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Keeping it simple: I want to improve my morning productivity! How does a superheroine improve level up? She puts on her Supersuit. Every weekday morning I will put on my workout clothes (or clothes for the day) before I go into the kitchen. That will be my signal. I have battles to face, and I must be prepared. I've struggled with my updates the last couple months. I think the issue is, I've been levelling up for so long, that I actually have quite a few things I'm working on. And I write them down as goals, and feel like I need to write an essay every time I come on here. And I don't always have time, or energy. So, I will update whether or not I won my morning. If I want to report on other stuff, great, but it's fine if I don't. What is the other stuff? Hydrating, mindful eating, Bible reading, workout, sleeping, life? RIght now the workout I am doing is Strong Curves by Brett Contreras. And a rowing sprint once a week. Movement in there with rowing, walking, or gardening.

[Placeholder for goals to follow] I don't want to post my goals until after I get back from vacation or I will feel guilty about not following them while on vacation. Because that's how I roll. In the meantime.... (Soon) ETA: I want to really focus on slaying the sugar demon this challenge, especially because this is the last challenge before the holidays hit with a vengeance. I would like to be able to enjoy holiday treats with moderation. Last challenge, I made a small step in this direction by limiting (or attempting to limit) the size of the sweets I eat. This was not a co.plete success, but I think there was progress made here. I also made some observations about what factors contributed to fail days. This challenge will be addressing some of those challenges. Primary goal: Substitute fruit or yogurt for dessert 5 days a week. Desserts, when eaten, must be patisserie-sized. Hopefully allowing some treats will keep me from imploding, especially in the event of special events. Obstacle #1: Fatigue All too often I stay up much too late reading. It used to be less of an issue because as a homeschool mom, I set my own schedule and don't have to be up particularly early. Enter The Change. For no good reason whatsoever, I am now having difficulty staying asleep past 6:30 or so, no matter how much or little sleep I have acquired by this hour. The build up of fatigue tends to spill over into binging on food, especially sweets, to find energy to cope with the sleep deprivation. Therefore, I am setting a bedtime of 9:55 to help me get sufficient rest. Obstacle #2: Hydration I noticed a couple episodes last challenge when I felt compelled to eat, but the feeling went away if I had something to drink instead. I know that I chronically under-hydrate, so I want to set some goals to help me hydrate properly throughout the day. a) Drink 12oz of water every morning before coffee. Before coffee. b) Make a broth-based soup at least once a week. Stews, chilis, and other soup-adjacent dishes count as long as they are broth-based and not cream. I can eat cream soups, they just don't count for my scoring. This generally should result in eating soup 3-4 days a week, since I make a lot more than I can eat in one sitting. It also has the benefit of being quite satisfying for little calories, incorporate more veggies in my diet, and is hydrating! c) Enjoy a cup of herbal or spiced tea before bed, preferably outside as weather permits. I find it grounding to relax outside in the evening. It reduces stress and helps me avoid the general evening munchies tradition in my family. I was going to add more, but I think that's enough to start with. Too many moving parts tends to overwhelm. Happy challenge!

Part way through this challenge, we will be vacationing at Disneyland and Joshua Tree National Park.Which means I get to ride the Incredicoaster. My Incredicoaster Challenge: Looking forward I've stopped writing down my daily and weekly plans, I want to start that again Climb to the top of the hill: Cardio, Continue walking, no real goal, just get some in, if I'm not rowing that day do a bit more walking Rowing: I want to finish the 24 day zone 2 and 5 rowing challenge goal is 2 days a week zone 2, 1 day a week zone 4 or 5 VIew from the top Strength train 3-4 days a week. This is fairly easy for me, I like strength training Going Down Work on looking incredible in my shorts for my trip Follow Eating Skills Good : Track in MFP 3 days a week, keep within my range Better 4 days a week, including a weekend day Best: Best days a week including a weekend day The Loop I don't like the upside down part of the coaster. I also don't like drinking lots of water. But some things are just part of the ride. This challenge I'm just going to track my water. Drink my big glass in the morning, and then track the liquids I drink. Any liquid counts (except alcohol) I will track in the Fitbit app. Good: track 3 days Better track 4 days Best track 5 days Side quests: Finish staining fence Begin preparing the garden for winter To do list for final vacation plans frames for pictures Other notes: On vacation I will not be working on my challenge goals. I will be enjoying my vacation. And probably getting in oodles of steps. The only real goals I have for eating during vacation is to eat slowly, and savor the moments.

