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This is mostly a productivity challenge. But I'm trying to make it fun, too, because if it isn't fun I won't do it. I'm 55 years old. If I'm not grown up enough to do non-fun things by now, it probably isn't gonna happen - but most things can be made fun, right? I love my job. Seriously, my job is absolutely amazeballs: it suits my ADHD need for constant variation, makes good use of the education I recently finished paying off all those bloody loans for (!), and puts me in daily contact with some of the best people in all of peopledom. In short, a perfect fit. Every rose has its thorn, every pro has its con. The price of my insanely awesome work flexibility is a complete lack of STRUCTURE. Which for me means that some days I get a whole great large lot of things done. And some days (even weeks) I do absolutely nothing, and there are no external consequences for giant chunks of unproductive goofing off. But there are consequences for my mental health. When I look back over several days of bullet journal and realize that I have accomplished nothing, the 'why even bother' and 'what exactly is the point of anything' monsters inside my head get loud, my brain starts to itch, and depression looms. Blech! Fact: there is always work that I can do, and that actually needs to be done. But much of it is work that can be procrastinated until right before a major inspection or something. Basically filing, organizing, filling out reports. The boring bits. The easy easy easy to procrastinate bits. Secondary fact: I talk a lot about wanting to spend more time on my creativity - more drawing practice, more fiction writing, more pathetic attempts to learn contact juggling for klutzes. Key word there is "talk." What I actually spend time on is YouTube videos, Zelda Breath of the Wild, and internet shopping for things I don't need. So this challenge, I am having an honest stab at timeboxing. I can't get too restrictive with it, because my schedule does vary and my inner bratty brat will rebel with vengeance if I try to plan out every moment of a day. I'm keeping it stupid-simple: I've gone into Google Calendar and blocked off a one-hour chunk every day for "Focus Work" - tackling any paperwork that I have that I want to procrastinate, actively researching new teaching and classroom management strategies, reviewing curriculum for needed updates. And then another one-hour chunk for "Creative Work." If I have a meeting or an evaluation during those chunks, I can move them to wherever in the day they fit - but when I'm in those boxes, I'm in. As in Do Not Disturb. I am Doing A Thing. This time is for THIS. In other news, I've been involved in the NF 5 day walking challenge, which I am planning to expand into a 30 day walking challenge. I fell off the regular workout bandwagon again (seriously, I've been on and off it so many times I should have strong legs by now just from the step-ups!), so I'm starting over with GMB Elements 3x/wk. My workouts over the past two months have been at a construction site on Saturdays, mostly doing weighted carries with large pieces of lumber or bags of cement. Not bad, actually, but I do need more than once a week, and the heavy framing is done now. *I work for the U. S. Military at a leadership and communications school. The school is actually taught by active duty military personnel who have a lot of experience with leadership and communications and the other military topics, but little to no experience in the art and science of teaching. E.g. how to structure a lesson, choose a teaching strategy, build engagement and interactivity into a classroom, all that stuff that I went to school for. (I have an M.Ed in Educational Leadership). Besides the dullsville administrative tasks listed above, I get to help the faculty prepare for each new lesson they take on, certify them to teach it, evaluate them in the classroom and give them steering guidance, conduct a lot of faculty development. And a huge part of my job is just walking around, chatting with faculty and sometimes students, in the "how's this curriculum workin' for you, what do you need, how can I help?" line of chattiness. And I get to kind of choose my own schedule, so long as I'm available when they need me to evaluate them or go to a meeting and all my reports get turned in quarterly.

