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Here we go again with the exact same challenge as all the previous ones: Bad Poor Ok Good Excellent Frequency Notes Intermittent fasting < 14 hours ≥ 14 hours ≥ 16 hours ≥ 17 hours ≥ 20 hours Daily Calorie intake > 4000 kcal > 3000 kcal ≤ 3000 kcal ≤ 2400 kcal ≤ 2000 kcal Daily Ballpark figures are good enough Calories spent < 2750 kcal ≥ 2750 kcal ≥ 3000 kcal ≥ 3500 kcal ≥ 4000 kcal Daily Fitbit numbers Calories in/out deficit < 500 kcal < 0 kcal ≥ 0 kcal ≥ 500 kcal ≥ 1000 kcal Daily Curfew ≥ 1.00 am ≥ 0.45 am < 0.45 am < 0.30 am < 0.15 am Daily Add 2 hours before non-working days Sleep < 5h 30m < 6 hours ≥ 6 hours ≥ 6h 30m ≥ 7 hours Daily Fitbit numbers - naps (*) count for half Avg. sleep < 6 hours < 6h 15m ≥ 6h 15m ≥ 6h 30m ≥ 6h 45m Weekly Fitbit numbers - naps count for half Steps < 6.000 ≥ 6.000 ≥ 8.000 ≥ 10.000 ≥ 12.000 Daily Fitbit numbers Avg. steps < 9.000 ≥ 9.000 ≥ 10.000 ≥ 11.000 ≥ 12.000 Weekly Fitbit numbers Distance < 15 km ≥ 15 km ≥ 20 km ≥ 25 km ≥ 30 km Weekly Walk to Mordor distance Workouts < 2.0 ≥ 2.0 ≥ 3.0 ≥ 4.0 ≥ 5.0 Weekly Mini-workouts: 1/10 per exercise Days with (mini-)workouts < 3 3 4 5 ≥ 6 Weekly Not the first time I've said "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". SSDD: - the colour-coded log remains the same - posts will consist of challenge-related stuff, the adventures at Casa di Movieman, darts talk, video game talk, a song of the day (probably of a band I'll see at the Alcatraz Festival in August), and whatever else pops into my head - posts will probably be long, because of autism spectrum disorder and its "monologuing" trait I'm changing a few things compared to the previous challenge, though: - I'm not logging week zero (because I can't be arsed right now ) - I'm not logging my darts practice any more (or rather: I am, but I'm not posting it here ) - I won't be logging week 5 either, because that's when I go on vacation (this also implies the next challenge will only be a half-challenge)

Used to be a regular here, way back when. I've tried a couple comebacks but things have always fizzled out. But I'm at a bit of a crossroads in my life at the moment, and definitely in uncharted waters, so maybe now's the time for a proper comeback. I've been working for 4 years now at a very high paced, very stressful job. I love the job, don't get me wrong, it's very much the job for me and I don't want to leave it, but the workload has only continued to multiply and the staffing levels have not. Combined with a not very supportive (or even very competent) direct report and zero room for movement within the organization, and I'm burned out. Things are in flux behind the scenes but nothing is going to change any time soon, certainly not before I rage quit or dissolve into a quivering puddle on my living room floor, so I'll be taking a leave this summer. I want to use this time to rest, recuperate, and reassess. Part of this will be focusing on things that fill my cup, things that I've been neglecting more and more over the past 4 years. Part of this will be thinking a whole lot of thinky thoughts, but that's a whole other can of worms I'm not ready to open up quite yet. So, filling my cup! Lifting - I enjoy heavy lifting but fell off that wagon when Covid hit, and never really found my way back on. Until now! A friendly consistency challenge with some online friends has led to what feels like fairly sustainable goals with this, so I just want to keep the momentum going. Right now I'm doing the r/fitness Basic Beginner Routine from Reddit, which is basically just a slightly modified version of Starting Strength. I've accumulated equipment for a basic garage gym set-up, I'm a bit limited with what I can do but the routine is simple and I've been able to make it work with a couple minor tweaks. I've been doing this twice per week, and just want to keep on keeping on with that for now. Ideally I'd like to lift thrice per week, but for now this is working so I'm sticking with it. Cardio and Cardio-Adjacent Movement - To fill out the rest of my week, I've been walking around my neighbourhood 1-2 times per week and playing hockey 1-2 times per week (the consistency challenge has helped with the walking too; hockey I will always go to if I can make the ice time). Overall the goal is 5 days of movement per week, so depending on my hockey schedule, I'll fill in the rest with walking. I don't enjoy walking but it's good for me, and I've found a delightful podcast to make it tolerable. I'd like to move towards getting back to running in the future (which I also don't enjoy, but I do enjoy how I feel when I'm in better shape, so here we are), but it's historically been hard on my body, so that can stay a nebulous 'someday' goal for now. Things that Make Me Happy - This is what scares me most about being off on leave. 2-3 months of doomscrolling won't help me but the couch calls my name very loudly most of the time. By the same token, making my Me Time things into chores will only make me not want to do them, so it'll be a balance. This is not going to be very detailed right now, I don't know exactly when the leave will start and the first little while will likely be just decompressing and sleeping, which is probably what I need most right now. But this is what's on my radar: Writing - I've been working on and off on a book (recently become a series of books). The end of book 1 is in sight and I'd really like to focus on this. I've dabbled in some things that could help with this, namely making myself familiar with my local library as a free writing spot, and joining a weekly write-in group, where local writers meet up and basically body double for a few hours every Wednesday evening. Both have been hit or miss, and I'm hoping to make them more consistent D&D - I started playing a few years ago, and now play in one in-person group and DM another. The in-person group may be looking for a second DM and I'd like to do more DMing. The group I'm already DMing is getting closer to the end of the module I'm running and I'd like to take it in a homebrew direction afterwards. Both these things mean a lot more work, but it's work I enjoy. Neither is likely to happen soon, but thinking ahead is never a bad thing, especially with homebrew adventures. I've also been working on a homebrew world, and if nothing else I'd like to keep developing that (as a possible setting for future writing as well, so it's twofold). Consuming Media - For some time now, all I've had energy for after work or on my days off is scrolling on TikTok, and while I've managed to curate a pretty good algorithm and a bit of mindless video watching in 1-10 minute snippets isn't necessarily a bad thing, it's definitely not filling my cup in the way I need. I've always enjoyed reading, and my TBR just keeps getting longer and longer with some books I'm really looking forward to, but I rarely have the spoons for this unless I'm on vacation (and even then it's a struggle). I'm also working my way through some D&D actual plays that bring me joy (and from which I've learned a tonne), and have a stack of video games to play as tall as I am. This will probably be a very 'whim of a hat' thing, with reading being the main focus. And that's really it. Things will likely change over time, and I'll have to work in those thinky thoughts at some point (I've got a professional to help me with this). I'm trying to go into this with a focus, but not a plan, to be open to taking what comes and pivoting if it seems like the right thing to do. Mainly I want to focus on me for a while, and see where that might lead.

Ranger Level 5.0 - Tracking Skill Challenge Facing the last two enemies, Hal heard a noise coming down the road. Glancing in that direction, she saw a group of armed villagers coming up behind the gnolls. She charged towards the pack lord hoping to kill it while it was distracted with the newcomers, but while she scored a good hit, it didn't quite fall. However, the villagers were quickly able to take down the nearly dead pack lord and the one remaining gnoll. One of the villagers keeping watch on the edge of the Kitrun Grove village had heard the gnolls attack and gathered anyone nearby with weapons to come help. Kitrun Grove is far enough north that it gets completely snowed in during the winter. The last travelers to leave the region before it was cut off from the rest of the country had informed the Ranger’s Guild that there might be some sort of dangerous creature causing problems. During the fall, some livestock had been killed and dragged off and two of the villagers had simply never returned from a foraging trip into the forest. The village and livestock holed up in their homes and barns once the snow got deep and there were no further incidents during the winter, but over dinner at the village inn, Hal heard that several goats, recently turned out to graze in the fields near the edge of the forest, had disappeared two nights before with bloodstained patches of grass left behind. Clearly, this creature, whatever it was, had survived the winter and was planning to stay in the area. The villagers were more than happy to show Hal where the goats had been killed so she could start tracking this creature to figure out what it was and how to deal with it. It’s skill challenge time! I’m tracking the creature to its lair! When I do the things, I get to make a skill check. I get points based on the DC that I meet. The goal is to accumulate 150 points during the challenge. (Updated to 180 points during Week Zero.) Gym Workout = Stealth Check Hiking = Survival Check (proficiency bonus doubled for favored terrain) Cleaning = Investigation Check Stretching = Acrobatics Check Bouldering/Climbing = Athletics Check Daily Walk = Constitution Check DC 10 = 1 point DC 15 = 2 points DC 20 = 3 points DC 25 = 5 points In addition, I’m still doing my Exploration (1 xp per mile walked, roll for loot every 5 miles), Fletching (yardwork, mostly pulling blackberries), Alarm spell (waking up by a certain time), and Short Rest (morning and evening candles, brush teeth). Technically I got Level 2 spells when I reached Level 5, but I’m not doing a whole lot with spells this challenge, so I’m going to pick them later when it makes more sense. Oh, since I didn't really introduce myself, I'm Ranger Hal, and this is a D&D challenge to make sure I do the things and improve my hiking stamina (and also hopefully stop getting stupid minor injuries). My current nerdy thing is Critical Role. I'm at Episode 57 of Campaign 3. Also, anything by Brandon Sanderson* (new book coming in a couple of weeks, yay!). *But no spoilers for Wind and Truth because I'm in the middle of rereading a bunch of the other books before I start that one.