The realm where humans live, Midgard is neither freezing nor fiery, and is balanced between chaos and order. It is surrounded by a sea in which lives the world serpent Jormungundr, and the only magic is that of nature and humans. I have a lot of fatigue, distraction and avoidance at the moment, and have not yet seen any improvements in energy from the exercise. Art and other projects seem out of reach at the moment. Alas. But what does Kratos do when he is injured or tired and cannot run? He walks. What does he do if the most direct path is blocked? He goes around. So in this challenge, I will do what small amounts I can in the four areas I identified. I have added a fourth category to address my recently increased weight and walking pains. Strength: Workout & Walk. I will continue with the rowing programme, as written. This is my priority, and may in fact be the reason for my current tiredness. It could take months to see improvements in daily energy, so I just have to stick at it. On non-rowing days I will do easy weights or a longer morning walk as my workout. I am training to train; that is, my goal adaptation is the ability to handle a higher workload. Walking adds to my volume without greatly increasing fatigue. It's also a very Midgardian/human activity. To increase volume further I will add short afternoon walks as well. Stoicism: Reframe & Read. I started well last challenge because of my mindset, but I didn’t make said mindset a formal part of the challenge. This time, I will try to tame my avoidance by framing difficulties and unwanted obligations as a form of mental training, and renew my commitment to choosing my own attitude each day. Hopefully avoidance can become acceptance. A good time for this is with the first cup of tea. It will be reframing tea. I will also read a single letter by the Midgard philosopher Seneca each day, and take notes. Spirit: Prayer & Practice. I will continue my morning prayer, but a shorter version without meditation, since I am low on motivation. And for the evening practice I will do the “somatic experiencing” exercises that the fatigue clinic prescribed for me, which are about feeling safe, present, and bounded in one’s Midgardian vessel. There’s no good time for this because I never feel like it, but I’ll set a timer for 4pm. Structure: Freedom and Form. The distraction addiction seized some ground these last few weeks. I was exhausted when I returned from Hamburg, but I also started using Mr Harriet’s old laptop, which has no internet blocks on it. I will reclaim a small amount of freedom back by avoiding the internet between 7-9am, with a block. I know it’s not much. Hopefully I’ll add more next challenge. In addition, I will take care of my Midgardian form by choosing between hunting/ gathering or textile maintenance daily. Sustenance: Menu and Measure. I plan to drop weight to help with fatigue and foot and knee pain. And also because I gained 7.5kg after returning to a mixed diet from carnivore, and I cannot pretend that all of it is glycogen and water weight. Also, my aching feet don't care if they're carrying water or fat; it's too much. From previous failed attempts I have learned many lessons and I believe I now have an idea of how to proceed. I’ll note daily whether I followed my eating plan. I’ll report weekly on my weight, how well I stuck to the plan, and whether the plan felt reasonably easy and sustainable. If not, the plan has to change. Walk on!

Some mood musique We had some interesting discussions about French dietary habits last challenge (small portions, variety, satiety, quality, etc) that made me want to try a little French-themed experiment this challenge. It may seem like I have a lot of goals (especially after the last extremely simplified challenge), but some of these goals are things I do pretty well anyway and am just adding it to round out the theme. ? Boulangerie An important aspect of French cuisine is fresh, quality ingredients, especially BREAD ?. Sure, vegetables too, but we will work up to those. My goal is to bake my own bread twice during the challenge. I have no idea how long I should expect a loaf to last, and I don't want to overwhelm, so two is a good goal to start. The bread does not have to be French -- in fact, I can almost guarantee the first one will be focaccia -- but baguette may happen if I am ambitious. ? Patisserie Desserts are de rigeur in France, even among the svelte, but portion sizes are miniscule compared to American servings. So my goal is to keep desserts to French standard portion sizes - two or three good bites. The best way to make this portion size feel satisfying is of course to take smaller bites and savor a quality dessert (no prepackaged cookies, trail mix, or other low quality "junk foods"). A square of dark chocolate is fine. ? La TraverSeine There is an annual rowing event on the Seine in Paris in early September. Kayaks, canoes, even dragon boats may enter for the 15k "explore" event or 26k competition. The route goes under some 30 Parisian bridges and past most of the tourist traps: Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre Dame, etc etc. I...will not be going ?. But, for fun I will pretend to be training for the event by indoor rowing twice a week (minimum) and actually kayaking at least once (hopefully the Poker Run mid-August). ? La Louvre Continue my exploration of pen and ink art via the Inktober52 Instagram challenge. We are on week 29 (I think?) and I haven't missed a week yet! Lingua Franca Maintain my streak of foreign language practice on Duolingo (currently at 209 days).

I was struggling to come up with a theme, or goals. So, I think I will just do an unchallege, and share my favorite Christmas carol I will be following NF's bodyweight Heroes Journey app at level 17 Working on rowing, Getting some movement in with GMB's Literal Immortality and walking I will be celebrating Christmas and the Advent season decorating cookies baking decorating the tree buying gifts Christmas movies parties singing

I love Advent season. My family has lots of traditions and we try to make it a special time of year. Some of our traditions this year are not happening, though thankfully some still can. I will hopefully think of other things we can do to make this time of year a special time. I'm going to keep my goals simple. Goal 1 Ignite my Superpowers; My superpowers are the values I have pertaining to food and fitness (and other things too) I use them to help me make decisions. My superpowers are Joy, family, and self control. These are really helpful this time of year. Self control reminds me to use skills such as eating slowly, choosing whole foods to fill me up, delaying a snack to see if I'm hungry. Joy reminds me that I need to enjoy my food. This means to slow down and eat it. It means that the holidays are a wonderful time of year, filled with many sweet treats that remind me how sweet my life is. I need to enjoy those times and treats with my family(no guilt for eating the 'wrong food) I can also use my self control to stop me from being overfull, which does not bring me joy. Goal 2 Christmas Cheer Lots of things going on. I have several plans to make Christmas joyous. I am doing a scrapbook for my inlaws, plans to reserve a spot at driver through Christmas lights, baking. Usually I'm an Amazon gift shopper.This year I'd like to buy more local gifts at our stores. This is going to take more planning, so I need to get on it. Best way to handle this is to make a plan for each week, and follow through Goal 3 Song; I'd like Mr. Incredible and I to sing a Christmas song before dinner each night, so I'm going to try and remember that. Goal 4; Light; Same as last time ; Read my Bible in the morning, turn on Sunlamp, use blueblocker glasses at night Bonus: be the light to others, see how many people I can bring just a bit of cheer to. Edit to add fitness stuff: Doing the kettlebell program on the NF app- 3 days a week also doing Vitamin- this is recovery day, so if I feel the need to move, if I don't have time or don't want to, that's a fine option walking- being outside , even on gray days helps with SAD, so I'm going to try for at least 15 minutes a day , unless the weather is absolutely dreadful) rowing- I'm enjoying the rowing workouts from Dark Horse Rowing, so those will probably happen too. The KB program is my main goal, so these fit in as time and energy allow pistol : I decided I'm still going to work on getting the pistol squat. so I will do that at least 2 x a week

