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Like any journey there is preparation. This is what this post is, soon the journey will begin for real. I am currently gathering the equipment I will need and mentally preparing myself for what will come. I will step on ground both familiar and new...but will push myself further and harder than I have before. There is a need to move away from the old me and find the new me that wants to be released. I want to participate in activities that are only viewed from the outside, taking on challenging adventure races (Spartan Race, Tough Mudder...) return one day to the Krav Maga classes that I once loved, but no longer would be able to keep up with. A new dawn will rise soon.

BITTEROYSTER! Your very own Pokemon legend is about to unfold! A world of dreams and adventures with POKEMON awaits! Let's go! 1 - Strength Training 3xWeek Tuesday: Body Pump Thursday + Saturday: Stronglifts at home 2 - Go to the Gym 3xWeek The Pump session counts. The other two can be swimming, aqua aerobics or other classes. Hoping to try some new cardio classes and take another crack at Body Balance. 3x per week means good value on my membership, 2x is still better than single-entry. 3 - Ranger it Up Outside 2xWeek I'll pick from these options: BushwalkingRucking (city or nature)Swimming (beach)Planned 10km walk I never got around toGardeningRunningRuck to the park and climb Motivation Achieve a foundation of fitness before starting a martial art next year (and be able to do other cool stuff like pack hiking). This is going to be a lot per week (7 things since Pump counts for both #1 and #2). I thought about cutting back, but the outside stuff can be simple and worked into my routine by rucking to the shops a suburb over. Unweighted light exercise will give my body time to recover but still put a strain on my time and organisation, so I'll see how I go. I'll also be working the themes of each badge into some of the outside challenges, for 1 or 2 badges per week. Progress Week 1 Badges: Strength: 3/3 Gym: 3/3 (Aqua, Zumba, Pump) Outside: 3/2 (Hiking, rucking, gardening) Rucking: 2.8km Week 2 Badges: Strength: 3/3 Gym: 3/3 (Body Balance, swimming, Pump) Outside: 2/2 (swimming, rucking) Rucking: 7.68km Week 3 Badges: Strength: 2/3 Gym: 1/3 (TBW) Outside: 3/2 (Urban rucking, bush rucking x2) Rucking: 12.79km Week 4 Badges: Strength: 3/3 Gym: 3/3 (Body Pump, Body Balance, RuckFit WOD) Outside: 3/2 (Swimming, gardening, urban rucking) Rucking: 13.35km Week 5 Badges: Strength: 3/3 Gym: 1/3 (Body Pump) Outside: 2/2 (Bush rucking, gardening) Rucking: 5.32km Week 6 Badges: Strength: 3/3 Gym: 1/3 Outside: 2/2 (Bush rucking, gardening) Rucking: 15.1km

An Upside-Down, Inside-Out, Backwards, Paradoxical, Crazy Like a ShadowLion Challenge In Which She Plans Her Escape From the Sprawling Megalopolis And Gets Back to Her Ranger Roots As a Techno-Ranger Sorceress "The Game of All Games is Life." ~ Ariel ha' Chakam, the First Malakh Reality Hacker A Reality Hacker plays The Game in physical reality, all the while knowing that The Game is Won or Lost Within the Mind. The Reality Hacker's choice of role or character determines her skills and method of playing The Game. This Reality Hacker Chooses to Play as a Techno-Ranger Sorceress. Character Name: ShadowLion Alignment: Chaotic Good Race: Malakh-Human Hybrid Class: Ranger Occupation: Scrappy Itinerant Technologist Skills: Stealth, concealment, techno-sorcery Knowledge: Route finding and desert survival, first aid Favored Weapons: Espada y daga (sword and dagger); open-hand; the occasional fireball Separated from her magical order, ShadowLion has spent the last eight years living in a sprawling desert Megalopolis. This challenge, she will plan and prepare herself physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually to escape the city and return to her ancestral home high on the remote, northern plateau. Though she does not know when her departure will be, she is determined to live once again in the shadow of the Sacred Mountains. She has resolved to start her Journey as soon as she can reliably provide for those who depend on her. In the meantime, she continues to search for any remaining members of her order. A Reality Hacker's Creative Medium is Time and Space Thus, a Reality Hacker Must Be Prepared to Deal With Paradox. A sorceress must fully accept the who, what, where and why of her situation before she can hope to see how to change it. Once she has truly seen through the distorted lens, she realizes she has already changed it, She was merely waiting for time to catch up to her. The how was there all along, contained within the when. ShadowLion Vows to Pursue The Goals Contained in Her Epic Quest Using the Abstraction Layer Favored by Her Order. The Sisterhood of the Dragon utilizes a combination of "Paths" and associated elements to organize their mystical workings. Elements of ShadowLion's Ongoing Epic Quest The following four goals are the major components of my Epic Quest. The Challenge Missions are meant to move me a measurable distance further towards completing my goals. SCHOLAR/AIR Bring to life the fantasy fiction series that I've been writing for lo, these many years. An intellectual challenge, a skill that needs further development, and a message that needs to be heard. Challenge Mission: Write. Minimum 45 minutes per day, at least 5 days per week, BEFORE work. The Writer's Guild Accountability Group (__/30) HEALER/WATER Return to my beloved northern AZ mountains to build my little bit of heaven in the pines. Rest for the body, peace for the mind, food for my soul. Challenge Mission: At least one hour per week researching building codes and other information I need to decide on a course of action and start planning; financial assessment. (__/7) MAGICIAN/FIRE Develop awesome apps that help people achieve their dreams. Learning, Technology, and Service, all in one small package. Where I must take care is to not flame out from too much work and stress and not enough rest and balance. Challenge Mission: Work no more than 50 hours per week (__/6). Of those 50 hours, 10 hours per week dedicated to study and skill advancement. (__/6), and 10 hours per week on paperwork and promotions. (__/6) WARRIOR/EARTH Get back into fire-fighting shape, so that I can work on a wildland engine again. Challenge Mission: Walk at least 31 miles total distance over the course of the challenge (These boots were made for walking - PVP). (__/31) Eat 1.5-2 cups of fruit and 2-3 cups of vegetables daily. (__/30) PRIESTESS/AETHER (The Center) Unify the Elements above into a healthy, happy life. Develop as a leader and a teacher. Pass on what I have learned in 57 years on this planet. Challenge Mission: Meditate daily for at least 10 minutes. (__/30) Meditate daily for at least 10 minutes. (__/30) Actions That Support ShadowLion's Four Main Missions A Sorceress understands that success proceeds from the inside out, that things are not always what they seem, and that sometimes to stay motivated, one must consume dessert first. The magical life is filled with paradox and there are many challenges along the way. A sorceress must be prepared to utilize everything in her environment to further her goals. The rest of my challenge supports the four Challenge Missions, shores up weaknesses, or works areas that are just for fun or simply don't fit anywhere else. The challenge to the sorceress - Find the pattern hidden within the seeming chaos. This is an ongoing list that will roll over from challenge to challenge until complete. Starred items are those things I plan to work on this challenge in addition to my stated challenge missions outlined above. Projects - These extend beyond this challenge period and are medium to large subsets of the 4 goals identified above. There is some overlap between them. Therefore, I have chosen a number of animal totems to use as organizing principles for my various projects. Tasks - These are short term actions, which are either one-off actions or repeated actions meant to build longer term habits and/or complete projects Toads - These are obstacles that I need to overcome, actions I need to take or things that otherwise stand in the way of my tasks, projects, or missions. Rewards - Treats for hitting milestones and/or successful completion of various of my tasks, projects, or missions.

