Search the Community

I cannot believe it's a new challenge already. Where did the time go?! I'm not going to bore you with a long introduction of this challenge, it's nearly identical to the last, if you were around then. If not, Welcome! Here's a quick rundown: Battle Ready: Strength train 4x/week: Monday - Legs, Tuesday - Chest, Wednesday - Back, Thursday - Arms/Shoulders (typically). Cardio is Friday or Saturday depending on weather and work/life. This challenge ends the day of my 10k so I'll be focused on running for my cardio day so long as schedule/weather allows. If I run Friday, the goal is to walk Saturday and vice versa. If running isn't possible (I've had peroneal tendonitis and hip issues lately), I'll do a harder ride on the Peloton to help maintain and maybe increase my cardiovascular endurance in some way for this 10k. I'm also hoping, weather permitting as it's stormy/rainy season and we need all the rain we can get right now in preparation for summer, to walk the dogs after dinner daily. Edible Alchemy: AKA Kitchen Witchery AKA food/nutrition/meals/cooking. I'm focused on eating Paleo/Primal and meal-prepping for the week to help reduce the grocery bill, but also keep things simple and easy. I've made the switch over with a high percentage of success (I'm not perfect and if I can have 80% adherence or more, I'm happy. Except with dairy, I must avoid dairy because sensitivities). In-Edible Alchemy: This is any kind of creation that is not edible, such as homemade leave-in conditioner or candles or whatever else. I've made a homemade daily serum and nightly serum for my skin care routine once my store-bought ran out. I have a homemade rosemary and peppermint hair oil for my weekly hair oiling that is currently infusing. I have no real goal other than learning more about natural products. Maybe looking into natural dishwasher soap or regular dishsoap? Laundry soap? This is only included as a reminder to keep learning. Mirror, Mirror: This is for me to do any "Me Time" every day. Journaling, writing my daily gratitude, my daily self-love, my daily affirmations, etc. Reading every night before bed, and I'm adding in Daily Duolingo to this, as well. It's kind of a catch-all for my self-improvement and self care goals. Mundane Magic: Greet the Day - go outside, get grounded, and say hello to the greater world. Nothing fancy, just getting outside for fresh air, connection with nature, and breathing fresh air. Stirring in daily intentions into my coffee before drinking it (after grounding, it's a theme here). Really, any way I can infuse a little magic into my mundane day. There will be a Full Moon, a Lunar Eclipse, a Solar Eclipse (*see below). Also the 1st of the month rituals (such as blowing cinnamon, taking body measurements, though that's not so magically related). Anyway, there's plenty of options for dedicated rituals I'll include along with any mundane ones. Mundane can include: infusing intentions while cooking or doing my skincare routine. Selecting certain plants or herbs/spices for their taste as well as their magical properties. Daily meditation. Working towards remembering my dreams (It's a calling from the Universe - I've seen it come up again and again). I keep having this pull towards action, I'm just not understanding what action so this space is dedicated to that. I'm seeing a lot of repetitive mentions of change, health, and moths. The Universe will guide so long as I pay attention which is what this goal is about. Knowledge Acquisition: The Man is going through his MBA currently. We are on week 4 of 10 weeks of his first 2 classes. He's on academic probation (due to his bachelor's cumulative GPA being lower than the standard required by the school) for his first 4 classes (these 10 weeks, the next 10 weeks which includes 2 classes as well) which means we need to maintain above a 3.0. He requested the hardest classes to be the first ones he takes and let me tell you, they're kicking my butt. I'm helping to learn the material so I can tutor him. I'm also the unofficial editor of all his work. Once my work calms down, I'll likely need to start looking into my PE exam to begin studying for that - I'm not eligible for promotion or bonuses until I'm licensed so it's a big deal. Plus, it's much harder to find a job without it should anything happen with my current position. Not sure PE will be this challenge, but putting it here just in case. Bartering: I'm working to pay down debt. As of this post, I have $7,200 in credit card debt and $3,200 in a loan. I'm co-signed on 2 "vehicle" loans: one at $4,600 (dirtbike for youngest Stepson) and another at $8,000 (our side-by-side for the ranch) and the Man is working on getting those paid down now that he's paid off his credit card and helped me pay off the RV loan last challenge. To do this, I'm working to limit a ton of "want" spending and, instead, saving up for them instead and putting off instant gratification. I'm also using my budget to move money - for example the money that went towards the RV loan minimum payment ($350) will be divided into 2 categories: $250 towards summer fun (to avoid more credit card debt while still having fun with kids, especially as it's StepDaughter's last summer) and $100 additional towards credit card (minimum payment is $150 so I'd pay $250). There's a high potential for work travel this round - this depends on when we can get the purchase order issued, right now aiming for first week of April I think and 2-3 weeks after that would be in-person kickoff AKA travel. It's only Oklahoma no matter which vendor we choose (both are in Tulsa) so it's not a far trip and should only be a couple of days. That's still a disruption to my normal routine I need to account for. I succeeded last round with maintaining my weight as well as improvising my normal strength workouts in the hotel gym (which ultimately led to gains once I was back into my gym with my normal workout routine). The Eclipse (*here's that tidbit from Mundane Magic) is total over my town and supposedly there's concern the cell towers and internet providers will be overwhelmed, resulting in the loss of internet/cell service. I took that Monday off work due to this and am instead on call Saturday-Monday day shift (8am-4pm) with the Fire Department (but I can answer any calls outside those hours, I'm only required to man the station during those hours). This is very likely to disrupt our workout and eating. I believe the station has a microwave and I know it has a fridge so we may be meal prepping for those 3 days to take our food with. It's likely our workouts will be pushed a day (Peloton Monday and shift everything else back a day so strength is Tuesday-Friday instead). Still a disruption that will have to be accounted for and improvised around. Note: if I disappear, it's likely that I have limited/no service and cannot come on to update. I will as soon as I can ❤️ Welcome all my Lovely Friends ❤️

2024 Road map Last challenge results Downtime Last challenge I burned out and bailed pretty hard, mainly because work was mega busy and life in general felt really tough. And then when I got to the end of the challenge, and I was no longer sitting on the sofa of an evening thinking 'I still need to tick off 4 of my 6 goals', I felt like a huge weight had been lifted. So, this challenge cycle, I'm doing less. I've deliberately posted this thread late, because on Monday and Tuesday this week work was mad busy (as I knew it would be). From today I've got 8 days off, so this seems like a better time to actually commit to showing up to the forums. With the obligatory gif out of the way, let's get into this shall we? Only two party members for this challenge, who are using their downtime between adventures in the time-honoured fashion of either making stuff or training. They are: The cartographer Goal: Draw every day [+3 CHA] This is the thing I did worst at last challenge, so it's getting special attention. I've still not cracked a regular drawing habit, so if anyone has any tips on getting to that or any idea where I can get more inspiration/accountability then please let me know. Ultimately I just want to get a pen or pencil in my hand for a few minutes every day. Things I could draw (just so that I don't get stuck on the thinking about what to do stage, this gives me an easy list of options): High Rollers fan art My current Pathfinder party My players' D&D characters The adventuring party I use for these challenges Animal drawing exercises from the drawing book I have Calligraphy practice from the calligraphy book WW bought me Draw along with the Sketching Hour on CNE Games Twitch. Stuff in the Quentin Blake drawing book I've only just remembered I have I found a cool April character drawing challenge online (under the spoiler below) Whatever else takes my fancy The muscle Goal: do my kneehab™ exercises every day [+2 STR] I buggered up my knee 8 weeks ago whilst out on a run, and it's pretty much no better now than it was then. I've been really good at sticking to the physio exercises for the last 3 weeks, because I'm doing them as part of my morning workouts and making them a priority, so I just need to continue with that. I saw the physio today and he basically said this just needs more time, so I'm focussing what I can control (kneehab) and hoping the rest will take care of itself. Other stuff I'll also be doing a lot of the usual stuff, I just won't be tracking it as part of this challenge to take some pressure off. That includes: I've signed up for the latest weight loss PvP, so I'll still be tracking calories daily and seeing if I can lose 11lbs in the next 12 weeks I'll be keeping my Duolingo streak alive (at 562 days currently) studying French and Dutch. I've also started playing with Lingopie for French. I'll be making an effort not to spend money most days, to build up some savings and stop frivolous spending I'll be going to the gym 4 times per week and climbing twice per week as ever, and I'm going to try and cement in the 3 times per week cycling in lieu of running Maybe clean the damn house occasionally? At least enough for the boiler service and the new internet installation. I actually started tracking my goals from Monday, even though I wasn't posting the challenge until today, so time to hit the ground (metaphorically) running.

