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Hi! I'm writing a novel this month. For those of you just tuning in, this is not new. I've done this most years around this time, but I think this is the... 2nd ever time that I walked in with a really concrete idea of what I wanted to do and where I wanted it to go. (the first time was a sci-fi riff on Ragnarok meets A Yankee in King Arthur's Court. I would definitely not write it the same way this time, but I should probably go back to it someday since it's the story that taught me the most). As you might imagine, though, that's my only official goal. As if the other stuff is going to be put on hold; it won't be. But keeping all the plates spinning with this new wrinkle going on is going to be challenge enough, I think. Goal is 50,000 words. I will provide my word count here as my goal for the challenge. I do note that the challenge cuts off on 11/26. I might carry past it. I might not. I don't know if I'm going to finish the draft before I get to 50K, so if I do, I'll consider the challenge a success. Had tournament this past weekend! Best showing yet - got to medal contention and went the distance on that match, even winning points, which is the first time that's ever happened. I still didn't win. It was fine. I showed growth, and when I went to class yesterday I was recognized along with a bunch of other people for having gone out and done stuff. Yesterday was also our last day in the old building. They're going to the new building tonight; they're still capping class sizes, and I thought I'd have an errand tonight that it turns out I don't, so I reserved a spot on the waitlist. Might not make tonight. That's okay if it happens. Also, last night was Halloween! Went to hang with my friend for Sci Fi night; the Halloween tradition when that happens is for us to sit outside with Adult Beverages and pass out candy along with treats for the adults. This year, the entire cul de sac got in on it and it wound up being more of a block party than anything, especially since there weren't that many kids on account of inclement weather. Today is the first day. I will update with my word count later.

So, I failed so hard at the last challenge, that I am pre-emptively failing at this one now too, starting so late as I am. So since I am starting a week and half in, and I I really struggled to just hit the basics from last time, I am just going to revisit the same goals, as follows: 1) Hydrate!! 2) Walk and Stretch every day!! >>>> Literally how I look when stretching, only less cheerful 3) Log Everything!! Win conditions and loot: Make an effort at all three items each day (doesn't have to be perfect, it's about effort and habit building), and complete at least 2 side-quests to make up for missed challenge days and I will win myself that long coveted sticker for my water bottle. Side-quests (pick two): - Tailor in the bodice on my Landsknecht gown in time for Oktoberfest - Finish cleaning out the garage to make room for the swing set kit being delivered and to make a work out space - take the kids on at least 2 more solo adventures - clean off desk in library - finish writing the fanfic chapter I have been sitting on for 2+ years - finish my embroidery project and applique it to my sleeve - pick a new first day of preschool outfit for the Red Panda Things I need to remember: - I am a battering ram when I want to be! They may be my least favorite siege weapon but the analogy is apt. Cumbersome, unwieldy, but once you get them moving that wall is going to come down. - One day at a time. Before I can even GET to "never miss two in a row", I need to focus on the step in front of me - This isn't just for me it's for my kids. I mean, it's also for me, as my kids really don't care about how I look or feel in a pair of jeans (for now). But I want better for them in their lives so I need to model the habits I want them to have. Just doing it for my own vanity or comfort is never going to be enough impetus. But them . . .they are -If it's worth doing, it's worth doing poorly. Even if I can't do it perfectly, something is better then nothing. - Spite is a perfectly acceptable motivation if it gets me moving

