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We love throwing up threads on our lunch break. May be a little haphazard but the intent is there at least? Started work last week, still adjusting to being out of the house ten hours a day. Life is kinda falling by the wayside because of it. So basic tasks, getting a grasp of this new and making it normal. 1) Steps target every work day. This should essentially be a given, since my target is only 2k steps and I have to park about a ten minute walk from the building. Construction actually working in my favour right now. 2) Check in every day. Just getting in the habit of getting on and checking in here. Even just "hi, not dead, things are still things." Or a cat gif. I like cat gifs. 3) Eat like a person not a trash panda. The temptation now that I have adult money and less time is to just grab takeout or hit up a drive thru on the way home every day. No bueno. I have tasty foods in the house. I paid good money for those tasty foods. Take the extra couple of minutes to make the tasty food. That should be enough to be getting on with. Overloading myself with adjustments while I'm fresh back into the workforce after 8 years unemployed is a bad idea.

Better late than never, I'm jumping back into the fray because I need the extra accountability. of posting my progress here. For 2023, I've chose the word 'Worth' to be my motivational focus. I've done this in previous years, sometimes successfully and sometimes not so much. Last year's word was 'Dare', and I don't know how much I lived up to it, but I did dare to buy my own home after decades of renting, so that was a pretty big move to make. What does 'worth' mean to me? It means asking myself important questions every once in a while. Like, is what I'm doing at this exact moment really worth my time and attention? And telling myself, when I need to hear it, that I'm worth more than I let myself believe. Matthew 10 says 'Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father's care. And even the hairs on your head are numbered. So don't be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows." God thinks I'm worth something. So I need to start believing that myself. W = Read the Word of God daily O = Organize, clean and otherwise keep your surroundings in good order. R = Follow regular bedtime and morning routines. T = Track your food and water intake daily H = Do something that makes you happy every day. Trying to come up with a clever, nerdy theme for a challenge is tough and has held me back in the past. So I'm going to quit trying to be clever and just stick to my goals for this year that I already laid out above. The hardest so far in this new year are the routines and the tracking. And sometimes even the 'happiness' aspect. To give myself more time for these activities, I've taken the worst offenders of time wasting off my phone - Facebook and this Harry Potter game I've been addicted to lately. My goals for the last 4 weeks of the current challenge then are as follows: Routines Follow your bedtime routine and lights out by 11pm at the latest Follow the Nerd Fitness Gym General DOMS Bodyweight Workout 1 (4 week program) Tracking Track food and water intake daily. Aim for 8+ cups of water and tracking at least 66% of your food daily. Happiness - Spend at least 10 minutes a day reading, writing, playing ukulele, crocheting, learning to watercolor, or working on voice recording Not at all clever, no fancy gif to catch the eye. But if you've noticed my post and read this far, let me know what you think! Any tips?

"Hunters once prowled the wilderness and wastelands, taking big risks for even bigger rewards. You're no outlaw - at least, not anymore - but making your own luck has always meant bending the rules. You're unique brand of daring and ingenuity is needed now more than ever." Since falling back into my Destiny roots, I have been enjoying the hell out of the Destiny 2 since it became Free to Play. I also recently purchased the newest "season" called Shadowkeep, along with access to the next 3+ seasons being added in the future which include specific missions and new guns/armor. I've always played the Hunter due to its awesome taste in clothing attire. I mean, they have cloaks! What more could you ask for?? The suave and bravado they bring is also enticing, so, with this next challenge, I will channel my inner Hunter and rock the crap out of these next 5+ weeks! Goal 1: In the Boots of a Hunter- Way of the Pathfinder I managed to get 233.85 miles walked in last challenge. In my eyes, that's a TON! Since working at Costco, I'm averaging close to 15k steps a day when I work there. Mathmatically, every 2k steps equals 1 mile, so that's how I came up with the miles walked last challenge. This time, I want to try and get more than 233.85 miles. I'm shooting for 250 miles walked this challenge! (Also, speaking of boots. My buddy Jesse found a pair of Frye sueade leather boots at the thrift shop and got them for me because when he saw them, he thought they "looked" like me. He bought them for $6 when they regularly run close to $300!! They also look like hunter boots from Destiny lol!) Possible Points: +3 END, +2 DEX Goal 2: Brand of Daring and Ingenuity- Way of the Warrior I've been working out consistently for since June and have seen some great results in my physique and health because of it. I've been slacking the past couple weeks due to some elbow pain, but I know I can still push myself without hurting myself. I want to put a little more emphasis on body weight training these next 5 weeks and tone down on so much of the heavy lifting that can flare up the elbow issue. This constitutes my two favorite BW exercises: pull-up/chin-ups and dips. I can do 12 chin-ups, 8 pull-ups and 8 dips right now. My goal is to push those numbers to 15 chin-ups, 12 pull-ups and 10 dips before the end of the challenge. I can do this! Possible Points: +3 DEX, +2 STR Goal 3: Manage the Holidays- Way of the Current As most of you know, I'm working 2 jobs right now and with the holidays coming up (plus my birthday Nov 14th) I need to manage my time better than ever! Sleep and time management with the Wolfpack is crucial and I need to make the most of my time with them count. And while I'm working both jobs, I need to be productive and an asset to both companies. I can do this! Possible Points: +3 WIS, +2 CON I'm not gonna beat around the bush this challenge. I got a lot of work ahead of me and little time to do it in. So, it's time to strap on my boots, throw on my cloak, and get to work! I'll see you out there, Guardians! Wolf

