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Welcome back to my challenge! In this one I'll be making change. Change as in coins I mean I'm going to reward myself with euro's for things I did good, so I'll be able to buy new sims expansion packs that will becoming out this year. Credit must be given: I totally stole this idea from the amazingly clever @Snarkyfishguts 😘 I can earn euro's by: - Going a whole day without eating sugary stuff - Doing exercise for at least 30 minutes (ringfit, walking, yoga etc.) I can earn 50 cents by doing chores I hate doing: - changing sheets - vacuuming/dusting/mopping one floor - cleaning the bathroom and half bathroom - cleaning the kitchen I started earning coins last challenge. This is how far I've gotten: (This page is in my bullet journal. The page on the left has a recipe for chocolate chip cookies 😎)

After having spent the last year in the Dagobah system where WiFi was scarce, I have returned to the boards. It’s been a great year in some ways and in others not so much. Right now I’m just eager to make a change that’s sticks, and I think a challenge will be a great way to get out of my rut. My main problem is that I use food to compensate bad feelings. When I’m bored, sad, stressed etc I often turn to food for comfort, and I binge on crap. This in turn of course leads to feeling worse, and like that, a vicious circle is in place. I already know what to do. Looking back at times when I was happy/content; I ate healthy foods, I worked out, I meditated etc. So the key is to start doing these things again. At the moment, I’m not at all concerned about progress in my lifting or anything like that. I just want to get back in the game. Looking at some of my older challenges I will try a concept that has worked before: A system of tracking my habits and receiving points. The setup: (Daily) Habits I want to incorporate in my life: 1. Meditation, 2. Exercising (Yoga, gym etc) 3. Eating healthy foods (vegetables, non processed etc) 4. Eating “lagom†amounts (ie, not binge), 5. Sugarfreedom (No. F-ing. Sugar) 6. Rehab/triggerpoint 7. Reduce time on social media 8. Reading 9. Track my spending 10. Be kind I have intentionelly not specified some of these. For instance, Reading can be 1 page a day or 25. The important thing is that I do it every day. The point system: Every activity generates points (1 point/day). Each week I will set a goal for how many points I need to receive to “pass†my challenge. As the weeks progress, I will increase the number of points that are required for a “passâ€. The maximum amount of points per week is 10x7=70 points. The bonus: I have decided to have a financial incentive to stick to my habits. Every week I pass my goal, I receive 50$. If I don’t pass my goal, the 50$ will be donated to charity. Since I will move to a new flat in the end of the challenge, the money would be a most welcomed boost.(All will be paid out in a lump sum at the end of the challenge). Week 1: The goal for week 1 is 35 points. Feels great to be back with the druids Let’s do this!

So, for cocoa crack, there are tons of recipes if you google it, but here's what I do: In a small, stick free pot, on low heat, I combine: Coconut oil (6 table spoons is a good size) Cocoa powder (6 table spoons. Or however much oil you used, you use equal parts) Once those are melted together, add whatever sweetener you want. I've done it with Stevia, splenda, and xyla in the past, so whatever it is you use at home, just add it to taste and let it all cook together over the low heat until the sweetener is fully dissolved. Then, I pour it into an ice cube tray and put it in the freezer so they harden up into little chocolate bites basically. I store it in the freezer because my apartment gets too warm for it to really set well, but if your place is cooler, you can keep it out. That's the basics of the recipe, but the fun part is you can completely play around with this once that is all melted together. I usually add coconut milk right at the end (or creamer, I'm just dairy sensitive), which thickens the hell out of it and makes it really creamy. I also add unsweetened coconut flakes for some texture. You can add nuts, berries, vanilla or whatever flavouring extract etc. Possibilities are endless! It takes very little time to do and not long at all to set either. Or you can get really creative and layer it with other things in the tray. I've layered it with peanut butter, one time I layered it with avocado paste I made. Once you get cocoa crack down, it can be coating for other things too. I did plain, no sugar added coconut macaroons (egg whites and coconut flakes) with a coating of cocoa crack. I made sugar free bounty bars once and used that as the coating too. Basically, it's my chocolate substitute

