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If you haven't followed my threads before, I am Brogo. I'm usually back and forth between the Warrior and Adventurer guilds. I typically try to lift like a warrior, but mostly I just eat like a warrior. That should stand out as indication that I'm overweight, and the bulk (pun intended) of my fitness journey has been failed attempts at weight loss. Lately, tho, I don't care about gainz. I'm really prioritizing my weight loss over everything else fitness wise. So I wandered back in here. I'm currently 257 lbs. I want to get to one-der-land. Just get me to 199 lbs. How am I going to lose this weight? I'm also seriously considering (another) career change to data science. I'll be (re-) teaching myself to code and learn data science methodologies through a courser certificate, and self-study using python 3 and anaconda 3 (hence the challenge title). Spoilered longwinded details... Goal 1, Keto: -> Maintain keto via a standard ketogenic diet (minimal carbs, no TKD or CKD) -> If ketogenesis gets interrupted, fast for 24-30 hours. Goal 2, Cooking: -> Keep current dietary restrictions (no meat, poultry, or dairy) until the end of the challenge. -> Buy at least one new ingredient each week, or try one new recipe. Goal 3, Running?: -> Go on a run once every weekend. -> Hit 6000 steps/day on my fitness tracker or lift weights. -> If I work <9 hours in a day, go for a run. Goal 4, Data: -> Continue work on Data Science Certificate on Courser:a by the end of challenge complete 4 courses. -> Practice and learn Python 3 (programming language) and Anaconda 3 (scientific, data analysis packages for python)

I wasn't sure whether I would participate in this challenge, and I'm going to aim more for fixing my mindset than specifically doing more. Over the last year, I've had a bad tendency to stick with the easy path, rather than challenging myself. This is possibly why I've been so meh with everything. So, I'm going to avoid the low hanging fruit and make a point of challenging myself. 1. Exercise: Whether it's parkour, jogging, yoga, or just a home strength workout, the goal is to push myself in some way or try something new. For parkour, I need to try new moves or new sequences. For yoga, I need to return to hand balancing or challenging routines. For jogging, I need to push my pace a little more or push myself to just keep running after I want to stop and walk. For home workouts, I need to push for more reps or harder moves or something new. Every workout must involve pushing at least a little bit in some way. 2. Coding: I'm teaching myself python right now (as well as SAS), and I've once again been sucked into Project Euler. I've solved 61 of the problems, but they've mostly been the easy pickings. The goal is to push myself by completing at least one challenging problem each week (along with at least 10 easy problems). 3. Piano: Every time I sit down to practice, I need to either work on polishing up some challenging sequence that I've kind of been cheating on/slopping through/pressing the pedal while playing stuff and hoping for the best , or I need to work on a new, challenging song. That's it. Keeping it simple this time.

I was gonna do a bunch of gifs, but I'm kinda lazy right now. This challenge is going to be in two parts. Part one is from now until March 25, essentially a Vacation Challenge. Part two is my "Back to the Grind" part. Vacation Goals: I have a lot of free time on my hands here while I'm waiting for Company to get out of work. So I may as well be productive about it, eh? Apply to at least two jobs (I have several saved that I'm interested in, so this isn't a crazy task) Look into the people I'm going to be interviewing with when I get back Listen to 7 Python Bible lectures Start/Finish my Taxes Stretch EVERY DAY (deal with my tight quads and knee pain) At least two walks with Company's dog Partially these are just to pass the time, but also to make sure I am still somewhat productive in this week and stave off some anxiety issues. --------------------------------------------- Back the Grind: Adulting: A Good chunk of Adulting to accomplish this time around Look into UFYH Interview on March 27th Reschedule Doctor's appointment 10 Minutes of Python a day Deal with a parking ticket (I actually think I already screwed this up, so I think I'll have to pay even though I shouldn't have to) Look into free guides for carving projects Limit video game times to no more than 2 hours on weekdays (Mainly because Mass Effect Andromeda comes out next week and I want to try and not have it eat me). Aikido: Test for First kyu! Look into posture and balance exercises to work on before the exam. Focus on blending. Write out 10 techniques (names only) for the "target" techniques for the exam. Food: This guy is the monster this time around. My eating habits haven't been that great the last several weeks. I've essentially been doing a dirty bulk, and I don't particularly like it. So I want to skew a bit more Paleo/Primal than I have been, and focus on upping my healthy fat intake over trying to spike my calories with carbs. So no more poptarts or cereal binges at night just to get calories fixed. I'm going to aim for 2800-3200 calories a day, but not worry about hitting that the first week or two back from vacation. I'd honestly like to go to like 2400 for two weeks, see how my body handles a mini cut. But I'll just take eating clean as an acceptable version, regardless of caloric intake. Really, I just need to not eat crap (Girl Scout cookies, punch, pop tarts, etc etc) and try to disguise it as either fuel or a reward for "surviving," which I've been doing a lot lately. So I'm better off just starting from scratch, as it were. So yea. Food, aikido, adulting to hit when I get back from vacation. Sounds like a decent challenge, right?

