTLE READY as Wonder Woman Without further ado, let's see my new awesome quests for January 2017! Note that most of these are familiar, but this is to get back into the habit and get back into the Rebellion! It's always good to revisit the basics and what made things so great the first time around :D. Guts will never stop, never yield. He is simply to simple minded, too stubborn, and too bad ass. Details: Still keeping things simple here. Just like Guts who will never stop to rest for his simple goals (vengeance against Griffith, protecting Casca, getting monsters to leave him alone), I too shall not stop! Time to get my ass back into gear and work out as hard as I usual do!...While taking rest days and doing some yoga (which I will count as well! WOO YOGA!) Contingencies: Sickness and travel pretty much. However considering the flexibility here, I should be able to do something! Walking, yoga, etc! Tracking: I'll be tracking the workouts using MyFitnessPal ( username BlackTezca ) and this lovely thread will be updated as well. Grading: A for workout (including yoga) 4 to 5 times a week - 25 pts ( 2 Sta 2 Dex 2 Str ) B for workout (including yoga) out 2 to 3 times a week - 20 pts ( 1 Sta 1 Dex 2 Str ) F for all else Casca is a strong independent woman who don't need no man to kick some ass! Details: A woman with pride, strength and an efficient fighting style, Casca is a soldier through and through. She fights with finesse and often using her opponents greater strength to her advantage. I haven't been doing much to keep up with my own fighting skills and would like to get back into kickboxing and Muay Thai! Contingencies: If I can't make the Easton classes, I'll simply do a kickboxing work out at home with focus on good technique from Easton! Huzzah!Tracking: I'll be tracking the Muay Thai and Kickboxing using MyFitnessPal ( username BlackTezca ) and this lovely thread will be updated as well.Grading: A for Kickboxing/Muay Thai 3 times a week - 20 pts ( 1 Sta 2 Dex 1 Str ) B for Kickboxing/Muay Thai out 2 times a week - 15 pts ( 2 Dex ) C for Kickboxing/Muay Thai out 2 times a week - 10 pts ( 1 Dex ) F for all else Ishidoro needs to bulk up and eat at least 100 gram of protein to catch up to Guts! Details: Lets' get back to focusing on eating all the protein (and watching my carbs and sugar and such). Ishidoro wants to steal all of Guts techniques and skills, but he needs to pump up for that! I mean the dragonslayer is about 400 pounds and Guts can swing that with one arm. For me to get back to the weight I use to lift, I need to eat more protein! Contingencies: None. I should be able to stuff my face with yogurt and protein bars if I need to and while I don't want to go over my calories too much, I'm NOT cutting. Thus the daily amount should not scare me. I need the protein, I need that fuel! Tracking: I'll be tracking the stretching sessions using MyFitnessPal ( username BlackTezca ) with extra accountability done here. Grading: A for 100 g of protein 6 to 7 times a week - 25 exp ( 2 Con 1 Wis) B for 100 g of protein 4 to 5 times a week - 20 exp ( 2 Con ) C for 100 g of protein 2 to 3 times a week - 15 exp ( 1 Con ) F for all else Griffith has dreams, ambitions...and let one year with a bad day lead to a pretty horrific decision... Details: Oh man...oh Griffith...you're a real piece of work. Turning from one of the coolest characters into one of the most shittiest assholes over the course of one ruthless, hateful decision. To be fair to him, he had a bad year. He was tortured for a year, left disabled and unable to fight or even speak and after being united with his friends and comrades, realized he had just become a burden. That sucks. Really, really sucks. I am not gonna be like Griffith and just hole up into myself, making horrible choices. I had a pretty shitty 2016. I have some healing to do. And while I have done a pretty good job so far, I need to stop putting off getting some grief counseling. Not sure what yet, nor when, but I need to get some grief counseling of some kind. Maybe to let it all out, maybe to hep make a plan, I'm not sure, but something could still help me get a handle on this loss a little more. Contingencies: None; I need to not put it off.Tracking: Tracking to be done here and I'll need to use this thread to do some research and let ya'll know how I'm doing so far.Grading: A for one group or individual grief counseling session this challenge - 15 exp ( 2 Wis 1 Cha ) F for all else Puck is real are so are demons, other elves, and magic in the Berserkverse! Details: Puck is the resident light in the darkness known as the Berserkverse. He provides the comedy relief and much needed lightness for the series as well as proof that there are supernatural happenings afoot. He is an elf that is visible to all but the blind and tries his best to support Guts and his crew. Due to his supernatural, magical nature, he best represents my art quest! Same old here; painting and art for 30 minutes a day, most days of the week! Contingencies: The usual! Friends being in town, going on possible trips else where, etc. Need to focus on painting! Tracking: I have an art Tumblr and I also have DeviantArt (WATCH ME FOR ACCOUNTABILITY). I shall use those and this thread to keep track. Grading: A for Arting (model painting mostly) at least 30 minutes 4 to 5 days a week - 20 exp ( 2 Wis 1 Cha )B for Arting (model painting mostly) at least 30 minutes 2 to 3 days a week - 15 exp ( 1 Wis 1 Cha) F for all else The quests are set! I should be honest and have some stats posted for the new year! They...ugh...won't be great, but here they are!! Starting Measurements: Date: 01/05/2017 @ 7:30 am Weight: 161 ***Body Fat***: 26 Waist: 26 Waist @ Navel: 28 Hips: 40 Neck: 12.5 Chest: 34 Left Bicep: 11 Right Thigh: 19.5 Wrist: 5.5 Forearm: 9 Ughhhh...I know these are looking great, but hey! Cut me some slack :P. I'm getting back into things and I'm already feeling more trim and also feeling better! Hurray! Let's get this challenge going! Time to fight against the Dark Ages and kick ass Berserk style! WOO!!

