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Hi there! Names Ba'sini'on, but you can call me Bas if you'd like 😄! I've decided to join in on the challenge because I'm sick and tired of being overwhelmed by the holidays! I'd love to be able to lose 60 pounds because my excessive weight has led to my joints always aching, and causing havoc with my hormones. I'm already doing a lot with working at home, homeschooling my kids, caring for our home, etc. But I know I can fit in a workout if I put my phone down once in a while. I'm determined to get out of the habit of always stressing and retreating into my phone to block it all out. Also working out creates a calm head space for myself and ever since I stopped my habit of walking, I've been nothing but a big butterball of stress and anxiety. My goals aren't just for me, my kids and husband really need me to be present and not hiding away. I'd also like to get my stash of yarn down to where it all fits in ONE tote. Not the 4 it currently is bursting out of 😒 (Not my yarn! I'm not that organized!) GOALS Workout 60 min. 5 days a week - I'm going to focus on my cardio heath by walking and getting my 10,000 steps in. Weight training is my fun time, so I will be putting a lot of effort into hitting a PR by the end of this challenge! Practice Stretching or Yoga - I'm really stiff with a lot of aches and pains. I know stretching will really help with relieving the tightness I'm feeling. Limit My Phone Time to 2 Hours a Day - It seriously is a big problem 😑 Complete 3 Crochet Projects - It seems like a lot to finish these all by the end of the challenge. But these are Christmas gifts that were supposed to be finished LAST YEAR! So they need to get done. There was so much I wanted to make a goal but, I only have so much time in a day. Hopefully I will succeed!

That's right! 🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳 This challenge began exactly on my 36th birthday! And because I'm a sucker for resolutions, I've often enjoyed making birthday resolutions as well as New Year's resolutions. It's just another way to mark a year, right? So I'm extra in love with a challenge starting on the exact same day 😁 Most of my birthday resolutions this year have to do with stuff other than what I normally put here, but for the sake of kicking everything off together, I'm going to try my best to put it all here in a way that will make sense with these challenge formats. Quest One: Move! I don't think I've had a proper workout in close to a month now, primarily due to the school year starting back up. I'm working like crazy just to keep my head above water and the World Languages program progressing. In order to not backslide horribly, my goal is to just get 5 workouts in - theoretically and hopefully once a week, but if I end up doing all 5 on the last 5 days, well, okay. I know myself well enough to know that's a real possibility! Also I have another ultrasound coming up on September 29th which might end up restricting my exercise again if all goes well (walking is still okay though). Quest Two: Fuel Well Even more critical than usual when I'm working this many hours! I have a few goals here: Task One: Stick to one Diet Coke a day. I'm mildly grumpy about this, but I've done it every day since Sunday, so I might as well stick to it. It's better for me anyway... Task Two: Stop buying so much breakfast! I've resorted to buying breakfast WAY too often lately, and it's both not good for my health and also stupidly expensive. My goal here is to buy breakfast only 5 times (or less!) during this challenge. Options from home include frozen muffins (I make a big batch and freeze them for later so they're always reasonably fresh), cream of wheat in my giant thermos, egg wraps, and if I'm really desperate, cereal in a bag. I also have a box of instant oatmeal at work as a backup plan. Quest Three: Manage Work This is the giant thorn in my paw right now. I have 4 preps (classes I have to prepare a lesson for daily) as well as an additional advisory-type class that needs infrequent prep work. I am also in charge of my department social media, spearheading the expansion as well as the honors program plans, and run two extracurricular activities including all fundraising, bookkeeping, community events, etc. Task One: Post on the department Instagram at least once a week, ideally highlighting each class at least once during the challenge. Task Two: Complete a rough outline for at least one unit in each course (which are all 7 units in total). Currently, I have: 2 rough units for Spanish 2 - next one barely started outlining 1 rough unit for Spanish 3 - next one has resources gathered but nothing else 1 rough unit for Spanish 4 - next one has resources gathered by nothing else 6 rough units for French 1 - next one barely started outlining 0 rough units for French 2 (the next class to add in the expansion) - no start at all yet Now, do I know that my rough outlines don't translate perfectly to detailed daily plans? Absolutely, no battle plan survives contact with the enemy. But having these done greatly reduces my planning and resource-gathering time when it is "go" time, not to mention they make me look awesome to my boss and my boss' boss! Task Three: Gather information and resources from other districts and Jeff City and present my best argument to my boss about why she should support us implementing DELE certification. Task Four: Implement Hispanic Heritage Month school-wide activity via advisory classes, begin planning and preparing Día de Muertos ofrenda Task Five: Language study of my own: 5 intermediate or advanced Dreaming Spanish videos Japanese practice every other day (I went back to katakana because holy bejesus am I bad at that system) 1 DELF A1 practice test (should be easy as heck, but I haven't used my French extensively in several years so I'm starting low) Quest Four: Make Time to Play Two weekends ago, my husband and I made a pact to take an entire 24 hours off from school work...and then we found ourselves sitting around the kitchen table, staring at each other, talking about how hard it was not to be grading right then and how we weren't really sure what to do with ourselves. However, it is also true that an entire school year at this pace is a surefire recipe for burnout. Task One: cut out all the skirt pieces for my ruffled wrap skirt. Should I get further than that? Yes, but I'm starting slow - here's to hoping a low bar will help me get things done! Task Two: decide on layout for log cabin blocks from completed quilt block swap. I only have 16 though and feel like I'm going to want/need more... Task Three: bum around at least once a week. That means comfy clothes, often some kind of snack or drink, and something not very mentally taxing, even if it's only for 10 minutes. It might often be a YouTube video or TV show, favorite book in English (my favorite living author released a new book back in June and I own it but haven't even opened it yet!), a non-frustrating bit of handsewing or embroidery, could be a fun bit of baking if I'm feeling more energetic, even just daydreaming for a moment - whatever works to get me some mental downtime!

