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Welp, I disappeared again during the May/June challenge after succumbing to a combination of fatigue / job searching and career stress / disruptive travel. Things have finally calmed down the past month or so, so I'm returning my focus to progressing my health and fitness. This challenge I'm just focusing on writing things down because I tend to make better progress when I track. Goals: Writing down food: Track my food on MFP at least 5 days/week (I started today and I am not definitely not getting enough protein 😬) Writing down workouts: Record my strength/skill training workouts. In theory I've written up a programme focused on unilateral squats and rebuilding my chin-ups, but sticking to regular workout sessions is the priority. Writing on NF: Update my NF thread at least 2x/week. Writing code: Work on a personal coding project at least 1x/week (after frantically upskilling all summer, I got burned out and haven't done much the last several weeks). I may try to make this challenge Shadowhunter (TV series) themed since Shadowhunter runes are all about written things giving strength and special powers, but for now I just wanted to start my challenge asap!

Here I am again. I have goals and I thought it would be good to have some accountability to go along with them, so I'm back. This is a simple challenge for me - in theory at least. 1. November is NaNoWriMo so my first goal is to write - even if I don't quite have a handle on my story yet. Power through and get it done one more time. I can't start until 11/1 and must write 50,000 words of a novel by midnight on 11/30. I'll track my daily or weekly totals as I go along. It's going to be some kind of weird Western Fantasy thing, but I'm still lacking a bit on the plot - one week of planning to go, so I can track that as well. I've done some brainstorming the past couple days, and hey, today I actually names for several characters, so that's progress. 2. I'm determined to get into a strength training routine and I have found a Beginners Over 50 30-day Challenge. I started on Monday morning and I did Day 2 just a little while ago. Must keep going and not miss. Each video is less than 20 minutes, and I get Sundays off, so it's not too taxing. Just the right amount I'd say, considering how my arms and abs feel right now. 3. Tracking is also very important. I know that. I want to track at least 2 meals and 1 snack daily. I did that yesterday. Today I tracked almost everything I ate well before I ate it, and there's still time to get the couple snacks I missed. I'm using the MyFitnessPal app for this purpose. So that's it. I track my food. I work out daily. I write like the wind. What do you think?

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

Well, I am coming back in to try to get the ball rolling again Things have been very much bad, so I could use some win here haha. For those that want to know: With all that, things have been crazy. It just makes me think a lot about how I really just need to get myself into much better shape. Wife and I have also been discussing moving out of California. I need to get a job, but even with that, buying a house seems to never be possible here. We still have a year on our lease here, but I don't think we will be here after that. Family seems to be looking more back to the Midwest area. I have family back that way. Over this next year, I'd love to hit a few goals. I want to run again. I'd like to be able to do a pull up. I need to drop some serious weight too. All this with all the craziness going on haha. To get myself going, here are my goals Goal#1 - Sleep I need to get myself into a much better sleep routine. Not only for my health, but also it's school time again for my youngest. This year is a new school, and we are close by. Still, I'll need to be getting up early haha. I'm going to have to get to bed earlier then I use to. Mostly to make sure I have the best chance of getting some good sleep. I do like reading before I head to bed, so I will be doing that here as well. Off to read at 10pm, then off to bed at 11pm. There are a couple of nights that this might not work out the best. One night is bowling night. Sometimes, I don't get home till 10. Then Friday is usually the day the wife and I catch up on tv shows we watch together. New stuff will be coming out soon, so I expect days of watching after I should be reading time. I think the rule for those two days will have to be read or get to sleep right away. Still aim to get to bed at 11. The weekend isn't a worry for getting up early at least . Off to read at 10 pm, off to bed at 11 pm. 10 points per day, 70 points for the week. Goal#2 - Pokemon Go Go Go I want to get to doing gym stuff, and running. I just need get started a bit slower with how things are so crazy around here. Funny enough, there is a new daily incense in Pokemon Go. This last 15 minutes, and pops up pokemon as long as you are walking. There is a chance to see new Legendary pokemon too (super hard to catch). My son hasn't gone with me every time, but I have been walking each day for the last 4 or 5 days. My goal is to continue doing this every day. Hopefully, getting my oldest kid to join me. Maybe after a couple of weeks, I'll get walking further, but for now I'll stick to this. Walk 15 minutes everyday (preferably using the pokemon go app to catch'em all) 5 points a day 35 points for the week. Goal#3 - Track Eating and Blood Sugars To help getting myself on track, I need to go ahead and focus on tracking my food. I also need to at least test my blood sugar levels once a day. I have been thinking of getting back to keto to get my sugars back in control. That just might be a decision that randomly happens at some point this challenge. I'm just not happy with my current numbers, and I am tired of having to take pills for it. Food wise, I'd like to get myself into the 2500-3000 range. My brain really wants me to go lower to lose weight as quick as I can, but I know I really just need to do the slower grind. Once I get back into more and more exercise, then I will be burning a bit more deficit I am currently in colonoscopy prep. Some limited stuff today, Monday is clear liquids and clear candy I can eat. So I am not worried about this for the next few days. Track Blood sugar at least once a day. Track Calories max 3000. 15 points per day 105 points for the week (week 1 75 points) Goal#4 - Declutter and Spring cleaning all the things I did have a goal last challenge to get through some of my cards and comics. I did actually get through a couple of boxes. Not nearly the amount I wanted to haha. Now with the thoughts of moving, I need to do this, plus all the other things. Really, the first thing I do is probably getting through the cards/comics. Though on weekends and such, it might move to areas of the apartment we attack. Throwing things out, and goodwill a bunch of stuff. 20 minutes a day is a good start. Most likely, I will spend much more time on things, but telling myself 10 or 20 minutes sounds better haha. 20 minutes a day decluttering 5 points a day 35 points for the week. Challenge Points: Week 1 (07/31 - 08/06) - 0/215 Week 2 (08/07 - 08/13) - 0/245 Week 3 (08/14 - 08/20) - 0/245 Week 4 (08/21 - 08/27) - 0/245 Week 5 (08/28 - 09/03) - 0/245 Total challenge points - 0/1195 Measurements: Chest - Waist - Bicep (L) - Bicep (R) - Thigh (L) - Thigh (R) - Weight - And there is the challenge. Good luck to everyone, and hopefully I can be around for the entire challenge