Gather 'round ye young and old. Listen close as this story unfolds. I tell the tale of a party of four and the epic adventure that was in store. PRIDE is the name! Slaying is the game! There was a fiery barbarian, a fallen hexblade, a clerical modron and me, the horned bard - little did they know, this adventure would be hard. PRIDE is the name! Slaying is the game! Through dungeons they would explore and monsters they would battle, the journey ahead would be a difficult one traveled. PRIDE is the name! Slaying is the game! Would they succeed? This was a question they would find out later. Lest the group forget that their DM was Dark_Raider. PRIDE is the name! Slaying is the game! What he had in store was an ongoing story - as this oddball foursome sought friendship and glory. PRIDE is the name! Slaying is the game! If you would like to see how this story ends, then stick around as the fun just begins. PRIDE is the name! Slaying is the game! Welcome, welcome, welcome friends! I'm so glad you're here! A new challenge has begun and I'm excited to be back with the Rangers ! If you're behind on the times with what's going on in "Wolfie's World" then let me catch y'all up super quick: I'm working 2 jobs now...over 70 hours a week. I nap like it's going out of style. I workout like a cocaine addict. Aaaaaaand, I'm starting my very first D&D campaign with the wonderful and talented- @Raxie @Jarric and @Starpuck ! We are graciously being DM'd by the legendary @DarK_RaideR and I could NOT be more excited to start our story. If you would like to know more about the specific "party of adventurers", then please head on over to their respected challenges and check out all the cool stuff going on there! If you caught it up above, I am playing the bard. This is a class I didn't realize how much I identified with IRL and I'm honored to not only play a Bard, but a sexy, lute playing Tiefling Bard . Ok, so maybe not EXACTLY like that one, but you guys get the gist. I have horns, a tail and a love for music and stories! My charisma is my main stat and I'm not afraid to charm your pants off...literally! This challenge will center around my Tiefling Bard, Arkaryn (Are-Care-In) Riftripper. Race: Tiefling Age: 25 Height: 6’2 Weight: 190# Hair Color: Dark brown Eye Color: Violet Skin Color: Light Blue Class: Bard/College of Valor Background: Arkaryn “Ark” grew up in the village of Ruinspoke. His father, a bard himself, was entrusted as the lead musician of the Full Mugs, a tavern owned by a male dwarf named Temget, whom prided himself on his homebrewed beer. Ark grew up loving music and hearing the stories of many adventurers and their travels into the various ruins that surrounded Ruinspoke. He longed to adventure and make a name for himself when he came of age and set out on his own when he turned 18. Gifted in multiple instruments, Ark was prolific with the lute in particular. As a parting gift before he left, Ark’s father had given him his old lute, an ebony colored beauty with gold engravings. Along his journeys, Ark met a dragonborn named, Otivull, who was training with the Lance Defenders, and the two became best friends. Ark taught Otivull how to sing and play the lute while Otivull taught Ark how to fight. The two had many years adventuring together and earning coin before Otivull’s Lance Defender squadron was re-stationed and the two inseparable friends lost touch. Ark found himself back in Ruinspoke for a time being, playing at Full Mugs tavern with his aging father. The longing for adventure still held strong in the Tiefling’s heart and after a year, he set out again to make a name for himself. It was on his next adventure that Ark would meet Jyotika the Fire Genasi, Penemue the fallen Aasimar, and Cog the self-aware Modron. What happens next is a story still waiting to be told... This is how I see Arkaryn looking like (except he's light blue with violet colored eyes): Handsome, huh?? The rest of my challenge outside of my D&D campaign will involve two things: Steps & Reps. Goal 1: Steps Did you know that for every 2000 steps walked equals 1 mile? Well, since starting my second job at Costco, I've realized I've been taking a MASSIVE amount of steps. On average, I get about 12k steps in a day (if not more). Over the coarse of a 5-day work week, that's 60k steps, or around 30 miles walked a week. And that's NOT including anything extra on my days off. 30. Miles. A. Week. And that's on the low end. Yesterday I had 15,972. The day before was 15,182. That's 15, almost 16 miles walked JUST on the weekend. My goal is to track my steps daily and see how many miles I can cover over the coarse of this challenge. My goal is 175 miles walked over the next 5 weeks. That's 35 miles a week. I think I can achieve that goal. Bonus points for anything over 175 miles. Possible Points Earned: +4 STA, +1 DEX Goal 2: Reps This little workout thing I've been doing....I've got it down these days. I don't need to track my daily/weekly workouts. I do however want to track how much weight I'm moving per workout. I will do this by multiplying the amount of weight in each set including reps, multiplied by the total number of sets per exercise and then continue this process for each exercise in the workout. An example would be today's workout: 4 x 6-8 BB alternating reverse lunge 2 x 115# x 6 (each side) = 2760# 2 x 135# x 6 (each side) = 3240# 2 x 6 seconds leg lockout iso 4 x 6-8 DB lying triceps extension 1 x 30’s# x 8 = 480# 3 x 35’s# x 6 = 1260# 4 x 8 DB high pulls (40#’s) = 2560# 2 x 6 seconds cable high pull iso 3 x 12 Deadlift (125# x 12) = 4500# 3 x 10-12 DB bench press 1 x 40#’s x 12 = 960# 2 x 45#’s x 12 = 2160# 3 x 10-12 chin up grip lat pull down 1 x 100# x 12 = 1200# 2 x 115# x 12 = 2760# Drum roll... dibadibadibadibadibadibadibadibadibadibadibadiba... TOTAL WEIGHT MOVED = 21,880# !! Possible Points Earned: +3 STR, +2 DEX Goal 3: P.R.I.D.E aka Party of Ridiculously Interesting and Daring Explorers Dark_Raider coined the term: P.R.I.D.E in our discord last week and we all just loved the idea of it! With the unique group make-up we have, it's likened to popular titles such as Guardians of the Galaxy and Suicide Squad. I'm really excited about this whole thing and can't wait to learn the D&D ropes from some of the best! This goal ties into the D&D campaign. I want to: Have weekly updates on how the campaign is going, interesting facts and short story write-ups from Ark's POV if time permits. Ark's starting spell list: Cantrips- Vicious Mockery (you know this one's gonna be a lot of fun!) Minor Illusion Ray of Frost (due to my Levistus racial variant) Spells- Charm Person Sleep Healing Word Hideous Laughter Ark's Starting Stats: Strength- 8 Dexterity- 15 Constitution- 14 Intelligence- 10 Wisdom- 12 Charisma- 16 Possible Points Earned: +5 CHA (because, duh! Charisma is my most important stat! ) It's good to be back with the Rangers! Can I get a woot woot for my lute lute?! Wolf

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).