The weather has cooled off finally, and it is time to hit the trails! for this challenge, I am going to 1. Walk 55 miles. This is a busy time of year for me, so I know I cant make a “complete x for z days a week”. But if I aim for a number, that gives me flexibility. I may walk a half mile one day, and three another. 55 is a good number to get me outdoors and moving in the crisp air. spoilered content is mile tracking 2. Finish a picture book. I’m not talking about the book itself, because I have learned not to do this. Picture books are typically 32 pages, including end papers and title pages, and is it ambitious? Kinda? I have the story in my head, and the character design done. This is about getting over my fear of failure and just doing the work, writing and drawing it down to paper. 3. Traveling made me realize I spend way too much time at home. I cant even really blame the pandemic, I’ve always hidden away at home, and it’s not doing me any good. For this challenge, I am going to get out of the house and do something for 3 different days or evenings. Not running errands, but going out to a festival, checking out a museum, a concert… something.. I’m going to schedule it, and show up! Spoilered for tracking

Hi everyone! I realized that I tend to by the same things every time I go to the store, win! But there's a point to it, I'm not sure what to do with all of this heathy food! Loss! I have around 20 items and I need help creating recipes that would be easy to meal plan with. I'll leave the list below, thanks! P.S also any way you can help me with budgeting all this would be greatly appreciated! I'm a poor college student now! Protein 1. Whole Eggs: cage free 2. Any of these could be in my kitchen, Lean Meats: Chicken, turkey, lean cuts of pork (like tenderloin), beef, along with wild game (buffalo, venison, elk, ostrich, rabbit) if I want something different. 3. Fatty Fish: Salmon, mackerel, sardines, and anchovies can help to increase mood during my long shifts and stressful calls. Likewise depends on week 4. Fermented Soy: This produces natural antibiotic agents to increase the body’s resistance to infections. Legumes 5. Beans: Small red beans, kidney beans, chick peas, and black beans depending on what's available for cheap, it's in bulk. 6. Lentils: Low in calories and perfect for reducing the chances of heart disease. Bulk Vegetables 7. Tomatoes: They can help with connective tissue strength and even help to improve vision. Get 8 8. Spinach: Packed with Vitamin K, which contributes to building stronger bones. Buy a box or two 9. Cruciferous Vegetables: Packing your plate at the firehouse with broccoli, cabbage cauliflower, or Brussels sprouts will leave you feeling fuller longer in-between meals. Steamfresh if possible Fruits 10. Avocados: Studies have shown that avocadoes can reduce cholesterol and even help you burn fat. Bag 11. Citrus Fruits: Oranges and grapefruit Bag it and tag it when available 12. Berries: Raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, and cranberries Frozen Starches and whole grains 13. Sweet Potatoes and Yams: These act as your body’s storage tank for energy. You better have just the right amount of energy if you’re going to be fighting a fire. A few lbs 14. Quinoa: High in protein, but more importantly, high in riboflavin, which has been shown to reduce the frequency of migraines. If there's someone who deals with enough migraines, it's emergency workers. Bag and tag 15. Amaranth: A great solution to having more fiber since it contains three times more than wheat. Bag and tag Heathy fats 16. Nuts: Walnuts, almonds, cashews, pecans, and pistachios can all help reduce inflammation and even lead to a better mood and mental process. Can also be eaten in nut butter form. Bulk it 17. Seeds: Flax, hemp, chia, and pumpkin all contain good fats that help you feel fuller for longer. Bulk 18. Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: This is high in antioxidants and the healthy monounsaturated fats, which can help to control your cholesterol. Drinks 19. Water: Water makes up approximately 70% of our body I carry around a gallon of water while I'm at work, especially on hot days when your uniform and gear will cause you to lose more water than normal. 20. Green Tea: A chemical in green tea called EGCG can help lower cortisol (your stress hormone) and increase your immune system after long shifts.