UPDATED THE FIRST POST with goals for the actual challenge. Anything in blue is updated. My goals this challenge are: 1. Do the physio exercises for my shoulder. That is it. As we have seen, more than one goal is not recommended. I had three goals last time and that was a spectacular failure. HOWEVER, I will add in some side goals, which are things I'll try my best to do but won't beat myself up over if they happen to not get done. I fucking swear, I was about to join the Also Doesn't Wanna theme. Okay, I still might. Anyway. The side goals are: a) Track the amount of alcohol I drink, and the amount of $$ I spend on alcohol (use a Google sheet or w/e). b) Track my bed time (leave a notebook next to my bed to make this low-effort to the point where I can't NOT do it). c) Continue the Window Quest that will likely not be completed during Week Zero (see the text in black). Not drinking for the whole challenge would ideally be a goal, but telling myself "you CANNOT have this substance!" just makes me want it more, and then not having it depletes willpower and then there's no willpower left for other, more important things. Same for bed time: "you MUST be in bed by this time!" just makes my brain go "NO!" and then blow past my self-assigned bed time. (Are there actually people out there who aren't constantly at war with themselves? What's it like?") Ideally I'll stop wanting to drink because tracking drinks is additional effort and many moments of "ugh, I could have wine but then I'd have to write it down" will likely happen. Then my alcohol tolerance will go down and drinking to excess will feel like shit and I'll want to do it even less. ALSO, in the event that I end up going through the whole 5 weeks with no alcohol (Canada Day being the only exception), I'll buy myself something worth $400 to $500 at the end of the challenge. Why this amount? Because I got my credit card bill yesterday and decided to add up all money spent at the liquor store and it was $457 😐 Awakening didn't work too well last time, so let's continue going in the opposite direction. What is the opposite of awakening? FUCKING SLEEPING. Week zero will consist of NOTHING except un-fucking my sleeping situation, because I keep getting told that everything else somehow falls into place if one gets enough sleep? Seems fake, but what have I got to lose. I especially need to deal with the blinds and curtains situation. There were some extensive renovations made to my room in 2016. Windows were replaced, walls got new insulation, the electrical was re-done, and a hardwood floor was put in. It was quite nice to be able to not fucking freeze to death in the winter time and also to have more than one electrical outlet available. Fancy $300 blackout blinds were ordered and brought home and...are still not installed. In 2022. Curtains? Lol, forget about it. So, since then, I've just been jamming the end of some towels in the top of the windows to make blinds. The towels need to be fairly thick to keep the light out, but apparently this messes up the top of the windows and they won't close, or something. This was never a problem before, but as of one week ago mom insists that it is, and she has replaced the towels that actually kept the light out with a thin sheet of fabric (pale, see-through) in one window, and a darker piece of fabric (short, leaves a gap close to where my face is) in the other window. The result is that I now wake up at 5:30 in the fucking AM every day. Every time I suggest that HEY, WE SHOULD INSTALL THOSE BLINDS THAT WE PAID $300 FOR YEAH? I am met with "No, not now!" ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Combine that with a late bedtime and trouble falling and staying asleep, I've only had between 3 and 4 hours of sleep every night this week, even less on the weekend, and I am going absolutely fucking crazy and I'm constantly exhausted and OMFG this needs to fucking end. Step 1. Remove the mold from the bottom of the window frames. Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention: there's mold on the bottom of the window frames because the windows were left open during a thunderstorm less than a month after the renovations were completed. Step 2. Put painter's tape around the window frame areas. I also forgot to mention: the window frames were not painted. Step 2.5. Do we even have paint? If yes, great, skip this step. If no, go buy paint. It's going to be white paint, so there should (in theory) not be any arguments about what paint color to get. Step 3. Paint window frames. Step 4. INSTALL THE FUCKING BLINDS. Mom is going out of town this coming weekend, so I'll be able to do this both a) without having to ask for permission, and b) without being micro-managed the whole time. Step 5. Buy curtain rods and curtains and install those too if I'm feeling extra motivated. Ugh, I forgot step 0.5 where I'll need to un-clutter the spaces below the windows, and now I'm looking at this whole list of steps and am realizing that I will probably not be able to do all of this within one week. I'll try, but I'm also not expecting miracles. Or very much sleep 😕 The other part of the Week Zero challenge: don't have any booze during Week Zero. This doesn't require that I actually do anything, so hooray for what should be an easy win and huge pre-challenge momentum boost. Boy oh boy did that not happen 😅 But this will be addressed during the challenge. Will come up with challenge goals later.