Joining late and fist week is not as good as I would like but here it is. My Goal = Improve fitness, reduce % body fat and get stronger Each day has tasks worth points each week I give myself a score out of a possible total of daily points. Week days = Early AM workouts; Nutrition tracking; 10,000 steps; martial arts training; Drink water Weekends = Nutrition tracking; drink water; 10,000 steps; Long distance run; cleaning Just to make life easier for me I am counting Sunday to Saturday as a week.

Whew! I took last challenge off, because I was stupid-busy and basically had no faith in my ability to keep up with a challenge thread of my own, let alone any one else's. But things are calming down now, and while the break may have been good for my mental health, I've got some make-up work to do physically... Enough. I'm done with watching the scale creep up. Done with feeling out of control with eating. Done with feeling like shit in general. Goal number one: Get my food choices back in a good place. I've been trying, but falling in to the whole "eat well through the day, eat whatever is in the house at night" trap. So this: 1. Track EVERYTHING. Just track it. While I know what a good day of eating looks like calorie/macro wise, I'm not going to make hitting those metrics my goal for now. Just be conscious of and make a record of all the food. (7 points per week) 2. No snacking after dinner. (Sometimes dinner can be pretty late, so I'm not making a time-goal. But we always eat a proper evening meal at some point) If I'm genuinely hungry, I can eat vegetables without losing points. Raw vegetables. (7 points per week) 3. Meal plan: Weekly planning, grocery shopping, and bi-weekly meal prep. (4 points per week) 17 points per week (this allows for one evening of snacking, but it must be social). Week Zero: Week One: Week Two: Week Three: Week Four: XX / 85pts +3CHA Goal number two: Start working out again. The best news: my favourite kettlebell instructor will be offering a class once a week! She didn't teach at all last year, and the other classes offered were too early for me to make it to them. So Fridays at 630, I kettlebell. I am SO excited to get back into it! I will supplement with at least one additional workout per week. There's a super cheap membership option from my work that would give me access to the community rec centre by my house on Mondays and Wednesdays, so I'll probably do that. I do have a set up in my basement to do yoga or kettlebells or whatever as well though. 2 points per week: Week Zero: Week One: Week Two: Week Three: Week Four: XX / 8pts +3 STR Goal number three: Get walking, baby! I'm barely on track for my year-long step goal. I had really hoped to have some excess banked from the summer to carry me through the colder months... not too late though! 77,000 steps per week: Week Zero: Week One: Week Two: Week Three: Week Four: XX / 385,000 +3 END Goal number four: Purge this house. This has been a long time goal, that has occasionally been chipped away at.. Basically, my hubs and I are living in a house that is excessively large for two people, and we have managed to fill it with STUFF. Stuff we don't need and don't use. I'm so sick of the clutter. We've done some good cleaning lately, so the kitchen and living/dining rooms LOOK uncluttered, but there's a ton of stuff hidden. And don't even get me started on all the various rooms. We have a bedroom, spare room, craft room, office, another bedroom that's being used for storage, and actual storage room, a large laundry room and a rec room. It's ridiculous. I get 1 point for each hour I work on these things. (I found giving myself points for completion kept me from starting if I didn't think I could finish...) Taking progress pics too! I'm going to come up with a sliding scale of progress for this one, because I'm not totally sure what's reasonable. Update coming. Week Zero: Week One: Week Two: Week Three: Week Four: XX / ?? +3 INT

Guys! I've lost my wind, and I need to get it back! I was totally trampled by some kind of respiratory virus during the last two weeks of the previous challenge. I'm only just getting over it, and my lung health and overall endurance is pretty not great right now. This challenge is about recovery and getting myself back up to my previous workout levels. Incidentally, my DH bought me the WiiU remastered Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker game to help keep me from losing my mind during my convalescence. So I'm currently playing that (for the first time!) and conveniently it's an appropriate theme! Goal One: "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food." I am going to get better a lot faster if I eat properly. What does this mean? 1. Cut out the gluten. It for sure does not help my breathing. The best way to make me want this SO badly is to tell myself I can't have any though. I am going to accomplish this by not being crazy restrictive with carbs. Lesser evils. I will still aim for under 150 gram of carbs per day - this is higher than my usual 100g goal, but it means that I can have rice/potatoes if I need to to avoid the much greater issue of wheat. (1 pt per gluten-free day. Bonus point for carbs below 100g. -1pt for carbs above 150g) 2. Restrict the dairy. While I can handle dairy okay, it's not the healthiest thing ever, and is probably my biggest indulgence. Aiming for 3 dairy-free days per week. (1 pt per day). 3. Eat enough protein. Not only will this support my recovery, but it will crowd out less healthy food choices. 80g per day ( 1 pt per day) A : 68 pts B : 60 pts C : 54 pts D : 48 pts Goal Two: "Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time." I am wildly behind my yearlong walking goal (10,000 step average for 2017), because i was averaging between 2000-5000 steps while I was ill. Not only is walking a good way to build my endurance back up, but I will make up some ground on this goal at the same time. Aiming for 11,000 steps per day. A : 308,000 pts B : 294,000 pts C : 280,000 pts D : 266,000 Goal Three: "Tough times never last, but tough people do" My intent for this challenge is build back up to the level of workout I was at before I got sick. This will be accomplished by 3x workouts per week, of increasing intensity. Likely 2 of these will be gym workouts, and a supplemental yoga/kettlebell/bodyweight whatever, but as long as I hit 3 sweaty sessions per week, I'm okay with whatever it is. A : 12 B : 10 C : 8 D : 6 Goal Four: "I don't mean to be a diva, but some days you wake up and you're Barbara Streisand." I've decided to add a sleep/wake up goal. I feel better when I have more time in the morning, and I've been staying up too late to get that lately. The goal, on weekdays, is to be in bed by 10pm, lights out by 10:30. On the other hand, I want to be up by 6:30 at the latest. I'd like to get this to 6am, but baby steps. 2 pts per day. A : 40 pts B : 30 pts C : 20 pts D : 10pts

