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Aside from appointments here and there, I no longer have any evening commitments. It finally feels like I can breathe, especially since a few important things in my life have recently been dealt with. This much free time can be bad for my waistline if I spend all of it playing video games, though, so this challenge will be about re-establishing some healthy habits. If I treat them like the Daily Quests I do on FFXIV, surely this will work...right? Daily Quests: - Sun salutations every morning, followed by a 1 min plank. - 4 min Tabata workout on the Assault Bike every morning. - Sweep the main floor every evening (because the wind from the Assault Bike sends cat and dog hair flying EVERYWHERE and I don't want to have to sweep in the mornings). - Intermittent fasting (easy, because making food is annoying and this means I'll have to do it less). - Go to bed at a reasonable hour (easier because if I'm sober I get tired around 9 PM because apparently I am Old™ now). - Daily bodyweight workout (the details aren't 100% figured out, so this goal may be left out, or implemented mid-challenge). I'll probably adjust things before Week 1. (I suspect more thought dumping will also be happening in this post because there are a lot of thoughts and feelings and emotions going on on the back of my mind re. this challenge and life and everything, but I can't quite put them all into words right now.)

Yes, I'm changing the theme! Hey, it's only Week One. I had this thought a few days ago that took fire that I should really do a Stardew Valley-themed challenge, and it caught fire in my mind and I decided I didn't want to wait 5 weeks. This theme change is a bit of work in progress--but I'm hoping by the next challenge I'll have it more developed. You can see the new challenge starting here. Previous challenge below cut:

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

RESPAWN! Again! I'd like to just not address the fact that I'm respawning again. I thought that I was going to. I thought I might say some things to explain why I ghosted the last attempt. I'm skipping the excuses, though. I know what happened, and that's enough. I'm showing up. What I will do is apologize to the people I follow and try to support for having not only ghosted my own challenge but for ghosting the forum full stop. I should've been there. My Challenge (Edited on 02/07 to increase likelihood of success) Get out of bed at 4:30 AM every morning, weekday or weekend. Gradually work toward getting up at 4:00 AM. Get out of bed at 4:00 AM Tuesdays and Thursdays, and at 4:30 AM on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. I need my "me" time and early morning is the only realistic opportunity for me to get it. I can exercise, drink a bit of coffee, be alone for a bit, meditate... The morning is mine! Exercise for 30 minutes 4 days a week. Gradually work up to 45 minutes 6 5 days a week. I am paying for a remote personal trainer and I need to follow the plan. The whole reason I have her on my team is to help me focus on wellness. So that's what I'm going to do. Edit: First week no pressure to exercise. Grace week. Track my food intake and aim for my calorie and protein goals. Practice meditation daily 3x per week for 5 minutes. Gradually work toward 10 minutes. Basically, I'm respawning with the same challenge as last time. I got out of bed at 4:30 AM to write this challenge up, so I'll take that as evidence that I can do it all! Thank you for reading this and for following, if you choose to. This place is the best. Today I woke up at 4:30 AM (finally!) and actually rolled out of bed when my alarm went off.

Hello all! I haven't been here for about 5 years but I want to get back into the workout game again. I already updated my Battle Log on my plans for tomorrow but I thought I'd post here too to make it official. Things are really tough right now for me but I am determined to push through and face what's up ahead for me. See y'all tomorrow

Hey guys... I haven't done anything consistently in the last few months, but I've hung around to know I haven't given up, and I've occasionally put forth a bit of effort to include a warm up or some activity to keep me in the mode of doing something to make it a little easier to do things. I've also latched onto games with hyper focus, so I suspect I'm trying to soothe some inner turmoil with digital distractions, so contemplation may be in order. I'm also debating how best to make exercise snacks more accessible, and how to convince myself to prep veggies snacks so that I can feel better about how I fuel up. These are the things on my mind, and hopefully by January first I can figure out what all my goals should be.