Last we left off, our main protagonist finally went from thinking, researching and planning into actually doing. I had the roadmap of things to be done and I've cleared up the financing bit, as after the fam refused to chip in, I came up with a plan to self finance this entire project. Then my parents came around and decided to help me after all, which hasn't yet led into anything concrete but 1) it's nice to see them come round and 2) I did make it clear that I have a plan to do this without them if need be. But more importantly, I found out the UK visa process will take anywhere from 3 to 6 to who knows how many months and while the application is pending, it's highly advised to not visit the country. Thus, I arranged to make a quick trip and spend the first half of March with my girlfriend fiance before I'm stuck back here waiting for her to come visit me. This also put my previous challenge to a halt. I wasn't particularly mindful of my eating and no workouts were done, at least not in the conventional way. Now I'm back and I need to fall in line again, which I'll be doing with the help of the Sims, since @deftona introduced me to the concept of "legacy saves", making the game once more interesting enough for me to bother with. Since I'll be stuck in place for quite some time till the whole visa situation is sorted out, I'll need to look for another (temporary, but they don't have to know) job. So far I've already booked two interviews for next week. Depending on the new situation, I'll work my fitness goals around it accordingly, so I'm not yet hammering out specific SMART goals. I will however be harkening back to the halcyon days of the NF forums by marking my progress as character progression in Sims. Simply (see what I did there) put, accomplishing a relative task connected to a skill adds a notch to it and as soon as I've got as many as the current skill+1, I can upgrade it. Skill List and examples of related tasks Baking: Cook a meal or dessert in the oven. Charisma: Meet up with friends for some social time. Go through a big conversation with the family. Cooking: Cook a home made meal. Fitness: Do a workout. Gourmet Cooking: Cook a fancy or particularly/intentionally healthy meal. Handiness: Complete a repair task around the house. Achieve something requiring a certain level of technical knowledge and labour. Media Production: Listen to and post about an album on my IG page. Mixology: Make an alcoholic drink involving at least 2 different liquids. Research & Debate: Finish a chapter in a book. Video Gaming: Play a new video game. Knock a video game off my backlog. Wellness: Do a session of meditation. Have a beautification break. Let's go!

Total Eclipse of The Heart Remember this song? Probably not, most of you weren't born. But the 80's were epic, my hair was born for the 80's. This challenge I will be travelling to Texas to see the eclipse. This will be the second total eclipse I have seen. We travelled to Oregon (driving distance) and this time we are flying with several family members. So, here is my eclipse challenge: Goal 1 : "Turn Around": Continuing habit of Bible before screen Goal 2: "Bright eyes" Levelling up on habit of getting out workout clothes, now that winter's past and" I'm no longer living in the dark", goal is to actually get dressed before breakfast .First half of challenge I'm aiming for 2/5 days. then I will go for 3/5 Goal 3: "Every now and then I get a little restless and dream of something wild:" Give myself time to dream. Chatting with @Harriet about how too much screen time sucks out our creativity. I want more time to dream and be creative. No screens (unless I'm using them for creativity in something tangible like scrapbooking) from 1-4 in the afternoon Goal 4 : "Together we can make it to the end of the line" I'm continuing my reverse diet. Right now I'm at a good point with my calories , so I just plan on maintaining that. After we return from our trip, the following Monday I will start my cut. Plan is to continue tracking calories and keep at it for 6 weeks

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

Soo this happened: blood pressure 225/116 😭ending up with me in the hospital for 3 hours while they brought it back down. I am now on meds for the forseeable future. Stress 😥 + not eating correctly or sleeping well. Prayers greatly appreciated. Needless to say: this challenge will be a departure from my last two. Warrior's barracks: Not sure whether running will be happening. I am going to try to continue with: 1. Kettlebell ladders 2. The 100 Glute challenge 3. Daily Dare as I am able. I have a doc. appointment the 1st week of April & will make a solid decision on running after that. If running is a no-go, I may sub ballet-based movement instead. Room of Ritual: I need to get my house back in order so this component will focus on decluttering 15 minutes M-T-TH-F & organization; beginning with my bedroom. I have really let this get out of hand & am disgusted with myself.😤 Monk's Temple Daily prayer, memory verses, & reading plan Athenaeum Let the craftiness begin! Take time each day to be creative (at least 30 minutes) Also delving back in to Anatomy: specifically brain function. Details to follow. Wednesday is 'fun day' once I get off work. @Rookie@Elastigirl

Welcome to my challenge. As always, I've set up a Roadmap for what I want to accomplish in 2024. Mine is posted here in my battle log. Every challenge is aimed at accomplishing some part of the roadmap or furthering my adventure towards this year's goals. For the most part I've been doing the things that usually work. I am moving in the right direction but VEERRRYYYY slowly. I am seeing some non scale victories that I'm tracking in my battle log but the scale has been stuck on a plateau since January. Obviously there are plenty of slip ups, exceptions, and excuses, but overall I feel like I should be moving in the right direction a little faster. So I took a look at a few tweaks I could make to clean up some of my routines. I don't want to make any big changes or change too quickly so overall this challenge is just more of the same. Diet The data I have from logging calories does not support the plateau. There are a number of culprits that could be contributing to this. There could be some bites or swigs here and there that aren't logged; a few M&Ms not logged or estimates could be off. Perhaps my calorie budget needs to be lower? Or maybe it's the quality of the food. Too much sodium? Inflammatory responses? The facts of the matter are that I am just not going to log any more precisely than I am now. I already feel a little neurotic when I weigh my batch cooked foods and I mostly log everything, even estimating the M&Ms. So that's not going to change. I also could reduce my calorie target but I'd prefer to just aim to have extra left over every day so that the budgeted calories are there when I need them. I don't want to feel bad for using them all but I aim to not use them all all of the time. That leaves quality. Things that I came up with that could help: reduce sugar increase protein include some anti-inflammatory foods or eliminate some inflammatory foods. Luckily, I'm a creature of habit and I eat the exact same lunch and snack every single work day. This is a constant that if I get it right then it sets up those days for success. So here are the tweaks that I'm making this challenge to see how it affects the scale. Overall these small changes free up 80 calories a day and have drastic impacts to carbs, fat, and sugar intake. Replace the baked cheetos at lunch with overnight oats. This increases protein and fiber for about the same calories Move the berries, grapes, and carrots that I used to eat with lunch to my afternoon snack, replacing the banana that I usually didn't want to eat anyway. This decreases calories a little, decreases carbs, and berries have inti-inflammatory properties. And I am including a little bit of banana in the overnight oats already. Replacing the Reese's mini PB cups with squares of dark chocolate. This one might be tough but it's the habit I used to have. This reduces calories, carbs and sugar, and fat by tons. It does sacrifice some protein but I don't think Reese's are the ideal source of protein. Besides, I'm making up for it with the overnight oats. Fitnessing My fitnessing took a dive about 3 or 4 years ago and I've been babystepping myself back since my last respawn. It's time to make another change and increase the intensity. I plan to stick to the same frequency for now but look for ways to increase the intensity and get my heart rate up to cardio zone 2. I'm currently planning 1 cardio per week, 1 strength per week, and then a 3rd bonus session of one or the other. Here are my current ideas to work in some more higher intensity cardio into my current routine. There's not a lot of ideas so feel free to throw some at me! Rucking is back! I can bring a ruck on our walks. Bonus - on long walks DDG and I can take turns so it will help him too Hop on an elliptical for 5-10 minutes after a strength session to add more minutes in Increase our pace on walks, especially shorter duration ones to increase heart rate. Focus on Active minutes on Fitbit. The goal is 150 per week. In 2023 I average 14 minutes per day. So far this year I'm averaging 12. Any increase is good. I'm still tracking my daily goals from my Roadmap as well. Start the day with water Fast 15 hours Eat at least 1 freggy per day (preferably 3) Log food daily using Lose It Stay under calorie budget, includes a couple high calories days per week.