I fell off the wagon in the middle of last challenge. Honestly I'm not sure I was on the wagon to begin with, but I digress. TENTATIVE WEEKLY SCHEDULE: Monday - work 8h Tuesday - classes maybe, evening church group Wednesday - work 8h split Thursday - moar classes maybe, evening church group Friday - work 4h, maybe class Saturday - ???, church in evening (online ofc) Sunday - ??? probably housecleaning tbh TO-DO: Cooking Lunch duty M Dinner duty TWRF probably (dinner by 5 or 5:30 because that's when Mom gets off) Weekends are always up in the air Regain my gainzzz 100 Knee Pushups Challenge Split lunges and goblet squats (10 lb unless I can come up with something heavier. No, my cat doesn't count.) I guess inverted rows? 5-minute ab workout (crunches 1 min, plank 1 min, side plank 1 min/side, some kind of boat pose 1 min) Walk/bike with Mom when schedule allows (it mostly doesn't). Schooling Send in those forms so I can sign up for the stupid classes on May 7 Read Dune. Finish before Mom finishes Anne of Green Gables Pick up the alto clarinet at least 1x/wk for 40+ minutes (assembly and maintenance times not included) Bonus points for breathing exercises Bonus points for playing anything in boat pose. Don't waste all my free time on Animal Crossing. (Wild World - don't ask for my friend code.) 1 hour of gameplay per day, max. Spend some time outside in the sun! If I think of anything else I'll add it. Have a spreadsheet.

^^ Minor spoilers for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time ^^ About me Despite the above, I am not a boy but a man in his 40s. A man who works from home and wants to see if his dream of becoming an author might just become reality; a man who wants to find a way to increase his inadequate income; a man who doesn't want the deteriorating health that comes a desk-job; a man who wants to see if his dream of becoming a game-developer might just become a reality (is there any Earthly reason I should not succeed at both this and becoming an author?) Epic quests Become a published author (not just one story or book) (I haven't published any yet) Increase my income to a comfortable amount Reach level 7 on the NF Diet and stay there Make a 3D game that people would want to play Challenge quests Write one Flash Fiction story per week of the Challenge Identify a repetitive work task and automate Get my wife's and my BMI to the ideal level, make sure that the Waistline app data has the carbs for all the food we eat, and start counting carbs Check studies into cholesterol (in relation to health risks) on both sides of the argument Put together the best computer I can from parts I've recently been donated Notes This is my second challenge. You can find my Level 1 challenge in Kokiri Forest. In my Level 1 challenge I completed a short story, that had been languishing for years, and submitted it to a couple of on-line competitions. This is the first time I've attempted to have my creative writing published and I want to continue that momentum. In this challenge I want to write stories in a much shorter space of time, in part to convince myself that I can. My current plan is to leave submitting these stories until the next challenge but this could be revised. I'm going to link to any useful resources I find during this process for any other aspiring authors out there. Automating work tasks enables me to spend more time creating (technical) products that can generate more revenue. With diet and exercise, I have actually dropped below my ideal BMI (despite the fact that I still have a bit of a belly). I'm now in the rather awkward position of trying to put on a bit of weight while my wife is trying to lose some. We are currently using the Waistline Android app to count calories. I want to move on to using it only to count carbs. However, there are some foods I've added manually and I need to check that I've filled in the carb details for all of them. Somewhere in here we also need to cut out pasta (we're working our way through the last pasta in the house). My wife is worried about cholesterol from the NF diet, especially as she's had a stent fitted in the past. I'm pretty good at research (although I'm not a doctor) so I want to find the best available information on the matter. Both CQ3 and CQ4 are part of EQ3. A friend has recently given me parts (cases, motherboards, processors, graphics cards, RAM...) from three computers that he's since upgraded. Two of them were pretty powerful. If I want to do any serious game development I'll need the power that these parts can provide. My job in this challenge will be to find the combination that's most suitable and put them in the same package. There's a bit of a thrill to this given that I haven't done it in ten years. In Kokiri Forest I completed a running quest as part of a half-marathon Epic Quest. However, having completed the Challenge Planning Worksheet for this challenge, that EQ did't quite make it here. I do plan to keep improving my running performance (it will feature in my Interval Training tonight) and that may well find its way into a future Challenge.

Borrowing (stealing) Marmadukian's format. Thanks for the inspiration. About me I'm in my 40s and I work from home as a partner in a business that doesn't really bring in enough money to make ends meet. I was a skinny kid but put on weight when I got married (because my wife's such a damn good cook). I've struggled to keep that weight in check (because she's still a damn good cook); however, I've been making progress recently with the help of Wii Fit U, the NF bodyweight strength training routine, and the NF diet (we're on Level 2). I love the work I do, even if it doesn't bring in enough money, but I've also always dreamt of being an author (and an astronaut, but that may be beyond even NF's help). Epic quests Publish a best-selling novel complete a half-marathon have a business that is mostly automated but generates a good income every month Challenge quests Submit a short story to a writing competition complete the island running circuit in Wii Fit U start work on time n days of the working week for each week n of the challenge Notes on the Challenge quests I've already partially written the story; this will get me to finish it and summon the Triforce of Courage to actually send it off and have someone read it (and give their opinion) I started my journey to NF with Wii Fit U and I still use it for fitness gamification I work from home and it can be difficult to find the motivation or enthusiasm to start the tasks that pay so little.