New challenge to be found on a later post.... For Bouncer's Golden-Eye Dragon Curse Challenge. More info on old challenge below: Bouncer has a Spreadsheet challenge put aside.

It's that time of year here in MN! This time of year has been the hardest, with or without school. Last year, it whizzed by with little problem (except for my dad passing away, that was a whole other thing). I was able to get through it with my support and my own car. Just need to a little grinding with my goals and tracking. The Long Dark Game By the end of the challenge, the winds of Spring will be coming (even if snow does stick around through March). While also getting through Spring break. Now with my Dad's death anniversary (March 9th) coming up(dark memories surfacing) and me working on narrowing down on my goals i want to work in the next 38 Challenges here's what I came up with: Main: (Life) Meditate/Journal Daily (Hoping to get 30 this challenge) One Pomodoro of Schoolwork each day (on my own) (Hoping to do 30) YNAB Side : Nutrition - A daily Green Shake (the one thing that stabalizes my blood sugar and helps bring me a better idea with food). Fitness - Tracking walking through GoogleFit on phone (Walking to Mordor?) Reward If I update with weekly counts of each (better if I update daily), I'll get this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0779SKCXW/ref=cm_sw_r_fm_apa_i_zodpEb6X1GH5P (A cheaper tracker). I've been wanting a fitbit since before NF, but I'm worried I'll get bored or break it. This one I found through a friend that is half price of the kids fitbit. FIgured it will be the trial one before I buy brand name. Since any tracker connecting to my phone will make it easier to track, since many times I have to let my phone charge when I get home. Again big on tracking and finding my way through the grind. This is my survival. I have this semester and Fall before I do my internship next year. School work is my daily job outside of my two jobs. Priortizing it for the next few months will help! My wolf fights is daily with school to get those points I need. Wish I had more brain space... but a cool way to kind of theme it. Also will be looking up my old challenges... maybe have a write up. Curious on how others are doing it. 4.5 years probably not going to find a whole lot.

*record scratch* *freeze frame* Yep, that’s me. You’re probably wondering how I got here. I’m TiogaGirl and I’m here because I dig the warm and fun and supportive environment, not to mention the structure of challenges! I’ve started more challenges than I’ve completed, but when I do stick with it I end up feeling good and making some progress. I have a job I love (that can get pretty all-consuming and stressful, so it sometimes drives me crazy), great husband and kids, and an alarming number of pets ... 2 big dogs, a cat and 4 birds. I am also a shameless fan of musical theatre and one of my biggest accomplishments in 2019 was to audition for a show choir — turns out to be a LOT of work, although absolutely fun as well. Steve’s “wake up excited / go to bed proud” language has always really resonated with me, and I have a pretty good idea of how I want to feel at the end of each day of this challenge. Muscles pleasantly tired, body feeling good about the day’s food intake, brain feeling smug about the day’s accomplishments, emotionally topped-up from having laughed with and connected with the people I love, and looking forward to what the next day has to offer. Goals: Track food in MFP for 18 full days (the other 3 days can be partials, ie losing track in the evenings at social events) Hit an average caloric deficit in the 250-500 range each week Finish 219 workouts in 2019 challenge (I have 20 more to go, so pretty much daily workouts on the horizon, but these can be as quick as a darebee session — just something intentional BEYOND walking to work which I do on the reg anyway) 8 yoga classes — more is great, but 8 works out to almost 3/week, which will help keep me strong and bendy and stretchy and zen Prep turkey meatballs so I have high protein snacks on hand Look into physio and book a first appointment (knee injury) No alcohol! Messes with my sleep and my willpower, and the fun I have is not worth the next-day dragginess! Check in here daily, report on the above, and also identify one thing I’m proud about for the day plus something to look forward to Scoring: tba!

