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I've decided to start off the year with a "back to basics" challenge, focusing on a very few things to rebuild momentum and consistency before students and grandson start the tug of war over my calendar. I want to change body composition and push back against both muscle and bone density loss. At the moment, I am relatively healthy. I want to regain some of the strength I had 20 years ago, when I could do pull ups, run a 5K, and deadlift 85+ pounds. I want to be a good example for the next generations AND I want to play and have fun (with grandkids and other people). #1 priority is to build up strength and add muscle. Measurable goals for the challenge: 85 pounds x 3 x 8 lat pulldown 4.1 mph jog 5K 15 assisted pull-ups 30 pushups (some will be scaled probably) 45 air squats #2 priority is to lose fat. Strategy is to eat protein, fruits, vegetables, and lean dairy while making sure I do strength training at least 2 x per week (preferably 3 times per week). I am planning to continue using WW to track and manage the energy intake/outgo balance. It works for me, and I don't want to make any infrastructure changes right now. For the challenge, I'm tracking only two things: WW points and daily exercise. I liked logging with emojis here, and I have made a grid to include in my planner as well. Having it right in front of me so that I can see trends over the year will .... I hope ..... encourage consistency. I love to mark things off lists. For food tracking: 🎯 = stayed in daily points, 🔵 = blue dot range, 🟢 = maintaining weekly buffer, 🟡 = I logged everything, 🟠 = I logged some, 🔴 = unplanned break For exercise: 🏃‍♀️ = ran, 🏋️‍♀️ = crossfit, 💪 = strength training, 💃 = exercise class, 🚶‍♀️ = walking, 🧘‍♀️ = yoga It seems simple, but routines fell apart at the end of the last full challenge. My weight has not gone up too much: 154.8 as of today. My strength, however, did take a dip on most measures. I'm hoping that the gym won't be too busy .... and the CrossFit group is still meeting regularly but a little earlier in the afternoon, which I am hoping means that we can get the equipment we need.

Hi, I am working towards the one arm pull-up (not the one when you hold your wrist or shoulder....or whatever else) and I´d like to ask if there is someone who already achieved it and how..... I know there is a lot of videos and blogs and other forums on the internet on this topic but I´d like to ´´meet´´ someone who has already done it and ask some questions like... How many 2 handed pull ups should I be able to do before attempting OAP? Should I get there thru the weighted 2 handed pullups or follow progressions? (archer pullups, typewriters, around the world, 2finger->1finger) What do you think about machines supporting your weight? (think its called gravitron) Also if you got your OAPs recorded it would also be nice to see....

So why did the chicken cross the road? - to get away from the freak standing on his hands: One thing this assassin learned playing Skyrim is dont kill the chicken, but how does one scare it away instead? Ancient research shows that inverting one self will activate the chickens inner fear and run away, even if that mean to cross the magical road. Week 1 goal: a. Do 3 20min focused handstand sessions. b. Stay on my hands every day at least 5 times. What good are wings if you can't fly? An assasin can crawl in the shadows, following his foes every step. but some assassins are too heavy to pull themself up, and how should he then catch the flying chicken? Week 1goal: a: to do 3-4 sessions in my pull-up course. b: work every day on improving my pulling strength, including pulling preps, hanging, or climbing. Why a clumsy ninja shouldn't play with shurikens, and how duct tape can fix it: Never trust a clumsy ninja! this challenge it's back to juggling. and now focusing on the 3 ball cascade, so I can learn it. I learned from the former challenge that juggling is taking a backseat when life gets busy, kinda ironic that juggling gets left out when one try to juggle life? (this is the challenge of bad jokes I guess). Week 1goal: juggle for 5 consecutive minutes each day, before going to bed. For now its planned to be after i brushed my teeth, more juggle is awesome, but 5 minutes pr day is a minimum! no excuses. If you want the chicken you want to rise before the hen: Assassins rise before the sun, to view the world from the shadows, they dont spend to much time on the bed looking at meaningless social media! Ive had a bad habit of waking in propper time but spending way much time in the bed, which result in stressing and not eating breakfast. Sometimes it means I dont get to have my morning coffee (or buy my morning coffee only to miss my train, but hey - priorities!!! Week 1goal: To leave my bed 10 minutes earlier than I already do now. this goal might be edited and build on at week2 if it goes well, or keep staying the same till i crush it!.

Grandkai Gets-up & Swings into Action! Goal 1: Simple & Sinister 6x a week I want to do more with my kettlebells & after listening to the audio book for Simple & Sinister i decided to do this. 5 sets of 10 Kettlebell Swings & 5 sets of 1 Get-Ups per arm. 6 Times a week. Goal 2: Pull-ups & Dips I want to also get better with Pull-Ups & Dips, 2 exercise that give the most bang for your buck. So ill be doing the "20 Pull-ups in 6 Weeks" program/challenge & the "150 Dips in 6 weeks" program/challenge. 5 sets of X reps in each program/challenge 3 Times a week. Mini-Goals - Pick my teeth everyday before bed - Eat an apple everyday - Find some new recipes - Dedicate 2 days every week for Twitch streaming So that are my goals for this challenge. Mostly fitness but with little nutrition/health goals as well. Time to get fit for spring

A couple of years ago I made a video (NF link) showing lots of ways to modify push-ups to change their difficulty or the muscles they focus on and I got a surprising about of views, so I've made a similar one for pull-up variations. It has everything from bent-knee inverted rows to explosive variations, so if you're interested in more possibilities for pull-up training, hopefully there are some useful ideas in here Also - if you find it difficult to understand what I say, let me know! I can't judge how clear it is (especially to non-native speakers).