Hey guys and gals, So I've always been a jack of all trades in life, always jumping around to different interests and never quite sticking with any one. I'm fortunate enough to have a good education and a job that can at least give me the income to pay the bills and let me try some new things, but I have always struggled with finding my true calling. I have always known this was a temporary job and didn't know how to make my way out of it. Around the time I started reading Level Up your Life and discovering the community here, something in me clicked into place and told me to wake up, that I deserve better than a job that makes me miserable. While this has been a huge blessing, It's a double edged sword. I have boundless energy, but it always feels as though I can't decide a path to direct it, like a car spinning its wheels in the mud. I desparately want to find something that is my true calling, and while I've been able to eliminate a lot of options, I still get lost in a sea of choices often when I think about it. So I thought I'd poll you guys for some advice. For those of you who know what your calling is, how did you find out? And for those who are still looking, what steps are you taking to find it?

Hello all, my name is Fluffy_Shark (or Fluffy for short) and this is probably my third time respawning. I am 22 years old. I struggle with depression and anxiety and currently go to school full-time while working part-time. Lately my stress has been through the roof and I've resorted to eating copious amounts of sugar, and drowning myself in the internet, all trying to escape from my stressful world. I have never liked how I look and I have always felt weak and unfit. I haven't worked out in nearly 4 months and I'm sick and tired of it. I have so many things I want to accomplish in life but I barely have the energy to get through the day. Even keeping my home clean, and general adulting tasks seem nearly impossible to complete some days. I am also extremely socially awkward, sometimes even hanging around my friends is tough. I am a negative person and get upset or jealous when others are happy around me, I really dislike this part about myself. I do this because I don't feel like I'm ever enough, I never feel like I'm doing enough. Despite everything going on in my life, I desperately want to incorporate fitness back into my routine. I was happier and had more confidence when i was doing that. I also want to make a more consistent effort to focus on my mental health. I know I need to get a counsellor and I will be booking an appointment with my school's councillor. Outside of that however I want to start reading Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy again. I also want to practice my art skills everyday to get into a competitive design program. So my goals right now are as follows: Physical Health: Complete 2 NF workouts a week for a month Eat 1 serving of veggies a day for a month Limit myself to 1 sugary treat a day (I currently eat 1-5 so this is a challenge for me) Mental Health: Read Feeling Good for 10 min-1 hour a day Art Skills: Practice drawing for 10 min-1 hour a day My actions to make it happen: Physical Health Workouts: write workout in bullet journal schedule for that specific day 1 week in advance, pack gym bag with needed materials and put it on my bed (so I will see it and think twice before just mindlessly reclining on my bed). Progress will be tracked on here, bullet journal, and StickK (There will be a $10 penalty for every workout missed OR rescheduled) Food: Write a veggie to eat that day in bullet journal schedule, make sure I buy lots of veggies on my shopping trips Treats: Keep track of treats consumed in bullet journal and here, for every extra treat, there will be a $2 penalty, always have some kind of healthy snack with me like trail mix Mental Health Place book on bed and track progress on here and in bullet journal Art Skills I have already informed my friend to keep me accountable of this but i will also record my progress in my bullet journal, StickK, and here ($5 penalty on every day missed), Placing sketchbook and medium to use that day on bed Hopefully this new system works. I tried to change too much all at once initially but I think this is manageable. My physical health, my mental health, and my art skills are my biggest priorites right now aside from work and school. Wish me luck!

Hey Nerds, I just got back from a great trip where I spent a lot of time hanging out with friends. Coming back home, I'm feeling really lonely. For ~3wks/mo, I work from home. When my bf gets home from work, he's ready to chill and I'm like a dog that hasn't been let out all day. So I'm thinking that trying co-working would be an option. The issue is that I live in a small town where that isn't a thing. Have any of you tried co-working? Thoughts on starting co-working spaces or building co-working communities? At this point, I'm looking for someplace with wifi, a coffee pot, and casual/occasional human contact.

Planned goals (copy and pasted from last challenge thread): Sleep like it's your job: I am so much more pleasant, productive, and energetic when I consistently get ~8 hours of sleep; this year I've really discovered that it's a cornerstone habit for making good choices throughout the day Fuel like an athlete: Eating veggies, fruits, and plenty of carbs will be a cornerstone of my athletic diet; don't need to track but do need to find some way to ensure I'm eating a proper diet (likely will be number of fruit / veggie servings consumed) Work like a boss: More subjective than past work goals, but I want to hold myself every day to a standard of delivering results like I already am at the level I'm gunning for in the next promotion cycle Recover every day: no matter what it is, I need to do something for mobility's sake every day - can be stretching, dynamic mobility work, foam rolling, ankle rehab exercises, foot stretching, etc. Well-rounded every day: Carve out 10-15 mins every work day for language practice and carve out time for two mental toughness workouts (for dance and work) and a short bit of prayer. Yes, this goal is a lot, and it'll probably take more than one challenge to get all of them regularly happening daily.