Starting late! I wasn’t sure I wanted to do one because of the timing of other things in my life. Then one of those “things”, the Irish Festival, gave me inspiration. I was dancing and bouncing around while watching some of my favorite Irish a Fest bands and my friend mentioned what a great workout we were getting. I think we say that to each other every year, but I never put the thought to good use. So this challenge is about music and dance. I am going to use music that motivates me to move and then just go with it. I may dance, do jumping jacks, pushups, etc. Whatever I’m inspired to do I will do for my exercise that week. I got sloppy with my food during the festival and never and never got back on track. So I’m also going to monitor my food with my weight watchers app. I want to be down 3 pounds by the end of the challenge. I may add a weekly adulting challenge here and there, but that is basically it for the next 4 weeks.

Since I first joined NF my goal has been to have a Strong Mind and Body. So for this challenge I'm going to work on my mind/mind palace. I'm going to work on positive habits also toy around with using the mind palace/mind mapping technique to help me memorize the dewey decimal system for work. Strict Tracking: I'm getting too loose with my food tracking. I am using a pretty easy system so there really isn't any reason to get lazy. I know that if I can make tracking a habit I'll be better off in the long run. Exercise 3x a week: Anything goes, I'm just establishing the habit. Medicine/Supplements: Take them EVERYDAY and at the same time of the day. Stop biting my nails: Taking care of my hands and also playing around with nail polish will put a positive spin on this. Floor sitting: When I come home from work I need to spend 15 minutes sitting on the floor and stretching before I lounge on the couch. Mind Palace: Use the mind mapping technique to picture where the children's non-fiction books are located in the library.

It's been awhile... Rather than try anything fancy I'm just going to load an old Assassin Creed game I've already completed and try out New Game+. This way I can ease into the gameplay and remind myself how the controller feels in my hand and what weapons work best for my style of play. Going off of memory, I'm choosing the following weapons, shields, etc... Weapon: Body Weight exercises 3x a week Shield: Track food every day Armor: No gluten Health Potion: 3 cups of water/tea (replacing the mega amount of coffee I drink) Animus: Sleep 7 hours I'm going to do a week zero and see how it goes. I haven't been very motivated to exercise so that will be my biggest challenge. In fact, I won't put a time limit on the amount of exercise I do in a day. I think I'll just focus on Bulgarian Split Squats, Side Planks and Push Ups.

Spring is coming, the robins are singing for the first time all year, and I’m getting fired up after a long, cold, lazy winter. Throwing my lot in with you crew of Rangers if you’ll have me. I am staring down a big birthday in a few weeks and if I can’t be at my fittest by then, I can at least do what I can to be at my fiercest. So, getting my bully back this challenge! Big goals: Stronger, leaner, focused-er. Challenge goals: Fitness: 2 weights sessions each week 3 yoga sessions each week 3 Couch to 5K sessions each week Food: Track each day in MFP Weeks 2 through 4: hit 200-500 cal deficit Focus: Check in here at least once a week Say no to things Music (practice piano, choir, choreo) at least a little each day

AERI'S GAME Last invisible-challenge, Aeri approached a wormhole, it accelerated things on some areas though she wasn't much in control. It's time to get back on track, and do some tracking! The challenge is: steering the wild beast of choice. "To be mindful, to smile, to love and live." CHALLENGE BRIEF Dailies: Daily tracking on a 4-part checkbox, in my calendar. Ritual morning Study Review Ritual night Weeklies: Will analyse performance by the end of each week, brief notes will go on the calendar next to that week. Feedback Improve processes To be tracked here: CHALLENGE IN DETAIL Ritual morning [20 min] [5] Meditate [1] Detox [2] Dump Mental RAM [2] Energy [5] Warm up & Stretch [1] Cleanse [2] Remember Death, Purpose & What matters [2] Daily Highlight & Gratitude [1] Mindful onward Study [30 min per subject, 2 subjects per day] Tackle today's step(s) Subjects have been scheduled in advance Learning progression has been mapped and steps specified for all subjects Review [15 min per subject] Main takeaways Ritual night [35 min] [1] Mindful onward [5] Intent & Visceral Mental Rehearsal [5] Feel, Acknowledge & Let go [5] Cleanse & Maintain [4] Prep Power Food [5] Journal & Dump Mental RAM [5] Declutter [5] Meditate

That is my question. How do you track your workouts/food intake/measurements? Old fashioned pen and paper, excel workbook, online? Really interested, as I've not yet cracked what works for me.