As I stated in my Battle Log, there is nothing quite like a little time with the folks and a new year to put some gas on the fire of lifestyle change!!!! I will be adding more headspace type challenges later in the year to that end. I am processing so much right now I couldn't even put together my thoughts in time for the challenge. There is much I want to address in that arena. Exercise and diet first though... I've discovered in my time here that I cannot jump into things with the vigor I would like. I am more prone to injury and over-doing for whatever reason, perhaps the mystery of autoimmune disease, who knows, doesn't matter. Fall is usually my favorite season, but this year was rough. I felt weak and achy and just blech, sad, weepy, ugh. I'd spent months complaining and moaning and generally acting like a victim of my circumstances. I was no fun for anyone including myself. Around my birthday in November, I decided to get some more medical help. Things weren't right and I sort of knew it. Very long story made short, it seems likely that my thyroid stuff (I essentially have no thyroid due to radiation) has been poorly managed for years and years. I had all the symptoms and complications of being long-term overmedicated and likely teetering into some dangerous territory with heart and blood sugar issues not to mention further complicating all the hormone situation. I felt better within a week to two of the change. Finding a good, caring, listening endocrinologist is like finding a pot of gold. I am very blessed. I was also entirely fed up with my lack of doing anything physical other than walking for months and months on end. It was time for some real reflection about how exercise works and doesn't work for me. After thinking about my needs and goals, it was pretty clear that weight training was the absolute right answer for me. Unfortunately, the gyms around here are surprisingly either not equipped well for that or beyond my budget. I went to every gym in the city within reasonable distance. So much sadz. My husband had been trying to help and finally just decided we'd invest some time and money in a home gym in the basement. That man is gold, I tell ya. GOLD. So, a couple of weekends and... I started a pre-made program called Strong Curves in early December. So far, so good. I did have a jigsaw puzzle/snow shoveling injury ( @T2sarahconnor) and unplanned Florida getaway that set me back a week or so. The timing was actually pretty good since the vacation forced me to rest my back and I'm feeling ready to get at it. OK, enough with the update/novel... The Basement: I'm doing Strong Curves 3 days per week, M/W/F. The programming changes at week 5 and week 8. Since I went on rest mid week 4, I am doing the last workout for week 3 today and starting the challenge on Monday with Week 4. Programming will change a bit mid challenge. I am being quite cautious with increasing weights. I read a great article about exercise and autoimmune disease that makes me think slow and steady is probably the right way for me for long-term success. I am likely more prone to tendinous injury and strain. Success = 10 workouts before end of challenge. The Garden: Eat more veggies. Yeah, this is not so measurable, but my criteria for success here is to come up with a few new veggie based meals or sides to incorporate into our routine. We tend to eat a lot of the same meals over and over and not enough of them include veggies. Success = find and try 4 new recipes this challenge, particularly one that will work as a make-ahead lunch option for me. The Kitchen: Figure out a way to get more protein. This is such a struggle. I am tracking my food a bit this challenge. I don't need total compliance on this one, but I really need to find a way to sustainably get more protein in my diet. I tend to obsess when I track, so I'll be walking the line a bit with this one. However, I've found that when I tracked here and there, I am a bit underfed most of the time and usually abysmally low on protein. Make steps to rectify this. Success = getting close to 100g per day in a sustainable way by the end of challenge. The Living Room: Make a house a home. We've mass decluttered over the last 2 years and now it's time to home-it-up a bit. There is still some decluttering to happen. I imagine there always will be. The house needs a good thorough cleaning in week 1 and I'd like to make some effort in weeks 2, 3, and 4 to reestablish some aesthetic improvements. Replacing some worn cushions, adding some candles to burn, or things like that. New towels and pillows are also on the short list. Success = clean and at least 2 additions Along with all that, I have non-goal goals of using my bullet journal more and better, listening to more music at home, meditating a bit more often, and maybe some yoga when the mood strikes. I really want to build from a strong foundation this year and thats why I'm starting with the core of fitness and diet this challenge. I hope I can find some success in my challenges this year that was lacking last year and really build into more and more sustainable lifestyle changes and refine my headspace a bit too.

