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Vetinari sighed, and put down his pen. "Drumknott," he called towards the outer chamber. The clerk entered noiselessly. "Yes, my lord?" he said. The Patrician waved at the papers on his desk. "Take these away. I'm..." He trailed off, and rubbed his goatee distractedly. Drumknott cleared his throat. "Bored, sir?" He gathered up the papers on the desk into a neat sheaf. "One does not get bored of ruling a city like Ankh-Morpork, Drumknott," said Vetinari in a tone that would, in other men, be described as slightly peevish. No one ever described the patrician of Ankh-Morpork as peevish. At least, not if they valued a scorpion-free existence on the outside of the dungeon walls. It was, however, the time of year when a certain... restlessness set in. It was the same every May. One would have to be fairly close to the Patrician to notice this shift in mood, and that was precisely where most people strove not to be. Drumknott noticed. "I have taken the liberty, my lord," said Drumknott. He placed a thin file folder in front of Vetinari, and carefully squared it up. "I thought one of these might amuse." Vetinari opened the folder. He flipped past the first sheet, plucked out the second sheet for further perusal, then the third, flipped past the fourth, and paused on the fifth. "Interesting," he said. "She has been away quite some time, has she not?" "Indeed, sir," said Drumknott. "I understand she will be reporting back to work soon. The Dark Clerks have cleared a desk for her. Do you wish to send down an assignment?" "Oh, I think we should have a very special assignment waiting for Sara Kingdom," said Vetinari. He smiled thinly. A Challynge yn Foure Partes Parte I: Clerking "As a wizard, I must tell you, Havelock, that words have power." "As a politician, I must tell you I already know." I'm reading two books that talk about writing as a mental transformation habit, which I was surprised to find, cuz I've been toying with the idea of "write it down or it didn't happen" as a core principle of thinking through plans and problems - basically, the idea that if you don't make it tangible, you're probably kidding yourself on how clearly and well you really thought it through - and writing as a way of finding out what you're not aware you think, the act of recording as a necessary part of the thinking process itself. The first is inspired by Julia Cameron's "The Artist's Way", but brings in more research-based stuff, and the second is one of the researchy books it's based on. So I will be hauling out the notebooks and doing a lot of writing. There will be some basic journalling to clear my head and figure out what I'm interested in these days. There will be weekly (and possibly daily) planning and review writing on sets of questions and stuff, to make myself do the job clearly and fully, and bypass the lack of focus going on. There may even be an experiment with expressive writing as a way of processing and clearing the head of various bits of negative flotsam and jetsam it stalls out on, or has to keep handling. (Doesn't sound like a barrel of laughs, but the science is good.) Basically, a lot of writing. A ton of writing. Parte II: Monking "Time has stopped for everyone but you," said Sweeper patiently. "Actually, that sentence is wrong in every particular, but it’s quite a useful lie." Lately, I've been managing to sleep purely by doing very deliberate physical and mental stillness meditations in bed. It's ridiculously hard. This is not normal for me, at least in recent years, so it's a big sign that my meditation habit needs to come back in a big way. If my brain is buzzing that hard when I'm trying to sleep, it's probably jangling that hard all the time, and that can't be helping anything. So I'm gonna learn how to stop time and get some stillness back with meditation. Parte III: Patrolling Those were the kind of boots Vimes always bought, and wore until the soles were so thin that he could tell where he was in Ankh-Morpork on a foggy night by the feel of the cobbles. This part is simple. Walking. I will patrol my city. Parte IV: Assassining The Assassin moved quietly from roof to roof until he was well away from the excitement around the Watch House. His movements could be called catlike, except that he did not stop to spray urine up against things. Strength and mobility training, for scaling rooftops and things. The strength training will start with a continuation of the previous challenge's isometric stuff: horse stance (static squat), planks, ITWY exercises, and some bridge. When my schedule gets wrangled into shape, I will try to get some daily yoga before bed, but it's not gonna be a week 1 kinda goal. It was a Guild of Assassins, after all. Black was what you wore. The night was black and so were you. And black had such style, and an Assassin without style, everyone agreed, was just a highly paid arrogant thug. Pure bonus material, but I think some wearing of black and stylishness should get points. A lot of aikido teachers will tell you to focus on elegance, and putting the focus on the process rather than the goal tends to improve the efficacy. I've noticed this with writing, too; a focus on elegant handwriting tends to slow down and smooth the jangly bits in the brain and the content becomes better. Ye Planne The plan is not to jump into doing all of this at once, because I'm currently at very low capacity for getting things done and adding things to my list, but to step up how much I'm doing during the challenge. Some goals aren't even on my list for the initial week or two, and the rest, for the first couple of weeks, I'll be fine with hitting them half the days. Doing something half the days is better than zero of the days, and I'm going to need some time to try to find a good schedule time for them. Wrangling my schedule, especially when it comes to sleep, is turning out to be a big obstacle, so I'm starting by doing just what helps get that stabilized better. Template: Week 0 Day 1 Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Meditation Journal Written Plans & Reviews Emotive Writing Exercise Walking Strength Yoga Assassin Style Bonus