Hey guys, your favorite ADHD wannabe bard is back in the house. If we haven't met, I'm a married teacher/dog mom who dreams of being an author, and I am also diagnosed with Inattentive type ADHD and anxiety. Thanks to my mental health challenges, and a late diagnosis (28), I have struggled with general adulting for most of my adult life, including finishing most anything (including challenges, novels, to do lists, etc) and being consistent with just about anything, including taking my meds which does not help the situation in the least bit. I decided about mid last year that my creative soul needed to be a bard. but according to my therapist (new to me, but specializes in my specific issues), I need to multi-class, so while my creative spirit will remain a proud bard, but I'm going to be trying to gain some monk skills as well. So goals... I promised myself that I would create goals in under 10 minutes to keep things from getting too complicated. Goal #1: Mental Space Show up every day. Don't quit. Even if it feels like I'm failing and all I do is post a lame meme. Make a list of 3 priorities a day. Specific things you want to get done. If all else fails, get those done Goal #2: Baby Body Steps Practice SLOW eating at least one meal a day. Put the fork down between bites. Have a food journal Workout three times a week. 30 minutes of whatever, as long as it's movement. Goal #3: Therapy Homework (subject to evolution) Mediate x3 a week (2 minutes)/Grounding Activities for anxiety Write things on calendars and to do lists that are out in the open Take. my. fucking. meds. for. fucks. sake. Anyhoo, I have already started paving the way for some of this, unsure if I was going to come back to NF or not, but ADHD and intrinsic motivation don't mix, so I tried it my way, but I really want to start fresh and recapture the progress and success I had here in the past. I have created a space in my house for lists and other things (if you want to make your own, everything here cost me like 30 dollars (minus the metal thing I already owned) the hangers being the most expensive part). The papers are in plastic sleeves so they can be crossed off daily/weekly/whatever I love break, but I am never as productive as I need to be. I'm a little annoyed with myself currently because my emotions have been all over the place and my focus and motivation are shot (no thanks to my terrible med habit). I struggle to relax in general, so hopefully the meditation will help with that. I dunno. I'm not great at being here, historically, but I'm worse on my own.

Greetings, and welcome to all! I’m a married parent of 4 kids aged 0-8. I’m ultimately an adventurer at heart, though I train similar to a lot of Rangers (and I’m something of a Druid Paladin which is also something of an equivalent to a Ranger). I love hiking, exploring, traveling, and other fun things with the family. Since shortly before joining Nerdfitness, my physical training is typically built around injury rehabilitation (which happens a bit more often due to autoimmune arthritis) and training to be able to travel, explore, and play with my family. I have a pretty effective Disney World training system, and try to ensure that at any point I’m strong enough to carry my whole family somewhere. That has become more difficult as the years go on but I can still do it for the most part. I am also an enthusiastic suburban homesteader bent on establishing an orchard and vegetable garden, so things can get pretty out-doorsy depending on my goals. My needs mean I do a variety of types of training, and my earliest two physical training goals were “run fast” and “be able to competitively play any sport I come across.” I prefer to avoid gyms and do a lot of body weight training. At the beginning of the year, we welcomed baby 4 into the family, my cat was diagnosed with feline dementia a few months ago, we adopted a kitten (our third cat and Rex’s first), and we have returned to school. At the beginning of this year, we started shopping for an existing business with a professional kitchen to give a physical location to our small bakery. I’m not at liberty to discuss much more at this time, only to say it’s a thing that we are working hard on and I expect this challenge to bring several major changes to our lives. The fruit trees and bushes are all doing well, minus the Methly Plum tree which is alive but a deer broke the largest, tallest branch AGAIN and that part is dead. The rest of the branches are healing well. Last challenge we had our first fig, which was awesome. I’ve never had a raw dig before and as Bo Peep almost immediately ate said fig, nothing has changed. Deer chomped my kumquat tree, , my serranos, and my Carolina Reapers a couple of challenges ago but they appear to have regretted that and haven’t bothered anything on my front porch since. I have 2 serranos, my all-time favorite peppers, ready to pick. I am losing hope on the Carolina Reapers; the plant seems to be ok but no fruit . We have several wild pumpkin plants growing including one enormous one that started under our deck and has grown around the stairs. No pumpkins and sadly, I don’t think we have any female flowers. My dreams of a fall homestead surrounded by a bountiful crop of squash will likely need to wait at least another year, though if I possibly can I’ll make it happen this year. The other fruit trees in the back are going fairly well. The Rainier’s replacement will arrive the week of September 19th and I am looking forward to that. Our next door neighbors said they’re looking to get a peach tree, too. Yes, yes, come to the Dark Side (we have orchards!). Their Apple tree is doing well too, and apparently it lost all its leaves last month. The vegetable garden is basically dead. I have only myself to blame. The weeds got totally out of control and choked out pretty much everything. I have some surviving tomatoes and that’s it. The berries are all doing well and provides a decent harvest this year, enough to reasonably blunt out fruit bill. I think we’re going to torpedo the veggie gardens after this season and try again when we can get the cinder blocks and seal off the bottom; the weeds have been atrocious and I don’t think I ever really blocked the root systems underneath them. I want a veggie garden but what we’re doing isn’t working well without a larger amount of maintenance than we’ll