Short summary of The Doom (TM): My manager is a terrible manager and maybe not a great human, and either my current position is going to force me to move somewhere I don't want to live or I find a new job and move somewhere I do want to live, to the extreme disappointment of my children (because they've moved a bunch recently and like where we currently live). There are no solutions to this situation that are good for everyone and it sucks. Why is The Doom (TM) impending? Because as part of being terrible, my manager doesn't talk to me. So she hasn't actually initiated anything related to me having to relocate, so I have no idea when I'm going to be out of a job. And so far my efforts to find new employment have yielded a bunch of screening interviews followed by "no thanks." So I'm stuck in very uncomfortable limbo, simultaneously trying to low-key get ready for a move and continue with my life as if nothing is changing. No stress there at all! /s So, what am I doing? Step one: find a new job. Apply for a minimum of 2 jobs/week, more is better. For zero week, I applied for 3 jobs on Monday, and somehow have a call with one of them on Wednesday! Step two: eat healthy. Have I mentioned I play and coach roller derby? I'm trying to lose fat while also making sure I'm staying fueled for playing competitive full-contact sports on roller skates. It's been tricky, though I have managed to have a little bit of success. I got access to a diet plan tailored for that at the start of the month, but because life has been bonkers I haven't been able to do anything with it. But I'm going to follow it now! Zero week is going to be getting everything sorted out for that so I'm ready to go at the start of Week One. Step three: exercise. In addition to the 3 - 4 days of practice, I need to do cross training. For the rest of March, it's going to be finishing up the Core Challenge my team is doing. After that, it's probably going to be a somewhat random mix of weight lifting via the NF app, yoga, pilates, and using the new (used) spin bike I just acquired with classes through the YMCA app. If you've been following me for a while, you will not that there's not really anything new here. I'm just continuing to iterate on the same ideas until I find the version of it that I can stick with and gives me the results I want. I think I'm getting close!

It's me. Hi. It's a new challenge and I'm ready to Begin Again. During the last challenge I focused more on weight loss: tracking macros, running, and drinking water - and long story short, it worked! I broke out of the 180s plateau and lost about 4-5lbs during the challenge. So Is It Over Now? Of course not, I still have a long way to go trying to reach my End Game of weight loss. But focusing so narrowly on weight loss was starting to feel like Death by a Thousand Cuts. It's time for a Change... so I'm going to Shake it Off. This challenge, I'm telling cardio and macros, "You're Losing Me," and concentrating more on strength training and simple calorie counting. Basically this is me trying to build a better relationship with strength training, to enjoy it instead of just tolerate it. I also want to Speak Now about working on my mental health this challenge. My State of Grace is to actively work on cultivating happiness. Part of that is being more productive at work (because fighting against executive dysfunction gets me Down Bad). The other part is nurturing activities that don't feed on cheap dopamine like facebook and fan fiction. I want more phone-free time: whether it's time spent creating, with my kids, or enjoying The Outside. 🫶🏻 GOALS 🫶🏻 Don't be Delicate Exercise 4x a week (M/T/T/F) Strength Training first, program details here Followed by a 20 min run or 40 min walk Intention: Build muscle and increase amount I can lift while maintaining some cardio for weight loss Mastermind my Food Intake Stay under calorie budget on LoseIt daily Aided by eating low-carb, high-protein but not required Intention: Keep focus on weight loss through simple CICO Water Hits Different Drink 8 cups of water a day Continued from last challenge Intention: Continue to build the habit of drinking enough water Work like a mad woman 6 Pomodoros every work day (work for 25 minutes with a 5 minute break) Light work like checking emails, slack, or Asana doesn't count toward goal Intention: Improve focus at work, get more actual work done, and feel rewarded by productivity flow You Need to Calm Down Chose an enjoyable, non-phone based activity for at least 30 minutes a day Bonus points for doing more than one activity Ideas: - Reading a book (not fan fiction) - Creating something or engaging with art or hobbies - Taking a walk or hike - Visiting with friends - Playing with the kids - Any pastime people enjoyed doing 50 years ago Intention: Kick the cheap dopamine habit (aka doomscrolling) and spend phone-free time pursuing pleasurable slow-paced activities 🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻 So Long Live the challenge we've made - and remember, it's a shiny new NF Challenge, so baby just say YES.

I’m Ranger Hal. Normally I would say that I hike, snowshoe, scramble, climb, and do search and rescue, but the last few months have been kind of light on all those things. Motivation to exercise is very low and my mental health is a bit of a mess (mostly lonely for IRL friends I think, especially nerdy ones). If I want to be able to do the outdoor things in the summer without being super slow, I need to start getting in some regular exercise (something that actually gets my heart rate up). I was right that it didn't happen last challenge, but I feel like I'm getting closer. I did start going to the climbing gym last challenge. It ended up being roughly once a week, but once my punch card runs out and I get a membership, that might increase because then I can go as often as I want and won't be "paying" extra (the punch card was paid for a couple of years ago, so it's not like it's money coming out of my bank account now, but I still feel the need to make each session "worth it"). I want to use the treadmill or elliptical at the gym to get in some cardio, but for that to happen, I need appropriate shoes (climbing shoes are not appropriate footwear for that sort of thing and my regular hiking shoes are dirty because of gravel and dirt trails). I have some old running shoes that might work, but they're covered in spider webs, so I need to clean them first. I was really hoping to make that happen in Zero Week, but things got busy and it's Friday morning and I'm not going to be home until late Sunday night because of stuff. So much stuff. Because it is Lent. And will be for essentially another six weeks. Here's the challenge: 1. Light a candle for morning prayers 2. Walk - This has pretty much defaulted to 0.6 mile walk because I don't get up early enough to not be in a rush for work 3. Eat broccoli (or other veggies) 4. Cardio at the gym 2 days a week 4a. Rescue shoes from spider webs 4b. Pack gym bag 4c. Do the cardio And my nerdy thing right now is Critical Role. I'm in Campaign 2 (somewhere in the mid 40s episode). I'm loving the "new" animated intro! Fun thing is when I went to comic con a few weeks ago, I showed up at a Critical Role meetup and they were handing out these ribbon things you were supposed to stick to your badge (I thought it was kind of weird, so I didn't stick it to my badge, but I did keep the ribbon). The text on the ribbon was a line from the song, but I didn't know that until it showed up in the episode I was watching a week or two later! I ordered five books and a set of dice from the Critical Role shop last week. I was super impressed that they shipped the same day I ordered. Is it normal for companies to ship that fast? I think maybe I order too much discounted outdoor gear where they take their time processing the orders (like 8-10 business days plus shipping time), but it sure makes it fun when something arrives so quickly! I haven't read through most of the books (one and most of another will have to wait a while because spoilers), but I'm really excited to have the big fold-out maps! I love maps! And the dice are so pretty, dark blue with silver numbers!

