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Dear Battle Log, I tried the 4-week challenge a couple of times, but I had a very hard time with it. I think maybe 4 challenges is too much for me, and I should start slower. So I am trying again, but this time with just one challenge. I saw this 8-week training program to run 5k, but the problem is it starts by running 1 mile on the first training day. Unfortunately I got even more out of shape recently (stupid finals), and I'm not sure I can safely run even just 1 mile at this point. I know I can walk it, and run about 1/4 of a mile, but really not sure about running a whole mile. I know, this is really sad, considering that I ran 5k a few years ago. Anyway, this program recommends a 4-week to 1 mile training program for beginners or those like me. When I saw it, I realized that maybe I need something like this. Not just for running, but for the 4-week challenge and maybe other things in my life too. Baby steps. Start slow. So here is my plan. I will start with the 4-week-to-1mi training. I can respawn if I fail. When (not if!!!) I complete step 1, I will run 1 mile about 3 times a week until I am ready to proceed to step 3. Then I move on to the 8-week-to-5k training. If something goes wrong I can go back to step 2. If all goes amazingly, I could spend 4 weeks on step 1, 2 weeks on step 2 (last week of step 1 is just running a mile 3 times a week, which is basically my step 2. Really it would be more like 3 weeks on step 1, then 3 weeks on step 2). Then 8 weeks on step 3, and I would complete this exactly by September,1. If all goes super amazingly I could even run in a local 5k race in the beginning of September! (and qualify for the Olympics lol). On the off chance that everything does not go super amazingly, I will give myself time until the end of the year, then reassess. Even if I end up completing only step 1 I will count it as a success.

So I vanished for a little bit there yet again. That wasn't planned I just got very, very sick to the point where I basically spent the majority of the last week sleeping and feeling simply exhausted. Apparently the stomach bug was going round the office. If I were to hazard a guess I kind of beat the crud out of my immune system doing a 30 mile Race followed by a week of camping and hiking and that bug decided to set up home. I am going to just do a write up for MvL and my vacation and meeting up with @iatetheyeti in Edinburgh for a day and I'll do them here just cause I want to show off some of the pictures I took of the outstanding landscape (although for those who follow me on strava I've already spoilt that!) I'm feeling a lot better today. Let's prepare for something stupid. I might have done a thing back in the early part of the year when I was feeling very confident and before my mental health decided it was time to take a headlong dive off of the highest cliff. Sooo I have yet another 30 mile race in my near future and this one is going to require a little more grit than my last one. It's going to require burpees. Now my obstacle proficiency has come a long way since the last time I ran a Spartan and I'm reasonably confident about the vast majority of the obstacles. For a time... After running 30 miles an 8 foot wall is a lot more challenging than if you'd only run 15 miles. I'm also running in the age group competitive wave so the burpees are mandatory. This is gonna be fun Oh just to spice this Challenge up I've also got 2 or 3 races (unsure if I can get to one of them) and the very beginning of my holiday to Scotland. GOAL 1: DO YOUR BURPEES Minimum 30 per day. Rest Day respected. So burpees. As slow and deliberate as they need to be need to come a mainstay in this one challenge I have leading up to the race... Goal 2: Plan your food. I have soft calorie targets of 2300-2400 calories most days and 3000+ calories on my long run day but the goal is just to get back into the habit of meal planning and tracking. Goal 3: Run All the Miles, Do all the lifting I coach myself with running. I don't really have a plan. I have a template that I use and I try to use my own judgment with gauging exactly what I should be doing and how to progressively overload and when I need to pull back. Based on that I'm just going to put down a mileage goal of 150 miles over the 5 weeks. That should be a low estimate For lifting I will be using the Barbell Medicine Endurance template for this challenge. I will probably cut the program short but I like it as a method of getting good quality strength work in without spending too much time or stress. Run 150 miles over 5 weeks Lift 3 times per week. Goal 4: Read and Research I've got a bunch of running books that I've been meaning to read. After MVL I have had a little more interest in foot care so I'm going to tackle that one first. Take 10 minutes to read every day