The Target: Muscle-Up Teh Skillz: Redevelop explosive high pullup Redevelop controlled dip Redevelop controlled tiger pushup & russian dip for transition Develop kip

Been working on keeping it basic with my strength progress for American Ninja Warrior. I put my progression video together to share for you who are struggling to reach pulling the entirety of your own weight. Before I could do a pull-up I didn't have a guide, I just adapted and overcame. Those came with a bit of consequence because it translated to more injuries than necessary along with down time. So here's my take on what to do to work up to a good pull-up:

Stumbled across this story and found it interesting enough to pass along - particularly for those of you contemplating learning pull-ups. The program is called "Zero to Twenty-plus" and is designed for everyone, from absolute novice to more advanced users. The blurb from the article: (http://www.marines.mil/News/NewsDisplay/tabid/3258/Article/673308/zero-to-twenty-plus-marine-develops-program-to-improve-pull-ups.aspx) I've included a series of links found in the article, as well as a website that seems to be re-posting the same information. http://www.marines.mil/Portals/59/Docs/SecretToPullupsHowToGoFrom0To20.pdf http://www.marines.mil/Portals/59/Docs/PullupTrainingProgramNovice.pdf http://www.marines.mil/Portals/59/Docs/PullupTrainingGuide.pdf http://www.noexceptions2016.com/documents/ Disclaimers: I am not now, nor have I ever been a Marine. I am not currently following the program, but I am incorporating some aspects into my training routine; I will likely be including more as time progresses, as the absolute novice program seems pretty straight-forward.

MAIN QUEST: Become a master of disguise. Or at least an actress who can dance like she’s in Buenos Aires and can perform feats of magnificent skill. … Like a ninja. Pascal, my Spirit Animal for this challenge When the question was posed in the Assassins’ Den last challenge about what kind of Fitness Superhero we aspire to be, I mentioned that I want to be a chameleon, where I can blend into whatever role I’m needed to be (or want to be) easily. It’s part of my whole thing of always striving to be a better actress, after all. And what better role model for an aspiring chameleon than a ninja? QUEST 1: NINJA TRAINING [+2 STR +1 DEX, +1 STA] A ninja is always training, always striving to better herself or himself, always getting stronger, etc. And so, I will endeavor to workout 5x/week. There are some extra requirements to this, however: I must lift at least 2x/week. I must work through pull-up progressions and toes-to-bar progressions at least 2x/week. I must work on flexibility for at least 10 minutes at least 5x/week. The other three workouts must be over a duration of at least 30 minutes/session. This can be cumulative throughout the day if necessary. The flexibility time can count as part of the 30 minutes (and yes, if I work on flexibility for 30 minutes, that alone will be enough to count), as can any work done towards the two quests below. A = Criteria 100% Met | B = 75% Met | C = 50% Met | D = 25% Met QUEST 2: GO NINJA GO NINJA GO [+2 DEX] You thought this was going to be a TMNT gif, didn’t you? There’s no dance party like a ninja dance party! Since I’m always working to improve my dancing, 2x/week, I will work on Latin-style dance basics in preparation for my summer in Evita. Videos: http://www.howcast.com/guides/905-how-to-do-the-argentine-tango/ http://www.howcast.com/guides/909-how-to-samba/ http://www.howcast.com/guides/660-how-to-dance-salsa/ A = 2x/week | C = 1x/week QUEST 3: NINJA BALANCE [+2 DEX] A ninja must have balance. With that in mind, I will work on hand and leg balances and inversions 3x/week for at least 10 minutes. Library of Poses: http://www.yogajournal.com/category/poses/types/arm-balances/ http://www.yogajournal.com/category/poses/types/balancing/ http://www.yogajournal.com/category/types/inversions/ A = 3x/week | B = 2x/week | C = 1x/week LIFE QUEST: NINJA BENTO [+1 CON] Going on a mission without a packed lunch is a terrible idea. While I’ve gotten better at bringing lunch to work, my lunches could stand to be healthier since lately they've just been frozen dinners, which are so gross I never even finish them, which is hampering my "get stronger" quest since I’m not eating enough, or I turn to the junk food around the office to get the calories my body is demanding. So, twice a week, I will pack a homemade lunch and bring it to work. A = 2x/week | C = 1x/week SIDE QUEST: NINJA MISSIONS [+1 WIS] What’s a ninja without missions to go on? Even if it is as simple as, "I need that hole punch." Having a to-do list really worked last time to help keep my life in order, and I want to keep that up especially since my life is going to start picking back up with crazy busy-ness. But based on lessons learned from last time, I’m going to make a couple of adjustments: one, that Saturday and Sunday will combine to make one to-do list for the entirety of the weekend; and two, that there is no minimum number of things I need to cross off, as long as I make an honest effort at doing as many things on the list as possible. A = 6x/week | B = 4-5x/week | C = 3x/week | D = 1-2x/week Let's Go Ninja!!!!!!!

Captain Inertia here, and I need some help... One of the things I want to focus on is climbing, swinging, and hanging. However, I am WAY to heavy right now to be holding onto a bar. I don't want to be doing pull-ups or chin-ups right now. I just want to condition by body to hang better from a bar, and get more comfortable with my feet off the ground. Anyone know of a good starting point for this? Any help would be appreciated.

MAN! I love all the beautiful, themed challenges on NF. Mine is "simple text" format, if you will. Gotta rush in here and type my challenge. I'm late... again... but I'm progressing! 8 pounds lost so far this year - love those early-gains! So, I will keep it up: What is working - Daily I stick to <100g carbs (unless high workout day), <1,900 cals, getting sleep, 120oz water, 12,500 steps This challenge Diet - Keep biggest meal at dinner: egg for breakfast and salad/chicken for lunches Diet - Prepare a new veggie creation of some sort each week - need to grow my selection of veggies I can make Fitness - Continuing daily 12,500 steps, incorporate conditioning 3x's per week - I will use the bodyweight A/B workouts NerdFitness academy Life - MORNINGS!!! I now have 4 successful mornings of getting up early and NOT snoozing my alarm. My mantra as I go to sleep is "I am getting enough sleep - at the alarm - UP, PANTS, GO!!!" Of course, it will help if I continue to go to bed early enough to get enough sleep... so, it's a 2 part goal (earlier to bed... to get up earlier) but the desired outcome is an early up habit. Is it weird for nerds to quote Churchill? No, he's not a fitness hero... but I love "If your going through hell, keep going." BACK TO IT! Go nerds