It's that time of year for me. Time to bowl in the USBC Open Nationals Tournament. This year it is in Las Vegas again. I bowl on June 2nd and 3rd. I always have a blast bowling this each year. This will be my 11th year in a row, 14th overall. This year, at least I have been able to get back out and do some bowling in a league. I won't be a complete mess haha. The only problem I'll have is flying back on the 4th. I'm going to miss some of the Pokemon Go Fest! Hopefully, just like the first hour or so of day 1. I skipped last challenge. I was sick during the first couple of weeks. Had my doctors appointment. Things were looking pretty good, but I was put on even more medicine. I had a choice to get higher dosage on one of them as well. I decided to not do that, and attempt to get my eating in control. Then on Friday the 29th, something happened to our old lady cat. She was 22. She did have some trouble getting around, but still jumped up on the couch etc. The morning of the 29th, she was just a different cat. It was like she had a stroke or something. Would not eat, and was aimlessly wondering around the apartment. Barely would open her eyes up. Could hardly walk. Just seemed like she had no sense of anything. I spent quite awhile with her on my chest. I was trying to give her a place she would feel secure to rest. Spent a lot of time crying. It was pretty clear, it was time. We called to get squeezed in over at a animal hospital. Doctor pretty much agreed there was nothing to be done. So, we sent her on her way. My oldest son is just a year older, so he knew her his whole life. It was quite the hit to us. So yeah, not exactly how I imagined coming into May. I'm kind of all over the place. like sitting here at 2:30 am making this post, instead of getting the sleep I should be haha. Ok, enough bringing things down! Once again, let's try to get things on track. I have Vegas to bowl in, plus I really need to get much healthier. While I was not in last challenge, I decided to start making a goal list. Not so much things to get done now, but as of things to eventually do. This challenge needs to be the stepping stone into getting me headed towards my goals. For those that have followed me in the past, I am sure that my goals will be very similar to ones I have had in the past. Goal #1 - Sleep I always seem to have to get this one established again. It's just too easy for me to stay up till 2 or 3am. My youngest has finally gone back to in person learning at school as well. So now I am having to get up early to get him there and back. In general though, I have too many days that I feel tired and run down from lack of sleep. Since I am getting up early, I need to get to bed a bit earlier then I use to as well. Some nights, it might be harder to do, but we shall see. 10:30 PM, I am to get off the computer or whatever. Then I get off to reading asap. At 11 PM I need to head to bed. If I feel like I am not getting enough reading time, I might get to reading earlier, like 10 PM. I'll see how things feel in week zero, and adjust if need be. 20 points each day. 140 points for the week Goal #2 - Movement This will be a big factor for future goals. I've really done almost nothing. Groceries, or caring water jugs up stairs from time to time. Then bowling once or maybe twice a week. Really, very low activity level. I need to change this. Week zero, my only exercise goal, is to get out and walk each day, No time frame, no step count. Just make an actual choice to go out and walk. I have been temped with adding in some meditation in as well. Like walk out someplace, then sit and mediate. Then walk more. Just something to help clear the head. Though I do get that with bigger walks too. I would also like to get into doing some workouts. Like a Monday, Wednesday, Friday split. I think week 1 I will start this. Probably just some bodyweight stuff to start. I did get myself a pull up bar and resistance bands to do assisted pull ups. I just have to try it out. I also think I want to start in slow here too. Like do at least once exercise from my list. So even if I just do feel it, just do 10 squats or something. I'll most likely do more, but I figured I would have the "do just one" to at least keep me going. It use to work for me back in the day for walking. I'd tell myself "You can give up 15 minutes at least to walk" I hope that I start off with the baby steps, then I can add on more in week 2 or 3. Honestly, just have to see how things go. Walking every day, M, W, F workouts outs (Do at least one Exercise) 10 points each day for walking, 10 points each day for workouts. 100 total points for the week. Goal #3 - Get food under control I really have been struggling on what I should do for my food. I've not been happy with my blood sugar levels. I really don't want to be on the medication I am on right now. I know, I could get myself back in a range I want fairly quickly if I went back to eating Keto. Obviously, I need to lose weight, That can be done doing any real method of eating. I just have to eat less then I burn. Eating Keto doesn't magically just make you lose weight. I felt it did help me though, with cravings and such. Still, I feel like it might not be the best long term for me. At some point I will want potatoes, or popcorn, and pizza. From my previous doctors appointment, I wanted to see if I can eat like I normally have been eating, and see what effect the medicine would have on me. It is better, but I'm not that happy with it. Though, I didn't exactly steer away from eating all the things. This challenge, I'm not going to eat a certain way so much, but I do want to make sure I am eating in a calorie range at least. Funny enough, I think when I did eat Keto, I was also eating more vegetables a better foods then just junk I have been eating. Main point of this goal is to track what I eat. Hopefully, work on better choices of foods to eat too. Lower calorie/higher volume foods and such. Baby steps first, just track and stay in my calorie range. I know there are some days I will just be hungry and want to eat. I want to try to have an upper number to not pass. Track food 7 days a week. 2,000 to 2800 calories. I'd like to range 2200-2500 on average I think. So hopefully, not too many higher days 10 points each day, 70 points each week. There are many other things I want to do, but I really want to keep it much more simple to get me started off again. Here is to getting all the kinks worked out in week 0, then having a really good challenge! Measurements: Start / Finish Chest - Waist - Bicep (L) - Bicep (R) - Thigh (L) - Thigh (R) - Weight - Points: Week 1 (05/08 - 05/14) - 0/310 Week 2 (05/15 - 05/21) - 0/310 Week 3 (05/22 - 05/28) - 0/310 Week 4 (05/29 - 06/04) - 0/310 Week 5 (06/05 - 06/11) - 0/310 Total Challenge Points - 0/1550

And I'm back! Decided to go with a Naruto theme since I'm reading the manga, again, and trying an approximation of Naruto's genin training! Starting Stats Age: 32 Height:5'4" Weight:214# Diet Eat at least 100g protein a day! I'm in a state of just not eating enough right now so I'm going to work on increasing my protein intake! I know this will come with calories so hopefully it'll bring me high enough. 7 days- A 6 days - B 5 days - C 4 days - D 3 or less - F Fitness Training! I'm on a working out 6 days a week. Alternating walking and calisthenics with biking or skateboarding on the weekend! 0 strikes - A+ 1 strike - B 2 strikes - C 3 strikes - F Side Quest Sleep Better! My sleep schedule is very up and down. I go to bed around 9 or 10 and end up just laying in bed or tossing and turning until midnight. Sometimes even til 2am which just doesn't work with my waking time at 7am. So during this time I'm going to try different methods to fall asleep faster. Scoring will be based on how many hours a night I get, averaged for the week. 8 hours- A 7 hours - B 6 hours - C 5 hours- D 4 hours - F

Ah. You may be wondering what exactly is going on here with the cognac and the wet celery and what appears to be a very rude novelty candle. I can explain. It is all very simple. You see, two years ago, someone 'ad a little cough and tickle in the back of the throat, which led to a small pandemic, then riots and lockdowns and some terrible singing and a great deal of sourdough bread. Then we left it to the Americans to clean it up, and of course they made a giant balls-up of it all that nearly toppled democratic government as we know it, we still have the pandemic only larger, and now we are 'ere in world war three. What could be simpler. The celery is all I can afford for dinner with all the inflation, and the cognac is because I 'ave an 'eadache from all of this. And the very rude novelty candle, well, we 'ave to heat the house somehow, and it will not be with Russian oil now, will it. In short, the 'ole thing has been a giant cock-up from start to finish, and so is our winter heating. Oh my god, here comes that stupid Englishman who thinks he can speak our language: Oh, did I not mention 'im...? He 'as a "canning ploon". "Canning" like a bloody "fix", 'im. A taxidermied one, at any rate. He has a plan to keep fit in lockdown: He is at least keen, I will give 'im that. The Officer Crabtree "How to be a Plonker" Challenge Squits Plonk Intermittent fisting

Well, let's do this! I had sort of planned great intentions for this year, most of it will probably happen in a messy way, but it will happen nonetheless. I am not ready for this, but few have been the times when I've taken the luxury to take the path I was ready for. Balance, to me, is more of a dynamic thing than a static one: not staying long enough on the crumbling part for it to crumble under me. I can do it. I don't have the energy for either grand or many things, instead, I will focus on one single habit, the one that truly matters: Go to sleep by 9:30 pm, wake up by 4:30 am. That's it. Most other things will sort of fall in place as I hop on my merry way, oriented chaos is kind of my thing.