be able to provide with society being restarted. Jessie wants to move the whole thing to the deck, which requires more care as far as watering and soil quality go but is virtually weed free. Part of the problem this year has really been mosquitoes. They don’t touch me but they persecute the rest of the family and le bébé is not fully vaccinated against stuff and the love him so I can’t even really wear him in the harness for anything less than actively mowing the lawn. Which, I might add, has looked more like a field or jungle. Between those, the wasps I finally got rid of, and the vicious dogs living behind us, we haven’t really been able to use our back yard this year and that makes me sad. There IS and update I can share, though. The people with those dogs sold their house and they’re moving. They had an open house Sunday and received a pending contract almost immediately. This brings a great relief to me and basically all the neighbors. For those who don’t know, we were warned about the dogs when we moved in. Then one of them came over the fence and attacked my dog out of the blue, and my precious Mama Dog lost half her ear. Turns out that the pair of dogs 1. Gets out regularly and 2. Attacks other animals, children, and even adults. 3. The owners take zero responsibility and gaslight people about it. These are the only neighbors here I don’t like, because they’re an actual danger. I am relieved they’re gone, because it means soon I’ll be able to remove the rabbit fencing I’ve kept at the very back to keep our dogs and kids several feet away from that back fence. I’ll have the freedom to establish a real garden at the back, since my attempts to grow an espaliered tree hedge have largely failed. We do have a thriving Crapemyrtle and blackberries along the back and I look forward to basically making those and the lilac bush a full hedge without the threat of a dog attack. Healthwise, we’ve been living the keto lifestyle for a little over 6 months, and we’ve found it to be incredibly easy to stick to 99% of the time, meaning we’re seeing more success and I’m burning less willpower on food-related stuff. I am past my arbitrary goal weight, and I’m focusing hard now on maintaining around this weight while achieving my goal composition. The last time I was this weight was before I met Jessie and when I was in my student teaching (yeah, before the wrestling coach gig!) That is, one of the best shapes of my life. I want to be lean and strong, not skinny and weak. (Tried that and hated it). I fell off the wagon a bit when it comes to strength workouts. I do push-ups in people’s name as a form of prayer and last challenge saw a lot of sickness and worry, so it sort of took over everything else. I would like to get back into doing squats and deadlifts at the YMCA gym but I think it’s going to take getting the house and routine into order. I have, quite frankly, been struggling with the return to school. Jessie works really long hours, the kids have their school and activities, and I have my job as well as the responsibility to clean and organize everything possible at home. We’re not yet at something sustainable. Further, therapy has been generally going well but I still have been snapping and yelling at people, and that has to end. It isn’t healthy for anyone, including me, and I need to practice healthier ways of expressing myself. So that is a new challenge goal. Feel emotions, and express them in appropriate ways at appropriate times. Goals: 1. Sleep. As best as possible. I’m a nonfunctional mess without sleep and can sacrifice it for a few days ok but then I have to make it a super high priority to regain it. This is critical to managing my emotions as well. 2. Basic calisthenics routine at the least. Preferably with 1-2 big weights sessions at the gym, and I’d like to find home alternatives to the barbell squats and deadlifts. Woody is practicing and building his upper body strength for a ballet lift in his winter duet. The older boys are both in cross country. The oldest 3 are taking dance classes and Rex is back in gymnastics. Jessie and I proposed working out remotely with Marinara since his girlfriend takes zero initiative and doesn’t give him the boost he needs to do it. So we might start that as well. 3. Take one concrete step forward per day- at least one tangible, visible thing to make life better. This ranges from things as small as “dig out the replacement toaster” to as big as “reorganize the playroom.” I don’t have to complete the bigger ones as long as I make progress. 4. Take one concrete step forward per day career-wise. I need my job but I’m not satisfied in it and otherwise need a change. I need to hone/adapt skills and look for other opportunities. -> Currently, this involves working towards dramatically expanding a part-time business into a full-time business, which would have Jessie running that business full-time and likely have me also working it full time within the next few years. I’ve also continued to interview elsewhere to help give us options. I really want the business to work though. 5. I need to retake the yard and the garden. It’s been overgrown for too long and I want it back. 6. Therapy. I have a new diagnoses and new medication that have been, it feels, pretty life changing. I finished intensive therapy that was also insanely helpful prior to that and I am continuing with less frequent sessions. My goal is to better learn how to manage ADHD and how to be a more connected, present, and supportive husband and father. I think I have been progressing well. I feel healthy. I am excited about how this has gone. I am working on anger management and taking a page from the book of Mr. Fred Rogers. I had no idea that he struggled with a strong and volatile temper. He never wanted to be remembered as a saint because he didn’t want his example to be unachievable but I do think he is probably the best person who ever lived a full life. I will be looking to him as an example and we’ve decided to introduce the show as a regular part of our kids’ lives. Gods know it’s as helpful to me as it is to them. The kids love D&D and making movies. Woody destroyed my workstation this weekend and built an art and stop-action animation studio. He and Rex made a short film AND layered voiceover so I’m super proud of him. I am excited for this challenge and what life has to offer next.

