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I'm brand shiny new here so I wasn't sure whether to post, but it seems the most appropriate place in my life to do so at the moment. Ramblings Life is weird right now. Lots of good things are around the corner and I'm rubbish at waiting for stuff! I haven't been keeping up my mindfulness, or my Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids and/or British Druid Order bardic training, or my Ludosport practice, or even my sleep hygiene. I recently started enhanced CBT for bulimia nervosa (20 years of it this year) only to get put on pause for four weeks being told that I'm too exhausted and burning myself out at work. Having started though my rigid food rules are all out the window and eating is all over the place... but I'm not supposed to judge, just note things mindfully. I just came of age (in hobbit terms) and it's time I took a bit more responsibility over managing my workload. So. The priority is sleeping properly. Since being put on pause and discussing things in depth with my fiancé I have discovered that (a) not everyone hates themselves the way I do, (b) not everyone is tired like I am all the time, and (c) I have absolutely no concept of relaxing, just working, worrying, and fitful sleeping. We have to try to fix that first. I have bought the dawning alarm clock I've been putting off getting for years, and we're jointly cutting back how much alcohol we drink on weekends. For myself... Mind I am going to try to go to sleep at 10pm every work night, which sounds scary early but I want to get to the point where I have the energy to get up with the Shipping Forecast and do a proper swimming workout before work. I'm going to implement a bedtime routine including cutting out screen time, putting on my face and foot and hand and hair cremes and stuff, getting into pyjamas, having a herbal tea, brushing my teeth - a habit of things which will start to tell my brain I'm going to bed, it's time to begin winding down. I have ordered a book on relaxing and limiting stress and I'll read it. I really don't know how to approach not knowing how to relax, but it will be a starting point. Body I'm going to swim, or do a strength workout, in the mornings before work beginning next week. I'm not putting exact days on it yet because I'm just setting myself up to beat myself up if I don't do it, so I'm just going to say I will try to build it up and leave it there. Spirit I'm going to practice visualisation meditations in the sacred grove which is a part of my real-life druid studies. I'm not going to try committing to any actual study just yet, rather I'm going to get back into my spiritual practices and hopefully go from there. Blessed be!

I started writing this long tale for Ki, my NF alter ego, but it started to become a stand alone story rather than a post, so I'm posting as me, or this post will never happen! I'm back on track and feeling amazing. I had a few weeks away. I caught one of those awful viruses going around and it took me out. I basically slept all the time. During recovery, my sinuses took a beating and I picked up a sinus infection. And after 6 weeks of being seriously down and out sick, sickness depression set in. It took a lot to drag myself out of that hole, but I'm not only back, but back on track and already digging into this challenge. First, the last challenge was my first, and I definitely bit off more than I could chew. Too many small challenges, too much to track. I hung in there, but i was a bit overwhelmed. This time around I'm keeping it simple and doing more to set myself up for success. So here's my take this time around: Work out 5 days/week - 3x StrongLifts/week - 2x swimming - 1x spin class - 10k steps/day I'm really focusing on the walking for the next month because SDCC is coming up and I am not ready. Last year I walked 53 miles in 4 days, and I don't feel like I'm up for that just yet. So putting in some walking miles is my goal between now and the con. Track food every day. This is so huge for me. When I log, I stay on track. I've also started intermittent fasting this week. I'll be honest, I wasn't sure I could do it, but day 2 is down and I'm still alive and I have no bodies to bury. It's definitely something to adjust to. What I can see already is that I eat out of habit, or not even paying attention. The urge to eat is there even when I'm not hungry at all. It's tough, but I promised myself I would stick with it for two weeks and see how it goes. So far, so good. It definitely does curb how much I eat, but I have to work to find a balance. On the first day, I only ate 850 calories, which is insane. My daily calorie goal is 1460. But I ate two big meals and I just wasn't hungry, not even for snacks. Today I did better, but I still had to eat until I felt a bit overfull, just to reach 1400 calories. Either I'm not doing something right or it's just an adjustment my body will make. It was a quick and dirty post, but I felt like I really needed to get something on the board and get going. Last goal is to drink 64-80oz of water a day. And that's it. Work out, log food, drink water. I'll add more to it next month, but after the past couple of months, I need some wins. Now I'm looking forward to catching up with how everyone else is doing!

I'm quite late to introducing myself to the forums, so you may already have met me on Facebook (Kat) or IRC, where I'm also Happytin. Who Am I? I am a 29 year old agender (which means I have no gender - I find the concept entirely alien - and prefer "they") person living in Edinburgh, UK. I live with my partner, nighteyes, and our small cat, Lyra, who is like a dog in a slinky pussy cat body. I started life on hard and only recently got to grips with my play style. I am very short-sghted and blind in my left eye. I have severe OCD, chronic migraines, and am prone to depression. This meant that my childhood and teenagehood was spent in bed, at the hospital, suspended from school, and then expelled. This eventually landed me with a compound fracture in my left leg, a broken wrist, three cracked ribs, a cracked cheekbone, and a year of rehab before I could walk again. Now though, I'm on great medication for my OCD and migraines, have had years of physio, have a good party with nighteyes and my therapist, and I'm starting my adventures. This just goes to show that getting the right support system is key to success. Talk To Me About I read a LOT of books. You can find me on Goodreads if that's your thing, and I am always interested in what people are reading. Recently I've been reading Spinoza's treatise, John Irving's Avenue of Mysteries, and The Just City by Jo Walton. I'm very into sociopolitical and economic fantasy. Point me at some and let me fly. I game on my PC and also own a Wii U and N64. I'm currently playing Cities:Skylines, Deponia, Civ V, and holding myself back from another trip to Skyrim. Nintendo owns my heart. Zelda, Starfox, and Mario are my games of choice. In fact I love Zelda so much I have a triforce tattooed on my inner wrist. Majora's Mask and I do not speak, however. I studied Human Geography at university. This means I know a bit about, and am incredibly interested in: politics, sociology, economics, ethics, social justice, settlement, industry, global relations, colonialism, imperialism, religion. Wikipedia and I hang out a lot. Rebel Base Level I've been a sneaky part of the rebellion for a month now, but here's where I started. Weight: 142lb Fitness: I attended a swimming class once a week but otherwise did no exercise apart from walking into town. Nutrition: I tried hard to eat well but binged frequently. I did Whole30 a lost 16lb but then struggled to progress afterwards - I ate to celebrate and ate to commiserate. I drank three or more mugs of coffee each day. Mental Health: I quit my job in December because it was incredibly stressful and I hated it. There followed six months of being very ill with migraines and trying to work out medication. I felt a failure for not working, bored at home, and anxious about my financial security. Play: I spent most of my leisure time playing computer games. This resulted in a lot of neck and shoulder pain. I also read. Happiness: 4/10 Ranger Initiation My build is naturally a ranger and my background has included martial arts, rowing, army cadets, and high school achievement, so it makes sense to continue this history of breadth and adaptability. I am following the career paths of Diplomat and Cat-Whisperer. Since joining the rebellion I have: Got a new part-time job I enjoy Learned to do a wall handstand Started practising piano 10 minutes a day Begun the academy workouts Beaten General DOMS Registered to study for a Certificate in Counselling Skills Taught Lyra to get into her carry case Taught Lyra to appear when I summon her Taught Lyra to sit every time I ask, even without a treat Made a budget and started monitoring my expenses Started meditating for 15 minutes each day Lost 9lb Switched from soy milk to black coffee Dropped to two mugs of coffee a day You can find my current quests on my character page. Would Like To Meet I'm currently looking for a new swimming buddy in Edinburgh, preferably at the Dalry baths. I'd love to talk to swimmers in general, whether you're an otter or a puppy paddler (I tend towards the puppy) and need some cheerleaders to force me to get in the pool more than once a week.