Whelp... I bit off a little more than I could chew last challenge, so this time: TWO goals! 😁 1. Sleep 2. Doggie walks Not-really-a-goal: Be more mindful about how I spend my day and what I'm doing with my time (and why)! No specific goal here just 'do this more'. 😂 Sleep I will aim to get eight hours of sleep a night from roughly 10:30-7:30. Right now I fluctuate wildly, although it's settled a bit thanks to the last challenge. I've been getting up and downstairs prior to 8am seems to slowly become more ingrained. (My alarm has been going off at 7:15 each morning for a while now and it's getting easier to get to sleep before midnight.) I had a more concrete plan for improvement last challenge, but that didn't seem to help, so I'm going to focus more on Mindfullness and force myself to evaluate how the night went each morning before work. (Which hopefully will also end with me being a little more social here as a side bonus! 😅) Doggie Walks I did pretty well with this last challenge! I really don't do well in the cold, so I went into hibernate mode when the snow moved in... but it looks like we're on the track to warm up a bit. And rain. Lots and lots of rain. Sigh. So the challenge this time is that if it's over 35 and not raining, then I WILL take the dog on a doggie walk for lunch. If it's lightly raining and it's over 40... then I will give it a try and see how miserable it is. (Our lunch walk is 1 mile and takes us roughtly 25 min, but that might be too much cold/damp for the doggo.) I will think Mindful thoughts whilst walking. I will also take him out on a longer walk on the weekends, trying to take him to a few different walking trails so he can smell the good smells!

The overarching challenge goals are gonna be: keep and improve my sleep gains, work on chronic burnout (which incorporates a degree of exercise I need for other things), and manage what's looking like a mental heath freefall. The specifics are going to take some time, because I'm not yet sure what the characteristics or attack points of this mental health freefall are. So I will start with zero week tasks. Make a list of things to accomplish in the next two weeks. (50% progress) Pay special attention to health insurance issues on that list. (Done 1x) Find my yoga strap. Do yoga five times. (Done 1x) Exercise twice. (Done 0x) Metta meditation five times. (Done 0x) Post every day. (Done 2x) Take notes on the characteristics of any mental health crashes that interfere with getting things done or other wellbeing issues. Try to increase my good people contact. Bonus: binge-watch something fictional. (Done 1x) I know binge-watching is sort of a symptom of brain weasels, but I'm putting it on my list because I want to at least be able to check it off a list if I'm gonna do it, and because I'm actually not sure that binge-watching isn't a technique for practicing dealing with people and problems in a removed way that is less immediate and more controllable.

Well I wanted to start off this year strong, but just everything was too overwhelming. Completely nope'd last challenge. I did however get myself to some much needed appointments. New glasses, a few dental things having to be done, and a doctor visit this last Wednesday. How did things go? Bad. I've gone from controlling my diabetes, to going full on back into OMG territory. A1c was very high. So now I get to jump back on medication. Plus a start a second medication in 8 more days. Like it was bad enough, there was no "Can I just see where I am at in 2 months". I have the yearly physical appointment set for 2 months from now. Lab work about a week before. I immediately though of going full on keto again. I know it did very well for controlling blood sugar in the past. The problem is, I just don't think this is how I would eat forever. I like popcorn. I would like to still have a potato etc. These next couple of months, I want to see if I can get things back in control. I want to focus on eating foods that will be lower calorie, higher volume. A lot of what Greg Doucette had referred to. This should still offer me some flexibility. I just really can't let myself eat all the things. Like the cupcakes and other sweets my wife still bought today. I also really need to get moving, and sleeping well. I still have plenty of things I really need to do around the apartment. I'm going to try to not overwhelm myself with too much. I can't just jump in and start all the things at once, even when my brain thinks I should be able too haha. Goal#1) I need to reset my sleep cycle Too many nights, it's after 2 am when I go to bed. Too many morning I don't get out of bed. This puts me in the mood of "I don't feel like doing anything", and "Wow, I've already lots the whole day sitting around in bed" The goal is to try to get myself back into a proper sleep cycle. I want to get back to reading before bed again. So stop what I am doing to read at 10:30 PM. Then I read for an hour. Get off to bed at 11:30 PM. This should get me into bed around 11:45 PM. Provided I get to bed, I don't want to sit in bed for hours. So I also want to get up with my alarm. I'll set this at 8:30 PM for the moment, but I imagine I'll be getting up earlier. It's sort of happened a little be this last week when I did get to bed earlier. Off to read at 10:30 PM, Off to bed at 11:30 PM, get the heck out of bed in the morning 15 points each day. 105 points for the week Goal#2) Fueling for success Let's see if I can set myself up to eat well in these next couple of months. I need to get back to tracking my food. I want to track in Cronometer, but even if I track with pen and paper, that counts! I just want to give myself the best chance to get it done. With tracking, I can make sure my calories are in a deficit. Or at least it might help me figure that out. I want to aim for under 2500 calories for now. I could get myself down in the 1800 area, but that didn't seem to work the best in the past. At least in the long run. So slower, should hopefully be better. Tracking food intake, Under 2500 Calories 10 points per day, 70 points for the week Goal#3) Start small, build up to more There is many things I want to do. I want to run again. I want to be able to do a pull up. I want to feel stronger and healthier. I just know I can't jump in full throttle. I need to start off small, and build things up. I am going to start with walking. I'm not going to set a certain time, or number of steps. I just want to get walking each day. Short goal, I want to be able to walk around nearby Lake Elizabeth. Pokemon Go Tour 2022 runs on February 26th. It's from 9 am to 9 pm. I want to be able to stay out there for a few hours walking around. It's going to be too soon to just expect I go out there and walk the whole time, but I can rest on some benches haha. I also ordered myself some resistance bands, and a pull up bar that can handle heavier people. First focus is walking. I might do some indoor bodyweight stuff soon, but I want to focus on walking first. Hopefully, a week or two in, I will be ready for more exercising. Farther walks, workouts, maybe even starting to run. I'll see how things go. If I feel I want to add I will. Walking first though Week 1: Walk every day 10 points per day, 70 on the week. No goal 4. I want to add things to do. I need to focus on the first 3 goals first. It's a few changes, and I don't want to feel forced that I have to get even more things done. I have my goals, I want to see much improvement buy my next doctor visit. Good news for my vision, she didn't see any diabetes damage to my eyes. My dental work it things that I have needed to fix for the last couple of years. Might weight has actually been lower too. It's not all bad news for me. I just feel let down that I did this tom myself. Measurements - Day 1 / End of challenge Chest - Waist - Bicep (L) - Bicep (R) - Thigh (L) - Thigh (R) - Weight - Challenge Points Week 1 (02/13 - 02/19) - 0/245 Week 2 (02/20 - 02/26) - 0/245 Week 3 (02/27 - 03/05) - 0/245 Week 4 (03/06 - 03/12) - 0/245 Week 5 (03/13 - 03/19) - 0/245 Total points - 0/1225