I've got jack and shit for this challenge, and my schedule is going to be all over the place in this next month. So .... continuing on with my goals for the most part, coasting, and thinking about what I want to focus on this year. Last year was the year of bling; this year, since my location is still uncertain, I won't be doing that so much. The List So Far Quit my jobFinish my front end web development classFind a new jobWhile unemployed: Work to better my blog's social mediaRe-vamp the blogRe-do my websiteSpiff up my resumeSpiff up my portfolioPossibly see a career coach to help turn my resume into what it needs to beWork to build dummy sites I can use as portfolio piecesAttempt to build my freelance base at least some!)&*$#$*# network at least a little with humans Master pull-ups/chin-upsWork on yoga balances (specifically I want to do fancy ass crow variations)Run a 30-minute 5k (virtual is fine) - I plan on doing quarterly 5ksCheck into a 'get faster with 5ks' program or do that new Zombies 10k thingMaybe throw in 2 10ksKeep up with ruckingFigure out where I'll be living and go there - or stay hereContinue my minimalism trackContinue my macrosContinue my craftsWork on biohacking when life is more settled For the first half of this challenge, I'll be continuing my workout schedule of Yoga Mondays, class Tuesdays, possible Rucking Wednesdays, class Thursdays, walking Weekends and light additional bodyweight and/or yoga challenges sprinkled throughout my weekdays. Macros will continue on with my standard 1,500 or so calories, 100g or fewer carbs, 100g or fewer fat, 70g or higher protein. I'll be continuing working on the baby blanket I'm knitting, and am starting a new Secret Ranger Cross-Stitch Project today. I will also continue working on digitizing my DVD collection daily. And will pick up mini challenges and PvPs as they present themselves. This challenge, like last challenge, is all about maintenance - I'm not piling on enough craziness to overwhelm myself while I'm working on things for class + trying not to stress out about potential location switches. And it's winter, so my body wants to do absolutely nothing but eat carbs, hibernate, and be injured.

Let's jump right into this thing! 2016, prepare to be rocked! Mercilessly! Quests: So I'm working towards a goal of doing my first pull-up. I want to become master of my body, and how my body moves. In my mind, pull-ups are the next step. Towards that end: 1) Push-ups. Real ones! Let me just copy a little block from the wrap-up of my first challenge, since I feel I covered the situation well there: So originally I wanted my goal to be 15. I've decided I don't have a good way to measure that, so I'll do this instead: My goal for this four weeks is to do at least 1 push-up a day, a real one, and try each day to do one more than the previous day. I have altered this goal slightly: My goal for push-ups for this four weeks is to do at least 5 sets of three elevated push-ups and attempt at least 1 floor push-up. (Thanks to Joshua T. for the elevated push-up suggestion!) I feel this is really an "easy" goal, but it'll be hard for me to do really. I've been trying, and even one real push-up is a total struggle for me anymore. I want to change that. (Suggestions for other ways to help build my strength to help with this goal are more than welcome, and completely appreciated. I won't learn trying to sort it all out on my own.) 2) Real food! Woo! Since I started living on my own for college, home cooked meals have been few and far between. I've stuck to mostly microwavable food for a long time now, with the (admittedly and thankfully rare) trip to a restaurant. (Not counting the work cafeteria as a restaurant.) My mother and I agree this is likely why I feel like shit off and on. Time to fix that. My goal here is to cook at least one home cooked meal a week. This will get me started on the road to home cooked meals every night, without overwhelming me. I figure weekends are the best time to do this, since I'm really learning to cook at the moment. (Yet my youngest brother is amazing at it. So much for the "Girls are great cooks" stereotype!) I think this will help with my feeling sick a lot, too. I think the pre-made microwavables I've been eating are largely what's making me ill. 3) Planks! I've come to find I really enjoy planks. I get a great sense of accomplishment when I do planks. Thanks to the assassin bootcamp mini-challenge I took part in over the break, I broke my longest plank record and made it to 45 seconds, and have been able to do so decently consistently. I want to keep pushing that limit, go for more. For this reason, my plank goal is to do at least a 45 second plank every night and each night try for at least 5 more seconds of plank. And to help me with this, I have my cuddle monster: Meet Umbreon, my three year old baby boy, and my adorable little workout pest. (He's certainly not a helper!) I've discovered that he actually does help with planks. Without knocking me over, he'll walk up while I'm doing planks and rub against my face. Takes my mind off the difficulty and helps me get more time. And totally not cheating because I'm still holding the plank! Distractions are an assassins best friend, when used appropriately. (And kitties are such amazing distractions. 4) Life Goal: Write every night to help relieve stress. So I've remembered lately what I did to help keep my sane during my fight with depression in high school: I wrote. I enjoy writing, no matter what it is. An essay, just whatever pops into my head, a story, lyrics to a song I'm listening to, anything! I've decided I need to get in the habit of doing this again, and my roleplays don't count. (There's too much discussion going on for me to get immersed in the writing.) To that end, my life goal is to write every night, one page if hand-written, and two pages if typed. Preferably, I'll do this not long before bed to try to help me relax to sleep, but if I get really stressed during the day I can do it whenever, so long as I get at least one written or two typed pages. Why so low a page count per day? Because there are days I'll have trouble finding the time for this. I want it to be continuous, uninterrupted time to help with the immersion I mentioned. The stress-relieving effect comes from getting out of my mind for a bit, and to do that I need to be immersed. A page should at least help me relax if written (There's something really soothing about the feel and sound of pen on paper. (And yes, I write my stories in pen. Yes, I am crazy. Thanks for noticing!)) and two pages should start getting me immersed if typed. Update schedules: I intend to update every night when I get home. (Work blocked Nerd Fitness, so I can't on lunch. Boo.) I found this to be a good way to keep my mind on target during my last challenge, so I'll stick to that this challenge. At the end of the four weeks, on the last day of the challenge, I intend to do a write-up of how I feel this challenge has gone, what I did right, what I could do better, what flat didn't work, and my thoughts for the next challenge. This seemed to work well for me last challenge, so I'll stick to it. As my beloved mother always tells me, if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