I'm coming off the high of a wildly successful challenge, and I am so committed to making those changes last! I completed my 3rd Whole30 last round, and it was by far my most successful. I ate like a Queen, I got all my workouts in, I walked, I learned, I journalled. Now I need to find a framework for it all that works in my post-Whole30 world. I find the extreme strictness of the program much easier than exercising moderation - if cheating isn't an option, I won't do it. If it's okay to have just a little of whatever, drawing the line where I stop is SO much harder! So my focus is now on maintaining the good habits that I built to support good decision making going forward, instead of just making a complicated set of rules that I am just supposed to magically follow. Firstmost and Foremost: Diet. I want to keep eating very clean - I felt so good (so energetic, so happy, so NOT bloated) on the W30, and I don't want to give that up. But what does that mean? 1. (5pts/week)Weekly breakfast prep: Take the decision-making out of the first meal of the day. A big batch of protein + veggies will get made on the weekend. If it's there, I will take it to work. If I have to figure out what I'm eating for breakfast in the morning, it doesn't always end well. 2. (10 pts/challenge) Restock Freezer meals: This doesn't necessarily need to happen every week, but I need to have some easy backup food for when my plans fall through. Chicken patties, meatballs and soup have been successful here in the past. 3. (10 pts/week; -5pts for additional variances) Plan and shop for mostly compliant dinners: I have a handy dandy recipe app (Paprika) that I have been using to plan dinners, and then it will automatically generate a shopping list. 3 times per week, this dinner can include legumes OR non-gluten grains. (I take leftovers for lunch, so these things will be eaten again the next day as well.) 4. Don't put cheese on everything! I'm going to aim for 4 non-dairy days per week. Dinner one day through lunch the next counts. (-5pts for each day above 3 with dairy) 5. Macros! Bonus 5 pts per week if average carbs are under 100g, Protein is over 80g, and Calories under 1600. EDIT: 6. I forgot to address wheat. Not gonna lie, I miss bread. I love it so. My short term goal is to not make myself any meals containing it, but to allow it if we eat out (which happens very rarely, so that's not like a carte blanche or anything. And I don't mean fast food, I mean a proper sit down restaurant meal.) 1 freebie for the challenge, then -5 pts for further indulgences. *While I am not technically making these in to goals at this point, I want to be very aware of alcohol and evening snacking. I am feeling pretty okay with not drinking, and I want to keep going for now. I'm okay with having a drink if I really want to, but not just for the sake of it. (Bonus points of 5 for each alcohol-free week.) For the snacking piece, I have rarely felt any desire to snack lately, and if I wanted more food after dinner it was because I was genuinely hungry, and then I ate some appropriate, filling food. I am going to keep up with this, and for this challenge, will just be tracking this item and we'll see how it goes. My logic is that if my daily meals are satiating enough, I shouldn't want to snack. So if I do, I need to recalibrate my other meals.* Okay. Phew. That was a bit of an essay. Hopefully I'm not overcomplicating things, but I think it touches everything I need it to. A : 70pts B : 60pts C : 50pts D : 40pts F : <40pts +4CHA Secondmost and Midmost: Workout. Time to ramp this up a little. 2x workouts per week - formal gym dates (with sister). Body weight and/or dumbbell workouts, with a little cardio mixed in. 1x something else per week - whatever! Yoga, bouldering, and kettlebells all count. Walking doesn't. A : 12pts B : 10pts C : 8pts D : 6pts F : <6pts +7 STR or DEX or END decided upon at the end depending upon mix. Thirdmost and Betwixtmost: Walk. This is a yearlong goal, as I am aiming to get 3,650,000 steps this year! I'm a little behind already, so I'm gunning for 71,250 per week A : 285,000+ B : 255,000+ C: 225,000+ D : 195,000+ F : 194,999 or less. +2END Fourthmost and Aftmost: Talk. I started taking American Sign Language classes last month, and the first level ends Feb 16 and the second starts March 7th, meaning that I will have 4 classes during this challenge. Critically though, I need to get more practice in. There is a casual, student led conversation group on Mondays that I will attend, and I will do some other kind of practice online (watching youtube videos, practicing sign and fingerspelling recognition etc) at least one other time per week. (2 extra times on the weeks with no classes.) A : 10 B : 8 C: 6 D : 4 F : <4 +2INT

Man, I just love the new year! It's like a brand new notebook, with margins unscribbled. It's like a fresh field of snow with no foot prints. It's a bright Saturday morning when you woke up early and have no plans. In short, it's pure, unadulterated potential. Right now, I have the potential to become an absolutely amazing version of myself, and DAMMIT I'm going to realise that potential THIS YEAR. Full stop. This challenge is stepping stone #1 towards that Fonzico. Nitty gritty: Goal Number One: Complete the Whole 30. Jan 8 - Feb 6th. Incidentally, we have a big Ukrainian family feast coming up on January 7th, so naturally the perfect day to start is the day after, which just happens to coincide with the start of the challenge. Week Zero will be all about the prepping, and for the challenge proper, it's just breathtakingly simple. Follow the program. There is no fail option here, so it will simply result in: +3CHA +2INT Goal Number Two: Hit the gym. My sister and I have started going to the nearby community gym. It's not the fanciest thing you've ever seen, but it's close, inexpensive and so far we've been really enjoying going. We take turns planning our workouts, and just get it done. We had a talk last time about upping the intensity too. There are also drop in classes there which are included in our membership, so I want to start trying those out too. A : 8+ B : 6+ C : 4+ D : 2+ F : 1 or less +3STR +2END Goal Number Three: Get walking. Okay, so call me crazy.. but I want to give myself a year long step goal of 3,650,000 steps. Yep, 10,000 per day ALL year. Holy crap. I'm already behind. Anyways, in order to support this goal, I'm going to get 285,000 steps during the challenge. A : 285,000+ B : 255,000+ C: 225,000+ D : 195,000+ F : 194,999 or less. +2END Goal Number Four: Learn American Sign Language. Whoohoo! This is something I've wanted to do for a long time... and now my work is paying for me to take Level One and Two classes for the next 4-ish months! So excited! All I have to do for this goal is attend the classes, which, like the Whole30 goal, does not have a failure option - aside from extreme illness, there is just no excuse not to go. Classes are Tues/Thursdays from 6pm-9pm. I will attend 8 classes during this challenge. +2INT Goal Number Five: (yeah, Yeah, I know, that's a lot of goals) Bullet journal. I started a Bullet journal a few months ago, and have been kind of half-assedly using it since. I want to actually fully utilise it. Goal is 5 days of week of writing SOMETHING in it. A : 20+ B : 15+ C: 10+ D : 5+ F : 4 or less. +1INT