Two days before Christmas, I got word that my cousin died. He was 6 weeks older then me. I'll be 49 in November this year. Apparently he had a heart attack, and has had a multiples. In fact, has a pacemaker already too. We were all much more close back when I lived in Missouri, and saw that side of my family a lot more. My cousin was a big guy, and I'm sure that was part of what led to his early death. Years back, my uncle (his dad) had mentioned to me "Yeah, we can see you are a Thomas" while hitting his belly. I mean, at the time it was funny. But it just shows that I have a lot of bigger family out there haha. For New Years, I helped my sister-in-law move. Part of why I am late to the challenge Her fiancé is currently on dialysis. He also has quite a few issues from having uncontrolled diabetes. They are not that much older then I am. Eyes are messed up, kidneys etc. This all got me thinking about my own mortality again. My wife had her weight loss surgery done. She's still recovering some from that, but mostly recovered. I basically sat out the last challenge to take care of her. Before all this, I've been getting that feeling that I really need to change things for myself. All of this and all the other things we've all been through the last couple of years, I figure it is time for me to get serious. #1) Sleep Yes, big surprise my number 1 goal is to get my sleep in. It is just so important to everything else. Fully rested, I make much better choices. Getting rest allows recover from workouts etc. In general, thing are just much better rested, instead of feeling drained and sleepy. 10:30 PM Start reading. 11:30 PM head to bed. Wake up, and get out of bed. No sitting there playing on the phone. 15 points per day. 105 points per week. #2) Calorie tracking I want to get back to tracking my calories. I want to be under 2500 calories for now. I can adjust to see how I feel. Nothing special for a way of eating. I just want to start making smarter choices. Higher volume, lower calories I suppose. I did consider going back to Keto, because it did work well for me. I just don't know that that is going to be how I would want to eat forever. I still like having my popcorn Tracking calories in Cronometer, plus staying under 2500 calories 10 points per day, 70 points per week. #3) Walking and workouts One thing is clear, is I need to make sure to take care of my heart. So bring on the cardio. I might also be able to convince my older son to start walking too. He has mentioned to me lately. Maybe even get the rest of the family going. I also want to build up my strength. There are a few goals I wish to accomplish, and getting stronger will help For walking. I am going for 15 minutes to start off. I might do 5 minutes to start with my kid, then do more after. I figure that's a good start. Eventually, I will move it up to a certain number of steps. For workouts, I believe I will just start off with things at home. Everyone and their mom will probably start using out little gym at my apartment complex. So I want to start off with something else. Eventually moving into the bit of stuff at the gym. Walking 5 points every day for 15 minutes each day. M, W, F for workouts. 10 points each. 65 points each week. #4) Chores and Early spring cleaning There are many things to get done around here, plus the stuff that needs to get done each day or two. We close up our storage unit a couple of challenges a back. So we still just have so much stuff to go through. Chores each day are dishes and cat boxes. Then I need to get though a tub, or a few boxes of baseball cards/comics. There are many other things, but these are what I shall focus on. 5 points per day for chores, and 15 total points for decluttering each week. 50 points total per week. Challenge point totals: Week 1 - 0/210 Week 2 - 0/290 Week 3 - 0/290 Week 4 - 0/290 Week 5 - 0/290 Total points this Challenge - 0/1370 Measurements Start / Finish (coming soon) Chest - Waist - Bicep (L) - Bicep (R) - Thigh (L) - Thigh (R) - Weight -

Tis the first challenge of the year and thanks to the December Mini, I'm raring to go! 😁 1. Get to bed earlier I am really really horrid at this right now, so this is going to be my hard goal for the challenge. I think this might have more of an impact than anything else, but it will be interesting to see. I will also be trying out a few things to see if it helps me get to sleep and stay asleep, so it will be a little more complex than just 'change the time on the alarms'. Week 1 - Bed 9, Lights Out 11, Awake 745 Week 2 - Bed 9, Lights Out 1045, Awake 730 Week 3 - Bed 9, Lights Out 1030, Awake 715 Week 4 - Bed 9, Lights Out 1015, Awake 700 Week 5 - Bed 9, Lights Out 10, Awake 645 2. Take more daily steps I am at 2k average right now, but I'm not trying at all and on dog walk days it gets up to 6k... so I'm hoping this one will be a medium-easy win. I have a treadmill for rainy days, but I'm hoping to get most of the steps via cleaning/decluttering the house and dog walking (when it's not raining). Week 1 - 3k steps average Week 2 - 3.5k steps average Week 3 - 4k steps average Week 4 - 4.5k steps average Week 5 - 5k steps average 3. Work on shoulder flexibility and being able to keep arm raised (without weights) This one is my 'not sure about' goal. It's not something I can really fix in a single challenge, so this time around I am just going to look up a bunch of various streaches and bodyweight excercises. I'll get a baseline for where I'm at and what I can do... and then update the goals as needed. I meant to get it done before the challenge kicked off, but, err... life happened. 😅 Week 1 - Experiment with a bunch of things Week 2 - ??? Week 3 - ??? Week 4 - ??? Week 5 - ??? ----------------------------------------- Other things I will also be doing and probably commenting on: Artwork, Writing, Cleaning, Decluttering, Cooking, etc. ----------------------------------------- I used the following BuJo/Planner printables (may be tweaked as the challenge goes along): 2022 Overview - https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1zlf3E_RJRhHap1errir22Zp5RjHutsA8a3rnMVeriAo/edit?usp=sharing Goal Brainstorming - https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1bKbZ9C2_u3-8uofp5BNnm3i8W7i9qs-ga016a2KOLFk/edit?usp=sharing 5-week planning page - https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1JRvBceRfOeKqEFE8shiEVGG5x1Nj1b7hqsRh4uZAD4A/edit?usp=sharing 1-week tracking page - https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/18hTMHjX3ufmUCMxDh6z1sEnPefCpMKsImpASB6BqK4w/edit?usp=sharing

Okay, so, uh. First off: Happy Holidays y'all! Whatever it is you celebrate this time of year, I hope it rocks socks. Y'all probably noticed I disappeared from the forums for a while. Kind of related to the heart thing, but not on account of anything that actually happened. Kind of got in my head about it for a while, and the last month's been a pretty transitionary period with return to the office and new school and... just a lot. With everything going on I found myself just rolling with it; I didn't make a conscious decision to step away, but it happened anyway. OTOH, I got stress-tested. (it was stressful! But I passed! Cardiologist isn't worried about me and I'm due for another appointment in April). I've had to return to the office, where I found that I can really neatly do all the things I struggled to do at home in terms of writing and napping and meditating. All that time spent out there, however, has made balancing all the disparate elements of my training a little hairy. That's not anything new. It's been a lot, really. And taking care of all that caused me to neglect the forums here instead. I don't think that's fair of me to have done, but I also think it's arrogant of me to assume that I'm really that necessary to the goings-on around here. Either way, done is done. I'm back. I'll try not to drift again. As far as goals go, a lot of it is down to schedule and time-management. Stuff I tried to work on but didn't stick. I'm paying a price for that now. I'm also trying to figure out what effective balance looks like, mostly because I don't want to fall into that martial artist's trap where I live to train and neglect everything else that needs to be done. So, in the spirit of the holidays, just gonna take it easy and make a goal of getting down to bed by midnight. That's it. That's my one goal. I'm not saying that everything else will manage itself necessarily, but I feel like the earlier I get to bed, the more time I have, and the more time I have, the more opportunities I can take to get done what I want to. It's also the one thing that's really challenging me right now. Like I said, the office structure takes all the challenge out of the other stuff. It presents its own challenges in turn, but an early-to-bed, early-to-rise challenge probably will do more to address that than anything else. And if it won't, well, the only I know to find that out is to try. I'll be around to y'all as I can. Wish you well.

