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I’m back. I am so glad for this community and its acceptance of respawners such as myself. Thank you, everyone. I can always try again, right? That’s what I’m going to go with. I need to learn to accept my own failures as much as those around me do. I need to give myself as much grace as I do others who don’t meet their aims. This time around, here’s my plan: 1. Exercise 3x a week for 30 minutes each session. 2. Practice meditation 3x a week, working my way up to 15 minutes. 3. Drink at least 1 liter of water each day. 4. Get up at least an hour before my son so that I can start my day right, daily. I really need to nail down these habits, so if you’re reading this, consider sticking around and encouraging me along! I’ll do my best to reciprocate.

An odd choice of title for the end of summer/beginning of autumn, but I never was one for good timing. After a few (3-4?) months of not making time for exercise, it's time to get back to it. Being on the other side of 40 also means more creaks, pains, and more time to recover from said creaks and pains. So, in an effort to get more movement into my day and to help address the stiffness that comes with more time on the planet, I'll be keeping this challenge simple: 10 minutes of sun salutations before each working day That's it. That's the entire challenge. However, there will be more to report here: I really miss the iron and feeling strong and capable, so I will likely get back to that at some point, BUT it is NOT part of the challenge. There is no passing or failing regarding number of weightlifting sessions. The ONLY thing for this challenge is yoga before work. There will also likely be some nutrition/cooking attention, BUT it is NOT part of the challenge. There is no passing or failing regarding nutrition or the quality thereof. The ONLY thing for this challenge is yoga before work. There will also likely be some sewing/crafting/projects, BUT it is NOT part of the challenge. There is no passing or failing regarding sewing or crafting progress. The ONLY thing for this challenge is yoga before work. There will also likely be some house maintenance/projects, BUT it is NOT part of the challenge. There is no passing or failing regarding house maintenance. The ONLY thing for this challenge is yoga before work. Hopefully that keeps it clear enough in my head that I can remember what success looks like for this challenge and not drift into something more complex/difficult.

Hi, it's me... again... again... I've been in a downward mental spiral again, set off by rapidly increasing weight, which seems to have been (ironically?) set off by getting back into working out. For those who don't know, I'm Matt, 33M, ADHD, depressed, anxious, etc. I lost about 100 pounds from Jan 2016 to June 2017, most of which was done between Sept 2016 and March 2017. In early 2018, I was at my lowest weight, but had been slowly coasting since June 2017. About mid-2018, I gave up my weight loss journey in search of enjoying life. The problem was that I had developed orthorexia, dysmorphia, and was spending upwards of 5 hours in the gym, 6 days a week. I felt that I was eating, working out, sleeping, working, or meal prepping. I didn't socialize, I felt like I had to ignore people to keep up my "good" habits, and I was just overall not happy. After that, I started believing I "deserved to eat" bad food or taking a rest day. Eventually, that lead to overall poor eating and not working out at all, which lead to regaining most of the weight. In October 2021, I was back, about five pounds shy of my highest weight. Since then, I've lost about forty pounds. I'm intent to lose the weight in ways that keep it off and keep me healthy. I'm learning more and more about the long-term positive effect exercise has on the body and mental health. Also, I'd like to live past 70. Much of my family on my mom's side died in their early 60's or earlier. I'd like to enjoy my retirement. Overall, I'm just trying to find that balance between what I want to do and what I need to do, and finding how I can cross the streams. Feel free to ask me anything.

Hello Again Rebels, Long time no see and it was me and not you. I've been away for several years after having gotten my health in a much better place, thanks in large part to this community. I lost 100 lbs in a year and 2 weeks (that 2 week still gets under my skin) and radically changed my life. Once I was in a better place I left the Rebellion for a while. It's been nearly 6 years since I've been around, and alot has changed for me, some for the better, some for the worse. I've found myself in a rough place and I need to get back in control of my health. I'm hoping that surrounding myself with a community focused on improving can help me as I get back to work on improving me. Time for a major respawn! 1. I've lost a couple lbs, but last month I matched my heaviest weight of 300lbs. Over this last winter I had a very bad case of Covid and was dealing with it for quite a while. I was on an oxygen machine for over 6 months. While effectively on bed rest, stressed, not moving, and eating my feelings, I gained alot of weight and lost what fitness I'd managed to maintain. Last summer I was hiking up and down mountains, now I can barely make a flight of stairs without huffing. While my fitness and health hadn't stayed at the level it was when I left the rebellion even prior to getting sick, I was fairly happy with... me. I still can't do many of the activities I would like to do. I just don't have that level of fitness anymore and breathing is still not as easy as it should be, but those are the exact reasons I'm working to get healthier again. I'm going to be working on walking to Mordor. Well actually I'm following along with Bilbo to the Lonely Mountain first, but those journeys will take much more than a 5 week challenge to complete. I'm just doing daily walking to try to get healthier and tracking my distance. Shooting for a absolute minimum of 1 mile a day and building up from there. Unfortunately I'm going to have to be doing it inside on the treadmill for a little while as wildfire season has started here in Montana and my weak lungs do not like the smoke. I much prefer walking out in the mountains (especially if there are fish to catch). I've had some family recommend a 30 day yoga for beginners thing on Prime Video that I'm going to work on too, but idk that it's an official part of the challenge for me. I would like to get more limber. 2. My nutrition has slacked and I want to improve that again. I do cook healthy whole food for many meals, and do really enjoy cooking. I cook mostly at a level 4 of the nerd fitness diet, just with liquid calories, and not tracking, so I hope to make it back to there over this challenge, starting back at level 1. My wife has several diet needs that I have to cook for, so our dinner is usually quite healthy, but I've been eating badly for breakfast and lunch. And working form home I snack far too much. I don't want to add on too many changes at once, but I think I will also be doing some intermittent fasting. I had great luck with it in the past and only eat breakfast about half the time anyway. Will just have a coffee in the morning (working on cutting out sugar from it, but that's gonna take a little bit), and then eat lunch and dinner. No eating before 11am or after 7pm. 3. In addition to decline if fitness and weight gain, I also fell back into an old bad habit with weed. No more smoking since the covid, but I've eaten too many edibles too often. Before covid, I did smoke almost daily and it was already a friction point between me and my wife. I recently ate the last of what I had and will not be buying any more! Ever. Period! I've tried quitting (smoking) weed a couple times in the past with some success lasing for months, but always came back to it eventually. Many people say it is not addictive, but I know for a fact that I have been, ... no I am addicted to marijuana. It is legal where I live but it's not good for me. While I don't drink much, maybe 1 drink a week, I've had more in the past when I took breaks from smoking. I don't want to replace 1 vice with another so the goal for this 5 weeks is sobriety. There's many other things in my life I'd like to work on improving, but for now I need to rebuild a healthy foundation to stand on while I juggle life. Next challenge I'll hopefully be able to build off of progress built in this challenge, and leapfrog on to additional improvements. I feel like I'm jumping back into a survival game were the other players are already geared up and established. I need to get my basics back, with which to rebuild and achieve more advanced tools and achievements. Time to grind! 5-Week Challenge TLDR: Fitness: Daily Walking, min of 1 mile a day. Goal of 30 miles minimum. Nutrition: Starting with the NF diet from lvl 1 "Help, I'm Clueless", and intermittent fasting skipping breakfast. Goal of reaching lvl 4 by end of the challenge. No weed, no drinks. Goal of 100%. No slip-ups.