Hi All! I did up a brief (re)introduction to myself a few weeks ago over at respawn point a few weeks ago, but always feel weird about starting a challenge late, so didn't do much else, but I'm still in time for the new challenge, so here I am doing the things . . . A very wise (video game) woman once complained about people that "stand in a fire and complain that it is hot". And that is what I have been doing. I complain about how I look. I complain about how I feel. I complain about not being able to keep up with my little hoodlum children. And yet at the end of the day, what do I do but plonk myself down on the inferno of my couch, and add the lighter fluid of ice cream to make the flames just that little bit hotter. So these are my first steps to get out of the damned fire. They may be small, but at least they are something. So, without further exposition .. . my challenges; Goal is to drink at least one of my big bottles of water every day. I know, I know! minimum should be two. But one is better then none, and honestly, once I start drinking water, I always end up drinking more, so better to set my goal to "some" and exceed then to set my goal to "correct" and balk and fail at doing it. Doesn't matter when I do it - I can chug the whole dang thing at 11:59 pm and it will still count. Loot: sticker for my sad, un-adorned water bottle. Why do I want to achieve this goal: hydrate or diedrate, amirite? Feel better, feel less hungry, less headaches, more bathroom breaks, and set a good example for the hoodlums Obstacles in my way: water is gross, tea is delicious Actions needed to achieve my goal; become "that" person and carry water bottle everywhere. Make sure to fill the bottle at the start of the day with tap water from home, which is slightly less awful tasting then water from tap at work. Goal is to stretch and walk at least once every day. I sit too much and everything hurts. I'd love to commit to regular multiple work outs a week. I am not there yet. I want to be, but it took me months to work up to that before. I think I keep failing at my attempts to respawn cause I am trying to jump in whole hog. So lets work on the incremental change. Walks can be any time, anywhere - I lose momentum when I try to "schedule" it for early in the morning, then feel bad about not being able to get out of bed. Bonus points if I take the kids or the dog with me. Streching can be morning or night, or even at desk during the day. Loot: fake hair scrunchie (not at all related to the challenge, but really want one, so yah motivation!!) Why do I want to achieve this goal: More movement, less ouchie. More calories out. Get body ready to eventually start work outs again. Set a good example Obstacles in my way: Sleeping in, refusing to get up from my desk at work, stretches that don't suit my needs, Actions needed to achieve this goal: keep experimenting with stretches till I find some that I really like, remember I've got the world's cutest dog who deserves walkies, set alarms on my phone to remind me to take my breaks Goal is to track all the things. It may seem low-tech and harder to do then keeping it in an app, but for now, track it in my paper planner, just so it's all in one place. If I need to, I can log it in various apps in my phone and then mark it off in my planner. But I should be at least trying to log it all in once a day. This includes tracking meals (which will be put into an app, but then checkmarked off in the paper planner) Loot: order my new planner early (my year resets in September) and include some "splurge" features in it. Why do I want to acheive this goal: There is no point drinking water and stretching/walking if I don't see that I am doing it. If I forget to log it a day, I eventually spiral into not doing it. And if I physically see how much I have eaten, it's easier for me to make the decision to not eat more. I can't argue with cold hard data. Obstacles in my way: taking time to put everything in the planner, data spread across too many apps. Actions needed to achieve this goal: keep planner on hand at all times. swap out current watch that I love but that I don't like the app, with one of my old fitbits I will try to post here regularly-ish with updates. Expect Gifs, anecdotes of the offspring, and maybe even pictures of the dog for she is cute and needs a bigger fan club

A simple three week challenge you say? I can do simple. WATCH ME 1. Remaining in the training grounds. I want to be able to dedicate three hours a week to training at minimum. When I was at my happiest and healthiest, I had 9+ hours a week dedicated to this. That was just scheduled classes + open gyms and didn't even count other "on my own time" training that I did. I have a huge mental block around this, more than a physical one (thanks trauma) …that I want to take a more active role in helping people here who are getting into/have been into staff, and this is going to carry forward to all future challenges. I feel like it will give me more of a "Reason" to be training (rather than "just for fun") and I'd like to help people if I can (doing those gifs for @Elastigirl last challenge was really fun and got me to go out and try stuff when I wasn't motivated to move otherwise.) So I'm thinking, from here on out, if anyone is trying to learn a staff move that's giving them trouble, I want to leave this as an open invitation to ask me about it. I can't guarantee that I'll be able to fix it, as I'm certainly no expert and am learning myself, but if you send me a video of what you're trying to do (the tutorial maybe, or whatever video you saw of them doing it) I'll give it a shot myself and respond with feedback of what I learned from the video and we can brainstorm about what you're finding tricky about it. Even if I'm not capable of doing the trick in the end, we may be hanging up on different parts of the move and having another perspective might help. This starts with this challenge but is going to be an ongoing thing. I'll restate it every once in a while. For this challenge however, the goal is 3 hours a week training, and will include all physical/performance arts, not just staff and juggling. So also balance board, juggling other objects, acrobatics, and generally just exploring new fun ways to move my body + other objects in the space around me. 2. Don't snap in half I desperately need to be stretching every day. This habit is easy to maintain once I get it going again, but it something major happens I can fall off the wagon for months (which is what happened several months ago I got injured and was bedridden for just enough days to break the habit. And I've stretched like four times since then.) I'm hyper mobile and while this sounds like the opposite of a stretching issue, when your ligaments and tendons are looser than your muscle, it causes ALL sorts of joint problems and these past two weeks I have REALLY been feeling it. I feel very unstable and like any one of my moves might be the next to destroy me. So I need some peer pressure to get me back into the habit and I think a short challenge is the perfect time to restart a habit that's pretty self-sustaining once I get back to it. Don't let me half-ass this either. I will try to get away with it. If I say I "stretched for ten minutes" that means I did like two lunges and a few twists and called it a night. I need to hit all the major joints and the SHORT version of that takes 23 minutes. The long version is an hour (and is the far preferred version-- I feel very good when I'm doing this one daily) it's just hard to schedule in. I'm hoping that if I do the long form a few times a week and the short form the other days, it will at least keep me in fighting shape. Time to get flexy That's it folks! TWo gOaLs! I told you I could do simple!!