You know that feeling, you rediscover an old game and can't wait to be nostalgic and jump back in, and then the save file is corrupted? Welcome to my life. Okay, I'm being dramatic. It's been a long, long while since I've checked in, and a lot of things have happened, some good and some bad, but that's life. It left me at my lowest point a few weeks back, and now it's time to reboot and start a new file that will be even better than the old one. Because of this reboot/respawn, I'm going back to the level 1s. This challenge will serve to help me figure out where to set my priorities, so there won't be hours of exercise every day, but we'll get there. Main goal: Reboot. Figure out where I am in life, where I want to set my priorities in the long and short term, focusing on the short term since, as you'll find out, my life is in a bit of uncertain waters at the moment. Goal 1: Get the systems up and running. Literally run. However, to ease into it, I just want to run on the elliptical. We have it at home and nobody ever uses it, so I want to. I'm not going to set myself a goal like "an hour every day", but ideally I want to be on the elliptical every morning before work, so mon-fri. Let's call that my stretch goal. Goal 2: Twiddle with the settings. Track things. What things? ALL THE THINGS. I just bought new stationary and a new phone with all new apps (cause it's just so boring to not try new things when you get a new phone, right?) and there are SO. MANY. TRACKING TOOLS. Now, not everything's gonna work. While I would love to be that person who has everything planned out, that also goes against my nature a bit. So this is the time to try and see what works for me. I will make sure to share the apps and things I try, and how I like them - although please be aware that they will be very subjective reviews. Goal 3: Distract myself while I wait for things to load. Do projects at work. Projects currently on my list: New filing system. Work through the old to do list items. Create a wedding master list. Sort through ALL the old things. New mailbox. (I made a TL;DR since the below turned a bit long and off topic!) Workworkworkworkwork. I've just started a new job as a personal assistant and very probably will soon have an additional job as a CEO of a small company. Super exciting, right? My last job was extremely horrible. So horrible that I was on sick leave for two and a half months. However, it has also been the straw that broke the camel's back in a good way, as it left me with no option but to cry for help. I got that help. It's a process and I still battle with depression and anxiety, but it lead me to where I am now, which is an absolutely amazing company full of incredibly kind and funny nerds, and I know that my reaching out for help was part of the reason I was hired. I just read a book called "White Silence" by Jodi Taylor (who is an amazingly talented author and everyone should read the St. Mary's Chronicles, just saying!) and there was one quote that stuck with me. I believe I am one of those people. Whether that is the case because I am who I am, or whether I am who I am because things happen to me, I don't know. But while not all of those things are amazing, I love to live this way and am super grateful because it has lead me along a very eventful path. Aaaaanyway. Due to the nature of my work as a personal assistant, there are very busy times but also a lot of downtimes, especially since I'm still new. I want to use these down times by making projects that will make my boss' life - and thereby mine - easier. So here we go! I've had posts with more gifs but I'm gonna start this clean and post the trackers/things I want to track below. :)