A few years ago, I dyed my hair blue/green/purple. People called it mermaid hair. And over the past few years, I've come to realize that I felt like I'd become a (rather subpar) mermaid--a maiden, insecure, and trying to go (but often fighting) with the current of the waters around me. There's nothing wrong with being a mermaid, but I don't much like the water. Recently, I started having visions of the dragon. Of flying. Wisdom. Strength. And I've decided to embrace this image for my next chapter. I turn 44 at the end of this challenge, and I'm bored of feeling like an insecure maiden pushed wherever the water takes me. I'm tired of constantly being underwater. It's time to level up, transform, get out of the water, and head for the skies. So I disappeared a few months ago. A catch up on recent happenings: I'm starting to feel like an adventurer again.... The Challenge: Become the Dragon Dragon Form 80,000 steps per week. Action: Aim for at least 10k steps per day. Experiment with my daily diet. I'm plateaued at a weight I don't like and while it could have been worse given the stress of the last few months, I really want to start moving down toward my goal weight again. Action: Experiment with reducing/eliminating snacks again, but also avoiding more UPF (ultra processed foods). Dragon Wings Soar, and feel like an adventurer again. I have a lot of annual leave saved up, and itchy feet. We moved to Owlshire wanting a place we'd not feel like we needed a holiday from. But that doesn't mean we never want to go anywhere! I want to take some trips with the Enting--around the UK and possibly into Europe this autumn or spring, while we're not tied to the academic calendar. Traveling alone with Enting sounds like an adventure enough! Actually, though, he's a good little traveler. But first I need to research and plan them.... Action: Begin research and planning for a trip (or trips) in the autumn. Dragon Heart Work on my confidence and banish my imposter syndrome. I'm still new to my industry and the studio has moved me up very quickly. Most of the time this is because I was already doing the role and they were just changing my title to match. And it's not like I'm a newbie out of university--I had leadership roles in past industries, too. But it all feels... way more than anything I was expecting to happen. I need to catch up in confidence and own this. Action: Daily affirmations and spiritual growth. Dragon Horde There's a lot of clutter in our castle. I want to clear out some, so the rest of our treasures can shine. I also want to go through my wardrobe and get rid of anything that doesn't suit me anymore--in fit, in style, etc. I want a wardrobe full of things I love--and wear. Action: Sort my clothes and make at least one trip to the charity shops. Other spot decluttering at least once a week. Shiny Treasure Could I be a dragon without treasure? I realized recently that while I'll probably never get a tattoo, I do really like meaningful (to me) jewelry to mark life occasions. So if I feel I succeeded at this challenge, I have permission to purchase a piece of shiny jewelry. ... onward and upward!

Thanks to my patron saint of well-being and accountability (the inimitable @fleaball, who is a good influence even though she took umbrage the last time I said so), I am back and working on building some positive momentum after *gestures vaguely at the previous eight months*. My last challenge did me a lot of good (as so many challenges have done), and then once it was over I stopped paying so much attention to my goals like a dumbass (as I have so often done when confronted with success) and so of course *more vague and disappointed gesturing*. I watched the Dungeons and Dragons movie recently on Netflix, and there's a scene I appreciated where the bard, in trying to swindle his friends into sticking with the mission despite his shit leadership and repeated disasters, says "we must never stop failing, because the minute we do, we've failed." Made me laugh, but it's also true, so it is in that spirit that I am back here yet again. Okay, so what is going on and what do I need to do about it? Something interesting happened since I was last here: in January, I went back to school for an MS in Computer Science, via a program specifically designed for career switchers whose undergrad degree wasn't in CS. I'm currently in the bridge portion of the program, which is basically just a series of prereq courses to make up for what I'm missing before starting the full-on Masters courses. I've been doing well and learning a lot, although to say that a return to studenthood was not a good thing for my self-care and healthy habits would be a hilarious understatement. However! I am me, so it can't be that simple. I periodically have doubts that perhaps I'm making the wrong move and that I won't be able to find a job linked to my technical interests (mostly educational tech and computer-assisted language learning/translation). I miss helping people and feeling like my work has larger purpose, and an old idea I once had about getting a Masters in Counselling Psychology and becoming a therapist has resurfaced. So of course I have researched what would be required for that (roughly the same amount of schooling as my current plan). My people are supportive and have encouraged me to do whatever feels right. But if I'm going to switch, it needs to be ASAP, so I need to decide. But I can't decide. So a big part of the challenge has to be about figuring that out. Preferably before CS classes restart in late August. Thing the first. I would be particularly eager to get perspective from any of you who work in either of these two fields or anything related. Also, I need to get exercise back into my routine. Nothing crazy: I just need to walk and stretch. Thing the second. Finally, I would like to limit fried food to once per week. Thing the third. I should also mention my unease about an upcoming appointment with my endocrinologist. This involves bloodwork for (1) annual testing to make sure my cancer hasn't returned and (2) monitoring my blood glucose/A1C, because my doctor was concerned I was at risk for T2 diabetes. The appointment is on August 4, so fingers crossed. I wish everyone the best of luck with their own challenges ❤️