Hey Rebels! (Love that moniker.) Philosophy post-grad (PhD) student, writer/author, pagan/witch/actual druid, fantasy fan, dancer/performer/storyteller, lover of elipses, and absolutely fascinated by the idea of travelling as I can't sit still, but earning money is a hassle so I tend to conjure travel opportunities by getting teaching work in random places! I've been occasionally reading NF for a couple years now, and only TODAY discovered the forums. *shakes head* But it's good timing, really... Fancy a story? I spent over a decade in a relationship with a lovely guy who was just toxic for me (long story, we loved each other but brought out the worst in each other... and it damn near destroyed me, when I broke, I left. We're still friends!) A back injury early on meant I could barely walk for 6 months, so put on 2 stone and couldn't shift it... or get fitter... until I found my belly dance class about 5 years ago. Unfortunately, my superpower was my undoing. See... It turns out I have ADHD. I can't keep something up unless it grabs me, but when it does I can hyperfocus and excel! Within 3 months I was helping the teacher, getting private tuition in return, and spending half my time dancing. Wheeee! I got stronger! I got fitter! (I didn't lose much *weight* but I didn't really care) And my knees HATED me. Too much dance with heavy impact on the knees... I almost ended up unable to walk again. Without the dance, my core strength waned and my back began to hurt. With the dance, my knees burned. When I left my ex, I moved somewhere where I had to walk more, and back into university halls with first year students. As post-grad... I couldn't stand the state of the kitchen. So I'd skip meals/forget to eat, and was moving more. And the weight began to melt away. I won't lie... the compliments were a definite ego boost. And feeling my knees improve with gentle exercise and less weight has been amazing. But I needed something else that inspired me to move. Just walking; not enough. Enter aerial skills! Which needs upper body strength. And core strength. And endurance. and... ok... I'm going to need strength training too then. Somewhere in my brain a memory lit up of an article on "How to do your first pull-up" on a site that made me chuckle when I read it (and click more links, and read interesting stuff for hours because NERD, obviously.) I was probably meant to be doing something else when the sparkle distracted me enough to find the page again, and tumble down that rabbit hole. Bodyweight training, you say? Okiday. Last week I started doing the Beginners Bodyweight training circuit. I've done it three times now and each time it has already gotten easier... *bouncebounce* I've been using five-ten minutes of dance as a warm-up, and a bag of flour as a dumbell... MY GUILD: Definitely an Adventurer, that's what motivates me. But I'm fascinated by so many things, practice meditation, learning aerial skills (think circus), looking to start Aikido soon... that I'll likely dip into other arenas too. MORE THAN ANYTHING: I want to be fit and strong and healthy enough to explore the world and try new things, to perform and entertain around the world, and to teach. SKILLS: Creating things. Starting things. Courage. WEAKNESSES: Completion. Distracta... OMG Squirrel! (Old jokes are good jokes.) ADHD superpowers - boundless energy and fascination, learning interesting skills comes easy, hyperfocus once focused... ADHD Kryptonite - Boredom. Routine. Overwhelm. Long-term things... STRATEGIES: Accountability (from my partner, currently). Bullet Journalling. Constant challenges (I did 15 seconds of planking easy enough, so next time I did 20, Next week... 25!) Momentum. Leaving reminders in visible places. Batch cooking. Make it easy! Ummm.... yeah... TL;DR? Hi! I'm a distractable person who wants to be strong/fit/healthy so I can go adventuring and perform. And I've started with bodyweight training. Great to meet you! ~Halo www.haloquin.net

There is my scoring system. Now I need things to score. This is difficult, because I'm tired of long lists, but they're so useful for providing reminders through the day. And because lately my challenges have had to do a lot of adapting. So I think this will be a hybrid system, which I will test drive during zero week. I will score what I have done on a naughty/nice axis in a "be mindful of my needs and choices" kind of thing, and set a small number of goals each week. During zero week, let's try: Make a list and check it twice Hogswatch cheer Walking in a winter wonderland Right. First set of challenge goals.