This has been the story of my life for the past 6 months... So my life has been a bit hectic. Unemployment, lots of interviews, getting injured, suddenly losing a roommate, losing unemployment insurance, finding a roommate.... I'm really in need of having some stability in my life. Things aren't looking up for the next month, unfortunately, so I need to work at making my own stability. Because as today has been going, the universe is just going to keep lobbing shit at me. 1) Python, 10 minutes a day: I finished my Automate the Boring Stuff python course that @The Most Loathed had pointed out to me a while back the other day. I feel like I can at least look at Python code and understand what it is aiming to do, but not confident enough that I can actually use the code. So I dropped $15 on another udemy course that's a more project based thing, and want to start working my way through that. The 10 minutes is a minimum goal, and I suspect that when I set up I'll do much more coding/learning than that. But figuring it's better this way to keep it small and easily movable in my schedule. Okay, it's not the gif I had imagined using, but Hunk getting eaten still relates to food 2) All about the Food: Okay, this is my most.... questionable goal. I've been eating pretty regularly 2800 calories a day, regardless of workouts. Little more on lifting days, little less on aikido. I'm being pretty stable at 211 pounds, and my gut measurement is also fairly stable. I'm currently torn on if I'm going to be doing a mini cut this challenge. Just two weeks, take measurements and photos, and see how the chips fall. It would be nice to see myself get a tiny bit leaner, as a few of my hallmark "I'm thinning out" traits have been hidden since I started eating more. Of course, I might also just keep eating where I'm at, and try to change my workout plans instead. I'm going to talk to a few people and see what they think I should do or how to best tackle things, physically and mentally. 3) Time to Fight: I'm testing in April. That's 2ish months away. I'm not actually worried about the exam, because I'm definitely well versed enough that I should breeze through it. I seem to be one of the few soon-to-test 2nd kyus who is confident in their ability to have a range of techniques. But that aside, I'm going to do something that scares the crap out of me. I'm going to go ask my various sempai what they want to see me nail on the first kyu exam. A lot of it is going to be answered by "do all of this which is going to take a lifetime," so I need to make sure I ask for semi-reasonable things. I'll report back here and then just keep writing about my aikido classes about how things are going. 4) Go. Be Great (at Adulting): I have more than a few adulting tasks I need to do before the end of the month/challenge. So I may as well keep myself accountable here. Ongoing: 3 "UI" unemployment tasks a week (Job hunt, job applications, networking, interviews, phone calls, etc) Ongoing: 10 minutes of tidying things away before bed (dishes, mail, junk on the counter, etc etc) Ongoing: Remember to take your medicine Get my UI paperwork squared away Send UI paperwork to MassHealth so I can keep MassHealth Coverage Get a new script for my anti-anxiety meds Schedule physical/doctor appointment if needed to get the meds Clear out Basement of junk Clear out Pantry of old items Organize the Pantry Clean apartment before new Roommate moves in Make sure the Landlord doesn't hold up the new roommate moving in Contact all apartment applicants and let them know they weren't selected February 28th: If I didn't get the good job I'm banking on, start applying to bank teller/mover/grocery store positions So. That's the plan for this challenge. Hopefully it keeps me sane. Or at least fills the days with something to do. We all ready for this?