So the timing isn't ideal on this one - I'm starting a 40 day bootcamp dealio a little over half way through the challenge, so my goals are going to shift to align with that. I'll try to make it as uncomplicated as possible though Goal One: Work outs! 2x per week: I'll be doing kettlebell classes for the first 2.5 weeks (my old instructor is no longer on the schedule! I'm very very sad. They've also taken away the day/time we were going at, and are now only doing 2 KB sessions per week instead of four. So it's also going to be crowded. Might be looking for something different to do after the bootcamp is over.) Once the bootcamp starts (which officially is the 7th, but the first actual bootcamp class isn't until the 12th. But I'm assuming we can utilise the free unlimited drop in classes (kettlebells, zumba and hot yoga, I believe) as of the 7th. So yeah. A = 8 B = 6 C = 4 D = 2 Goal Two: Eat well! Pre-bootcamp: Macros! Calories <1800Kcal/day Protein >80g per day Carbs <100g per day = 3 possible points per day Bootcamp: I'll update this once I actually have the meal plan. (It's low GI, concerned with having a good omega 3:6 ratio and almost paleoish) First 17 days: 40 point target. Goal Three: Walk a bunch! This should be pretty easy, with our new addition - we just got a dog! *happy dance* 70,000 steps a week. A = 280,000 B = 260,000 C = 240,000 D = 220,000 Goal Four: Clean up! One point per project completed: 1. Front Hall Closet 2. Linen Closet 3. Spare bedroom 4. Basement windows 5. Laundry room Target is 4 points, mega bonus awesome winning if I do all 5. A = 4 B = 3 C = 2 D = 1 So excited! It's time to punch this challenge in the ovaries!

I've now officially walked at least 10,000 steps a day for 16 days in a row!! It may not seem like much on paper, but it does mean that I'm walking a couple extra miles everyday to hit that 10,000 goal. Booyah

Last challenge was a 50% success. This challenge will be similar to the last one, but I have decided I need to shift my focus for my second goal this time around. Goal One - maintain an average of at least 13,000 steps/day, composed of exercise converted into steps and actual steps walked. This goal has a finish date of July 31st, so it doesn't run quite all the way thorough the four weeks (though it does continue during zero week). If I succeed, I will earn $100. I nailed this one last challenge. I'm sure I can keep it going. I will have to think of something else exercise related to replace it for the last two weeks. I'll figure that out later. Goal Two - get the fat loots. Or, save money. I think I can actually kill two birds with one stone with this goal. My current primary not-needed expense is we eat out way too much. Especially at lunch time, since I've gotten slightly better at making dinner more often. So, the goal is to not eat more than two purchased meals (either from a restaurant, the prepared-foods section of a grocery store, or TV dinner kind of things) a week. If I'm lucky, besides making the bank account fatter, some of that fat will come off of my midsection, since we'll theoretically be eating healthier.

"They're everywhere! The walkers are everywhere!" The shout reaches me from across the field where I see Russ sprinting over the horizon with terror on his face. Looks like we'll be moving on, and quick! Our little group has survived so far, some a bit worse for wear, but who knows how long that'll last. We even have a pregnant woman. I run into the farmhouse where we've been staying and alert the others. Our vehicles are always packed - we've learned that much over the last few months - so it's just a matter of getting everyone in as quickly as possible. We've loaded up just as Russ reaches us. I can see the walkers coming over the hill. A huge herd, bigger than any we've yet seen. I do a quick headcount as Russ catches his breath: He and I, Kathy, Nancy, Leigh, Brennan, and the Jean sisters. The older of the Jeans is pregnant. She lost her husband before we met. We drive as quickly as we can. I'll miss that farmhouse, but we never end up staying anywhere for long. We plan to drive away from the herd, then circle around and hopefully get out of their path. Just as we make the turn I hear a honk from the car behind us. What do they think they're doing! Don't they know the walkers are attracted to noise!? We stop the car, and as I get out I hear their's sputtering to a halt. Out of gas. There are no other cars on the road to siphon from. Looks like we're on foot from here on out. There's no hope of trying to circle around the herd now. We'll just have to hope that we got enough of a head start to out-walk them until we can find a safe place to hunker down and let them pass. We've done this before. We'll hunt for food, take care of any stray walkers we see along the way. Survive... *** Quests: Out-walk the Walkers - Walk 10,000 steps each day Smash Some Zombie Brain- Do the NFA level 3 body weight workout 3x/week Hunt for Food- Eat paleoish with 4 or less variances/week So I've been watching the walking dead recently, and got some inspiration for a quest! It's time for me to go back to basics a bit, as I've been having a hard time keeping up my challenge goals through the whole 4 weeks. I really want to change that this time. Otherwise I'll be eaten by zombies!!! I've been all over the place the past few months, but this next month is slightly more stable, so I'm hoping I can get back in the swing of body weight workouts, and remember why I'm eating healthy to overcome the sugar cravings. Here's to a great challenge, and surviving!!