Hi! I'm Ellis. [Edited]

"Hunters once prowled the wilderness and wastelands, taking big risks for even bigger rewards. You're no outlaw — at least, not anymore — but making your own luck has always meant bending the rules." "If you learn nothing else, learn this: when a Hunter takes up the cloak of a dead comrade, this is a vow." - Hardcase Cloak, Destiny. If the last challenge was intended to be "new, more fun and dynamic," this one will be the most epic, life-altering, and most dynamic yet. Featuring all sorts of side missions, bounties, and achievements, my goal is to allow myself to choose my own adventure as I go, picking up activities as I have the time and motivation. My Main Quest is to be the most Bad-Ranger-Ass version of myself possible and to keep moving forward with an aim to gamify and nerdify daily life, injecting a measure of excitement and adventure to break up the drudgery of mortal reality. I have more or less made a routine of good nutrition, regular attendance to CrossFit, tracking all of my meals on MyFitnessPal, and have attempted some small life hacks with a positive overall effect on my day to day. Now it is crunch time though, and the Hunter is never satisfied with "good enough." Starting weight: 194 lbs. Maximum pullups: 8 strict. Goal: 10. Requires reevaluation. Mission 0-1: Path of the Hunter (+3 CON) Follow meal & nutrition model as prescribed, primarily relying on whole foods and breaking the junk food trend.Adhere to Control Day protocols on days that I do not workout.Bonus Quest: Before & After pictures.Mission 0-2: Path of the Drifter (+2 STR, +4 DEX) Practice double-unders once per week. Follow The 20 Pull-up Challenge program twice per week.Attempt a Survival Parkour™ technique once every two weeks minimum.Mission 0-3: Path of the Nomad (+3 STA) Conduct three (3) Long-Range Reconnaissance Patrol missions (minimum of 3km) with a weighed rucksack during the challenge.Bonus Sub Quest: Build a GoRuck style brick for rucking.Return to the Rock Climb two (2) times before challenge ends.Life Mission: Life-Hacking v1.0 for Growth and Profit (+2 WIS, +1 CHA) Adhere to debt repayment ($500 per month minimum), savings (automated through e-banking), and budget (no frivolity or major gear purchases). Drink a Bulletproof Chai tea three (3) times weekly.F.lux may only be disabled after hours for two (2) nights per week.Skill Mission 0-1: Surviving the Frontier [Wilderness Lore, level 2.5] Adhere to Wilderness Lore level 2.5 & 3 curriculum.Study one survival subject twice weekly as per outline. Spend minimum of 30 minutes per two weeks engaging in a practicum on this subject.Skill Mission 0-2: Multi-Tasking All The Things Three (3) DuoLingo lessons per week.Practice photography techniques weekly.[Rise of the Vanguard] Achievement: Press [X] to hack the Lock Box... Completing this challenge will award the epic drop... something yet to be determined. Challenge Inspiration: Destiny's Hunter, Star Wars: The Old Republic's Bounty Hunter, and all of those wasteland-walking, outpost-raiding, bounty-chasing hunters who make it their business of thriving among the shady vestiges of society where anything can happen and they must constantly be on the top of their game. It isn't enough to merely survive; one must thrive in even the most adverse of conditions. That means we're going to continue building upon the foundation of functional fitness and skills I've started, constantly adapting, improvising, and improving my abilities to become the most resilient, capable, and adaptable version of myself possible.

Alright, Rangers! We've been talking about this and dreaming about this. Now's the time to start doing this! Not much in the way of rules or categories yet. I'm figuring that, as we usually do, we will come to working consensus via discussions in the thread. Post pictures, talk trash, put up links to resources and most of all - HAVE FUN!

Hey everyone! This will be my second challenge, and my first as an official member of the Rangers I’m taking things down a notch this time. As it happens, I am having both my pre-op procedure and first of two surgeries during these next 6 weeks. Nothing bad, I’m actually having my vision corrected. Unfortunately, I don’t qualify for Lasik or other laser corrective surgeries due to my awful vision and corneas, so my only option for correction is to have the ICL operation (implantable collamer lens). Due to policy and scheduling, my other eye isn’t getting done until November :/ I wish I could get Laser for ease of process, but this way I get to have BIONIC EYES (kind of…)! So, because of the awesome pseudo-bionic-ness, this is going to be a CYBERPUNK THEMED CHALLENGE!! Did I mention that this is only part 1 of 2? Here is the Tracker I'm using if you’re interested in checking out my stats I'm not counting Sept 7, as I only created this on the 8th _____________________________________ > LOCATION: Somewhere on the east coast > MISSION - LONG TERM: Be the most badass sass talking, hip checking, Derby skating, video gaming, motorcycle riding, soon-to-be bionic chick I can be via strength training, endurance training, and a healthier diet. Lower body fat percentage via food tracking in MFP. MISSION - SHORT TERM: Stay healthy over the next few months while I heal from both ICL procedures. Most exercise will have to take a seat on the back burner for a portion of it, focus is on eating healthy in combination with lower intensity exercises. > _____________________________________ > OBJECTIVE A: ENDURANCE - | 3 STA | 2 DEX | JUMP ROPE 3X PER WEEK FOR SET TIME - INCREASE BY 1 MIN EVERY WEEK 2PTS PER SESSION, 1PT LOST IF NOT DONE FOR FULL TIME Last challenge I set up a jump rope quest, which I will be continuing through this round. I think I’m going to start with 9min in week 0 so that I can officially start the challenge at 10min. > > OBJECTIVE B: NUTRITION - | 2 STA | 2 CON | 1 CHA | EAT SALAD 6X PER WEEK 100% = 6X/WK 75% = 4-5X/WK 50% = 3X/WK 25% = 1-2X/WK I really need to get more veggies in my life, but this step is huge for me. I’m well known as a salad hater amongst friends and family - I just do not find traditional (and the most common) versions appetizing or satiating. Well, I've decided I need to learn to like them to an extent - In preparation for this, I decided to do a bunch of googling and pinterest perusing. I found a good bunch of non-traditional salads: Most of them have leafy greens, some have pasta, and others incorporate chicken and egg, but they all have VEGGIES. I plan on making 1-2 varieties per week and sorting them into jars and tupperware; this way I can just grab them from the fridge without needing to prep. I will bring these to work for lunch. > > OBJECTIVE C: WATER CONSUMPTION - | 2 CON | 1 CHA | DRINK 64OZ OF WATER PER DAY DAILY LOG, WEEKLY PERCENTAGE Water is also something I need to work on consuming more of. In general, I just don’t drink much during the day - my boyfriend is constantly teasing me about it because it will take me hours to finish a drink. Most of what I do drink is not water, and that is what really needs to change. I am going to count green tea towards this goal in addition to plain water, and I will be tracking with Plant Nanny. > _____________________________________ > SIDE OBJECTIVE: | 1 CON | 1 CHA | NO SODA OR COFFEE FOR ENTIRE CHALLENGE + PASS/FAIL I find that I reach for and seek out soda and iced coffee in waves - I have gone days, weeks, and even months without one or both. Then, for whatever reason, I will drink them constantly: daily and more than once per day. It’s a waste of money and it’s not good for me or my stomach troubles. I need to break this cycle, so this quest will more than likely continue into future challenges... > _____________________________________ > OBSTACLES: -Mon, Sept 14 (Wk 1, Day 1): Pre-op procedure done on both eyes in preparation for surgery in early Oct & Nov. Not sure if I will be able to complete Quest A during this week, will adjust if necessary. -Mon, Oct 5 (Wk 4): ICL procedure done on left eye. Do not expect to be able to do much of anything this day, with follow up the next day. Will have to refrain from exercise, not sure for how long (will scale to account for this). Have to do food prep on the 4th (usually done every Sunday anyway). >