You know when there’s a thing you want to do, it’s easy, it’s right there, but you Just Can’t Initiate The Task? Yeah. I’ve been in the land of Can’t Initiate all last challenge and zero/week 1 of this one. 😅 But I’m here now! I have a trail race coming up at the beginning of June and I’m training a little harder this year than last, hoping to get my typical distance up to 12 km. Last year my phone clocked the route at 9.9 km, so if I can pull 12 on my easier trail near home I should be in pretty good shape on the day. I did 9.75 this morning so I think I’m on track. I am also going to officially put meditation on the goal list. A while ago I was trying new yoga videos and found one I like…but it’s Yin yoga and she has you hold the poses for like three minutes and it was so. hard. mentally. But, like, the same way a really good stretch is hard? Like “wow, I need to lean into that a bit.” Not sure what that’s going to look like exactly, maybe this challenge is for exploring meditation in the context of yoga, on its own, or just practicing mindfulness in nature, and see what gives me that “good stretch” feeling. Ugh, the weather is getting so nice and I have to go back to work Tuesday after spring break. Rude! Also 9 more days before my choir officially starts rehearsals for Brahms’s Ein Deutsches Requiem. I’ve been reading through it all break, and, well, I’ll get it but it’s a lot to learn in six weeks. I’m going to try holding out a prize this challenge. Not sure how it will work…I’m pretty impulsive and like. If there’s a thing I want and I don’t have it, there’s probably a reason (lack of funds, not a real priority (I’m looking at you, daydreams about booking a makeup lesson at Sephora), realistically not enough time/space to enjoy it…). But there’s an embroidery pattern I’ve wanted for a long time, so maybe I’ll put that on the line. Here’s the weekly goals (5 stars): Run Additional Movement (yoga, walk, Just Dance, strength workout) Music practice Nature Appreciation Meditation (can be combined with yoga or Nature Appreciation) Weekly bonus points available for (up to 5 stars/week): Any of the above more than once Posting more than a weekly roundup Adventure runs Photos Goal: 35 stars Prize: embroidery pattern

Hey guys, I've made it to my fourteenth challenge, which has brought Bilbo to mind, as the lucky fourteenth member of the dwarfs' party. I would've made an extensive title using his line "from under the hill and over hills and under hills his path has led," but that felt a lot longer than last challenge's "Off the Beaten Path." I'm satisfied with my efforts so far this year to attempt to do Turkish Get-Ups three times a week, and very pleased with how well I've been doing going on a walk during my lunch breaks! I could bring my bike to make distance more feasible, but even taking it slow and easy allows me such delights as yesterday when I encountered a squirrel and mockingbird! I'm contemplating how best to orient my goals, and I think continuing to encourage myself to walk in addition to my three full body workouts is a great boost to my brain even if it's demanding to know when I'll give it video games and mindless scrolling. 🥲 I clearly need to establish this behavior to maintain some distance from my devices, and sustain the opportunity to enjoy real air. Goals: Three days of doing Turkish Get-Ups each week, bonus points for doing them with weights One to five days walking while on my lunch break, bonus points for observation of wildlife Continue to maintain my Sudoku puzzle streak, and bonus points for having at hand a book or Zemi, rather than a device, if I'm good to stay snuggled in the couch I think that's good for my agenda of starting small as I build up my momentum from the respawn. Having walks on my lunch break really isn't something I would've considered since my days of playing Pokemon Go, but I'm liking the direction it's taking me. And hopefully that and the TGUs will add up in a good blend of improving my attitude toward my physical well-being. I hope you've had a good day, and I look forward to seeing you around this challenge. ❤️ Maerad