Hi Nerds. Let's begin with a couple relevant background details. I started NF in 2013 in the middle of a PhD dissertation to combat the effects of the sedentary grad student lyfe. I got stronger, at least prevented my weight from blowing up mostly. Unfortunately, I never finished that PhD. I never seemed to get anything done. Fast forward to last challenge, I finally realized and accepted that I may actually have ADHD. It explains A LOT, including the abandoned PhD, my many failed, half-assed NF challenges, my messy apartment, etc. After leaving grad school I worked in an Amazon warehouse for two years, and now I'm working as a CNC machinist. Like the majority of my middle school and high school report cards said, I'm "Not working to potential." Now I'm trying to get another Master's in Electrical Engineering (online) and working on projects at home to turn things around. And to lose weight I'm following a slightly modified version of the Mediterranean diet, and have been riding a stationary bike (hamster wheel) to burn calories. Now I'm realizing I need to fix my flexibility, posture, and retain a bit of strength so I'm going to add in some yoga. I'll be building off of last challenge. If you want to see how I did with that go to my Previous Challenge Summary. Now... On to the challenge: Since, I'm learning Electical Engineering, I ought to do what EE's do best: build gadgets and try to take over the world. And what better metaphor for an EE with ADHD than Pinky and the Brain. Brain represents all my ambition, intellect, and executive functioning, while Pinky is the ADHD part of my brain that just wants to goof around, have fun, and press colorful, blinking buttons. In order to deal with achieving goals, Brain needs to manipulate, distract, and control Pinky. Just for context, all of this is happening in a BuJo to keep Pinky under control. Nutrition: Old stuff: Maintain current nutrition plan. I keep a weekly log of how many servings by food group on Google sheets: Food Log It has a rough idea of serving numbers and describes the serving sizes if you're interested in the details. I post links along with my weekly summary when I update the spreadsheet with what I track in my BuJo. I also track measurements in my body composition log for feedback: Weight Log and Track Record. Question: These two sheets are in the same workbook; Can you access other sheets or just on sheet at a time with these links? New Stuff: Add a daily reflection/challenge. Every day I'm going to reflect on what I ate during the day, look for something to improve on and come up with a challenge. Like, I ate too many grains today, tomorrow when I feel like carbs, have fruit instead. Also, on my weight tracking sheets (see below), I track weekly min and max weights, so if I set a new max or fail to set a new low I might reduce a meal, cut fat, or exercise, etc. Exercise: Old stuff: Do at least two workouts on the hamster wheel each week. New Stuff: Do at least one yoga session each week. These last two are basically some of the bigger Todo's with sub-todo lists that I want to get through. Trying to take over the world (Brain): I need to finish the online course I'm currently taking. I should have finished it last challenge, but I'm close to done. Then I'm going to work on some other projects at home and maybe at work to gain more experience and catch up on some knowledge/skill areas I'm lacking in. Also, I need to plan out how I'm going to pay for more coursework. Finish current online EE course: Finish week 4 Finish final week, project and quiz Start on my minimal retro game, multi-console emulator Pay off a credit card... I can put the next course's tuition on it once i have a zero balance, and that will be my source of 'student loans' for these online courses for now. Managing ADHD (Pinky): Right now I'm only self diagnosed. I have an appointment set up for July 13 to find a therapist to work with. At the moment, I am just accepting that I have ADHD and carrying on as if I did which means getting more organized and finding ways to keep myself focused on getting things done... BuJo! I'm also forgiving myself for my past mistakes. I still get bummed from time to time because I didn't get something done or make the right decision in the past. And the mistakes I'm currently making. I get all uptight trying to control my behavior often or beating myself up. I just have to let go of that. First mental health appointment on July 13 at 3:00 pm Take BuJo everywhere Update BuJo weekly Let go of and forgive mistakes