Jumping straight into this so I don't lose all the good progress I made with my respawn last challenge. I feel like the warriors are a good fit for me at the moment as I play a full contact sport and am lifting once more. No other class is really ringing my bell right now Respawn Recap: TL;DR - I play roller derby, weight train as cross training, have some anxiety/depression Motivation issues, and really like food. New office job clashing with old brain habits. Previous Challenge Recap; This challenge I will just be following on from the last, working on some 6-month goals and making some new ones. 6-month goals: My goals this challenge are divided into pre-18th of August and post-18th of August as we have a derby bout on that night. Once it's over I don't have as many big derby things coming up, and I can focus more on other things. Like lifting, and jam skating. 1. WEIGHTLIFTING (Aim: get swole. Beat Bunbury. Squat an actual human. do a real pull up.) 2X week. 0 week will be the virtual comp. I'll smash that out probably tomorrow (Tuesday) or Wednesday. After that I'll be sticking with 5x5 because it's working for me and I don't have to think hard to do it. Pre-18th of Aug -- lift a little lighter and do some Sumo squats and Deadlifts to work on my inner thigh strength. Better inner thighs - better derby plow stops. Post-18 of Aug -- 5x5 as usual. Bonus: Try out Simple & Sinister 1xweek. I am intrigued. This may happen, may not. Definitely not before 18th Aug. what? why? I have found the best success with lifting weights for my self-confidence and general fitness levels, especially relating to hitting and being hit on roller skates. 2. SKATING (Aim: be fancy. Beat bunbury. chain some dance moves together) 2x week. Pre-18th of Aug -- backwards skating footwork practice. Backwards crossovers, lateral movement on toestops, smarty-pants footwork, d-cuts, backwards plows. Post-18 of Aug -- Jam skating. 1 new move weekly. why? I can't always make training due to my whack work schedule so getting more time on skates helps me think less about my feet when trying to do the strategy thing playing a derby game. 3. FOOD (AIm: drop body fat. Feel physically better by not eating crap) 5/7 days compliance. (1x total cheat day, one day's leeway in case of fuck-ups.) a. Slow Carb food (no white carbs, sugar, dairy or fruit) b. Eat mindfully during meals (no playing on phones, computers, etc. Bonus points for finishing after partner!) what? why? I am a guts. eating mindlessly no doubt hinders my attempts at shedding some fat and if I slow down and eat then I should feel fuller and eat less. And my partner mocks me for it xD Dairy makes me a bit ill so cutting that out has had to happen sooner rather then later. I just overindulge in carbs and don't feel full so eating less should help. Fruit and sugar are just a follow-on from last challenge's low-sugar quest. I read Tim Ferriss' 4 hour body and like the idea of doing less for maximal results. Good thing I like beans and eggs. 4. SCHEDULE-FU (Aim: Be a functional human being despite mental health problems. Thanks for the quest-name inspiration Juni0r83!) Schedule your week in advance. Also called time-blocking.1x a week spend some time looking at work roster and work around it. Schedule these things weekly: 3x15 minutes of decluttering 2x loads of laundry, washed dried & put away 1x load of dishes 2x Gym Days 1x food shopping day 1x food prep day 2x jam skating days 1x side hustle / marketable skills practice Schedule these things in to be done at some point in the next month: Get yo' boobies checked (Who has two thumbs and is at high risk for breast cancer?) Book car service (my handbrake went twang the other day. I would be more worried if it had been working beforehand! Also my suspension is shocking and my brakes need some love.) Fix your full iCloud problem Bathe the dog and trim her fur and claws. Chiro appointment The points are scored for actually scheduling this stuff. Do it or don't. Whatevs. What? why? I have a nasty habit of putting crap off when my mood gets low. if I can make more things ingrained habits I will do them even when depressed.

Hi, my name is Stoney and I’m a serial quitter and shiny-thing chaser. This is my umpteenth respawn here in the forums but fuck it, why not try again? I play roller derby* for my local team in a southern western Australian country town and while that’s been great for my general physical and mental health, I’ve hit a bit of a plateau. And I’m a total perfectionist so I always want to be the best at everything I do. Yay self improvement! That does mean however that I get unmotivated much too quickly and get distracted trying the Cool New Thing™️ that I think is going to help me reach my goals. Nerd Fitness has proven itself to me many times over to be a great place to sort my shit out and get back on track with the things I want to improve on so here I am! *jazz hands* I also fucking love food. That is a problem that is clashing with my new office job. So I’m back. Wheely shoes on and weight plates loaded. I’m gonna be skating and lifting and tracking some food and trying not to blow all my money on Cool New Things™️ - and I would really appreciate the support of this amazing forum. I have some goals planned for the next 6 months so once I get it typed up expect a contribution to the next 4-week challenge. *full contact sport on roller skates, bit like rugby on skates with a human as the ball

2018 Changing Behaviors I’ve always been a wants over needs type of person but have had a difficult time figuring out a way to change that. I just want to do everything now and feel silly taking it slow. Mentally, that’s what I want and I don’t want to wait to do anything. Physically, I put things off if I’m not sure how to do something or if it requires manual labor. 2018 is going to be about changing my behaviors. I want to have a good routine and strategy for overcoming my impulses. It’s time to start small and work my way up to the person I aspire to be. To accomplish this task I need a clear and fairly simple plan. My challenges are rarely simple so this will be clear but probably not simple. I need knowledge to help create that plan. I’ll need motivation or motivational tools to help when things get tough. I also need to make sure I have a support system (Thanks Rebels ). 2018 Changing Behaviors Levels LVL 1 - Organization - COMPLETE LVL 2 - Night LVL 3 - Morning LVL 4 - Nutrition LVL 5 - Movement LVL 6 - Financial LVL 7 - Knowledge LVL 8 - Expression LVL 9 - Self-Discipline LVL 10 - Sustaining Each Level will last approximately 1 challenge cycle (28 days). If I do not follow my plan or fail to achieve my desired goal, then I do not move up a level. These levels are meant to build upon previous challenges and continue the habits gained from the previous level. For example, when I reach level 6, I should still be doing what I did through levels 1 to 5. The goal here is not to get as many points as possible but to develop the habit. If I end up skipping something or putting it off, I need to examine the reason why. For Level 2 Goals : The purpose of this goal is to help me establish a healthy routine and help enable a good start for my morning routine, which will be my next level. If I can get my nightly routine established and set, I should be able to get enough sleep in order to give me enough time in the morning for the routine I want to have. This goal is going to be a daily checklist of things I need to have done before bed as well as by a certain time, they will also be super basic. You might ask, why the heck does she need to track that? Well I want to make sure I’m hitting all the tasks I need so you will be seeing tasks like, brush teeth and shower, even if I already do them on the regular. These tasks will be completed at night and will only earn me a check mark if they are done between 6-10pm. Goal for each task is 19. Standard Goals Save $84 Got to the gym 4x Read 3 books Donate Plasma Level 1 Goals Dailies : 0/84 - GOAL 58 Weekly : 0/28 - GOAL 19 Bi-Weekly : 0/8 - GOAL 5 Monthly : 0/6 - GOAL 4 Bi-Annually : 0/1- GOAL 1 Annual : No Annual Cleaning task for March Level 2 Goals Bujo : 0/28 Unwind at least 30 mins : 0/28 Shower : 0/28 Face : 0/28 Teeth : 0/28 Moisturize : 0/28 In bed before 11pm : 0/28