I'm experimenting with workout schedules. That's the science. In my last challenge, linked here: I had the following goals: Goal 1: Workout every day. Goal 2. Eat more, earlier in the day, and in smaller portions to avoid bingeing at night; and everything should be clean. Goal 3. Water/Sleep: 6 cups at least & 6 hours at least. I'm not changing the goals for this challenge, I probably won't change the goals for a while. But because my completion chart looked like this at the end of the challenge,.... Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Work Work Work Work Work Jujitsu (AM) Church “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ Cardio Resistance Jujitsu (PM) Life Group Errands Cardio Resistance Endurance or Speed Hams (RDLs) & Chest Yoga Abs Yoga Endurance Hams (RDLs), Lats & Delts Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Week 0 ✔️ ✔️ 4/6 ✔️✔️5/8 ✔️✔️3/6 ✔️✔️2/3 ✔️✔️4/5 ❌✔️4/8 ✔️✔️6/7 Week 1 ✔️✔️5/7 ✔️✔️4/7 ✔️❌4/7 ❌✔️idk ❌❌idk ❌✔️4/7 ❌✔️4/8 Week 2 ✔️✔️3/5 ✔️❌4/6 ❌✔️2/8 ❌✔️3/6 ❌❌ idk ❌✔️idk ❌✔️4/8 Week 3 ✔️✔️4/8 ✔️✔️4/7 ❌✔️ idk ❌✔️idk ❌✔️idk ❌✔️4/7 ✔️✔️4/8 Week 4 ❌✔️ idk ❌✔️3/8 ✔️✔️ 5/6 ✔️✔️ idk ❌✔️ idk ❌✔️4/6 ✔️✔️5/7 Week 5 ❌✔️ idk ❌✔️ idk ❌✔️ idk ❌❌ idk ❌✔️ idk ❌❌ idk I figured I should reevaluate my workout schedule. I to see more green this time around. Changing my schedule around to look like this: Sunday,--Cardio: preferably hikes to build endurance, (Is there anything better on a Sunday afternoon?), but since the weather will be iffy over the next month, anything will be fine. Monday--Weights: RDLs + (Bench & Lats) or (Rows & Shoulders) Tuesday--Cardio: Doesn't matter what kind. Wednesday: Jujitsu & Abs/Core work, If no jujitsu class -> Weights again Thursday- Yoga: I usually have church activities on Thursdays, so I get home very late and in varying states of fed/hungry. So I'd rather do something simple and at home, while I get ready for bed. Friday-Abs/Core work: I run my errands on Friday nights, so I need something I can do at home, that's relatively quick. If all else fails, 1min. planks suffice just fine. Saturday- Weights again. Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Week 0 Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week Xtra Week 5 I know this challenge is only three weeks, but I didn't feel like making a new chart, now or in the future. I'm also going to start a week now, and go the week after Christmas. Because my main goal going into next year is to workout consistently, so there is no point in taking a week off anywhere and disrupting that. I'm less tired than I was a few months ago, and my strength and endurance are slowly picking up, so I know at least something is working.

I’m reading “atomic habits” at the moment and the focus this challenge will be on continuing my habit building from last challenge. It was the first challenge I’ve finished in a LONG time, so I’m sticking with what worked, as well as adding another potential tick. 5/4/3/2/1: ⏹⏹⏹⏹⏹5 veggies ⏹⏹⏹⏹ 4/week legumes ⏹⏹⏹ 3 serves whole grain ⏹⏹ 2 fruit ⏹ 1 nuts/seeds Noom homework: ⏹ keep working through those modules, doing the readings, weighing in etc. focus for zero week/most of week 1 is going to be maintaining at approx 90kg. Then weeks 2-5 will be a gentle deficit to bring it down by another 2-3kg before hopping back into maintenance mode. Say hi to the nerds! ⏹Keep up with the regular updates, folklore (autocorrected from ‘follow’, but I’m keeping it) and interact with other’s challenges. Runner 5, report: ⏹5,500 steps per day. Under 5hrs screen time on the phone: ⏹ self explanatory. PUMP IT (louder): ⏹new habit: gym on Tuesday and Thursday. Get reacquainted with the iron. Active recovery the other days, ideally yoga, but minimum physio stretches.

It's autumn. I need to do the things. And I need a bit of discipline and structure about it. But the supportive mentor variety. So I need to get the dojo mentality back into my life. This fire dude will do, cuz of all of them, he's the one who has his adulting game on point. Hopefully there will be autumnal moon cakes. (Of the inauthentic low-carb variety. This is Avatar, you're lucky they're not on fire.)

My last challenge went so well and kept me happy even though life was (is) stressful, so I want to keep doing what I've been doing. Never change a running system. I'll just tweak my numbers a bit to make it more doable. So my goals are: 1. Sleep 7 hours during the week and over 8 on the weekends* 2. Do 150 mins of activities a week (as judged by my watch, pluspoints if it's cardio ) --> this one will be a goal until February, it's one of my school semester goals. 3. Keep eating all those veggies (makes my skin pretty) Bonus: After teaching pole (2-3 times a week) I want to at least dance to two songs or practice two combos OR take one pole class as a student per week. Both is fine. ❤️ If it's any good I'll post videos, probably on instagram. ^^ * Last challenge 8 hours of sleep were my goal... Mostly I did around 6:30 to 6:45 during the week, I think 7 might be doable if I really try...

I'm at a transition point where some chapters of my life (including a PhD) are coming to a close soon, with more life changes on the horizon. Right now I'm recovering from the last particularly stressful last month, catching up on other things that were set aside, and re-focusing on my health and fitness. Most excitingly, I decided to get inline skates as a reward for finishing my thesis! GOALS Sleep routine Start getting ready for bed by 11 pm (10:30 pm if I still need to shower), in bed by 11:30 pm, and lights off by 12 am. In my most recent challenges I've only focused on my bedtime, and now I want to start working on a bedtime routine as well. As in my last challenge, I'll be tracking how close I am to these times rather than a binary yes/no of whether I met each deadline. Bonus points if I manage to wind everything back by a half hour by the end of the challenge (10:30/11/11:30 pm). Exercise Some sort of strength training (yoga counts) at least 2x/week Start learning how to skate! Take my skates out at least 2x/week and watch a skating tutorial at least 1x/week. Food and nutrition No store-bought sweets Take my vitamins/supplements every day Bonus: Make something in the kitchen (at least 2 servings) once a week, even if it's just a salad. My partner has pretty much taken over all of the batch cooking this past year, and me chipping in would give us some more variety.