It's my first month, so I'm going to keep it simple and set myself up for success. Which isn't to say I'm not going to challenge myself. This will be tough, especially with finals coming up. But I can do this! Starting with my Master Quest, because it guides all of my other quests. Okay, deep breath: Master Quest: Lose 87lbs Okay, that was terrifying to type, but it's out there. And now for the challenges that will get me there. Food Challenge Eating a vegetable with one meal every day Track all of my food. ALL of it. Accountability is KEY Fitness Challenge I recently joined a workout facility that offers classes as well as free weights and a pool. I've created a weekly workout guide, but for the challenge, I'm going to focus on my main goal: Complete a month of StrongLifts 5x5 Swim 2x/week Level Up Your Life I started a meditation class last week, so I want my goal here to be keeping a consistant practice. 5 minutes of meditation daily Check in to NF daily to post my progress - accountability again! READY

I floundered a bit last challenge, since I was burned out and didn't have much direction. Now that I'm studying to be a full instructor at the parkour gym and may be helping with some stunt fighting classes, I have renewed my focus and motivation! So, on that note, it's time to become Immortal and enter The Game. Each goal has a target of 100 points over the course of the challenge. Goal 1: Fight! - Immortals need to be experts in combat to survive. Points toward the combat goal are earned by doing any of the following: -2 points for every 10 minutes of weapon training -2 points for every 10 minutes of shadowboxing -2 points for every 10 minutes of remembering and reviewing hapkido self defense techniques -5 points for every strength session that includes some sort of muscle up progression, some sort of hanging core work, HSPU progression, handstand holds, and grip training). Goal 2: Run away! - Sometimes, the best way to survive is to run away. Points for running away are earned by: -5 points for parkour open gym skills practice. Fast wall top outs, vaults, and other things = easier time fleeing. -4 points for actually working on swimming when I take the kids to to the pool -4 points for any jog of any length -4 points for any nature ruck Goal 3: Immortal Healing- I'm still having some knee issues, and I need to stay on top of my prehab. So, 4 points are earned every day that I do foam rolling and prehab. Goal 4: Seek Holy Ground- Immortals are safe* (more or less) on holy ground, so they can relax a bit. For me, this goal is about reducing stress. I earn 4 points every day that I take 30 minutes to just do something for myself, like yoga, reading, playing a video game, or whatever else might help alleviate stress. Goal 5: Become worldly - Immortals who live long enough travel the entire world. I will work toward worldliness and earn points by: -50 points: plan and take vacation up the Atlantic coast. -5 points for every chapter of Harry Potter that I manage to read in Spanish. Bonus: study the instructor guide and schedule my test. Hopefully, all of this focus helps me get my mojo back!