Literally, but more on that later. Hi lovelies! How are you all doing? 🤗 Feels a bit strange to be back. Back to the forum I mean, not back to real life. 😄 I’ve been traveling around south east Asia since January and it’s been quite awesome and quite eye opening. I’ve been to Bali, Singapore, Borneo, Brunei, mainland Malaysia, Thailand for rock climbing and pole dancing and now I’m in the Philippines where I did marine conservation volunteering for two months and where I’m now going to learn to freedive for the next 3-6 months! I’m super excited and super scared because I have no idea whether I’ll be physically or mentally capable of doing it and could do with moral support. My goals for now are 1 do the training to the best of my ability and try not to get frustrated or pressured by benchmarks and numbers. 2 keep a detailed log of the training That’s it for now, maybe I’ll add something more specific later when I better understand what I’ve gotten myself into. 😅

After going AWOL for nearly all of the last challenge, I've realized something that I've well... um... realized before. I simply cannot take on too many goals at once. At least, not yet. I've regained a few pounds and haven't exercised a bit in weeks, due to my "all or nothing" mentality. I have been in a major rut since the previous challenge started, and I am back now to break myself out of it. My challenge this time around will be to: Get Up Early I need to get up at 5:30am in order to complete goals 2 and 3 plus shower before my 3-year-old son wakes up in the morning. GOAL: Wake up at 5:30am Monday through Saturday. Exercise - Couch to 5K I once was an avid runner, and I hope to become one again. I recently picked up a book called Slow AF Run Club by Martinus Evans, and in it he talks about completing 8 marathons and many more shorter runs at more than 350 pounds, albeit slowly and at the back of the pack. He encourages everyone to take up running, no matter their size, and I'm super-inspired! The last time I tried running (I still have my fairly new running shoes from that attempt back in November 2022), I gave up because I got winded so quickly. However, I was trying to run at the pace I used to run at when I was much lighter and in better shape. Huh! I wonder why I was so out of breath!? /s Anyway, I'm going to start run-walking and get myself to complete my own 5K challenge (not an official road race) within this 5 week challenge. Even if I stop for walk breaks, I'll still consider it a win. GOAL: 3 walk-runs a week. Exercise - Strength Training Something that is important for my middle-aged body and will be even more important as I get older is to have a strength training routine to prevent osteoporosis. It's also important, I think, for cross training as I embark again on a running journey. GOAL: 3 full body circuits a week. Hydration - Drink More Water GOAL: 3L of water daily. I truly think that I can accomplish these goals and am excited to get started! I'll definitely need some peer support, though, so please cheer me on if you're reading this. Thanks!

A little about myself to start, I joined Nerdfitness nearly 10 years ago after. I had promised my zombie loving friend I'd complete the Run For Your Lives Zombie 5k obstacle course with her. I was a year out from reconstructive knee surgery, wanted to get as prepared as I could for the race and when searching for tips how to do a pull up found Nerdfitness. I didn't progress far enough in time to do a pull up but I was strong enough to complete the obstacles. One of which were adult sized monkey bars-something I NEVER was able to do prior to this. (I'm on the far right, biting my INFECTED race medal. Between work injuries and personal stressors I've been off and on with Nerdfitness, working out and eating healthy (more off than on) these past 10 years., but I find when I have a goal with a deadline (like the 5k) I do so much better with being consistent. Last year was filled with stressors and I am at my largest and had, had grand plans to get back into a regular exercise routine the beginning of the year, but ended up with COVID and had very little energy to spare for a few months after. I am now in a place both energy wise and just caught up to everything that was neglected the first few months of the year and am ready to get going. My current motivation is the looming prospect of hiking Half Dome at Yosemite National Park next summer. I and my friends have gone on a few hiking trips over the past 10 years. In 2017 we went to Zion National Park and at the pleading of one of my friends, hiked Angel's Landing. I am still so proud I was able to complete it (even if I had to stop several times on the way up the switchbacks-in those moments I decided switchbacks were my arch nemesis). (pic if of me at the top of Angel's Landing acting like the superhero I felt) Upon return from that trip he told me he wanted to hike Yosemite's Half dome and proceeded to show me photos. With which I asked him if he was trying to kill me. That I'd have to lose about 50 pounds first. Well, it's been a few years now, we've been to Glacier and Acadia National Parks and I am in worse condition than before. He mentioned at our trip about year ago he really wanted to complete this hike before he is 40, so I need to get my butt in gear. Looking at photos there is no place for me to have a brief meltdown or rest. A big issue I have is my knee. Due to a snowboarding injury and the resulting surgery I do not have the endurance in my left leg as my right. At Acadia we hiked the Bee Hive and while I did not waver during that hike, I could barely walk the next day as my knee kept giving out and had to wait by the car while my friends hiked the Precipice trail the next day. I was pretty disappointed in myself. Half Dome *not my image We are going to Olympic National Park this fall so any improved fitness and weight loss I can get these next few months will benefit me . My main motivation is Half Dome next year. My diet is also a mess. I don't have much time to cook and many times will get food from the cafeteria at work and a drive through or frozen pizza at home. 1-2 weekends a month I travel across the state to visit my grandfather for the weekend and cook some meals for him that my grandma used to make. This makes it difficult to prep meals for myself for the next week, which is something I'll have to work on figuring out a solution for. OK so long backstory complete. My ultimate goal is to lose 50 pounds by Yosemite and in the process of doing this be able to complete Half Dome (date not finalized but anticipating late May 2024). My goals this challenge: Complete strength training twice per week. I have a program I am going to follow. The start-up plan consists of warm up, 3 rounds of AMRAP exercises in 30 seconds intervals, cool down. Complete 30min minimum on incline trainer 2x per week. (pre-COVID I was using the various Star Wars series on Disney + as the carrot to getting on the incline trainer- I will not watch them without being on the machine-so I will be continuing this as it made almost like I didn't notice I was exercising until I was sweaty, breathing harder, or my glutes/quads were getting sore). Bring lunch to work at least 2-3x per week. Ride the park and ride bus to work 3 times per week (unless working late shift as I wouldn’t be able to utilize the gym AND ride the bus back to my car) this will help save money for the trip instead of paying $5-14 each day for parking Bring water bottle to work 2-3x per week I’ve keep forgetting to grab it and have to either go without water or buy a bottle which A) costs money and B ) is bad for the environment that I enjoy so much Rewards can help keep me motivated. My gym has a hot tub in the back of the locker room that I will be able to utilize after each incline training session. There also is a hydro massage available- of I complete both strength training workouts that week I will use the hydro massage. (I need to check into this to see if I need to make an appointment for it anymore or not) The third reward will be if I bring my water bottle AND ride the bus as stated in my goals I’ll put a sticker on my new water bottle.