Hi there! So I know I can't be the only one here who loves to be creative and stay organized! Does anybody else here use a bullet journal? Anybody keen on giving it ago? And do you track your fitness there, if so? I do and I'm trying to fit my four week challenge somewhere into the mix whilst also keeping updates on it every day; I suppose we'll see how it goes! Also, feel free to share photos or any articles if you feel so obliged! ~Stella

Hello. So this will be my very first challenge here. I'm gonna skip the introductions first and just go on with my dry run 5-day challenge. I hope I am not that late to post my challenge here.

Welcome to 2018 A7X is one of those bands whose music rarely fails to get me off my ass and get shit done. Been struggling a bit coming up with a theme, so I decided to forget it for this challenge and just start doing good things. In the end, that's really all that matters, right? Big Why: Feel good/confident in my own skin Be strong & fit enough to do all of the cool things for a very long time I've been pretty undisciplined lately in most of my activities. There's a laundry list of things that I'm annoyed at myself for. And I can do two things. I can sit here and stew in how annoyed I am. Or I can pull my head out of the sand and start doing something about it. And it's not gonna be easy. Some of the mindless habits have been going for a while, so I'll need patience and baby steps to start to break them for once and for all. I feel insane every single time / I'm asked to compromise 'Cause I'm afraid and stuck in my ways / And that's the way it stays 1) Tracking Log (Bullet Journal) Water (Build up to 2.4 Liters/day) Produce Servings (Breakfast: 1, Lunch: 2, Dinner: 2) Alcohol (How many days do I have 0 drinks?) Movement (5K steps, 10K steps, Cardio, Mobility) Bedtime (10PM, 11PM or 12PM) Mood (Happy? Sad? Angry?) I'm not insane, I'm not insane / I'm not insane I'm not, not insane 2) Get to work on time (at my desk by 8AM) No internet in the morning, unless I'm on the stationary bike Brush teeth, wash face daily "Long" dog walk each morning Come back to me, it's almost easy / Come back again, it's almost easy 3) Marathon Pre-Prep 60 min cardio weekly 60 min mobility work weekly (yoga, stretching, etc... but mostly yoga) Follow the plan ~Alright, let's do this~

Goal 1 — Paying the Iron Price: Continue the Stronglifts Program Last challenged I started Stronglifts. I took a break for a week for the holidays. I will continue lifting, reach Week 8, which will leave me with 4 more weeks for the next challenge. Week 1 ✘ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 2 ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 3 ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 4 ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 5 ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x ~xx% ~x Goal 2 — A Warrior's Flexibility: I will stretch after every workout. I'm terrible at this. I always forget it, do some half-assed stretching while I cool down in the shower but I will make stretching as part of my workout routine as every great warrior does. Also, to counter the effects of sitting and because I've been suffering from low back pains since I can remember, I will do some 30s/1m spinal decompressions between Pomodoro breaks while working on the computer or whenever I'm leaving/entering my house. Week 1 ✘✘ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 2 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 3 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 4 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 5 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x ~xx% ~x Goal 3 — A Warrior's Discipline: Track with diligence I'm also terrible at this. I forget to take pictures, take measurements and I always end up frustrated that I don't see any progress. I will take pictures, measurements, track sets/reps and weights properly and share them here. I have an appointment with a nutritionist in a couple of weeks and I'll sit down with her to set some more solid goals in terms of losing weight/body fat. If there's something I envy from the warriors, is that they're very diligent with tracking everything. Week 1 ✘ ✘ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 2 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 3 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 4 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 5 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x ~xx% ~x Life Goal: A Warrior's Soul A significant of my focus for this year will develop, grow, and strengthen certain qualities of spirit, to work out my character and inner life as much (or more) than I do my body. I will pursue certain spiritual disciplines and make them part of my daily rituals. And just to keep me accountable and go with the tracking goal (and in case you're wondering which spiritual disciplines I'm pursuing). Meditation and Contemplation Week 1 ✘ ✔ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 2 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 3 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 4 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 5 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x ~xx% ~x Fasting Week 1 ✘ ✘ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 2 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 3 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 4 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 5 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Silence and Solitude Week 1 ✘ ✔ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 2 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 3 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 4 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 5 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Journaling and Gratitude Week 1 ✘ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 2 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 3 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 4 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 5 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Fellowship and Confession Week 1 ✔ ✔ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 2 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 3 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 4 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 5 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Study and Self-Examination Week 1 ✘ ✔ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 2 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 3 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 4 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 5 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x unicode: ✔✘☐