Here we have it. I turn 48 on November 2nd. We have Halloween (My youngest doesn't care), and then my Birthday. My Dad's is on the 8th, but he is in another state. November 19th is the release of Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shiny Pearl! Thanksgiving is on the 25th of November here in the USA. All the things! During this challenge, it looks like my wife will be going in for surgery as well. She is getting the gastric bypass. She did have some other surgery years ago, but it didn't seem like they did much. There is also a stomach hernia they are removing. She'll be in the hospital for 2 to 3 days. Plus covid stuff, we probably won't be able to visit. We had planned to travel to my Sister-in-law's place for Thanksgiving, but who knows now. Lots in the air to get sorted. A side note, my wife will have to go on a liquid diet asap. Two weeks before surgery. Then 2 after surgery. She moves to soft foods after that. We have been starting to prepare, but this did just pop up suddenly. I don't think she will go in on surgery on my birthday, but will probably be going in on the 16th. We she was first trying to get things going, I toyed with the idea of doing the liquid diet with her. For support, but I would probably drop some quick pounds haha. Most likely, I won't be eating this way. So, it's not a challenge if there isn't lots of stuff in the air haha. I'm still going to attempt some goals. Hopefully, nothing gets too overwhelming. I can always adjust if I need. Time to build off of my previous challenge. Goal #1 - Make sure I get my rest Last week of challenge was a bit rough for sleep, and I haven't been super consistent this week as well. My goal is to get back to what I was doing. It just helps to give me the best chance at a successful day. Off to read at 10:30 PM. Then off to bed at 11:30 PM. In the morning, I need to wake up, and get ready. I usually give myself a little room for off to read, and off to bed. Going 1 point for each thing. 3 points per day, 21 points for the week. Goal #2 - Control food intake with tracking This will be the continuation from last challenge. Track each day in Cronometer, and don't go over calorie limits. This time I am going to be more strict. Like if I say 2500 is the limit, then 2501 is a fail. 2500 is pretty close to where I should be at. I think even 2300 might be better. First things first though, lets see if I can get a week of under 2500 calories. 2 points for tracking, 3 points for hitting calorie numbers each day. 35 points each week. Goal #3 - Walking with a side of workouts I got out and walked quite a bit last challenge. Much more then I had previously. I did max out at 20 minutes, but I can do more. Though, I don't want to just make it a time of moving. I might go on longer walks to play Pokemon Go. Then I don't have to worry if a stop to battle a raid or something. There also might be times to just do a warm up before actually working out. Yes, I said workouts. I want to start getting stronger again. The long time from now goal of doing a pull up is still there. Might as well start working on it again. I see this goal getting the most adjustments over the challenge. Hopefully, all in increasing things Week 0, I need to find, and finalize what I plan to do for workouts. I have my old workout spreadsheet I can pull from. My complex has a gym. Not the greatest thing ever. Lots of dumbells at least, and one machine that can do lots of different exercises. Also plenty of cardio stuff there. It's starting to get colder, and a few sprinkles of rain have been starting up. Week 1 I want to walk 5,000 steps each day. I also want to workout 3 times a week with one being in the gym. Workouts can be as low as 1 set of something this week. I mainly want to get myself doing the things, and start building it back up. If I do more, great! 3 points per day reaching step goal. 5 point for each workout done. 36 points each week. Goal #4 - Time to get through my cards and comics Part of a previous challenge, was getting things out of storage. We did get all the stuff out, and now I have boxes and boxes of cards. I also have comics too. The comics I need to organizes, and get bags and boards on the ones that are not done. All my sports cards need to be gone though. My Brother stole a ton of stuff from me back in the day. I need to see what I might have left. I know a lot of them are straight garbage cards. Like zero value. The problem for now, is they are taking up a lot of space. I need to sort out ones I will keep for now, then get rid of all the rest. It's just time consuming to go though some of them. I have a bit, but not nearly enough. I'll go with needing to go through 2 big boxes a week, or equal of the small sizes. 8 points a week Week total points: Week 1 (10/24 - 10/30) - 0/100 Week 2 (10/31 - 11/06) - 0/100 Week 3 (11/07 - 11/13) - 0/100 Week 4 (11/14 - 11/20) - 0/100 Week 5 (11/21 - 11/27) - 0/100 Challenge total points - 0/500 Measurements - Start / Finish (coming day 1) Chest - Waist - Bicep (L) - Bicep (R) - Thigh (L) - Thigh (R) - Weight - 364.1 lbs