DinoBytes returns to reclaim victory in a thrilling adventure of pacing, trial and error. It's been a minute folks, and let's be honest here, I'm not the most consistent person on the planet with keeping everyone updated. so for all of you just tuning in, here is a heaping generous serving of info; I moved from hawaii, to italy, to florida, and now I am coming to you live from sunny San Diego! putting all of the emotions and struggles that came with the following, I'll try to keep it down to just fitness facts; moving from hawaii also meant leaving my acrobatic friends behind. I made a couple new friends with whom i shared acro and circus with (I even taught a girl how to spin in just 2 months!) but I only got a real dose of circus community from two cons that I attended during this long hiatus time. (divine play and acro love if you're keeping track at home) I started spinning nearly every day for an hour or so alternating my cardio between running 3 miles and swimming 2 so that i would swim three days a week and have one rest day from running. this was all very consistent until I finally landed in San Diego. I began a membership with San Diego circus center and studied hand balancing there (which was tremendously humbling) but I now know where i need to improve. I began working longer hours at work and was unable to attend the handbalancing class... so i quit my expensive membership and began coming home and becoming rather boring, weak, and consequently miserable. so... I've been relatively sedentary for the first time in maybe... my life? (I mean i'm not that old so... it's not saying all that much but it's uncomfortable!) PRESENT DAY: I am currently undergoing a preliminary test to see if I can qualify for rescue swimmer school (search and rescue SAR swimmer) in July. that means I have to attain at minimum the following: run 1.5 miles in under 12 minutes swim 400 meters in under 11 minutes pushups at least 30 situps at least 50 pullups at least 2 I proved this week that I can accomplish these things, however it was a real kick in the teeth to realize how much I've lost in time on the run (or gained rather) and how the pushups didn't feel as easy as they used to. Here is my challenge summary and grading criteria! goal 1: Run faster: current run time is 11:50 for 1.5 miles. I want to shave that down to 9:30 someday, but just "better" for this challenge will satisfy this goal A = run 3 miles 3x per week aiming for a 7:30 pace (if this becomes easy to obtain this will drop) B = 2x per week C = 1x per week F = < 1x per week goal 2: I have very little control of my diet, so I'm going to put stretching in here as it will force me to moderate the quantity A = 7x a week B = 6x a week C = 5x a week D = 4x a week F = 3x a week goal 3: hand balance training = better/stronger upper body for pushups A = 7x a week (an hour minimum focused training session) B = 6x a week C = 5x a week D = 4x a week F = 3x a week Life goal: Circus performance means moar ROUE CYR spinning! A = spun 3x a week (one hour minimum can be cross trained with handbalancing) B = 2x C = 1x F = <1x my starting stats: age: 23 height: 5'3" weight: 141 May 20 I hope to update my page consistently at the very least weekly, however, thanks to my occupation, I will have trouble with contact for loads of weekdays so expect updates mostly on weekends. The best way to be encouraging to me is to simply post a little check up blurb should I be late in posting for a week. Also, ASK ALL THE QUESTIONS YOU HAVE!!! I am a true introvert at heart but I love to push my limitations and I am in no way reserved about my love of circus so you can actually HELP me by expressing your curiosity about all the crazy apparatus and things I do! (what a great way to fulfill both objectives) this also will help me be more clear to begin with because all these terms and phrases have become so familiar I sometimes forget what "normal people" understand . I know I'm a bit late hopping onto this challenge but I'm hoping to qualify as a completing member of the assassins guild and one step closer to Search and Rescue Swimming

After planning comes... Action! Trigger warning: I post pictures of food and tempting stuff. @Naxius So yeah, I am going to start swimming this month and hopefully keep at it all summer. Since my knee is not showing any sign of getting better, I had to find and alternative to running and high impact sport, so obviously, like every recovering athlete in the making, I went for swimming. In addition, I have decided to start trying something new. NerdFitness might be a fitness-based website, but I don't think I am the only one that has found the community amazingly supporting in all areas for life. It is truly amazing to get to see the "behind-the-scenes" of people's progress, when normally you only get to hear the success stories. It really makes you realise that in the end, everyone is just doing their best to try and balance busy lives while staying healthy. Anyhow, I don't just want to level-up my fitness level, but level up all areas of my life - Emotional, Physical, Spiritual and Mental. Now as all Nerds know, it is not a good idea to try and do too many things at once, so every month I will focus mostly on one aspect, with one week . The last challenge was mostly a mental one - I focused mostly on self-discipline, study and overall setting the ground for what is coming now, which is the physical practice. Aside from the holistic approach, there is also a bit of non-formal learning theory applied here that I might get into a further post. So, what does this challenge concretely look like? Well - here it goes: Health - Physical 1) Get your cardio Go swimming 2x a week The number is dictated by my budget, unfortunately, as I have quite a few things to pay for this month. I am going back home for the holidays though so I will be able to go more often then. 2) Nourish your body I have started to suspect that one of the reasons my knee is not healing is that the time of injury (whatever it may be) also coincides with the time I decided to try and go on a diet because I had started spotting my abs. This period was, however, also combined with what I suspect is a real underestimation of my current physical activity, which lead to a cycle of binges as well as one week in between where I was constantly eating - but eating junk. Which in turn was followed by a week where I barely ate anything because I felt so sick... sooo... yeah... Because of this, I figured I should try eating instead. Eat between 1600 and 1800 calories Get at least 103g of protein 5x a week 3) Fight mindless snacking This has been a problem lately... it has always been, really, in my life. I had managed to curb it at the beginning of the year thanks to, um, having barely enough budget to eat, but it has come back with a vengeance lately. So, yeah, that needs to stop. No mindless snacking: if I want to snack, I need to take prepare the snack, like our moms and grandmothers did for us when we were children. So, let's say I feel like a slice of bread with nutella on it. This is what I would have to do: take out the bio-nutella equivalent and the orange juice and put it on the table together with cutlery, plates and glasses. Take out the bread, toast the bread, put it on a plate. Sit down, serve myself, then put everything back. I am pretty sure that should be too much effort 9/10. Once a week, fast till the 9th hour This is a fasting method I have found where you don't eat anything until 9 hours after you wake up, then break the fast with a light meal, and have a hearty meal later on for dinner. This is to teach myself to be patient with food - part of the snacking issue comes from just not being able to wait until the next meal. This should train it. This is also why I have a calorie range - I should be eating around 1650 calories a day form what I gathered, so going over on certain days will ensure I make up for the deficit I will certainly have on fasting days. So those are my health goals for the physical aspect of my life. Social - Emotional Blogging practice I really want a blog one day. Check in daily into NF Post a daily animation on my Tumblr (here, for those interested, though it's mostly a collection of mind blurbs and some of those are in French) Art - Spiritual Draw I haven't drawn anything in weeks and it's starting to get closer to months Set aside at least 1h per week to draw. Post progress picture. Learn - Mental Finish the edX Nutrition Course Nutrition and Health Part 1: Macronutrients and Overnutrition It's excellent, approaches the whole question of nutrition from a biological and medical standpoint while being very honest about the limitations of research. It anybody has the time to audit it or wish to get a certificate, they will re-run it this month. I have been on and off it for months, no thanks to the "self-paced" format. I really, really want to wrap it up over the next couple weeks and move on to Part 2. Work on the assignments of the course at least 4 hrs every week. That is it. I think you can see how this works - there is a "main area" for development, and then small goals for all the rest. They rotate. Side Quest: Monkey Level 2. I have not forgotten, no. ^^