2024 Road map Last challenge results A perfect 34/34 days with calories tracked. I hit my calorie goals for 2 weeks, but not the last 3, so no extra credit. I've still lost 5.6lbs in the past 5 weeks (admittedly I lost 5.2lbs of that in the first 3 weeks, so I do need to dial it back in). I did not fundamentally change any of my meals, and that has made this harder - I might just need to drop an egg from breakfast or something to make this a bit easier. Result: +1 CON The muscle I managed 24/34 days of foam rolling, which isn't bad even if it isn't perfect. My wrists are not properly better, so I'm going to book a physio appointment. I'm not booking anything until I've gone for a test run tomorrow and decided if I need to book an appointment for my knee. If I have to choose, the knee is the priority - the wrists sometimes stop me doing chinups, but I can still do pullups, whereas the knee stops me running altogether. Result: +1 STR The face This one was good! 33/34 days of brushing, and extra credit on all of those days. It's probably telling that the one day I missed was because I was in a shitty mood, but nonetheless I'll take the win. Result: +2 SAN The cartographer Well, this dropped away pretty quickly. Per week I managed 4, 1, 4, 2, 1 respectively, for a total of 12/20 for the challenge. I think drawing daily would actually be a better goal, because part of the problem is forgetting as I don't do it every day. Result: +1 CHA The hoardsperson I hit 20/34 here, which isn't too bad when I consider this was a bit of a stretch goal. On the plus side, I think I took food to work every day, and that really supported my calorie goal. We also wasted less fruit and veg as I was taking that when I didn't have a prepared meal to take with me. And fizzy drinks were cut down, though I slipped off track with this as the challenge went on. On the negative, I'm even more skint now. I found out I'm being underpaid for a few months, as apparently I haven't paid enough tax this year, which is bloody annoying. It's not a major problem, but I'm really trying not to dip into my savings and that's tough. I think this challenge will stay on the radar for the foreseeable. Score: +1 SAN Other stuff I also had some other things I was looking at, that weren't really goals I'll be subbing squats for front squats this challenge, as I try to train myself out of my current squatmorning habit. - Because of the way the programming at my gym works, I did a lot of box squats, and almost no front squats I'll also be working on ab work, which should help with stability in the squats and improve my pistol squats (and probably, to be fair, be good for everything else too) - I did this for a couple of weeks, but going to hold off now until I'm happy with my knee just in case it's related By the end of this challenge (maybe the end of week 1) I want to have written out all of the races I'm considering for this year and narrowed down ones that are actually likely - I did do this! I've only booked one race, but I do at least have a sensible list of things I may do to choose from. Wrap-up wrap-up Overall I think this was a fairly successful challenge. I also had a bit of an epiphany the other day. A lot of us talk about the fact that we start a challenge with all of the hype, and then drop off as the weeks go on, before getting all hyped again for the next 5-week challenge. My epiphany was: actually, that's probably fine. If I give 110% in weeks 1 and 2, 80% in weeks 3 and 4, and 50% in week 5, I've still put an average of 86% effort towards my goals. And all goals are going to be a bit like that - some weeks you have the time and energy to do them to the fullest, and some times you just have to clock in the bare minimum. I think that motivation might be the same as time and energy; rather than worrying about being perfect for the whole challenge I'm just going to try to ride the wave as best I can when I can. Next challenge expect a lot of the same goals, and a couple of new/tweaked bits for good measure. ETA: Those stat increases dinged me to level 21! Time to start investigating prestige classes... Jarric embraces brevity One of my, well, challenges, with forum challenges is that I get hung up on big, long updates, and then don't find time to write them up. To combat that, this time I'm going to try to keep every daily update to no more than 100 words. If I need to fill that out, I'll just have to up my gif game. Afterall, they do say that a gif is worth a thousand words. Yeah, I know no-one actually says that... This post won't be in the least bit brief, but let's get into the goals quickly at least! Here's the party that will be adventuring with me this time round: The muscle In week 5 of the last challenge I was out for a run, and something went in my knee. Since then I haven't been able to run - it's not a 'I probably should be resting this' kind of pain, it's a 'this hurts too much I have to stop now' kind of pain. Had a physio appointment this week and he reckons it's torn cartilage, with an expected recovery within 6 weeks. That lines up just too perfectly with this challenge cycle, so I'm optimistic that I'll be able to get back to running training after that. In the meantime I have some rehab exercises for my knee, and I'm also supposed to apply heat to aid blood flow as and when I can, and cycle for blood flow as well. Goal: do my kneehab™ exercises every day [+2 STR] Extra credit: apply heat daily, cycle 4 times per week [+1 STR] The decisionist I'm still looking to cut weight, with a goal of hitting 11 stone 8lbs (162lbs, or 73.5kg) by the end of this challenge for the Weight Loss PVP, and then probably continuing on for another 8-12 weeks to hit 11 stone (154lbs, or 69.9kg) before I switch to maintenance. Really I want to see what I look like at <12% body fat (if my home scales will permit such a number!). I give myself a weekly calorie target, then divide it by 8 to give myself 7 daily targets plus a weekly 'buffer' to float across the days as needed. If you hear me talking about using calories from my buffer for a special event or something like that, this is what I'm talking about. Goal: Track food daily [+1 CON] Extra credit: Less than 18,000 kcal per week [+1 CON] The cartographer I enjoy drawing, and the more I do it the more I enjoy it. Last challenge my goal was to draw 4 times per week, and I found that doing that I fell out of the habit and then kept forgetting to do it. So now the goal is to draw daily, even if it's a tiny little sketch in a notebook somewhere. Things I could draw include some High Rollers fan art (I'm really getting into the new season and am already working on a complicated piece - check out High Rollers D&D if you're into D&D streams and want to get in whilst there's only 10 episodes to catch up on!). I have also been meaning to do my own drawings of the adventuring party I use for these challenges. And finally my in-person TTRPG group are starting a Pathfinder adventure path called Abomination Vaults in a few weeks, although I'm not sure if I'll get introduced to all of the characters early enough to draw them all this challenge cycle, I can at least draw mine. It also doesn't have to be character drawing, I've got a great book on animal drawing that I should really pick up again, and I can jump on whatever else takes my fancy. Goal: Draw every day [+2 CHA] Extra credit: Share 1+ pictures here every week [+1 CHA] The translator I'm still working on studying both Dutch and French, the former because it's interesting and feels like it's going well, and the latter because I'm going to Paris this year and I'd love to be able to use it well while I'm there. I've changed the scoring slightly on this challenge, to try and get me doing both languages every day but in a slightly different way. It might also get me higher on those pesky leader boards - I really want to win a Duolingo Diamond League one of these days! Goal: Earn my early bird chest and night owl chest every day (i.e. complete at least one lesson before midday, and at least one lesson between 6pm and midnight) [+2 INT] The hoardsperson and the camp maker This is a bit of a mashup, so bear with me. The main goal here is to spend no money. I'm fairly skint at the moment after Christmas and a few big purchases last year, and I'm also being underpaid a little bit right now because apparently my company didn't take enough tax for the past few months. Spending no money doesn't include groceries, fuel, or other necessities, it's really about discretionary spending. It's going to be almost impossible to spend nothing for 5 weeks, so to make up some points I'm also going to add a focus: cleaning and tidying my house. Maybe I'll find some stuff I can avoid buying, or get round to selling stuff, but mostly I just wanted to do this this challenge and this seemed like a way to fit it in. In particular I want to get in a cleaning session on Wednesdays, as I'm a filthy part-timer and don't work Wednesdays. I have a rolling table for what to clean, so I'll get a point for rolling the dice (a D14 annoyingly, unless I reconfigure it to a D12+D3 table) and doing whatever the dice say to do). Goal: Spend no money every day, clean regularly, for a total of 35 points this challenge (1/day) [+2 SAN] Extra Credit: As above, but a total of 42 points (no spending any day, plus weekly cleaning) - change [+2 SAN] above to [+3 SAN] The face Last challenge I did really well at cleaning my teeth every day, I think because I made a rule that I had to stand on one leg whilst I did it. Brains are weird, but if it works then why not? Goal: brush teeth twice daily, whilst standing on one leg [+1 SAN] Celebrations There's also a couple of extra things happening around this time of year, which I thought I would mention. My 8-year Nerdiversary has just been (I posted my first ever NF challenge on 5th February 2016, which seems fucking wild). And my birthday is Sunday at the end of week 3 - still haven't figured out what, if anything, I want to do to celebrate that. Celebrations suggestions for either of these events are very much welcome. Let's do this!

Welcome to my challenge. This challenge won't be too much different than the last. As always, I've set up a Roadmap for what I want to accomplish in 2024. Mine is posted here in my battle log. Every challenge is aimed at accomplishing some part of the roadmap or furthering my adventure towards this year's goals. This challenge I struggled with wanting to do MORE but also recognizing I can't do it ALL. Life is still being a little crazy busy so I don't want to commit to more than I can accomplish and then abandon everything. But which things to focus on? The ranger in me just always answers 'ALL'! Enter the wild card. On top of the baseline goals for this challenge, there are also Wild Card goals to add a little extra something even though the something might be different every time. Fitness Goals Cardio 1x per week Strength 1x per week Kegels daily Wild card - Add one additional workout per week. Maybe a Strength workout, maybe a cardio workout, maybe a combination. Doesn't matter. Just do one more. Wild Card Goals Do a wild card activity 3 times per week (or more). Wild card activities include but are not limited to: Shoulder stretches hold primal squats as long as possible 30 sec cardio snack a few minutes (or more) of yoga The Other Stuff Progress needs to continue to get the house ready to be on the market. These are the next tasks on the list to accomplish this challenge Paint the downstairs bathroom Declutter 2 areas Fix holes in doors and paint them Wild Card - do literally anything else that helps I am still maintaining the daily goals from the Roadmap. Start the day with water Fast 15 hours Eat at least 1 freggy a day but 2 would be better Log food on Lose It and maintain a deficit Move daily

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.