I am too tired to write up a fancy challenge post! But after 11 weeks of full time French classes and early mornings that led to bad food choices, I'm glad to be back and able to focus on self care again! I learnt I am really not capable of functioning well if I divert from my usual sleep schedule. My body and mental state have suffered, although my French is improved! So! Want to rebuild some former habits that have served me well. Keeping it simple with 2.5 daily tasks: 1. Meditation every day after getting up, followed by a vocal warm up 2. Daily stretching, most likely in the evenings in front of TV I'll make a tracker thingy tomorrow.

The world is depending upon me! Or, really, my world is depending upon me. Why isn't stretching a habit by now?? And rolling? I feel better in all the ways when I do it. But nope. Even last time when it was on my fancy schmancy daily to-do list it was not treated with the love and attention it deserves for all that it does for me. This time that changes! I hope. I have a short and simple list of three things goals; body, brains, and batcave. Body! Stretch quickly after each fitness session and stretch/roll 4 days per week in the evening minimum. Brains! Select a task each night for the next day that involves advancing my skills in some way. Currently the necessary scope is in learning these newfangled sewing machines.... excuse me, sewing computers, and advancing my craft skills in crochet, knit, and sewing. Batcave! MrC and I have possibly ironed out a sharing of household cleaning tasks. I had him pick the things he dislikes least, and I'll get the rest. I have to do mine. Ideally I will tackle 4 short (10-20 minute) sessions per week will complete my portion when combined with the agreed upon rules of 1. don't leave a room empty-handed and 2. 5 minutes of just picking up at the end of the day. It's just the two of us and two animals, so hopefully this is reasonable. But really, when it comes right down to it, this is all about the stretching habit.

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.)

Hey friends! Busy season is almost over and I finally have some more time for fun challenges again! This week will still be very busy (I'm doing my first practicum right now, like... treating real patients and stuff. It's amazing, but also full time and with work and stuff on the side, not much time remains...), but starting next week I will have 5 weeks of blissfull holidays (well, except for work, but that doesn't take too much time ), with a cute little wedding at the end of it, so perfect for some NF action! I don't really have a battle plan so far, I just know I want to do all the things I didn't have time for in the last months: TONS of dancing, some stretching, maybe another pole challenge, playing lots of Guildwars 2, going back to the gym, reading some books... I need to make a reasonable plan this week, probably more towards the weekend... Will follow some time. But I wanted to get the thread here up and running. 😎 Soooo ready for summer to start! Three days to go!

Im back with good news! The MRT pics of my brain came back and Im healthy! No multiple sclerosis, no early dementia. just a healthy brain in a fairly healthy body. lets celebrate, people!!!!! June is also midsummer night ( 21.) and my birthday ( 25.) plus summer holidays are beginning on the 21. here as well. uncork the bubbly! goal one: exercise for 15 to 20 minutes every day. you can choose between yoga, stretching, bodyweight circuit and kettlebell circuit and walk around the block. just do one of these daily during afternoon/ early evening hours. ( the hikes with the dog are a habit now, no need to concentrate on these). goal two: drugs. 2 glasses of wine max/day ... also reduce smoking gradually every week. starting point: 25 cigarettes a day, then one cigarette less every week. goal three: start duolingo again. this time try Italian. 5 to 10 minutes/day. goal four: find work project. I am broke af and need to do something small everyday to end up with a plan for an additional income after the summer holidays. Students are not enough. I started reaching out to contacts and have to decide what to do and apply for funds pronto. happy to be back!!!

So I have been struggling on my challenges for a few years(understatement), but I thought deeply and realized what made me really happy when I was most active on NF around 2015. It was a rucking PVP. Taking this knowledge and what I need to do to improve myself I enrolled in the weight loss PVP for the next 10 weeks. I am right above 170lbs and would like to get below 160lbs by Memorial Day weekend, specifically Saturday May 29th. I leave for a week long vacation in the Florida Keys and am staying on the water and will be bringing my boat. I think that whole week will be spent fishing, snorkeling, spearing, swimming, boozing, and eating fish. So obviously my one goal is to lose some weight. I also need to exercise daily. Yes daily, no rest days. Every day will include a 30-45 minute ruck(more if I am up for it). After the ruck I will lift Mon/Wed/Fri and then run Tues/Thurs/Sat. Sunday is going to be a hard 2 miler since one of my goals this year is to get that sub 6:30 pace. Each workout is followed by my stretching routine. I need to seriously restart my eating habits. I have been pretty good the past couple weeks but now need to crack down. I meal prep for work and do great during the week, but the weekend is the put it all back time. So I am going to attempt to eat only whole foods with a lot of veggies. I already am there 5 days a week. Also as far as alcohol goes, no more IPA's and thick bois. I need to stick with mixed drinks, wine, and white claws/ultras. I also need to limit myself to Friday and Saturday only, as well as 2-3 on each of those days. Maybe I will try something where I can have 3 or 4 drinks per weekend. I'll play with it. Goals: Weigh under 160lbs Ruck 100 miles Run 50 miles Continue to hit my 2021 goals