The sun burned orange through her eyelids. Devyn groaned and rolled over, burying her face in the warm sand. Sand? She pushed herself up, though she was blistered and sore. The bright light shone upon the white sand, blinding her for a moment. All she could see through her tears was an ocean of white contrasting with an ocean of blue. Ocean? She rubbed her eyes and tried to slowly get used to her blinding world. The sun was hot and she felt as if she had been the subject of its fury for a while. A bird screeched through the jungle. Jungle? A sudden and worrisome thought stabbed at her brain, more painful than the light in her eyes. She forced her lids open and saw that she was on a beach. Behind her was jungle. All around her was sand, ocean and trees. There was no sign of civilization anywhere. She walked around for a bit, difficult because the sand was so deep and she was so small. She trudged toward the trees and shouted. “Hullo?†A loud bird answered. She walked around some more, calling out her name, introducing herself to anyone who might be around. But it was only the animals and the sound of the waves that greeted her in return. An island. She was deserted on an island. That Blerch. That sunnabitch! That’s right. I’ve got to survive on a deserted island! How do I do this? By adopting a primal lifestyle of course! It’s the only way. Until I find a way off, it’s the only way. How do I do this? 1. Primal diet - I’ve got no choice. They don’t have a supermarket on the island. I have to eat off the land. Hunting, fishing and gathering. There’s no other way. I must follow a strict primal lifestyle. 2. Distance - There of course will be a lot of walking. Not only do I have to hunt, gather and fish, but I’ve got to find a way off this island! I’m also a kender, so staying put is not an option for me. The total circumference of this island is 150 miles. I must reach this distance through running, walking, swimming, rowing (or biking, shhhhh). This means I have to do one of these every single day. 3. Jumping - Because. Surely there’s got to be a lot of jumping involved. I’m not sure why yet, but I’m sure it will come up during my stay here. My jumping, because of all my problems in previous battles, has become a bit rusty. I can jump 12†but I need to level up. I will work on squats, box jumps, broad jumps and other lower body exercises to level up to an 18†jump. 4. Pull ups - Climbing trees, climbing rocks, running from large predators and accidentally running too far and falling off a cliff but saving myself by grabbing onto a lucky random branch hanging out off the side of the cliff. All of those things take upper body strength. And I have to do it to survive on this island. Or else large predator will eat me or I will not be able to hold onto the branch. I need to strengthen my upper body. To do this, I will do pushups, dips, weight lifting and assisted pull ups. My goal is to go from 75lbs to 35lbs on the assisted pull up machine. If I don’t do these things, I will not survive. But wait! There’s more! Luckily, I was stranded with my backpack. These are the only things that will keep my entertained. In it are books, pens and papers. I can read and write (OOC: because I’m a student of literature and creative writing) to keep myself entertained. I will be keeping a journal (either here or in the battle logs section) because that’s what stranded people do. On top of that, I have to build and maintain a shelter. This means daily work is involved. I need to keep my environment optimal for survival. And I must remember to play. Play to keep sane. So what’s the typical day in the life of a kender stranded on an island? From sun up to sun down, I will do my best to live the primal lifestyle. I have been doing it in bits and pieces in the past, but this is where I bring some of the most important elements together. I’ll wake up with the sun (my natural sunlight alarm clock) and hunt for some breakfast. I may or may not find any. Then I’ll probably do some reading or writing. Then I’ll have to take down my shelter. When I finish, I’ll walk around, trying to discover a way off the island. this might involve some adventuring which will lead to using my jumping and pull up skills. During this time, I’ll try to find some food. At the end of the day, I’ll rebuild my shelter, cook some dinner and then read or write until the sun goes down. Then I get a good night’s sleep until I do it again. Sure, that might sound dull, but I think it sounds kinda peaceful. And when a kender is involved, who knows what the next day might bring. tl;dr Got stuck on a desert island, now I have to eat good food and exercise to survive.

Hi Druids! A Ninja (in training) is joining your ranks for this challenge. Short recap: In my previous challenge, we followed Swen, my alter ego, who is attending a camp in the Shadow Mountains. His mentor, BrusLi, has now explained that Swen for the remainder of the summer must leave and explore the world outside camp. Swen has reached the physical requirements for joining the fellowship of the Shadow Ninjas, but now he has to for the next 6 weeks be prepared mentally as well. In this challenge, I won’t be as thorough as I was in my previous one. For instance, I will meditate daily, but it´s not the end of the world if I miss a session. Looking at the bigger picture is key, and my grading will be based thereafter. Mindfulness and awareness (WIS+4): I will be more mindful, more present, more aware of my feelings and thoughts. In plain English, this means: I will meditate daily (Qigong and/or other meditation forms)I will eat mindfully and slowly (no computer, and preferably no reading either) I will be more mindful during my day (no constant checking the iPhone, not turn on the computer at once when I feel bored etc)I will be aware of how blessed I am by writing a gratitude journal dailyI will focus on how I feel, instead of how I look. This means no weighing myself or looking in the mirror (body composition). This will be tough….I will take a day of mindfulness every week and some nights. This means, no phone, no computer (unless for writing) and no TV. Taking part of in the world (CHA+4): I have few friends, and I feel that I´m slipping away from the ones I have (different interest, so it´s not a bad thing). Therefor, I will expand my circle and trying to meet new people (IRL…..). I will meet new people who share my hobbies and values.I will every day make the world a better place. It doesn´t have to be big things, it can be anything from picking up litter, writing a kind compliment in the woot room to doing a random act of kindness in the supermarket. The important thing is that I do something and that I do it daily to get the habit going. Food and fitness (STR+2, STA+2): This is mainly not a fitness challenge, but I still want to stay in shape, so…… I will track and plan my food intake so as to be sure that I eat enough but don´t binge (>1500 kcal in one meal)I will work out / climb 7 times a weekI hate the rowing machine (ok, maybe don´t hate it, but it just so fricking exhausting J), but since my knee injury won´t let me run, and this is supposed to be a challenge…..I will row once a week (assuming my knees are holding up), starting with 2 K, then gradually going up (goal will be somewhere around 5-7 K). The longest I´ve ever rowed so far is 1 K so I have no idea how my body will react.Life goal (WIS+3): I will write my personal manifesto. The hope is that this declaration will help me focus on what I deem most important in my life, and provide me with guidelines when making decisions. Motivation: “Someone once told me the definition of Hell: The last day you have on earth, the person you became will meet the person you could have become.†This pretty much says it all. I want to live my life to the fullest, and I do this by staying fit, by eating food that gives me energy, by being a “good†human, by not wasting my life in the couch watching crappy B-movies on Netflix. Psyched to be here, and hope to meet some new friend in this guild! Ohh, PS, If you don´t like people who ponder and submit their random thoughts, you probably should´t follow this thread…..