"A famous explorer once said that the extraordinary is in what we do, not who we are. I'd finally set out to make my mark, to find adventure, but instead adventure found me. In our darkest moments, when life flashes before us, we find something. Something that keeps us going. Something that pushes us. When all seemed lost, I found a truth... and I knew what I must become."­ ~ Tomb Raider, 2013. Presenting a new, more fun and dynamic challenge... My Main Quest is, as always, to bring in an element of adventure and fantasy to the drudgery of everyday life, and through those elements create a more exciting and capable lifestyle that echoes my nerdy interests. I will become an adventurer, a survivor, a bad-ass. This challenge represents my best real-world interpretation of what the traditional Ranger archetype would embody in modern times. Starting weight: 194 lbs. Maximum pullups: 8 strict. Goal: 10. Mission/Goal 1: Who's the Top of the Food Chain Now? (+3 CON) Follow the Eat To Perform nutrition model as prescribed, using whole foods as much as possible.Adhere to Control Day protocols on days that I do not workout.Mission/Goal 2: Keep Moving Forward to Survive (+2 STR, +4 DEX) Practice double-unders once per week. Follow The 20 Pull-up Challenge program.Attend two Olympic Weightlifting classes before Challenge end.Attempt a Survival Parkour™ skill once every two weeks minimum.Mission/Goal 3: The Road Less Traveled (+3 STA) Bicycle rather than drive minimum of two shifts per work set (weather permitting). Bonus points awarded if whole set biked.Complete one day hike. Minimum of 5 kilometers.Life Quest: A Golden Opportunity (+2 WIS, +1 CHA) Maintain debt repayment/savings budget. Put aside $20 per week for Achievement reward.Retain apartment cleaning habits. One dedicated cleaning day per 8-day work week.Put the 'Nerd' back in 'Nerd Fitness' by beginning one new video game. In Progress.Skill Quest 1: Rurik Versus Wild [Wilderness Lore, level 2] Adhere to Wilderness Lore level 2 curriculum.Study one bushcraft subject twice weekly as per outline. Spend minimum of 30 minutes per two weeks engaging in a practicum on this subject.Skill Quest 2: It All Comes Together When You Speak the Language [Linguistics (French), level 1] One thirty minute session of language study per two weeks.Complete three sets of daily Duolingo lessons per week.[Rise of the Adventurer] Achievement: Press [X] to open the Treasure Chest... More gear upgrades! Completing this challenge will award the epic drop Adventure Pants™ (http://store.tripleaughtdesign.com/Legionnaire-RS-Pant), a new leg slot upgrade to celebrate a stabilized waist size and embrace my new found sense of adventure and love of the outdoors. Challenge Motivation: Tomb Raider, Uncharted, Mission Impossible, Bourne Identity, survival, and adventure! Summer continues and I'm going to be outdoors killin' it. Might as well try on some new skills to test my mettle going forward. We humans are adaptable and I want to push the envelope of making myself 'harder to kill' by building a foundation of functional real world skills that are practical, useful, and enjoyable. For further motivation, I will be beginning to assess myself against the CrossFit Beginner metrics as prescribed by CrossFit Thames: http://crossfitthames.com/Docs/SkillLevels3.pdf. This will create a real world level of proficiency to measure myself against, and a new standard to aim for in the coming months. Let's do this!

I celebrate my 57th birthday during this challenge and I have been doing a lot of thinking about my goals and plans in light of that. That has included not only a review of the past year, but a longer look back over the course of my life thus far. About a year ago, I attended a startup weekend that sent my career in new directions and I have started my own company since. In the meantime, I spent a couple of challenges working to get "fire fit" again, but struggled with injuries and did not achieve my goal of attending Wildfire Academy this past spring. That kind of took the wind out of my sails and I took a time out on that goal to reevaluate, redirecting my energies towards becoming more resistant to injury and establishing small, solid habits in the interim. Lately, I have been back fighting the black dog (depression) once again. I have reached the conclusion that one of the main drivers of that is that I have not put the desire to get back into firefighting to rest. No matter how much I tell myself to let it go, leave it to the youngun's, that I'm too old to be out there again, I can't shake it. It's crazy, I know. I've tried to think up lots of alternative ways to work in related fields. The software development I'm doing is an obvious fit for training simulations, for instance. It's not enough. Looking back, the best things I've done have come from following those crazy intuitions, hunches, gut feelings, and inner nudges that won't go away. They may or may not lead me where I think I am going, but they have always led to somewhere interesting and worthwhile. So, I have resolved to go on faith that there is something to all this. I have come up with a new old plan. I will train towards qualifying again and save towards attending the 2016 Wildfire Academy, with no idea if I can do it. I will just move in that direction on faith and see where I end up. I am stalking my future self, with a few faint tracks on the ground ahead of me. My prey is elusive, unpredictable, difficult to catch. It may or may not be where and when I think it is. But what better huntress is there than a ShadowLion? With that as my challenge theme, here are my challenge goals: 1. Build the strength, endurance and flexibility to catch my prey (DEX -1, STA-2, STR-2) I am re-implementing my previous "40 Weeks to Fire Fit" program, slightly altered to incorporate my hard-learned lesson of needing to listen more closely to my body before increasing training volume or intensity and to give myself MORE recovery than I THINK I need. Fire Fit Returns Durability (DEX-1) ___/24 Comprehensive set of warmups, mobility/stability, and “prehab†exercises for an older female athlete. Bone-builders (including jumping exercises); spine/shoulder/hip/knee exercises to maintain joint health; dynamic stretching to increase ROM and overall flexibility; specific exercises for identified weak areas including head/neck/spine alignment and bi-lateral muscle balance, ankles, wrists/hand/grip, pelvic floor, and elbows. I MUST warm up before every exercise session. Kelly Starrett will be my guide to Becoming a Supple Leopard. ShadowLion will become a Supple Leopard Endurance (STA-2) ___/18 Phase 0 - 4(+) week pre-conditioning program utilizing exercise biking, walking, and other low-impact cardio to build my aerobic base. Then, start: Phase 1 - ~ 8 week program of walking transitioning to walk/jog intervals. Success will be being able to walk/jog in intervals for a distance of 5K, with an average heart rate of 145 or below, and a peak HR under 155. Goal time: < 45 minutes. ENDURANCE GOAL It helps to have a concrete goal. That will be to make the whole distance at a speed/intensity appropriate to my current endurance level. I can make sure that those who have made the ultimate sacrifice are remembered. I've never done a Fun Run/Walk/Race before and this one seems like the one to start with: 9/11 Heroes Run Strength (STR-2) ___/18 Phase 0 - 4(+) weeks of a pre-conditioning program utilizing exercises from “Durability†section below. Focus on getting elbows to withstand pushups and pull-ups by dropping back and then gradually progressing from wall pushups and lightly weighted rows; establishing base of low set and rep numbers on the other exercises. This is early stage stuff while I establish my top priority right now, the base aerobic levels of my endurance program. Then, start: Phase 1 - ~12 week assisted exercise program of knee-pushups; assisted pull-ups, grip hangs and rows; modified dips; lunges and variations. Additionally - squats, planks, sit-ups, burpees and variations. This will kick things up a notch and prepare me for an increased focus on strength training in Phase 2. I plan to build some serious muscle in the coming months... 2. Fuel my body for the hunt. (CON-2) ___/28, ___/8 I will fuel my body with high-quality, nutrient dense foods with an eye to supporting efforts to increase endurance and muscle mass, while trimming off excess weight. The dietary regimen I will follow will be a plant-based whole foods diet. I am still deciding how far to go with this goal. At a minimum, I will continue to log my food and target a moderate calorie intake. I may go further. I am considering the Engine 2 Diet. Alternately, I will go with one meat free day per week and one new recipe per week. Edited 07/24/2015 Week 1 will be preparation to undertake 28 days of veganism, based on the Engine 2 diet. Weeks 2-5 will be following E2 at the "Firefighter" level. Week 6 will be evaluation and the setting of new goals. I do have two meals per week where it is very difficult to make my own food choices, so I reserve 4 lunches and four dinners as exempt over the 4 week period. I expect that the remaining 76 meals should give me a pretty good idea if I want to continue the diet further, as will my "gut reactions" to the exempt meals. ShadowLion Emphasizes the Savory Over the Sweet... 3. Be a healthy, happy and balanced ShadowLion. (CON-1, CHA-2, WIS-2) Continue to ensure that I get plenty of sleep, maintain an healthy den, enjoy the company of friends, and keep creativity and fun alive in my life. Sleep CON-1 ___/6 49 hours of sleep per week. ShadowLions need plenty of sleep Maintain my den CHA-1 ___/36, ___/6 To have a healthy environment to relax in, I will do a daily clutter patrol of at least 10 minutes and a weekly home improvement task of at least 30 minutes. ShadowLions need a place to relax Spend time with my tribe CHA-1 ___/6 One social activity with friends per week. ShadowLions are not solitary creatures Stay Curious WIS-1 ___/36, ___/6 Make time for play. Every day. Create things. Just for the fun of it. At least once per week. ShadowLions are curious Sisu WIS-1 ___/36 Continue meditation and daily journaling habit. Maintain daily and weekly planning and goal setting, task management. ShadowLions are focused and determined 4. Establish and guard my territory. WIS-2, CHA-1 ___/3 I am continuing to establish my business, define my brand and build my portfolio. Define my range WIS-1 ___/1 I am starting to have work come to me and not all of it is work that I should probably take on. I need to better define the scope of my business and the kinds of projects I want to specialize in. This challenge I will contemplate my mission, skills, talents, and dreams to produce a statement of business scope that better reflects the direction in which I want to go. Mark my boundaries WIS-1 ___/1 I will be taking an online class concerning trademarks, copyrights and other legal aspects of owning and operating a business that deals heavily in intellectual property. This will be completed by the end of this challenge. I will also establish a schedule of what I need to do to implement what I learn and begin doing those things. Secure my territory CHA-1 ___/1 The server administration that I did this past challenge opened my eyes to the fact that I need more knowledge of computer security. I will complete an online course on that this challenge and apply what I learn to my clients' and my own websites. Territory is not to be taken for granted And, in a nod to challenges past (and the inspiration of "Nerdhammer")