My goals last round went well, so this round is going to be similar. I have no theme... Goal #1: Train for and execute the June triathlon Bf and I are doing a 3mi canoe, 3mi run, 8mi bike (half distance compared to previous years) 6/5. We need to practice canoeing (the first year we had a disagreement in the canoe), plus normal training. Goal #2: 5 servings veggies/day Still trying to find a balance. Focusing on incorporating more vegetables seems to help squeeze out carbs. Goal #3: Sleeping/Waking routine Having no kids, and really not that many commitments, I can and should be prioritizing sleep more. 8 hours (tracked by Fitbit), with 5 minute morning meditation. Bonus Goals: (aka being a grownup) Plant/tend the garden Read the Kondo book (I feel a purge coming on and want to use the book as impetus) Clean the kitchen: oven, refrigerator, microwave Buy the chest freezer and bulk meat order Buy the kitchen island and reorganize Keep May groceries under $400 (except meat purchase) Cook 4 new recipes (1 each out of the cookbooks I have checked out) I'm counting the freezer, meat, and island as my 'rewards' for completing last challenge's goals.

Me the last two weeks: So After IRONMAN 70.3 New Orleans I slacked and ate like Kirby. Last week I got my butt in gear and hit all my workouts. This challenge I am going to keep hitting my workouts, eat appropriately, get my house work done, and stay on target. Each day I will pick a Video game character to be my goal. No races during this challenge other than a Memorial Day 5k, I may sign up for a GORUCK over memorial day weekend as well, but it will be a last minute thing.

The Story Greetings! I've been with the Rangers previously but always had a soft spot for the Druids and could use some magical wisdom right now. My previous challenges followed the story of a Pokemon trainer collecting 8 badges, beating the Elite 4 and challenging the Champion, but I was unable to defeat the Champion when I tore a ligament in my knee. It was a double whammy as being stuck inside and inactive made my previously well-managed anxiety and depression return with a vengeance. In the following month I watched my hopes for the year fall apart as I realised how long the rehabilitation process would be and how many of my regular activities are going to be too hard on my knees. In particular I had hoped to spend my last year in this city exploring its many beautiful nature reserves on long hikes and heavy rucks, using all of the cooler months (Southern hemisphere, so March-November) to push myself hard and build endurance. That's not going to pan out. But! I realised that there are other ways to experience nature, by sitting, birdwatching, meditating, listening and painting. I scribbled a map of all the places I still want to visit or re-visit. Then I thought, what the hell, why not chuck together a Pokemon-themed version. If I visit one or two places per challenge that gives me plenty of time to experience this place at my own pace and not risk re-injuring myself. This challenge I'm staying in Pallet Town, visiting my garden and Professor Oak's lab (the physiotherapist, gym and pool). This roughly corresponds to my actual town with completely arbitrary scale. It was fun to make, like playing with Lego. Okay, lots of the tiles don't match up, but I'm not made of patience. The Challenge Previously I've had good results with setting daily and weekly activity targets and being very strict about completing them 90% or more, keeping myself busy. Now, with physical limitations and depression roundhouse-kicking random days out of my schedule I need to learn a new approach. Such as not being a perfectionist, and slowing the hell down. So instead of being too SMART for my own good, I'm going to explore what I can do and aim to slowly increase it, showing myself compassion when I can't do as much as I'd like. Goal #1: Squirtle (Pool) Go to the pool, whether for aqua aerobics, some laps by myself, or even just a bit of paddling and stretching. I'd like to aim for three times a week, but I'll be content with once a week if I'm struggling. Goal #2: Charmander (Lights out) Keep up my new routine of getting off the computer/phone at 10pm, instead cleaning, drawing or reading. It doesn't have to be every night, but I don't want to start falling out of the habit. Also get up at a reasonable time even when I don't have to. Explore options for a morning routine. Goal #3: Bulbasaur (Drawing) Draw plants. Or anything really, but plants have been working for me lately. Maybe Pokemon too. Aiming for every day, but don't let 3 days go past without drawing. Edit: I've also challenged myself to draw 100 small portraits in April. This works out to 4-5 a day! It may be crazy, but that's what I need right now.

Hi all, first challenge with the Rangers. Excited to be here! Had a bit of a mixed bag last month (link in my signature if you're interested) so doing some more of the same, and a couple of new bits as well. My Quest To be fitter, stonger, healthier and to look better naked. Challenges Swim More, Swim Better (15XP) - Did exactly this in the last challenge and failed miserably. Also haven't been swimming since the last challenge. So I'm upping the XP and trying again. Swim at least 3 mornings per week before work, with at least one drill day (bonus 5XP for 5 times a week on at least two weeks). Get Hiking (10XP) Going for a hike across Dartmoor on the last weekend of the month so I want to get back in hiking practice. Two long walks over the course of the challenge (10 miles plus) Parle plus en français (15XP) - Didn't do badly on this last month, but I want to get it perfect this month. Switching to a weekly goal rather than a daily goal to give myself some leeway in case fate intercedes with my progress. 350XP on Duolingo each week. Take care of your teeth! (10XP) - It seems ridiculous as a 27 year old man that I can't do this reliably, but for some reason I avoid brushing my teeth all too often. Simply brush teeth twice per day every day for this challenge. Does not have to be morning and night; can be any time (but must be a meal or sleep between each time). Keep track (10XP) - I ran into a few problems with the last challenge in not remembering if I had completed things, so this challenge is to complete my battle log every day for the duration of the challenge. Exception allowed for end of month hike if I can't get on the internet. No compromises (10XP) - I have the above challenges, the ranger mini-challenge and a PVP to do this month. These must be done in addition to my normal Gym routine (at least 2x per week) and badminton routine (as often as it can be booked in with my partner), and not at expense of them. The hike at the end of the month will be day 1 of this: http://www.carfreewalks.org/walks/75/dartmoor_north_to_south, and then we're thinking of heading east to Haytor and getting picked up from there as we're staying in that area afterwards. Also, Haytor is awesome, and I want to climb it again: Still quite new to this, so comments, criticisms and advice always welcome.