I'm feeling a bit lost at the moment. I suppose I should be able to feel proud of my achievement in the marathon at the end of May, but I'm dissatisfied and at the same time I don't have a real plan and I'm sort of bumbling about. I am reminded of Raul, the sarcastic engineer in Fallout New Vegas. Admittedly, I haven't had to avenge my sister who was brutally murdered by raiders, but only because I don't have a sister. Like Raul, I will find my true purpose in life by drawing inspiration from other people who are still crushing it at an advanced age. Loyal Loyal is a great strategic thinker, planning how to achieve the Boomers' long term objectives and coming up with practical solutions tor fixing up their equipment. Like him, i will make a plan for the medium term to give myself some new objectives to work toward, and I'll make it fun and intersting to keep myself motivated - although probably not as intersting as salvaging a wrecked bomber plane from the bottom of Lake Mead while being attacked by lakelurks. Ranger Andy Ranger Andy is famous for being able to teach the Ranger Takedown unarmed move. One of the things I've been thinking about a lot lately is trying out some martial arts. I used to be interested in karate & judo when I was at school, and I taught myself a few things using a book i found in the library, but i never really developed because there's only so much you can learn on your own. There's a.... What? Gym? Studio? Fucking dojo? near me that does classes for over-50s. It's Brazilian Ju-Jitsu though. Do I really want to follow in the footsteps of Mark Zuckerberg? Cringe. Anyway, I'll look into that and see if it is something I want to follow up. Sterling Like everyone else at Camp McCarran, Sterling isn't happy about the food. So I too will eat carefully and count my calories. Rosa Mota While not strictly speaking a character in New Vegas, Rosa Mota is an example of someone who's going to keep on slaying well into old age. I probably won't be breaking the world 10k record for my age group but like her i will keep on challenging myself to run fast POV you're Mrs 18ck dropping me off at the gym

Welcome to my challenge. As always, I've set up a Roadmap for what I want to accomplish this year. Every challenge is aimed at accomplishing some part of the roadmap or furthering my adventure towards this year's goals. This year's roadmap looks past this year and looks towards my Level 100. It will take longer than a year but you've got to start somewhere. No significant changes to my goals for this challenge. What I'm going works, as long as I work it. For this challenge I'm going to focus on the goals that were less than successful last challenge. I still be working on the rest of them too but they seem to be working so I'm just going to keep those on autopilot and coast. My summer vacation with the kids starts right at the end of this challenge so here's to hoping my habits are locked in by then so I don't lose much traction. Goal 1: Eat MOAR Protein I'm logging food daily and I'm not overly worried about how much I'm eating but I have to focus on what I'm eating. The quality could be better and I definitely need more protein. Since I've been eating less and then had a couple weeks last challenge with migraines and fatigue, I took some shortcuts and my protein was so far from goal. I skipped the gym for a couple weeks too and just went back again this week and I completing noticed a change in energy. 35g protein a day is not enough. I used to eat around 75g a day and set a goal last challenge to hit 95g. I don't have a particular number in mind but I just need MOAR! Goal 2: Lifties 2x sessions a week I'm currently on a weight loss streak but I need to keep up with the gym so I don't get soft. Goal 3: Stretchies 2x week This should be a no brainer. This habit is tied to strength training as I usually automatically stretch after working out at the gym. But after letting both of these go a little last challenge, the habit is broken. I even went to the gym the other day and I completely forgot about stretching until later in the evening!

Howdy, nice to meet y'all! I hope to get to know a bunch of you Little bit about me... I'm a 25 year old dude from Upstate NY (NOT THE CITY THANK GOD), looking for new friends and like-minded fitness addicts . I've grown up on a farm for the majority of my life, after highschool got my CNA cert and helped take care of my closest friend, a severely disabled cousin of mine who died shortly after. That led me down a dark path which has gotten a lot lighter since then thankfully. During that time, got heavily into calisthenics and fitness, (among other things like music and drumming) and its helped me thru some tough times. I'm fairly fit rn, mostly from the years of farm work, aiming to add more muscle and maintain current bf%. I'm continuing to work on myself and help out on the farm when I can, but my main job now is in a factory that builds wooden furniture and play equipment for children and toddlers, and that keeps me super busy. Due to work being quite physically demanding, I can't afford to work out before breakfast or I'll be a zombie at work so I try to work out in the evenings as I manage. Current goals are: •get better at going to bed on time •less screen time •learn a few new songs on the drums •and ofc improve my strength in the gym Anyways, will hopefully get to know some of y'all a bit! I'm happy to talk about basically anything as long as you don't mind me potentially saying a lot depending on the topic

Hello! I've been a part of Nerd Fitness for years, but fell off the wagon long ago. I feel like I'm mid-respawn, but it's never too late for an intro! The basics: I'm female, 35 and live life in north Florida. Married, kid, dog, we're having a good ol' time. For work, I've been with the state at various agencies over 10 years, basically stuck at a desk for 8 hours a day but doing good work. Living the dream! What brings me here? I hit my highest weight ever (262) July 2024 and began what I feel is my ultimate quest - to lose 100 pounds. I'm down 53 so far in June 2025! Over halfway there! I've achieved this through basic, simple lifestyle changes. Tracking food with an app, getting my steps in, and lifting weights. When you put it like that, it makes it sounds easy, but as we all know, it for sure isn't. I've been diagnosed as insulin resistant and have PCOS , which has helped justify why it's been so difficult to drop the pounds. Especially getting close to those peri-menopausal years... I have to be sure I'm tackling my weight and health now before those catch up with me! My goals for 2025 are: Lose 47 more lbs. for a total of 100 pounds lost since July 2024 Run a 5k in September using Couch to 5k - start June 12 Do a Conqueror challenge - LotR theme, starting with the Shire My current fitness activities are a CycleBar class once a week, running 3 days a week, lifting weights on days I don't run, and also getting my steps in through a StepBet. I started the Couch to 5k app last week and ran day 1 of week 2 yesterday. So far, so good! I won't bog this post down with info about these things BUT of course you are free to ask for more info If you're in the Tallahassee area and like to bike, run, lift weights, walk dogs, etc. etc... let me know! I'm always down for an accountability buddy.

It's no secret that I'm playing a lot of darts these days. So I hope y'all are ready for MORE colour-coded logging... because I'm giving my darts practice a similar spreadsheet overhaul. First the diet / sleep / exercise stuff. Well, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it", so I'm keeping the log as is. Bad Poor Ok Good Excellent Frequency Notes Intermittent fasting < 14 hours ≥ 14 hours ≥ 16 hours ≥ 17 hours ≥ 20 hours Daily Calorie intake > 4000 kcal > 3000 kcal ≤ 3000 kcal ≤ 2400 kcal ≤ 2000 kcal Daily Ballpark figures are good enough Calories spent < 2750 kcal ≥ 2750 kcal ≥ 3000 kcal ≥ 3500 kcal ≥ 4000 kcal Daily Fitbit numbers Calories in/out deficit < 500 kcal < 0 kcal ≥ 0 kcal ≥ 500 kcal ≥ 1000 kcal Daily Curfew ≥ 1.00 am ≥ 0.45 am < 0.45 am < 0.30 am < 0.15 am Daily Add 2 hours before non-working days Sleep < 5h 30m < 6 hours ≥ 6 hours ≥ 6h 30m ≥ 7 hours Daily Fitbit numbers - naps (*) count for half Avg. sleep < 6 hours < 6h 15m ≥ 6h 15m ≥ 6h 30m ≥ 6h 45m Weekly Fitbit numbers - naps count for half Steps < 6.000 ≥ 6.000 ≥ 8.000 ≥ 10.000 ≥ 12.000 Daily Fitbit numbers Avg. steps < 9.000 ≥ 9.000 ≥ 10.000 ≥ 11.000 ≥ 12.000 Weekly Fitbit numbers Distance < 15 km ≥ 15 km ≥ 20 km ≥ 25 km ≥ 30 km Weekly Walk to Mordor distance Workouts < 2.0 ≥ 2.0 ≥ 3.0 ≥ 4.0 ≥ 5.0 Weekly Mini-workouts: 1/10 per exercise Days with (mini-)workouts < 3 3 4 5 ≥ 6 Weekly But I'm adding an extra table for darts practice. My practice routine consists out of a set of training exercises that I log in the MyDartTraining app. I've been doing the same exercises for two months now - practically on a daily basis. The exercises provide a good balance between scoring, finishing and aiming around the board, and I think they are "enough". But logging them also provides me with useful feedback on whether I'm improving or not, and I feel the need to keep a colour-coded training log to gauge "how well" a training session went. I've set a number of baseline standards to reach in each exercise, as well as some additional targets that - if reached consistently - will show improvement over earlier results. And some "ultimate" goals that are indicative of an exercise going exceptionally well (and where reaching ALL the "ultimates" puts that particular training session in "personal best" territory). These will probably get tweaked a little if I'm noticeably better / more consistent, but for now they'll suffice. And I've been trial-running them for over three weeks now, so the kinks have mostly been ironed out. Exercise explanation: Goals for each exercise (and how I will log): Exercise Scoring Practice Guru 100 JDC Challenge RTW Scoring Game 420 Catch 40 The Invisible Man Baseline 1 60+% accuracy Positive points total 500+ points total 50+% accuracy 10+% accuracy 10+ finishes Win at least 1 leg Baseline 2 80+ points 1+ score, 1+ finish 3+ doubles 38+ points <300 points left 15+ points 48+ 3DA Target 1 65+% accuracy Positive points scoring 600+ points total 60+% accuracy 15+% accuracy 15+ finishes Win the set Target 2 90+ points Positive points finishing 4+ doubles 46+ points <200 points left 20+ points 51+ 3DA Ultimate 1 70+% accuracy 200+ points scoring 800+ points total 65+% accuracy 20+% accuracy 18+ finishes Win 3-0 Ultimate 2 100+ points 60+ points finishing 5+ doubles 54+ points <100 points left 25+ points 55+ 3DA Ultimate 3 15+ triples 400+ points total 250+ points per part No missed segments 2+x 2 hits in a segment 2+ 2-dart finishes 60+ First 9 Training log Did not play Bad Poor Ok Good Excellent Bonus Result - All Baselines missed 1 Baseline missed All Baselines reached 1 Target reached All Targets reached # Ultimates reached Game on!