Those of you that cheer me on already know I got a Harley during the last challenge So I figured a Mad Max theme would be great this go around. Fury Road is not for the weak, and neither is my challenge this go around. Let's Ride... Task 1: Prepare for War - The road is a dangerous place, one must be prepared to fight for what is yours in order to survive - Crossfit/Stronglifts/Weights 3 times a week. Grading A: 3 times a week, B: 2 times a week, F: 1 time or less. Task 2 - Embrace the Heat - The environment is not a nice place, stay hydrated and get used to it. Drink a minimum of 60 oz a day, and walk outside at least twice a week. Grading: A: All water and walks, B: Most water and all walks, C: Most water and one walk, F: Not enough of either Task 3 - Eat to Survive (or Perform) - Nobody likes me when I am Hangry. Macros to follow - Training Days Calories 2235 Protein (g) 150 Carb (g) 240 Fat (g) 75 Rest Days Calories 1835 Protein (g) 150 Carb (g) 140 Fat (g) 75 Grading: A: Macros hit as well as calories within acceptable range (10 g or 100 calories) 6+ days a week B: Macros hit as well as calories within acceptable range (10 g or 100 calories) 5 days a week C: Macros hit as well as calories within acceptable range (10 g or 100 calories) 4 days a week F: Macros hit as well as calories within acceptable range (10 g or 100 calories) less than 4 days a week Extra Credit : 1 productive day per weekend, I have been sitting on my ass far too often lately. Grading - If all 6 weekends I get a productive day I can boost 1 Task grade up a level.

Hey guys, my name is Jeremy and this will be challenge number two for me. Starting a tad late but I'm already well on my way towards my goal. In my first challenge, my main goal was to obtain what I considered a healthy lifestyle and while I'm still implementing new changes to my eating and fitness habits I've made a LOT of progress. My main goal for this challenge now that I have what I feel to be a good foundation is STRENGTH. I've been a musician since high school but lifting and moving gear has always left me extremely exhausted. Being the bass player I have some of the heaviest equipment and have always felt like I was the weakest of any group I was a part of. Today I have the heaviest gear I have ever owned and it's time that I stepped up to the plate and grew my confidence and strength so that I don't "purposefully" grab all of the lightest gear or have to ask for help all the time. That being said here are my mini-quests that will help me work towards that goal. Goal#1 - Three full-body workouts a week. The challenging part will be doing this while traveling or touring. For instance, we go on tour tomorrow and I won't be back home 'til Sunday. Most of the band is aware of my goals and have similar goals, we call it "Hard Bod-ing" or "Hard Bod 2015" So rest assured I still plan to workout while on tour. I began with the BBWW from the Nerd Fitness blog and my new workout will be similar but will be more challenging on the arms. My last workout was this: 3 circuits of 25 squats 13 lunges (per leg) 15 elevated push-ups (I use my coffee table for this) 5 pull ups I plan to increase the reps or difficulty of the workout each week. A: 18 workouts (+3 STR, +2 DEX) B: 15-17 workouts (+2 STR, +1 DEX) C: 11-16 workouts (+1 STR) F: 10 or less (nothing) Goal#2 - Meal prep healthy paleo meals for lunches every Sunday We are meal prepping for the tour tonight but this should also be a weekly thing. It's something my wife and I have tested out a couple times and honestly love, it saves so much time and money too which is a bonus. A: meal prep 6 weeks (+3 CON) B: meal prep 4-5 weeks (+2 CON) C: Meal prep 1-3 weeks (+1 CON) F: no weeks (nothin') Goal#3 - 20 minutes Interval Training two times a week Strength is a goal but so is endurance and stamina. I jump around on stage, A LOT! By the end of our set, I'm normally exhausted and there's a big group vocal thing we do at the end of our finishing song. I need to be able to sing long extended notes with good breath capacity. Interval training has been great for that so far and I want that to continue to get better. My goal here will be to actually be running the whole time. I normally start walking after about 85%-90% sprints... A: 12 runs (+3 STA, +2 DEX) B: 6-11 Runs (+2 STA, +1 DEX) C: 3-5 runs (+2 STA) F: less than three (nothin') Personal Goal: Time Management and Stress Reduction I'm going to give myself two avenues here. Things have been getting insanely busy and I'm having a really hard time managing my time and it's starting to give me some pretty bad anxiety and stress. I bought a Passion Planner which I'm really excited about so my goal here will be one of these two things DAILY: Take 15-30 minutes each day, plan/update my planner OR Take 15-30 minutes a day to relax, meditate, stretch, breath, do yoga, just some time to think really so that I'm not driving myself insane. A: 30-42 days (+2 WIS) B: 22-29 days (+1 WIS) C: 10-21 days (+0 WIS) F: less than 10 (nothin') All in all, I am making progress, it's been going REALLY great. I posted a two month progress photo in my last challenge and I'm starting to feel addicted. I can't wait to see what three months will look like, four months, five months and so on. If you'd like to follow my bands journey please follow us on our socials or my socials. I'll be posting a lot about it here as well - www.facebook.com/shadowofwhales www.twitter.com/shadowofwhales www.instagram.com/shadowofwhales www.youtube.com/shadowofwhalesband

In keeping with my LOTR theme, I am heading over the Pass of Cirith Ungol, across the Plateau of Gorgoroth, and up the slopes of Mt Doom. The "journey" theme appeals to me, as I will once again spend a third of this challenge on the road. In real life, I'm conquering the schiznit of muscle tightness+patellofemoral pain syndrome (runner's knee... although from what my foam roller tells me it might be my IT band), 2 weeks travelling for work, 1 week trip to Peru. To get through it, I'm stripping away the excess and travelling light for this trip. My goals are minimalist: write one sentence in French every daydo one yoga pose every dayreach my FitBit climb goal (25 floors) every day (hey, Frodo and Sam climbed a lot of stairs!)The idea here is to lower the barrier to entry. Starting is the hardest part. Rather than saying I'm going to spend 30 minutes on mobility daily, I'm going to start with one yoga pose. My success will be judged by a couple of threshold activities write an entire work email in Frenchrun 5 mi (If I don't MWod/Yoga/PT, this won't be possible)Under #134 and feeling strong (I'll have to measure before Peru)

Hello everyone! I've received the NF emails for some time now, and I finally decided to get on the forums today and take my first 6-week challenge! I chose to be a Ranger You can see my challenge quest and goals here. I've never been a member of a forum before, so this is a completely new experience for me. Go easy on me! - Katie

I've been steadily increasing my squats over the last year and yesterday I hit 130lbs, 3 sets of 8, which was a longtime goal. Very, very stoked. Whhhoooooooot!