I have lots of good reasons to go into the Navy: I want to see the world, I want to be able to call myself a veteran, I want to get an edge applying for federal jobs, and I want help paying for a masters of social work and to take spanish classes. I've been a retail pharmacy tech for 5 years and have grown to really, really, REALLY hate the field, mostly because of the poor pay and instability. Things will be running smoothly, then all of the sudden, I'll get cut to 10 hours a week and I have to job hop. I often work clopenings, so I get anywhere from only 2 to 12 hours a sleep in a night and I have a big belly because I live on fast food and comfort eat a lot. I've recently cut out sugary drinks from my orders, but I still have a fast-food diet because I never have the time or energy to cook. I'm 40 pounds overweight and am not sure where to start, but I know I need to meet all requirements for a medical waiver to even be considered for the military, especially a selective branch like the Navy or Air Force. Army isn't out of the question, but I am drawn to the Navy and Air Force first, and especially the Navy. My mother had me on ADHD medicine and antidepressants as a teenager, and I'm paranoid that if I lie about that, I'll be caught, but I also know I'll need approved for a waiver if I disclose that information about me. I'd really like to lose 40 pounds in 4 months, and be passing at least the minimums expected for Navy boot camp, but the better I can be, the better chance I'll have of getting a waiver. As for a class, I think either Ranger or Scout lends itself to the workouts I'll need to increase my strength and endurance, but moreso endurance. If there is any other information I left out, I'll be glad to fill you in if I ask. I'm glad to be here, and hopefully, I can get out of this career field I hate and into something better. (In case anybody is wondering, I am a man.)

Thank you @Leigh for making sure I get on the right thread within 24 hours.... Whoops. *copy and paste* Back with the Druids after my respawn, since a lot of my goals revolve around being mindful while doing them. Along with things that keep me happy is getting outdoors… So I figured out when I respawned giving myself $1 for hitting goals that are a tad difficult has been working. Only way to keep this up though is keeping my budget to what I can live off of and side extra money, and helping to maintain myself. Main goals: - Daily DBT Dairy Card (Dialectical behavior therapy): For my therapy to checkoff the skills I use and emotions for that day. -Side goal: Will make a page in my bullet journal across from my weekly challenge page. I can make these in the beginning of the challenge but they had to be made (found it makes tracking tens times easier, even though it takes 30 mins to make the page). (2 of 4 pages are filled so far for this challenge (9/20)) 2. - “Learn to Feed Myself” -Sticking to a weekly food budget (with a grocery list), grocery shopping once a week for my main stables, writing down my main stables for the week. I learned I need to figure out how to feed myself no matter what my mood or life is at- based on this video. -Daily Bonus if I don’t buy any extra food (mainly convenient food) with reward money (basically the extra calories I want but don’t need). The exception to this rule is finding out I miscalculated on food to have at home or cooking a healthy meal with reward money (buying ingredients for making a meal to get enough calories) or stocking up on cheaper food options. -Extra bonus: Writing a list of wants and a list for needs in bullet journal. Pretty much able to break down items on paper for an extra step. Along with me remembering what I need when I do go shopping… (Become more aware of my actual budget). 3. 20 mins of Base maintenance: Picking up my apartment for 20 mins each day, can help keep my apartment from turning into pure chaos… (A fact that I questionably avoid with ninja like moves). 4. Keeping the darkness away… Hiking 3 times a week. Writing 444 words of creativity on 4thewords (attempting every day). These two things are my biggest boosters on raising my light magic that helps keep the darkness away (But like any good goals I resist). (I will be tracking each as their own, for a $1 each day.) "Screens off" (when I get home in the evening and kept off until I'm ready for the next day, or at the next location). ($1 reward for each morning and evening) 5. Work on homework during the weekdays – Every 1 hour of productive study is a $1… My goal is 10 hours, but working on it a bit every day is better than nothing. I get a a free $1 if I study at least 30 mins that day. 6. Fake it till I Make it – I’m waking up new emotions, and trying new things. Which means ordinary things for every day be even more difficult to do. From showing up to work on time and actually working at work. or staying positive when its tough I’ll give myself a point. (This is very broad but I’ll note as I go on.) (Right now I'll stick to work for the main goal to help define, else all the other goals fit in the Weekly Side goals). Weekly side goals (here I put all the goals I need to get on a weekly basis or doing for trial to be a main goal, all will have deadlines I have to report back to). Or these are also my monthly challenges. Or part of bigger challenges but challenges I’ve broken down to duckling steps. (This is combined a bit to Fake it till I Make it- lots of these goals I have a bit anxiety around and avoid until I must do it... If I don't do by myself my "negative" is asking for help