Hey everybody, so I sort of vanished last month for my previous challenge, and I feel real bad about that. My track record for successful challenges lately hasn't been great, and I'm feeling beat down. I have a ton of fatigue out of nowhere and also feel like I'm sort of 'along for the ride' in my life currently. I seem to be at the mercy of my work hours increasing out of nowhere, or recently, a snow storm. The excuses keep coming as to why I haven't been consistent with my goals but I still believe in the challenge process and so this challenge is all about getting back up cause I feel like I've been knocked down over and over again. It'd be cool if I could summon up a surge of motivation and learn some awesome new skill but I think that's a factor in my downfall is trying to do too much. So right now I'm in the boxing arena of life. I'm not out, but I'm not making any plays either, I'm just dodging the punches, conserving my energy, and searching for an opening for when I make my big comeback in life. So with that out of the way, here is a quick summary of the current events of my life. Before I disappeared, I recently was promoted at work after working my butt off. I'm making enough now, that I realistically could get my own place. Where I live right now is so cramped that I do not have space for a pull up bar, and because I live with at-risk people who have not been vaccinated, I have still avoided the gym up until this point. In my Limitless challenge, I became very interested in getting my finances in order. I was approved for my first ever credit card at the credit union I bank with, and have opened a Fidelity investment account on 2/1/21, that is still pending their review for me to start funding it. The two week delay is concerning me because there is still time for me to contribute to a 2020 ROTH IRA if I can get this done before tax day. Anyway I basically feel like I'm in a sort of stasis where in fitness, I'm waiting for either the weather to clear, or for people to get vaccinated so I can progress in my strength training. And in finances I'm waiting for Fidelity to finally review my documents. As far as moving out goes, I've never gotten my own place alone without any roommates, and with no credit score, my chances of getting approved are low. So I need to continue saving, and use this new credit card I've gotten so that I can achieve true independence. For now though, I'm trapped between forcefields, just waiting... Now then onto the goals. These are going to be really easy because the goal is to just stay in the fight and not tap out. So here goes. Goal #1 Stretch/Rehab daily. I still have a foot injury that I am working with a PT on. But I have been slacking on the exercises I've been given and I also have been feeling very stiff throughout my body. This is a daily goal, for 30-60min. I've underlined this goal because this one is my biggest focus on this challenge. If I can get more flexible by the end of this, I'll call it a win. Goal #2 Update this log daily, and interact more with other people's challenges. It is said that you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. A lot of the people I'm around are providing a lot of negative inertia and I think the more I expose myself to other people on the same path of self improvement as me, the more momentum will build. I used to do this much more often but I admit it's been harder for me to keep track of everyone since we merged all the guild threads but it's something I'll get more used to with time. Goal #3 Strength train at least three times a week. Ideally every other day. Even if I'm just metaphorically treading water and unable to advance and do the exercises I want to improve on due to weather, job, or whatever comes up, I need to at least do something. Goal #4 Read nightly, 15-20 min, or more if the book hooks me. I've gotten out of the practice of doing this but now is a good time to change that.