@athousandwords, @Rookie, @Elastigirl While I was mostly satisfied with my last challenge, there are some things I want to tweak a bit. I am adding the memorization of Psalm 57 to my regular Bible routine. I am also going to test out adding a Stoicism podcast to the Athenaeum. Everything else will stay the same. Official challenge to be posted in a few.😁

I’m Ranger Hal. Normally I would say that I hike, snowshoe, scramble, climb, and do search and rescue, but the last few months have been kind of light on all those things. Motivation to exercise is very low and my mental health is a bit of a mess (mostly lonely for IRL friends I think, although corporate at work being idiots isn't helping. I love my team, but somehow corporate keeps making me hate the company). If I want to be able to do the outdoor things in the summer without being super slow, I need to start getting in some regular exercise (something that actually gets my heart rate up), but I'm not sure if that's going to happen this time. So I'm going to stick to doing something rather than nothing. Last challenge, I didn't update often, but I mostly did the things (1 and 2). This time, I'm going to keep doing the things and add broccoli. For meals that don't already have a bunch of veggies (like the cabbage/carrot/ground turkey soup that's in my fridge right now), I bought a bunch of frozen broccoli and divided it into smaller bags work for one meal, so it's easy to just pull one out and cook it. Here's the challenge: 1. Light a candle for morning prayers 2. Walk - regular walk (1.3 mi) if I'm not feeling rushed to leave for work, short walk (0.4 or 0.6 mi) if I am feeling rushed 3. Eat broccoli (or other veggies) I had this grand idea that once my office moved (several months ago), I'd join the climbing gym because it's kind of close, but that hasn't happened yet. Partly because low motivation, partly because I don't know anyone that goes to that gym so I don't know if I'd have anyone to belay me (although there are a couple of groups I suppose I could ask, but I don't know anyone in those groups particularly well, if at all, so cue social anxiety), and partly imposter syndrome because I don't believe I'm a real climber. Maybe it would be worth it just to do a little bouldering (which I haven't really ever done) and have access to whatever's in the exercise/weight room. So much uncertainty, so I don't know if anything is going to happen there. It would be good if something did happen, but it's not going in the challenge because if I don't do anything, that would make me feel more guilty than I already do about not doing anything. Oh, and my current nerdy thing is binge watching Critical Role. I'm a little ways into Campaign 2, so please no spoilers for anything in about the last 5.5 years. (Sooo much to catch up on!)

In recent years, Everstorm Wildlife Preserve has experienced an unprecedented explosion in the populations of species Draconis saccharum and Draconis conspera “Alba”, which has wreaked havoc on the ecological system there. D. saccharum, commonly referred to as the sugar dragon, along with related species D. conspera “Alba”, or white flour dragon, out-compete more beneficial species, such as D. fibra, D. fructus, and D. vegetabilis, such that these dragons are now threatened species even within the Preserve. Furthermore, D. saccharum has destroyed many of the feed herds with its insatiable appetite, further upsetting the delicate balance of the food web. The Health and Fitness regions of the park have been particularly hard hit. In short, it is an ecological disaster. While many have advocated for the extermination of the sugar and white flour dragons as invasive species, research has shown this approach to be undesirable on several fronts. It is virtually impossible to eradicate every dragon, particularly considering that there are upwards of 60 subspecies of D. saccharum alone, many of which are difficult to distinguish from other species, such as D. fructus (fruit dragon). It has also been noted that the sugar dragon seems to reproduce in exponentially greater numbers when the population reaches critically low numbers. This is, perhaps, a survival instinct. Furthermore, the sugar dragon – and to a lesser extent, the white flour dragon – have become synonymous with holidays and other celebrations, such that park visitors around those times would be sorely disappointed not to sight the beautiful white dragons. In light of these discoveries, Everstorm Wildlife Preserve management has resolved upon population control, rather than elimination. To that effect, a multi-stage plan has been developed to simultaneously reduce the populations of D. saccharum and D. conspera “Alba” while reintroducing stronger variants of D. fibra, D. fructus, and D. vegetabilis. The first stage of the plan will proceed as follows: Early Detection and Rapid Response (EDRR). Population of D. saccharum should be tracked daily to evaluate effectiveness of interventions and cut off any population growth before it becomes too severe. Translation: track sugar consumption in my journal. Biological controls. D. fructus (fruit dragons) and D. vegetabilis (vegetable dragons) will be reintroduced to the Preserve in small quantities to provide competition to the existing sugar dragon population, reducing their access to the food required to reproduce. Translation: I will eat one serving each of fruits and vegetables at lunch, and maintain my complex carb habit at breakfast. Cultural controls. To further manipulate the mortality rate in D. saccharum and to reduce the amount of damaged caused, sugar dragons will be kept in enclosures away from the feeding sites until 5pm. Exceptions will be made for holidays or special events, not to exceed three times a month. Translation: no foods with more than 5 grams of added sugar before dinner, except holidays, birthdays, etc. Manual controls. The park must be surveyed daily and dragons physically removed to their appropriate domains to maintain population control. All environments must be checked, since, as previously noted, D. saccharum is a particularly gifted mimic. Translation: go outside every day, swim once a week, GMB elements once a week.