A Bullet Journal Accountability group you say... This group might be for you if you do any of the following. Do you enjoy writing down the things you accomplish? Do you track your exercise, sleep, or water? Do you need to write down dates and times in order to remember them? Do you feel that most planners are not flexible enough for your daily needs? Do you make thousands of to do lists? My intentions for this group are sort of shown in the above picture. My plan is to post some resources I've found helpful, encourage others to share what's been successful for them, post weekly bujo prompts, and have a place where other bujo enthusiast can post pictures, ask questions, get help or just get ideas on what to do. So if this sounds like something you might enjoy or you already bujo and you have knowledge to share, please join in! If you want to join please post a short introduction and a link to your current challenge. Group Members & Challenge Links 1. Jonesy 2. Karinajean 3. Katrin aka Morag 4. Starpuck 5. Elena aka Artenara Jones 6. Super Starling! 7. Daryl of Barbaria 8. Kathleen's Adventure 9. NightWatcher13 10. Chris aka Ryuu 11. The Shogun 12. Machete We are not capped at 10 just added the numbers because I didn't want to count each time. Lol

Easy Peasy: (Emelan is a tieback to the Tamora Pierce series - @Alanna) Now that I've developed a journaling framework that works for me, I need to use it. Every day. Also, now that I've gotten WAY better at planning in my workouts, my main challenge is eating. I've lost some weight lately from just.... not eating. No good when your main goal is to get stronger! Track something in MFP EVERY DAY. Peeps on MFP feel free to like the "ElvenEngineer tracked for 5 days in a row! 6 days in a row!.... and on". [my handle is ElvenEngineer - feel free to friend me, just say you're from NF] And what is the goal of all this you may ask? What does it have to do with the challenge title? Everything. Everything. Every day I journal I get 1 pt Every day I track in MFP I get 1 pt Every workout gets 5 points (gotta keep up the habit) I'm working on tying specific goals with numbers, but a la @Taddea Zhaan the goals will give me dollars towards my travel savings account. Since I *cough* keep forgetting to open/add to it. Other things that need to escape Emelan (not that it isn't great, the magic is cool, but I want to visit other places!): -Open a savings account to function as a travel savings -report stolen passport found (in true Canadian form, they dropped it in a mailbox so it got returned to me) -check to see if my middle name needs to be on my passport and why it isn't on the newest one? -make sure I can fly with my TWIC card, since my state driver's license isn't TSA compliant as of January 22, 2018 (REAL ID - I'd check if you aren't sure if your state is compliant - half aren't) Handy Map: https://www.dhs.gov/real-id -Buy new travel backpack with either amazon gift cards or travel savings -Get a credit card that doesn't have foreign transaction fees (all my current ones do) ^^ Each of these will be worth 10 points since they're all more labor intensive - the list may also be added to I always identified the most with Sandy, and she's traveled a LOT. Time to follow her example! *fun note about the Circle of Magic books - I think they're the only book I've read where in the group of main protagonists there are MORE girls than boys. Feel free to recommend other books if I've missed some. I've read plenty where there is a girl, a girl and a boy, a boy, two boys and a girl (twilight - ugh), but I can't think of any with two girls and a boy, or in the case of CoM - three girls and a boy! so many female protagonists!

July and August have not been kind. I finished off my Master's degree (yay), got bad nutrition advice (from a nutritionist - boo), had PT interfere with my workouts (boo), and got word that my parkour gym is closing (very boo). I turned in my last assignment for school and immediately started busting butt on completing my first cosplay in 4.5 years... that must be completed within a week. Stress eating has added to the bad nutrition and disrupted workouts, meaning I am not in the shape I would like to be in. Since that is a lot to address at once, I won't. This challenge is going to focus on nutrition: cutting back stress eating/ snacking, improving protein intake, and being honest about calorie intake vs output. The con I'm cosplaying at will cover the 17th to the 21st and I'll try to stay healthy, but I won't beat myself up if there aren't perfect options. I have plans for replacing parkour at the end of the month, and I intend to start pushing fitness a lot more. On the flip side, once the con is done and with school being over, I will have a (relatively) amazing amount of free time, and I need to get sort out my routine and plans. That will be a secondary goal to this challenge. If I get it, great. If not, I'll keep working on it.