I'm not sure on goals yet, so I will edit later. BUT FIRST. YOU GUYS DID YOU WATCH ONE PUNCH MAN? because it is kind of the best thing ever. so for my training, I'm kind of going to mimic Saitama. Kind of. I mean, this sort of describes my REGULAR fitness routine, right? Quick intro! I'm karinajean, 38, live in NY state, commute to NJ about an hour each way (so lots of time in the car). I joined the NFA in October 2013 and over the last 2 years I’ve gone from 206 to around 180. I practice tae kwon do several times a week, take weapons and boxing classes in addition, and have an overarching fitness goal of doing good form push- and pull-ups. I have a crazy mean (yet super sweet) cat and live with my husband full time and my stepdudes 1/2 time. I motorcycle, knit and spin, and am endlessly ignoring how messy the house is. I'm an ASSASSIN because I like doing all the things, and because I want to be able to do push-ups and pull-ups -- these seem like very efficient movements that will exercise my upper body and core, and if I can do those and run and do martial arts (NINJA) I will feel totally strong and fit and capable. The MERMAID comes in because I saw it in a dream when I was a very young child and I believe it. challenge back story I meant to get to a pull-up in 2015, but I didn’t try as hard as I should have. I’m coming out of a period of not being able to prioritize myself very well -- my husband was in school last semester and working full time, and he was taking 3 project classes and with his commute it was essentially a nightmare of him working on school all the time and me barely holding together everything else - wait, no. I did a damn fine job of holding everything together, but it was at the expense of my own things I wanted to do. He’s still taking classes this semester but he strongly suggests it will be different this time around and by gum, I’m going to hold him to it. At the end of last challenge I identified making my body a different shape as something I’d like - and that’s going to take a more purposeful approach to diet and exercise than I’ve been using over the last many challenges. But first, I need to get comfortable with my “doing things for me†routine. GOAL TIME PEACHES! GOAL 1: do something every single day! [except for one day a week. because I don't actually want to go bald] I’m not a nut, I mean, I’m not going to run so hard that my hair falls out or anything. but, I do need to do something just about every day. I’ve been watching the calories on my fitbit charge hr and the days that I just sit around? those are the days that I can’t eat what I want. constraints apply though! I do want that push-up/pull-up efficient movement at some point. so each week I must: run 2x do tkd as many times as I can get there practice push-ups 2x a week (counters, but try to work lower and lower) practice pull-ups 2x a week (assisted band, hangs, or lat pulls) bodyweight exercise 1x a week (age of pandora, most likely) my elaborate holiday mini-challenge list of exercises was good and in a pinch, this list applies too. GOAL 2: something about food! In as much as I have lost a bunch of weight and feel super good about my body size, it’s still a little mooshy around the middle and I would like to keep up the momentum of the last two years. So, still tracking. I’m keeping holiday goals of tracking every day and not slacking until the next day and trying to remember everything. also, no booze on “school nights.†this is sort of my first step towards some kind of cut next year. I’m also going to be paying attention to protein and how much I’m getting. I would like to get into the habit of getting upwards of 100 g but I’m going to use these 4 week challenges as stepping stones on the food thing, because I hate fiddling with food. GOAL 3: something about doing things for ME! I have been able to prioritize making time for exercise over the last two years, but for some reason I have a hard time prioritizing making time for me to do the other things that I love and want to be good at. this means things like knitting (and watching naruto) and getting my sewing space cleared out so I can make a few more skirts (I am totally out of skirts). I talk every year about planning a new recipe to cook with my husband on a regular basis and I rarely get to it. I need to apply the fitness tools that worked so well for me to the rest of my non-existent leisure time. SO. plan out each week when I’m going to *make time* to do a thing that I want to do. write it on my calendar with my workout plans, and do it. this is key: ASK MY HUSBAND to help do things that need doing for me, house, and family, even if it’s making a plan that we will tackle x nasty job on y day together. LIFE GOAL: figure out social media better for ME. I’m feeling torn by all my inputs, and when I think logically about what I gave up to exercise, it was internet time, really. I need to understand where my friends live on the internet (facebook/instagram/twitter/tumblr) and decide what kind of a presence *I* want to have on these places to share those friendships. If that means I need to instead make a point to have a non-internet relationship with people I need to make the time for that. All that said, I’m going to start slow on this one by taking a photo every day and posting it to my blog. because I like that darn thing, and I’ve been neglecting it for years, and I can do this for a month.