Ranger Level 4.2 - Gaining Momentum Moving on after the goblin ambush, Hal felt like she was gaining momentum. The longer days and warmer weather were helping with that and she was starting to cover more ground. The mountains to the north were starting to become visible through the trees. Maybe she would reach her destination soon. Welcome everyone! I’m Ranger Hal. Things actually seem to be improving. I think having a regular wake-up time has been helpful. I'm still going in to work kind of late (I don't have an exact start time, but it was getting pretty bad for a while), but it's a little better than it was and when I had an "early" meeting this week (it was not actually early, just earlier than I'm usually in), it wasn't that big a deal to get up a bit earlier than usual to be on time. I feel like I'm making efforts to be slightly more social which is helping (during Covid, a couple of my communities either disappeared entirely or significantly reduced in-person interactions which kind of became a loneliness issue over the last year or two). And I've actually been doing some hikes again the last couple of weeks. And I even did a little bit of stretching during zero week. My current nerdy thing is Critical Role. I'm at Episode 46 of Campaign 3. Also, anything by Brandon Sanderson. Spoiler for D&D challenge rules that largely haven't changed in the last couple of challenges. Things that have changed: Penalties are back for missing workouts and cleaning. Alarm is currently at 7:30 and I'm considering shifting it earlier again. I'm kind of hoping to level up at the end of this challenge. It might be doable!

2025 Battle plan * * * Jarric's new routine Welcome to my 80th forum challenge! Man I've been here a while . Last month, I started a new job - I'm just 3 weeks in as I write this. It's really exciting and, although I'm still getting used to things, I do already feel a lot less stressed, and like this is a really good move for me. It's also quite a bit change. I used to work 4 days per week, 8.75 hours per day, and now I work 5, 8-hour days. I used to walk to work in about 10 minutes, now I commute about 90 minutes each way on the days I'm in the office (3 days in 5). I'll also be visiting our northern office once per month or so, which is about 4 hours each way and an overnight stay. As a result of all this I've joined a new gym near work, so I'm going to that gym on office days and my old Crossfit gym on home days. I'm going bouldering once per week, as I don't have a midweek opportunity to go a second time. And I'm trying to work out how to fit in running, but more on that in a bit. Food-wise I'm pretty much set. I will be eating out more often, out of necessity, but that doesn't really affect how much or when I eat. I'm drinking more as my social life changes around the new job, which is something I'll need to think about in terms of goals. In particular I've missed a couple of gym sessions because it's hard to go out drinking, commute 90-minutes to 2 hours home, and get to bed early enough to get up for the gym at 5.15am. I also don't like sitting on my phone on the train (and phone signal is crap for a lot of the journey anyway), which means that I have that chunk of time out of my day but can't easily use it for catching up on the forums, or e-mails or social media. But I can use it for podcasts, reading, or audio books, or possibly for drawing or something. Anyway, with that background, lets get to specific goals. The scout [+2 STR] Reynard Ferehorn - High Rollers The scout goes ahead of the party, on their own, checking for monsters and traps. Overland they might range miles ahead to get the lay of the land, whilst in a dungeon they might be just around the next corner, keeping a safe distance from the rest of the party. My scout will be learning to run again, as I continue to rehab my knee injury. To do this I will be running 3 times per week. As I mentioned, I'm not sure quite how that works with my new routine, but currently the plan is to run on Wednesday lunchtimes when I work from home, and then run Saturday and Sunday mornings. At the moment I'm doing run/walks, currently intervals of 7 minutes running and 3 minutes walking, and I'm hoping to build those up whilst altering my posture to try and get the knee working correctly, but the main thing is to just go out 3 days per week and keep it moving. The face [+1 SAN] Scanlan Shorthalt - Critical Role The face is the charismatic character who speaks to all the NPCs, does the negotiating, and talks their way out of trouble. The face has to look their best, so mine will be making sure I brush my teeth. The goal is to brush my teeth twice per day, including between my teeth once per day. This is another thing that my routine has theoretically thrown out, though in practice it's actually not the early mornings that are proving the problem but the evenings. I'm hoping this bit of focus will be all I need. The documancer [+2 SAN] This is Hummingbird, my very witchy gnoll bard, drawn by me. More importantly though, she's also a storyteller. The documancer is the party’s note-taker, that person (often in and out of character) that keeps track of the obscure lore and the name of that NPC your DM made up on the fly 6 months ago. My documancer will be making sure I keep y'all updated. The goal is to update here every day. This is going to be tricky, because I don't have a fixed time to do it, but I really miss this place and I do much better with my goals when I do check in. It doesn't have to be much, just a couple of words to confirm that I'm still alive and still doing stuff. The cartographer [+1 CHA] Rosie Beestinger (AKA Grandmother Night) - Acquisitions Incorporated: The 'C' Team The cartographer is the party's map maker, whether that's filling in the grid for a giant hexploration campaign, or noting all of the twist and turns in a dungeon, the cartographer has got you covered. My cartographer will be making marks, but she will be doing some slightly different art this time round. The goal is to spend time painting minis every week. No requirement to finish anything, no requirement to do extra sessions per week or a certain amount of time, I just want to be doing some. As I settle into it I might make this more prescriptive in future challenges, but for now I just want to do it because I enjoy it. I think that's everything - let's get to it shall we?

Hi! My name is Sky, and I've been gone! For a long time! A quick intro: I've been a NF member for coming up on 9 years, and for a while pre-pandemic I was a Ranger guild leader; then life started moving VERY fast (pandemic + dating + mental health crash + engagement + wedding + moving + pregnancy + somewhat traumatic birth + becoming a SAHM + moving again + severe postpartum depression), and I needed to step away for a while to focus on survival and keeping my head above water. I'm finally starting to emerge from the fog of postpartum depression and a full year of battling intrusive thoughts about unsubscribing from life ... and now I'm kind of ready to start setting little goals for myself again. I've dearly missed this community and its encouragement and accountability, so for now, my goal for this challenge is mostly just to show up. I was also recently diagnosed with ADHD, and that has been such a massive emotional load off my shoulders. I've always suspected that I had it (looking back at my childhood I can see such clear markers now!), but like so many neurodivergent kids, absorbed the message that if I just tried harder and were less lazy, I could overcome my challenges through willpower and discipline. And, in a lot of ways, I did - I was successful in school and at work. But becoming a SAHM has knocked my previous coping structures out from under me and forced me to face my brain again, and to be honest, I don't hate what I see. I'm approaching this with curiosity and trying to take a pause before slapping labels of laziness and immaturity on myself. My current list of Really Big Goals is: Join a local mom group and attend regularly Take a longer trip by myself with Bean (30+ minutes of driving each way) Go downtown to our new Big City a few times this summer Redo both bedrooms Redo the balcony and make it into a nice sitting space Plant a small container garden Write a short story Develop a consistent, healthy, practical cooking / meal prep routine Develop a consistent workout routine (doesn't have to be intense) Lose 30 pounds Right now I'm mired in inertia after so long in survival mode, and even when I have free time to myself, I feel pretty hopeless about my ability to actually accomplish any of these goals. But I'm working with my therapist to choose one goal for the next month or two and break it down into little steps, so I'm going to do my "homework" on that here, hopefully. One thing at a time, one little step at a time, we will dig our way out of this mucky hole and find the road again. More concrete plans will follow but I'm happy to be here!!

The early night of winter had settled softly but firmly over our little home on the outskirts of the city, and the daytime sounds of trade and travel outside had given way to the nighttime sounds of raucous celebrations and the smells of food being prepared. My husband Eamon and I had already eaten, cleaned up and put our simple wooden dishes away, and Eamon was settled by the fire, his healing body wrapped in a warm blanket and his mind wrapped up in a book he'd waited weeks to read. I took a deep breath of contentment and let my gaze linger on the small, bright little room we called home: The one big window, the hand-smoothed walls and low ceilings, the little bedroom with our big soft bed squashed inside, the cozy kitchen and eating area connected to the rest of the house by a narrow door. It was a little cramped, yes; but I loved all the touches that we'd added to make it uniquely ours. I settled myself across from Eamon in the wooden chair he'd carved and the padded cushions I'd sewn and stuffed myself. The weather was mild and rainy, and I pulled a light blanket over my knees as I picked up my new, blank journal. With my favorite ink pen, I carefully wrote inside the cover: Sky Elvenword Nobleheart Ranger Field Journal Even though I called it that, though, I knew this journal would be different than past journals I'd kept. There wasn't as much time for hunting and exploration as there used to be, and fewer enemies to fight. Many of the pages would be filled with mundane things like recipes, or tracking my archery practice and weekend hikes. But still, it felt good to be writing again, to be tracking my progress as I learned new things. I sketched out a few ideas for topic headings: Dragon riding. Lessons twice a week, practice twice a week. Cooking. Use veggies from cellar? New grain recipes for winter? Herbs? Creativity / fun! Movement. Hiking, archery, meditation, foraging, sightseeing in the city, etc. Silver Bow practice. Keep those skills sharp! Management. House stuff, money, wife stuff. Being an adult. I doodled a few leaves and vines in the margins before setting the pen down and yawning luxuriously. It was the festival of the new year and Eamon and I got to rest for three days before going back to work. I wanted to start planning some blankets for friends' new babies, dream about a garden, and venture out for a hike in the rain. Closing the soft leather cover, I ran my fingers affectionately over its wrinkles and leaned back to doze. I couldn't wait to see what adventures would fill this journal's pages.