I haven't had a decent challenge this year it seems. Though I mostly have maintained, I really went full on self sabotage mode this last month. I tried to reflect a bit on what was happening. I have the anniversary of my Mother's death coming up on August 20th. That usually that hits me closer to the date though. I know that in the back of my mind, I have been fearful of what happened to me last time I lost this weight. We I first joined Nerdfitness in 2013, I had a great go to start off. Dropped down 257 lbs. Then seemed to bounce between 260-280 the next year. Then everything went sideways, and I gained everything back. I left the forums in shame, but finally found my way back. I had an amazing 2018 run. Losing 110 lbs for the year. Then this year I have been doing the bouncing between 250-270. All the while, that failure still lurks in my head. Today, I am sitting at 280. I seem to keep trying to make things work, but then giving in to whatever garbage at night. Thus erasing everything I am doing. My damn brain is really trying to make me do this crap all over again, isn't it? I am refusing to go back above 300. These last few weeks, I have been listening to some motivation type speeches. I linked one in my last challenge thread. So, I came up with an idea. This challenge, and really the challenges for the rest of the year. I need to Go Beyond, Plus Ultra! I am going to set impossible goals for me to reach this year. By my birthday (November 2nd), I am going to have these goals met. #1 - Be under 200 lbs #2 - Run a 30 minute or less 5k #3 - Do 1 pull up Easy, right? To meet this, I will have to lose over 80 lbs in 4 months. I will have to shave probably 8 minutes off my 5K time. I will also have to actually do a pull up, and the best I can do now is hang from the bar for a bit. Each one kind of fit together though. I lose weight, I will get faster. As I get stronger and lose weight, eventually I will hit that magic point that I can get the pull up done. So why the impossible goals. It seemed like a lot of these inspiration videos had common themes. Setting goals when everyone else said it was impossible. Having that time frame where it must get done. I never had my "big why" moment for why I want to lose weight and be healthy. I have the same "Be around for my kids" answer. Really though, I want to be the best version of myself. I want to be stronger, faster, and just a much healthier version of myself. What I think can drive me forward on these goals, is the idea of what if. What if, I can actually get this done? That will be one hell of a self esteem boost haha. Of course the flip side is what if I fail. That What if has always been there in my life. Kept me from many things. What if I fail? Well, I still succeed. If I truly give this my all, then I can be ok with not making goals. I will be just that much closer to reaching them. I look at it like a bowling game. If I do my very best and bowl a 250 game, but the person I am bowling against bowls 260 I lose the game. Still I gave it my all. I can be mad at the outcome, but not the performance I had. I felt like I wanted to have a little theme this challenge. My Hero Academia shall be that theme. From Crunchy Roll: In the show All Might choose Izuku to inherit his powers that he can pass on. Before he can do that though, Izuku has to improve his body. He has to push his limits so that he can be able to handle the All for one Quirk. Like him, I have to push my limits. Go beyond, Plus Ultra! Goal #1 - Get back to Keto, do Intermittent fasting, track all the things This challenge, I need to get back into the food eating 100%. I am going to use Chronometer to track food. I am going to use LIFE Fasting to track my fasting. I also have looked at my macros, and want to keep a certain calories remaining tracked. This should help a ton with weight loss. Since I have been off the full keto wagon for a bit, I can expect a pretty big drop in weight right away. I also need to check my glucose numbers. Type 2 never really goes away, and I bet my numbers have been spiking recently with my poor eating. 1 point - Calories never above 2100 per day. 1 point - Remaining calories 1000 or above each day. 1 point - Under 20g net carbs tracked each day. 1 point - 18 hour + fasting tracked each day 1 point - Blood Glucose tracked once per day 5 points per day, 35 points per week Goal #2 - Workouts, Running, and Walking I am going to restart the RunDouble 5k improver program. This time I will run every other day. I need to get hitting the weight as well. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday will be the workout days. Hopefully, I can expand this to maybe having 2 workouts during the days. I also want to do other workouts on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturdays, but let's get consistent with 3 days first. My goal is to hit 10,000 steps each day as well. Nothing super fancy, just walking. It will help me mentally as well as physically. Saturday or Sunday will be my "rest" day. I still don't want to just turn into a pile of goo on that day though, so I can still go walk or do something fun. 3 points - Workout 3 times per week. 1 point per workout per day 3 points - Getting in all runs for the week. (4/3 runs per week) 1 point - 10,000 steps per day (5,000 on "rest" day) 7 points per week. 13 points per week Goal #3 - Rest Equally important to all other goals, is to make sure I get my rest. I know in one video Arnold Schwarzenegger said to sleep 6 hours. People say they need 8 hours just need to sleep faster haha. I don't think I quite subscribe to that idea. I have been staying up way to late, and getting up early too. My sleep has not been great. So really I need to get back into the grove. this challenge I am actually going to try a little less reading, in hopes of getting to bed a little sooner. With school coming up soon for my kid, I will have to be getting up earlier again. If I can get use to getting to bed sooner, then I might try getting up sooner as well and getting workouts or whatever polished off before school time. first steps first. 1 point - 10:30 PM off the computer and get reading. 1 point - 11:00 PM off to bed. I do have one exception. I have a later night game session with my friends in World of Warcraft. Usually only running a mythic dungeon or two. So I just need to get myself logged off as soon as we are done. Then ready a little to settle the brain, and then off to bed. 1 point - Saturday off PC when done with dungeons, ready for 20-20 mins, and head to bed. 2 points per day 14 points per week. Goal #4 - Plus Ultra Make time to check in daily. Fit in some meditation and/or positive affirmations from time to time. Kill this challenge, feel great, live up to the ambassador title again. 1 point - Checking in 7 points per week So there it all is. I wanted to use Week zero as my perfect start. Nothing is ever perfect though. So I am up late to make sure this gets posted. So while it isn't perfect, it is a start. tomorrow (Tuesday) I'll be tired, but it's time to engage. I will not let myself regain any more weight. Time for the fit me to win out again, over that other side that is trying to keep me down. Measurements: (Week 1 / End of Challenge) Neck - 17.08 in / Chest - 47.91 in / Waist - 51.37 in / Bicep (R) - 14.56 in / Bicep (L) - 14.48 in / Forearm (R) - 12.08 in / Forearm (L) - 12.08 in / Thigh (R) - 25.66 in / Thigh (L) - 25.31 in / Weight - 268.9 lbs / Points: Week 1 (08/05 - 08/11) - 0/69 Week 2 (08/12 - 08/18) - 0/69 Week 3 (08/19 - 08/25) - 0/69 Week 4 (08/26 - 09/02) - 0/69 Week 5 (09/03 - 09/08) - 0/69 Total: 0/345

It has been a challenging year for me and I am looking to get myself back focused on “me” . Up till June I was doing so well....lost 10 lbs even...now that is all back on my ass and I am feeling it.... I can not get into the Challenge proper until August 12th ( have a animathon conference to attend this weekend out of town) but I will jump on in and get myself on Track adn hit this hard on Monday 12th . Here is my game. 1 - Three weeks ( till end of August) of cleanse diet followed by the rest of the time testing food back in– this is a non negotiable as I have developed ugly dermatitis on my arms and I think it helps to eat better. 2- Consistency with my workouts – Holly shit sticks this gets hard for me... I will play a bit with this during this challenge but I am aiming to get up and do early AM workouts Monday- Friday My workouts are truly a mix of everything in my home gym deep down in the catacombs. I want to get stronger faster and just better in my overall fitness by next spring……For this initial challenge I want to work out being more consistent that is all, the training plan will come later. Even if I roll out of bed and do 10 push ups - for this challenge i will count that as a win Game Plan - I will update weekly Monday – Clean Eating & AM workout Tuesday – Clean Eating & AM Workout Wednesday – Clean Eating & Am Workout Thursday - Clean Eating & AM Workout Friday – Clean Eating & AM Workout Saturdays - Clean Eating & Rest/Active Rest Sunday – Clean Eating & Endurance Workout