So I was panicking for a little there, worrying about what I was going to do to replace kettlebells when classes end for the summer - I couldn't find another reasonably priced class that I was interested in. But I've decided to just roll with it, and change things up for the summer, and become more of a Scout/Druid hybrid. I'll still attempt to get some 'Belling in a home, to prevent total annihilation come Fall, but the focus this summer will be logging miles (biking and walking) and improving flexibility (yoga). And that's okay. Goal the First: Bike Commute! I've been mostly bike commuting since the start of May, and probably averaging a little under 4x per week. The aim is to bike EVERY day that I work, although realistically weather and needing a car directly after work interfere on occasion. For the length of this challenge,I should be working on 18 days. I'm going to allow myself to make up for any missed days additional rides, evenings and weekends. A = 18 B = 15 C = 12 D = 9 F = <9 +3 END Goal the Second: Be Bendy and Strong! My usual workout routine includes kettlebell classes, 2x per week. That will be wrapping up at the end of June, so I'm transitioning to a yoga-based workout schedule during this challenge. There's a $5 drop in "Yoga in the Park" that runs after work, 3x per week, weather permitting, and incidentally is right on my route home. Between both activities, I'm aiming for 2-3 workouts per week. A = 10 B = 8 C = 6 D = 4 F = <4 +2 DEX, +2 STR, +2 INT Goal the Third: Walk a bunch! It's time to resurrect the step goal. It's (generally) gorgeous out, it's light out late, and I have hour long lunches once again. The target is 70,000 steps per week. I'm hoping Hiroro is still up for our Weekend Step Challenges!? A = 280,000 B = 255,000 C = 230,000 D = 205,000 F = <200,000 +2 END Goal the Fourth: Eat so good. The usual metrics - if I can actually follow this, I have wonderous success! The plan is designed for one YAYFOOD day per week, plus two misses on one of the items, which gives me a little wiggle room if I feel like I need more calories or carbs on a workout day... or just need some flexibility for no terribly good reason Carbs >100g Protein >80g Calories >1800Kcal 3pts per item per day, 16 points per week A = 64 B = 56 C = 48 D = 40 F = <36 +1CON +2CHA BONUS GOAL I have a bad habit of ghosting from the forums in the middle of a challenge, so I'm adding a check-in goal: 6x per week:Comment on someone else's thread 3x per week:Update my own thread A = 36 B = 30 C = 24 D = 18 F = <18

Simple challenge this time, I hope. Main goal: maintain a 13,000 steps/day average, including actual walking/running and other exercise converted into steps, for the course of the next two challenges (technically, June 6 through July 31). Reward: $100 gift card, courtesy of the office exercise challenge. Secondary goal: fix up my diet and lose some of this fat in time for my vacation. Reward: new bathing suit, possibly a bikini if I lose enough. The plan: For my main goal, it's to be to get up and walk more during the day. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. I've also got roller derby practice twice a week (which counts for lots of steps, yay!) and I'm going to try to do something exercise-wise every day I don't have derby (typical choices will be yoga, pilates, Zumba. I may attempt to start running, as well). For the secondary goal, I'm going to just jump to the Academy diet level 7. I've printed off the meal plan and have it posted on my fridge, and I put together a rudimentary shopping list for it (hopefully I can get that fixed up soon). I won't be able to start that during zero week, because there is much crazy right now, but so far I've been doing a pretty good job of not eating grains or sugary things. I'm not going to stress about having something with grains and/or sugar sometimes, but mostly I don't eat them now. I will get my starting stats recorded before the challenge actually starts, and hopefully I'll have some good progress to report at the end of it!

Hello all, Somehow I didn't quite make the last challenge <hangs head in shame>. I did my first half-marathon on 8 May and, whilst I have certainly run and trained since then, it's all been a bit unfocused. Time to home in on my goals with surgical precision again! This time last year, when I had yet to discover NF, one of my key goals was to complete a half-marathon, and now I've done that, thanks in no small measure to you lot. My main other goal is to be able to deadlift my own body weight (currently about 57kg). I'm a bit skeptical about this but am going to give it a try anyway. Doing the half-marathon training did mean I lost a bit in terms of strength, especially upper body and arms, towards the end, but I've made some gains again since then. So, my goals for the challenge are: Keep average steps per day above 10,000 and, as part of that, keep running a minimum of 9 miles a week. Walk up to my office at least once a day on working days (it's on the sixth floor). Push-ups - I suck at these again now! To work up to doing 20 proper push-ups by the end of the challenge. Track my food on at least four days a week. I gave up tracking when I was doing half-marathon training because I was just ALWAYS hungry. Now I need to be a bit more focused again. I am resolutely ignoring the whole concept of an adulting goal, because when you've got three teenagers, one with special needs, and ageing parents, one of whom is very ill, then frankly you are doing adulting whether you like it or not. So - adulting as necessary, but having fun as much as possible when it isn't! Doing the half-marathon was just loads of fun, actually. I need more fun, definitely! Great to be back! Off to catch up with everyone else now!

Hello all, Somehow I didn't quite make the last challenge <hangs head in shame>. I did my first half-marathon on 8 May and, whilst I have certainly run and trained since then, it's all been a bit unfocused. Time to home in on my goals with surgical precision again! This time last year, when I had yet to discover NF, one of my key goals was to complete a half-marathon, and now I've done that, thanks in no small measure to you lot. My main other goal is to be able to deadlift my own body weight (currently about 57kg). I'm a bit skeptical about this but am going to give it a try anyway. Doing the half-marathon training did mean I lost a bit in terms of strength, especially upper body and arms, towards the end, but I've made some gains again since then. So, my goals for the challenge are: Keep average steps per day above 10,000 and, as part of that, keep running a minimum of 9 miles a week. Walk up to my office at least once a day on working days (it's on the sixth floor). Push-ups - I suck at these again now! To work up to doing 20 proper push-ups by the end of the challenge. Track my food on at least four days a week. I gave up tracking when I was doing half-marathon training because I was just ALWAYS hungry. Now I need to be a bit more focused again. I am resolutely ignoring the whole concept of an adulting goal, because when you've got three teenagers, one with special needs, and ageing parents, one of whom is very ill, then frankly you are doing adulting whether you like it or not. So - adulting as necessary, but having fun as much as possible when it isn't! Doing the half-marathon was just loads of fun, actually. I need more fun, definitely! Great to be back! Off to catch up with everyone else now!