Jarric sorts his life out I've been procrastinating about putting together this challenge all week. Well, the past 2 weeks really. Anyway, I was thinking on that and on the mini challenge this time round - what in my life I can let go of - and it occurred to me that I simply have too much on at the moment. Which isn't unusual, because I'm a ranger, and we do all the things damnit! Anyway, doing a full forum challenge isn't really a priority right now, and nor is optimising my eating, my workouts, or my home. What that leaves me with is a desire to keep in touch with people here, a bunch of stuff I have going on, and a bunch of things I need to organise with the stuff that's going on. So this challenge, instead of goals, I'll just have a todo list which I'll keep updated to keep me accountable and give me an excuse to check in here. Stuff that's going on I've got a new job! I'm super excited for it, I've been really unhappy at the current job and this is a major step up in terms of being exactly in the specialism I want to pursue, working with larger clients, working in an area which may suit me better, and of course it's better financially. It's a big change though, going from 4 days per week to 5, going from a 15-minute commute on foot to a 90-minute commute by train, learning a very different role and learning the culture and people in a new company. There's lot of little things I need to sort for this. This also means that I've got leaving drinks to do, and a few lunches with colleagues who won't make the leaving drinks, and then likely drinks with new colleagues when I start, and maybe even a trip up North to meet my team as I'll be working in a different office from my immediate colleagues. So the social calendar may get pretty full on for a while. I'm also trying to sort out my various injuries - the knee that I've been rehabbing for a good year or more now, and the wrist which finally got bad enough to seek treatment for at the end of last year. The other main thing is that it's birthday season. Dad's next week, sister's at the end of the month, and WW's late next month. Not that that's a huge deal, but it's another thing for the todo list. The todo list I'll add to this as the weeks go on, and cross things off as I do them: Sort new credit card for train ticket - ordered, waiting for it to arrive Buy train season ticket Do 2025 home budget Set up a new savings account Sort out an office chair Dismantle current office chair and return it, if I'm not keeping it Clear laptop to be returned Make sure all clients are properly handed over Sort out physio billing issue Join a new gym near new job Write out new lifting plan for new gym Figure out where to fit running into my plan for this new routine Sort out a Spotify subscription for commuting time Plan other things for my train commute Determine dress code at new place and possibly buy new clothes Buy sister's birthday present Buy WW's birthday presents Look into repairing the Mazda - MOT advisories Look into repairing the Volvo - engine light and MOT advisories Complete 1st stage of latest professional qualification - ideally before the new job starts! Buy Easter eggs Complete Disco Elysium (I've got 6 days off between jobs, and I'm informed that I need to binge this game during that time) Think that's it for now - sure I'll find a lot more as the challenge goes on.

Hal turned towards the lizardfolk shaman, the only one remaining of the group of lizardfolk that had ambushed her camp which was a little ways off the road. She swung her shortsword at it, missing, and it tried to bite her and then slash her with its claws, but she dodged out of the way. With her next attack, her sword sank into its side. The shaman pulled away to the other side of the clearing and Hal fired her longbow, an arrow sinking deeply into its leg, causing it to stumble. Taking advantage of the opening, she ran up and finished it off with her shortsword. Among the pouches tied to their belts, she found a collection of coins, mostly silver and copper, but some gold as well. Finishing her night's rest, she woke up a little disoriented and headed in the direction she thought was the road, but instead she ended up wandering for a couple of days before eventually getting her bearings and locating the road not far from where she had left it. A little frustrated with the delay, she started heading north again towards her mountain village destination. Welcome everyone! I’m Ranger Hal. Last challenge kind of derailed when I stopped tracking. I kept doing some things anyway, but others just stopped or were very sporadic. I'm not making major changes this challenge. Basically just trying to get back on track and do the things again. My current nerdy thing is Critical Role. I'm at Episode 29 of Campaign 3. Also, anything by Brandon Sanderson. Stats I'm a Level 4 Ranger. My favored enemy is Plants (due to the blackberries in my yard that I'm currently at war with) and my favored terrain is the Forest. I decided to roll for stats and they are Strength 12, Dexterity 17, Constitution 13, Intelligence 12, Wisdom 17, Charisma 11. My AC is 15 and I have 28 hit points. Combat Encounters Workouts give me ranged attacks. I get 10 xp per workout. Minimum of 3 workouts per week and one of them has to be on the weekend. If I skip a workout, the enemy gets to make an attack against me (ranged if they have one, but melee otherwise). Cleaning gives me melee attacks. I'm getting rid of rolling dice to see which chore I'm doing. It was a fun idea, but a little too random for actually getting all the chores done in a somewhat orderly fashion. I have the option of taking one day off on the weekend with no penalty. I don’t have to finish a given task (although I can if I want to), I just have to work on it for 5 minutes. If the kitchen is a disaster and dishes are piled up, I can work on that instead. If I skip a day of cleaning, the enemy gets to make an attack against me (but only one attack is possible per weekend). This challenge has lots of stuff happening on the weekends for the next few weeks due to church stuff, so no penalty for missing weekend workouts for Weeks 1-3. Also, no penalty for missing cleaning on those weekends and a few of the busier weekdays. Spells At Level 4, I have 3 spells and I get 10xp per level of spell that I cast: Hail of Thorns: If an outdoor walking or hiking workout is an hour or more, I can use a bonus action to cast Hail of Thorns. Goodberry: If I bake breakfast cookies, I can cast Goodberry which gives me 4 berries that can be eaten at any point during the week to restore 1 hp each. Hunter's Mark: I cast it the first time that I do a stretching session. For each stretching session I do during the week, I can add Hunter's Mark damage to one of my attacks for the day. Ritual Spells: At Level 4, I decided to take the Ritual Caster feat. I’m modifying the feat a little so I can ritual cast the Ranger spells that have ritual tags. Alarm: If I get up at or before the specified time, it counts as ritual casting Alarm. Current time is 8:00, but I'm considering moving it a little earlier. Probably not every week because last time I moved it, I sabotaged my sleep by staying up way too late for a while. That seems to have mostly settled down, so maybe it's time to move it earlier and see what happens. Exploration For every 5 miles that I walk, I get to roll on a loot table. I also get an extra roll if I get a daily walk every day of the week. Daily walk distance is a minimum of 1 mile. I also get 1 xp per mile I walk. For each bouldering or climbing session I do, I get 3 xp and for each new V3 or higher boulder route or 5.11- climb route that I complete, I get another 2 xp. Fletching This part of the challenge is dealing with the blackberries around my house. For every day I do any chopping of the blackberries, I can attempt to create arrows on a short rest. At this point, I need to make a dexterity check (DC 10) to successfully make an arrow and I can attempt 1d4 arrows per short rest. After creating 250 arrows (I'm currently at 71), I will be proficient in using the woodcarver's tools to make arrows and can start attempting more interesting arrows (maybe fire arrows, maybe magic arrows, I haven't decided yet). Short Rest I will have taken a short rest and can roll hit dice if I have done candles for morning and evening prayers and brushed my teeth. Long Rest Long rests occur at the end of every week, so on Monday morning my hit points reset to full. If I die during the week, I regenerate on Monday morning, but earn no experience points for the week in which I died. Finishing Notes I will level up at the end of the challenge if I have a total of more than 6500 xp. With my incomplete tracking from last challenge, I'm calling it currently 4023, so we'll see what happens.

Spring is emerging and so is my progress. I’m coming out of winter feeling powerful, capable, stronger, and overall better. I’m speaking [typing] it into existence. I’m now fully into a cut and the Man is planning to join me back in the gym and we’re cleaning up nutrition a bit more about halfway through this challenge - once he returns from his 3-week training. My primary goal is to stay focused and ensure I’m eating enough (protein and fiber) to stay satisfied while maintaining muscle mass while decreasing fat. I’d like to see some progress before StepDaughter’s graduation in mid-to-late May when we travel up to see her since she has been working hard on her own nutrition and training. Workouts: Maintain Muscle while in my cut Monday: Lower 1 Tuesday: Upper 1 Wednesday: Lower 2 Thursday: Upper 2 Friday: Cardio/Basketball Macros: Use MacroFactor to assist with macro breakdown. Weekly check-ins to analyze tracked meals/macros with weight trends to adjust as needed to meet my set goal. Current goal set to 0.7lbs/week or 0.4% weight per week loss with my goal weight set to 155lbs using a lower carb breakdown with maximum protein allowance. Water intake is essential. Aim for 100oz water minimum. The Man wants to return to alternating keto days once he returns from training. Since we split meal prep for dinner, I’ll need to balance my lower-carb with his keto dinners by upping my breakfast and lunch on those days. I didn’t see a major difference doing keto last time we attempted so I’m not too worried about keeping strict, but about supporting the Man and ensuring we’re both feeling our best. This will be a trial-and-error period for me but it’ll be at the end of this challenge. Status quo for the first 3 weeks or so. Reading: Read daily. Aim for before bed as part of a wind-down routine for better sleep, but any time of day will work. Especially on those late nights I won’t want to stay up to read, getting a chapter or two in earlier will suffice. Journaling: Daily mantra, reflect on what went well the day before, gratefulness, and any free-flowing thoughts.Checklist of important tasks for the day such as my rituals and routines to ensure I don’t lose routine with hectic day-to-day life. Meditation: Find a dedicated time for meditation. Daily walks with dogs have been moved up to earlier in the mornings due to the heat - less likely to run into my chatty neighbor. Use guided walking meditation to maintain focus. Manifestation meditation has proven to be helpful and successful in meeting some goals, continue that and introduce it in every area of life. Spirituality: Daily Greet the Day (or Moon, which I’ve been doing more often lately), grounding and gardening, stir in coffee intentions and gratefulness, Sabbat Rituals, New and Full Moon Rituals, and find ways of deeper connection overall. The Universe has been sending signs to lean into my spirituality. Listen. Budget: Continue doing weekly budget check-ins and put new raise money directly towards debt payoff. Limit “fun/want” spending and focus on only needs or those for the overall betterment (house remodeling, medications, healthy food options, etc. are okay, but be mindful of income vs spend). Make a list of wants - make this a Loot List and set goals and set aside small savings for them. Once savings are sufficient and goals are met then buy the things if you still want/need.