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If I don't exercise enough, I get grumpy. Since nobody wants that, my challenge is simple: exercise at least an hour per day, six days per week. This can be climbing, running, walking, biking, yoga, etc. It does not have to be intense, as long as it is something. It should be easily doable, but those have been my famous last words before . To keep my hips happy, I will also do at least 4 hip-stretches per day, which can include things like lunges, pancake, etc. Let's go!

I pretty much gave up last challenge and ate So last challenge I did two GORUCKS and then really just sat around and ate. two years a go my pre IRONMAN Texas race weight was 163lbs. Up until a few months a go I have stayed down in the 165's or so. That has recently gone way off the charts though. This morning I was 175lbs. That being said I know a lot of it is sodium but I still have gained close to 10lbs I am guessing. It is not helping that my In Laws are here until Sunday and we are drinking and eating out every night. I can try to use that excuse but last nights burger and brownie sundae were my choice as opposed to a salad. The Delerium Red on draft was excellent though and I have never seen that. So for this challenge I would like to get under 163lbs, yes lose 12lbs in 5 weeks. Keep in mind though I should drop 3-5 quickly due to sodium. I also have two other minor goals, WOD daily, and eat paleo clean(this will be how I lose the weight). Lose 12 lbs WOD daily(includes stretching) Eat Paleo I do have a GORUCK heavy in 3 months so my WODs will be a 3 day rotation. Lift Recovery(swimming usually) Ruck, and possible light WOD That is about it for me. Kicking this off today 6/25.

Figured I might as well start a log. I do a little bodyweight, some barbell and some running. Currently starting 5/3/1 and doing a bit of trail running. I log some stuff on Fitbit and Myfitnesspal for my calorie and macro counting. So now eights today but a 4.33 mile hilly train run in about 50 minutes.

Talvi wants to find balance Hi there, sorry I'm a bit late but I'm in need of sorting myself out and it is better to do that sooner than later, right? I'm a few months post-relocation and a few months into my new job. The post is super interesting and enjoyable, but between the steep learning curve, increased responsability and the workload, I have been a bit stressed and I have stopped taking care of myself. I don't mind getting a little obsessive about the job, but I need to strike a better balance for my longterm survival and wellbeing. So the plan for the next two weeks is to make time for exercise, to make time for homemade food and to book a holiday for September. 1) Exercise twice a week I need to plan this in advance, so that I actually make time for it. Plus this challenge should provide a little accountability. Any exercise would great. Running, bouldering or yoga are my favourites. 2) Eat well Plan my meals in advance, so that I don't have to think about it when I'm hungry. I should cook most of my own food and bring my own lunches to work. Of course, I'm allowed to eat out if I'm not at my usual place of work or if I'm being social. Just try not to snack during the day on biscuits and try to order less sugary things if I'm eating out. 3) Plan holidays I have planned to take time off, but I'm being absolutely ridiculous in actually making decisions and following through with my travel plans. It isn't good for me or my partner, so I will plan and book this September holiday so that we can enjoy it with the minimum amount of stress involved. Plus it'll be nice to look forward to after the rubbish logistics are out of the way.

So... ...the thread to log this Padawan's workouts and progress toward the long-term fitness goals (along with weekly program changes). Long-term fitness goals 1. Be lighter (get down from 205 lbs to 180lbs | 93 kg to 82 kg) | STATUS: 87 kg 2. Be leaner (cut that gross belly) | STATUS: still there, but smaller 3. Be stronger (especially in the arms and chest) | STATUS: improvement, but going for more 4. Gain more sleep (at least 7 and half hours on average) | STATUS: still under 6.5 hrs per night on avg 5. Gain deeper endurance (come to a point where I can do a full chin-up in a row and run a half-marathon) | STATUS: still half chin-ups only; but ran a half-marathon (2:07) Typical workout week Sun: long run (over 10k) + strength training Mon: strength training + walking 6000+ steps Tue: active recovery day (walking 6000+ steps) Wed: HIIT/fartlek/hill running + walking Thu: strength training + walking 6000+ steps Fri: tempo run + walking (before sundown) Sat: 24-hours rest day (from sundown Fri to sundown Sat) + walking 6000+ steps after sundown Will post the first workout battle log soon. When I reach the long-term fitness goals, I will become a Jedi Knight, with a seat in the Jedi Council as a bonus (I won't complain about not being granted the rank of a Jedi Master like silly Anakin did).

After succeeding in a respawn challenge, Skywalker is determined to make this reboot last. It won't be easy, as one more intensive course week and several due dates for writing assignments are awaiting. So, the challenge will be realistic and simple. Keep successfully doing what works, and keep working on that which wasn't successfully done in the previous challenge. AND I'm adding a study-related one, just in case. Subquest 1: start the day with devotions (Scripture study, meditation and prayer) -> 1 WIS + 1 CHA Subquest 2: do at least >7000 steps/day -> 1 STA Subquest 3: completely cut all unintentional time on the internet (entertainment, news, social media, etc.) and spend it on research/writing instead -> 1 WIS Subquest 4: go to sleep before midnight -> 2 CON Subquest 5: run at least 2x/week (1x long run + 1x tempo run) -> 1 STA + 1 DEX Subquest 6: lift 2x/week -> 2 STR So... I'm ready to step into the larger world once again.