I'm not sure if I should be posting here or at the respawn point, but I'm in a bit of a jam. I've been training for a marathon on May first and I've run into some pretty awful knee pain. From my research I'm looking at either runner's knee or IT Band Syndrome (most likely IT Band Syndrome). Luckily treatment for both are similar: cut back running, swim, and lift (deadlift and squat). My question is, how do I translate swimming distance into running distance? Doubly so since I already had to cut short an 18 mile run (got maybe 10) and I am supposed to do my last long run (20 miles) this Saturday. My first instinct is to swap time running with time in the pool which means about 3 hours total for my long run (I would have to split it up with breaks and snacks). That sounds insane, but so does running 20 miles. However, I went for a 30 minute swim and it definitely kicked my butt waaaaaaay more than running a little over a 5k. Is there a method to translating pool time/laps to running time/distance?

YARRRRRRR, A PIRATES LIFE FOR ME! So as my thread dictates I will be traveling to New Orleans for IRONMAN 70.3 New Orleans. This is actually a half IRONMAN(the 70.3 dictates half distance) and my first triathlon of the season. I figured a lovely pirate theme to travel to a port of call would be cool. Also I like dressing up as a pirate, so that works. Daily Tracking Batten down the hatches: My house and life are in somewhat of disarray. I need to do one chore daily to improve the situation. The rums all gone: For this challenge I am only going to drink when I am out and about in a social situation, also maybe on Saturday nights. Tales of the sea: As my title dictates I have a GORUCK AAR to write up for my past back to back, I would also like to write up one of my other events from the past to continue filling out my signature. X Marks the spot: I need to get to reading much more, consult the maps. Try to read every day/night. Stick to the code: Continue eating correctly and cleanly(fuel for training), and do my daily habits the best I can(time permitting) That is pretty much it, pretty simple but going to be tough to pull it all off. I am going to stick to trying to really put some work into the deck in my backyard and also making strides towards setting up a new 75 gallon fish tank to fulfill the house work. Cutting out most drinking should be simple. The GORUCK reviews are going to be fun, I am still waiting on a few pictures and videos from the recent one so I should have that up at the end of this week/early next week. Ughh, reading is something I want to make more time for. Hopefully I can get my face in a book a lot this challenge. Eating correctly is now simple for me, daily habits though some nights I just plain run out of time, I won't hold that against myself unless I am wasting time before hand. Also awesome pirate metal

Hi all, so I'm staying in rebels for now and trying to build on my first challenge (here) My Quest To be fitter, healthier and to look better naked. Challenges New Gym Program (10XP) - After a good few weeks in the gym, I'm meeting a trainer tonight to put together a new training plan. Will post the new workout when I have it if anyone's interested. Challenge is to run the new program at least twice per week (bonus 5XP for 3 times a week every week). Body Balance (10XP) - So I did a little home yoga stuff last month, and now I've booked myself and my partner in to "Body Balance" (apparently a mix of yoga and tai chi?) on Mondays. Challenge is just to go to this every week, but I may throw in some stuff at home as I get used to it. Swim More, Swim Better (10XP) - Swim at least 3 mornings per week before work, with at least one "drill day" (bonus 5XP for 5 times a week on at least two weeks). Will post my drill routine on here once I have it worked out. Went for a swim this morning so already started on this (if you hadn't noticed today will be a busy day!). Sleep (10XP) - No tea after 4pm daily (again, I know this was in my challenge last month), plus in bed by 11pm on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursday. I'm also (hopefully) getting a Fitbit Charge for my birthday on Thursday, so I should be able to track my sleep better. Parle plus en français (15XP) - Same as last month, but I've upped my Duolingo goal from 20XP (2 challenges) to 50XP (the highest setting; 4-5 challenges). Complete daily French goal on Duolingo every day for the duration of the challenge. Once again will keep you posted. Also, guess the computer game reference in the title for your chance to win a totally imaginary prize!

This challenge is going to be a bit weird. I have a parkour rank testing in a week, so I'll be a little bit deload-y the first week. I'm on vacation the last week. And I still kind of have whiplash from doing so many short challenges back to back. I also tend to have a full schedule with all of the parkour, climbing, and yoga, so any specific exercises have to be kind of opportunistic rather than scheduled for me. Thanks to all of this, I'm going to embrace and love the pirate code this challenge: Main Quest: Parkour all of the things!!! Climb all of the things!!! Balance in mind-bending ways! Play with weapons! Look like someone who could compete on ANW. 2016 goals Goal 1 - Raise the Black Flag Last challenge, I played around with Human Flag progressions, and now I'm hooked. I can do the first progression, which is a quasi one-armed lever, pretty well I'm okay-ish with the second one, which is an armpit tucked flag lever. I have started working through the third, which is dragon flags. Goal: Take advantage of any reasonable opportunities to work through these progressions. Goal 2: Hang on the rigging - I've neglected my dead hang pull ups, and I haven't really made progress in the last many months. Goal: take advantage of any reasonable opportunities to focus on the pull ups. For both goals 1 and 2, if I'm not completely sore and destroyed after parkour class or a climbing session, I need to do these progressions. If I'm already pretty spent, I can skip. If I have something major the next day and don't want to risk DOMS, I need to just do a minor GTG approach. I'm just grading these on vague, mushy feelings of whether I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing. Goal 3 - Get rid of the rum. (diet) I'm going on vacation in 3 weeks to a resort with free booze. So, in the meantime, I'm giving my liver a bit of a rest and reset period. I've played around with going dry in the past, but I generally have ended up just cutting back because I enjoy booze and don't truly care enough about being dry. The difference this time is that my husband is going dry with me, rather than taunting me with tasty drinks. Goal - Dry until vacation. On vacation, don't overdo it too much (which I won't, since the kids will be there too) Goal 4: Swab the deck (domestic Rangering) Domestic Rangering went okay last time. This time, I'm going to keep up with daily chores as well as doing a Flylady (or substitute) cleaning mission every day. Goal 5 - Learn the Language of the Land (Duolingo spanish) I don't want to be an asshole American tourist, so the goal is to amass 1000 xp in Duolingo Spanish before my vacation. On vacation, the goal is to at least make some attempt to read or speak spanish. Bonus goals: Bonus 1: Swim like a pirate captain Before vacation, brush up on swimming and get the kids ready to swim a lot. On vacation, swim a ton. We are planning on swimming in a cenote, and there's the beach, hotel pools, and some other great swimming sites. Bonus 2: Stop culling the herd (videos and media) Yeah, I totally need a goal to encourage myself to post more media... Really, though, the goal is to post pictures or videos that are technically sound, even if I think I look flabby, my hair is messy, or I'm otherwise nitpicking the way I look. And after I post those pictures or videos, I'm not allowed to say anything negative about my appearance. I also have kind of promised piano video for ages, but I tend to overly nitpick any recordings and then just don't post them. So, the goal is to post something, even if it sounds (to me) like a steaming pile of cat vomit. Bonus 3 - make my own adventure guide (travel) I need more excitement and adventure in my life. And now that springtime is approaching, it's the perfect time to look into day trips and long weekend trips. My goal is to research all of the best attractions in all of the major cities, the national parks, and the climbing sites in about a 6 hour driving radius (which is A LOT), and then come up with a bunch of 1-day, weekend, and 3-5 day trip options. The goal is to add 6 little trips to my list (which currently sits at 2). So. um.. yeah. This is a lot of stuff for a kind of burned out challenge. But I have no doubt I can prevail, because of this: And this:

Main Goals: Weight Loss, Increased Flexibility, Best. Ass. Ever. Challenge One (continued from previous) - Food Prep: I will make 3 Crock Pot meals and freeze into lunch portions at the beginning of the Month. I will prep fruit/veggies ahead of time to make packing a healthy lunch easier. Last Challenge I actually pre-prepped TOO MUCH food, and it was a scramble to eat things before they went bad. On the other hand, there was a lack of easy breakfast food. Breakfast options to be determined and prepped. Challenge Two - Muscle Building: Glutes and Pecs! Pecs, you say? Why does a busty gal like me need pecs? Well because they hold up boobs, duh! I will kick gravity's ass...Also, I'd like a nice round booty, so lots of squats in my future. Need to research more exercises that work pecs, and increase my push-ups. I used to be able to do 3 sets of 10 regular push-ups, now it's more like 1 set of 10 knee push-ups! Ugh. Hate lost progress! My Tues/Thurs workouts at the office gym will focus on these areas, plus my other usual stuff, plus I will do at least 10 squats and 5 push-ups per day at home on my non-gym days. So, good ol' T&A for this Challenge Challenge Three - Flexibility: Yoga! Swimming! Primal Movement! Been spending too much time in the gym and on the couch, and not enough time doing REAL things. I've built some muscle (I can feel it under the squish), but now I have decreased movement! Ooops! So more stretching, more twisty pretzel yoga poses, more hiking/climbing/crawling/walking, and more swimming. I went swimming yesterday and I've got nicely sore muscles all over. I love how you find muscles you forgot you had when you go swimming I will go hiking and/or swimming at least once a week. Personal Challenge: Get move involved in the NF Community by reciprocating all the support I've been getting. I'm going to try to follow the challenges of my regular followers more. I won't be able to jump right in and read EVERYTHING, because some people already have 3-4 pages!!!! (omg! TL;DR!!!), but I will keep up with the updates, if not the replies. Now that I'm done the super exciting can't-put-this-book-down series I've been reading for the last two months, I can return to the real world a bit more and actually interact with human beings again. I might even try to get a Vancouver Meetup going, though there's only been one successful one that I know of.

Main Quest: Get some balance in my Life After spending one month with the Adventurers, I'm back with the Assassins. However, I've lost control of a lot of things. My house, my schedule, myself. Last month I didn't take care of myself at all and stressed out so much I'm surprised I'm not in a straight jacket. With things picking up faster with my business than I anticipated and an anticipated two month break from future travels, I'm taking this 4-WC to calm down, focus energy on myself, hone my skills, and literally take time to smell the flowers. Finding Balance and Energy In April or May I'll most likely start the open water training portion of my freediver training. To get prepared I'll be doing the 30 day yoga challenge. I'm sure this will help me learn to control my breath and focus on my self, tune into body, and relax; all important things in freediving. This will go past this 4-WC but, only by 4 days, so it will be fine. Maintaining Flow and Power I HAVEN'T SWAM ONCE IN ALL OF FEBRUARY, WTF!!!I love swimming and I love training, so I'm pretty sure this decreased contact with water has been a big factor in feeling like I'm out of control. I'm hoping extending my goal and getting in 500m of swimming a week will make me a very happy mermaid. Paying Tribute to my Temple After the disaster that my diet was last month (eating two pints of ice cream in one sitting....weekly), I will be on a strict diet. 
I've had many ideas on how to go about this, but I think if I just focus on eating paleo dinners 4x a week, that will be a good start. Playing Music for my Soul I love music. I love my piano. I have barely touched my piano since we moved to Japan. By bringing more music into my life I think I can find more peace and get more creative thoughts flowing. I plan to devote 4 hours a week to practicing one music piece. Creating a Living Space I've been neglecting my home. Like really badly. I want this month to focus on getting into good habits and keeping my home clean and organized. I feel this will not only help control my stress levels, but help me get prepared to devote more energy into my business. The goal is to take at least 30 min everyday to do SOMETHING in the house. Side Quests With any good quest, there's always side quests to complete. These little add-ons will not give me any attribute stats, but will instead contribute to my XP. These are things I need to work on often throughout the year. Quests are as follows: Linguistic Mastery III Learn 280 words and review at least once a week Gold Keeping III Save $42 this month Knowledge Expansion III Read 2 books this month

I made progress on my life quest in January - now to continue! Challenge: Move (physio, bodyweight workout, sledgehammer, cycling, swimming, etc. 5x per week) Stretch (5x per week) Eat (no snacks 5x per week) Life Quest: Finish updating that pesky resume! Again I will keep my daily hits and misses to my battle log, and use this thread for general "how am I doing/feeling" updates and thoughts. Fair warning: I am queer, agender, poly, and kinky. I will warn you if any content or links I share is NSFW, and put questionable stuff behind a cut.