MAIN QUEST: 25% BODY FAT BY 28.12.2014 Ok, time to get specific. I want to be at 25% body fat by my 25th birthday, exactly 5 months away. I've been a member of NF for a year and a half now. The same time period since I started on my fitness journey (cringe, cheesy!) I've learnt a lot in that time, and seen some great results and some frustrating plateaus. I'm on my annual month long break from work now, and I want to take advantage of the time off, and nail this challenge. My plan is threefold: FOOD SLEEP EXERCISE Record it. Log it. Do it. #1. Put it in the book. I now have a dedicated Ems book, where I can log all my foods and sleeps and exercisey shenanigans. All I'm going to ask of myself is that it makes it into the book, every damn day, and is as accurate as possible. If it makes it to MFP, then great, but not essential. 42 (days) - 37: A 36 - 31: B 30 - 25: C 20 or less: F #2. Fail to prepare, prepare to fail. Time off work means more time to prepare food. Preparation means planning, buying, cooking/assembling. I want to improve my batcave by having yummy Ems-friendly foodstuffs on hand all the time. I'll post on here as I go, and measure it by week: Eg. Week 1: What did I plan to eat/buy/cook etc. #3. Be a grown up. I've been thinking a lot lately about the future, and I have a good idea about things I'd like to do. I want to become qualified as a gym instructor, and maybe eventually a PT or a strength & conditioning coach. There's a course near me I would LOVE to do, but it will take some delicate work schedule negotiation. I also want to go on a proper holiday next year, snowboarding in Canada. I don't know why exactly, it just really appeals to me . So, time to get specific. Things to do (these will be ticked off when completed): Email my bosses and request a meeting. Done 20.08.2014 Have said meeting, and deal with the outcome. Done 30.08.2014 Make a new account/direct debit to save money for Canada. Side quest: Work through NF Academy. I'm going to pretty this up with gifs and all that malarkey over the next few days but that's the basic plan Can someone please tell me how to put a progress bar in please? I know where the progress bar button is, but have no idea how to make it say what I want (I want it to track my bodyfat). Thank you sexy nerds!

Hey sexy nerd peeps! This is my ninth challenge (where does the time go!) and after chilling with the Adventurers and roaming around with the Rangers its time for me to hang out with the mighty assassins. I feel like I've hit a bit of a plateau lately and I need to shake things up, refocus and shift my perspective (maybe to upside down in a free standing handstand one day, that would be awesome). I've danced my entire life and absolutely love it (a lot of ballet, a bucket load of contemporary/modern, and the odd bit of tap, breakdancing and hiphop thrown in for good measure) and now teach it professionally. I've been very focused on fitness over the past months which I can feel has benefited my dancing, and now I want to explore this more deeply and get back to the grooviness. That's where you guys come in MAIN QUEST: DROP FAT*. KEEP MUSCLE. * OBVIOUSLY NOT ALL OF IT, SINCE SOME IS REQUIRED TO, YOU KNOW, STAY ALIVE The fitness side of my life is really good. Exercise is built into my days, partly through my job, and partly through my personal trainer, my own dance training, and my fondness for rowing (ergo right now, back on water in the future). I love exercise, I genuinely enjoy it and it has become a rewarding habit that needs little willpower. This is not the case with nutrition. I know this is what needs to change in order to drop the fat. Right now I am at 32% body fat, but rather than giving myself a specific number to aim for as I've done in the past, I'm going to take a leaf out of The Beard's book, and just focus on the process of bringing it down. #1. Hey girl, eat to support, not to destroy. More than half the challenge days are days. My diet is much better than it used to be, not fully Paleo as I still eat dairy, but lots of veggies, protein and no carbs other than the odd cracker. I've also got into the habit of tracking my food, and a good day gets a smiley face This goal is simple - more smiley faces than not. All food will be tracked in my battle log, goal is 22 or more :)s. #2. Hey girl, no sugar on more than half the days this challenge. 22 days or more. This is a goal I share with Endor over in the Rangers. We are both getting in our own way with sugary nonsense, so are teaming up to kick some ass! Side quest. Hey girl, get your assassin on! I am really excited by the 6 week skills challenge, I think its a genius idea. I can do a pistol squat on both legs, only mastered it very recently and it felt amazing! I'd love to be able to get my reps up, and just have a play around with other things, work on my splits and handstands, yoga poses etc. The phonebook is a fantastic resource, so excited to level up and learn from you wonderful people. One more thing. Some of you may have noticed the hey girl tag or the pictures of Ryan Gosling littered throughout this thread. I am a big Gosling fan, partly because I think he is a truly talented actor, and partly because he's very easy on the eye He has been my challenge theme for a few now, and never ceases to be motivating. Please feel free to post any Ryan gems you may come across during this challenge. Here's to an assassiny 6 weeks!