Late to the party, whoops, but I did just return from vacation on Monday. I trailed off on the last challenge but don't feel terrible about it because it was insanely hectic - not the most stressed I've ever been, but definitely the most major events in a month. Plus at the beginning of the challenge I wasn't planning on the Italy work trip, and then that happened in the middle of everything. My healthy routines were thoroughly disrupted, but I still squeezed in a little exercise and some vegetables. I'm thrilled to be home, and in my own kitchen and bed again (not at the same time, obviously). After eating out most meals for three weeks, I am excited to cook balanced, delicious meals at home. Overall Goals My general life goals have changed a bit because, uh, I'm pregnant and all - so weight loss is no longer the primary aim. I weighed myself this morning and was unpleasantly surprised by the number on the scale, but the internet tells me it's normal to have gained 4-6lb at this point even though the baby is only the size of a raspberry, so I feel better about it now. I'm going to stop weighing myself at home because it makes more sense to focus on make healthy choices each day. I've cancelled my NF Coaching because I already feel a bit overwhelmed, and through work I'm going to be assigned an RN who will advise on healthy eating and exercise throughout my pregnancy. But I have even stronger reasons to eat healthy, and I won't be drinking ha, so I'm going to focus on paying attention to how I feel - more frequent, small meals seems to sit better with me these days. I am currently working to use up a lot of my pantry/freezer food which has been accumulating for...a while. I also want to declutter since we mayyy buy a house and move before the baby comes. Goal #1: Cook all the things Make (nearly) all our food at home, avoid relying on processed food. I'd like to get in a good pattern of meal prep and eating at home pre-baby. Document food here. Goal #2: Feel the burn Work out doing whatever feels good. Right now that's barre but I'd like to try to get running again if I can do it without chest pain. Aiming for working out 3x/week minimum, and walking on other days to aid digestion and circulation. Goal #3: Feed the fire Take extra kind care of myself. Give myself an 8-hour sleep window. Nap if needed. Meditate daily. I have FIVE WEEKS before our family vacation when we tell the family, and I have already told random coworkers in Italy (because finding out I was pregnant the week before the trip was anxiety-inducing), a couple coworkers I am closer to (because we were on vacation for a week and they wouldn't have figured it out from the not drinking anyways, and this way I was able to talk to a friend who had twins last year about it), and another friend (who I stayed with on the way to and from the Florida vacation, because we're close and it was nice to do it in person). Between now and the official family announcement at which point it will be public, I will probably tell a couple more friends because as an external processor keeping secrets is not my strong suit. It still feels completely surreal, but in the best way.

Disclaimer: I hate running and haven’t run for more than a bus in years! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A number of us (it might be 100%!) are sub-optimal in the running department. How about a couch-to-5k to rev the NF crew up? It’s a zero to hero, couch to 5K program, designed as it says to get you from the couch to a 5k run. 9 weeks of terrible dreadful pain and suffering in your time, then it’s over and you can get back to your pint! This is the app that outlines the program and guides you through it, there’s a small cost (less than $5): iPhone: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/couch-to-5k/id448474423?mt=8 Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.active.aps.c25k Start next week on Saturday 30th March…..9 weeks later on Saturday 1st June at 8am(!) we’ll do a virtual team 5K using a local Park Run Lycra optional! Who’s in? OK back to my beer… @DarK_RaideR help me out bro...