I am halfway through Brandon Sanderson's wonderful WAY OF KINGS, and I am loving it! So, even though I haven't finished it, or the sequel, I am risking spoilers and theming my challenge on it! The world created by Brandon Sanderson is a stony, harsh place, with storms so bad the grass itself hides from them. Much of the action revolves around the Shattered Plains, a broken, jagged mosaic of plateaus, surrounded by a labyrinth of chasms. The Shattered Plains Kaladin Kaladin is a slave fighting in the king's army under the Highprince Sadeas, and was assigned to a Bridge Crew. Bridge crews carry massive wooden bridges that permit the armies to cross the chasms between plateaus. Bridge crews carry the massive bridges for hours and hours on end, with almost no break. Sadeas works his bridge crew hard, and Bridge 4, Kaladin's bridge, typically loses more members than any other. Until Kaladin starts training them. Kaladin has them train every day, so when they do have to run their bridge, their endurance is better. Second, he experiments with carrying the bridge on it's side in order to protect the crew from arrows. This month, I will train to be part of Bridge 4. Bridge crews need to run for hours (Train for a 10K) -Goal: Complete 4 weeks of training for my 10k (and later half) Week 1: 5k, 3k, 3k = 11k Week 2: 5k, 4k, 3k = 12k (Ringette tournament this weekend, may only get 2 runs in - and that's ok!) Week 3: 5k, 4k, 4k = 13k Week 4: 6k, 4k, 4k = 14k Bridge crews need to be able to carry a massive weight, and then maneuver it into position under attack (Achieve a Pull-up, 3X10 Toe push ups, Get down to 63.5kg) -Goal: 3X5 @40lbs assistance Start: 3X5 assisted @ 55lbs Progression: Pull up work 3X/week - Bodyweight rows, assisted pull ups -Goal: 3X10 knee push ups Start: Progression: Push ups 3X/week - knee push ups, toe push ups -Goal: Weight 66.5 Start 67.8 -3X treats/week. Treat defined as: 2 cookies, SMALL handful of candy, SMALL bowl of chips Shallan Brightness Shaman is a young noblewoman who has travelled halfway across the world for the opportunity to study under the King's sister, Jasnah. She is an accomplished artist and naturalist, but under Jasnah's tutelage her studies expand and flourish. Study as hard as Shallan (Pick up new topics at work) -Goal: Be vetted in A -Goal: Follow up on training for C/D/E and plan way forward -Goal: Determine vetting process for French Note: this goal is deliberately vague in order to protect my job! Trust me that it's quite specific! Dalinar Brightlord Dalinar is a Highprince of Alethkar, but after 6 years of war on the Shattered Plains, he has started to question the way the Highprinces compete against each other. As a result, he makes fewer and fewer plateau runs, choosing instead to focus on patrolling and maintaining the warcamp Maintain my war camp like Dalinar (Domestic Rangering) -Goal: Make deck playable -Take starting picture -Wash rags -Clean up plant pots -Excavate back corner and create plan of action for discoveries -Sweep -Goal: Follow trial weekly cleaning routine (and note changes needed!) -Monday clean bathrooms -Tuesday wash sheets/towels -Tuesday grocery shopping -Thursday wipe bathrooms Life in the Shattered Plains is tough, but hopefully I will also manage to finish THE WAY OF KINGS by the end of the challenge! This is of course complicated by the fact that I am on the waiting list from the library... I will live in hope!

Quick intro! I'm karinajean, 38, live in NY state, commute to NJ about an hour each way (so lots of time in the car). I practice tae kwon do several times a week, take weapons and boxing classes in addition, and am trying super hard to do really good form push- and pull-ups this year. I have a crazy mean (yet super sweet) cat and live with my husband full time and my stepdudes 1/2 time. I motorcycle, knit and spin, and am endlessly ignoring how messy the house is. I'm an assassin because I like doing all the things, and because I want to be able to do push-ups and pull-ups -- if I can do those and run and do martial arts I will feel totally strong and fit and capable. I know I did it to myself, but I named my last challenge "karinajean over-commits," and I was right. I totally over-committed, and it was brutal by the end of the challenge because I didn't have any capacity for last minute changes or additions. * GOAL 1: food tracking. I'm reaching a funny place where I need to figure out how hard I want to work on my diet to get more results. um. I don't know how to answer that, but hopefully I will by the end of this challenge. So part of this goal is to think about how much I am willing to give up or add in, or generally otherwise change. ALSO, I've been getting interesting results from my charge hr, namely: I don't burn very many calories during a day where I don't exercise on purpose. that's super key to understand, and I guess I really do need to figure out how to do something every day. which leads me to: * GOAL 2: do something every day, but don't do EVERYTHING every day. I'm in a really good place with running right now, and I'd like to continue hitting some good mileage. I think that if I can maintain a 3x a week running schedule (though - I haven't been doing that over the last 2 weeks, so I need to work on it a little better I guess) that would be pretty good. this running thing will be a mix of, like, a 3 mile | 2 mile | 4 mile or maybe more run. BUT, I really am getting close to the wire for my "ups" in 2015. So, because Raptron is brilliant and amazing, I'm going to add in the pull-up challenge. And because it's good for me, I'm going to do really good form push-ups every morning - possibly in the bathroom next to the tub before i get into it, but I am going to DO THEM. * GOAL 3: show up for your own life. I was super over-committed last challenge and the end of that was a lot of being over-committed at things for other people. I need to work back in that stuff that I want to do for me. I'm great at fitting in the dojo stuff, but not so great at the crafting. so - I'm going to fit in stuff for my own life. I need to make sure I've got room in my schedule to breathe, and that I am working in my own fun as I go along. that fun includes knitting and spinning, making a clean room and keeping it, possibly konmari cleaning the house... there's lot of stuff I could be doing. it doesn't all have to be running around to get boys to events and to make sure there's dinner to be had for husbands. make sure I'm doing things for ME and to make sure that *I* have an easy and comfortable life instead of making everyone else comfortable all the time. To this end, well. I saw this really neat bullet journal idea. I'm going to steal it and use it. so far for columns; push-ups, pull-ups, running, filling in my new 5-year diary every night, and checking in with you all! .... I don't know what else, but I'll get that sorted too.

Ok, so I'm not literally joining a cult. The title is simply a historical reference to the Roman deity Disciplina, worshiped by Roman soldiers as the personification of discipline through frugality, sternness, and faithfulness. Wikipedia has a brief entry on the topic here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disciplina The purpose of this quest is to go back to the absolute basics and establish a solid, disciplined daily routine from which I can progress. This is primarily going to focus on habits versus fitness routines, though fitness will still play somewhat of a role. A lot of what I will be doing is possibly more suited to other Nerd Fitness guilds, such as Adventurer or Druid. However, I have decided I am Assassin to the core, and with the Assassins I shall remain. Nothing is true; everything is permitted. Here is how it will all break down. Goal 1: Sleep - Get to bed by 11:00 PM at the latest between 11:00 PM and 12:00 AM every night. I'm not going to get too excited by the occasional slip, especially when it's a situation where I am burning the midnight oil for a very good reason, such as catching up on stuff from work, which I do on occasion. However, such a thing should never become regular habit. The bad habit I am putting to rest here is staying up late, sacrificing good sleep (therefore sacrificing readiness to tackle the next day) for trivial matters such as video games, surfing the internet, or watching TV. The goal is discipline through respecting myself and the obligations I choose to fulfill the next day by being well rested and alert. +3 to Con, +1 to Sta Goal 2: Priorities - Every day, make a list of priority tasks I wish to accomplish. I already do this at work. This goal is specifically to create a comparable daily list at home. By doing this I intend to be more mindful about how I spend my time and energy on any given day, therefore accomplishing things that bring me true fulfillment. +3 to Cha Goal 3: Meditation - Every day, meditate at least once, for seven minutes or more. Simple as that. Take the time to do it, and feel better about everything in general. +4 Wis Goal 4: Arm Strength - This is the only workout oriented goal of the quest. I simply wish to continue the gains I have made in the last six months in terms of upper body strength. Four times per week, I will do a minimum of 3 sets of 3 pull-ups. This is about my max ability right now. At week four of the challenge, I will increase to 3 sets of 4 pull-ups, minimum (or at least attempt to do so). I will of course increase beyond this as ability allows, but this is not required for the goal to be a success. In addition, I will do a basic body weight exercise routine four times per week. This will consist of air squats, decline push-ups, and decline bridges. +4 to Str And there we have it. I will still be working an additional body weight exercises, parkour, and yoga. However, I simply want to focus on what's most important to me right now for this challenge. Right now what I need most is a return to a steady routine. Once I do that, the rest will fall into place with significantly less strain. ***Changes made to Goal 1 and Goal 4 on 07/26/2015.***