Main Quest Be able to complete the Marines Physical Fitness Test with maximal scoring. 100 sit ups in 2 minutes, 8 pull-ups and 4.82 km in 21 minutes (4:20 minute kilometer). Challenge Goals Goal #1: Row, row, row my boat DEX: 4 STA:1 I'm great at starting challenges late this month! At our local box they're having a virtual contest to see how many meters they can row compared to others online. I decided to follow it along in my own way and participate as a silent member. The challenge is to row 100,000 meters by the start of February. Since I started late I need to row 4,347 meters per day to meet the quota. Goal #2: Tighten my belt time CON: 2 WIS: 3 I want to bring a lunch to school everyday and try cut down on the amount of food I buy at the cafeteria. I didn't get as much OSAP as I thought I would so I need to keep my groceries under $25 per week and my entertainment funds under $25. I can do this, it's not giving into being lazy and packing a lunch. Goal #3: Pull myself off this plateau. STR: 3 STA: 1 Still working on pull ups, trying to get one unassisted before the end of the challenge. The arm routine I'm doing now has seen some great results so paired with the rowing and continuous work on them I'm hoping to make it there. Side Quest: Complete Marine PFT again WIS: 1

EMS 6.0. COMMITMENT. Time to be like the pig...in a sense MAIN QUEST: 20% BODY FAT 100% AWESOME Hey sexy fit nerds! It's new challenge time - yey! My last challenge was pretty good, but what held it back was my lack of commitment. Some weeks were amazing, some complete pants, and what was frustrating was that I could see that what I was doing in the amazing weeks was working, but still failed to keep it up! I know that a low carb Paleo-ish diet really works for me, my body fat levels drop, my muscle increases and my athletic performance is outstanding (I have the 500m row and deadlift PRs to prove it). So this time, the challenge is: commitment com-mit-ment [kuh-mit-muh nt] noun 1. staying loyal to what you said you were going to do long after the mood you said it in has left #1. I don't eat bread or sugar. These are my two biggest nutritional vices. It is time to tackle the big stuff. I've kicked the sugar monster before, not for as long, but I'm confident I can beat this. NB: I am allowing honey (yes I know its sugar!) but only with my Greek yoghurt and in my post training smoothies. I am also still eating fruit. Bread, as read on Nerd Fitness Academy, is calorically dense and nutritionally empty. Bye bye bread. My diet will be a combination of my PTs plan, and recipes from this site and the Academy. I might allow myself the odd cracker, but other than that it is no carbs (aside from veggies), lots of protein and dairy (I don't seem to have a problem with this, but might drop it next challenge and see what affect it has). This is a simple cold turkey approach, as I've found from past experiences that this works best for me; I can't do moderation. Moderation to me means, 'you've started now, quick, eat it all before someone steals it!' #2. Work, play, rest. In that order. I have become a lazy idiot lately and have got my priorities a bit muddled. Daily work to do lists. Food cooked and planned. Clothes/bag packed the night before. Then , and only then, can collapse on the sofa, in the smug haze of productiveness and efficiency #3. Sleep. Makes everything easier. Bed by 11pm on work nights (11:30pm on Tuesdays) A simple goal carried over from last challenge. It really works, but I need the accountability - its not yet a habit. SIDE QUEST: ATTENTION. RACE! Get on the erg. I have decided to enter my first indoor rowing race in Cardiff. It's just under a month away, 07.12.2013. I am rather scared. But, with Steve's motivational words ringing in my ears about spontaneity and the like, I've decided to go for it. It is a mainly a race against yourself, against the machine. Worst case scenario - I row worse than my current PR. Not really so terrible. I do need to do some serious training though, a minimum of twice a week. Ok, there we go. Time to make a decision. Reset my mind and body. Make a commitment, and stick to it. Here's to the journey NB: Grading to come.

This is my first challenge, sort of. I started one before, but faltered. I would love to be more engaged in the community. I have some lofty goals (17 lbs by New Years) and some realistic ones, too. Lift 3x or more per week. Make no excuses during travel. Row 2x or more per week. 70% or more Paleo. Do the best I can. Forgive myself when I think more was possible. Be supportive of the journeys of others. Hug daily.