Ah yes, a brand shiny new challenge smack in the middle of summer. BRING IT. Welcome friends and fellow rebels! As with any Shaarawy Style Challenge, through 2015 I’m theming each one with something that is nerdy as well as near and dear to my heart - something that lies at the core of my personal geekdom. I’ve done things like Sailor Moon, Final Fantasy, and recently Harry Potter, but I’m stoked to jump into a challenge featuring perhaps my favorite cyberpunk movie trilogy ever... I adore The Matrix. Neo-era Keanu Reeves is my Personal Dreamboat . The visual style and effects of this movie are something I can watch over and over again (and I have), and I’m a sucker for the cyberpunk style. (Fun fact: In 2003 I commissioned a semi-variant replica of Neo’s coat. I still have it and wear it.) The story is great and filled with symbolism and meaning, the fight scenes are pretty universally bombastic, and the soundtrack is filled with stuff like Juno Reactor and Rage Against the Machine... yup. And The Animatrix is just the icing on the cake with its different stories (and backstories!) and art styles. Yup, lots of joy all around. I'm ready to break free from some things that have been holding me back in my journey, mentally and physically. So, let’s take the red pill, and get into this rabbit hole. Quest 1 - Neo (STR 3, STA 2) “Because I don't like the idea that I'm not in control of my life.†One of the many underlying themes of the Matrix was control - who is really in control? Is fate a thing, or do we really make our own destiny? Unlike the movie, where people are controlled by CRAZY MACHINES (seriously crazy), I find my weightlifting progression has given me a huge sense of control over my body and my life. Neo ain’t taking no shit from no robots, and I’m ready to fight my own iron battles. I’ve worked hard enough to be able to progress to StrongLifts, and for 6 weeks I’ll follow the program - smartly and carefully - to the best of my ability to see how I fare. This will require three planned gym days a week with little room for schedule shuffling or sleeping in, so I’ve got to be ready. A - Three SL circuits done per week. B - Two SL circuits done per week. F - You done screwed up. Quest 2 - Agent Smith (DEX 2, WIS 1) “Nothing this weak is meant to survive.†The Agent turned virus was originally tasked with keeping order within the Matrix, and thusly was programmed to have AWESOME ABILITIES like super strength, speed, and dexterity. (You know, that dodging bullets thing.) I need to start protecting myself as I start lifting more and more weight, a fact that became glaringly clear to me a few weeks ago when I sustained a minor back injury while doing squats. I’m going to supplement my workouts with some exercises to strengthen my upper/lower back and core - yoga, stretches, and pilates. Most of it should take 20-30 minutes tops, so I’ll be getting serious about this and doing it 3 times a week. The prospect of injury and having to be sidelined because of my inability to prepare is a thing that’s NOT going to happen... and maybe I’ll be able to dodge bullets once I’m done. A - Back & core strengthening done 3 times a week B - Back & core strengthening done 2 times a week. C - Back & core strengthening done 1 time a week. Quest 3 - Morpheus (WIS 2, CHA 2) “But I can only show you the door. You're the one that has to walk through it.†Yeah, see that door? The one that leads OUTSIDE?? Open it and get your ass out there. Morpheus is a wise dude, and he knows what I’ve been lacking lately. The ability to open my eyes, step outside, and explore stuff for myself. Springtime is in full swing here in the south, and I need to make it a point to enjoy the weather before the 500 degree days of heat and humidity hit. This is a pass or fail quest, as each week I’ll make it a point to get outside for a day to exercise. Explore a new park, go for a walk, do some yoga on the porch, maybe even CLIMB A TREE?! The possibilities are limitless. A - Outside activity done once a week. F - You done screwed up. Life Quest - The Merovingian (CON 3) “Yes, of course. Who has time? Who has time? But then if we never *take* time, how can we have time?†Ah yes, the Merovingian, the renegade exiled douche of the Matrix. (Well, one of the douches.) He’s not Redpill or machine, and he plays by his own rules, doing whatever he needs to do to prosper within the system. He’s not a prominent character but he’s one of my favorites, probably because of his anarchist ways... This quest is about slowing things down and relaxing, taking care of myself so that I can prosper in MY system. Things are getting busy as summer approaches - all good and fun things, of course, but I have a tendency to get overloaded and eventually suffer because of it. And often if I -do- have the time, I waste it by getting caught up on the internet, browsing Facebook, or forums, or just wasting my time. This happens a lot - I don’t want to do that anymore and I need to start getting more mindful about my choices. Each week I’ll carve out some time just for myself, after work or on weekends, to relax, meditate, read, or sew - things that are fun and restorative for me to keep me going, and keep you guys posted on my adventures! A - 4+ hours of strict downtime weekly B - 3 hours of strict downtime weekly C - 2 hours of strict downtime weekly I'm ready to start June off with a bang, because summertime does not equal slouch time! Rebels, let us craft our own destinies!

For right now, this is a placeholder for the Challenge. It's Bye Week Challenge time right now! I confess, I could read/watch The Two Towers and only follow the journey of the Three Hunters across Rohan. Not that Frodo and Sam aren't important, of course. I just love the idea of running across Rohan. That's right, I'm headed to Edoras. I have a lot going on at the moment, and indeed throughout the challenge. A half marathon on July 12, my sister's wedding at the end of June, the fitness challenge that my gym launched last week (and will run though the length of the challenge), and travelling to Quebec (I'm on a layover at Chicago O'Hare right now), Detroit, and central Oregon in the next 4 weeks. So here we go! 1. get ready to run! I've borderline blown out my knees in the past few weeks, thanks to shortened medial somethingorother muscles after heavy squats. I've packed my softball and my running shoes with me, but the big deal will be doing hard core mobility work every day. (Getting my milage back up is a given!) Let's hunt some orc (+DEX, +STR, +STA) 2. The "beach body challenge" kicked off at my gym. Here are my baselines: 5:18 Fran 18% body fat (#117 lean mass) #142.8 Body measurements (my coach has them) We're following the Zone block plan, although one of my coaches gave me a "flexible dieting" book that I burned through. I think I will incorporate elements of that into the "block" idea of the Zone. Right now, I've been impressed by how little the zone gives you to eat. Yes, I calculated my needs based on my lean body mass. My goal is, using MFP, to stick close to a Zone plan/ratio for at least the first 2 weeks. I'll tweak the plan after that point, depending on what way I'm headed. The ultimate goal is to improve on all of those stats! I won't get final feedback until after this challenge ends, but should be able to tell whether I'm making progress in 6 weeks. If I hit #137 at the end of the challenge without losing muscle, I'll consider it a huge win. So far, I've managed to get my protein in every day (+CONS) 3. Daily language practice. I'm tempted to pick up Spanish, thanks to my upcoming Peru trip, but I'm currently en route to Quebec, und ich vermisse Deutsche... but the language of the challenge is FRENCH! (+CHA, +WIS) (just imagine the Eorlingas spoke French, although I always imagined them speaking some germanic Scandi language )