I don't have any fixed goal. My goal is my own happiness and well-being. So I'm pretty fluid with my goals - sometimes a bit too fluid, in all likelihood. But I also see it as a strength, and a part of my nature. Because I am an airbender 8D PRESENT GOAL: TO DEVELOP A HEALTHIER EATING PATTERN/ATTITUDE No refined carbs until March 3rd, and no refined sugar until March 10th. I may extend the refined carbs thing, or make a system of limited refined carbs (i.e., 1 allowed per day). Also, this is a six-week challenge, so I guess I'll plan the following parts based on what happens here. There are a lot of reasons why I'm doing this: I'm interested in the qualitative experience of not eating sugar. I'm looking forward to experiencing the changes in the flavours of food as the sugar numbness subsides.I have a tendency towards escapism, and my major poisons are the internet and sugar/carby/chocolate snacks. Because I'm not allowing myself sugar, I am more aware when a craving arises. This allows me to understand when and why the craving is there.This dietary choice is forcing me to learn to feed myself properly. Cook dinners instead of eating popcorn and toast and chocolate!I like to challenge myself. Best channel my masochistic tendencies into something productive, no? x.xI've never done it before and it's kind of fun.I developed an odd attitude towards food after going through a difficult period in my life. Even though I never became unhealthy because of it, I found myself eating almost exclusively for emotional reasons, but not eating when/because I felt genuinely hungry.Hoping to lose the 5 lbs I gained working in a bakery haha :/Want to see if I'll have better energy!Yep! PLANS FOR SUCCESS: Break the habit of eating sweets/bread at night by replacing it with the habit of drawing at night.Plan meals ahead.Ensure the people in my environment know I am doing this.Recognize that failures are a part of the path to success. That I am taking steps to improve my wellbeing, and I'm not going to get it perfect right off the bat.

Hey sexy fit nerd rebels! Happy 2014! Its time for a new challenge! And not just any challenge, the first of a brand new year. Smells like...fresh grass and...possibility... Now usually, this time of year is littered with people making mad crazy plans, massive life overhauls and vowing to be a completely different person by February. But rebels, we know that huge, sweeping changes are not the way forward. Oh no, it is the small daily shift, one more rep, ten minutes earlier, saying 'I don't', that breeds habit change and true transformation. So, with that in mind, I am keeping it simple. This challenge will focus on something I have neglected for too long, a small change, that will transform everything. I recently re-read a few of of Steve's old articles, personal responsibility, 3 words and productivity, plus this link about doing things once, because I've been feeling lately that I've been leading an inefficient life of unfulfilled potential. I have some big plans for this year, including moving out and getting into vocational dance school, and for those things to happen I need to make more effective use of my time. #1. Do it now. Do it once. This applies to all aspects of my life. If I am reading an email, I respond to it straight away. If I strip my bed, I remake it with clean sheets right then. If I am cooking, I wash up as I go. If I use something, I put it away as soon as I'm done. Obviously this will be a work in progress, and I won't become perfect overnight, plus there are some things that I simply won't be able to do immediately, but I need to complete the things that can. I'm not too sure how to grade this one yet. Watch this space. #2. Multitasking is a myth. One thing at a time. Again, this applies to my whole life. No more watching TV while reading a book, eating and texting. One thing, done well, at a time. The exception to this will be listening to music while doing things such as working or cooking, working out etc. Again, unsure about best way to grade... And, a little something on the side... I don't eat sugar, aside from the honey in my morning yoghurt or my post training smoothie, and I don't eat bread. This is a goal I brought over from last challenge. The bread went well, as did the sugar...for the first two weeks. After that it got a bit messy, so this time around I'm making the sugar slightly easier but giving myself Sundays to have sugar if I really want it. I am a massive perfectionist, and often when something goes a little bit wrong I have a huge overreaction and decide I may as well give up because I've ruined it already. (Brilliant, well done Ems). So, in a bid to prevent this, I'm hoping that by building in some flexibility I will be able to tolerate less than 100%. Seriously am my own worst enemy sometimes. Grading will be simple for this, no bread, and only non-honey approved sugar on the six Sundays. Maximum. Hey girl, I think your challenge sounds great. Thanks Ryan Let's do this. NB: I'll update with better grading.

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