I've been on this health/fitness journey for exactly two years now. Over the last few months I've kept up with things, but I haven't really been challenging myself very much. My big overarching goal when I started two years ago was to feel better and to be able to do more. Not very specific I know, but I succeeded! Far beyond what I thought I could do. Even though I knew I wasn't where I wanted to be I stopped trying so hard. I've kept up with things enough that I haven't lost any ground in fact I've lost a few more pounds. Reading other peoples threads and peelout asking me what my goals were forced me to step back and realize that I've stopped making any real forward progress because I didn't know where I was going. So I sat down and determined what my new goals were and this time I was specific. I purposely did not make any weight goals. I believe that as I work toward my goals the weight will naturally take care of itself. I still don't want to take on too much at once, because I want to create habits. I sat down and made a list of six healthy eating changes and six exercise habits that I think will help me reach my goals. For the rest of the year I will tackle one healthy eating change and one exercise habit in a challenge. Every third challenge I will work on maintaining the habits from the previous months but will not add any new ones. That is how I started two years ago and it worked really well. Usually after a couple of months there will be at least one habit that needs a little more work and this way I have time to work on it, instead of trying to add new habits on top of unstable ground. Quest 1: I still want to exercise every day and I can still employ placeholder workouts as needed. My elbow is not healed yet so I'm keeping the type of exercise open for the most part. One workout a week however, MUST be a run or a run/walk depending on the distance. Measurement: A = 26-28 workouts and 4 runs, B = 23-25 workouts and 3 runs, C = 20-22 workouts and 2 runs, D = 17-19 workouts and 1 run Quest 2: Several years ago I did the Weight Watchers Core program. There was a "core" list of foods that you could eat as much as you wanted and everything else required "points". There were certainly problems with it (too much fat free and artificially sweetened) but I have honestly never felt as good as I felt when I ate that way. The majority of the core foods were fruits, veggies, lean meats, fat free dairy, eggs, and whole "intact" grains. I'm going to do a little experimenting with my diet but I know that this general framework works well for me. I've tried going back to this before, but I haven't been able to maintain it. I think it was partly because I was trying to change everything at once and partly because, without the "points", I didn't have a firm limit for eating outside the plan. This time I'm starting with eliminating bread instead of going cold turkey. I'm also borrowing the term "variance" from Tank and I'm allowing myself 2 variances a week. Bread includes bread, rolls, buns, tortillas, cake, pie and cookies; essentially anything baked and made with any kind of flour. I actually am making some other changes to my diet right now, but none of the others are "required". If I fall off the wagon with them there is no guilt and it has no effect on the challenge. If I succeed, YAY! And I'll probably need to rework my plans for later challenges. Measurement: A = 8 or less variances, B = 9 variances, C = 10 variance, D = 11 variances Quest 3: I'm sticking with the 10,000 step average a week. Later on I'll probably increase the amount of steps but I'm definitely sticking with averaging the steps over the week. Measurement: A = Average 10,000 steps all 4 weeks, B = Avg 10,000 for 3 weeks, D = Avg 10,000 for 2 weeks Life Quest: Every time I get groceries I have great plans to eat lots and lots of produce, so I buy lots and lots of produce. Sometimes it works out well and I use most of it. Other times it doesn't work so well and I end up throwing a lot of it away. Sometimes it doesn't work at all and I might as well have set fire to the money I spent for all the good it does me. So for this quest I'm going to throw out no more than 10% of the produce I buy. This is a tough one to measure. I decided to make a note of each of the different types of fruit and veggies I buy and then decide how much of each type I throw away. For example let's say I bought 10 different types of fruits and veggies. Then I threw away half the broccoli, a quarter of the lettuce and all of the oranges. That would mean I threw out 17.5% of the produce. It's not exact by any means, but it's the easiest way to track it that I can come up with. Freezing stuff (if it's freeezable) before it goes bad is allowed. That may lead to another quest down the road where I have to eat the stuff I froze, but that's a worry for another day. Measurement: A = Throw out 10% or less of the produce I buy, B = Throw out 10.1%-20% of the produce I buy, C = Throw out 20.1%-30% of the produce I buy, D = Throw out 30.1% - 40% of the produce I buy

So I have to confess I was having a bit of a hard time with things. It just seemed like one thing after another for a few months there. And my coping mechanisms left something to be desired. I wasn't happy with the choices I was making, but I just could not. Stop. Making. Them. Which was just making things worse. Vicious cycle. Exacerbated by continually failing challenge goals. So I took a break. Things have been going better lately though. And I've got my head back on straight. And I'm ready for another challenge! I've been working out, eating great. My house is... maintaining a baseline of cleanliness that is slowly increasing. And while we had to say good bye to a wonderful old friend and ranger companion.. we are going to get a dog in a couple months! So that's exciting to look forward to. Anyways, my optimism is renewed, I have awesome pumping through my veins once more, and I'm ready to challenge the F#&* out of March. And here it is: 1. Food is good: A) Metrics: Been killing this lately, and it's working. Calories: 1400-1800 Protein: >80g Carbs <100g 3 possible points per day, 6 days per week. B ) Evening Snacking: Pretty sure this was one of my first challenge goals... very early on anyways. I get over it, I slip back into it... can't seem to beat it for good. It's time for another round at this beast. Eating is done when dinner is. Sometimes this is a little late (kettlebells go until 7:30, and I need to eat afterwards). I'm going to give myself two freebies a week. 5 possible points per week. A=90+ B=82+ C=74+ D=66+ F+<66 2. Workout-Berserkout: 3x per week: Kettlebell class twice a week, and one additional workout of my choice. A=12 B=10 C=8 D=6 F+<6 3. Steps: Time to resurrect this one again. I've been still tracking, but not really making a very active effort. I'm hitting around 35,000-45,000 per week lately. I'm going to aim to hit 50,000 per week to start with - we're having a crazily mild winter, and barring any blizzard, I think I can really pick this up. A=200,000 B=185,000 C=170,000 D=155,000 F=<150,000 4. Puppy Prep: DH has decided that the house requires ultimate organization levels prior to canine companion acquisition. Fine, whatever. Actually we've been working on this for a bit, it's getting there. Task for this month are to get the storage rooms in order. There are two. That's one for every two weeks. Manageable methinks. A=Both C=One F=Neither Okay, alright.