Reflections at the Two Year Mark Last challenge held a lot of NF milestones for me: One year soda free, 100 days of SISU, and my second Nerdthday. I've spent quite a bit of time reflecting on what I've accomplished so far and where I want to go next on my Epic Quest. From that, I have identified a number of things that I want to address and distilled a few lessons from the last two years that I want to emphasize in this challenge. The "wisdom of experience" is gained from being too stupid/stubborn/impatient/arrogant to listen to good advice! What I know now - from such experience - is that I need to focus on small, simple, steady and slow. My biggest mistakes in getting fitter have centered on trying to do too much, too soon. Inevitably, I would end up injured. My will was strong, but my body was weak. The SISU experiment of the last three challenges has taught me to go slower to move ahead faster, to listen more closely to my wise body and pay less attention to my impatient mind. This challenge will be quite challenging in that I will need to apply my experience and not fall back into old habits now that I am returning to a more usual structure of goals and activities. What Works for Me In reviewing my fourteen (!) challenges thus far, what has worked best for me has been: Gamification (Oh, NerdHammer, how I miss thee...and Hello, HabitRPG!) for motivation and building habitsAcronyms as easy reminders, keeping me focused and aware of opportunities to improveAn overarching vision that each challenge fit into, providing more motivation and contextBeing social, something that has suffered some the last few challengesHard limits on things like bedtime; consistent logging of things like food and exercise. So, this challenge, ShadowLIon SWEATS the "small stuff." Study Writing Eating Art of Relaxization Training Startup Grind The following areas continue to address my SISU goals, but change up the time expectations and the absolute "daily" requirement as needed for the next phase of my plan. They also include some remedial work needed on eating habits and sleep. The "Daily" Show - ShadowLion's Six Days a Week, No Double Misses, Moderation in All Things Plan I've sorted my goal activities into daily, weekly, bi-weekly, and midpoint/end of challenge categories to better allocate my time and energy. Dailies - 6x per week, with no double misses at the rollover. Weeklies - one or more times per week with a minimum time quota. Other Checkpoints - I have a number of project milestones set at the 2, 3, 4, and 6 week marks. I am limiting myself to those goals, even though there are a lot of other things I want to accomplish. If I get things done early, then I can dip into my Grab Bag of extra things to do, but not before. This may seem really restrictive (it is!) but it is a necessary curb on my Ranger Do All the Things! mentality. THE PROGRAM Study (CHA - 2) Weekly - 3x per week, 10 hours weekly total, minimum. If I am smart, I will make those sessions shorter and more frequent than that. This is to move forward on my programming knowledge and skills for my startup. Other checkpoints - Course deadlines and portfolio project completions will be added to the "Project Portfolio" post below as they occur. Writing (CHA - 2) Daily - 15+ minutes of morning pages or blogging. Weekly - Novel quota - Minimum 2,500 words. Mid-challenge checkpoint - At least 10,000 words. End of challenge checkpoint - At least 20,000 words. Eating (CON - 2) Daily - Food log. Maximum 1800 calories on non-cheat days. Weekly - Three cheat meals allowed. Batch cook, 1x per week. Art of Relaxization (CON - 2, WIS - 2) Daily - 7+ hours of sleep, with a strict 1:00 AM curfew. (Bonus - HabitRPG points/reward for getting to bed by midnight.) At least 20 minutes of leisure time for hobbies, fun, general relaxation. Meditate a minimum of 9 minutes per day for greater self-awareness and realization of what makes me tick. End of challenge checkpoint - Get out of Dodge! At least 1 day trip and one longer trip out of town. Preferably to the mountains where it is cooler... Phoenix, AZ. Summer. Insert gratuitous cute kitten here: Training (STR - 1, STA - 1, DEX - 1) Fire Fit has not been forgotten. It was strategically delayed while I dealt with my disappointment of not meeting my goal last fall and decided how to move forward. As above, I determined that I needed to move slower. Smaller, sImpler, steadier, slower. I don't know if I will make it to AZ Wildfire Academy next spring (fall app deadline) or not, but I am going to move in that direction and see where my habits take me. Daily - 15 minutes of stretching, prehab, rehab, and stabilization a la Kelly Starett. Body tuneup and maintenance. Weekly - Gradual ramp up to regular strength workouts and cardio within the bounds of what joints and connective tissue will handle. This is a moving target with a lot of unknowns right now. My main criteria is that I do something in each category 2-3 times per week at my current level, whatever that is. Logging is a must. My current expectation is that I will be doing modified pushups, ring rows, grip hangs, isometric strength work, some kettlebell and dumbbell work, along with brisk walking and exercise biking for now. I will keep my expectations and efforts in check and be cautious. In this area at this point, less in more. Startup Grind (WIS - 2) Move Existing Sites to Cloud Hosting Weekly checkpoints End of Week 1 - Complete research on cloud hosting solutions for SAS and have plan in place to move the site. End of Week 2 - Testing of development site. Complete final transfer to production by middle of the following week. End of Week 3 - Have checklist and plan of how transfer remaining sites. End of Week 6 - Have all site transfers done. Creating CS & AS/C3SG sites Weekly checkpoints End of week 1 - Define requirements, user stories, site structure. Detailed project schedule in place. End of week 2 - Card sort of information architecture, outlining of text, color palette generation and mood board, thumbnails and roughs of graphic elements. End of week 3 - First major round of user testing of several rough prototypes using basic graphical elements and text. End of Week 4 - Production of final versions of artwork and text. Refine prototype. End of week 5 - Ready for beta testing - User results incorporated into a fully functional prototype. End of Week 6 - Final testing and debugging. Deployment. Grading of my goals will be judged by my percentages of days, words, and times completed as outlined above, using the standard letter grade system. Additional ungraded goals: Spend an average of at least 20 minutes per day on Nerd Fitness following fellow rangers and potential rangers threads and commenting, more than that when I can. In addition to the 20 minutes of MANDATORY recreation per day, I want to make having fun and enjoying life a priority this time. There were too many days last challenge where I worked very long days and about the only thing that got done outside of work was my SISU "MEWS", basic cat care, and to take a shower! Oh, and get a little bit of sleep. I basically broke all of my good sleep habits from previous challenges... The pace of my life last challenge was pretty brutal and it is ultimately unsustainable and counterproductive to keep that going for very long. I figure I've earned a little break, though am not sure how to achieve it except in small chunks spaced throughout the six weeks. For now, my solution will be to take more breaks throughout the day, especially ones that involve the "exercise cubicle" we have in the back room, plus to be more aware of when I enter into "diminishing returns" and to do something about that. Experiment to find the optimal time spent or number of "Toads" to tackle per day or week. See the "Grab Bag" post below. "Tackling Toads" is aimed at creating less stress and more freedom in my life by taking decisive action on things I don't like to do, as opposed to procrastinating, wasting time, and prolonging the misery. If I finish early on a project, or otherwise carve out some extra time, I can visit the Grab Bag and do something from that list just for fun. I may also experiment with rewarding toad tackling with an equal measure of fun. TL:DR; All of the above is just a plan to get stronger, be BOLDER, and accomplish my life goal of being a Belly-dancing Amazon Pirate (who codes and fights fires!)

So I've been thinking a lot about how I never think before I eat. Or rather, I never think about what I'm going to put into my mouth and how it will affect me. As a gamer, I'm aware of the idea of incremental progress. You gain your experience points, you slowly improve in your skills, you gradually master your attack rotation for your frikkin' Frost mage. Or, you know. Whatever. >.> The point is that food works the same way, with the added attraction of negative progress. Some foods are clearly good for humans. Some foods are clearly not good for humans. There's a lot of gray area, of course, where it comes down to moderation. Friends and neighbors, I suck at moderation. I've mentioned a few times that I hate to include cheat days on my diets because I know that one cheat lead to another, and suddenly I've eaten an entire bag of flour. I've been giving some thought to the idea that the best way for me to short-circuit the road to flourville is for me to actually think about what I'm going to eat before I eat it. I'm going to take the time to think about what the calories are like, what the ingredients are and how they've been prepared, and what a particular piece of food will do to my body. It's a simple concept, Spark, what of it? Sure, it's simple. All habits are simple on paper. The fact is that I've almost never taken the time to think about what I eat before I eat it. The last challenge had me counting calories, which was a hell of a big step in the right direction for this fat guy. Now I'm taking another step and thinking about the results of eating...well, everything. For six weeks. And just so I don't fudge (OMG fudge I make such good fudge no shut up shut up), I'm going to write it all down as well as think about it. Therefore, my goals for this six week challenge cycle! 1. A hero who thinks will win out over a villain who does not. Before I eat anything...anything, I will think about the results. I will consider calories, carbs, and protein. I will look at the micronutrients, and consider what I know of them. I will think about whether I am actually hungry, and whether I am considering a piece of food for the pleasure of it, or for its nutritional value. This will also involve me keeping track of my calories again (1800 seemed to be a reasonable daily thang) and cooking for myself more often. The goal is to make myself more mindful of what I'm eating rather than just stuffing in food by reflex. 2. I can't find anything in this damn Batcave. I got the clutters, folks. I have a lot of crap that I never see, never use, and will never need again. I have places to store things, but they're overflowing with the aforementioned crap. I need to clean my room, my truck, the back porch, and the shed outside. I need to box, sort, dust, vaccuum, wash, and tidy. I need to figure out what I have that I need and don't need, and send the stuff I don't need to the farm, which in this case is a local secondhand store. To that end, I hereby pledge to spend an hour cleaning every day except on the weekends. Cleaning encompasses tidying, moving, breaking down, dumping, and even actual cleaning. 3. The Never-Ending Battle. I lost about nine pounds during the last challenge cycle, bringing me down below 440 lbs for the first time since Hector was a pup. I honestly don't know how long it's been since I was that "light," since for a long time I couldn't find any scales that could weigh me. The goal, though, is 400 pounds by my birthday in late October. I'm at 438. Therefore, the battle rages onward. a. Work out. Weights on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Home workouts on Monday and Friday, including the sloshing and the kett'ling. Bare minimum: Walk a mile on those days. And that's if I'm bleeding from the ears. b. Stick to the Whole23.4. That's my version of the Whole30, which is basically "Whole30 with some cheese." Because dude, CHEESE. c. Check in here every day. Knowing that people are going to check in on me, even if it's a couple people, helps me a lot. 4. I should write my memoirs. During my last challenge, I wrote the first half of my second book, which came to about 81k words. This time? The second half. Oh, and I plan to join DarK_RaideR's Optional Ranger Mini-Challenge, both because I think it's awesome and because he was crazy enough to base it on a book that I wrote. Cheers!