The skittish man looked over his shoulder before he made his way up the creaky steps of the tavern. He wasn't supposed to be here but he didn't have a choice. There was an evil coming...an evil so vile and so horrible that the fate of every man, woman and child in the surrounding kingdom would be in mortal danger if he didn't seek help. Two nights ago, he had been followed. The undead black bird was nearly silent when it stalked in the treetops among the gnarled branches. He looked again over his shoulder to see if he could spot the bird but to his surprise, the undead creature was no where to be seen. Each step towards the tavern doors entrance echoed audibly, and despite the boisterous noise coming from inside, the creaks and groans under his weight seemed to weigh heavily into the night. With a shaky, outstretched hand, the man opened the door and entered the tavern. He was immediately greeted with warm air, the smell of ale, and a symphony of music coming from the stage just left of the bar. The atmosphere of the tavern seemed to calm the man's nerves and he made his way through the crowd to settle at the bar. "Whadda having, sir." The short, burly barkeep asked as he wiped down a glass and threw the rag over his shoulder. The barkeep was bald with a dark brown beard that was trimmed neat and cut short to the neck. He had kind brown eyes that seemed trustworthy and to the skittish man, he felt comfortable around the barkeep, even though it had been mere seconds since he sat down. He wasn't really sure what he wanted though. The long journey had taken a toll on his body and he had actually grown sick to his stomach over the last day's ride to get here. "I, um...well," the man cleared his throat, "I'm actually looking for someone." He said to the barkeep. "Aye?" The barkeep asked. "So nottin to drink fer ya? Maybe some hot boar stew? It's the best in all the kingdom." As if his stomach ache was instantly cured, the sound of boar stew made the skittish man's mouth salivate. How long had it been since he last ate, he thought to himself. Two days? "Actually, the boar stew does sound quite nice. I'll have a bowl of that." "Comin' right up!" The barkeep announced cheerfully and scurried off to the kitchen. When he came back just a few seconds later, he had a faded blue bowl filled with the piping hot stew. The smell of the boar nearly cramped the man's stomach up as he realized just how hungry he was. He nearly snatched the bowl out of the barkeep's but restrained himself. "There ya go, sir. Gallup's world famous boar stew. Hell, we took down der beast not twelve hours ago so ya know its gonna be gurd!" "Thank you very much. And you must be Gallup?" the man replied with a thankful nod. "Nah, dat's me brother. I'm Garrick, the most handsome barkeep in all the land!" The barkeep chuckled so loud it nearly drowned out the music. After a moment, he caught himself and turned back to a more serious demeanor. "So...ya say yer lookin for someone, eh? Gotta name?" "I don't know the man's name, per say. I've heard him called numerous things if I'm being completely honest. The Red Wolf?" Garrick paused a minute, his eyes shifting to the back of the bar. "Well...I do know a man by dat name but he's not to be bothered at da moment." "Really?" the man sat up from his boar stew, almost excited. "I dare say, it's rather urgent that I speak to this man. It's a matter of life and death!" Garrick saw the terror in this man's eyes and almost felt sorry for him. The barkeep got down low to the bar to whisper something. The skittish man leaned down with him but couldn't hear the words over the music. Then, Garrick nudged his head towards the back of the bar where his eyes shifted earlier. The man turned his gaze in that direction and saw a leather clad man sitting by himself drinking a mug of ale. His features where like that of a warrior; well muscled and tight jawed. He appeared to be tall with his legs stretched out under the table, one foot crossing over the other. His skin was fair, which made his other features stand out like a sore thumb. Atop his head was a mess of wavy red hair. Even in the dimness of the bar you could tell. And with that look, the man sitting in the corner gazed back. The look paralyzed the skittish man as he noticed the piecing blue eyes burning through him. They were the eyes of a wolf. Gulping down hard, the skittish man grabbed his hot bowl and made his way over towards the red-haired man. As he stood before him, the red haired man held his gaze the entire time. "Go away." he muttered, his voice gruff and raspy. Almost as if he hadn't spoken in days. "But sir..." "I said. Go. Away." He cut off the skittish man and pointed back towards the bar. The skittish man, feeling more confident this time, sat his bowl down on the table, pulled out the chair on the other side, and sat down. "Sir, my name is Sibis Davizo and I have come looking for the Red Wolf." Sibis was fully expecting to be cut off again and was surprised when he wasn't, so, he continued on. "And I am in need of your service. It has come highly recommended that YOU are the best scout in all the kingdom and that when it comes to finding things, there are none better." There was a long instance of silence between the two men before the red-haired man spoke. "Go on..." "So, are you the one they call The Red Wolf?" "It's possible. Why don't you tell me what you need first and maybe I'll tell you who I am." "Very well... as I've said before, rumor has it that you can track things down better than anyone. Whether that be people, items or more exotic things. I'll cut to the chase because time is of the essence. I am in search of something called the Book of Life. This book has immense power." "Why search for a book that's only been rumored to exist?" The red-haired man asked as he leaned forward now, interested in what Sibis Davizo was saying. "I was told the only way to defeat Dedd Lyft the Necromancer was by obtaining the Book of Life. Somewhere in it's pages is a spell that could destroy him and his undead army." The red-haired man shook his head slowly. His face was expressionless but his eyes showed something. They showed fear. "Come with me. It's too dangerous to talk here..." ************************************************** Hello All!! Welcome to another challenge! I'm very excited about this one for a number of reasons. 1) My birthday is right in the middle of this challenge! 2) I'm doing some creative writing! and 3) I'm kicking ass in the gym AND the kitchen! This challenge is all about writing, eating, lifting and gearing up for the holidays. Won't you join me?? Goal 1: Tevior "The Red Wolf" Bindreft This goal is all about writing. I loooooove creative writing. I looooove creating fun and interesting characters. To do this goal justice means I need to write little excerpts like the one above and work to do that 2-3x a week. Nothing major, just write for 15-20 min and see what I come up with. I'm hoping to build a fun story for everyone (and myself) and maybe turn this into something I do on a more regular basis! Here's what Tevior looks like: but think wavy red hair and reddish stubble instead. My inspiration is this guy: Possible Points: +2 END, +1 CHA Goal 2: Dedd Lyft the Necromancer Dedd Lyft is the main villian in my story. This is a play on for Deadlift, obviously, but you already knew that, didn't you?? . @Jarric made a good point on my last challenge: "don't be afraid of deadlifts. Just take them serious and you'll be ok." And...that's exactly what I'm gonna do! I'm fine with trap bar deadlifts...but it's traditional deadlifts that have always scared me because I didn't want to hurt my back. I'm usually really solid in practicing good form with ALL my lifts, but I've stayed away from barbell deadlifts in favor of trap bar for a while now. The idea behind this goal is to practice barbell deadlifts at least 1x a week and work on getting better doing those. They don't have to be heavy but ideally I would like to find my 1rm sooner or later. Possible Points: +3 STR Goal 3: Up the Intensity Between lifting 3x a week, I also want to add in 1-2 KB workouts on my off days as well as add in a sprint day on Saturdays. This is about sweating and getting out of my comfort zone. I have a plethora of KB workouts I can do, AND, I have a 35# and 45# KB I can use at the house. I'll be posting my KB metcon's when I do them for anyone interested. Possible Points: +2 DEX, +1 END Goal 4: #SmoothPanther I'm on a 5-day streak right now and don't plan on breaking this. Stretching has been something I neglect. A lot. And I'm never going to perform well in the gym unless I limber up and take care of myself better. I work hard. Now, I need to stretch hard as well. I'll be following Nsima Inyang's Smooth Panther routines each and every day. I'll also be posting these for anyone interested or maybe you just want to follow along with me?? Possible Points: +2 CON, +1 DEX Goal 5: Carnivore-ish If you've been following me recently, you know that I've adapted a carnivor-ish eating style. Basically, this means TONS of protein. TONS of fat. And SOME carbs...like 100-150g a day total or less. I'll mainly be eating red meat loaded up with butter and bacon grease with some rice and potatoes thrown in there every now and again. The idea is NO sweets until my birthday, which I will indefinitely have a cake, and then it's back to the grind after my b-day weekend. Thanksgiving is also a small pass as I'll probably have some pumpkin pie or something. But, my diet consists of almost NO veggies and hardly any fruit. If I do have fruit, it'll be some blueberries or something. But otherwise, it's ALL meat ALL the time. Possible Points: +1 CON, +2 WIS And there you have it folks. Thanks for following along and I hope you enjoy my story thus far Wolf