Janus (Latin: Ianus. Pronounced: 'ja:.nus]) is the god of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, doorways, passages, and endings. If this sounds familiar - HI! HELLO! Long time no see! There are respawns, and there are respawns. I do a lot of the first one - every month, every week, every day even. Things like 'I'll stop this now' or 'This time I'll do it this way.' These are normal. These are for those times when you fall off the wagon, but you only need jog a bit to climb back on, or maybe you lay on the ground for a little while and then grab ahold again when the wagon laps you. Ladies, Gents, Eithers, Neithers, and Otherwise-Human Phenomena. The wagon hasn't just lapped me, it's been in for maintenance and moved to another track. But hey! After ages of talking and trying other things and other collecting-underpants-like activities, I'm back! With a plan! and deadlines! But back to the beginning: Years ago, I wrote in my origin story “I am Janus Echo because if there is any concept or idea worth repeating over and over again, ceaselessly; it is that of new beginnings, of rebirth, and starting something new with every breath.” So here I am again. Respawning after a whole lot has happened to me and the world (here’s the short version: in March 2020, I was working on a cruise ship.) So without further a-do: Welcome to my first challenge since 2018! Please feel free to leave comments - kudos, critiques, suggestions, and opinions are equally welcome. I've got my layout almost ready for reveal and should have it up in the next couple hours.

Been gone a while. Life's been out of control--two jobs and full-time load on school. Discipline is out of the question, I just need to figure out my left and right limits, and do my best to stay the course. Lots of shit pretty much up in the air this month. Housing situation, education funds, job timeline, finances, all uncertain. I think I need to find control where I can get it. Exercise: 3 lifting days, 1 jiu-jitsu day Following a program from Weightlifting AI that just plugs my numbers in. Smooth brain no think. I can feasibly make it to 2 open mat sessions a week, and I want to make a minimum of one just to stay in there. Protein: track 150g Stocked-up on protein powder this month. Eating on a budget, so I'll probably slam half or so in whey until I can afford better food Clean your room: 20 min packing every day I might be moving this month or next. Who knows? Stay mobile, travel light. Gruntstyle.

I've been in this really annoying cycle for the past few years. The cycle goes like this: 1 Getting a wake up call about how far my fitness has fallen, 2. Diving into workouts that are too intense for my current level of fitness, 3. Getting hurt, 4. Having to rest for several weeks, to heal 5. Getting comfortable with laziness, and ceasing healthy behaviors. And repeat. Let's just try it again. The goal right now, is just to workout ..... at all. I don't care the schedule, frequency, style, program. Just to workout at some point in the week and to let that build.

"Link.... You may not be at a point where you have fully recovered your power or all of your memories, but courage need not be remembered, for it was never forgotten." Hi guys and gals. I know this challenge is nearly over but I'm hoping because I have friends in high places *cough* @Tanktimus the Encourager *cough* that it can be moved to the next challenge once it starts. I debated on just waiting till next weekend but decided I was an impatient prick and wanted to start now . Gawd...it's been a minute since I've been back. Lots has happened. The newest edition to the Wolf Pack™ is my last and final child, another baby boy, Mr. Atlas. Atlas was born July 11th of last year: National 7/11 Day. He is my 6th kid and 5th boy overall lol. But, yes.... LAST kid. Daddy Wolf got himself snipped in August. Some of you may be saying "FINALLY" but honestly, that's just mean. There's honestly too much to update and cover in one post. It would end up being a small novella by the time I was done. If you already know me and want to ask a question - then please do. I'll answer whatever . If you don't know me and want to know more - I'm an open book. Let's get to the goals! As you'll see moving forward, my theme is Zelda...or more Link inspired. Specifically fan art dedicated to the upcoming Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom coming out on May 12th of this year. I'm SO EXCITED! POWER What is power? Does it mean social status? Maybe a hidden super power? Money? To me, it is very simple. It's physicality. Being physically strong has always been an appeal to me. Coming from a background of being lean and usually fairly light, I've always wanted more "bulk". I'm sitting around 188lbs right now, back up to my normal weight since having a large decline at the end of 2021. I've also been consistently in the gym say for a couple days here and there. So, this goal remains simple: 3x a week in the gym Focus on Legs/Push/Pull 1x a week implement a KB metcon WISDOM Ahhhh...to be wise. I've learned a LOT in my 35 years on this Earth. Some lessons I didn't learn the first...second or even third time around, but I did learn them eventually. I think wisdom may be the most important aspect of the Triforce when it's all said and done and is solid in nearly every situation. For this goal, I want to focus on the wisdom of maintaining a healthy sleep schedule and getting a nap in on training days: 3x a week of a 20-25 min nap (M/W/F) My bed time relies heavily on when I leave Costco but usually I can be in bed by 11. The goal is to be in bed and asleep before 11:30 on week nights. Friday is an exception. COURAGE I'm SOOOOOO close to being able to quit Costco and move down to working just 1 job. I'm super motivated at the moment and I'm loving my new job working for a pharmaceutical company as a sales rep. Right now it's inside sales gaining a 1% commission. The goal is to get promoted to outside sales where I get 8% commission. This is the difference in getting an extra $700 on my check to an extra 4k. As personable as I am, I'm still stepping outside of my comfort zone and I can't think of one attribute that attest to this better than COURAGE. The goal is: Shoot for 3-5 enrollments a week 20+ calls a day 3-5 sales a week Despite being busy and knowing I'll barely manage to keep up with my own challenge, I'm excited nonetheless to be back. I need the accountability. I'll try and stop in on some old friends threads to say hi, otherwise, I'll see you here in mine Wolf