EMS 5.0. MAINTAIN AND IMPROVE. MAIN QUEST: DROP MORE FAT. KEEP MUSCLE. Hey sexy fit nerd peeps! If you caught any of my last challenge, you may already notice some similarities in this thread. That's because last challenge was awesome for me; despite being away on various holidays for half the time, my body fat dropped by 3.1% while keeping and building more muscle (+1.7%). This was due to a combination of maintaining my current fitness programme and following the Paleo inspired meal plan my PT put together for me. NF and my PT, as well as the changes in my own body, have really shown me the power of body composition over body weight. I'm currently at 26.6% body fat and would like to get down to 20%, but only as long as my athletic performance doesn't suffer as a result. I don't know how my body will be at 20%, so rather than have that as a goal number, I just want to keep dropping it bit by bit and track how my body feels and performs. I don't seem to have any difficulty putting on and maintaining muscle (sorry boys!) but I'm going to track this as well as my weight to make sure the right stuff is being lost. Get your butt on that ergo. Now. You have half an hour before bed time. Go. You guys remember Ryan right? Well he is back for another challenge, to be a (sometimes stern) motivator and thread theme #1. Hey girl, keep following the food plan. This is a simple goal - follow the plan my PT designed. It's worked for me so far, and I'm interested to see how a longer period of clean eating will affect my body. I have sadly been banned from stir frying at home due to cooking smells so am going to have to have oven cooked proteins and steamed veggies instead, but I can deal with that (plus, I have no choice). I will do what I did last challenge and log all my food on here so there's no where to hide. I'm also going to do another star chart as that was a great visual aid last time. 42 days in the challenge... A = 42-38, B = 37 - 33, C = 32-28, D = 27-24, F = 20 or fewer. 5 CON #2. Hey girl, put the hours in... in the bedroom. (Bed by 11pm.) Sleep! I have now started working full time as a dance teacher, which is awesome, but it doesn't half kick my butt. In order to be able to do my best at work, get to the gym, follow the food plan, keep up with my own dance class schedule and work on my rowing I need some serious shut eye. I've joined an accountability group for this, and my goal is to be physically in my bed by 11pm every work night (Sun, Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs). I always read before bed, so even if I'm in bed by 11:30pm, I won't be going to actual sleep until at least 12am. This will not do! So I have to be actually in my bed, ready to read by 11pm, so I'm on my way to unconsciousness by 11:30pm. REM cycles FTW! 30 work nights in the challenge, so A = 30-26, B = 25-21, C = 20-16, F = 12 or fewer. 4 WIS 1 CHA I'm teaching 20 classes a week, plus I have a regular schedule of dance classes for my own development as well as PT sessions and the Learn to Row course (which I love!) at the moment. All these are things I love and require little to no motivation at all to do, so the fitness side of my main quest is solid. This brings me to my side quest... Thanks Ry, but they could be better... SIDE QUEST: CUT DOWN THE 2K Hey girl, 8:13? We can do better than that. As some of you may know, over the last few months I have fallen in love with rowing. It all started on the ergo (the rowing machine) and now has progressed onto actual boats on the water. I've been doing a Learn to Row course over the past few weeks and I absolutely adore it. As well as on water rowing the venue also do a lot of indoor rowing, and run a competition every year in December. Now I've never done a competition before, and to be honest I still haven't made up my mind whether I want to do this or not, but competition or no competition, it has got me thinking about my 2k time. I talked to my coach, and he said a good goal for me would be to try to get sub 8:00 for a 2k. Now this is no mean feat, 14 seconds off is no joke. Rather than go insane and try for this, all I want is to shave a few seconds off, baby steps, through a structured programme of varying distances and intervals, based on this plan. My schedule and physical activity is already very high, so I'm just going to start with completing 6 rowing sessions during the challenge. No weekly target. A = 6, B = 5, C = 4, D = 3, F = 2 or fewer. 3 STA 2 DEX MOTIVATION Simple. To maintain and improve. To go forwards, not back. I've been thinking about my future a lot lately, and I know that I want health and fitness to be a part of that, not just in my personal life but also in my career. To give myself the best shot, and the largest number of options, I need to be in damn good shape. I'm thinking of myself as an athlete and acting accordingly. Eat, sleep, train, repeat. There it is folks, here's to a cracking six weeks with you wonderful people! Emily x

The rowing season begins on Wednesday. It is six weeks. Coincidence? Well, yeah. But hell if I'm letting this opportunity slip to make myself stronger! My quest this challenge, as a new Assassin, is to work on sharpening the blade that is my body. The three goals I have are in the theme of Beowulf, because he's one of my favorite BAMFs/superheroes. Goal One: Intake (CON +2 WIS +2) I'm going to go mostly paleo, Beowulf didn't eat crap like Twix or pasta and neither shall I. What this means for me is mainly cutting out gluten, most grains, and all processed foods. For the first week I'm going to see if the dining hall allows me to eat paleo, the second week I am going to meal plan and make most of my meals. I drink water like a camel. Namely, I don't. Beowulf would have had no concentration fighting off the writhing hordes living in Grendel's mothers pond if he didn't drink water. Oh, and while he was down there for three days, I'm sure he drank some too. I am going to drink at least 9 cups a day. And make a conscious effort to carry a water bottle with me EVERYWHERE. Goal Two: Flexibility and Mobility (DEX +3) Lets talk about the time Beowulf held onto Grendel's arm whrouth all his wriggling and destroying Heorot. He held on so hard, Grendels arm came off and ultimately killed him. There is no way Beowulf could have done that if not for his incredible dexterity (or the strength of thirty-men). I am going to work on warming up before and stretching after every workout. In addition, I am going to work on dexterity leg training (you know, the one with the ladder and all that jazz) and continue to improve upon my pull-ups. Goal Three: X-training 3 days a week (STR +3 STA +2) Beowulf though he was a bad-ass, but ultimately took on more than he could chew. And died. I intend to make sure that doesn't happen to me. So, I'm going to work on my endurance and strength in non-crew ways. Whether running, swimming, strength training, or jump-roping, as long as it's not on an erg (ergometer; rowing machine) or a boat, it counts. Also, it has to be outside of practice. Life Quest: Practice Guitar (CHA +2) Going into this challenge my fitness is pretty good. I'm up to 152 lbs, 5'4", and rarin' to get in a boat. One of these days I'll post a picture....