Art by: https://www.deviantart.com/allnamesinuse It's another year and another respawn for me! 2024... My how it's come upon me so quickly. I got reminded just the other day of how quickly a year passes when I got a reminder email of a digital journal entry I wrote a year ago to the date. In that entry I wrote about how disappointed that I was in myself in 2022. How I stopped exercising consistently after being quite the hiker and shadow boxing enthusiast. Rather than be depressed by the fact that I would write practically the exact same thing today (disappointment and call to action), I felt more emboldened to turn things around heading into 2024. So, here I am again. This time I am an injured warrior who woke from a magical, social media induced coma and must make my way through the unforgiving winter landscape to my place of refuge. My refuge is consistency. My refuge is habit. My refuge is progression. Goals: Log food and drinks that aren't water into my journal daily. Log exercises as I do them. For this challenge, I'll put $10 into a new clothing fund for every workout over 20 minutes that I accomplish. Don't buy any new items of clothing or other frivolous stuff at all this challenge. It's time to be more conscious about my spending habits. Spend 5 minutes each day in meditative practice or spiritual reflection. That said, I should note that there will be a slight delay in my attempt to reach my refuge. Unfortunately, I have a respiratory illness right now that's got me in its snares. Let's just say I'm making weak healing potions while I gather my strength for the journey.

For 10+ years my workout routine was: Weekdays 5:00 a.m. at the gym for a 45 minute workout before starting work Yoga class every Monday night Mix of different classes at the gym or riding my bike 2-4 nights/week Outdoorsy stuff (hiking, biking, camping, kayaking, paddleboarding) on weekends I lost all of this about five years ago, for many different reasons. I am going to restart this routine (oh, how I have missed it) by going back to the gym in the early morning every weekday. The gym was open a little late this morning but I was there.

Respawn Time August 2023 - 363 lbs. at 6'3 January 1st 2024 - 306 lbs. at 6'3 I made nutritional changes with no other adjustments. Now is the time for the full respawn, hitting it from all angles, Nutrition, Physical, and Mindset. Nutrition Goals: 100% compliance to my current eating regime unless I going out with my family for dinner. No meals at home that don't meet my goals. This will allow me to still enjoy social, and family meals without guilt. Physical Goals: Lift heavy things twice per week. Strength training plan is 2 days of BP, OHP, DL, SQ. One day a week of Cardio (Heart Health is important. I'm not getting any younger) Mindset Goals: 30 minutes 3 times per week engaging the mind. This could be a podcast, reading a book, listening to an audio book. Something that isn't just mindless scrolling. Accountability Goal: Log it all! I have created a OneNote and I am logging - my weight my activity did I remember my meds and supplements? what did I eat? how much water did I drink (goal is 120oz a day) did I complete all my tasks on the NF Journey app? did I log my miles in my Walk to Mordor? I am not counting calories or anything that detailed but tracking keeps me accountable. Too long have I sat on the back burner of my own life and health. No More!

Another go at this. Last attempt at getting a challenge going again was riddled with stress factors that knocked me out of the game. Ideally, I want to get to a point where I can let stress hit me but not get through my Fortitude... but I am just a fledgling and these things take time to build up. I've been stuck in a rut for ... way too long. I need to get out of it, but, just like a wagon wheel stuck in the mud it's going to take my effort, and my willing to get dirty. So I need to push through with discipline until motivation shows its beautiful face again. Biggest backslides over the past year have been food and exercise. (Lol, nice time to get a double whammy) - I've lost the momentum and discipline on getting some daily movement, and the food gets worse with the less I move. Instead of getting brain boosts from activity, the brain asks for quick hits from junk food and the like. So this challenge is going to be about two things first and foremost. And these things are my current 'beast'. In VtM they refer to the beast within as that monstrous voice leading you away from maintaining your humanity. Many, but not all, vampires put up a valiant effort to fight off that beast. THE GOALS Food - Track calories. It's not always the most fun, but it's the most accurate way for me to pay attention and make good choices. I too easily say "that's probably not so bad" and let things slide when I am not tracking accurately. So we're tracking calories daily. I realize some meals I can only 'best guess'. So the rule for that is, over-estimate the best guess, or eat just half. I don't want to become someone that 'can't eat out with friends' so the compromise is to make eating out less about the food more about the people - and choosing smaller plates, and/or eating half. Track Food 7x / Week -- Allowances for things I can't be accurate on, so as not to make this an all or nothing approach. Exercise - Move. In some way. At least 5x a week. Pretty self explanatory here. I lost the exercise habit and need to get it back. So for now, nothing more complex than "purposefully move, 5x a week" - that can be a 20 minute walk, or an hour long lift, or Beat Saber, or anything else. The idea is to just do it. Even when the brain suggests I do something else with that time. That's it. Oh, and track it. Because without tracking, I tend to get kind of careless. That's it. Those are the only two things that are going up on here. The rest of the things that I want to keep in habit of, I'll do my best to do that *guitar, music, art, etc, but they are not being prioritized right now, until these two habits get back to being habits.

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.

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.

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!