I respawned with the new year, but I kept it to myself for a month to avoid overwhelming myself into failure. I feel like now I can really announce my official respawn (though I've been a part of the challenge for a couple weeks now). This year thus far: FeelGood Plan - I love that everything is broken into 15 minute chunks or 1% of the day. I'm focusing on doing those workouts as I simply got bored of the bodyweight plan from NF. I live out in the country, I have a rowing machine and a stationary bike. I try to walk the dogs 3-4 days a week (about 1 mile. Too cold now and soon too hot for them). Gym is not going to happen because I'm NEVER going to drive 45 minutes out of my way to work out. And I'm certainly not waking up at 4am to do that and get back before work. I've progressed to the second workout in the book just this week. I went from 3 days a week of 15 minute bodyweight (Monday, Wednesday, Friday and then 15-30 minutes minimum of a fun movement activity Saturday) to 4 days a week (plus that same Saturday movement). Not only is it 15 minute body weight workouts on Monday, Thursday, and Friday but I have cardio sprinters on Tuesday and Thursday. I'm a huuuuge fan of the rower so I did both my cardio sprints on the rower this week. I missed that thing. The book says to change it up so I might walk/power-walk (once the sunrise is early enough to get outside before 7am. Running causes too much pain due to old injuries so I typically avoid it) and use the stationary bike to switch things up. Nutrition - I'm just being mindful. I'm trying to get back to a fasting schedule that works. Given I work out early (finished by 7am when I hop on the computer for work) and my fasting window usually ends at about 11am most days it's a struggle. I've been eating 2 hard boiled eggs on days I can't manage until my eating window and that usually suffices. Protein shakes cause huuuuuuge cholesterol issues. I've tried 6 different types and all cause similar issues so can't do that. I'll figure it out one day. Also focusing on listening to my body cues. If I'm hungry, I check in: am I bored? Am I tired? Am I stressed TF out? When did I last eat/what did I eat and could I reasonably be truly hungry now? When I'm eating I'm focusing on slowing down significantly and trying to listen to my body telling me I'm satiated. Focusing on "hara hachi bu" Mindset: Daily journaling. I have 2 journals (both dated) that started on the 1st that I had bought in November, knowing the holiday season was going to need to be reversed! One has scripting, what I'm grateful for today, a mantra for the day, whether I met my sleep, workout, water, and food goals, mood, ritual/mindfulness time, 3-6-9 manifestation, and one thing I did to move forward. The other simply is to get my thoughts down at the end of the day and fill in/check off any to-dos that day.

Goals: 1. Log all my food, no matter how horrible. 1.1 Begin incorporating more protein and vegetables 1.2 Start reducing anything that doesn't make me feel good 2. Move!! 2.1 FeelGood Plan workout Mon-Wed-Fri + fun activity Sat 2.2 Walk the dog at least 1 mile every Mon-Wed (Thurs-Sun high potential to be out of house) 2.3 Yoga on rest days and workout days as needed for extra stretch/cooldown 3. Journaling! 3.1 Scripting journal with gratitude, mantra, 3-6-9 manifestation, and one step forward 3.2 Daily journal, dear diary style to get down all the thoughts So far, on Jan 10: 10/10 days completed!

2022 flew by for me. Unfortunately all the progress I made in the beginning of the year was undone and I’m my new heaviest weight I’ve ever been. The tail end left me tired, exhausted, and out of spoons. But it wasn’t all bad; it was a big year. A few notable mentions for 2022 were: - made some good soup, bread, jam and other canned goodies - got some big house tasks accomplished - got Daisy ❤️🐴 - learnt how to trim Daisy’s feet - made raised planters and grew tomatoes, raspberries and strawberries - car is finally paid off - tried fly fishing - went cross country jumping with Daisy - did fall camping - got Winnie ❤️🐾 - took my first dressage lesson - I finished 5 paintings I’m really proud of and have 2 in progress I had a bit of a mental decline near the end of this year and I still don’t feel 100%. I’m happy to say there have been some improvements. My feet are also still not great but they are a lot better and I’ve been doing small walks with Winnie as part of her training. 2023 Goals - Get work skills up to date - Lose 50lbs - Improve stamina, core, flexibility and balance - Plan wedding - Try agility with Winnie - Continue Winnie’s barn dog training - Continue on improving my look - Paint 1 painting for myself - Keep working on improving Daisy’s feet - Read the Hobbit (started) , Paper Girls, Walking Dead, Gwenpool - Continue making my house a home That’s all I can think of for now. Some of these aren’t very SMART goals. I will try to figure out what I want my 1 year of progress to look like and how to accomplish it. Challenge goals: - Daily Winnie training - Lose 5lbs - Drink 2L water - Practice 12:12 IF - Floss and brush every night - Take pill every night - Cook dinner 5 times a week Other goals: - decide about/arrange Rooks lump removal surgery - finish Dani painting - beat God of War - sign Winnie up for Agility - attend at least 2 social obedience walks with Winnie

Life has been a lot. I realized a few months ago that, while I haven't felt miserable or unhappy, my current trajectory isn't great. I can feel my mental health slipping and some bad habits returning. However, two specific things have helped re-direct my mind towards my goals for this challenge. First, my daughter bought be a kettlebell for Christmas. It sort of started as a joke. She texted me and asked, "What do you want for Christmas?" I responded that I kind of wanted a kettlebell, not really being serious. Her reply: "I can do that. What weight?" So I asked for a 35lb/16 kg, what the Russians refer to as one "pood". My daughter ordered the kettlebell early, so for the past few weeks I have been training with it using a plan known as Simple and Sinister, designed by Pavel Tsatsouline, a man often credited for starting the kettlebell craze here in America. I'll explain S&S more in a later post. Second, I saw an ad online for the Discipline Equals Freedom Reset, hosted by Jocko Willink's leadership organization, Echelon Front, and Jocko Fuel. While I know Jocko and his military brand of motivation isn't for everyone, I admire the man and am often motivated by his message and his story. Short background: I was in Marine Corps JROTC in high school and would have enlisted if not for epilepsy. This may explain why I respond well to someone like Jocko. So, without further delay, below are my goals. They are modified to nearly mirror the goals of the DEF Reset Challenge: Objective: Develop and/or strengthen healthy habits within my life. Set achievable goals for each category. Use the DEF tracker to track daily/weekly progress and report here. This challenge is a 4 week challenge. In addition to daily challenges, there will be weekly challenges that will focus on two daily challenges per week to be posted on social media and to be entered into prize drawings. GOAL 1 — UP BEFORE THE ENEMY: 0415-0430 wakeup GOAL 2 — GET AFTER IT Morning run or walk (at least 2.7 miles) Kettlebell workout (Simple & Sinister) GOAL 3 — PRIORITIZE AND EXECUTE Identify the top three things to accomplish each day and then execute! GOAL 4 — HYDRATE OR DIE Drink at least 120 ounces of water per day GOAL 5 — FUEL Keep it simple: Eat real food, not too much, mostly plants; avoid boxed, processed foods (i.e. "fake" foods) GOAL 6 — SUGARCOATED LIES No blatant sugar (cookies, candy, cake, ice cream, sugary drinks, etc.) GOAL 7 — BACK TO THE BOOK Spend at least 20 minutes a day on personal development (reading, journaling, etc.) Meditate/pray at least 10 minutes a day Write at least one poem a day GOAL 8 — REMEMBER Write down at least 1 thing I am grateful for each day BONUS (as challenged by Jocko): 100 burpees in less than 10 minutes or 10 minutes of burpees WEEKLY CHALLENGES: WEEK 1 — UP BEFORE THE ENEMY/GET AFTER IT Post a photo/video of how you are getting up early and/or completing your daily physical activity, use #DEFReset, @echelonfront, and @jockofuel to enter to win WEEK 2 — PRIORITIZE AND EXECUTE/HYDRATE OR DIE Post a photo/video of how you are accomplishing tasks and/or hitting your hydration goals, use #DEFReset, @echelonfront and @jockofuel to enter to win WEEK 3 — FUEL/SUGARCOATED LIES Post a photo/video of how you are sticking to your diet and avoiding junk food, use #DEFReset, @echelonfront and @jockofuel to enter to win WEEK 4 — BACK TO THE BOOK/REMEMBER Post a photo/video of how you are spending time on personal development and honoring those who sacrificed for us, use #DEFReset, @echelonfront and @jockofuel to enter to win