Hey guys, On the 12th of December I respawned! The motivation came out of no where but i have lots of it right now and i'm getting myself set up to really smash it. I have another topic in the workout section where I have put quite a bit of information about myself, where I am at and where I want to go. @Mike_d85 has helped me almost perfect my workout that I want and while I continue with that I now want to sort out my diet. I understand the concept of Paleo and I have read some of what Steve has posted (So much reading!) and I have basically done this. Removed Dairy, Bread, Cake/Sweets etc Drink only water with the exception of 1-2 cups of coffee a day (Home made on water bit of milk, 3 sugars) Focusing on eating Protein (Mainly Fish cooked in tin foil with lemon and a bit of butter and Chicken), Salads and vegies. What I am not sure of is the portions. I am mindful not to go crazy but still unsure of where the right mark is. I want to lose body weight percentage so I am ensuring a caloric deficit but also want to build muscle which means I need to eat more. In my head they contradict each other hence the confusion. Any help regarding this would be much appreciated. Thanks, Leverage.

"Back to the Grind" Prologue: Vacation is over. Horizon is looking calm, except for some wee bumps. Last few weeks were hard on the part of me that wants to get fit(ter) and lean(er). Going on vacation with the bike was just a very bad combination in regards to maintaining strict about a lot of things. Being around a group of bikers that drinks heavily every evening, combine that with a person who loves to have a beer, and you get the picture. Not being able to workout due to a number of things (daily schedule and the heat over there being the most important factors). Back home i was still in vacation mode, not working out much (thank god for the StrongViking and the 12K at work). The wife returned last night from here short trip to Mallorca which closes this chapter of holidays. And i'm ready for the next step. I want to get back to the Challenge! Planning ahead i want to use the end of this year to prep myself for trading in Fitness for Crossfit starting next year. So i'm gonna make lifting my primary goal. Maximizing my strength to be able to handle heavy weights when it comes to the WOD from Crossfit. I've chosen Starting Strength (SS) as a base for this, i want to add some upper body work to this as this is the part i'm lacking... I need to (can) make the most progress in this part, and from the things i understand SS is not specifically meant (optimal) for this part. I'm still on the lookout for an answer to this question. For now i have made a start with a deload and restarting SS. Welcome To "THE GRIND" (sidequest: watch this video at the start of every lifting session, and preferably at the start of every day) The Challenge: This challenge will center around lifting and all goals will work towards maximizing progression.The goals will all be beneficiary to this cause. Except for the lifequest. There are a few things i'm postponing because i'm lacking courage of setting these gears in motion. I need to make a list about this and prioritize it. This will be first weeks goal and subsequent goals will be derived off of this. #1. "The Grind": Lifting 3 times a week. Monday Wednesday Friday. Start with a deload, work my way back up and beyond my PR's atm. No exceptions, make planning accordingly, work out possible schedule problems in advance. Allow for only one missed workout throughout the challenge (allowing for that one catastrophe to hit). Using Starting Strength as a base to get started. Looking for a good upper body plan to mix with SS. #2. "Sensible Fuelling": Eat to grow as a healthy Oak. Do.not.check.the.scale. I will get fatter, i will get heavier, i hopefully also will gain muscles in this process! The "sensible" part means two things. 1. Eat sensible in as healthy as possible. 