then she tussles with muscles while learning to hustle So this challenge has two main components, and I am scoring them separately because it makes it harder for me to cheat on myself. Component 1 - Write. Compete. Actually finish a thing. I am, as my husband describes it, "great out of the gate, but not much for stamina." I'm a notorious STARTER, not so much of a finisher. From home-improvement projects to learning new skills to pre-programmed weightlifting programs, I am engaged and attentive and motivated and energized - until I'm not. Nowhere in my life is this more frustrating than in my writing. I LOVE to write. I'm good at it. This should be my ikigai.* But in all my years of NaNoWriMo and creative writing classes and reading books collecting underpants about writing - I have never once finished anything I would be willing to have published. Or, honestly, viewed by another human. I mean, I've finished a couple of flash fiction pieces - I have written and submitted to the monthly photo prompt on 100 Word Story a few times, and produced a few other pieces in response to other prompts that I am not embarrassed to share. And a group of my closest friends does a Christmas poetry/short fiction thing that I always produce something for. But anything long enough to be called a "short story" much less a "novel" - yeah, nope. I have a pile of unfinished stories and novels that would stuff The Grinch's sack to the bursting point. Conventional wisdom sez that if you give yourself a deadline and stakes, you will perform. Common example: want to stick to a running program? Sign yourself up and pay the entry fee for a 5k happening two months hence - then you "have to" stick with it or forfeit your money!! Yeah. I laugh in the face of conventional wisdom. I apparently have zero problem forfeiting a 5k entry fee. Or a writing contest entry fee. If I hit a roadblock, or a speedbump, or a headwind, or whatever, and I feel like quitting - well, yeah, I'm gonna quit. True fact. What seems more effective for me is these challenges and being accountable to you nerds, so I'm doing this here. Also, I've had some success with bribing rewarding myself for good behavior, so - LOOT! This challenge is simple. Not easy. Just simple. Step 1: Enter a writing contest. Specifically the Summer 2019 Writing Contest by "The Write Practice." 1500 word or less short fiction. Theme/constraint: One room. (Action of the story limited to a single room.) And I'm entering it at the "Premium" level, which means I will get feedback from the judges to help me improve. Because writing only for myself might help me get better - a little - slowly - maybe - but writing and receiving professional feedback is the actual time-tested best way to get really better. Entry deadline = May 28 Step 2: Actually write and submit the story for workshopping. Draft submission deadline = June 3 Step 3: Revise, edit, and submit final actually *completed* story. Submission deadline = June 10 Loot: If I see this story through to submission, my reward will be a Chronicles of Narnia hand-painted silk scarf from Etsy vendor EmeraldCloud. Component 2: Keep growing shoulders, add growing lung capacity. I've been working in and around hypertrophy set/rep schemes for a little over a month now (hat tip to @Grumble) and I am really enjoying it. But also - sigh - my cardiovascular endurance is CRAP. Really. Bad. I love to lift. I despise ... <insert 'cardio' activity of any variety here>. I'm sorta cool with short HIIT sessions, and work them in where I can make them fit (not often enough, but I do try) - but that's still only part of the puzzle. I need at least some element of LSD in my life. No, not like that!!! Long, slow distance cardio. Like ... the boring kind. I've downloaded a Couch-to-5k app to my phone. I don't for a second have any illusions that I will be ready, able, or motivated to run a 5k at the end of 8 weeks, but frankly if I could get back to the point of being able to pass a Navy Physical Readiness Test I'd be happy with it. I've stuck with it for two weeks now, which is longer than I've ever managed in the past, so that's a good sign I think. Also, I am lame and pathetic about mobility work, so I need to add some of that in somewhere. Step 1: My current battle rhythm Monday: Split Squats/OHP/Curls/Cable pulldown/Cable pushdown (additional shoulder accessories as time permits) Tuesday: C25k Wednesday: RDL/Bent-over row/bench/feet-elevated glute bridge/reverse crunch (additional pec/bicep/tricep accessories as time permits) Thursday: C25k Friday: Inverted row/push-ups/goblet squat/hammer curl/triceps extension (additional shoulder accessories as time permits) Saturday: C25k Sunday: Lay on couch Yoga/foamroll/stretch Two points for every day in which I execute the plan as planned. One additional point for every day with bonus accessory work added in. Total points possible: 68 Step 2: Take progress pics I did remember to take pictures of myself before I started trying to hypertrophy - about 7 weeks ago? I think? Subjectively I "feel" like my triceps and delts have grown and have more definition - but I can't see it in the mirror. I need to take pics to compare. I reeeeaalllyy don't want to, but it's the only way I'll know. 20 points, all or nothing, if I do it sometime during this challenge period. Loot: If I can accumulate a total of 75 points out of the possible 88, I am buying myself a new brooch. *ikigai = usually translated as "reason for being" or "reason for jumping out of bed each morning" - but I recently read a book in which it was described more descriptively as "the intersection between what you love to do and what you are good at," and that is the sense in which I mean it here.

Grandkai joins the Ranger Campfire I've been a Assassin for most of my NF Rebellion journey and with my current goals i thought it was a nice chance to see how the Rangers are. Let me give a quick introduction to who i am: Dutch guy from the Netherlands and i've been a few years now on the NF Rebellion forums. Did a bunch of challenges, had a break and been back for a few challenges now. I like reading, playing games and 100% them on Xbox. Lets get to the goals: Strength training 2-3x a week Since i started going back to the gym i have a LOT better focus & comitment to staying fit. I'll be doing Stronglifts 3x5 with Dips & Chin-ups added. I have a goal of hitting BW Shoulder press before switching to a new program (current BW is 87kg and my 3x5 right now is 50kg, so long way to go ) Run 1-2 times a week for 3-5 km I used to be a regular runner but after a 10K run last year i stopped, decided after the race to take a week break and after that i didnt run at all. The weather here in the Netherlands is oke right now, decent temperature and a bit cloudy but not so much rain. I have a few nice paths to run near my house so i got enough choices to run. Eat healthier Last challenge i payed more attention to sugars and drinking water. This challenge i want to improve it a bit more. This challenge i'm going to track every meal/drink/snack i consume, Drink 2 liters of water everyday, eat more fruits or consume them as a drink. 100% Gaming hobby In my free time i like to spend a few hours everyday working on getting all the achievements for games i own. With Borderlands 3 coming out in roughly 3 months i'm going to play through the first 3 games (Borderlands 1 & 2 and the Pre-Sequel) and try to 100% them. For the moment without all the included DLC's cause those also add 40-50 hours each and i dont have the time to do all of those aswell. So thats my challenge and i'm curious to see how the Rangers are.