Hey all, back again Seems like I just get in a mood, and bail on every challenge. I go and start pretty strong, then I'm suddenly it's just like my brain tags out. Then I end up just sitting there. With that, I'm going to still come back to try to fight it out. I even thought about just going with a one goal challenge to get the habits going. It's all going to be the same basic goals I normally have, I just need to get into the habit building. I want this challenge to be pretty fluid. My challenge goal is to get these established into being habits that I just do. I feel like I have setup it up to be very easy for me to do all of these things. As the challenge goes on, I hope to be able to add a little bit here or there if I need. Goal 1) Establish the sleep habit again. I feel like everything revolves around sleep. It's something I really need to get under control. It will matter for any exercise I do. It will matter for helping to make good mental decisions, including food choices. I've gotten back to too many 3am nights, getting up at 8:30, and staying lounging in bed to noon or later. My eventual goal. Reading at 10:30pm, bed at 11:30pm. Get up in the morning, and get moving. Friday nights, the wife and I catch up on our tv shows etc. It has gone into longer hours sometimes. I'll just deal with those when they happen. My goal will be to start off with going to bed at 11:30pm. Once I can at least do this, I can add back in reading and getting up right away. Hopefully, I can be at my goal before the end of the challenge. Week 2 addon - Get out of bed in the morning, asap. No more staying in bed for hours after I wake up. Week 3 addon - Get to reading at 10:30 pm 1 point per night. 7 for the week. Goal 2) Establish some exercise I have started bowling now, so at least there is something. I want to establish some exercise routine. Since the lockdown we all had, I just haven't been able to get something to stick. It will go well for a couple of days, then it all just goes away. I have gotten the code to our "gym" at our apartment complex. Nothing outstanding, but still, it has some things I can use too. Where I would like to be someday. Working out with weights 3 to 4 times a week. Also doing some walking/running again. Nothing major, but it would be nice to run multiple 5k distance a week again. I always have that eventual goal to get a pull up done, and then multiples Lots of that is far, far off for now. I need to focus it down. What can I do now, to help get me moving towards those goals? This goal is to walk. Everyday. Certainly, my brain say we can go right to walking 3 miles or more. I can't listen to that now. I did that before, and hurt myself haha. I get winded so fast now. All the extra weight, and lots of no movement currently. For now, my only goal here is to get out and walk for 5 minutes. Go get mail, or tale a loop around the complex. Whatever. Outside for 5 minutes, perfect. Going out to the store and walking around for 5 minutes, perfect. I don't care the activity, just as long as I am doing something. Eventually, I'll get the longer walks in, and playing Pokemon Go while I do it Week 2 addon - Get out for 10 minutes. More activity Week 3 addon - Get out for 15 minutes. Week 4 addon - Get out for 20 minutes. Any walking/workout activity for at least 5 minutes. 1 point each day. 7 points for the week. Goal 3) I need to establish some good eating habits I've done a few different things in the past. Keto worked well for me, I did whole 30 too. I've tracked what I ate without too many problems. I seem to go through phases where I just can't get something to work for me anymore. It's weird. I have been trying to incorporate better eating habits in recently. Lots of observations. Just I still sometimes just get overwhelmed with what I should do. I almost feel like having the structure of keto or whole 30 is what worked in my favor. Though, obviously not enough to still be doing that haha. I'm still working on trying to get in lower calorie/higher volume foods to help out. I'm starting to get myself eating more fruits and such. I'm going to work on tracking again. I'll switch back to myfitnesspal, just to have some bit of difference. I don't quite have a future vision yet for my eating habits. Obviously, I want to be able to eat the foods I like. work in progress for sure I suppose. Maybe eventually I'll work out to having more veggies or something. Or get back to food prep. Either way, for now, the goal is to simply track my food intake. MyFitnessPal shall be the app I use, but I will be flexible here. If I just even write it down, or take a picture, I'll accept it. I want this to just get me to be more aware of the foods I am eating again. Get back to seeing the portions I have. No real calorie goal, but for sure no 5000 calorie days haha. I'll check some sites to give myself a starting point, then adjust from there. Week 2 addon - Be below 3000 calories Week 3 addon - Be below 2500 calories Tracking food intake App/writing/picture. 1 point a day. 7 points each week. Goal 4) I need to stay active here. It's always more fun with friends, right? I don't want to go back to another challenge of checking in every day for a week, then suddenly decide I can't post because I had a fail day or something. That's really what gets me not posting. I keep the forum tabs open all the time. Sometimes I would just come and look around. I'd fully intend to post, but then just not do it. I don't want to say I have to post every day. At the very least though, I should post a few times a week. So my goal is to come and post at least 3 times a week. One post, 40 posts, it doesn't matter. I've also been an Ambassador for a really long time. I can recall the old days of messages with @Teros and others to divide up the threads, to make sure all people were at least welcomed in. This was before there was just rebels. The call has come out again from @Tanktimus the Encourager to help welcome others. I shall answer the call. I can recall my first time posting in the introduction forums. Just having someone reply to me was pretty cool. Especially, when I never expected anyone to even read it. I hope to help be that again for others. I don't want to overwhelm myself with too much there (did that in the past too ) I can for sure reach out to a few people though. Not one I would normally want to grade, but I want to make sure I stick with it. 7 points each week, posting at least 3 times each week. Challenge Point totals: Week 1 (09/12 to 09/18) - 26/28 - 92% Week 2 (09/19 to 09/25) - 25/28 - 89% Week 3 (09/26 to 10/02) - 22/28 - 78% Week 4 (10/03 to 10/09) - 23/28 - 82% Week 5 (10/10 to 10/16) - 17/28 - 60% Total challenge points - 113/140 - 80% Measurements Day 1 / Day 35 / Diff Weight - 370.2 lbs / 364.6 lbs / 5.5 lbs lost

Summer is over! School starts up again (actually already did on Monday). I'm filled with good intentions and motivations, we'll see how long this holds. xD It's the start of my second year out of three, I'm really excited. Since my days are already quite full with school, work and teaching pole (as long as we are allowed to, I don't have my hopes up for winter...), I want to keep the challenge light and easy. Biggest goal is to do SOMETHING for the challenge, since the last few were quie a disaster, challenge wise (but awesome and fun life wise. xD). So my goals are: do the recommended 150 mins of training a week (as judged by my smart watch, since I need to have my heart rate high enough for a long enough time for it to count). Doesn't matter HOW I achieve this - pole? gym? running? conjugal duties? all fine. (Bellydancing as well, though that rarely bumps my heart rate up high enough). eat more veggies! I had waaaaay too much meat in the last weeks and want to be a bit more plant based for this challenge. Finishing up what I have at home right now (i.e. some sefmade pizza and stuff) is fine, but I'll try to choose the veggie option when eating out and won't buy any more meaty stuff for this challenge. get enough sleep - that means going to bed at a time, that makes it possible, to get 8 hours of sleep (don't have a fixed time since I'm not getting up at the same time each day) That's it. Other that that it's just surviving daily life. xD

This challenge is all about cultivating the quiet strength of balance, and I can’t think of a better time to set that intention than at the new moon just before the Autumn Equinox. I’m focusing on the core elements that sustain me and bring me peace, security, and the quiet strength to be who I am in the world. Heal as I can, when I can. Eating Wellness Wednesdays Sometimes the gym Do not give in to despair. Writing (Dissertation is 12, 343 words as the challenge opens) Classwork Connections Allow no one to choose combat for me Sleep, regularly but also often Schedule as little as possible by the clock and calendar. Meditation, including small bits of sitting throughout the day.

Guys. I need assistance with a sleep intervention. My pandemic sleep issues have been sporadic but manageable, but they're currently kicking my ass uncomfortably. I need sleep. I'm coming up with a pilot's checklist, but I need a co-pilot or flight engineer to help me go through the checklist so I can land this jet face first in a pillow before she crashes, because I am the most sleep-deprived pilot ever allowed to sit in the cockpit, and no one should be letting me fly this thing alone. I need a couple of weeks of keeping things on track until my higher brain functions are able to work after 9pm, and can manage the landing. Currently scheduled to land around midnight EST, though flights will be irregular for the first few days. I am happy to return the favor. Can be a stern taskmaster if needed. Will do brief psychoanalyses on request.