TRANSMUTATION: the act or process of changing something completely, especially into something different The term also applies to an almost divine transmutation, a process both scientific and mystical that lifts an object into a higher form. There's a version of Darciana in me that I have not fully met. I know she's there. She whispers to me if I should ever choose to be quiet and concentrate on listening. She's waiting for me to shed all those things which no longer serve me, to rid myself of that which holds me back. She's patient, but we both know that we don't have forever. The time is now. Transformation is inevitable. I choose to intentionally transmute than let the world (read: society) transform me into what I am not, who I am not, at my core. IN-EDIBLE ALCHEMY Creating natural products for hygiene, wellness, self-care, and household use. I've run out of one serum already and nearly out of my essence. Once those are gone, I will create my own serum using the products I have around my house including oils like coconut or jojoba and essential oils. My night serum is likely due to run out during this challenge so I will also create a separate night serum using the properties of each ingredient to best suit what my skin needs during this time. I will infuse each with intention and self-love. I've already created a magnesium body butter to help with relaxation and muscle soreness. I would like to expand on this and start creating lotions and body butters to solve multitudes of issues. The next on my list is a lotion or body butter for sleep. Finally, hair products. I will continue to purchase shampoo and conditioner but I have already begun the infusion process of rosemary oil for my weekly hair oiling treatments. I intend to begin infusing some oil with fresh peppermint from my plant to mix with the rosemary. I'd also like to learn about and possibly create a leave in conditioner in much the same manner. All of these will also play into my Spiritual Ritual goal as I can use these opportunities to bond with the natural ingredients, learn their properties and what they best help with, and infuse my creations with intentions. EDIBLE ALCHEMY We are still carb cycling as our regular diet (read: way of eating, not a fad diet). I've learned much from eating this way for 8 weeks now but there is so much more to learn. My goal is to continue with these lessons, both in reading about them and in experimenting. Some meals are surprisingly delicious while others are less so and we are left wanting. This is a process which will be ongoing while we explore how our bodies react to certain foods/meals as well as how our tastes change as our diet changes. I'd like to move away from packaged foods such as the keto bars for snacks. I want to include more "basic" meals such as meat and vegetables while removing much of the excess. Being lactose sensitive, I've been neglecting to account for the amount of lactose I consume each meal, especially on low carb days. Heavy whipping cream and cream cheese are prime suspects in my life. Despite having lactose pills (probiotics) I'm still having some instances of bloating and discomfort that I need to address. I've done some research on cheeses which are lower in lactose and safe for me to consume regularly without issue. I need to continue accounting for this and being more mindful about my intake. In addition, meal planning weekly has been a success so far. I began to elevate this area of my life at the end of the last challenge. I hope to plan our weekly meals in such a way we reduce food waste. For example, we would previously use a 1lb package of ground beef for a dinner and end up throwing away half of it due to it only being the Man and I. I'm working towards, instead, planning my meals based on the ingredients. If I plan a meal with ground beef, I'll plan 2 meals and split the one pound package between the two. Rather than waste nearly a pound of food between the two meals by throwing away half of it each meal, we'll now only use a pound and waste nearly nothing. This will also help save us money on the grocery bill. BLUF: To plan meals to reduce waste, reduce the grocery bill, get as close to nature as possible (limit processed foods), and continue to follow our diet based on what makes us feel our best. MAGIC IN THE MUNDANE Continue to find ways to incorporate intentions, magic, and connection to everyday tasks. Infuse intention to my serums during my skin care routine. Use the magical properties of herbs in my cooking. Envision my showers to be a not only a physical cleansing, but an emotional and spiritual one. Use the Edible and In-Edible Alchemy goals as other methods to connect with my spiritual self and connect with nature. Continue to Greet the Day outside every morning. Focus on meditating 5 minutes each day - it's hit and miss currently but it's doable! Stir intentions into coffee every morning. Steep tea with an added pinch of self-love. Give myself a little hug or words of encouragement. Write down one thing I've done to love myself daily in my notebook. I believe I open up more pathways for magic to seep into my life if I only allow myself to truly love me for who I am at my core, both the good and bad things. Once I recognize my worth and that I deserve good things, good things will come. Focus on New and Full Moon rituals. Research and begin celebrating the holidays on the Wheel of the Year, learning them in depth and determining a connection (or lack thereof - that's okay, too!) Blow cinnamon into the front door every 1st of the month (or as close to it as possible if not home for whatever reason). ACQUIRING KNOWLEDGE About halfway into this challenge, the Man will begin his MBA program which means we'll be dedicating time to studying in the house. In solidarity, I'll begin re-learning engineering concepts that I haven't/don't use regularly in preparation for the Professional Engineering (PE) Exam which I really should take this year. I was eligible as of last year so now I'm just putting it off because its hard. I can do hard things. I will need to take a practice exam. I will divide the exam into 3-4 sections depending on the number of questions and take them one section at a time. Once I've taken a section, I will check the answer key and note down what I missed. From there, I should have a good idea of where I need to focus my attention. Once all sections are complete and all areas of study in need of a deeper refresher are noted, I can begin making a study plan. My hope is to spend at least a couple hours each week on the PE Exam preparation. This will be dependent a bit on my actual work's situation/workload/mental drain. If I've had a particularly challenging week that has turned my brain to a pile of mush, I will allow myself a small break. Otherwise, I will need to sacrifice some personal time, sacrifice some brain power, and do the hard thing. BATTLE READY Strength, endurance, speed, agility. All things which are helpful when battling a foe. My current battle is against the 10k Race Beast (I like dragons and will fight to protect them so a faceless beast must do). This beast requires many talents both mental and physical. I need to begin training to run further/longer without stopping. I will need to cross train to ensure my muscles are prepared for these longer runs and hills. The cross training will include the Peloton and strength workouts. I need to focus on stretching more frequently and dedicating more time to stretching during those sessions. In addition, with losing weight (read: fat) I need to ensure I'm at least maintaining muscle and forcing my body into fat-burning rather than muscle-burning. Long term battle is against aging. I want to age gracefully with a strong foundation for a life full of potential. My family has many health issues that I am likely to inherit. I want to do my best to offset those with not only a good nutritional base, but a strong mind and body from incorporating movement into my daily life. Despite my current disability and the very strong likelihood I will require further back surgeries and rehabilitation, I want to be able to physically enjoy my retirement years and not be restricted by my body/physical state. To accomplish this, I need to start now. REFLECTIONS This is more of a goal to set aside time for myself. I'd like to improve myself by putting away screens before bed and, instead, do some reading, journaling, knitting/crocheting, working with plants, stretching my body or doing yoga, etc. I'd like to deal with any mental blocks by journaling them out and working to find the root cause. I'd love to build my Grimoire by working with plants and the above In-Edible Alchemy goal - noting what works, what doesn't, and what I may try next. I also keep having a desire to pull my knitting back out but I cannot seem to get past the physical block keeping me from standing up and fetching it from my table. I'd like to break that barrier and begin knitting again rather than playing on my phone while spending time in the living room with the Man. I'd love to read more. I have officially finished my book club (I own the last book so it's now nestled in my TBR pile) so I'm free to reach as much or little of whatever I choose. I'm finishing up the last book in a series now. I have a sequel to another book which was just released. Finally, a book that was originally to be published in early November (and has been delayed several times) is set to be released next week. I ordered an exclusive edition and, unless I also order the e-book version, I'll have to wait for the physical book to arrive. I hope to finish these next two books before the newest release arrives. Fortunately, the book I'm currently reading is only 129 pages so it'll go quick if only I set aside the time to actually read it. The next book is only 178 pages. Completely doable to read both within a week or two. BARTERING With myself, mostly. The goal is to reduce my bills where possible, pay all the necessary ones, and be financially secure. A large part of reducing bills and becoming more financially secure is to focus on removing debt. I've started this process by paying ahead on some payments that would normally come due during my next paycheck (Friday) but I had surplus to cover on this current paycheck. At the end of the month, any excess I have may go towards debt and I can repeat for the next month. The Man and I have a plan going forward which will result in the travel trailer loan being paid off (the boys bought it from us but we used that money to immediately cover another situation (which was to be paid with a bonus). Once the Man's work bonus arrives (mid-March or mid-April) he'll use that to pay off the loan instead. This is my time to transmute my life into one which follows a path towards who I want to be rather than settling for who I currently am. There's more to me if only I put in the effort to dig deep, do the hard things, and discover who I have the potential to become.

I'm going to continue working on the habits I've been trying to establish: Habit #1 Reading Bible before looking at screens Habit #2 Setting Workout clothes on my bed before breakfast, so that I am ready to workout as soon as I finish breakfast Both of these I have in my habit reminder on the phone, so I also need to check off there whether I have done them or not Habit #3 Writing out weekly goals and daily goals for the week/day. New goal: The workout program I'm doing: Anabolic , has what they call trigger sessions on days where I'm not working out. The idea is you use resistance bands, some intensity but not too hard, just enough to get a pump. Goal is to do these at least once ( they recommend 1-3 times during the day) a day 3 times a week What else I'm doing: Right now I' m doing a slight bulk. I want this to be at least mostly muscle gain. Which means I need to track calories, and weigh and measure myself. So, I will be doing that. I'm not listing it is a goal, because that actually backfires and makes me less likely to do it, because I slide too quickly into the all or nothing category. I feel like I'm lying if I report on here that I tracked, and I really can't remember what I ate for lunch, and it was only a guestimate. Where if I'm just noting it for myself I don't do as much self questioning and am more flexible. My workout program is Anabolic by Mindpump it's set up to be a 2 to 3 day a week workout. I will usually do 3 days, cause I love working out. I will also do walking. Maybe not as much rowing. I felt like January I was sick and pushed myself too hard, so I'm trying to back off. Let my rest days be rest days . I have the trigger sessions to do, which gives me movement, so I think I will just do walking. If I really want to get a row in, that's fine. J