2025 Battle plan Hummingbird joins the party Inspired by the Gnawing Gnoll Saloogn that features in this challenge, I thought I would make Hummingbird, the gnoll bard I play in a Pathfinder game, an official part of this challenge. She'll be here later. Before we get to goals, it's worth mentioning that I'm currently waiting to hear back from a job interview I had in zero week, and I'm hoping to hear on Monday. It won't change the challenge, because if I get it I'll still have to work 4 weeks' notice at the current job, but it is exciting. It's also my birthday on Monday of week 3, which is less exciting but will hopefully be fun. Anyway, let's introduce the party for this 5-week adventure: The documancer [+1 CON] This is Hummingbird, my very witchy gnoll bard, drawn by me. More importantly though, she's also a storyteller. The documancer is the party’s note-taker, that person (often in and out of character) that keeps track of the obscure lore and the name of that NPC your DM made up on the fly 6 months ago. My documancer will be keeping track of my food every day, using My Fitness Pal. Whilst the goal is just to track, I am also taking part in the weight loss PvP this time around, aiming to lose a stone (14lbs / 6.35kg) in 12 weeks. With that in mind, I’ll be aiming for 18,000 calories per week, which is an average of 2,571 per day. To achieve that I’ll actually aim for 2,250 each day, to give myself a 2,250 buffer to spread over the week. I'll also be aiming to get a minimum of 160g of protein every day. There will be a +1 CON bonus if I achieve both a daily average of over 160g, and achieve over 160g on 90% of individual days. The decisionist [+2 CON] Donaar Blit'zen - Acquisitions Incorporated: The 'C' Team The decisionist is the party member who calls for a vote when the party are taking too long, and who has the casting vote when they just can’t decide. Just like last challenge, I’ll be making 3 simple decisions: 1. No drinking alcohol at home 2. No fizzy drinks at home or at work 3. No smoking anywhere These are all things which cost me money, aren't great for my health, and give me noticeable physical and mental issues if I do them to excess. Alcohol is also not ideal for my calorie goals. I have no intention of giving up alcohol or fizzy drinks, but these are simple ways of moderating them and actually having them when I really want them rather than out of habit. The scout [+1 STR] Cam Buckland - High Rollers The scout goes ahead of the party, on their own, checking for monsters and traps. Overland they might range miles ahead to get the lay of the land, whilst in a dungeon they might be just around the next corner, keeping a safe distance from the rest of the party. My scout will be learning to run again, as I continue to rehab my knee injury. To do this I will be running 3 times per week, slowly building up the running to walking ratio to gradually increase my tolerance to running. I finished week 0 with 6 sets of 3:30 running, 1:30 minutes walking, for 30 minutes in total. I had to repeat that week due to knee issues, so progress may now be slow. This challenge will start with me doing 6 sets of running 4 minutes, walking 1 minute. Edit: I'm adding a secondary goal for weeks 3-5: do pelvic tilt exercises every day. This is worth an additional +1 STR, and I'm hoping will help resolve the knee pain. The camp-maker [+2 SAN] Strix Skizzik - Dice, Camera, Action! The camp-maker is the member of the party that sets up the tent, lights the fire, forages for food, cooks for the party, and generally parents the rest of the adventurers. This challenge my camp-maker will be doing at least one house-cleaning task every day. In order to sort this I'm going to attempt a habit stack: when I get home from work, or when I get home from climbing, I will plug my phone in and do one task from my Tody list. That covers Monday to Saturday, for the moment I'll just have to remember on Sunday! I'm doing this because my house is actually disgusting, and I find all of the mess and the clutter quite stressful. I'm hoping that just doing something, even if I'm not totally on top of it, will make me feel a bit better about my space. The face [+1 SAN] Scanlan Shorthalt - Critical Role The face is the charismatic character who speaks to all the NPCs, does the negotiating, and talks their way out of trouble. The face has to look their best, so mine will be making sure I brush my teeth. The goal is to brush my teeth twice per day, whilst standing on one leg. The standing on one leg thing is surprisingly effective at making me do this for some reason, so I'm sticking with it. And that's all - time to draw a challenge tracker in my journal and get going! Edit, new goal for weeks 3-5, The Muscle [+1 STR] Do wrist extension exercises daily Do wrist flexion exercises daily This is on the instruction of my physiotherapist, and whilst I'm not convinced it will help I'll always be happy to have more grip strength.

Yeah, I'm leaning into my dramatic era apparently, so sue me When I started thinking about what I wanted to do with this challenge, I kept on hitting the number 4 - I need to survive 4th quarter (which this challenge gets me *almost* to that point, as we are out on the 23rd of May this year), I have 4 main quests/categories of goals in mind, some of those even break down into 4s, etc. I absolutely adore a theme but don't have the mental energy to make a different one right now, so I'm going with it! It looks like a lot, but I really do think it'll be reasonable (though I've said that before...) With that said, let's take a look at those 4 quests: Quest 1: Nutrition While I need to do a LOT with my health, after talking with a nurse at my GI office last week I am fairly certain that at least some of my issues lately are less about things like strength or stamina and more about my body not getting the nutrition it needs. While this isn't actually entirely the fault of my diet - my Crohn's being a little bit out of control right now means my body is struggling to absorb the nutrients it is getting - we expect that I am probably severely anemic and potentially low on B and D vitamins. (Waiting to see if my doctor wants an office visit or if he is cool just sending lab orders to check on those things for sure.) The nurse also thinks that adding additional fiber could be worth trying, though with Crohn's fiber is a really tough balance - sometimes it's exactly what I need and other times it will make me far worse. So, with that said, my (only 3 for the time being, hahaha, maybe I'll think of a fourth after I get going!) nutrition goals for this challenge are as follows: 1. Take at least half a dose of a fiber supplement at least 4 days a week. We want to start slow, in case this really does backfire badly, but I've used Benefiber before and know it mixes into sauces and condiments really well. I've never actually tried it in the classic "mixed into a cup of water" situation but am willing to bet it's not gross or anything at least (seriously, the taste and texture in things like sauce have been extremely minimal). This then can be moved up or down as we see what it does to my body this time around. 2. Find at least 4 new ways to incorporate iron-rich foods into my diet. We already eat a lot of meat and eggs, which are the best sources, but things like spinach, fortified grains, etc. could likely be increased. I don't necessarily do great with the roughage of things like raw spinach leaves though, so I want to find some ways to incorporate those foods in a way that I like and doesn't further upset my guts (likely things like diced and cooked, pureed, etc.) 3. Drink at least 4 mugs of water a day. Defining a mug as "somewhere between 12 and 16 ounces" haha, with the real goal being of course the 16 ounce measure but honestly I don't want to drag my measured water bottle everywhere so my 12 ounce mugs will do when needed. This is critical for replacing the water I'm losing with the Crohn's activity but also for minimizing the potential negative effects of the fiber supplement, so double duty! Quest 2: Spanish As much as it pains me, I am (temporarily) shoving Italian to a backburner to focus on my Spanish. This is for a few reasons: a) every time we discuss emigrating, an increase in my Spanish level - especially with clear certification of that - would help us in at least one way no matter where we ended up, and that's with the newest addition of Canada to the list after learning that my French skills bump us way farther up the ladder there than they used to; b) even if we stay here, an increase in my Spanish level would be helpful for my career, though certification of that increase would matter a lot less; c) I do still want to complete that additional Master's program, and an increase in my Spanish level would help that go much more smoothly no matter when (or how, since they do offer many classes both in person and online) I ended up being able to do so; and d) we're going to be in Mexico for about 3 weeks this summer, so every extra bit I can work into those immersion weeks helps! While Italian would potentially help with points a and b (and actually c, surprisingly, thanks to the way their program is set up), it's to a lesser extent and with less immediate impact than Spanish. So while I might still do Italian from time to time, my heavy focus is going to be on Spanish for this challenge. I'm willing to bet I'd score a B2 if tested right this second (level #4 out of 6, how's that for coincidence? ) but a tough topic draw would have me hanging onto that score by my fingernails and I know it. My best best for international certification would be the DELE, which is offered in (drumroll, please)...4 parts! 1. Listening: at least 1 hour a week. I thought about saying at least 4 times a week just for the repetition, but honestly time is a better measure here. This can be from one of my podcasts, videos, or TV shows, but strong preference will be shown to authentic sources and I only get to count the time after I'm satisfied that I understand at least 75% of what's going on, which will likely require some re-listens from time to time depending on what I'm doing (my comprehension struggles if I have to do literally anything else, including driving, while listening to Spanish at a B2 or higher level). 2. Reading: at least 4 articles/adult level chapters (or 8 kid book chapters) a week. I do want to keep charging forward in my chapter book reading - currently on chapter 5 or 6 of my most recent Judy Moody (the book is at home so I can't check for sure right now) - but a kid book also isn't quite up to a B2 reading level, to be honest. So I can double up on those and/or start in on an adult level book that is at least a B2 level and/or read some newspaper articles (which are typically at a B2 level, especially if it's a more complex topic like politics). 3. Writing: 400 words per week. This can be summaries of what I read or listened to, notes to help with the Mexico trip planning, journal entries, additional research - really anything at all! Hoping to get these posted too, maybe like the Reddit Write Streak goal I miserably failed last challenge but feedback is sometimes just as useful as the actual act of writing. 4. Speaking: 4 practices per week. I genuinely think this will be the hardest one, as my husband isn't always up for conversation in Spanish for very long, I don't want to spend the money on a tutor at the moment, and talking out loud to yourself functions but is every bit as incomplete as it sounds like. Still, it's better than nothing, and my goal is to practice with real DELE prompts, as they tend to be more academic than my everyday conversations. Might also do some like extemporaneous news or academic summaries too just to shake things up a bit. Quest 3: Other Prep for the Future These last two quests are a bit hodgepodge, but I think including this specifically will help with the rudderless feelings I've been struggling with lately. I am very much someone who needs to know where she is going in life, and long-term (or very long-term) plans don't bother me at all as long as there is a plan. Unfortunately, the way things are right now, there is no plan, and what feels like a dozen different possibilities change likelihoods nearly daily. I'm hoping that by choosing a few goals here and reminding myself how they'll help, I can start to combat that "lost in the woods" feeling that gnaws on me so badly. 1. Overall Mexico trip itinerary!! This is the really big one - by the time this challenge ends, we need to have, at bare minimum, airline tickets and hotel reservations made. Which means we need to know what cities we are going to, when, and for how long! We know we are flying to Mexico City on June 26th...and that's as far as we've gotten so far. This is a combination of a goal to work towards and a bit of escapism at the same time. 2. Decide and create one way to help next year suck less. I may hate my job, but I'm here for another year. So what can I do to make things better? I'm thinking...maybe pre-prep a new Spanish 2 opener, since that went over like a lead balloon last year? Organize the first French 1 topic in textbook style since I want to turn that into a usable textbook? Convert at least a few test sections into projects (takes up more class time when I don't want to do much and also tests take the longest to grade, though projects aren't exactly fast either)? Still debating on this one though. 3. Fill out at least 4 more boxes in the emigration spreadsheet. Can be one topic across multiple countries or start a deeper dive into just one place, but that's stalled pretty hard as of late and some progress will help me feel more prepared in case that comes to fruition. 4. Decide and at least make plans for one house project. This will obviously have to be a smaller one, but it will help us a) get a better price for the house whenever we do decide to move - currently waiting on the real estate agent to give us the updated estimate, I'm getting very impatient that she saw the house on Sunday and still hasn't sent that despite my questioning text yesterday and b) potentially enjoy the house more for the time we are here. Right now I'm thinking either replacing the tree we had to cut down in the front yard or replacing the rotting wooden handrail next to our driveway...hmmm. Quest 4: Maintain Sanity Very similar to Quest 3, but focused on the here and now rather than the future. 1. Continue with bunny and carrot quilt. In the spirit of keeping to 4s, but also keeping this sane since I have very minimal time and energy, my goal is going to be to add at least the next 8 pieces/major seams (this should finish off the carrots and get a little bit of a start on the first bunny, if I've remembered the pattern correctly in my head). 2. Complete at least 4 pages in Shutterfly photo book. I am trying to manage the issue of digital storage for photos with the desire for physical copies (technically, in my mind, good physical copies are essentially another backup!) I started making a photo book on Shutterfly with the photos from 2017, the year my son was born, and it's nearly complete. But I haven't worked on it since winter break and there's only a few pages left to go! (not to mention my phone is starting to tell me that it's too full and I need to move stuff off of it again...) 3. Stop working at 9:30pm. My job keeps on demanding I work harder and harder for longer and longer hours, but isn't providing the support, pay, or anything else I need to actually maintain everything. I'm severely burnt out and deep into survival mode. Setting a hard cutoff time is worth a try to help! Honestly a lot of nights it'll probably be before 9:30, as the kids start their bedtime routine by 8 and that usually isn't done until 9 by the time it's all said and done, so unless I have something really pressing, I probably just won't start on anything post-bedtime routine. But I wanted to give myself a little leeway in case there is something that would super duper help me out, while also making sure I am protecting at least a tiny sliver of my own time (since I normally go to bed between 10 and 10:30). 4. Spend at least 5 minutes outside (physically or mentally, depending on the weather). This can be a tough time of year to say I'll for 100% sure go outside every day, as we definitely get a lot of storms in April. But on the days where it's possible, it can feel so uplifting to finally sit in the sun and fresh air for a moment! On days when this isn't possible due to cold/rain/windstorms/whatever, I'm hoping I can find something online to kinda replicate that feeling a little - maybe looking at some travel photos online, finding an outdoor livestream, or maybe even just one of those youtube videos with the background music and pretty landscapes to look at?