Hello friends, old and new. Now that the forums have stopped being a buttface and seem to be letting me log in without resorting to incognito mode, as they have for around two years now, I thought I would try my luck again. This challenge is all about building my roots so I have a strong foundation for who I am/want to be. I've started using a new to me journal which is all about planting seeds (very small projects/steps) instead of planting trees (trying to start a huge project/task) from the beginning. My seeds this challenge will be more about deciding what I want. I am still assuredly an adventurer over all else (my one year projects include geocaching, hiking, trying new things) but I need to decide what that really looks like and set up a foundation that will support it. So, this challenge: 1. 1.8L/3 bottles of water/water with an electrolyte each day. I got hydration tested at work and was found 🌟 moderately dehydrated 🌟 and that is not a good look for a safety person. 😅 2. Move all my furniture to the new rooms and have everything set up with its own place. This might be me trying to plant a tree (a small tree!) but it's doable, there's a reason for it and I will break it down into smaller steps when it is not 4:30am in the morning. 3. Finish writing up my life planning, long term plans, and January project set up in my planner. And that's it! Small (mostly) seeds to help my garden grow. A talent I need to convert to offline gardening. Happy New Year peeps, and I'll be hanging out in your threads soon (again, when it's not 4:30am in the morning).

2019 seems so far away... that's when, even if I never posted, I created this account. It was also a great year: - Got to my lowest weight. - Ran a Spartan Race trifecta. - Ran my first half marathon. - Lived alone after a (smooth) breakup from a 10+ years relationship that had gone sour. - Started a new relationship. - Developed a lifestyle and habits that allowed me to work and train at pleasure. - Diched the car and biked everywhere. In short... I used to be an adventurer (like you). Then I took an arrow in the knee. Or more specifically, COVID hit and everything came to a full stop. Two years later I've gained 10kgs (22lbs) of weight, lost all exercise and training habits, changed jobs to a "desk bounding" position, go everywhere by car... You get the idea: Game Over, try again. Luckily, I still have some tokens in my pocket (and already signed for a Spartan race in Houston next March 2023). Using the last weeks of 2022 to restart, setup and test some strategies for 2023. 1. Healthy Body Started at Orange Theory Fitness a couple of weeks ago. I really like the structure of it as long as I go to the afternoon sessions (not an early bird). Looking to attend 8 out of the first 12 days of December and 3-4x/week after that. Also planning on hiking 1 or 2 weekends every month (already found/tested a trail in my area) and gym-bouldering once a week just for fun. - OTF 12 days of fitness, 3-4x/week after that. - 1 hike at local trail. - 1/week bouldering session. 2. Healthy Eating Definitely need to add more veggies to my diet while reducing sugar. Will be experimenting with pre-built salad jars for lunch and freezing some pre-chopped veggies to quickly use in a breakfast omelet. Biggest challenge would be taking ownership of planning and cooking my food instead of just relaying on whatever is available or my girlfriend cooks that day. - Salad jar lunches. - Veggie omelet breakfast. 3. Healthy Mind The fuzzier one for me... meditating, language learning, programming, reading, photography and some others come to mind. Maybe it's a signal about needing to define some priorities and a clear focus. Will give some time and circle back. Decided on coding (web/python) and reading. Coding as a way to learn something new and, maybe, create a new semi-passive income in the future. It will need to have a clear schedule for "studying". Reading as in "just for fun", sticking to only one fiction and one non-fiction book at a time with no rush. - Non-fiction reading: "Level Up your Life" (re-reading). - Fiction reading: "The Silmarillion". - Stablish a viable schedule to study web coding.