Hi all, I joined the Rebellion to help take control of my health and do it the smart way. I've being trying unsuccessfully for years to stay fit and keep my weight under control. I've had some successes, but they have all later been undone by complacency and it is time to put an end to it! I plan to use these 6 week challenges to give me specific goals and timelines for achieving them, help me level-up my willpower and increase my strength. Main Quest: Reduce body-fat and fit into a US womens size 8. Goals for this challenge: 1) I will work out 3 days per week for 30 minutes 2) I will only consume 4 servings of grains or processed foods/drinks per week 3) I will be able to do at least one pull-up at the end of this challenge Side-Quest: I will not smoke a single damn cigarette. Motivation: I want to feel strong and in control of my body and my life. So, here we go!

things I learned last challenge: * I need to refresh on the bodyweight stuff. running is an easy exercise for me but I *know* that I can't overcardio myself, I need strength. my body is great at building muscles, I need to help it to succeed. * I am not very diligent at doing my -UPs practice, and if I really want to get to a pull-up in 2015 I need to crack down. * apparently I really can exercise 2-3x a week and eat at 1800 calories (ish) and I will lose weight. that's good news for the future! I'm glad that maintenance is higher than 1800 calories. * that thing where I kept doing tae kwon do and boxing and weapons routinely because I love them - that thing worked. I super love them still. ONCE AGAIN I have an awkward challenge. I'm going away for 2 weeks on the motorcycles! yay! but happily bodyweight exercises are my friends when I'm traveling! Goal 1: ROMANCING THE BODYWEIGHT Girl, you need to practice your -ups. You clearly didn't do them at all last challenge, but yet you insist they're important? Girl, just. Girl. 3x a week bodyweight workouts. not just the -UPs, but also the BUTTS. [[<--laughing hilariously at myself over here.]] Weeks 1 and 2 - while traveling - things like push-ups and squats and jumping jacks and handstand practice. don't sweat the full 20 min. workout concept, but do the activities. Weeks 3 to 6 - do a full bodyweight workout, either beginning bodyweight progressions or the NF Academy bodyweight routines, 3x a week. I know it's not popular opinion around here but running counts as bodyweight too - I know it's cardio, but you're propelling your body with just your body. that counts, totally! 2x a week running. (weeks 1 and 2 1x a week is ok.) The thing about the running and bodyweight is that if I am structured about it, I can fit in 2-3 miles and follow it with bodyweight. it doesn't have to be 5x a week exercise. make sure you're smart about this, girl. Goal 2: BE A REASONABLE EATER I'm going to be on vacation for 2 weeks, and I'm traveling to The Land of Cheese and Beer. I'm not going to let the silly fact that I hit my totally arbitrary calculated goal weight freak me out. I'm going to track all the food I eat, and I'm going to be smart about meals and snacks and protein so I don't get hangry, but I'm also going to enjoy The Land of Cheese and Beer. BUT WHEN I'M BACK. Stick with regular deficit programming but I am permitted to eat back exercise. Instead of managing on a weekly basis to hit goal, do this daily. Goal 3: PARTICIPATE! every challenge I see these mini-challenges and I'm super excited by them. every challenge I get pretty close to participating, but I never do consistently. when I do jump in those crazy overzealous assassins have managed to hit all the points already and I'm like: um, oh, hi. I shouldn't let that stop me, I should be overzealous too! I don't do stat points, but I will count as one of my goals participation in the mini challenges (and I really hope they work out with my vacation for the first 2 weeks!) LIFE GOAL. HAVE A BEAUTIFUL LIFE Honestly, I thought about taking a pass on this one. I can't even remember exactly how long the construction has gone on in my house but I'm pretty sure it's 10 weeks now. 6 weeks without a bathroom, a week of mess and quiet, and then 3 weeks (ROUGHLY? is there even any point to counting any more?) of total disarray and disruption in the kitchen and the dining room. the living room is unusable because all the things from the other rooms are in there. we have to move plastic sheeting when we want to use the stove. it's just RIDICULOUS. but in general, this is what I want: I want to read books and garden a little (just a little, mind you) and motorcycle and plan camping trips and cook delicious foods when my CSA starts. how about I just plain have a beautiful life, and tell you about it here? ************** I had secret big plans that weeks -2 and -1 would be good substitutes for weeks 1 and 2 in the challenge (when I'm traveling). BUT ACTUALLY I am too tired this week to do anything fancy, it turns out. fancy like exercise. I am actually at my wits end this week with the house. I am emotionally and mentally and physically exhausted. but week -1, though, that week I can start ramping up. I'm going to start tracking everything here, as per normal habits.