Four years ago I started my first challenge here on NF. To my best accounting, this is going to be my 28th challenge thread. And for once, I think I'm going to keep it simple. Like, mostly one challenge goal per, well, goal. And I'm a fan of the Expanse series, just started reading Book 6, and the second season on Syfy is about to start. So it seemed like a good theme. That, and isolation in space doing weird things. Anyway. Meet The Rocinante: A Martian Navy Corvette class attack ship, less-than-temporarily borrowed by the central characters of The Expanse series. Those 4 crew members are the only crew who pilot the ship, though it's been known to take on passengers, willingly or otherwise. Each crew member has a primary job, and I figured I'd use them as guidelines for my challenge goals. Also because it just makes it more fun. 1) Holden The Captain of the Roci, Holden has a slight problem with keeping his mouth shut. He also often acts as the conscious of the crew, and holds them together more than they often realize. I'm using him to represent my self care this challenge. I still need to focus on it, but I think I need to be more open about it as well. I've not been well really since November, and either this month will make or break me in either direction. So selfcare blogging is going to be happening a lot. 2) Naomi Genius engineer and software writer, Naomi is the XO on the Roci. She has written miles of beautiful code and seen it all go to shit before. I'm just starting this coding thing and I'm about half way through my course, so I'll be aiming to do one Python lesson a day. Bonus points if I find a way to get some homework or something with an answer behind it so I can practice without going totally insane. (Or if we have programming Nerds who want to assign me a task in a bit and would be okay with looking over my code afterwards, also cool.) 3) Amos The mechanic on the ship, but also kind of the powerhouse. He is the attackdog of the crew, strong and able. I'm strong, but working towards being stronger. In this instance, I'm focusing less on the direct strength, and more on the feeding of the strength. I'm still working on eating well above what I've grown accustom to surviving on, and this goal is going to make sure I keep on that path for at least a bit longer. Eat according to how active I've been each day, and don't eat less than 2400 calories in the off chance I take a rest day. Take some progress photos each week. Bonus points if I can nail down a program that isn't SS or SL or 5/3/1 to help push me forward. 4) Alex Alex is the pilot of the Roci, and he makes her fly like no one else. I've been injured since early/mid-November, and have really been bad at doing the PT stretches suggested to me. So I'm going to make sure I do them every day, when I get up to fill my water bottle. That.... will make me do them a lot. But it's one of those "better to overload" things. TL;DR? 1) Holden - Selfcare once a day minimum, openly blog about selfcare and anxiety issues. 2) Naomi - One Python lesson a day. (Bonus of finding "HW" to get more practical coding experience.) 3) Amos - Eat according to my activity level and take progress photos. (One aikido class ~2700 calories, lifting and stairs ~3000, mix of aikido/Stairs/Lifting AT LEAST 3200 calories, no less than 2400 calories on rest days.) 4) Alex - PT stretches for my shoulder every time I refill my water bottle. I have very few major goals this year. The biggest is making sure I'm ready and uninjured by the April exam to test for 1st kyu. The second is that I lift, by December 31, a total of 1,000 pounds in my big three lifts (Squat, Deadlift, Benchpress). I'll need a 315 squat, a 445 deadlift, and a 240 benchpress. The only one of those that scares me is the squat, and I'm working on that. After that, I really just have a few go out and travel/adventure goals (Races and seminars and Nerd visits that aren't in Massachsetts/the Boston area), but those are on hold until employment happens and I have disposable income again. But in any case. Let's start 2017 with a bang, shall we?

I'm back after a rather long hiatus from NF and some of that time was spent on hiatus from exercise in general, but I've been trying to do better recently. I had another Battle Log before I left and while I feel like there are many of those goals I would still like to achieve (eventually), but I've somewhat re-evaluated my priorities more recently and also, some of the short term goals are probably now more like mid- to long-term goals. So I figured that starting again was a good plan. Primary goal: To build and maintain healthy habits, including regular exercise, eating reasonably well, sleeping well and generally leaving time for life. Short term fitness goals: Complete a 30 day yoga challenge. Accomplished on August 10th, 2015!Run 5 km again. Accomplished on October 7th, 2015!Lose 5 cm off my waist (get to 74 cm waist).Make a habit of doing the BBWW 2-3 times a week for a month.Medium term fitness goals: Run 5 km three times a week regularly for 6 months.Keep up doing yoga for at least 6 months.Get to 70 cm waist.Long term fitness goals: Run 5 km in under 30 minutes.Run at least 5 km three times a week regularly for one year.Run in a 5 km race!Learn some arm balances.Short to medium term goals (life): Get better at poilearn beginner skillslearn intermediate skillsProgramming goals:Learn Pythonfinish tutorialstart to work on learning NumPy, SciPyimprove program I've been writingLearn R (find tutorial, complete tutorial).Learn some JavaScript.Get a job in data analysis.Finish knitting the sweater vest that's been on my needles forever.Knit the batshawl.Knit a squid hat.I'll obviously be updating this as I go and as I figure things out. I will also try making small goals at the start of each week to sort of plan out what I'll be doing. Note: Items added and organized as some get completed.