Hi. Long time no see, everyone! I finally have the time and am in a mental space where I'm ready to return and get back into shape. On the bad side, moving + covid means I no longer am doing parkour. There isn't a good gym nearby, and I'm at the moment injury-phobic enough that I don't want to risk outdoor play. I'm still battling very low energy levels and weight gain (ugh, tamoxifen), but I'm still in remission! On the good side, hiking has been nice, I've started cycling, and I'll be joining a climbing gym soon. The kids loved their new school last year, and they're both in a great place socially and academically. I'm keeping the challenge simple: 1. I need to do one of the following every single day: yoga, cycling, hiking, climbing, or weight training. No excuses. It might be hot as balls throughout August, but I still can do the yoga, lifting, or climbing. 2. Fasting from 8pm through noon the following day. No more evening snacks. 3. Music: Playing the piano is one of my primary forms of mental self-care. I need to take the time to play at least 15 minutes every day. I'm currently working on Liebestraum (Liszt) and Nocturne #8 (Chopin), as well as accompaniment pieces for my son, who plays cello. Having him progress so quickly and so well in his music has been inspiring me to play, and we have a great time jamming together. 4. Sleep care - Tea + reading at night, since that's the only thing that helps for my insomnia 5. Trying to be a great parent. - For my 13 year old: Help them be more active. Make the time to help with homework. Kiddo wants us to use they/them pronouns, and even though it's a bit hard for me to remember, I need to try to do my best. Both kids are taking Algebra II this year, and I need to make sure the 13 year old doesn't feel insecure about their abilities compared to the 11 year old. - For my 11 year old: 11 year old wants to make it to Nationals for Mathcounts and also wants to qualify for AIME. I need to help him study for his math contests. Also, I need to help support him with his cello.

Hey all, I am back to attempt a challenge. I didn't participate in the last challenge. I ended up bowling in my yearly USBC Open Tournament. This year (and next) is in Las Vegas. I totally was unprepared for it, but did much better then I expected I just didn't have it in me to get in on a challenge too. Life is a bit hectic. I've been struggling. 2018, keto was an absolute awesome thing for me. I've tried to get back to it. Sometimes it seems successful, but then it all comes crashing down. This challenge, I really want to see if I can just eat in a certain calorie range. Though, I still want to be healthier still of course. I just want to be able to eat whatever fruit I may want etc. So I really just want to focus on tracking again, with a set amount of calories. Of course, I really want to drop weight super fast. I think that really has not worked well though. I mean, I lost like 110 or 120 pounds in 2018. Struggled in 2019, then full blown gain everything back early 2020. Way back in 2013/2014 was a similar weight trip for me. Of course, it was a quick bounce back. So as much as I want to lose all the weight, I really thing I just need to focus more on a slower weight loss. Also working to just get myself better with exercise. All the things to work together will get me losing weight. So let's see if I can just get this started up. There will be a caveat here too. Like I said, life is a bit hectic. Wife might be losing her job (most likely). So she will be looking for work I assume during her transition out. Nothing confirmed yet, but there will be more Monday. With that, it is certainly time that need to get back out there, and get some work. I've been stay at home Dad since 2010, so no clue what I would even try for. This challenge could just totally implode, and I have to rethink the goals depending on what all happens. Goal#1 - Tracking, plus under 2500 calories. In the past I thought about 2300 calories was were I wanted to be at when I was eating keto. I'll have to monitor things to see if I need to adjust things up or down for calories. For now though, I want to target 2500. Preferable +/- 99ish. I don't want to under eat too. I'll track everything in Chronometer. 7 days a week. 10 points per day. 70 points total Goal#2 - Move more One thing for sure, I need to get out walking at the bare minimum. I felt that for sure when I was bowling. Day 2 I was bowling 6 games. I was running on fumes those last 3 games. Even less then fumes haha. To start, I am going to walk for 30 minutes each day. By the end of this challenge, I would like to be walking twice a day for 30 minutes, or an hour walk. Plus I want to be working out. Just body weight workouts, or all at homes style workouts. Week 1 I start with walking for 30 minutes (more is fine too). Week 2 I continue the walking. Week 3 I added in workouts with the walking. Week 4 is working out with more walking. Add in the second walk, or longer first walk. At least for a few of the days. Week 5, I get it all together. 7 days a week. Week 1/2 - 10 points a day. 70 points on the week. Week 3/4/5 - 70 points for walking each week. 40 points for workouts each week. (3 to 4 still need to figure it out) 110 points on the week. Goal#3 - Please go to bed! What do you know, I need to get myself in a sleep challenge again. Oddly enough, I've been staying up late reading. Before it was playing games, watching videos. I have been trying to work on getting to bed at a good time, but I haven't nailed it. I've gotten into a few books, and just would sit here reading for 3 to 4 hours. Suddenly, it's 3:30 in the morning haha. So no more "Just one more chapter" or "one last video" I want to get back to 10:30 PM to get off the computer or whatever, and get to reading. Then, head off to bed at 11:30 PM. 7 days a week, 10 points a day. 70 points for the week. Goal#4 - Chores and downsize Part of my move more is going to get into getting chores routine again, and clearing through things. Too many things in this apartment that we really just need to get rid of. We have a storage unit too that we should make our way through, and get rid of it. Less bills are good. Each day, I need to get cat boxes cleaned out, and dishes done. I need to spend at least one hour during the week on downsizing. I think it will be much more then that, but I just need a smaller time frame to just get started 10 points each day for the chores. 70 on the week. 50 points a week for the downsizing. (I really want to get though some things) 120 total points each week Total challenge points: Week 1 (6/20 - 6/26) - 0/330 Week 2 (6/27 - 7/03) - 0/330 Week 3 (7/04 - 7/10) - 0/370 Week 4 (7/11 - 7/17) - 0/370 Week 5 (7/18 - 7/24) - 0/370 Measurements - First day / Last day Chest - 55.98 in / Waist - 62.51 in / (L) Bicep - 17.83 in / (R) Bicep - 17.00 in / (L) Thigh - 30.78 in / (R) Thigh - 29.33 in / Weight (lbs) - 370.8 /

Has it really been more than 2 years since my last challenge? Tempus fugit. And yet some things remain the same - I'm still late posting my challenge! Tackling procrastination will probably make an appearance in a future challenge.... There's been a lot going on in my life and Mr. Fish's (as well as the world at large), and somewhere along the way I lost some of the healthy habits I had established. I used to go to bed early, get up early a few mornings a week to exercise, consistently exercise on my days off, eat healthier. Now I'm staying up late staring at my tablet or phone, not sleeping well, exercising inconsistently, and eating more fast food than I have in decades. Time to make better choices! Goal 1: Limit electronics: This will be the big one; if I do this everything else will fall into place. I'm going to shoot for no more than 30 minutes in the evening, and none starting 30 minutes before bedtime. On days off, none until after I've exercised and done whatever tasks I've set myself for the day. Goal 2: Sleep. This has been a goal in the past, and when I stick with it everything else is much easier. So, bedtime will be 8 hours before I have to get up, and my bedtime routine will start 30 minutes before that. If I have trouble falling asleep, I will use my meditation app. Goal 3: Strength. I will do my PT/strengthening exercise at least twice a week. My back, neck and shoulders will thank me. Goal 4: Cardio. I will go for a walk outside (weather permitting) every day that I'm not working, and get up early and us the treadmill once a week on a day I am working. The eventual goal is 3 days/week for the treadmill, but I want to be sure I have the timing worked out as my schedule's changed since I was doing this regularly. I only watch movies/TV when I'm on the treadmill, and there's lots I want to watch, so the incentive is there. Bonus staycation mini-challenge: I have a few days off next week, and I don't want to spend them staring at little screens. I will pick one area of the house to clean out each day.