from a professional) Week One: Sept. 17th – 23rd Week Two: Sept. 24th – Sept. 30th: -turn in Presentation on time, and have practiced for Presentation at least 3 times (3 different days) -figure out how to celebrate brother’s birthday (with cake and special candle) (yes I need a reminder, sadly my brother can fall into the cracks if I'm not careful) Week 3: October 1st – 7th Week 4: October 8th – 14th -MRPA conference (Tuesday-Friday) (monthly social adventure) Note: Yup, lot’s of money points. However, when I’m taking out my extra spending and relooking at my needs (whole control over my impulse shopping). It’s pretty much having me work on being more mindful on my money, instead of spending a ton of money on extra unneeded items and extra calories that make my life worst. Rewards won so far: Week 1: $5 towards school treat money.... (Earned!) $10 random chipotle money... (earned!) $2 amazing cinnamon roll.... (earned!) $25 club fee for the year (earned) $12 burger money, it was worth it.... (on deck)

Anybody else on here have ADHD? I find it very hard to make plans (due to executive dysfunction) and even harder to stick to any plans I make/am given. It's really hard to do something every day, especially if it's something that is not necessarily very fun. Case in point, exercising. Sweaty, out of breath (asthma), headaches from the blood pressure increase, occasional pain, the threat of muscle aches... None of that is appealing. It's hard enough for me to stick with something fun! Like, one of my hobbies is cross-stitching. It took me a year and a half to finish a birth sampler for my nephew, which was supposed to be a gift when he was a newborn. I just finished it. He's eleven months old. So, even things I like doing get procrastinated on. Does anybody have any advice for how, as an ADHDer, to make myself get off my butt, away from the computer, and up and moving and doing stuff? Anything that's worked for you, if you experience the same kind of problems? (I should add that I am mostly unmedicated, due to living in Japan where the only available medication doesn't do anything for me... So I say 'mostly' because my antidepressant, Effexor, is supposed to help the ADHD a little, according to my doctor. So, medication advice is not very helpful, but thanks anyway.)

Hey, all! A new area of the NF forums I'm going to make my new main base! I had about a six-week break from the forums after having tried Heroes Rising. To see if it could help me sort out a new direction for goals. Found out that it wasn't a right fit for me right now. Learning how to juggle school, work, and extra stuff that can quickly fill it up too quickly while keeping on the upside of mental health. I've been very thankful for this site on teaching me on how to write out a plan and goals in a structure that do work for me. Finally seeing the foundation I made all of 2016 on this site. But as I noticed last year, my struggles fo starting, doing, and finishing any types of projects have been my weakness. Or at least very weak while not making myself sick with anxiety and depression... So for the of this forum. Is not just for "healthy habits" but for the ability of me able to think of a project, and follow the plan that I can make from start to finish. A biggie since I'm changing different parts of my life a bit. Okay now on to catch up time! What have I been up to the past 6 weeks? Spoilered, because it just isn't short. And my lack of attention span to add pics. So much writing in two hours... Needed to share it with you people! While also needing to get back in the loop of the site. 2 full hours of having something qualified to not call "procrastination" from finishing on putting away my laundry. Will now carry on. Tomorrow need to show up at work on time, do my job (smile while I'm at it), get home and work on a late paper while doing other things. NF goals: Get caught up with one friend and return here. Added on May 4, 2017 - Challenge Log (because all the cool cats do it) (a work in progress) -2015- -2016- -2017- May 22- Start of my RP Challenge

I swear I have already lost these 10 pounds! (TEN pounds, not three...) But they keep coming back. So tired of losing them. Wish they'd stay gone. What do I want? Long term: Maintain my ideal weight/body fat %. 120 pounds/18-20% body fat. And that's me saying it's ideal because when I was in this range I had lots of energy and felt awesome, it's not some chart telling me what I should be. Short term goal: Get back to that weight/body fat percentage. LOSE 10 POUNDS. Probably can't do it in 4 weeks but I can get serious and move in that direction. How do I get there??? DIET GOALS 1. no alcohol at home we rarely go out but if we do I think it's okay to have a beer... 2. no bread I love breakfast sandwiches. but they lead to later day bad choices... 