Volki scans the air as he looks through his night vision goggles. Thousands of numbers stream by in succession along the thin blue biothreads as they arc in every direction across the backdrop of the enormous city of buildings choking the starless skyline. Numbers and bits of code spew forth from each of the clueless denizen’s UID chip. The streams of code are broadcast to the cities central processing hub and archived for inspection. The streams contain information about each person’s natural abilities, social class and firmware version. At age 15 every person is awarded citizenship and has the UID chip implanted into the base of the skull. The chip then synchs up with the synapses of the brain and can upload and download new software packages for any patron with the money to afford the upgrade. For everyone but the Linux corps, these nanomite lines of code are invisible. We are the elite hackers of the grid and incidentally we are hunted by the Kaspersky agents who have placed our faces on every major Access Control List. The Kaspersky agents want our lives because we have found a way to modify our UID chips and have found a way to remain hidden on the network. Our major accomplishment though was when we cracked into the great code libraries and downloaded the ancient knowledge files that laid out how the Cyber Counsel took control and then proceeded to wipe the memories of everyone. I am determined to know what exactly they mean to do with us by turning us into walking zombies constantly consuming the filthy lies they weave for us on every screen. Every day millions of people hang on every word the news and Counsel has to say. They are made to believe that everything is fine and continue to push conformity. I have to get to the Central Hub of the city and sever the link the Counsel has to the masses, only then will we stand a chance to end their reign. I flip a switch on the goggles and enter in a few lines of code on the holo-keys built into my bionic arm. The vision in the goggles flicker and then a single biothread is left flowing from end to end of the city. A voice cracks in over the comm system implant in my ear. “Volki, status update. Have you found him yet?†“Yes sir, I just found his thread right now and I am sending you the comm frequency right now. Do you want me to ghost trail the target?†“You are clear for recon and possible extraction of the target but make sure the target is acquired without damage to the UID nanite link.†“10-4 Recon is a go.†I take a quick inventory of my supplies and throw my goggles into my backpack as the thread path is switched to the navigation program of my forearm screen. I lower myself down the rope that held me high above the mammoth structures that choked every inch of the sprawling city. From this height I can see the cars flying by like a swarming hive of bees. The life of the city moves on without regard for the time of day or night. The year is 2357 and the time of an organic earth was long since dead. It is now the time of the machines; computers and wire replace trees and wildlife. My boots splash down into the dark alley far below the data link tower I had descended. I unhook from the rope and set out toward the path of the target. The cars zoom by overhead and the talking hologram heads all around the city go on about the latest celebrity scandal and which products will make our lives better. I tune them out as I weave in and out of streets and alleyways moving ever closer to the blip on my map. I come to a stop on a rooftop as I peer down the street at a hooded man wearing a bag on his back with a small antennae protruding from the zipper. As the target crosses the busy street with hundreds of others on their way to work I can make out a small device in his hand. Just as he crosses the middle of the 6 ways street he raises his hand slightly as he presses a sequence into the device. Moments later all 20 of the screens in the area showed an insidiously laughing skull with a feather headdress above the flashing words “I AM THE GHOST IN THE MACHINE!†The screens flashed faster and faster until they simultaneously erupted into an explosion of sparks and glass that rained down onto the shocked pedestrians below. “Captain I have sight of the target, I’m moving in.†I grabbed the edge of the building and vaulted myself down to the pavement landing in a quick roll. Bolting to my feet I began to chase the man in the hood as he fled into a nearby alley. He ran from shadow to shadow trying desperately to lose me in the labyrinth of the city landscape. The distance on my Nav screen showed less than 20 yards away and closing fast. I unhooked my pistol from its holster on my hip and switched its charge down to a non-lethal voltage as I round another corner. I could see him clamoring up a nearby fire escape heading for the roof and out of view. I pause only a moment and take aim with my plasma pistol. The weapon lets out a sharp crack and then a blue streak of electricity arcs straight into his back. He lets out a loud yelp and then loses his grip and slips bouncing against the safety cage of the ladder and comes to a stop with a thud against the cold pavement. I rush over and peel back his hood. He has a thin face with sharp features. His hair is cropped into a short Mohawk and complete with an auburn beard. I inspect the UID for any visible signs of damage as well as the sleeping target vitals. “Helix come in, I have the target. He is down and unconscious, send the Vulture to come pick us up in his speeder and bring us home.