With the pay she got from the watch post for exploring the tunnel that opened into their basement (taking care of the cult she found hiding down there was a job for more than a single ranger), Hal picked up some better armor from one of the city’s leathersmiths. She also spent some time studying in the guild hall. While she didn’t regret the time spent in the city (that spell she’d picked up in her studies would come in handy for making sure nothing could sneak up on her camp at night), it was time to get back on the road. After all, rangers are made for wandering. Her Guild Leader had mentioned that a village in the mountains to the north had reported some dangerous creatures just before they were snowed in for the winter. The villagers usually stayed inside due to the weather for most of the winter, but as soon as spring came, they would be out and about and targets for whatever creatures had survived the harsh cold. Maybe it would turn out be nothing, but it was a direction to go. If she started heading that way now, she might make it up there before the village melted out. Welcome everyone! I’m Ranger Hal. Normally I would say that I hike, snowshoe, scramble, climb, and do search and rescue, but aside from the occasional hike and SAR, I haven't been doing much of that for a while. I'm trying to work on that, but motivation is low. This challenge, I’m planning to mostly keep doing the things, but add in getting out of bed at a slightly more reasonable time (starting at 8:15 and gradually moving earlier) and add back penalties for missing workouts. My current nerdy thing is Critical Role (as in, I pretty much quit watching all other TV shows shortly after discovering it last year). I'm at Episode 19 of Campaign 3. Also, anything by Brandon Sanderson. Stats I'm now a Level 4 Ranger. My favored enemy is Plants (due to the blackberries currently trying to swallow one corner of my house) and my favored terrain is the Forest. I decided to roll for stats and they are Strength 12, Dexterity 17, Constitution 13, Intelligence 12, Wisdom 17, Charisma 11. My AC is 15 and I have 28 hit points. Combat Encounters Workouts give me ranged attacks. I get 10 xp per workout. Minimum of 3 workouts per week and one of them has to be on the weekend. If I skip a workout, the enemy gets to make an attack against me (ranged if they have one, but melee otherwise). Cleaning gives me melee attacks. I have a list of chores and will roll (d20) to see what I will be cleaning every day. I have the option of taking one day off on the weekend with no penalty. I don’t have to finish a given task (although I can if I want to), I just have to work on it for 5 minutes. If the kitchen is a disaster and dishes are piled up, I can work on that instead. If I’ve already done the task that I roll, I will move on to the next highest numbered task in the list. If I skip a day of cleaning, the enemy gets to make an attack against me (but only one attack is possible per weekend). Spells At Level 4, I have 3 spells and I get 10xp per level of spell that I cast: Hail of Thorns: If an outdoor walking or hiking workout is an hour or more, I can use a bonus action to cast Hail of Thorns. Goodberry: If I bake breakfast cookies, I can cast Goodberry which gives me 4 berries that can be eaten at any point during the week to restore 1 hp each. Hunter's Mark: I cast it the first time that I do a stretching session. For each stretching session I do during the week, I can add Hunter's Mark damage to one of my attacks for the day. Ritual Spells: At Level 4, I decided to take the Ritual Caster feat. I’m modifying the feat a little so I can ritual cast the Ranger spells that have ritual tags. Alarm: If I get up at or before the specified time (moving earlier each week or two), it counts as ritual casting Alarm. Exploration For every 5 miles that I walk, I get to roll on a loot table. I also get an extra roll if I get a daily walk every day of the week. Daily walk distance is a minimum of 1 mile. I also get 1 xp per mile I walk. For each bouldering or climbing session I do, I get 3 xp and for each new V3 or higher boulder route or 5.11- climb route that I complete, I get another 2 xp. Fletching This part of the challenge is dealing with the blackberries around my house. For every day I do any chopping of the blackberries, I can attempt to create arrows on a short rest. At this point, I need to make a dexterity check (DC 10) to successfully make an arrow and I can attempt 1d4 arrows per short rest. After creating 250 arrows (I'm currently at 44), I will be proficient in using the woodcarver's tools to make arrows and can start attempting more interesting arrows (maybe fire arrows, maybe magic arrows once I have access to spells, I haven't decided yet). This has been on hold for a few weeks because either the ground was frozen or there was snow on it (our snow doesn’t usually stick around for more than a day or two, so this has been a weird winter). Most of the snow melted today, so maybe I can start up again, but we’ll see. It’s still pretty cold out there. Songs I'm sort of tracking the days I practice memorizing songs. I have some thoughts about using this to bump up Charisma to allow a multiclass into Bard (if I still want to do it when I get to that point), but I haven't worked out all the details yet. I’m also tracking number of songs memorized. I’m not doing a whole lot with this right now, but I don’t want to drop it completely. Short Rest I will have taken a short rest and can roll hit dice if I have done candles for morning and evening prayers and brushed my teeth. Long Rest Long rests occur at the end of every week, so on Monday morning my hit points reset to full. If I die during the week, I regenerate on Monday morning, but earn no experience points for the week in which I died. Social Encounters I feel like this was a good idea, but I don’t have a lot of incentive to work on it right now. Maybe something for the future. I’m leaving it here so I don’t forget. Finishing Notes I will level up at the end of the challenge if I have a total of more than 6500 xp. As this is more than double my current xp, I won’t be too surprised if I don’t make it and that’s okay.

Welcome to my challenge. As always, I've set up a Roadmap for what I want to accomplish this year. Every challenge is aimed at accomplishing some part of the roadmap or furthering my adventure towards this year's goals. This year's roadmap looks past this year and looks towards my Level 100. It will take longer than a year but it starts right now. Last challenge was a fairly successful reset for my daily habits, including resetting my dialy nutrition and food logging. Now it's time to focus on fitness properly and level up my game. My fitnessing took a huge hit several years ago with some life upheaval and I've been babystepping my way back. My ultimate fitness goals are based on frequency and routine, as outlined in my battle log, rather than achieving any particular goal and it's based on guidelines from the CDC, WHO, and the American Heart Association. I'm working my way to meeting that consistently, then I can work on increasing intensity. Goal 1: Strength 2x sessions a week This is my main priority for this challenge. I find it difficult to make myself go to the gym but I have a small space at home I can use. 1 session must be a gym session. The 2ns session can be either a gym session or a home booty workout. Booty workout details in the spoiler. I recently started picking up the barbell again and it felt fantastic. I was at the gym the other week and just put together an ad hoc workout based on what was available at the time and included barbell lifts. It was a fantastic workout that focused on strength but also kept my heart rate up for the entire workout so it really was the best of both worlds. Details in the spoiler. For now we are going to ignore the fact that my doctor and chiropractor have concluded that it's what caused all my neck issues last week. My chiropractor did give me tips to tweak it to make it neck healthy until I work back up to it. Modifications have been included to avoid future issues. Workout details: Goal 2: Stretchies 2x week + maybe some bonus yoga (maybe some bonus yoga* too) This should happen when I get my strength workouts in but anytime counts. I have a 30 day yoga program that I've been working on since December. I'd like to actually finish it. It's a good thing to do on rest days. Goal 3: Cardio 100-120 minutes DDG and I are getting back into the habit of this. We watch the weather and try to get out to walk in the neighborhood when it's nice enough and plan to walk at the track at the gym when it's too cold. I'm hoping this just happens. Active minutes reported by my Fitbit from my gym sessions or other activity all counts too. If it's good enough for my Fitbit then it's goog enough for me*. *This may require a bit of curating. My Fitbit has been extra generous recently. My last walk/run the gym was 35 minutes and my Fitbit recorded 131 active minutes as my heart rate hit the vigorous zone and counted for 2x minutes and my elevated heart rate must have continued during cool down. But even still, 131 minutes?! It also gave me 20 the other day from a meeting where I was presenting to 30 people. I don't think that should count. Other odds and ends - the 4Ds Daily habit are still in play Fast 15 hours Start the day with Water Eat a damn Freggie Log all meals in app or on paper Stay under calorie budget per Lose it app Daily Duoling (mostly French) Daily reading Doodlie PVP Time to