Introduction: I’m a 36 year old fat bloke, I have always been the bigger chap (apart from primary school when I was 4/5 years old and I was sent to the doctor as they thought I was malnourished…boy did I get them back!), this helped when playing American Football (O & D linesmen, it was a very small team at the time)but not much good for anything else. After I joined my current employer (8 years ago) I became quite sedentary and I ballooned even more. I have over the years started loads of things to change this but I always ended up falling off the wagon (and hasn’t exactly gone as smoothly since I joined here!), each challenge I have learnt a lesson either on activity or about myself or just a mental thing, so each has shown some form of improvement if not in the ones I had planned! This will be my fourth challenge, the second and third didn't go so well and this is what I need to get over. An old problem flared up and then I was out of my own environment, I need to become more resilient to my plans not going as they should but still staying on target. Main Quest: To become a healthier fitter individual by improving my diet and fitness. This would be measured in an increase in capability (which can be measured in Stronglifts capabilities (which im starting over), distances covered on cardio days (mixture of rowing, cycling, treadmill (10mins each on a workout) and cross trainer (30mins session) ) increase in bodyweight exercises achieved and repeations achieved, using the Crossfit Thames standard sheets to aim for (with intermittent testing) and decrease in body fat and other measured body sizes. Quest 1: To work out for a minimum of 30mins 7 days a week working towards Crossfit minimums: Mon, Wed and Friday will be Stronglifts days and Tue and Thur will be cardio days. Where I am unable to achieve any of the above and weekends I will focus on kettlebells, bodyweight and bike work at home. Measurement: 100% = 42 days Reward: 100% = +2 STA, +2 STR Quest 2: Weekend Yoga sessions to improve flexibility on either a Saturday or Sunday (using DDPs YRG dvds) Measurement: 100% = 6 days Reward: 100% = 2 Dex Quest 3: Will follow a 5/2 plan, it worked for me before, im sure I can do it again, will also keep non fast days to a max of 2000cals Measurement: 100% = 42 days of sticking to 2000 or 600 Reward: 100% = 2 Con Life Quest: Im not going to follow my life quest at the moment, I think with changes at work and the physical things I want to achieve I am making some big changes as it is without trying to force another, so going to give myself a break on this one! Motivation: I really need to improve my health, my dad has recently been diagnosed with pre-diabetes we have both had High blood pressure in the past and we are too similar to not worry about the same issues affecting the other or our own returning, plus I haven’t really felt that I have achieved much and as the local Spartan Race and Tough Mudder are happening in the next two months (both over the course of this challenge) I want to be race ready for both next year!!! My boss battles will be booked as soon as possible to make sure I can’t turn back form it!!! Current weigh in (taken Sunday morning) - 131.6kg - 290lbs - 20st 10lbs - 71.4%bf

I'm trying to figure out what workout plan to do for the upcoming 6-week challenge. I am already doing Starting Strength every Mon/Wed/Fri each week, and for now, it seems to leave me wanting to do more after I've finished the sets. I want to continue working on my strength training, but I also want something to do on off-days or alongside SS to burn calories, and maybe stretch my muscles in a good way. The beginner bodyweight circuit suggested by Steve seems to give me a good workout and only requires dumbbells. It actually left my legs more sore than SS, so far (I'm 280 lbs and have just finished my first week of SS). So, my idea is that on M/W/F, I will do SS, alongside some form of cardio (bodyweight training or running on a treadmill), and on T/R/S, I will either do bodyweight training, or just running or walking or bike-riding. Is bodyweight training on off-days too much? What are y'alls opinions on the use of treadmills? My goal is to burn at least 500 calories each day. I don't have any particular weightlifting or weight loss goals, because I don't know what would be a realistic goal for a 280 lbs guy who's never done this before. I would like to lose at least 4 lbs after six weeks, but I believe that if I can get my diet under control, I can lose more than that in six weeks.

First thing first thanks for reading. It really helps to have accountability. Second challenge here at the Rebellion so I figure I should do a better job of it. I didn't do as well as I wanted on the last one and I didn't workout at all in the weeks in between so I'm not where I want to be right now. I'm going to be working out either more or less depending on how it goes. First goal. 2 strength training workouts per week. 3 STR Second goal. 2 cardio workouts per week. 3 STA 1 DEX Third goal. 2 martial arts training sessions per week. 1 STR 1 STA 3 DEX Life goal. Practice guitar 1 hour per week. 1 WIS 2 CHA I wanted to do a themed challenge but I can't post pictures and if you can't do that what's the point?

So the last challenge fizzled and died like a wet firework. Trying to report it all in a fan-fic style was crazy ambitious and I regretted it after a couple of days. A shame really as I managed most of the things I set out to do, I sorted out my finances and now my savings are looking rather healthy, I eat breakfast everyday, I do my brain training and find time for myself during the day. But that doesn't matter now. That was then. Refreshed, renewed, restart button pressed And onwards to victory! The main reason I started all of this was to get better at roller derby. 2014 was an incredible year. I passed my min skills at the start of the year in time for my first bout in Windsor. I played in 5 games and at the end of year party won the Most Improved, Little Miss Sunshine and Triple A awards from my team. I was blown away by it. I'm determined this year will be better. I want to win a bout award and to do that I need to improve my game. To improve my game I need to improve my strength, endurance and concentration. To improve my strength, endurance and concentration I need to train, lift, run, eat well and sort out my life. And so! To support my main goal of being the best derbist I can be I will: 1) Do my endurance/resistance training 3 times a week. I do roller derby training twice a week so 3 sessions of other training will take me to a 5 session week with 2 days rest. The point of this is to make regular exercise a habit and treat it like a class rather than a hobby so I have to do three a week. Skipping a session one week and making it up with an extra one the next week won't do. My sessions includes either a 40min cycle or 5k/6k run (depending on which course I take) and a resistance workout. Resistance workout consists of: 3 x 10 crunches 3 x 10 press ups 3 x 20 deadlifts w/10kg dumbbells 3 x 10 flat press w/10kg dumbbells 3 x 10 overhead press w/10kg dumbbells This is a new routine after my build up routine last year. I worked it out with my bf in the car on the way home from visiting family over Christmas so I might have forgotten a thing but I'll add it later. With the new routine it might take a while to find the right weight for me to be using but I ended 2014 with 10kg so I'll start there. 2) DRINK MORE WATER! I managed this during my first Nerd Fitness challenge and felt pretty good but as soon as it stopped I slipped straight back into 6 cups of tea a day. Going back to max 4 cups, nothing caffeinated after I finish work and intersperse each cup with a glass of water. This is going to be tough, I love tea! 3) Yoga time! I enjoy yoga and it always makes me feel great when I've done it so why don't I put it into my routine? I have an app that leads me through 20-40 minute routines which I can do at any point when I get home. I don't have a great deal of time at home in the evenings so I won't be able to fit it into my workout days so let say 3 times a week. To improve my dexterity (which is pretty atrocious), prevent stiffness from my desk job and generally make me a slippery fish on the track Life Goal I'm going to keep a food log so I check what I'm eating and make sure it's enough to grow muscle. Also it'll help to keep me mindful of what I eat and not to sneak in a sly chocolate bar when I'm not paying attention. I want to build the best muscle I can. Last thing I want to leave you with is a blog post by Kamikaze Kitten. She is probably the best jammer in the UK and as of December 2014 officially retired from roller derby. This was the post she put up after the World Cup Final (her last game) in which she lays out some fabulous words on the journeys we take in sport and fitness. I think it applies to more than just roller derby and I urge you to read it. http://www.kamikazekitten.co.uk/?p=859 Right, it is done! I'm going to get those thighs pumping, get those wheels spinning and head on up that mountain.