A few weeks ago I started to play The Legend of Zelda - Breath Of the Wild again in Master Mode (i.e. in hard mode). I immediately fell in love again with this wonderful game. (Unfortunately, I lost my motivation to play after my vacation, mostly because it is much easier than expected.) And during the last few weeks while running through the woods I realised that Link is, more or less, my ideal fitness/health model. I want to be able to run, climb, carry stuff, fight, etc. Basically, I want to do be able to everything at least decently. Of course, with my back problems and my other health issues, that won't happen anytime soon. But I want to get a bit away from the training/exercise mindset and a bit more towards performing. In particular, I want to combine my callisthenics workouts (strength/stability) with my running training (endurance). At least, that's what I want to try during this challenge. Maybe I'll like it; maybe it's effective. Moreover, I want to continue a bit in the Thomas Frank mindset of three hobbies: one fitness related one, one entrepreneurial one and one skill-based one. I want to walk more (building up to hiking). Last challenge I tried to walk more often; this time I try to walk longer. I want to draw comics "seriously", but right now I do have neither the mental capacity nor the technical capabilities. So, I'll just try to do it at all. I want to get better at Go (ancient Chinese board game). And because of my recent obsession with Breath of the Wild, the theme of this challenge will be... Hyrule's Champions Link's Quest Working out every day I will split this in two: "Intense" workouts consisting of mostly upper body exercises and running; and "easy" workouts consisting of Yoga. (Well, Yoga is my shorthand for my combined warm-up and cool-down routine. It's more movement and less proper Yoga; but it's more of a Yoga mindset.) The goal is to do one of these each day; aiming for about 4 "intense" workouts per week. I'll track them separately, mostly to see when and how I move. If this works as planned, I'm in good shape for the 5k in June and maybe I can even start bouldering properly now that I can train with a pull-up bar. Daruk's Quest Going on an hour-long walk twice per week This should not only augment the more intense workouts but also serve as a way to clear my mind. Moreover, I want to listen to more podcasts and audiobook and walking is the perfect opportunity. I aim for at least 60 minutes, but I'll probably count 50-minutes walks, too, since I won't always find/walk sufficiently long routes. Urbosa's Quest Eating below 2000 kcal and below 130g of carbs Last challenges I lost about 1.3 kg, which is okay for a five-week period; especially considering I didn't eat as well as I wanted to. I'm in no hurry... So, I'll just continue what I did. Eat less calories and, addtionally, less carbs. (The latter for various reasons: additonal calorie control, concern about gluten, sucess in the past, etc.) 2000 kcal seems to be a nice bound. And with the carbs I want to go a little bit lower as last challenge. Not yet "low-carb" by any means, but an improvement. I aim to eat low-calorie daily, of course, but about 5 times per week is probably good enough. Revali's Quest Study/Play Go daily In order to improve at Go there are many different ways. Unfortunately, none is particularly enticing at this moment. I enjoy everything -- solving problemes, studying games, playing -- but nothing really hooks me at the moment. So, I'll just to do something for at least 15 minutes a day. No stress here, but actually doing it at least five times a week seems like a good goal. Mipha's Quest Drawing something As mentioned above, drawing is important to me, but I'm not good enough at the moment. So, I'll just try to do it at all. Side Quest Reading Finding a reasonable gaming routine Breathing Grip strength Some random things I want to keep in mind... Reading more "real" books... Finding a way to play video games without neglecting the challenge and without feeling guilt... Doing breathing exercises... Working on grip strength (both for pull-ups and for cracking nuts)... ------------------------- I'll plan to geet two rewards if I'm doing well in this challenge: The Breath of the Wild special edition artbook and a nice (expensive) bottle of whisky. Not sure about the exact goals I have to reach for this, but most likely whatever I mentioned above.

So, I have signed up for things and need to actually do them. None of them are fitness related, but I will pretend they are, because i have been lazy as fuck. I'm going to a music festival in Atlanta in September, signed up to run a panel at my local con, and am vastly behind on getting my game's story arc set up so I can run. 1. Be active - to run around events :-) 1 run per week 2 KB sessions per week (pref more but my standards are low right now) 2. Be creative Set up my presentation for the panel Get my game arc planned Mine the new mission guide for NPC stats 3. Get shit done (may extend to next challenge) Get my new passport application submitted Book hotel rooms check flight estimates but plan on booking when there's a sale. I have time. 4. Be solarpunk Get my garden planted - Easter weekend Try mending - jeans or socks. Pref both. Hassle MP about some stuff. Read books and watch anime in prep for panel too. It's research :-D Current manga is Somali and the Forest Spirit. It's sweet.

So... Last challenge went reasonably well. I need to work out more and focus much more on my diet. Moreover, I need to find a way to spend my free time. Unfortunately, all my hobbies are so interesting!! And I always have a hard time deciding what to do. So, I want to tackle from a particular angle: I'm a big fan of Thomas Frank and his YouTube channel. He mostly talks about how to be a good and successful student. In his podcast, he once talked about how everyone should have three hobbies. One movement-/fitness-related hobby that should go beyond working out for the sake of working out. One entrepreneurial hobby that you took as serious as a second career. And a skill-based hobby. I want to spend the next challenges focussing on three hobbies that fit those categories in order to find out what I really want. I will most likely change in-between challenges depending on my experiences. So... Let's start! ------------------------- Moving Working out Running A new round of physical therapy started today in order to fix -- or at least manage -- my back pains. I hope I get a few pointers on how to work out better and then actually do it. I aim for two times a week of "intense" workouts. But I will try to do yoga or something similar as often as possible. Running helps my back pain and it is fun. And in June there's a 5k at my university and I think about participating. I want to go running twice a week. Dieting Low-Carb or low-calories So... Dieting is not going too well. I'm sitting firmly at 94kg. To be a bit more proactive I do not only want to track my food intake but aim for something. I had great success with going low-carb in the past and, obviously, low-calories is always a good idea. So, I'll try both: I want to stay below 150 grams of carbs or below 2000 kcal on as many days as possible. As both correlate -- at least the way I usually eat -- I expect to achieve both or neither each day. Hobbies Walking Drawing Studying/playing Go Practising the guitar So, my three hobbies. For the fitness-related one, I want to be much more active. But I'll start with walking. Last challenge I managed on average 8955 steps per day and maybe I can get that up to 10000. Moreover, I want to listen more to audiobooks and podcasts. Thus, I want to combine these two and aim for a 20-minute walk each day on which I listen to a podcast. Next, I want to get back into drawing. I don't have a particular goal in mind -- just sketching for now. The mid-/long-term goal is to draw and publish comics. Lastly, I want to play and study Go more again. I'll try to go to the local meet-ups and read a few books. Moreover, I'll add practising the guitar as an extra hobby. First of all, it's close to meditating for me and I can easily do it daily for a couple of minutes. Second, I want to propose to my girlfriend in April with singing a song to her. So, I have to practice. ------------------------- As always, I probably have too many too hard goals. But I'll adapt the challenge.