Title inspired by some wintry fantasy ambient/dungeon synth by Snowspire, check it out here! It's hibernation time, but I'm gearing up to trudge across the frozen wastes. I must make it to Alice Lake by April 15! When I arrive, I will join in the ritual ascent to the peak, so I must prepare my body and my mind through the coming months. There will be adventure, surely, but also the discipline of repetition. One foot in front of the other. Physical Discipline All in a day's march - run at least once per week. Walking is acceptable if snow/ice makes running dangerous, but otherwise I will be hitting the trails every Saturday, or making time on another day if I know Saturday is too busy. Combat training - do at least one workout per week. The past few weeks I've been meshing together the Zombies!Run Dragon Flight workout story with the Darebee Hero's journey. It's working pretty well to get me active and not bored, but I don't like that I can't set the Dragon Flight workouts to run less than 30 minutes, so there will probably be some weeks when I do my own thing instead because let's face it, December is a busy month. Mental Discipline Strengthen the shine - celebrate immediately every time I choose a veggie or movement snack instead of junk food. In Tiny Habits, B.J. Fogg makes the case that while long-term goals are important to motivation and help us discipline ourselves, humans are overall built to prioritize immediate reward. We need to know our Big Why and see how our moment-to-moment actions connect to it, but we can train ourselves to start new, healthy habits by celebrating - by creating the feeling that Fogg calls "shine" - immediately, the second we do the thing. When the reward happens right away, it connects the behaviour and the reward in the lizard brain as well as the thinking brain, whereas long-term reward systems only work for the thinking brain. My celebrations include: singing the Final Fantasy fanfare (with a li'l dance if I'm feeling super happy and not too shy), imagining the feeling of cresting a mountain peak in cool drizzle and looking out across the cloud-shadowed conifers on the surrounding hills, or just simply saying, "Hey! You just did the thing!" Adventure? There is no adventure inside the box - do something creative every week. Writing (game prep counts!), knitting, painting, decorating the house, crafting, taking photos. Say 'yes' to Plot Hooks - schedule two fun winter activities for this month. I have a few things already planned (seeing one of the kids I nanny dance in the Nutcracker! Family & friends sing-along Christmas party!) but I want to make sure I actually get out and do some things with my special people. Possible plot hooks include: Christmas light wander with Mr. Radost and Sibling B; carolling with my vocal ensemble; coffee and/or a walk with a friend; run at a park on the outskirts of town instead of the golf course right by my house.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA Ok. Ok. I got this. Don't panic. Lol j/k. I am most definitely panicking. The con is in 10 days. I have gained 10 pounds, on top of the 15 pounds I gained the year before. I can no longer see my abs unless I flex REAL HARD and even then the lower abs are no longer visible and there are blubbery rolls where there were no rolls before. Unacceptable. While it's not mandatory that I see my abs for the upcoming con (teeeennn daaaaayyyysssss), it is most absolutely mandatory that I have visible abs again for an upcoming photo shoot in just a little less than 2 months. I have embarked on such a challenge before, multiple times, and I have failed miserably. I am now trying the same thing, but with one additional ingredient: PANIC! Panic and cosplay usually gets shit done. Or at least it has one time before, back in like 2013 or something. Surely it can happen again? Optimism! Things I'll do to shed the muffin top: - MAXIMUM of 2 glasses of wine (5oz) on week nights. Ideally I wouldn't have any wine, but telling myself I absolutely cannot have a thing just makes me want the thing more, so I'll just try to be reasonable. - Go to bed before 11:30. Preferably 11:00, but I'm trying to set realistic goals here. - LEAVE MY FUCKING PHONE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF MY BEDROOM so I don't hit snooze like 7 times and then panic because I'm all like RUSHRUSHRUSHRUSH to get to work. This is the bad, unwanted kind of panic. - Right, speaking of alarm, set it for 6:00 AM. Refer to the bullet point above re. the use of the snooze button. - Run the dog, do a quick workout, stretch. This should all be completed before 7 so I have time to actually relax while having breakfast. - Morning break exercises at the office (2 min wall sit, 1.5 min hollow body hold). - Lunch time run at the office (about 3.5k). - Lunch time run on Tuesdays and Fridays, 3x (jump squats to failure, push-ups to failure) and plank to failure on M, W, Th. - Afternoon break PT exercises (shoulder mobility). - On Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays: whatever evening classes I have. - Thursdays and Fridays: ???? work on cosplay or w/e, just don't reach for the wine immediately upon arriving home. - Weekends: cosplay, D&D Online, some kind of physical activity. Attempt to limit wine intake to one 750ml bottle on Saturday. I'm good when it comes to nutrition and hydrating, and I actually enjoy exercising, but have been doing less of it lately. This needs to change.

SKY RETURNS: THIS IS THE WAY Hello and long time no see!! My name is Sky and this is my first challenge thread of 2022 - I've been an active member on the forums since 2016, but this year I've been hibernating in the Battle Logs section of the forums, mostly treading water while I navigate a wildly busy year. In addition to enjoying my first year of marriage to my amazing husband Eamon, we've also both changed jobs, had medical procedures, traveled for work and vacations, hosted friends and family, and supported both our sets of parents and grandparents in major health problems. It's been a lot. In the midst of our lovely happy chaotic year, I have not prioritized my diet and exercise, and as a result I've gained a lot of weight and lost a lot of strength and stamina. But now is the time to change that - I've recently been diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which is a chronic condition in which the large intestine's muscle movements don't coordinate correctly, leading to irregular bowel movements and other symptoms, like cramping, nausea, and pain. In addition to being triggered by certain foods, IBS is also often worsened by stress and anxiety; and as a lifelong anxiety sufferer, I've definitely found that my mental and physical symptoms can get into really obnoxious feedback loops. So this month, I want to finally take my health seriously and try to feel better - I want to develop an IBS-friendly meal routine, get back in the habit of moving at least a little each day, and keep caring for my mental health and stress to try to lessen their triggering power. This Is The Way I'm doing a Mandalorian-themed challenge because Eamon and I watched the whole thing together on our recent vacation, and we were obsessed. I love the idea of a creed that uses its strength and power to protect the vulnerable and take down the bad guys, and I also loved watching Mando's growth over the course of the show. I want to grow healthier and stronger so I can better care for the people in my life and be ready for whatever adventures come my way, just like Mando. The Creed: Anxiety management and mental/emotional health Frustrating as it is, changing my diet alone will not be enough to help me manage and recover from IBS. My primary trigger is anxiety and emetophobia, an extreme fear of vomiting that's linked to OCD and trauma. When I eat a food that makes me sick, that triggers anxiety and panic; and when my anxiety and panic levels are high, that almost inevitably triggers IBS symptoms. So I need to tackle this problem from multiple angles, and the foundation is my mental health. My goals for this month are: List 3 things that help me manage or breathe through anxiety symptoms and discuss how to practice those daily / as needed Make (or at least talk about) a plan with my therapist to begin EMDR or exposure therapy for my emetophobia Create and practice a mantra or group of mantras to remind myself that I am more than my fears, I am not controlled by my fears, and I am safe even when I feel afraid. Ironically, as I write these goals I'm recovering from a panic attack brought on by an unusually strong reaction to something I ate at dinner, which made me feel very nauseous and, subsequently, very panicked. I'm feeling okay now but embarrassed at being triggered and a little rattled by the unexpected food reaction, since I don't know what caused it (allergy? pre-existing anxiety from a stressful movie? hormones? problem with how I cooked it?). But on the other hand, it's a perfect opportunity to remind myself that I am safe (even if the worst were true and I were very sick, Eamon is with me and would help me, and I can get to a doctor if I need to), this will pass (I already feel better and I've made it safely through nauseous episodes many times before), and I am not controlled by my fears (after the initial panic had passed, I was able to gently move around and do some simple tasks to help ground myself while I breathed through the downswing). ❤️ The Armor: Physical movement Like many of you, I'm participating in the Nerd Fitness Walking Challenge on Facebook, which is a great kickstart to help me be a little bit active every day. While I certainly eat a lot more now than I was eating before I got married, the other factor in my weight gain is that I really just ... don't move. Our apartment is tiny, it's only about ten steps to everywhere we need to go, and it's been a very hot summer and much more fun to hang inside with my new husband and play video games than to sweat and gasp up and down hills in the heat. However, I've had periods of my life where I was very active, and periods where I was very sedentary, and so I know from experience that I feel immensely better when I'm active. While I'd love to be able to just flip a switch and go easily back to the levels of activity I was at when I felt best - who wouldn't! - I know I can only get back there slowly, through patient effort. So for this challenge, my goals are: Walk 10 minutes every day. It's totally fine if that's just walking in circles around the apartment while Eamon plays a game, or two 5-minute walks up and down the apartment building stairs during the work day. But 10 minutes a day. Go to the gym once a week. No limit on what I do there, how long I stay, etc. because I want it to be for the fun of it. Do I feel like rowing? Walking? Playing with medicine balls? Whatever my little playground heart desires, I'll be moving and that's what I want. ❤️ The Child: Diet and IBS symptom management And lastly, the final piece of the puzzle is diet. I'm working with a nutritionist to try the low-FODMAP diet, which is a diet that restricts certain foods and sweeteners that are shown to often irritate IBS. Typically, the process looks like cutting all foods that could possibly trigger my symptoms, then slowly re-introducing possible triggers one at a time and watching for symptoms, until I figure out the unique constellation of foods that I personally can and cannot eat. Now, I happened to have my first nutritionist appointment right at the beginning of a crazy month, so I have made almost no progress on the plan and need to ask her for more time to get in the groove. But last week, I did finally download some apps to look up FODMAPs in foods, planned some mostly-compliant meals for this week, and added tracking into my daily goals. So, progress is being made. My goals for this month are: Complete my second nutritionist appointment and modify my plan based on her feedback Track all daily meals in a food / nutrition app Track all daily IBS symptoms to collect data for patterns Try one new low-FODMAP recipe and report (and share!) It's not a fancy challenge, and progress will be small and slow, but it feels good to be back. I'm hoping for good discovery - and to get to check in with you all more often! This is the way!