2. Be sensible in the way that growing bigger will also mean gaining BF and become heavier. Last couple of challenges has shown it's impossible for me to gain strength without gaining weight/BF and keep this up for long time. Looking at the scales will make me give up for sure and go back to cutting, but i needz the muscles. Battleplan is to bulk till the end of the year, and when CrossFit is introduced (next year) revise the plan. #3. "Protein is Whey Cool": Keep up with the protein. Combining meat and whey as the primary sources of protein. Morning shake (combination of 6 types of protein) combined with Creatine at breakfast. Meat-leftovers for lunch A decent amount of meat (and make sure to leave some leftovers for the next day) Post-workout shake (Whey isolate) Protein shake before bedtime (Micellar Casein) #4. "Lose the booze": NO Drinking of beer, i have done this before, i can do this again. Stuff get's out of hand quickly when this is not a specific goal. Reporting back to you guys i have been acing this goal really gets me to stick to it! I allowed for 2 exceptions: one bottle of beer on my birthday-party (next saturday) and my actual birthday (sept. 28). Which makes a total of 2 bottles of beer throughout this 6WC. Next to this i try to drink as clean as possible, drinking mostly tea and water. When i really need a change-up it will probably be a diet-Lipton, but certainly not more than 2 glasses a day and certainly not every day (more like 2 times a week max). #5. "Sleep, i must": Last few weeks i have had seriously too little sleep. Going to bed later and later. Now going back to work (and having the alarm clock going at 06:00 am to drag my ass out of bed by 06:10 am) i have to make sure i get enough sleep. When i have to get to work the next day i need to be in bed before 11:00 p.m. The other days i have to be in bed before 12:00 a.m. Exceptions to these rules, when i'm away for the evening. This usually means being at a party or playing cards at a friends house. This doesn't happen all that much, and i generally don't make it very late, usually home between 01:00 am and 02:00 am. #### LifeQuest ###: There is some stuff that needs to get done which i'm constantly postponing. First week's part of this "lifequest" will be: make a list of 5 things that have to be done that keep getting postponed AND prioritize it. This quest will be changed in the weekend of week 1. DISCLAIMER: There is a small chance another OCR will be planned for somewhere in October, this challenge has to be seriously revised if this happens.

This is my 3rd challenge since joining. I thought I was a monk at the beginning, but throughout the discussions in the first two challenges, and the mini-challenge here at the Guild, I've found my place. I used to play Ragnarok Online (across 3 servers until the last one shut down), so that tends to be my personal go-to for metaphors. I reached level 98 Assassin-Cross on 2 of those 3 servers. So here goes my 3rd challenge goals: I’ve spent 10 weeks in HiddenTemple, and now I’ve picked my class. From Novice to Thief, I’m on the journey to become an Assassin. I’m giving up Prontera Fields, I traversed the MorrocDesert to find the Guild, and now I’m moving over to Payon to gather XP. I’ve seen no changes in weight or measurements, and I wonder if I’m not eating enough overall to build muscle, although I have improved slightly on my workouts. So here goes for challenge #3. As I can’t lose the momentum, I make my challenges 5-weeks-long. 5-Week Challenge (Assassin: Weeks 9-14): I - Strength: 7x a fortnight - NFA Modified Level 1: A - Full squats instead of assisted. Knee press ups instead of elevated. One-arm Dumbell Row instead of bodyweight. Add 12s one leg balance in middle set. Add 5 alternate lunges at end. - NFA Modified Level 1: B - Inch worms instead of wall walks. One leg balance for 12s not 5. Add 3 capoeria gingas at end. I - Balance: 1x a week, 5-mins - Complete Capoeira Ginga, Kata, Shivanata, Dance or Yoga, Extra NF Challenge [Boss or Mini-Challenge] III Energy: 5x a week - Include protein with 2 meals a day - Cut down to 2 ‘unhealthy snacks’ per day - Use sugar content to gauge ‘healthier’ decisions - Morning Routine: 1 minute Metta practise & Sip Water - Evening Routine: 3 Breaths Druid Exercise, Complete Gratitude/Positive Data Log Here goes nothing!