†In order to be the best Linux Corpse Hacker I can be I am going to need to get stronger, more dexterous and up my programming skills. Goal 1: Fortification I am going to follow a 2X a week schedule for my lifting to allow adequate flexibility with fitting in the gym time with the 12hr work days D1 Pullup 3x10 D1 Skull crusher 3x12 D1 Alt db curl 3x10 D1 L sit dip 3x10 D1 1 arm rows 3x10 D1 DB bench 3x10 D2 DB deadlift 3x10 D2 Front squat 3x10 D2 DB alt lunges 3x12 D2 DB calf raises 3x10 Goal 2: Dexterity I have been following along with a PowerYoga for Athletes program online. I want to do power yoga at least 2Xs a week minimum. Goal 3: Python Programming I need to upgrade my programming skills so I am going to follow along and finish the Python programming course by the end of the challenge available on Codeacademy.com **So basically I am continuing my plan of splitting my focus into quarters this year. I am still in the structural and functional strength portion of my training before I move back into a more lifting heavy routine. **

TALVI's ELEVENTH CHALLENGE: "I accidentally did that on purpose" This challenge, I’m taking a break from our regularly scheduled DOTA quotes and themes to journey to the dark side... I swear I can! In the conversion from DOTA2 to LoL, I was practically a god-like smurf through the similarities in gameplay, and then it is much more interesting to play with new characters and items, and then the championships happened and my friends started playing a lot… in any case, I’ve bought a porro hat and I LoL now! In any case, back to the last challenge of 2015! 1) Run three times a week and start marathon training Training for the Paris Marathon will start mid-November and I’ll be following Hal Higdon’s 18 week Novice 1 programme except I’ll be running three times a week instead of four times a week (because that seems to be a more realistic goal for me and other programmes get by on three times a week). Last challenge, I set some foundations by running twice a week and so my challenge this time is to up the training to run three times a week and set on the training program. Consistency is the key! 2) Make a collection of running photos The thing I enjoy most about distance running is exploring new places, and so in order to aid my enthusiasm and motivation I’m also going to do a little side-project that focuses on exploration. I’m going to make an Instagram/photo website account and make a collection of photos that I shall take on my runs. I want at least one photo per run and it should look really cool as a finished project over autumn, winter and spring to document my marathon training. Then I will be able to share the best ones with you guys too. This will also help to encourage me to plot out new routes. 3) Crosstrain once a week I want to do at least one crosstraining activity a week to diversify my training, reduce the risk of injury from repetitive movements and also just for fun. I’ll most likely do a 30 minute yoga session for runners, but there is a fair chance that I’ll do bouldering, hiking and bodyweight during the challenge too. 4) No more procrastination Fitness-aside, I started using Habitica during my last challenge and it has been really effective as a universal to-do list and at getting me to floss. I’ve recently been wondering about what my life would be like if I never procrastinated on my tasks… I would like to find out so during this challenge, I want to continue putting all my to-dos onto Habitica and by December I don’t want to have anything outstanding still on my to-do list. I shall grade this on guilt remaining. 5) Do all the things! Finally, I need to work weekly towards 2015’s epic quests. I haven’t got much time left, and whilst I have been doing well for the most part. I need an extra push to: Create a game using PythonComplete 5 pull-upsPractice drawingLearn about three subjects (Religion/Politics/History)Make some infographics about my PhDOutline the introduction to my thesis By Kannovaku on DeviantArt My biggest worry about this challenge is getting used to exercising 4 out of 7 days a week. It is going to take some attitude adjustment and I’m going to have to be proactive to reduce/eliminate excuses to stay inside in the warm. Any suggestions welcome! I plan to make two exercise kits and to keep one at work and one at home. Ideal stat allocation: 1. Running three times every week: + 4 STA & + 1 STR 2. Photograph collection: + 1 CHA 3. Crosstrain every week: + 1 STR & +2 DEX 4. Finish my to-do lists: + 3 CHA 5. Complete three out of six epic quests: + 3 WIS Thanks for reading and good luck with your challenges!