Ok, well, I'm being slightly dramatic. But, I have a meeting with my manager on Friday, and I'm pretty sure this is going to be when I finally get told I need to relocate to somewhere I'm not willing to live. Which is, in some fashion, going to seriously upend my life, and there is a very real possibility I will find myself unemployed. So, I'm clearly not freaking out about that at aaallllllllll... Ahem. Anyway... To quote Nick Fury, because I can't find a gif of it, until such time as the world ends, I intend to proceed as if it means to spin on. So I am going to continue with my plans, while probably also low-key trying to get things organized for moving (again...), because it's either I go where my current job is telling me to or I go where the new job is. -Exercise! At least 30 minutes, every day. It was 20 last challenge, but it went well, and I need 30 minutes minimum to count for off-skates exercise points for derby travel team eligibility. 3-4 days a week are derby practice of some variety, aiming to do a mix of lifting, running, and pilates/yoga for the remainder. -Eat! Enough, but not too much. I dug out one of my "diet" meal plans a couple weeks ago and have been following it, and it seems to be working. It's basically a calorie-controlled whole foods diet. So, only a "diet" in the sense of counting calories, otherwise it's just generally eating healthy. I have been eating somewhere between 1200 and 1500 calories a day, which sounds like not a lot, especially with all the exercise, but that seems to be what it takes for me to lose weight. If I start having issues with not being fueled for all that exercise, I will increase the calories as needed. -Find a New Job! I have a screening call for a potential new job tomorrow, but in addition to that, I need to be searching for and applying for more jobs. Going to aim for a minimum of 2 jobs applied for per week, unless/until I find something new. I should probably aim for a higher number, but it is hard to find things I'm qualified for and I don't have tons of time to search, so 2 is a good number for now. If I find myself unemployed, I'll have lots of time and that number will go up. But here's hoping it doesn't come to that!

I may or may not be as prepared for this challenge as previous ones, goals are staying the same, as most of my challenges tend to do until I find a good reason to change them. The simplified method seems to be working well with my life even if I'm not seeing results on the scale (yet) I'm focusing on how I feel and that is good enough right now. All SET ( S )leep - ( E )xercise ( T )rack - And because it wouldn’t be an RES challenge without some 5k’s Upcoming Items 12/16 - Reindeer Run 5k - Done, 54 Minutes 12/17 - Candy Cane Course 5k - skipped 01/27 - Java Jog 5k - skipped 02/11 - Couple Shuffle 5k - skipped 03/09 - Time to Paddy 5k 06/22 - Hometown Half 10k 07/07 - Firecracker 4mi 08/10 - Summer Sizzler 15k 09/28 - Donot Stop 10k 10/20 - Spooky Sprint 10k 11/10 - Turkey Trails 10k

More details to (probably) come later when I'm not typing on my phone, but the idea behind this challenge is to use this time period quite a bit differently than my normal. Instead of setting a thousand ambitious goals and trying to "go go go" all the time, I'm hoping to use this first chunk of the year to reset entirely, focusing on connecting with family - especially our brand new 3 week old baby girl! - and personal joys as much as possible while recovering from the birth (and the continuous challenge that was August-December 2023). Winter is the time the world sleeps and resets for the next growing season, and for once I'm going to try to do the same. Granted, being the primary caregiver for a newborn isn't exactly the definition of relaxing, and there are some things that will need to be done to make sure I'm not totally screwed come March when my maternity leave ends. But I so rarely get - or make - opportunities to slow down, and I fought for so long to get to this point that it would be a straight up disservice to myself not to find as many delights and refuges as I can before picking up the journey again. After all, even the Fellowship rested when and where they could 😄 Quest One: Feed the baby and myself - Expand the frozen breastmilk stash (current stash: 34 oz; first goal: 75 oz) - Increase supply and feeding times to combat failure to thrive diagnosis - Add nutrition goals as challenge progresses (ideas: minimum protein, increase produce, decrease box meals, try new foods) Quest Two: Reconnect - With self by finding time for abandoned personal hobbies (quilting/sewing and reading are the two I'm thinking about right now, might change/add as challenge progresses) - With family (older son and husband) via shared activities Quest Three: Reflect - Update both kids' photo journals at least once a week - Restart personal journal writing at least once a week

After careful deliberation, I've decided to shift gears and create a challenge theme inspired by Halo, since the new season of the TV series is out now. My goals will remain the same as last challenge, with a few Spartan-specific references threaded throughout. As many of you know, Spartans must possess superhuman strength and speed. They must also be intelligent, calm and collected when necessary but fierce when needed, and intuitive under pressure. My goals for this challenge fit into 5 categories: STRENGTH, SPEED, MEDITATION, JOURNALING, and READING/LEARNING. STRENGTH GOAL: I will increase my strength by 10% in 7 different kettlebell exercises (swings, goblet squats, kb push-ups, racked squats, deadlifts, rows, snatches, and overhead press) by training four times a week for 12 weeks with a 35 lb (16 kg) kettlebell. I will measure my strength by the number of repetitions I can perform with good form for each exercise and record my progress in a journal or an app and follow up with weekly strength tests. I will follow a periodized workout routine that also includes both kettlebell and other weight training, along with warm-up, cool-down, and recovery sessions. I will also eat a balanced diet, drink enough water, and get enough sleep to support my training. Achieving this goal will improve my overall health, performance, and physique. SPEED GOAL: I will run 5k in less than 30 minutes by following an 8 week training plan that includes interval training, tempo runs, long runs, and recovery runs. I will measure my progress my timing my 5k runs and tracking my pace and distance with the Nike Run Club app. I will also do some cross-training and strength training (see above) to prevent injuries and improve my overall fitness. Achieving this goal will challenge me and boost my confidence, as well as help me prepare for longer races and improve my health and well-being. MEDITATION GOAL: I will meditate for 20 minutes every day using a guided meditation app. I will track my meditation sessions and duration on the app and on a calendar. I will start January 1st by adding 5 minutes to my current 10 minute meditation practice every week until I reach 20 minutes. I want to meditate more because it helps me reduce stress, improve focus, and feel happier. I will achieve my goal of meditating for 20 minutes daily by the end of next month. JOURNALING GOAL: I will write in my journal every day for at least 10 minutes, using prompts or free writing to express my thoughts and feelings. I will track my journaling habit on a calendar or an app and aim for a 100% completion rate each month. I will schedule a time for journaling that works for me and make it a priority in my daily routine. I will also prepare a comfortable and quiet space for journaling and have a notebook and pen ready. I will write in my journal to improve my mental health, creativity, and self-awareness. I will also use journaling as a way to reflect on my goals and progress and celebrate my achievements. I will write in my journal every day for the next six months starting January 1st and then evaluate the benefits and challenges of my journaling habit. READING/LEARNING GOAL: I want to read at least one book per month and learn one new skill or topic every week. I will track my reading time and progress using a reading app. I will also document what I learned each week in my journal. I will set aside 20 minutes every day to read a book of my choice (list to be shared later). I will also dedicate at least one our every week to learn something new, such as a language, a hobby, or a subject. Reading and learning will help me improve my vocabulary, knowledge, creativity, and curiosity. They will also enrich my personal and professional life. I will start this goal January 1st and review it every month to see if I need to adjust it. Accomplishing this goal will make me a more well-read and well-rounded person.

Sooo...here I am...again. Been busy with death-dealing, estate settling, job finding craziness in the last few years-all taken care of at this point. Now it's time to refocus on Rangerly things. 🙂 Working on goals for the next challenge & a title for my battle log.