Goals to be added later. But basically, I'm trying a shiny new program (Power Hypertrophy Adaptive Training) and I'll be aiming to find maintenance or a slow bulking calorie intake over the course of the challenge. Also will be tackling work goals and things to support my development as a dancer. Goals are now added!!!! Be a real adult: Clean my apartment 1x / 3 weeks (wash countertops, sweep, vacuum, mop, and all those other things I appreciate when they're done but don't do very often) Sleep 7+ hours every night Serve all food into a bowl or plate (using rational judgment to follow the spirit of this one - so I'm not going to make myself spoon out peanut butter to then spread it on crackers, cause that's ridic; but I'm also not going to let myself sit down with a spoon and a jar of peanut butter and call that acceptable) Work like a boss: Stay focused for the duration of every workday (gentle grading on this one, but tougher than last challenge) Keep a warm, confident aura throughout the workday (I've gotten feedback I come across as prickly, which I don't hear at all from folks outside my work life) Do something for personal development every day (currently experimenting with timeblocking / planning each day at the start then holding myself to that schedule - so far it's been pretty effective) Train and Eat like an Athlete: Track all foods, log the calorie totals and weights into a google sheet I'm building to help me find maintenance calories - continue to eat near maintenance once found Follow the lifting program - 5 days a week, MT RFSa (will write up more details in a separate post...later) 3+ solo dance practices every week - these don't necessarily need to be highly physical reps - I'm currently spending a lot of time writing out my routines and all the quality details I know need to go into each step; unsurprisingly, nerd me should find this highly useful for then putting more quality into my dancing more consistently Stretch every night - at least two different stretches (currently playing around with two separate stretches for increasing my foot point and getting my feet to roll towards my inside edge - I naturally roll to the outside of my feet which is bad for aesthetics and function as a dancer) Be a well-rounded human: Do something social every week Duolingo language practice 3x / week Rewards: 90%+: 1 new pair of workout shorts (all of mine are perfectly functional, I just like the feel of new stuff that's a good length for lifting and has pockets) 95%+: New dress shirt and polo from athletic fit menswear company (State and Liberty - one of the first places I've found that explicitly designs for a V-shape torso; haven't tried them out yet but have high hopes)

Hi so I'm not sure if this is right place to post this but I couldn't think of anywhere else it would be appropriate. I don't have any kids of my own but I do have quite the busy schedule and who knows best on how to juggle multiple activities? Parents! I'm going to be a freshman in college, going to start working full time in August but will hopefully be able to pull back on the hours once school starts at the end of September. I'll be taking 3 classes, each 5 credits so that's a full work load that in itself and my workouts are only about 45-1 hour long and Sundays are my planning/meal prep days. I'll be living at home with my parents so rent free but I do pay for my phone plan and gas for when I get my license and car. So my question is, how do I juggle all of this with keeping stress low and my grades still okay and still work? Thanks!

Janus (Latin: Ianus. Pronounced: 'ja:.nus]) is the god of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, doorways, passages, and endings. There are respawns, and there are respawns. I do a lot of the first one - every month, every week, sometimes even every day. Things like 'I'll stop this now' or 'This time I'll do it this way.' These are normal. These are for those times when you fall off the wagon, but you only need jog a bit to climb back on, or maybe you lay on the ground for a little while and then grab ahold again when the wagon laps you. Sometimes, however, a respawn is equatable with a personality transplant. I picked my username, my character name (and my RH agent/code name) to remind myself that it is now time to change. My goals, my methods, my approach - everything. Who and what I used to be is no longer functional or, more importantly, acceptable. I have named this 4 week challenge - my first one - as the First Gate because right now, there are no doors. There is an infinite list of choices and destinations, and all that I have to do is choose a path and walk it. Later on I'm sure there will be challenges that involve more obvious barriers to overcome, but right now there are no barred entries, no fixed map. So having said all that, thank you for taking the time to read along on my not-so-little journey. Please feel free to leave comments - kudos, critiques, suggestions, and opinions are equally welcome. I'm planning to operate on a slightly different schedule - rather than a planning week, I'm going to have a reflection/planning week at the end of the challenge. This is due to how my work/holiday/life schedule is currently set up, and the fact that I've been planning already for two weeks. Which means my four week challenge starts.... Now. Somewhere, there stands a person. This person is not special. Like the many hundreds and thousands (and millions and billions) that have come before them, they stand not at a crossroads, but at a point of origin. They inhale, and acknowledge those that came before; Exhale, and know that there are those that will come after. Inhale. Eyes open, acknowledging the myriad of paths that lay before them. Exhale. Step forward.

My job is awesome. We have a free books and breakfast event this morning and I got a free talking Sorting Hat.