TALVI's NINTH CHALLENGE: On the wild track! Time for a shiny new challenge and a shiny new game! Ark survival is a game that has just been released for early access. To be honest, I don't know much about the game yet. But I do know that the idea is to survive and thrive on an island covered in dinosaurs. Particularly excited about taming velociraptors and riding enormous alligators around, and the game may have infiltrated my challenge theme. I should probably introduce myself: I'm Talvi and and these challenges have really helped me enjoy fitness particularly with my first push-up, starting and improving in climbing, my first 5km, my first 10km and recently my first chin-up and pull-up. I've also used these challenges to improve my Spanish and to learn some programming. At the moment, I'm playing Ark survival and whilst I am a long-time DOTA player, I'm trying some LoL and HotS on the side. So let's get down to business. I want to develop six skills which will coincidentally help me to survive on a dinosaur-filled island of doom: 1) Dinosaur! Argh, just keep running... Whilst I'm not convinced I can outrun many dinosaurs, running will certainly be more useful than standing still. Unless there is a T-Rex… But we'll cross that bridge should I ever come to it. To train myself, I want to try running twice a week (approx. 4 runs) in preparation for a 15km race in the gardens of Versaille on the 21st June. It is only two weeks away, so I just need to practice being comfortable running that distance again. Not too bothered about running for the duration of the challenge, but it would be nice to run a couple of times in the last 4 weeks. Also I need to get a certificate from a doctor before hand - I must remember to do that! 2) This isn't working, try escaping vertically... Should the running not shake off any velociraptors, my plan B is to climb to safety. I could escape by trees, boulders or mountains! But I will train mainly on boulders. I want to practice bouldering once or twice a week with the goal of playing with blue routes (the next level up) each session until I can actually do one. 3) Flight isn't working, so what about fight? To be honest, I'm not sure how I'd approach fighting a dinosaur. So far in Ark Survival, I have punched a pterodactyl and it killed me. I'm going to assume that in this survival scenario, that strength will be pretty important. I did my first chin-up a couple of days ago (I was so very surprised) and literally just did my first pull-up an hour ago! 5 pull-ups in a row is on my epic quest list for 2015, so I am going to work towards that by trying different bodyweight workouts, tailored exercises or pull-up bar play. Whatever takes my fancy on the day as long as some practice gets done each week. 4) It's a UNIX system, I know this! I don't know about you, but I'm not going to be eaten just because I didn't know my way around a computer. Plus, there is definitely some tech in Ark Survival since there are some mysterious towers in the distance. I'm made some progress in past challenges in learning Python, but this time my overarching goal is to finish the Edx MIT course 6.00.1x "Introduction to Computer Science and Programming using Python". 5) Cuidado, hay un dinosaurio! In this game, you can get teammates by joining tribes and then working together to survive longer and make more epic things. Makes sense. Expect that the boyfriend's tribe are all Spanish. The plan here to use my HP audiobooks, Anki apps, online grammar practice, Spanish book lessons and speaking practice to improve. 6) Dear reader, if you have found this diary then... Now this is the MOST IMPORTANT OBJECTIVE of the challenge: to write down what I have done towards this challenge EVERYDAY (+/- 2 days). There is nothing really new in this challenge, so I know that I can do these quests if I give them the time they deserve. Writing down what I do everyday has been really helpful in past challenges: it makes me more accountable and makes me review each day in the context of my goals. Overall challenge set-up: To level up in the challenge, I will only have to complete my 6th quest aka. post everyday about the challenge. STAT points will be allocated depending on the successes in the other 5 goals. Ideal allocation: 1. Running 5+ times: + 3 STA 2. Climbing: 11+ times: + 2 DEX & + 1 STR 3. 5 x pull-ups: + 2 STR & +1 DEX 4. Completed the first 6 weeks of programming course: + 3 WIS 5. Acceptable progress in Spanish: + 3 CHA Thanks for reading and I'll see you guys on the forums. Good luck with your challenge!