It's been a few challenges since I was here on Nerd Fitness so now it’s time I got back into my fitness routine. For my next challenge, I’m going with a 10th Kingdom theme. I did this one before, a few years ago, but since it’s soon International 10th Kingdom Watch Week, I thought it would be appropriate to do this again. And since I still don’t particularly enjoy the 4 week style challenges, I’m going to do another double challenge at 8 weeks like I did back in 2016 and 2018. That should put me at February 11-April 14, with a week in the middle for a brief rest, I think. The 10th Kingdom is my favorite movie (technically it’s a mini series) and book of all time. It’s about a young woman named Virginia who is seeking to find herself and escape from her boring life. She ends up being transported, along with her screw-up father Tony, to a magical land where fairy tales are real. And they’re not the golden fluff from Disney either! Along the way she is rescued, repeatedly, by Wolf, a reformed convict whose sole mission in life is to woo her. He is half-wolf and must fight his own animal instincts along their journey. The adventure takes them on a whirlwind tour throughout the nine kingdoms where they encounter Trolls and dwarves, a magic gold river fish, the Kissing Town, an Evil Queen, elves and fairies, poisonous mushrooms and Prince Wendell who has been turned into dog. They must help Prince regain his throne and thwart the most evil woman alive; all while simply trying to go home. My goals are properly kingdom themed too, mostly with a focus on Wolf since he’s my all-time favorite character! 3 smaller Quests 1.“Baste it, roast it, toast it, nibble it, chew it, bite right through it, wobble it, gobble it, wrap it round a couple of chickens and am I ravenous!” -Wolf Don’t Eat the Magic Mushrooms (or in my case, the magic sugary snacks!) I need to cut down on processed junk food. Ideally, I would kick the fake sugar habit completely, but that goal hasn’t ever stuck for long, so I’m going to simply be limiting my sugary snacks to only on the weekends with my blow meal and on my birthday. During the week, I want to stick to snacks like fresh fruit, popcorn and nuts. Food features as a sub-theme throughout The 10th Kingdom from the mushroom omelettes in the swamp, to the fizzy stuff in Kissingtown, to the poisoned champagne at Prince Wendell’s coronation, to the apples from the Merry Pips Apple Orchard, to the fine food from the Peeps. I know I would love one of Wolf’s bacon sandwiches! Scoring: x/40 days of no sweet treats (M-F, accept on my birthday) Reward: +4 to CON & +4 to CHA 2. “Oh cripes, they’ve found us!...Run, run!” -Wolf Walking/Running I’ve successfully added walking into my workout but I need to do better at challenging my cardio. I want to really challenge myself this time, and since it’s a double challenge, I think 60 miles in 2 months/40 days is reasonable. I’m going to walk for most of this challenge, but I also want to add in some running. Maybe run 2 times per week at the gym for 15 minutes. Miles will be added towards my total. Walking through the 9 Kingdoms was the easiest way to get around and to remain undetected from the Queen. And while I don’t plan on walking the entire length of the Disenchanted Forest (1,000 miles!), walking quickly with my heart rate up should keep me safe enough from the Huntsman to survive! Scoring: x/60 miles Reward: +3 to DEX (+1 for every 20 miles reached) 3. “You may not get hurt, but huff puff, you won’t get loved either.” -Wolf Darebee’s “Foundation” workout My husband wants to try to exercise together in the mornings, so I thought we’d give another Darebee workout a try. This time though, since it’s been awhile since we did hardcore exercises, we’re going a bit lighter with the “Foundations” workout. Even though “Foundations” is only for 30 days, I will likely repeat it for the second half of my double challenge. Or else maybe try another, 30 day workout from Darebee, we’ll see. To get around in the 9 Kingdoms, you have to be quick on your feet and ready to go old school with transportation, which can include anything from riding horses, to carriages, to simply walking everywhere. You also need to be able to think on your feet and make good choices. So healthy and fit overall. All the characters, but particularly Wolf and Prince, are decently physically active and it helps them get around more easily. Scoring: x/60 days of Foundations Reward: +4 to STA Huff puff let's do this!

Well, it finally happened - at the tender age of 35, I have finally decided to become a real adult. It was inevitable. I could see it coming years ago, but damn, I put it off as long as I was able. I'm proud of how long I held out... but now I'm excited to finally be wearing my big-girl panties, and exploring the wild expanses of genuine adulthood. To inaugurate my level-up, I am setting a 30-day challenge for myself. My goals are as follows: - Complete the move-in process to our new house (including unboxing and organizing all our shit) - Complete the move-out process from our old house (sign-off all the paperwork & turn in the keys) - Revamp my wardrobe, from the current mish-mash of accumulated crap, to a *purposeful* *functional* *events appropriate* one - ACTUALLY WEAR THE NEW WARDROBE - Update my financial budget - Resume healthy living (cooking at home, prioritizing my workouts, and maintaining self-care routines) I'm setting the challenge dates for 01 APR - 30 APR, simply because I want to do a "30 Days, Before & After" kind of photo collage [and a 1 month timeframe is easiest]. I'll get back in sync with the actual 4WC timeline after that.

I have been planning on making a battle log for a while now. I have been in and out of the challenges for 3 or 4 years now. I have enjoyed them but I think for now I am done with them. I used to be bigger into lifting and rucking and then shifted into the world of IRONMAN. In 2017/2018 I finished two full IRONMANs struggled through a couple of GORUCK challenges and generally was not too happy with my fitness. This past year(2018) I have kind of been lazy and not focused much on a goal, I did a few sprint triathlons and a GORUCK light. For 2019 my new game plan is to hit the triathlon disciplines pretty hard while maintaining rucking and beginning a new linear lifting progression. In general I want to become stronger, fast, quicker, and improve my flexibility. I want to achieve a WOD daily with stretching. I have always followed a mostly 80/20 healthy eating regiment. I find this is not really good for me, I like to eat healthy during the week and then I would do an 80-100 mile bike ride on Saturday which would be followed by binge eating then usually a night of binge drinking. Sunday would be a "refeed" day. In order to really achieve what I am hoping for I need to follow a 100% healthy eating rule and maybe see it slip into the 99/1 range. I have a large amount of goal distances and weights I am shooting for. I won't post them until I achieve them. Same goes for other(mental)aspects of my year. For now I have a GORUCK light scheduled in two weeks, a tough/light in may, and a heavy in September. Tri's are just some sprints and a tune up half IRONMAN in march. I do want to get my "A" race sometime in the late fall for the half distance. I have no intentions of doing a full this year, that is for sure. I will post some book reviews as I finish them since I have reading goals as well as any other aspects of my hobbies that I feel like(gardening, cars, fishing, etc).