Jayim's first Assassin Challenge!!! Hello Assassins! Newbie here. =) I've been beaten down by a chronic illness for the lasts decade. Well, I've decided to beat back! I've been trying to get my life back together since October, so I've already made some progress. Then I found NerdFitness and now I'm even more excited! My big goals are at the bottom of my intro post: https://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/94695-a-life-to-live/ Anyway, on with the Challenge! Food 1.) Eat an Egg, Meat, Veggie breakfast every day instead of a grain based breakfast [20 XP] 2.) Drink no more than three mugs (eight cups) of coffee a day [5 XP] Fitness 1.) Walk ~15 minutes on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays [25 XP] 2.) Do a warm up routine and cooldown stretches (from Steve's videos) on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays [50 XP] Level Up Your Life Charisma/Confidence 1.) Meticulous hygiene; shower twice a day, brush teeth twice a day, floss once a day. Trim beard Wednesdays and Sundays. Change bedsheets on Sundays. [20 XP] 2.) Wear cologne/aftershave [5 XP] Financial 1.) Sign in to work EVERY workday (4 days a week), even if only to check email and Slack. [10 XP] 2.) Do SOMETHING daily to clean the large greenhouse (throw out a dead plant, bucket of bad dirt, broken pot, etc) [15 XP] Challenge Total: [150 XP] Success will mean a score greater than 80% for each quest For daily goals, Saturday is a free day and doesn't count. --- Maintain and solidify previous habits: Wake up and MOVE at 6 AM Morning prayer and reading Wear only clean clothes Drink water!!! In bed no later than 10 PM

I was going for an alliterative title, but looking up "holiday" in the thesaurus led me to "event," which suggested calamity -- er, I hope not catastrophe -- not any better crisis -- I give up I also tried "hiatus" as the seed, which brought up caesura -- ah, if only it was a hard "c" coffee break -- which I have a habit of skipping (right, @Chronosus?) Anyway.... Guess that I'm doing on the last day of the challenge?? . . . . . . . Flying to ENGLAND. Move over, Toothless. I'll be in England and Wales for most of next challenge. This will be my first time back in the UK since I finished my Master's there August 2015, and to say I'm excited is a bit of an understatement. So this challenge is going to be travel prep + some more health troubleshooting + further cementing some habits. Goal 1: Develop skills for easy, reasonably accurate scale-free tracking Calibrate my eyes: Practice eyeballing weights of meat and sweet potatoes. Use the scale to determine how far I'm off. Define macro units: One loose tracking method I've used before is to define macro units (e.g., 1 tablespoon of coconut oil = 1 fat unit), convert my main foods to those units, and then just track those instead of counting calories. I need to come up with reasonable units based on my current eating habits, make a list of how different foods roughly translate to these units, and figure out what my targets should be on lifting and rest days. Clearly defining what I need to eat on a day-to-day basis should also help with efficient grocery shopping. Goal 2: Learn KStar's travel tips A while back I spotted some mWODs on how not to be a mobility wreck post traveling. I need to track those down, watch them, and figure out what I can implement so I don't spend the plane rides unbearably uncomfortable. Goal 3: Take a holiday from the fruit Stop eating fruit for two or three weeks and see if that helps me sleep better (proposed mechanism would be by keeping my blood sugar more stable). I suspect I tolerate starches better than simple fruit sugars. Afterwards: can try re-introducing some fruit (especially berries), but limit to 5 servings/week because I don’t need to go to town on fruit. Goal 4: More meditation Meditate at least 3x/week for 20+ min. I'm going to see if fewer, but more focused meditations works better for me than shorter daily meditations, which have been feeling perfunctory. LUYL Goal: Set a schedule Plan blocks of time for my main activities (research, lifting, walking, cooking, etc.) on Google calendar at least a few days in advance. The schedule does not have to be followed at all, though I will try to accomplish most tasks, albeit not necessarily at the planned time. The goal is to consider how I need to plan my time to get certain things done, and to impose some (optional) structure on my day since I don't have much external structure. Continue slowly increasing the amount of time I work each week (though this does not need to be monotonically increasing). Track the amount of time worked so I know if I'm making progress. Work needs to be distraction free (e.g., no phone or Internet surfing), but I'm lifting my 30 min. minimum length requirement from last challenge since I can get a lot done in 15-20 min spurts between chores (laundry, cooking, etc.). I will probably be around even less than usual because of that work goal, so apologies in advance for disappearing! 31 days 1 hr 51 minutes and 40 sec til my flight lands

Brutal Bears Finds Balance Introduction Boss: Kuvira Health: (50/50) Brutal Bears the Lava Bender: Possible Attacks:

Title With it being friends and familly and work.. when do you do it? i'd love to hear your solutions, im a bit lost on this.

Sleeping got much better with my last challenge, and now I want to work on things that bring focus to my life. I have a terrible tendency to flail around, wondering what I should do. I've been working on taking care of the basics, and doing so has made me more centered. I've also recently had a breakthrough on some things I am the most indecisive about, and I want to work to encourage myself to stick to this path (yes, I'm being terribly vague. I'm not quite ready to discuss it yet). So this challenge, I'm working on turning off all the noise and getting focused. So for this challenge, I will focus on the following four things: Nutrition: Food journal daily. Track emotions, make note of what I eat depending on how I feel. This is to ultimately disconnect emotional eating. Body: Yoga at least 3 days a week. Mind: Meditate daily. Wealth: 5 job applications per week. Challenge met instantly if a job is found.