Hello fellow assassins! I've completed three challenges now, and I love how these challenges help me to level up and get closer towards the epicness I want to be. This time, my fitness goals aim to help me become a better boulderer and as always I have extra mental goals to level me up in different ways. If you haven't seen me around before then I'm a scientist, potterhead, DOTA2 enthusiast, minecraft beginner and whovian. And I look forward to seeing you guys around the Rebellion!!! MAIN PHYSICAL QUEST To climb more green routes Possible challenge reward: +5 STR, +1 STA & +3 DEX 1. Climb twice a week Last time I went to the wall, I could do all of the yellow paths (easiest) and 2 green paths (next level up). I want to be able to do more green routes and practice makes perfect. 2. BBWW once a week I can tell these dramatically improve my strength when I do them, the problem is just getting me to do them... 3. Run once a week Lets see if I can improve on my PRs. 4. Pullup practice four times a week Inspired my other rebels, I have bought a door frame bar and it is staring at me menacingly. I am really starting out as a complete lvl 1 pull-up noob here and working upwards: Level 1: Sandbag rows/Dumbbell rows, Dead Hang for 60 seconds (palms away) & Flexed Arm Hang for 15 seconds (palms away) Level 2: Jumping/Negative Pull-up to Dead Hang position (5 perfect slow reps), Leg Assisted Pull-up (5 perfect slow reps) & Body Rows Level 3: Chin-up & Pull-up MENTAL QUESTS Possible challenge reward: +3 WIS & +3 CHA 5. Learn to draw using pencil and computer (2hrs a week) I would like to make a stock collection of images I can use in presentations, posters and perhaps infographics. So I'd really like to get the creative juices flowing on paper for ideas and then get the ideas onto the computer using Inkscape. Easy... I just need to learn how to draw. 6. Continue learning Python (2hrs a week) Started in past challenges and I really enjoyed it. It took a backseat to other priorities this summer, but I would definitely like to get back to learning Python using the 'Introduction to Computer Science and Programming using Python' on Edx.org, Codeacademy, ThinkPython online textbook and finally Checkio (if I can ever get that good). And we're off!!! Good luck everyone! Captain's log here

Hi everyone! So this is my first post here. I just signed up and saw that a challenge is starting, so I thought I’d dive straight in. I feel like I’ve been coasting fitness-wise for years (easy to do, when you live abroad and joining anything turns into an awkward language exchange!) but I finally did it, so I now have access to a swimming pool and an indoor space to train for when the air pollution is too high. Hopefully I'll make use of it in the weeks to come... Main Quest: To start getting stronger and fitter in a sustainable way. Go swimming at least twice per week. Experiment with swim drills and sprints rather than just doing laps to improve technique, speed and stamina.Buy a kickboard and pull buoy to help with the above.Work out twice a week, using workouts from the body weight program my partner just bought. Side Quest Make a Chinese flashcard program with Python to practice Chinese characters and coding skills. I’ve been learning Python with on Code Academy for the past few months so hopefully this will be achievable!

I am super bummed out because my local krav maga school closed up shop unexpectedly and I am tail spinning for motivation. This 6 week challenge came along at the right time! This is my first challenge, so I m not sure how much detail to provide but I definitely have goals in mind. Fitness Goals 1) Maintain a paleo diet 6 days a week 2) Successfully complete 6 weeks of the Recruit workout from the Rebel Fitness Guide a) Complete Couch to 5K workout on days reserved for 30 minutes of exercise. 3) Have 100% participation in my company's fitness challenge for the month of June Life Goal 1) Complete one Python lesson per week from Code Academy. Looking forward to staying on task and motivating others to achieve their goals!