Hey adventurers, I'm new here! My fitness and life goals are split down the middle between Assassins and Adventurers, and since this month I'll be going to China, I'll be shacking up here for the next four weeks. Main Quest: Travel like an Adult Traveling is not a new thing for me, but while going through airport security and customs isn't a big deal for me...everything else is. All my anxiety and stress comes from packing, getting the house ready, and taking my furry baby to the sitters. When I come back I don't unpack anything for MONTHS. I also am notorious for over packing or worse leaving something extremely important behind (like a cell phone charger). Also when I'm out adventuring I tend to stay in some sort of comfort zone, mainly with food, and have a bout of laziness if there's not already planned events. These 4 weeks I will work on NOT doing what I normally do when I travel. 1) Before and After During week one I have to prepare my home and prepare myself for the upcoming travels. During week three and four I have to unpack and put away things, and of course tell everyone on Facebook what happened. In total there are 11 things that I need to do in order for this side quest to be a success. 
 2) Explore China A simple quest in my opinion. Go out and explore! Eat new things! Take lots of pictures and write down the memories before bed. 3) Maintain Fitness Again super simple, just keep fit during these four weeks. I'll be doing ballet videos 3x a week and swimming whenever possible. During my week in China, I'll be doing yoga instead due to the strict Internet censorship preventing me access to my normal youtube videos. Side Quests With any good adventure, there's always side quests to complete. These little add-ons will not give me any attribute stats, but will instead contribute to my XP. These are things I need to work on often throughout the year. Quests are as follows: Linguistic Mastery II Review Vocab 2x a week Gold Keeping II Save $26 this month Knowledge Expansion II Read 2 books this month

So I swim a couple of times a week at the moment before work, and I am a proficient swimmer (though not that fast). I was wondering if anyone can suggest any drills or tips to improve my technique, or whether I can improve technique without getting a trainer to actually watch my current form? As a guide, a typical swim session for me looks roughly like this at the moment: 400m Breaststroke warm-up Stretch ~£1k Front Crawl With any leftover time Crawl sprint/Breaststroke set/Backstroke (though rarely; I don't really like not seeing where I'm going). Any and all advice appreciated. Cheers!

What am I training for? 3/25 3/26 GORUCK Challenge and GORUCK Light Baltimore 4/17 6/12 9/11 Ok, maybe just a little crazy but I am giving it a shot. Goal 1: Triathalon training I want to hit my daily training every day and update this challenge thread with my results, having a battle log in combination is too much for me to handle. These workouts include weights and some light body weight stuffs. Goal 2: Nutrition 2,200 calories daily for now. When I up my training I may add more, for now this works for me. I would also like to cut out alcohol unless it is a very social event. I have a company dinner tomorrow night and a Capitals game next Sunday. That is all I am aware of during this challenge. Goal 3: Rucking Every morning, no exceptions. I only have 2 months to get some serious mileage in before my back 2 back GORUCKs. I want to be ready and recover quickly from this event. Side Quest: Be Productive Yes, I like watching TV and playing video games, but i really need to work on managing my time more, I am hoping to update this thread with some sort of productivity daily.

I am back with the Rebellion for round three, after I disappeared in a puff of smoke during my first respawn last summer. I'm basically working from the ground up again, having completely stopped all physical activity for the last few months. I had great success back in 2014 with the Rebels, so I feel this is the perfect Guild to re-start to my epic quest. I have some ideas of where I want to go long term with my fitness, and here on NF, but my first task is to get my body used to moving again. I developed an affinity for swimming during my first challenge, and enjoyed yoga as well, so they are my starting blocks, which I hope will become a foundation I will keep building on. And just because I love a good theme which ties in with the feel of my challenge, I have gone back to my youth and pulled out my favourite game of all time. As it involves a boy who starts by making a mistake, which sets him off on an epic quest to re-energize a sword, I felt there was some vague symbolism in there at least. Having said that I don't have a sword. Maybe I should get a sword.**mind wanders** Aaaaannd I'm back Here goes... 1) The Power of Undine – Healing Waters Swim twice a week – I love swimming – that is all. Grading: A = 8 sessions completed, B = 7, C = 6, D = 4-5, less than 4 is a big F 2) The Power of Dryad - Strong roots Yoga twice a week – This will hopefully oil those stiff joints and get my muscles used to moving properly again. Grading: A = 8 sessions completed, B = 7, C = 6, D = 4-5, less than 4 = F 3) Avoid Neko and his Chocolate Two healthy snacks a day. This means definitely no chocolate or biscuits. Grading: A = 28 days without evil sugary snacks, B = 20 – 27 days, C = 10 – 19 days, D = 5 – 9 days, 4 days or less = F Life Goal – The Power of Wisp - Let the light guide you Five minutes of meditation daily. My stress levels are completely out of control, its affecting pretty much every aspect of my life. I am not going to let that continue. Grading: A = 28 sessions completed, B = 20 - 27, C = 10 - 19, D = 5 - 9, 4 or less = F Lets do this!