I haven't been active on here since 2017 and I think back then I only completed maybe 2 challenges. Since then I have let laziness and a near fatal fall over a year ago keep me from adequately taking care of myself, however, today I say NO MORE! It's time to get back to being serious about my health, even if the main motivator is that I recently started a job as a delivery driver for Amazon and end ever day feeling worse and worse (especially my knees, lower back, and shoulders). So without further ado here are my current goals. BIG PICTURE: Increase mobility in order to not be in pain every day and overall feel healthier. HOW DO WE GET THERE?: Start every morning with a full body warm-up/stretching routine. Complete the Beginner Bodyweight Workout 3x per week. DRINK WATER!!!! At least two bottles per day I know I'm getting here a few days past the official start date, I hope that's not too much of an issue.

I missed you! (Thank you Salinger for getting my ass back here!) Im fighting the ear infection from hell. my ear is so swollen that my face isn't symmetrical anymore... crap! ( saw a doc twice and am treated. it just doesnt get better) My counselor tells me to chill the fuck out. She and I think that Ive reached important goals. And I will be here to keep up the work and look for joy and happiness in what I've created for me. I live such a privileged life, being able to do whatever I want, during my days. I work 3 hours a day max.. I made my most important weightloss goal, I stood up after back surgery, recovered like a boss and made it back to cross fit! Its time to shut up about not doing enough and just to enjoy what I have build. but fearless, when you are here you need to have goals!? you ask well my goal is to enjoy what I am building for myself. I want to get up in the mornings exited to start the day! I do not want to push myself further at the moment. intentions: ( totally stole that from you, Iatheyeti ) develop a morning and evening ritual that covers all the fun things you want to do ( stretch, meditate, journal) see if you can include a daily writing hour in your day without stressing about it keep up cross fit 2x /week ( once recovered from the plague of the ear) keep eating healthy keto meals and prepping them to make it easier make sure dog child is happy make sure you are happy

NEW GOALS (version1.0) I start my new challenge tomorrow, because Ive achieved what I wanted during the last weeks. And I cant wait for the new forums to open. fearless: the "spicy writer" challenge starting 10/14 and ending on November 30th. I will write/research daily. I will participate in NANOWRIMO 2020 as a rebel ( details and numbers of words to follow ) I will go to Cross Fit 2 or 3 times a week ( 1 session of cleaning included ) I will stretch/ foam roll / do PT after each Crossfit day (details to be determined) I will try out new spices while cooking ( influenced by the blog. have bought asian and Mexican spices and want to create new go to meals with them) let the new round begin!