Hey there. Nothing fancy here, just continuation of previous thread. I have a program to finish (Darebee Fireheart). If possible, I exercise daily. The other focus is making my kid F. move more. For now, we did some "swordfighting style" exercises together. At first once a week, and now F. does it twice a week, sadly - without me. A bit crap, but it was a pain to find time together. On a more positive note, soon(ish), when I finish my program, I plan to do this staff workout. I expect F. will be willing to join . As for now: Today (Thu.) 3 sets

So the last challenge of the Winter Arc series is finally here. This is a liminal time, a that of transition. This challenge will see us through this transition as we bid goodbye to Winter and say hello to Spring. Spring officially begins during the final week, really setting the tone. The first week of this challenge will be my last week with Coach - yet another transition to endure and overcome. Much like I am prepared for warmer weather and the delightful thunderstorms that come with spring, I do believe I am prepared to start walking this road 'alone'. I now have knowledge and resources to help guide me. I have fantastic friends and a partner who support me and provide me external feedback. I am not truly alone, that I know. I'm now transitioning into independence with my health. There is no more deposit, no sunk cost concern, and no Coach reaching out if I miss a check in or seem to have fallen off track. It is now completely on me to take full responsibility for the first time in 10 months. With all these changes, I, too, will be transitioning. Beginning the last week of February (week 2), I will be moving into maintenance. From there, I will slowly decrease into a deficit to begin my cut. As this is a transitional period, there will be plenty of trial and error. My goal this challenge is to make subtle changes and note down the impact so I can make an informed decision the next week. There's no judgement, there's no frustration. Simply learning. My true goal is to hold grace and patience for myself through this period. Along with the nutritional changes, I will be switching up my workouts. I've made a general plan based on my current workout so I'm still hitting the same muscle groups, I'm simply adjusting the method in which I target them. Coach was kind enough to extend the workout she programed for me through the end of our coaching to keep things consistent, but it's time to change it up, I think. With a cut, my sets and reps may decrease, but the weight will remain or even increase (lower reps = I can do more weight so long as I don't go in too deep of a cut) so it'll be nice to change the workout program itself to reflect that difference. Some things I'd rather not change. Too many changes at once can lead to burnout so the following will remain the same: Spiritual Rituals: weekly Tarot, New and Full Moon Rituals, celebrating Sabbats/Wheel of the Year and other similar events. Nothing too crazy here. I'm still doing a bit of trial-and-error with my Mood Rituals as well as Sabbats but the overall goal does not change. Self-Care: Gua sha, dry brushing, journaling, Greet the Day, stirring in intentions and gratefulness. I've had these for a few challenges now so they're fairly well set and self-explanatory. Budget: Following my budget to pay down debt. This challenge will be settling into our new income and making small adjustments to the budget. The Man has filed his taxes and I will be in the next week or so (my final documents I'm waiting on are scheduled to be available by "mid February"). We will utilize our returns to knock down his largest payment debt ($500/month) and then begin to throw our extra towards it. We won't see this debt disappear this challenge as it is fairly large, but making a large dent in it is sufficient and gets us much closer to our goals. Given the large monthly payment, by knocking out this debt and snowballing the payment towards other debts, we can quickly reduce our non-vehicle/mortgage debt significantly by the end of this year. In-Edible Alchemy: Continue to learn and grow in the herbal realm. I've made a promise to test various tallow concoctions to potentially offer for sale in our friend's new shop. Continue to learn more about non-toxic alternatives to switch in the household and be open to making more of them at home with natural ingredients. Education: The Man's final classes end the 4th week of this challenge so my education goal is simply to help him finish out his courses sufficiently enough to graduate. From there, I need to switch gears quickly into studying for my PE Exam. This is a bit of a transition as far as subject matter goes, however, the time dedicated to assisting the Man with homework can be utilized to focus on my own studying without a significant change to routine once the time to transition focus arrives. Reading: Thus far I have read 3 of 33 books for my yearly goal. I am terribly far behind, but hopefully soon will catch up to my normal reading pace. I've been quite distracted by reading 3 different books (Super Attractor, the Period Repair Manual, and Lord of Gold and Glory). My goal is simply to continue to read before bed every night and aim to hit my goal of 33 books this year (which is only 1 more than I read last year so it is a very doable goal if only I stay diligent). Last year I aimed to read before bed, but only did I make it a non-negotiable goal about halfway through the year as part of my winding down bedtime routine. Having that routine solidly in place now should make it relatively easy to make up for my slow start to the year. Welcome all who care to follow along

Haha, that title might be slightly dramatic but it is a fairly solid representation of how I feel these days!! Balancing what is technically a state government job (that has never loved me, tbf, but is now actively hostile towards me) that keeps my kids fed and housed with personal goals, my questionable sanity and the ever-looming possibility of blowing it all up and walking away. It's a very weird calculus that doesn't really have an answer, I'm afraid. Definitely one of those things where you feel like you're on a knife edge at all times, which is not only a very stressful position to be in, but one that I am afraid I will be in for quite a while yet. My last challenge did work to promote something closer to a sane life balance, so I'm going to try to steal some of those ideas and continue what seemed to be working decently with a few small changes/additions: Quest One: Fuel Goal number one here is going to stay the same: to drink at least one full mug of (liquid) water before chewing on mugs full of ice! It helps me increase my water intake, is easier on my guts actually, and was all around starting to work pretty well last challenge. Goal number two is going to be to spend $20 or less on my "desk snacks" this challenge! I keep shelf-stable food that I like in my bottom desk drawer as an insurance policy against like things like "I was running super late and forgot to pack a lunch" or "I ended up way hungrier than I expected and my guts are too upset to wait to get home for a snack". However, it has also become my "junk food I don't want to advertise that I eat while also wanting to eat it when my job sucks" stash with things like chocolate Pop-Tarts and super salty potato chips that aren't great choices for the stated goal of the desk snacks. I'm not going to try to navigate the complete headache that is my job without it at all, but I do want to make sure it doesn't get out of hand. $20 is a guess but I'm running really low on desk snacks at the moment so I figure that's probably a decent goal for my restock - try to get some good choices that'll last without leaving me enough budget to refill multiple times. Quest Two: Language There is...so, so much going on here. First, my current total for language practice is 809 minutes (438 in Spanish and 371 in Italian) which is 13.48 hours. A very solid start to the year that I am quite happy with! My goal for this challenge will be to reach that first 25 hours of study goal, which is 1,500 minutes in total - only 691 minutes away! I am going to keep reading in Spanish too. I pulled a few options from my personal library at school and bought a few more, so I should be in great shape for this question! Since I (barely) squeezed in 3 books last challenge, I'm going to try to match that with 3 more Spanish-language books completed this go around. However, I am getting a little concerned about my Italian - I have done okay, but I know if I am serious about making my goals in the timeframe I might need them by, I need to pick up my pace. So my goal here is twofold: finish my Italian reader (Due amiche e un album di fotographie) with all of the comprehension activities done as well (I am at the start of chapter 10 out of 16 right now) and hit a 25+ day writing streak (to be posted on Reddit once I make a new account because I told my mom about the Spanish writing streak subreddit and I really don't need her following me on there even though I don't post anything weird or embarassing hahaha). Other forms of studying are excellent, of course, but these should help keep me propelled forward and focused on more long-term remembering things - I have been doing great at listening and reading and understanding in the moment but then not being able to repeat those new things the next day, so more of a focus on output is necessary in my opinion (Krashen eat your heart out!) Quest Three: Life That Italian timeframe might be getting closer and closer (and I might end up needing to polish my French up some more as well, as it has been a long time since I tested it officially and teaching does not do much to keep the really upper level skills alive) as the possibility of emigrating or at least expatriating looms over our heads. I made a template to start gathering some research for a few top options like 2 weeks ago but haven't gotten past that since. Currently debating if I go by country or category (I tried my best to think of some reasonable categories of information to look for in my template, like options for our kids' schooling, how to transfer my teaching licenses and which ones would be the most marketable there, etc.) So that decision needs to be made and followed up on. To be honest, I've always kinda wanted to try living abroad, but not like this...the reality of our situation was never what I thought about when I considered expatriating in the past I also want to continue trying my best to find mental health breaks where I can! Life right now is...a lot...and a few minutes here and there, whatever I can get, will hopefully help. So I want to keep sewing and am going with the goal of finishing the first carrot block for the spring wall hanging at a minimum. If that's all I get done, it'll be complete sometime around next Christmas, hahaha, but any sewing time is good sewing time, seeing as I normally don't manage to get any at all this time of year! Another way that I often find a little bit of comfort is in favorite foods. Cooking (and baking) often takes more time and energy than I have, but I am going to try to keep up the same idea I had in my last challenge, but maybe release myself from it just a little bit by saying I should try to make at least 2 "treat" foods (be they dinners, breads, whatever) just so I can try to have something nice to look forward to even if it's just a random weekend evening. This time it counts even if it's a well-worn favorite as long as I actually feel some form of comfort from it while still not resorting to things like cookies for dinner. Finally, I'm going to keep my organization/declutter goal going as well. I do feel like it's maybe a touch less pressing now, but there is still LOTS of organizing to do and a zero percent chance I'd want to keep all this crap if I did end up having to emigrate anyway (or frankly even paying to store it here if we only left for a short time). The stuff from last challenge is still just piled up in two different places though, so I'll go with another 25 items decluttered AND actually get it out of my house this time