Here's my grand entry into the world of the Assassin. I couldn't resist borrowing a Lacuna Coil song title as a name for this challenge. I'm going to keep this short and simple, and expand more on where I've come from and where I'm going later. The goal is to further my ability to do chin-ups. The plan has 3 phases: 1. Start by attempting a chin-up workout of 3 sets of 3 reps (3x3). Do this 4 times per week. I am not currently able to do 3x3 as of right now, but the point here is to start trying. It may take as long as it takes to get there. If I am successful, and can consistantly do it for a week, move on to the next phase. 2. Same idea as first phase, but doing chin-ups 3x4 (3 sets of 4 reps). 3. Same as first two phases, but 3x5. Bonus Round: If I get to Phase 3, I'm also going to start working on pull-ups, in addition to chin-ups. I don't have a specific plan for that formulated yet, but I'll work it out when I get there. Success in this challenge means I'm putting in the 4 chin-up specific workouts per week, and getting stronger. Even if I'm still on Phase 1 by the end, so long as I'm putting in the work, it's a win (but I highly doubt I won't at least move on to Phase 2 in the next 5 weeks). I also plan to keep up on some other stuff in addition to the chin-ups. I have a routine of body weight squats and elevated push-ups I like to do. I also may take in some boxing and yoga. But the challenge itself is specific to the chin-ups. That is where I most want to make progress, and where I will be measuring my progress deliberately.

Hi all, Karzam here, and starting my first challenge, albeit a few days late. I'm a 41 year old guy, and have let my body slip over the years for various reasons, so I'd like to get fit, and put some muscle on. I've never really been that much into exercise, being a more cerebral person, so that's part of the challenge for me - but I do actually like exercise when I'm doing it, it's just not my natural choice of 'things to do'...not yet anyway. Main Quest: Increase my Lean Mass to 78kg (currently 74.7kg) Quest 1: Learn how to skip, and be able to do 2 minutes without stopping Measurements: A = 2 minutes, B = 1 - 2 minutes, C = 0 - 1 minute Rewards: A = DEX +2, STA +2; B = DEX +1.5, STA +1.5; C = DEX +1, STA +1 Quest 2: Learnt how to (and do) a pull-up Measurements: A = Full pull-up, B = Partial pull-up Rewards: A = STR +2; B = STR +1 Quest 3: Complete my kettlebell routine - 3 days a week Measurements: A = 3 days per week, B = 2 days per week, C = 1 day per week Rewards: A = STR +3, DEX +2, STA +2; B = STR +2, DEX +1, STA +1; C = STR +1, DEX +1, STA +1 List Quest: Go on two dates (trying to get out there) Measurements: A = 2 dates, B = 1 date Rewards: A = CHA +2, B = CHA +1 Motivation: Basically I'm rebooting my life at the moment, so this represents the physical side of that reboot. I've recently finished my PhD, and said goodbye to a woman who I'd have willingly proposed to (she actually has feelings for me too, but that's another story), so I'm embracing change!

(Note: I had a much better introduction but my first post was eaten by the inter-webs) Main Quest : Unassisted Pull Up Strength Goal: More pull-ups than week before. Test myself every Saturday. Starting with 3. .5 strength points for each week I have more band-assisted pull-ups.Can be:longer hang-timemore band-assisted pull upsmore negative pull-ups (let downs)3 strength pts Stamina Goal: longer workouts than the work beforeCan be total weekly mileage (runs)Total weekly mileage (bike)Total weekly distance rowed (metric)Total amount of time spent doing cardio3 stamina pts Constitution Goal: Hero's JourneyDo workout everydayTime spent can also count towards Stamina goal3 Dexterity pts Nutrition: Veggies / Fruit at every meal (tracked through Lose It! app)90g protein / day (tracked through Lose It! app)3 constitution pts Lifestyle Goal: Blog at least once a week (and resurrect my blog).3 Charisma pts

OUR HERO HAS VANQUISHED THE COLD HARSH WINTER. it's definitely spring. the garden needs gardening and the motorcycle is on the road. and with the changes in season comes a simultaneous CHANGE IN BUSINESS LEVEL. y'all, I'm so glad that the snow is gone but I am starting to feel very threatened by the spring. like, there is SO MUCH GARDENING TO DO. DOES OUR LAWNMOWER EVEN WORK? I am so busy! so I am setting up the most boring challenge ever and you will all just have to keep in mind: all the sparkles come from ME. I have no fancy pictures, I have no flashy gifs. I HAVE NO SHOWER RIGHT NOW IN MY HOUSE. all I have is my list of things that need doing. so what's that list? GOAL 1. KEEP BUSY. (as if there were ever any chance of me not being busy.) it's important to me to stay active and keep doing workouts. last challenge I figured out that I'm pretty comfortable doing 4 workouts a week, plus my tkd Saturday. So! I will keep it up. 5x a week activity. one of those days can be tkd. anything goes: running, bodyweight, stretching or yoga, weights. just. KEEP BUSY. a busy lifestyle is good for you. I really want to keep focusing on getting to my -UPs. I have been having a hard time this last challenge because my elbow got so super sore! (it's still sore! waaaah!) so I am going to dial this back to a more progression oriented approach. I'm going to start with the Start Bodyweight Training - I'll work on progressions #2 and 5, for pull-ups and push-ups. I want to do this 2x a week. maybe I should do it more, but for now 2x a week should give me plenty of time for my elbow to recover (HOPEFULLY). GOAL 2. EAT RIGHT. y'all know I'm a daily weigher and a calorie counter. I think I'm at the point in my weight loss journey where I need to stop eating back my exercise. Last challenge I did a good job of staying within budget INCLUDING eating back exercise. This time, no eating back. * with the exception! of my crazy dojo days, and I can eat back like, 3/4 of my calories from any exercise that is 600 calories or greater. I think that's fair. Honestly, I need so much more protein and fat when I work out a lot. I'm also hoping that spring will bring hiking, and that would be a 600+ calories day too. there is ONE WEEK that I will not worry about this goal -- this week. I will do my best, but my birthday is on wednesday and I'm traveling with friends to Portland OR on Thursday through Monday. I want to eat all the delicious food while I'm away. so, I'll do my best to be smart about my choices and portion sizes. GOAL 3. SELF-CARE = FOSTER SPARKLYNESS Clearly I am running on fumes. I don't have a shower. I have to go to the gym or the office early or my mother in laws every day that I want to get clean. I have work and family commitments. In order to keep myself sparkly and not feeling despondent I need to take care of myself. These are the self-care things I am going to do: * acupuncture - every 3 weeks. this is covered by flexible spending. it's good for me. it will likely really help my elbow, among other things. * chiropractic - at least every 1 1/2 weeks. maybe every week. again. good for me. I've got a sore hip and arm from driving a lot for work. this is my recovery. * massage - one of these during the challenge. again, covered by flexible spending, and good for me. my muscles are a disaster (especially hamstrings and calves) and this has been very helpful for me. * ride the motorcycle as much as possible to work - this is fun for me! I need to do it! I also need to figure out how to do this while also going to the gym. that's part of the challenge. * take a bath in my new bathroom as soon as it's done (I am hoping there's just 2 more weeks on the project!) - there has to be some reward! get some nice smelly bath bombs or something from lush so I can break the tub in properly. * hey read books. no requirement, but hey, read books. LIFE GOAL. KEEP CRAFTING. this went super well last time. I love making things! I need to keep it up. so, as I said last time: weekly crafting is required. I've got knitting and spinning in progress right now. I'll take pictures and share it with you. hopefully this will also lead to me finishing the closet. I made HUGE progress on the closet last time, and I would love to finish it up. so. I need to stay on track, but I also need some space to wrangle a little more peace and order into my life. I know this is a lot of stuff, but the routine of the exercising is important to me, and the eating, well, that's mostly dialed in right now. hopefully goal 3 will be easy and profitable. profitable in SPARKLES.