After defeating a rock, Zeroh has been (under mysterious circumstances) turned into a sapling. While those who are much wiser search for a cure, Zeroh does what a sapling must to survive. Grow. Various activities will help turn this sapling into a strong and healthy tree. They are broken down below. The more points, the higher the rank, and the greater the rewards. NOTE: Because it works better math-wise, this is a 30 day challenge. It will start a day early, on August 20, and end a day later, on September 18. Trunk Organization will be the key to a solid base in this challenge. Each SUNDAY, I will schedule the week's exercise and resume sessions. This is worth 5 points per schedule. Roots You can't grow without good quality food and clean water. Pretty straight-forward. Soil (Nutrients): Eat a protein 3 times daily. Each protein counts as 1 point. Water: Drink 2 liters daily. This is all or nothing, 1 point per day completed. Branches A tree without branches is just a stick in the ground. But more branches, equals more leaves, equals more sun, equals more energy to build a better tree. Let's build strong limbs with bodyweight exercises. There will be three exercise sessions a week, with each session worth 10 points. Sunlight As anyone who's tried to keep a plant knows, the right amount of sun is very important. So to let in as much light as possible, I'll need to maintain a clean and clutter-free zone. Organization is going to make an appearance here too. Every morning, I'll create a chore checklist, and then work on it throughout the day. Completing the checklist will earn me 2 points, or 1 point for partial credit if I did some, but not all, of the chores. Or if it did chores, but didn't make a checklist. No points for just making the checklist and not doing anything with it. Planter Right now, I'm stuck in a small pot (i.e. dead-end job) that won't give me much room to grow. Clearly, this needs to change. There will be two resume sessions a week. For 1 hour, I will sit and work on the task outlined in the weekly schedule. It doesn't matter how much is done or how good it is. The important part right now is to sit down and work on it. Each session is worth 10 points. Penalties Junk food: Soda and candy bars are not good for plants, -1 point for eating junk, and -5 points for buying junk. Missed scheduled activity: A schedule is nearly pointless if it is not followed. -3 points for missing an exercise day or resume session. Note that I can still earn the points for the activity by doing it on a different day. Bonuses Active rest day: On days that I don't exercise, staying active is still very important. Completing one of these activities will earn me 5 bonus points, but only if I do it the day after an exercise session. Possible activities: Walk for 1 hour, (more to be added later). Update: Each update gives me 1 bonus point. And that concludes the many ways to both earn and lose points. On to the all important ranks that show how good/bad I've done on this challenge. Ranks S = 401+ (Reward #2) A = 321 - 400 (Reward #1) B = 241 - 320 (Pass) C = 161 - 240 D = 81 - 160 E = 1 - 80 If I earn a B rank, that's a passing mark. But I don't get any rewards beyond the fuzzy feelings of successfully completing a challenge. But if I earn an A rank, that gets me Reward #1 (TBD). And if I do amazingly well and earn a S rank, that gets me Reward #2 (also TBD), in addition to Reward #1! Good Luck!

DAO Spoilers We saved the circle, big sigh of relief. I know Morrigan is not happy we saved it but we have our first allies! Wynne, the mage who helped us in the tower, has decided that life in the circle is not for her anymore and wishes to travel with us. Wynne’s alright and we can always use another to fight the darkspawn but she’s sort of old so I worry about her. She has some mad skills with magic though so that will help. Wait what... Once back at camp, Alistair suggested we go to Redcliffe for support next. With Loghain spreading lies about the Grey Wardens, we will need a powerful noble ally. Alistair seems convinced that Arl Eamon will be that ally. Redcliffe Village PT 1 - Gaining allies #2 I swear everywhere we go something is wrong. This can not be a coincidence! Redcliffe seems to have a problem with waves of undead attacking them as the sun goes down. "Walking corpses? Do you think it's something in the water?" - Leliana. The villagers have not heard anything from the Castle and fear the worst. I don’t blame them. Being the helpful bunch my traveling companions and I are, we’ve decided to stay and help out. We also need to get into the castle and this seems to be the only way to do it. "These people don't deserve what has happened to them. We must get to the bottom of this." - Wynne Help Redcliffe Villagers : Not everyone can fight and those who can, don’t seem to have the weapons to do it. Redcliffe Village’s mayor, Murdock, has asked that we help get the villagers prepared for a long night of undead battles. We will need to get weapons for those who can fight & food for those hiding in the Chantry. Food Quest: More protein : over 50g of protein (5 out of 7 days = Collect 1 supply bundle of food per week) Life Quest : No credit card spending & make payments: Villagers can only be helped if I don’t use my credit card. For every credit card purchase, 1 villager doesn’t get helped. Villagers helped goal = 25 (weapons) Take back Redcliffe & get into the Castle (Each week will have a different focus): Exercise Quest: 2 Cardio & 3 BWW Getting to the Core of the problem: Exercise Quest: Plank progressions everyday Front Plank (On Elbows) Plank (Push Up position) Side Plank (Elbow/Knee position)