JEZARAEN - FINAL COUNTDOWN Hello again! I actually made it through my first challenge as a Ranger. I'm SO excited!! Clearly Rangers is where I was always suppose to be ha ha. This will be my last challenge for a few months as in early March I will bringing my baby girl into the world. And pretty much for at least the first 6 months my NF challenge will be KEEP THE BABY ALIVE - FOR THE LOVE OF GOD This Feb challenge will all be based around getting myself ready for giving birth and being as fit and healthy as possible to give my little girl the best start in life. I will be taking things very slowly but want to remain as active as possible during these next 4 weeks. My goals will be pretty similar to last challenge as they worked quite well and helped me through the pregnancy. LET'S DO THIS! MY MAIN QUEST I want to be a role-model for my future kids. I want to be fit, happy and healthy. For me the way to get there is by getting down to a healthy weight (between 68kgs-72kgs approx based on my height) and being generally fit for all sorts of situations that may crop up in life. Running, strength training and mobility will be my main focus. I want to have a base level of fitness that sets me up for any challenge. FEBRUARY 1ST-26TH CHALLENGE FINAL COUNTDOWN (Do-do do do....do-do do do do) GOAL 1 - Swimming Last challenge swimming was an absolute Godsend so I want to keep it going. I am going to scale it back to 3 days a week though only because I am finding that I get tired very easily and I don't want to put my body through too much stress. Rating at completion of challenge: A] 12+ classes (25XP) B] >10 (20XP) C] >8 (15XP) D] <5 (10XP) E] <3 (5XP) F] 2-0 (0xp) GOAL 2 - Mobility Purchasing NF Yoga has been such a great decision. I never know when I will need a nap or when I will have energy so being able to do classes at my own time and pace has been AMAZING. I want to keep up the momentum. Rating at completion of challenge: A] 12+ classes (25XP) B] >10 (20XP) C] >8 (15XP) D] <5 (10XP) E] <3 (5XP) F] 2-0 (0xp) GOAL 3 - Knowledge I have been a bit slack with my reading. I have all these great pregnancy resources so now that I am on maternity leave I want to make sure I actually read the stuff! I am thinking if I can do at least an hour of reading a week that will definitely get me through most of it (I am an extremely fast reader, just lazy) Rating at completion of challenge: A] 4 hours of reading (25XP) B] >3 (20XP) C] >2 (15XP) D] <1.5 (10XP) E] <1 (5XP) F] 0 (0xp) GOAL 4 - Sleep zzzzz I have been finding that my energy levels are slowly getting less and less. Having a giant watermelon squishing your organs might have something to do with it ha ha. So I really want to make sure I'm resting as much as possible. Sleep is crucial at this time. I want to get at least 8-9 hours of sleep a night as regularly as possible. Rating at completion of challenge: A] 20+ days of over 8 hours sleep (25XP) B] >17 (20XP) C] >15 (15XP) D] <12 (10XP) E] <8 (5XP) F] 7-0 (0xp) GOAL SUMMARY ​I will be trying to post as regularly as possible in my thread. Can't promise it will be every day but I will definitely try to make it at least every second or third day. I am excited about setting myself up for a strong & healthy birth! FINAL COUNTDOWN!!

I am strong. I am powerful. Challenge: Move (physio, bodyweight workout, sledgehammer, cycling, swimming, etc. 5x per week) Stretch (5x per week) Eat (no snacks 5x per week) Life Quest: Update that pesky resume! Again I will keep my daily hits and misses to my battle log, and use this thread for general "how am I doing/feeling" updates and thoughts. Fair warning: I am queer, agender, poly, and kinky. I will warn you if any content or links I share is NSFW, and put questionable stuff behind a cut.

JEZARAEN - A NEW GENERATION Greetings! This is my first challenge with the Rangers and I'm super excited to kick off 2016 with some great goals and focus. I've attempted a few challenges over the years but never really put in the effort or time to really follow through. But with the new format of 4 weeks and with 2016 being a HUGE year for me I decided it's time to take my health seriously and stop making excuses. Being a Ranger appealed to me because I love the idea of being equipped for any situation. I want to be able to take on any challenge the world may throw at me with my kick-ass skills. MY MAIN QUEST I want to be a role-model for my future kids. I want to be fit, happy and healthy. For me the way to get there is by getting down to a healthy weight (between 68kgs-72kgs approx based on my height) and being generally fit for all sorts of situations that may crop up in life. Running, strength training and mobility will be my main focus. I want to have a base level of fitness that sets me up for any challenge. JANUARY 4TH-29TH CHALLENGE Couple things you should know about me. I'm 27, I live with my husband in Sydney, I love RPG games, anime and reading, and I'm expecting my first child in mid March. Hence all my goals this challenge will be pregnancy related in some way or another because it's hard to avoid the watermelon I'm currently carrying 24/7 ha ha. GOAL 1 - Swimming Swimming has been great during my pregnancy as it is easy on my joints and allows me to move my body without feeling like a beached whale. Rating at completion of challenge: A] 16+ sessions (25XP) B] >13 (20XP) C] >12 (15XP) D] <8 (10XP) E] <6 (5XP) F] 4-0 (0XP) GOAL 2 - Mobility Yoga has been part a big part of my life for over 6 years now. I always notice a difference by physically and mentally. I love my yoga just need to actually do it and stop making excuses! I have a current membership with my local Bikram studio and I am also now a NF Yoga member so my aim is to do at least 3 yoga sessions a week! Rating at completion of challenge: A] 12+ classes (25XP) B] >10 (20XP) C] >8 (15XP) D] <5 (10XP) E] <3 (5XP) F] 2-0 (0xp) GOAL 3 - Nutrition What mummy eats, baby eats. I like keeping track of my food as regularly as possible so I can pick up on what makes me feel nauseous or less energetic. Of course life happens so if I can average out around 5 days of tracking a week I'll be super happy! Rating at completion of challenge: A] 20+ days of food tracking (25XP) B] >17 (20XP) C] >15 (15XP) D] <12 (10XP) E] <8 (5XP) F] 7-0 (0xp) GOAL 4 - Sleep zzzzz Sleep has been one area I have been particularly slack in, which isn't good for me or the baby. I really want to focus on maintaining good sleep habits because in a couple of months time it will be a luxury I hardly get to indulge in. Plus I get cranky when I'm sleepy. The aim is to get a minimum of 7.5 hours a night as many days as possible. Rating at completion of challenge: A] 20+ days of 7.5 hours sleep (25XP) B] >17 (20XP) C] >15 (15XP) D] <12 (10XP) E] <8 (5XP) F] 7-0 (0xp) GOAL SUMMARY For all my goals I will be keeping track through my FitBit and MFP so to be kept accountable. I will also be trying to update here as frequently as possible. I'm excited to start 2016 of strong. BONUS XP: 1) 4xA rankings at end of challenge (20XP) 2) 3xA rankings (15XP) 3)2xA(10XP) 4)1xA(5XP) LET'S DO THIS!