Previously I've been focused on Strength, Skill and Endurance but after 5 challenges like that, it's time for a change! So back to this challenge... I love CrossFit. I live and breathe it on a daily basis and it's the highlight of my day. I noticed recently that I am struggling with body weight movements and running because I am so heavy. I guess that's what happens when you're a 6 foot tall Wookiee Ranger! So I've decided to get rid of the extra fat that I'm carting around so that I can increase my efficiency during workouts and in life. My goal is to get to 17-20% bodyfat. I have about 8-11% to go. I don't need words to motivate me at home, so I won't be writing out anything. My motivation is knowing that I'm essentially carrying around a 10kg medicine ball on every single run and workout that I do. My Quest To become a (lighter) CrossFit BEAST! aka a strong, supremely fit CrossFitter who excels in lifting, bodyweight movements and endurance. Starting Stats Age: 30 Height: 183cm (6'0) Weight: TBA (currently 84.4kg) BF: 28% (DEXA) Current Skills: Push-ups: 15 strict Pull-up: 1 kipping pull-up; 2 strict (lightest band) Pistol squat: purple band T2B: 1 Double unders: 42 unbroken 1000m row: 3:47 500m row: 1:41 Wall Handstand: 2:00 Deadlift: 102.5kg (226lbs) Back squat: 77kg (170lbs) Front squat: 65kg (143lbs) Overhead squat: 37kg (81.5lbs) Power clean: 58.5kg (129lbs) Clean: 61kg (134lbs) Power snatch: 40kg (88lbs) Snatch: 42kg (93lbs) Strict press: 40kg (88lbs) Push press: 50kg (110lbs) Push jerk: 52kg (115lbs) Jerk: 60kg (132lbs) Thruster: 45kg (99lbs) Bench press: 45kg (99lbs) KB swing: 24kg (53lbs) KB snatch: 20kg (44lbs) Main Goals 1. Develop Strength Under the Bar (STR 3 | STA 0.5) a) Hatch squat program (back squats & front squats 2 sessions/week) b ) Oly lifting sessions (minimum 2 sessions/week) End of challenge goals: i) Snatch >= 45kg (+3kg) ii) C&J >= 65kg (+5kg) iii) Bench press >= 50kg (+5kg) 2. Improve bodyweight movements (STR 2 | STA 1 | DEX 0.5) a) Extra skills/strength sessions weekly focusing on the below movements (minimum 4 extra sessions per week) End of challenge goals: i) Handstand push-up (Goal: 5kg plate + ab mat) ii) Strict pull-up (Goal: unassisted) iii) Pistol squat (Goal: orange band assisted) iv) Flexed arm hang (Goal: >30 seconds) v) Double unders (Goal: >50) 3. Get rid of the dead weight! (CON 2 | CHA 1) a) Reduced calorie intake (aiming 1500 cal/day) b ) Log all food daily c) Paleo + occasional dairy (once per day max) d) Alcohol once maximum during challenge e) Fish minimum once per week f) Repeat DEXA scan once at 78kg (not necessarily in this challenge) End of challenge goal: i) Weight <80kg Side Quest (STR 1 | STA 1) Compete in first CrossFit competition Life Quests 1. Back to the books! (WIS 1 | CHA 1) I don't find time to read as much as I would like, so I am going to set myself a little challenge of reading every day. It doesn't have to be much, even just one chapter! a) Read one chapter of Game of Thrones book 1 per day b ) Read one chapter of my Sports Medicine text book per week. Make notes. Revise relevant anatomy as appropriate. End of challenge goals: i) 36 chapters read of GOT ii) 6 chapters read of Sports Medicine textbook 2. Level Up the Dogs! (WIS 0.5 | CHA 0.5) It has been almost 6 months since I competed with my dogs and I miss it a lot (and so do they!) So this is an 'extra' life goal for the puppies. a) Attend a minimum of 4 Obedience/Rally-O trials and compete with all 3 dogs. End of challenge goals: i) Jedi's Goal: Rally Excellent title ii) Ahsoka's Goal: Rally Advanced title iii) Revan's Goal: Rally Advanced title + another Novice Obedience pass

Thursday August 1; week off to distracting start, moved dad into retirement home, many challenges there Today can concentrate on diet and exercise: using Concept 2 daily email of WOD for home rower cardio variety today: Short 5 x 4 min / 1 min easy: 5 @ 4 min "level 7-8", 1 min "level 3-4"

I made some massive gains with my lifting last challenge after increasing my Oly lifting sessions with my coach, including adding 20kg to my squats after returning to leg training post-knee injury! Hopefully this challenge my leg strength will continue to improve! Most importantly though, I have a big ticket item that I really want to cross off my list - my first strict pull-up! I'm not sure how that's going to go, but I would love to get one before my 30th birthday, which is a few days after this challenge finishes. The clock's ticking! I'm still pretty far off getting one, but I'm a big believer in setting challenging goals! If all else fails, I could always lose 10kg... That'd make it easier on my arms!!! Starting Stats Age: 29 Sex: Female Weight: 82.5kg (181.8lbs) Height: 183cm (6') Body fat: 28% (DEXA) Starting Attributes STR 20 DEX 12.5 STA 13.25 CON 9 WIS 12.5 CHA 5.25 Current Skills: Push-ups: 15 strict Pull-up: 1 kipping pull-up; 5 strict (2nd lightest band) Pistol squat: 1 riser + medicine ball Air squats: 40 unbroken with full depth T2B: 1 Double unders: 27 unbroken 1000m row: 3:47 500m row: 1:41 Wall Handstand: 2:00 Deadlift: 100kg (220.5lbs) Back squat: 70kg (154lbs) Front squat: 65kg (143lbs) Overhead squat: 37kg (81.5lbs) Power clean: 55kg (121lbs) Clean: 55kg (121lbs) Power snatch: 39kg (86lbs) Snatch: 35kg (71lbs) Strict press: 40kg (88lbs) Push press: 50kg (110lbs) Push jerk: 50kg (110lbs) Jerk: 55kg (121lbs) Thruster: 45kg (99lbs) Bench press: 45kg (99lbs) KB swing: 24kg (53lbs) KB snatch: 20kg (44lbs) Goal 1: Lift All The Things! (STR 4.0 | STA 0.5 | CHA 0.5) - Deadlift >= 110kg (242.5lbs) (+10kg) - Snatch >= 40kg (88lbs) (+5kg) - Clean & jerk >=60kg (132lbs) (+5kg) - Squat >=75kg (165lbs) (+5kg) - 1 strict pull-up - Heavy squat sessions twice per week Goal 2: Need Mad Skillz! (DEX 3.5 | WIS 0.5) - Attend PT twice per week - Practice gymnastic skills 3 sessions per week - Continue 50 days of double unders - 35 unbroken double unders Goal 3: Work hard, breathe later (STA 2.5 | STR 0.5) - Continue 50 days of pull-ups/push-ups - 1000m row =<3:45 (-2 seconds) - 500m row <1:40 (-2 seconds) - 2.4km run <14 minutes (-1 minute) Goal 4: Downsize My Life! (WIS 2 | CON 1) - Clean out each room of the house including the garage (one room per week) - Sell or throw out excess items * Bedroom * Spare Bedroom * Study * Kitchen/Dining * Loungeroom * Garage Other Goals - Whole30 for the entire challenge (currently Paleo, but I've let a few processed Paleo foods in that I'd like to get rid of) - Log all food - Unplug! <4 hours per day in front of a screen while at home - Get more sleep! Minimum 7 hours per night