So since I am in a much better mental state these past couple months and have moved back into my house after the ex left I figure I can now focus on the next 5 months. I have a lot of cleaning/purging to do in my house of junk as well as clothes and kitchen things. I need to buy some more furniture and set some things up here and there. My back yard is an overgrown mess and the garden is a nightmare. The garage is ummm, did a hurricane already come? So I am going to set some 5 month goals in here and refer back to them over the next couple challenges as well as challenge goals and weekly goals moving forward.

Hi, fellow Druids, I am fearless, a long time German member (f.52)who has missed a lot at NF during the last years. I used to be a Scout (running and hiking) and have been heavily into CrossFit for some years. After knee surgery I have been sedentary for 2 years. Result: a slipped disc in my lower back, muscular dysbalance and a lot of pain since the beginning of lockdown in march. I choose the Druids for this challenge because I want to do a mix of yoga, physical therapy exercises and meditation as well. Today at my PT I presented her my "routine" which is about 30 minutes long. Its mostly core stuff to heal faster. 2018 and 2019 I did Keto successfully and cooked all meals for myself. Then I needed a break and had all the bread and fruit Now its time to get back to my way of eating. It helps me to lose weight ( still need to crush about 30 pounds.) and also helps me a lot with mental health issues ( I am clearer and more alert on keto ). my life goal is to be able to write again. I have published a book in 2018 about my way out of mental health hell into the mostly happy person I am now. Its part autobiographic, part self help. After a lot of feedback I was asked to write another book describing the technics that helped me get out of the hellhole. Like what do you do when you are in bed, have not showered in days, find yourself depressed and motionless... how do you get back into a well lived life. I have started research ( science and my diaries) but have my doubts if its a good project.. nevertheless I want to get back into creating regularly. clarification: I am a writer and Cello teacher, so I always work from home and I have a lot of free time because I retired early and only work for 20 hours/week. Only responsibility is my dog ( who plays in my garden mostly since I've been injured.) FEARLESS IS BEATING THE PAIN DRAGON ...THE QUEST... Everyday: 5 Minutes of breathing/meditation as part of my morning routine a short walk with my puppy as warm up 30 Minutes of PT/Stretching/Yoga Food Prep so I have 2-3 keto meals every day. ( I can have greek or Turkish food from takeout 2 times during the challenge. ( only meat and veggies) sit at desk for 30 Minutes a day and see if you can get your groove back. I don't have to write but am not allowed any other activity during this half hour... Thanks for reading, guys! Ive read all of your first posts and look forward to getting sh*t done during this challenge! ❤️

Last challenge was accomplished though my tracking and reporting was lacking. Because of that I'm going to include "getting you that TPS report" in my goals this time around. I don't get back from our trip to Colombia until the 11th, and then I dive right into rehearsals for Pippin, directing the one-act showcase for the local theatre (that's easy, just three rehearsals and one performance), and work hitting the busiest time of year (start of the semester). I'm focused on getting pre-PA classes taken care of so I'll be taking one class (though that could be counseling instead), and I'm going to try and fit some kind of workouts (cardio, strength, and flexibility) in even if it's just PT for my rotator cuff. I blamed it on skiing at the doc's office but I wonder how much trapeze did too... Anyway specifics are forthcoming but in a general sense: 1. Hike, bike, or run, three times per week. 2. PT four days per week, bonus points for an actual lifting session that includes the PT exercises 3. One stretching session per week. 4. Sign up for either Human Anatomy, Chemistry 1 w/lab, or an appropriate upper-level biology class and do all the assignments, or sign up for one COUN class at the Denver campus and do all THOSE assignments. 5. Report into NF at least weekly. Oh, and I'll make time to go see that movie I earned last challenge with Mrs. MG.... not sure when or how, but it will happen. Hopefully before the in-laws leave so we don't have to find a sitter too!!!

Let's kickstart our mobility training and do 7 days in a row of mobility work for week 1! Any sort of mobility work you want to do, for any length of time. The idea is just to do it every day. I always start my weeks on Monday for challenge goals, but feel free to start Sunday if that's what you prefer. @Sylvaa and @Maigs are in - anybody else?