It's good to be back in the Rebellion! I got some pretty ok results in the first three challenges (#1, #2, #3), then unexpectedly moved to UK for postgraduate studies (take-it-or-leave-it scholarship thing) and coped with the adaptation, work, study and family balance during the autumn term, running and lifting only very occasionally, while ditching my daily walks altogether. In Nov, I failed a respawn challenge. In sum, I let Darth Paunch punch me too much (fueled by the Galactic Writing Assignments Empire). All in all, I threw that lightsaber behind way too many times. It comes to an end. In the latter part of January (original time of the year when I left the Mordor realm of inactivity in 2018), I resumed my running and lifting routine, though I'm still in the process of gearing up. I got myself a new fitness tracker (Huawei Band 3 Pro - for £58 on Amazon Warehouse) with GPS and swimming mode, which adds to motivation (I detest carrying my phone on runs - and this band tracks runs with GPS, showing the pace, distance ran and heart BPM on its own screen in real time, which I always wanted; also, I plan to subscribe to a swimming pool as soon as my academic year ends). Here's the new beauty: And here are some pictures from today's walk around Binfield (finally found some kinda hilly paths which resemble the hills of Maruševec in Croatia that I quite miss): So at this point, I'm pretty optimistic. However, I need to temper it with realism. First, the challenge reports will have to be Twitter-style - nowhere near like this introductory post (took me over an hour!). I made an Accountabilities Twitter-style thread during the failed respawn challenge, but there weren't any posters beside me, so I will not double it, but instead am branding this challenge as an "abridged-posting mode" one. Thus, both my goals and posts will be simple. Also, the following two weeks I have an intensive course, which means my goals during that time will be a smaller bite. So here it is: Subquest 1: walk >4000 daily steps during first two weeks and >8000 daily steps during second two weeks -> 2 STA Subquest 2: run 1x/week during first two weeks and 2x/week during second two weeks -> 1 STA + 1 DEX Subquest 3: lift 1x/week during first two weeks and 2x/week during second two weeks -> 2 STR Subquest 4: go to sleep before midnight -> 2 CON Subquest 5: start the day with devotions (Scripture study, meditation and prayer) -> 1 WIS + 1 CHA Give me that lightsaber alright! P.S. looking forward to the end of the academic year, when I'll be able to hang out with you much more! Wishing all of you a rocking 4WC!

So, I handed in my dissertation. Yay! There is still a lot of bureaucracy to work through and, in a few months, my defence. But! It's time to focus on improving myself again. Right now I'm too hung over and unmotivated to come up with a clever theme, so I'll just stick to the basics: movement, dieting and learning. Moving: Tracking steps Working out Running The goal here is to move every day in some way or another. In particular, I want to walk a bit more overall. Last challenge I managed about 8000 steps per day on average and I want to get that up to 9000. Should be relatively simple by going to the grocery store more often. Next: my bodyweight workout routine is very scalable and I want to try to do it as often as possible with lowered intensity. Additionally, I want to go running about twice a week. But depending on the weather I might substitute a longer walk. Dieting: Tracking food Tracking weight At the moment I sit at 94kg. A year ago I was at 83kg... Well... In order to get back down, I won't follow any specific heuristics. I will track my food intake and try to reduce my calories a bit. But in this challenge, it's more about learning to be conscious about what I eat. In particular, I want to reduce my carbs a bit. I'll aim for under 200 grams per day, but, as mentioned, it's more about being conscious. Learning: Studying Practising the guitar I have to learn to use my new free time. In order to do that in a productive way, I will try to sit down every day for 15 minutes and learn/study something. That'll most likely be Polish, Japanese, Go or C++. Hopefully, I'll cycle through all of them regularly. And to have something more focussed, I'll try to practise the guitar for a few minutes every day.

Mera, aka Runner 5, reporting for duty from her new base in Sweden... The Mission: Get ready for the Zombies Run 10K virtual race "The Train to Orban" taking place late April - early May The Action plan: Simple, follow the Zombies Run 10K beginner training The Obstacles to master: Make room for running and just go, even if I don't want to (or the weather is crap). Prevent knee pain through exercises and stretching. Take the dog along as much as possible, which might impact speed negatively. Remember that it's not about speed or losing weight, it's about running consistently and feeling better in mind and body. Don't get caught by Zombies. Open the gates!

Hello. My Name is Charlie, and I am a I started CrossFit in December. My head has been dunked in the barrel of Kool-Aid and I've taken a giant gulp. I've not gone 'full wanker' yet, I'm only going twice a week and I currently don't start all sentences in a conversation with 'at my box...' or 'when I was at CrossFit the other day...' But you know, early days. This challenge is more of a battle log for CrossFit. I've been running the same goals forever, because my long term goals haven't changed. I'm still training for OCR's and looking to qualify for the OCR world championships.This means as well as CrossFit, I'll be running three times a week and bouldering once a week. EMOM, AMRAP It's getting a little dull and it's pointless to put my running and bouldering as challenge goals, as they are now pretty much part of my routine. So this challenge is just going to be a little fun place for me to write crap, post pics of WOD white boards CrossFit and talk nonsense WOD, Metcon. Feel free to join in with the crap talk and post dumb memes and gifs. CrossFit