Hello Adventurers! I'm fairly new to Nerd Fitness and looking to start a challenge (plus make some friends while doing this). For Christmas I received a Fitbit, so some of my goals below will be easier to track with it. BTW, here's to a new year... Goal #1 (Diet) - Have a salad, fruit, or veggie each day. Goal #2 (Diet) - Cook one healthy meal at home per week. Goal #3 (Fitness) - Walk 5k steps per weekday and 8k on weekend days. One day my goal will be 10k steps. Goal #4 (LUYL) - Get at least 7 hours of sleep each night. Eventually the goal will be 8 hours of sleep, but I barely get 6 or 7 now. To follow along with my progress, please click here. Points (out of 104): Goal #1 - 1 point per day completed (max. 28) Goal #2 - 5 points per week if a meal is made (max. 20) Goal #3 - 1 point per day completed (max. 28) Goal #4 - 1 point per day completed (max. 28) A = >92 B = 92-83 C = 82-72 D = 71-62 F = <62

Hello fellow Scouts! Hope you all had a fantastic Christmas and New Year. I had a ridiculous chest infection which is still hanging around unfortunately. Anyway my scouting plans for 2016 involve a half marathon in March, a marathon in May and a 10k at the London Olympic Village finishing in the Queen Elizabeth Stadium in July. That's all I've got booked at the moment but I'll book more as I go along. So the plan is Goal 1. Run three times per week as per my marathon training plan This is a long slow run on Tuesdays, fast 5km on Thursday and a steady 7-8km on a Sunday. The long slow runs are currently at just under 12km and I will be increasing this each week, with a shorter run every 4-5th week to rest. I also run with the beginners group as a leader a couple of nights a week, and some skills sessions on a Monday evening. These will be in addition to the three training plan runs. Goal 2. Yoga or cross training three times per week I will focus on improve my core strength which should help my running. I will either go to the gym and follow a program set by my PT or do a session at home from the Yoga Studio app. Goal 3. Walk 7000 steps daily I'm not very good at walking anywhere. I'm happy to run it or I go in the car. I got a Garmin Vivofit at Christmas so I will walk 7000 steps per day, in excess of any running steps. Level Up my Life. Take my anti-hypertensive drugs daily Fairly self explanatory. I don't take my meds because I forget. It's one tiny tasteless tablet each day. I think my brain refuses to accept that I have high blood pressure as I do not sit in any of the high risk groups. Hopefully having it as a goal on here will prompt me. No fancy gifs or anything at the moment. I promise to be more entertaining as we go through the 4WC.

I really do need to drop some body fat but calorie counting and eating in a deficit just isn't working for me on a whole right now. I think it's best kept to shorter periods such as one challenge instead of across multiple challenges. You know, for personal sanity sake. So this challenge I'm switching it up and I'm going to have FUN and participate in self care or "boosters". I'm going to lift weights, and eat to support it. And instead of trying to decrease consumption I'm going to focus on increasing activity. I'll reexamine my calorie deficit options in January. Goal one: Strength Strength train 3 times a week For now I'll stick with StrongLifts, but I might modify soon and change one of my days to a barbell complex or some form of strength training intervals. Goal two: increase steps Current week day average: 3,073 Current weekend average: 6,565 Goal week day average: 4,000 Goal weekend average: 8,000 My job is incredibly sedentary and I have a long car commute. Weekday increases are going to take some serious effort on my part. I'll need to do some trial and error to figure out what it takes to get my steps up to 4,000. Weekends I think should be easier. I really just need to stop being lazy, and add in a walk. Goal three: Physical Booster vitamins - take em track sleep - what is tracked is improved Life Quest: Emotional Booster Craft or work on a project weekly. Something fun and rewarding. Side quest Get bedroom under control/finish KonMari of the clothes

OK somehow I posted my new challenge to the old forum so am copying and pasting to the correct forum Posted 13 September 2015 - 05:25 PM I've been away from the challenges for a couple of months and now I'm rested and rejuvinated it's time to respawn. My goal for this challenge is simply to climb back on the NF wagon gently by making life as easy and stress-free as I can. This will involve: 1. Walk! STA+2 CON+2 CHA+1 Fairly simple to explain, I'll just strap on my pedometer, get up and walk around. A = 221k steps and over B = 211k - 220k steps C = 200k - 210k steps F = Under 200k steps 2. Organise! DEX+1 CON+1 WIS+2 CHA+1 Using a blend of the techniques described in Marie Kondo's book, The life changing magic of tidying, the philosophies found in James Wellman's Stuffocation, and the topics covered in the 15 days to a new organised you articles at www.athriftymrs.com I'll be getting my act together this challenge and making life easier for myself. I have worked out 15 categories to cover so I will spend at least 2 days concentrating on each category. I'll record what I am doing on a chart and this will probably involve awarding myself shiny stickers for keeping myself on track. A = 25 days and more B = 20-24 days C = 15-19 days F = Fewer than 15 days 3. For the rebellion! WIS+3 CON+1 CHA+1 There are so many hard-working and inspirational people here at NF that I really want to get back in and surround myself in it all. Perhaps I can pick up some of that awesomeness via osmosis diffusion. So every day I will read another person's challenge, battle log or NF article and will make at least one positive comment. I'll be treating this as a "hard hat" challenge for the whole 6 weeks. Pass = Never miss 2 or more days in a row Fail = Miss 2 or more days in a row

I've been away from the challenges for a couple of months and now I'm rested and rejuvinated it's time to respawn. My goal for this challenge is simply to climb back on the NF wagon gently by making life as easy and stress-free as I can. This will involve: 1. Walk! STA+2 CON+2 CHA+1 Fairly simple to explain, I'll just strap on my pedometer, get up and walk around. A = 221k steps and over B = 211k - 220k steps C = 200k - 210k steps F = Under 200k steps 2. Organise! DEX+1 CON+1 WIS+2 CHA+1 Using a blend of the techniques described in Marie Kondo's book, The life changing magic of tidying, the philosophies found in James Wellman's Stuffocation, and the topics covered in the 15 days to a new organised you articles at www.thriftymrs.com, I'll be getting my act together this challenge and making life easier for myself. I have worked out 15 categories to cover so I will spend at least 2 days concentrating on each category. I'll record what I am doing on a chart and this will probably involve awarding myself shiny stickers for keeping myself on track. A = 25 days and more B = 20-24 days C = 15-19 days F = Fewer than 15 days 3. For the rebellion! WIS+3 CON+1 CHA+1 There are so many hard-working and inspirational people here at NF that I really want to get back in and surround myself in it all. Perhaps I can pick up some of that awesomeness via osmosis. So every day I will read another person's challenge, battle log or NF article and will make at least one positive comment. I'll be treating this as a "hard hat" challenge for the whole 6 weeks. Pass = Never miss 2 or more days in a row Fail = Miss 2 or more days in a row