Hal managed to drive off the Hobgoblin and the remaining weasels, but sustained some injuries that meant staying in the forest alone could be dangerous. She limped her way to the town and caught a ride on a wagon headed south to the city. The Ranger’s guild hall would give her a place to stay while she recovered from her injuries and built up her strength. By the time she arrived in the city, her wounds had mostly healed, but she was still a bit stiff and sore. The Guild Leader looked her over. “Sitting around doing nothing won’t do you any good. The city watch post a few streets over discovered a network of tunnels that open into their basement. They’re short staffed right now, so they haven’t been able to do more than put a sturdy door on the entrance to keep intruders out, but they’re very interested in knowing where the tunnels go and are willing to pay someone to explore them.” The watch captain opened the door so she could look inside. It wasn’t too cramped, but her longbow would be difficult to use in the confined space. Hal went back to her guild hall to borrow a hand crossbow from the armory before returning to the tunnels to see what this new adventure had in store for her. Welcome everyone! I’m Ranger Hal. Normally I would say that I hike, snowshoe, scramble, climb, and do search and rescue, but aside from the occasional hike and SAR, I haven't been doing much of that for most of a year. And last month, I managed to get my back and hips all tied up in knots doing something that (in my mind at least) shouldn't have been a problem and while things are getting better (it was much slower than I'd have liked), my hips in particular still feel a little weird. Anyway, while I was getting exercise a couple of times a week (although that slipped a bit prior to the injury due to sickness and holidays), I'm wondering whether I let my hiking fitness slip enough to cause the injury. So I've decided to focus more on daily walking (and eventually hiking at least once or twice a week) to hopefully rebuild to a place where I don't have to worry about injuries that shouldn't have happened. My current nerdy thing is Critical Role (as in, I pretty much quit watching all other TV shows shortly after discovering it last year). I'm just a few episodes into Campaign 3. Also, anything by Brandon Sanderson. Stats I'm now a Level 3 Ranger. My favored enemy is Plants (due to the blackberries currently trying to swallow one corner of my house) and my favored terrain is the Forest. I decided to roll for stats and they are Strength 12, Dexterity 17, Constitution 13, Intelligence 12, Wisdom 17, Charisma 11. My AC is 14 and I have 24 hit points. Combat Encounters Workouts give me ranged attacks. I get 10 xp per workout. No penalties this time for skipping workouts because I don't want to push too hard and get hurt again. Cleaning gives me melee attacks. I have a list of chores and will roll (d20) to see what I will be cleaning every day. I have the option of taking one day off on the weekend with no penalty. I don’t have to finish a given task (although I can if I want to), I just have to work on it for 5 minutes. If the kitchen is a disaster and dishes are piled up, I can work on that instead. If I’ve already done the task that I roll, I will move on to the next highest numbered task in the list. If I skip a day of cleaning, the enemy gets to make an attack against me (but only one attack is possible per weekend). Spells At Level 3, I have 3 spells: Hail of Thorns, Goodberry, and Hunter's Mark and I get 10xp per level of spell that I cast. If an outdoor walking or hiking workout is an hour or more, I can use a bonus action to cast Hail of Thorns. If I bake breakfast cookies, I can cast Goodberry which gives me 4 berries that can be eaten at any point during the week to restore 1 hp each. For Hunter's Mark, I cast it the first time that I do a stretching session. For each stretching session I do during the week, I can add Hunter's Mark damage to one of my attacks for the day. Exploration For every 4 daily walks that I go on, I get to roll on a loot table to see how much pay I get from the guards. Walk distance is starting out at 0.5 miles, but I'm planning to increase that over time. We'll see how that goes. I'm not sure how well the loot table is balanced, so if it gets too insane, I might set a reasonable cap for the challenge. For each bouldering or climbing session I do, I get 3 xp and for each new V3 or higher boulder route or 5.11- climb route that I complete (or V2 that I've really struggled with), I get another 2 xp. Fletching This part of the challenge is dealing with the blackberries around my house. For every day I do any chopping of the blackberries, I can attempt to create arrows on a short rest. At this point, I need to make a dexterity check (DC 10) to successfully make an arrow and I can attempt 1d4 arrows per short rest. After creating 250 arrows (I'm currently at 44), I will be proficient in using the woodcarver's tools to make arrows and can start attempting more interesting arrows (maybe fire arrows, maybe magic arrows once I have access to spells, I haven't decided yet). Songs I'm sort of tracking the days I practice memorizing songs. I have some thoughts about using this to bump up Charisma to allow a multiclass into Bard (if I still want to do it when I get to that point), but I haven't worked out all the details yet. I’m also tracking number of songs memorized. Short Rest I will have taken a short rest and can roll hit dice if I have done candles for morning and evening prayers and brushed my teeth. Long Rest Long rests occur at the end of every week, so on Monday morning my hit points reset to full. If I die during the week, I regenerate on Monday morning, but earn no experience points for the week in which I died. Social Encounters I feel like this was a good idea, but I don’t have a lot of incentive to work on it right now. Maybe something for the future. I’m leaving it here so I don’t forget. Finishing Notes and XP Cap I will level up at the end of the challenge if I have a total of more than 2700 xp. I think I'm past the point where I'm likely to get enough xp to entirely skip a level, so I'm dropping the xp cap.

Hello and well met! I am DarK_RaideR (or D_R, for short) and I’ve been here non-stop since… *checks profile* ...June 2014, apparently. How time flies. I’m in a pretty good place in my life and in my fitness journey, but there’s still things I want to accomplish. I made a Roadmap for 2025 and it is my intention to use it as a foundation for my goals each challenge, tweaked and specialized to fit my specific parameters every cycle. But before we get to the nitty gritty, a few things about me in case we haven’t met before. I recently entered my 38th year of age. Although I was born and raised in Greece, last year was devoted to making it over to the UK, so I can marry the wonderful @deftona and start the rest of our lives together. We actually met on these forums almost a decade ago, but it took some time for the stars to align and bring us together. So, about those goals. Just goals, couldn't come up with some sort of theme to tie them all together. 1. Bullet Journal I'm pretty sure I have some degree of ADHD, even though it's not officially diagnosed. Lists are a life saver in combating the symptoms. I have a notebook for 2025 and I want to make sure I'm using it. To achieve that, I will make a morning habit/ritual of going through it as I prepare to go about my day. Add things I intend to do, cross out things I've done, that sort of stuff. This is the bare minimum, in hopes it will be sustainable and enough to build up a habit. Ideally, I'll be carrying that notebook around with me, adding and editing things immediately as they come up. 2. Housework Deffy and I track our housework tasks on a shared app called Tody. I want to tick off at least one of these tasks every day. Again, this is a bare minimum for reasons of sustainability and habit building. Ideally, I'll do more than that. 3. Employment I got my spouse visa just before Christmas and I'm thus allowed to be employed. I don't have a detailed plan yet about how I'm about to do this, but I understand it involves a minimum of updating my CV and looking up job ads. This will probably become more specific as the challenge goes on. 4. Workouts I've got a home gym, a workout plan that's fine for me and a spreadsheet to track my progress. Aiming for a minimum of 2 workouts a week but 4 would be ideal. I'm also exploring another potential path I could take, but right now it's too early to reveal anything about it. 5. Reading I've started reading "Crazy Like A Fox: The Definitive Chronicle of Brian Pillman 20 Years Later". Just made it past the boring stuff of the author dropping names and terms about American "Football" that I neither understand nor care to, so we're finally getting into the pro wrestling stuff. Put it down for the holidays, so I want to resume reading it as the first of 9 books in my 2025 reading challenge. As usual, this is the bare minimum to get me back into the swing of reading, I might finish the whole thing and pick up another book before the end of the challenge. 6. Gaming I got me a couple of videogames on offer during the holiday season. One of them is Chrono Trigger, which I'm loving and think I'm about halfway through already. I want to focus my efforts and make better use of my gaming time to actually finish Chrono Trigger. If that happens before the end of the challenge and I want to pick up a new game to focus, I'll implement my 2025 Roadmap and choose something off my library that I'm really passionate about playing. 7. Linguistics I'm using Duolingo to refresh my German, so I will continue to do this at least until I've finished the entire course.

Typically around this time (between challenges) I am thinking of 101 things I think I need to do right now to lose weight/get fit. That feeling definitely get amplified around New Year; New You season. However, I also know that 3 weeks from now I will be overwhelmed by too many moving parts that I can't half remember what I am supposedly doing, much less get to them all when I am stressed/busy/sick/tired/fill-in-negative-emotion-here. So this year, I am trying something new: one goal per challenge -- something small that I can completely focus on until it truly becomes an embedded habit. There is a big part of me that's afraid I won't accomplish anything by setting my sights so small, but honestly, setting them broadly hasn't done much either. My first Atomic Goal of 2025: Face the food (Eat without distractions) This means sitting at the table* without my phone, tablet, computer, TV, book, or other entertainment. Try not to even gaze out the window too much. Face the food. Taste it. Experience the textures. Rate the quality. Notice when it stops being desirable. Accept being uncomfortable or bored or whatever. Accept feeling elated or sensual or wanting more. Accept all the feels. I obsess about food all day, yet when I am eating, I ignore it. No, I mentally flee from being alone with the food that consumed my mind only five minutes prior. Why is that? Let's find out. Support behaviors (helpful for mindfulness but NOT required): Use a knife and fork. Even for finger foods. It makes me pay attention. Be a food critic. Which is item is the best? The least good? What textures can I identify? Do I enjoy them? What ingredients do I taste? How is the presentation? Record the experience in my BuJo. Immediately when feasible. I don't have to write every texture or capture every bite, but try to describe what I ate, the feelings, and the preferences. I want to emphasize (mostly to myself) that eating with my hands, forgetting to rate my sandwich, or writing a fuzzy description the next morning in my journal are all fine. The support behaviors are meant to help me to focus, but they are not goals in themselves. The goal is sit at the table and face the food. *Exceptions to the table rule may include eating while traveling or at gatherings without adequate table seating, neither of which are super frequent for me.