Better late than Never 😊 Hello 😅 I'm back. I did amazingly last challenge. I then got so slammed with work I felt I didn't have time to do the next challenge, or more- I just never got around to it and it was soon way in the background. And then the stress hit 3 days ago. And I ate. And I ate. And I ate. And I drank. And I didn't think I shouldn't have. And I finally thought just now "I should go back to the NF Challenges." So here I am- after eating takeaway, with dessert on the way and sipping on whisky ready to write up a challenge and start afresh tomorrow. Last Challenge Review ✨Achieved✨ I barely remember the last challenge so it's actually nice to remember how well I did looking back. Research effective muscle recuperation techniques for rest days to try- although I didn't use them consistently, I learned a lot and a few habits stuck. I learned a little more what to use when. Completed a Nerd Fitness Quest: ✅ Plank Practice- Advanced (60") ✅ Pick a program and stick with it!- Never missed an exercise day- and I really saw the slow improvement from it! Stuck to my nutritional routine. Still ordering food from a healthy delivery service. Still doing well with my work contract despite the stress from it. Got through my endoscopy and colonoscopy on for cancer checks. 🐾Attempted🐾 Attempted Nerd Fitness Quests: 🔄 Fitness: Pushup - a bit more stable but still not a full good one 🔄 Bench press .5x your bodyweight: Currently at 35kg Muscle recuperation on off days like muscle soak baths- although I got two in and did a bit of foam rolling ❄️Didn't Work❄️ Start the Nerd Fitness Yoga program on my rest days- it was a nice idea, but really on my rest days I just wanted to chill and do nothing so this was hard. Bedroom ended up being a mess. Remembering to take my multivitamins every day. Can't really do much tracking or quests when working full time

I very, very rarely log into the forums (I made literally one comment back in 2014, and that's it...) but I'm going to assume it's the will of the universe that I land back here the day a new challenge starts. Time for some respawn goal setting! ✨ MY GOALS ✨ - Close my "Exercise" ring every day (yoga, walking, or a workout) - Eat either breakfast or lunch, every workday - Finish reading 1x personal development book - Finish 3x quilt projects In order to do this, I'm going to: 🟢 Start... - Walking to Mordor (incl. writing out a tracker) - Meal prepping lunches - Sewing in the evenings after work 🔴 Stop... - Skipping my lunch breaks! - Staying late at work every day - Collapsing onto the couch at the end of the day 🟡 Continue... - Planning out my weeks - Use timers to help stay focused - Working with Coach Andrew to stay on track My weeks tend to fall apart by about Wednesday/Thursday, so I'm going to set a reminder to come back here and follow up every Thursday. Should be easy enough to do while we're watching football! When I go to write these goals in my planner, I'm also going to include some red light/green light options so that it's less tempting to skip them.

I caught the tail end of the last one but this is technically my second challenge since I've become disabled 4.5 years ago. Keeping it the same as the last challenge-if I push it too far I'll end up making myself ill. So: 1. Workout at least twice a week. Just doing the warm up and cool down counts, what's important is consistently working at reversing the muscle atrophy. 2. At least 1000 steps a day, even when I've had a big day the day before and I'm exhausted. Should be easier now, my new walking sticks are steadier/more solid. 3. Leave the village at least once a week for something that isn't an appointment. Started this challenge off with a bang-it was Pride this weekend and I went to a last minute dinner with my brother last night, so I'm a bit exhausted today, but proud of myself for making it through even if I did push myself too far and have a seizure in a restaurant 😂 don't worry I'm fine, it's normal, but I did freak out a waitress! 23rd: 4927 steps and Pride 24th: 3514 steps and dinner 25th: 1164 steps and just the warmup and cooldown.