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

Tzippi Tastes the Vinegar If you've read the Tao of Pooh (and if you haven't, consider it!), you might remember the allegorical image referenced at the beginning of the Vinegar Tasters, in which three men taste from the same vat of vinegar, one tasting sourness, one bitterness, and one sweetness. These three are representations of the three major religions/philosophies of China, Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. The vinegar is life, and the men each taste it differently. Tai Chi, which I have begun studying and is a hugely positive practice in my life, is largely based on Taoist philosophy. I'm not going to get very deep into Confucianism, Buddhism, or Taoism, as I am at best a tourist and at worst completely ignorant of them. Instead, I am going to use my battered copy of The Tao of Pooh to look at what I want to do in my life, as I get a little deeper into my goals, study of Tai Chi, and continue to grow and refine. The "theme" of this challenge is halfway between using the three vinegar tasters as my models and metaphor, and using the characters from the Hundred-Acre Woods as the same. Taking my inspiration from the inimitable @sarakingdom and @Mistr, I am building on last challenge's success by adding tiny incremental goals to enhance my new habits, rather than adding a million new ones. “Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day.” Body and mind - * Continue to support my Tai Chi practice with daily work, whether class, Tai Chi practice, or some other exercise. * Once per week, one weight workout or long walk/hike. Could be body weight, or a hammer. Poetry and Hums - * Continue with daily (more often nightly) five-minute+ meditation. Got Calm subscription, starting with the Pooh meditations. * Using my MyOmer App, count the omer every evening. * Once per week, one longer meditation. Try different stuff, report and review here. I may start with metta meditation: Rumbly in my Tumbly - * Three servings of vegetables a day. * Plant more stuff in the garden. Herbs? Will it get warm enough for cukes, zucchs, and tomatoes?

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

It's a new challenge! I've been away because it was the end of the summer/start of the semester and work becomes "overwhelming" (in a word) at that time. But it's starting to slow down a bit now, so I figured I may just put fingertips to keyboard and write a goal for myself. I've realized that resistance is futile. I need to change my way of life. Things are unmanageable and I always take an "all or nothing" approach to life, and that hasn't worked. So I'm going to slow down, take a level of Druid (not really but kind of) and see what I can do about my biggest pitfalls: Flexibility, and diet. So here's the plan: Four yoga classes per week (or at least a half hour stretching session if that's not possible), and I will track my calories, with a goal of keeping my caloric intake below my caloric expenditure. That's it. Easy enough, right? I get back from a quick trip to Washington DC on Monday. I'll still be riding, maybe running, maybe lifting, but all that counts is the yoga/stretching and the caloric counts. I'll post on MyFitnessPal for anyone who wants to friend me there (just changed my login name to Mediaguy99). Meanwhile I'll probably also post about family life, child rearing, smallbore rifle practice in preparation for winter biathlon season, and archery, and swing / salsa dancing, and Jeep repair, and ancient VW Van repair, and #vanlife, and rain, and wildfires, and all the wonders that are Colorado in the fall. Also I'm getting treated for GERD (gastro-esophogeal reflux disease) which I've had since I was about 18 and discontinued meds for in 2013. It's been hard to keep the symptoms under control but there's a new medical procedure that my doc says I'm a good candidate for, which should help a lot. I'll post more about that as I get closer to finding out if I can really get it done.

So I signed up for a GORUCK Heavy in January. I need to get rucking, miles on my feet as well as build muscle while losing fat. For those that do not know what this is, here is the description from the website: So with a pack loaded with a 30lb weight plus water and food/gear we will travel around 40 miles in 24 hours. All lead by a special forces Cadre. Sounds fun right. Leading up to it I have a back to back regular Challenge and Light in October, as well as two sprint triathlons in September and October. Goals for this challenge: Get working out - mornings of weights and cardio(long or sprints), afternoons swimming for fun. Get my diet and food choices down. When selecting dinner think about the fact I will be working out in the morning. This includes drinking. Keep up my Duolingo(I try to finish two modules or crowns in French and Spanish during weekdays. On weekends just hit my 20 minute goal) Reading, podcasting, audible as usual.

Me, personally? No. But that doesn't mean I can't become ready. Time to brush up on those assassin skills and see what I can do. Goals: Hang Out: I bought rings last year and I really need to start using them. I live within spitting distance of a park and could easily get up in the mornings and play a bit. Ring Play 2x per week Week 1: Fight: Boxing Workout 1x per week Week 1: Stretch: I am the most tight. And starting my new job soon will mean even more desk work. Can't do fun stuff if my muscles constantly feel like they are ready to tear off. Stretch 5 days a week Week 1: 2/5 Keep it fresh: 2 other workouts per week (I'm no where near good enough on anything with the rings for it to be considered a workout). Week 1: 1/2