My main motivation is that I am going to Las Vegas in 13 weeks, 5 days - enough time to do two 6 week challenges ; ) And I want to feel stronger and healthier So here goes number 1: Main quest: Regain some of my former running prowess and therefore feel strong To do this, I will complete the Learn to Run 10 km program. I am starting week 8, and therefore that leaves me 6 weeks to complete. Progress is marked by completing each set of 3 workouts a week. My goal is to the Batch Hill, Grasslands trail, Grasslands Blvd as my long run. 50%50% End of week 3: I have successfully hit three runs a week! Mini quests: Grading: see percentage below Quests: Number One: 1. 3 beginner bodyweight a week Weekly Progress Overall Progress over 6 weeks 3 workouts x 6 weeks = 18 1 workout = 5.5 percent 27.5%27.5% Week 1: Two of these done - Think I am still a little insecure about these! Week 2: only did one ; ( Week 3: I did better than week 2 - did 2 very long ones! Number Two: 2. Food - eat cleanly and moderately - defined as: no junk food or binges/moderate dinners/nothing after 7 30 pm Weekly Progress Overall Progress over 6 weeks 6 x 7 days = 42 days each day = 2.38 percent 35.7%35.7% Week 1: Excellent!!! several times had to 'righten' myself from temptation but did ok Week 2: I started off so well -- had some success -- then slipped ; ( 4 clean days though! Week 3: everything went to hell in a hand basket on Friday - 4 days of excellent clean eating Number Three: 3. Lose 12 lbs. Weekly Progress Overall Progress over 6 weeks 6 weeks x 2 lbs = 12 lbs 33%33% Week 1: a clear 4 lbs!! Week 2: I had 7 lbs but then I had some not so clean eating days....I will have to weigh myself tomorrow Week 3: I got those 7 lbs back and then went into the yucky eating days ; ( Life quest: Clean and organize house ! (put extra stuff in pile for getting rid of) Weekly Progress Number of hours cleaned/organized Overall Progress over 6 weeks 5%5% Week 1: Not as much I wanted, but I did get the plugs in the kitchen working ; ) Week 2: kitchen counters clean, tax info found Week 3: well.... ; ( My motivation: I want to fit clothes better; I want to have more energy ; ); I want to live in an organized environment The turtle wins the race!

I am going for both literal and figurative flying here! This is expanding on some past goals as well as mixing in a few new twists! Goal 1 - Reaching Greater Heights How many names can I come up with to have the same basic goal on different challenges? Buahahahaha. I am afraid of heights. I am an aerialist in training. I need to make myself get more used to doing stuff UP high. I would like to do one thing up high at least once per week or on days when we for some reason don't do silks I need to make myself do one skill that kind of scares me! This is all about breaking out of my comfort zones even more! Even just climbing to the very top of the silks will count (Yes. I don't regularly do that for the sake of "saving energy" but I know it's not just because of saving energy!) Goal 2 - Do you even lift (yourself), bro? PULL UP YOU WILL BE MINE DAMMIT. I want to work on pull up/chin up progression work at least 3 times a week. Aerial days count towards this too as well as obviously any variety of pull up/chin up progression type moves. If I get an actual chin up un assisted by the end of this that would be SO COOl but the muscles will grow at the pace they want to grow at so we shall see. Goal 3 - I am the paint. (AKA why I love dance) I am so so so so happy to be back dancing. Don't get me wrong I LOVE aerial, but since I have such a strong dance background when I dance it gets to be ALL about expression most of the time and I looooove that. At least once a week I need to dance the hell out of some boss choreography and get purely into that flying and expressing mode (and out of my head!) Bonus round: I am the painter. I'd like to choreograph SOMETHING sometime in the next six weeks, and ideally also video and post it to my youtube account. I have all these ideas swimming in my head for this! Also the May showcase is coming up and I may see if I can contribute to that if they haven't already picked the choreographers/ if they aren't sticking to just the teachers for choreography this time. We'll see! Serendipity! Oh hey while I was in the process of writing this I got the call from company contacts about who wants to dance in and choreography for the May showcase. I must get together my proposal by Monday. Perfect timing!Life goal: Debt paydown! I am also keeping my debt goal from last round. No new things on credit cards unless I pay them back immediately/ no buying things I don't actually have the money for at the time. I am getting so much better on this ya'll! My balances are getting better already, and that's even in spite of me having to make a few exceptions for special reasons. (Actual special reasons like because life happens and because I do not put hotel bookings on my debit card. Not special reasons like "but I want that right noooow.")