So I was going to do another acronym challenge and call it I.V.Y. just so I could use this picture Because holy crap does it describe me! LOL But then the 'powers that be' decided to go revamp the site and piss me off With our Fearless Leader posting his views on what our 'description' should be, I decided to change the topic of my challenge, even though what I'm working on stays the same For those who do not know me...I just (Jan. 2nd) had my two year "nerd-versary", I have always been an adventurer...I do not particularly give a rats ass what some book decided to change the description to! I have tried several things in those two years...some have worked, some, not so much! What has worked: Eating Paleo, not so much because of weight loss, but because I have RA and not eating the SAD foods has reduced my inflammation to more manageable levels. Walking, because I have realized I really enjoy it, and doing 5K's because they're fun! Yoga, because stress and my neck injury are a real thing Kettlebells, because they're versatile enough to keep me motivated and continuing to use them. What has not worked: Derby, not because it doesn't work, but because I have RA and my recovery time is crazy...I have to be able to move the next day. HIIT, see derby. Anything that requires me to go to a gym, or devote crazy amounts of time to, because my schedule is constantly changing from one day to another... So once again, I'm trying something new for this challenge...a friend talked me into DietBet, I figured why not (if you want more info just ask) nothing like money to motivate you to lose weight! Our "Wellness@Work" program is doing a walking challenge, kinda like the walking to Mordor one here but we're walking from our facility to the beach (virtually of course) While I'm not doing derby anymore, I do have access to a program (that I paid for so I gotta use it! LOL) called CoreBuilder that looks intriguing, it's a month long so that works perfectly with the new format... I'm also looking at scheduling when I'm doing my workouts, because I work better with structure, as well as why I'm doing what I'm doing...'to lose weight' isn't cutting it apparently...I spelled all this out in my spreadsheet tl/dr; Immediate Goal To lose 40 lbs and finish Dietary Manager Course Goal 1 After Work Because I’m tired of making excuses and feeling bad - CoreBuilder 3-4 days a week - Kettlebell 2-3 days a week STR – 2 CON – 2 Goal 2 Before Work Yoga At Work Because I love how I feel and endorphins are awesome! - Moving 3 miles a day - Yoga 2 days a week STA – 2 DEX – 2 Goal 3 After Workout Because I will run out of time! - Homework! WIS – 2 CHA - 2

The last few weeks haven't gone particularly well. Some previously long-standing habits have been dropped and need to resume and others need to be broken. Sleep and work goals are fixed, the others are subject to change if a better plan occurs to me. Sleep Sleep trumps everything else. Try to be calm and ready to sleep by 11:30 pm on week nights. Preferably weekends too. Continue melatonin experiment. SaraKingdom mentioned Valerian as well. If all else really fails, see someone about mild sleeping pills. I can't operate on the sleep I've been getting lately. Meditate/Introspection Even if only for a few minutes per day. Go with guided if it's working. Try mornings? Try to sort out what, if anything, is bothering me beyond lack of sleep and overtime. Work Limit overtime to 8 hours/week, flexible if prior week is lighter. Delegate when possible. I have some additional help this year and they can take care of a number of tasks. Take a day off when possible. Try to end this year with less than 3 weeks of accumulated vacation pay. Exercise Make it to Judo at least once per week, preferably Thursday so I'm there for the kids class. Help Kata partner prep for grading December 12th - find all supplementary techniques! He decided to grade earlier than June. Try to do something physical beyond my daily walking twice per week minimum, even if it's brief or low intensity. Judo counts. Resume stretching daily.

Howdy folks, I have a 17.3" laptop that I have to haul around for work. It doesn't fit in most standard 17" bags. I frequently travel for work, and my Samsonite backpack has lasted all of 6 months before tearing out at the corner (where the corner of the laptop bulges). I'm in the market for a replacment! I'm not entirely convinced that I need a backpack, so a shoulder bag might be an option. I'm not the sort who sits at the bar between flights; I generally get a pretty good chunk of walking done in that time. It's like hiking (or rucking!), once you load your massive laptop + charger + tablet + paperwork and force yourself to take the stairs. One of the bags I've been looking at is the GoRuck GR1, which their sales support says would fit the laptop. It's guaranteed bombproof. Any suggestions? Gear that has worked for you? Opinions when it comes to bags?