I am Rurik, and this is my tale. As all the last reserves of my strength had left me, I collapsed into a heap on my hands and knees. My chest heaved for air but the very act of breathing left a raw burning in my lungs. Only through gargantuan effort could I focus on blinking my eyes to dispel the spots that still marred my vision. After a moment the fire roaring in my breast began to dissipate and I could feel my body beginning to recover from its exertions. While I focused on breathing, the slow and arduous task of forcing sweltering air in and out of my battered body, gradually I became aware of a low growl emanating from a space not so far from my position. As I began to attune my ears to the sound my mind slowly swam back into focus. My head came up and met the malevolent orange eyes of an Iron Wolf war beast. Now that I was up close and personal with the monster, I could finally see the terrible works of iron plate callously bolted directly through flesh and onto bone. Where the plates met flesh I could see the years-old clotted blood. Though the wolf bared its jaws at me and continued its savage growling, I was overcome with pity for the animal's hardships. I slowly pushed myself to a crouch and stared at my would-be ravager, opening my hands in a non-threatening pose of surrender but still keeping Korragh's axe close at hand. For a moment the growling stopped and the wolf canted its large iron-clad head at me. I tried to reach my mind out toward the wolf, trying to send the message across that I wasn't a threat anymore, and hoping that my vulnerabilities would be noticed enough to overcome years of harsh battle conditioning. That terrible growling returned again, yet for only another moment. The wolf sat back on its haunches and lolled its head at me, as if seeing something curious and vexing for the first time. I reached out with a tenuous hand to touch the wolf's muzzle, ever aware of the sharp teeth only inches away from the tender, juicy flesh of my hand as I did so. It seemed to tolerate my touch well enough so I stroked the exposed fur where it could be found. As I felt the coarse pelt I could feel a connection beginning to grow. I was suddenly more aware of the acrid scent of burning flesh, of the smoke drifting from burning homes, and I could clearly hear the crackle of embers and the wind gusting down the village's pathways. The very world seemed more alive, and I was suddenly aware of it, like I was opening my eyes for the first time all over again. Slow, one paw before the other, the wolf crossed the short distance between us. Now it was my turn to watch as the enemy made the first move. The large shaggy beast hesitated just inches from my face before lowering its face to butt my head with its own. While the iron plate attached to the animal carried more impact forward than I suspect it had intended, I began to doubt that any pain had been unintentional. As I stared into those orange eyes just inches from my own, I couldn't help but feel as if I had found a new companion. "Well," I grunted. "Isn't that something?" Main Quest is to participate in a Spartan Sprint on July 11 and a Mud Hero on July 25. That will be the end of Act I and the epic boss battle of 2015. Starting weight: 189 lbs. Goal/Quest 1: Foraging to Survive, Part IV: "Forced from what had become my home, I again took to the ancient wilderness... and there was welcomed." (+3 CON) Follow the Eat To Perform nutrition model as prescribed, in as Paleo-friendly a manner as possible.Completion by percentage of adherence to macronutrient and calorie requirements.Goal/Quest 2: "I became a savage wanderer, calling no place home and raising my campfire wherever I would. My rage was a constant reminder of all I had lost, but it lent to me a deadly focus." (+4 STR, +2 DEX) Practice one of two Crossfit skills per week (pull-ups or double unders).Attend two Olympic Weightlifting and two Open Gym classes (to reinforce the above) before Challenge end.Complete one Couch To 5K workout per week. Bonus points awarded if two completed.Goal/Quest 3: "Though I missed the friends I had made among Korragh's people, and mourned their passing, I would not begrudge myself the primal wonder for all things wild and free." (+3 STA) Bicycle rather than drive minimum of two shifts per work set (weather permitting). Bonus points awarded if whole set biked.Finalize plans for an outdoors microadventure, preferably actually execute the adventure itself.Life Goal/Quest: "I carried with me only that which I could carry. The axe in my hand would serve me better than any trinkets or baubles on an expedition into the untamed places of the world." (+1 WIS, +2 CHA) Maintain debt repayment schedule. No frivolous purchases for the duration of this challenge. Quest reward: new wardrobe.Retain apartment-cleaning habits. One dedicated cleaning day per 8-day work week.Practice 10 minutes of mindful self-awareness per week.Skill Quest 1: "A Treatise on Primal Alchemy (Alchemy level 1)," exploring the benefits and detriments of sports performance supplements. Research and sample an appropriate creatine and/or creatine elixir that suits my lifestyle and meets my standards (fairly natural, affordable, available to sample before committing).By Week 3, I will sample minimum one product.By Challenge End, I will purchase one product.Skill Quest 2: "Returning to the Wilds (Wilderness Lore level 1)," relearning all that we have unlearned through the embrace of civilization. Map out a self-taught/online curriculum of survival skills and bushcraft knowledge that I consider relevant to my lifestyle and goals (see this post: http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/65745-enduring-the-flame-ruriks-saga-iii/?p=1513128).Study one bushcraft subject twice weekly as per outline. Spend minimum of 30 minutes per week engaging in a practicum on this subject.Achievement: Armor upgrading time! In making the weight loss achievements I have seen, I find myself without a single pair of pants that will fit my slimmer waist. I also find myself with a surplus of statutory holiday pay that I will be allotting for a new capsulized wardrobe to replace that which I have grown out of, but not until I see what I am capable of through this challenge. Motivation: The Spartan Sprint and Mud Hero approach and I find myself only barely prepared. This challenge will be about dialing in my nutrition and workouts tightly and again working on my weaknesses. My legendary will power is shining brightly at the moment and I find myself entirely composed to bite off a huge chunk of new goals, so I have added some new and reintroduced some old. Today I am reminded of the single-minded fury of the barbarian, and I intend to harness that beast toward accomplishing my plans for the months to come!

Last week Monday was the last time I worked out at all. I ran 2.9 miles. I have kicked my sleep schedule since then and I need to get back on track. Tomorrow's simple goal is to be up at 5 a.m. to get sleeping right again. So first, my daily reading and then bed.

Hi. Going to give myself some challenges to do because I'm getting restless waiting for the next 6 week challenge but its too far gone and I don't want to start so late. So I'm going to do my own '10 day challenge'. I'll give myself a few of the attribute points for it but I won't level up and it won't be much. I'm just itching to get started. So yeah here are mine. This will last 10 days until the next challenge. Quest 1: Drink roughly x3 500 ml bottles of water a day A. Successfully managed on 9-10 days (+2 con) B. Successfully managed on 7-8 days (+1 con) C. Successfully managed on 6 days (+0 con - I know, but this is just a mini one) Quest 2: To do any kind of workout 10 days (+1 str, +1 dex, +1 sta) - but I might alter them afterwards depending on what I did A. Worked out 9-10 days (+3) B. Worked out 8 days (+2) C. Worked out 7 days (+1) Day 1 Drinking Water [x] Worked out [x] Day 2 Drinking Water [x] Worked out [x] Day 3 Drinking Water [x] Worked out [x] Day 4 Drinking Water [x] Worked out [x] Day 5 Drinking Water [x] Worked out [x] Day 6 Drinking Water [x] Worked out [x] Day 7 Drinking Water [x] Worked out [x] Day 8 Drinking Water [x] Worked out [x] Day 9 Drinking Water [x] Worked out [x] Day 10 Drinking Water [x] Worked out [x]