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Last challenge started out with the best of intentions, but life doesn’t always recognise that and sometimes will punch you in the gut, just because. After that it’s easy to roll over and decide that maybe now isn’t the right time to get back up, maybe it’s best to wait until life has focused on someone or something else. ...but such a time does not exist. The best time is NOW. I’ve tried pushing through with different methods, and despite having many failures, I’ve also gained a better idea of what works best for the different mindsets I find myself in most often. So I’ve simplified things down to the bare bones in order to minimise the stress that goal setting can have on me, and I’ve worked out a points system for it all that I can keep track of easily. MOVEMENT Do SOMETHING every day. Maybe I have a long shift and only have time for ten minutes of circuits, or maybe I have a day off and time for a full on workout. Maybe I’m feeling happy and motivated to work on deadlifts, and maybe I’m upset or anxious and would feel better taking a walk. As long as something gets done every day. Three points will be awarded for ‘full size’ workouts, a combination of bodyweight and weighted work, including warming up properly, cooling down and stretching, and work on the foam roller. Two points will be awarded for ‘regular size’ workouts, which will be counted as something that hits most of the above points, but not all. For example, warming up, working on deadlifts, then stretching afterwards. One point will be awarded for sporadic movement throughout the day, like that ten minute circuit session mentioned above, or a grease the groove approach to pull ups or pistol squats, or a few sets of push-ups here and there. No movement, no points. ***EDIT: In a slight adaptation to the above, I'm adding in a couple of small essentials that should be done daily: Mobility work: Use one of the NF Yoga mobility mini-sessions. They're all ten minutes or less, so it's not a massive time commitment. Grip work: In this case, dead hangs. Basically what I've been doing most days of this week. Every time I go past the bar, I hang from it for a while. My grip strength is shocking, and not in a good way. NUTRITION I was getting back on track in the food department, and then my fridge and freezer went kaput. Unresponsive landlord is unresponsive, so I’m making the best of it for now. It means that tins are my friend, I have to get creative with any accidental bulk cooking I do (which happens a lot), and I need to find new and interesting ways to keep the right kinds of food in my diet. Three points for three meals. A protein shake will be counted as a meal at breakfast time only, and is best accompanied by some fruit or other snack. Two points for two meals. One point for one meal plus consistent grazing. Trying to avoid this, although it’s happened a few days since the fridge went. I feel crappy after days where I haven’t eaten properly, so I can only imagine what is happening to my insides. A no point day is not an option. MIND I am first and foremost responsible for looking after myself, and that includes taking time out to do something enjoyable or nothing at all. I’ve recently changed jobs, and although I’ve only had two shifts at my new job there is a noticeable difference in atmosphere. Throughout those two shifts I’ve run into several pub regulars who have all, without fail, commented on how much happier I seem. I’d like to keep that happiness. Therefore I will take thirty minutes every day to set everything aside and do something purely for me. Three points for the full half hour. Two points for up to twenty minutes. One point for up to ten minutes. No time, no points. Although with my new shift structure there really is no excuse for not having time... REWILDING I am happier when surrounded by nature, and yet I don’t include enough of it in my life. This isn’t going to be a points goal, but I will aim to do something every day. It can be as simple as watering my small collection of plants, opening the curtains to let the daylight in, or sitting out in the garden for a little while. It can be going for a walk and turning the music off for a while, foraging for edibles in the glen, or setting up a riverside camp fire to cook a meal. So long as I’m making an effort to do something, that’s what counts. The rewards part is something I’ve not quite figured out yet, but I’ve got plenty of time to think it over, and while it is nice to get something tangible out of it all, it’s not the most important thing. The important thing is that everything will be logged here, and I mean everything. What I ate, what I did, and should the worst happen, what I didn't do and why. ***EDIT: Rewards System I've done some sums and have decided that the maximum number of points I can earn in this challenge is 243. That's accounting for full nutrition and mind points daily, a full size workout every second day, and a workout every other day. Based on that I've split things up very roughly, figured out what will both motivate me and further my progress, and have come up with the following rewards: 0-120 = The knowledge that I tried my best, and next time will do better! 121-174 = Been there, done that, got the t-shirt (the nerdier the better). 175-200 = The knowledge that I'm getting a grip on this healthy living business (fat grips). 200-243 = A congratulatory pat on the back (plus a shiny sandbag). I debated the consolation prize thing, but in the decided that if I didn't even get halfway then there's no point. The t-shirt reward will do nothing to further my progress, that is motivational enabling that's come about purely because I've got my eye on a few different ones, and want an excuse to buy one. Grips are self-explanatory and varied grip training will help massively for bouldering. The sandbag (which does not have to be shiny!) is for training variation. That way I can train inside, or just as easily take it out for a walk.

***YES, THIS CHALLENGE IS STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION. SOME ADDITIONAL PYLONS ARE STILL REQUIRED.*** "If you're not waking up in the morning and living your life like a ritual of creation or destruction or life or death or love or hate then you really are just dying one minute at a time." - Paul "Grimnir" Waggener of the Wolves of Vinland Epic Quest: MogiShade's Five Year Plan and his Impossible List Quest: To improve my strength to body-weight ratio through body-weight training and dropping fat. I realise this is not very specific, but I am not too sure what a good goal would be for a six week time frame. Goal 1: HIIT (running), twice per week (value: Dex 3, Sta 2) Goal 2: Bodyweight Exercises, every morning and after every run. See below for more details. (value: Str 5) Goal 3: Mobility/Parkour Training, once a week. (value: Dex 5) Side-Quest: Push-ups! I aim to hit 1500 total during the challenge. (All push-ups count including pike, decline, diamond, etc...) Life Quest: Sharpen up my decaying chef cooking skills and rekindle my passion for food. I haven't cooked anything requiring a demanding technique in a long time. My knife skills are rusty. I just don't challenge myself in the kitchen anymore. I've been mailing it out for years. I will make one challenging meal per week. Motivation: I don't have a super tangible or corporeal source of motivation. The last two challenges were both cerebral and introspective. I now feel super anxious, physically speaking. I just want something to sink my teeth into. I want to sweat, I want to hurt, I want to die a little. I want to get mad for all the right reasons. I want tunnel vision. I want to compress my mind. I want to get uncomfortable and like it. Maybe I will come up with something better. Post-Run Exercise Routine: I doubt I will setting into a specific routine for this, but the exercises I will focus on will include push-ups, glute bridges, squats, walking lunges, planks, and bear crawls. Morning Routine: I want to do something physical as soon as I wake up. This shouldn't be a full workout, as I already workout during the week. This is more about waking up, getting the blood pumping, and learning to embrace the suck. When I wake up, I feel like I've had cotton stuffed into my head. I amble about like a zombie searching for coffee, music, and a pad and pen. I want to wake up and get angry, to get mean, to get motivated. Super-set Bulgarian bodyweight split squats w/ push-ups and pike push-ups super-setted with bridges followed by handstand practice. Mobility Exercises (once per week at least): Ground kongs, broad jump, jump squats, cat hang bicycles, full squat, bridges, burpees, and duck unders. Also balance practice. Not necessarily all of these every time, going to sort of feel my way through it. Challenge Resources Demon Drills/Ryan Ford (YouTube Channel)