"The man in black fled accross the desert, and the gunslinger followed" The desert was the apotheosis of all deserts, huge, standing to the sky for what looked like eternity in all directions. It was white and blinding and waterless and without feature save for the faint, cloudy haze of the mountains which sketched themselves on the horizon and the devil-grass which brought sweet dreams, nightmares, death. SUMMARY In order to become who I want to be, I need to up my game. My fourth challenge posed a couple of obstacles, but it still could not take me down. After nerdwarts (last's 6wc assassins' kickass mini theme) I feel like I can claim I've got my fitness base level conquered. But I'm still far from where I need to go. “Let the word and the legend go before you. There are those who will carry both. Fools, perchance. Let the world go before you. Let your shadow grow. Let it grow hair on its face. Let it become dark. Given time, words may even enchant an enchanter. Do you take my meaning, gunslinger?†Once again, the only constant in my life is change: Found myself without a job by the end of the challenge, so I've gone back to freelancing which I LOVE, because I am not made to go by schedules, but which I HATE because I get so easily distracted that I end up not working as much as I am supposed to at the end of the day. And while family can get by without extra money (because my girl is awesome and earns plenty), I don't want to rely on her. I am the Ka-Dihn dammit! I want to be the one serving as an inspiration. GOALS Walk through the dessert - Its tedious, its boring, its hard and a drag and it needs to be done to catch up to the man in black on my road to the Dark tower. Work at least 5 hours a day. I mean work, none of that watch youtube for 5 minutes then work nonsense... we all know where that road leads. +2 WIS if avg of 5 hours a day +1 CON if at least avg of 3 hours on weekends +1 STA if avg of more hours per day Battle of Tull - When a whole town attacks you you must do all you can to stay alive. Even when at the edge of your capacity. Exercise to become stronger, using my body (when walking through the desert you can't carry extra weight - also, lose weight for same reasons) and running to prepare for what's coming (Training with my girl to run a half marathon in the future, date to be decided, but probably by January next year). +1 STR, +1 STA, +1 DEX if 3 sessions of BWW per week, plus some running +2 CHA if 2 kg lost Find supplies in the way station - Training the body can only go so far, you also need to fuel it properly. Buy and cook clean healthy food most of the time (you can't be too picky when foraging for survival, so an occasional meal that is not exactly paleo is fine). Try to cook as much as possible. +1 WIS for buying almost only healthy food during this challenge +2 CON for eating paleo 80%+ of the time Talk around the campfire - Roland sat down with Walter and talked for an endless night about what is and what will be on the road to the Dark tower. Visions of the future and of reality itself came to Roland. I too need to review my current position in life, and decide what is and what will be. In short, reorganize life (yet again). +2 WIS for finding ways to better life by organizing it or planning for future +1 CHA if changes reduced stress even further MOTIVATION LGN MINIQUESTS none yet.

Hokay, so. Here's Mir. Not round. But damn, sweet Mir. Anyway. Here is my word vomit: Background I've struggled with depression and ADHD for pretty much my entire adult life. In particular, I have traditionally had enormous trouble maintaining a job of any kind. Part time, full time, retail, office, professional, etc., it doesn't matter. After a while, I just can't make it to work every day. I have struggled. I have tried. I have set goals, rewards, budgets, etc etc etc...nothing works. I'm sure that I've talked about this extensively in older posts; if you have questions, feel free to ask, but I don't want to get into the details here. To show how bad it really is, I've been with my current employer since January 2013. I earn 4 hours of sick time every pay period (2 weeks). I have no accumulated sick time. Current Situation I had something of a mental breakdown in May (a lot of things came to a head all at once and I just couldn't handle it); thus I have been off work since around Mother's Day. I have exhausted my FMLA credits, although I do get another 3 months or so of unpaid medical leave. This gives me until Nov 20. I had a meeting with work people recently to talk about going back, and I'm just...not ready. I feel as though I only have one chance to go back and make it work, because if I fail again, even if I have leave time left, who is going to feel they can rely on me? Talking with my therapist, I have come to the conclusion that maybe the traditional work environment/schedule just doesn't work for me. I have spent my entire life trying to fit my square self into the round world, and it's impossible; so now it's time to see if I can make my world square. I know I am smart. I am ambitious, dedicated, enthusiastic, outgoing, friendly, and all-around awesome. When I become interested in something, I can (and often do) focus nearly all my attention to it until I have a handle on it. Trouble is, I seem to get bored easily, and the combination of boredom plus a work environment in which I don't thrive have created the perfect storm. I frequently wonder if I really am just lazy or stupid. Which makes me mad. Okay, that was a tangent. Anyway. What I Need I need a job/career that is a better fit for me than what I've been doing. Some of the things I believe I need/value in a job are as follows: autonomyflexibility re: schedulingability to try new things (even if they fail)/be creativechallengesuhh, I can't brain - something that is able to capture and keep my interest, OR something that changes frequentlyThose are all the things I can think of for now. So, considering something like contract or freelance work. I'm interested in EVERYTHING. My degree is a BBA in Information Technology Management, and I enjoy technical details as well as the overall picture. For the past couple of years, I've worked as an IT programmer/analyst using SAP Business Objects. SQL appeals to me because it's logical but also because it's like a puzzle to figure out...although I will also admit that I'm not always 100% awesome with all the details (missing commas, what?). I also have an interest in project management; specifically requirements gathering (probably). I've billed myself as a bridge between people and technology, because I can walk the walk and I can also talk the talk. I tend to be pretty good at putting technical concepts in layman's terms. Plus, I think that's really something that is lacking in the tech world. SO. I never had enough self-confidence to think I could be an entrepreneur or do anything like contract/freelance...but now that I'm thinking about it, I'm excited. However....I have no idea where to start. I have a couple of people I can contact, and I will, but I have NO idea if they will be able to help me. Any advice/suggestions/leads? My deadline looms large in my face.