Hey foxy fit Scouty Nerds! Over in the Ranger Guild this week we have a brilliant mini challenge asking us to scout (see what I did there ) a new buddy in another guild who can help us make progress in one of our goals. This led me to you wonderful endurancey/stamina-rich people, as the goal I would like some assistance in is indoor rowing. I've been rowing for a few months now (heading out on the water for the first time in September! ) and have completely fallen in love with it. My goal is simple - at least one rowing training session per week. I'm working on getting my 2k time down, currently 8:16, and would like to go sub 8 minutes (and then beyond, but baby steps Ems!). If anyone has any advice, tips, training programmes, suggestions to help with this I would be very grateful. Virtual high fives will be on offer in abundance, and maybe even an internet hug If interested please drop me a line (challenge link on sig, or PM me). Thank you, and I look forward to learning from your long distance awesomeness! Ems

Hey everybody! Ok so here we are, round 2! This challenge is all about resetting, restarting, not from square one but from where I have managed to get to so far My first challenge was very...challenging! It was far from perfect, and because of that was, in hindsight, exactly what I needed. I am a perfectionist by nature, and have a frustrating tendency to overreact to mistakes. This was something that negatively affected my last challenge, so something that will be tackled this time around. Last challenge I gave myself no wiggle room at all, so it was very demoralising when I failed once in a goal, as it instantly dropped my grade. This time around I'm going to be more realistic, take smaller steps and be more practical about melding the challenge with my life. So, let's get down to it. Goals are as follows: #1 Reduce body fat percentage from 29.4% to 27% Since joining NF and starting with a personal trainer I have dropped my bf from 32% to 29.4%. It has made such a difference to how my body looks already that I am bringing this goal forward from the previous challenge. It may seem like a random goal number, but if I get to 27% that will be a 5% drop since late January 2013 A - 27%-27.5% B - 27.6%-28.5% C - 28.6%- 29.4% F- 29.5% or higher 1 DEX - 2 CON - 2 CHA (less fat = greater mobility, better health, looking good) #2 Complete either a 5k or 10k row once a week - ALTERED TO AT LEAST ONE ROWING TRAINING SESSION PER WEEK I've become increasingly passionate about rowing since my trainer incorporated it into my sessions. I have a rowing machine at home, so there's no excuse about not completing additional training on my own. I have a very active job (dance teacher) so teach 17 classes a week, plus participating in 2-3 classes a week for my own training, and 2 personal trainer sessions, hence why its only a once a week row! A - 6 rows, B - 5, C- 4, D - 3, F - 2-0 1 DEX - 2 STA (work on speed, but also boost endurance) #3 Choose to get back on the wagon and track the journey Last challenge I set myself a very difficult diet goal, and have found that the more I tell myself I can't have something, the more I want it - classic. So this challenge I am cutting out cake, sweets, crisps and soft drinks completely, as I have done this before and don't eat these things very often anyway, but I am not tying these to a grade. Other than that, I can choose what I eat, and I'm hoping that this freedom will encourage positive choices as it has in the past. The second part of this goal is accountability - food will be logged daily on my Daily Battle Log. It doesn't have to be logged on the day itself, but each day must be recorded, and obviously, the sooner it is done, the more accurate it will be. My grade will drop when I miss 2 days a week food recording. A - 7/7 logged, B - 5/7, C - 3/7, F- 2-0 3 CON - 1 CHA - 1 WIS (better diet = better health, looking good and greater self awareness from recording foods) #4 The to-do list This 6 week challenge will cover an extremely busy work period, probably the busiest so far in my entire career (eep!). To help my head not explode, the goal is to complete a to-do list of what MUST be done tomorrow before leaving the office. This will be a short (hopefully) and very specific list of things that are the most important for that next day. I will also post these on my Daily Battle Log. Mon-Tues, Tues-Wed, Wed-Thurs, Thurs-Fri, Fri-Mon A - 5/5, B - 4/5, C - 3/5, D - 2/5, F - 1-0 2 WIS - 1 CHA (better organised, more efficient and not turning into a raving stress head!) Ok so there they are, thought about them a lot, but they may well be tweaked over the next six weeks. Looking forward to this new challenge, and to reading all about yours as well. Here we go! Emily

wow, so first challenge ever and far too excited to kick start my own ass. I've been a little off of the fitness track since the holidays so this has kind of become my motivation fitness goals: 1. leg press 400 lbs -pretty self ecxplanatory. I'm at about 320 in my leg press now and want to keep building strength for rowing in the spring, hopefully I'll reach well over 400 2. lose 8 lbs -I'd like to drop back down to 120, a healthier weight for my short stature. I'll just feel healthier and be faster in training 3. hold a 5 minute plank -core strength is important in rowing and is osmething i really need to work on. I always love planks and haven't done a really long one in ages. If possible I'd even love to get up to 10 minutes life level up: kick ass in robotics -as the captain of a robotics team whose 6 week season has just started, the challeneg is perfect. I'm determined to reach the finals of regionals and continue onto worlds this season