3. no soda I have ADHD and have self-medicated for years with coca cola BUT there are alternatives. I just need to be strong. The temptation is only there on the days I work because there is coke in the fridge at the office so I just need to be strong those days. I can do it!!!!!!! FITNESS GOALS 1. yoga - 1x weekly 2. xfit - 2x weekly 3. walking - daily LIFE GOAL With my ADHD I have learned that when I need to focus, I need to distract part of my brain (ie have music in the background). I think I need a distraction goal so I can focus on my diet/fitness goals... Each week I will have a distraction. I will post it at the beginning of the week. It might be something crafty. It might be something volunteery. It might be something else... Grading Diet Food Log: 2xp per daily journal/mfp all the meals to track what I am eating. - .5 xp per indulgance (bread/beer/soda) Fitness: 1xp per daily movement (1 yoga/2 xfit/4 PURPOSEFUL 2k+ walks) Life: 3xp identify distraction/1xp per distraction practice Starting stats 131 pounds 22.5% body fat percentage

Okay then. November was . . . rough. There were some incredibly wonderful moments, but a lot of very difficult moments as well. I let go of things for a while just to keep my head on straight. I woke up this morning feeling ready to get back into a challenge, and am excited to see that one hast just begun! I'm keeping this one pretty simple. There are about a million things I want to do yet I know that picking a few essentials will be best. Here's a really great thing that I've realized about myself: I don't need to look at exercise as purely for weight loss, muscle building, getting in shape, etc. I can look at it as a form of staying healthy, regardless of whether I see noticeable physical changes. I recently turned 30. I want to set up a healthy lifestyle, which means building habits before worrying about what change will come from them. And as much as I look back and reflect on how many times I've started over with habits, I also know that the ones that work have stuck. I just need to keep moving forward one step at a time. Stretching: I plan to stretch for five minutes each day. I fully believe one of the reasons I've had a difficult fall/winter is because I'm no longer doing a regular yoga practice. I loved the studio that I found after the summer but it has become challenging (and expensive!) to get over to each class that I want to take. The bottom line is that my body desperately needs to stretch regularly, and I'd love to build a habit that I can easily do each day without making it a big deal. Bodyweight Exercise: I plan to start with ONE MINUTE of bodyweight exercise each day. I have a set of bodyweight FitDeck exercise cards -- I'll pick a random one each day and complete that exercise for 60 seconds. I know this won't do a whole lot for me in the grand scheme of health, but I need to gently start building this habit.

I am learning to stay put -- to love myself exactly as I am. This fall is about sticking with myself to go deeper into who I already am rather than envisioning someone I want to become. I have never lived simply as myself without aspirations to be better. Instead of setting goals to improve, I'm setting goals to cultivate a healthy, wholesome life. Soul: •Stretch 5 minutes/day •1 Fit Deck flash card each day Body: •Continue avoiding eliminated foods/drinks •No fruit-type candy (i.e. skittles, jolly ranchers, etc.) Mind: •Practice mindful breathing •Continue focus on housework •Be grateful daily for a roof over my head

"Blue was blue, river was river, and if also in the blue and the river, in Siddhartha, the singular and divine lived hidden, so it was still that very divinity's way and purpose, to be here yellow, here blue, there sky, there forest, and here Siddhartha. The purpose and the essential properties were not somewhere behind the things, they were in them, in everything." --Hermann Hesse, Siddartha. Healthy Soul: Visit the yoga studio at least once a week. I purchased a basic membership class that gives me 5 classes per month. Going once a week (plus one more) will ensure that I utilize what I'm paying for, and that I get into a more regular routine. I love yoga. Yoga has given me a new perspective on life and health. It makes me feel strong, confident, and motivated. I believe that it's opening up a new path for me that I don't yet understand, but will be so wonderful. Healthy Body: No alcohol // No cookies I want to see what happens when I don't have alcohol for a month. I've never done that before. I drink occasionally, usually on social occasions. I rarely drink at home. Lately when I drink I feel pretty awful afterward -- even just one drink seems to give me a monumental hangover. Whether it's my age or my meds or just my somewhat healthier lifestyle, let's see where this goes. I have now changed the sweets part of this goal twice, hopefully settling on "no cookies." I tried to do a full ban on most sweets but it didn't go as anticipated, so I'm sticking with what works and eliminating one particular food item this challenge. We'll see how it goes! Healthy Mind: Leave for work by 7:15am, 4 days a week. My schedule changed just slightly for this school year, and I have responsibilities to attend to about 30 minutes earlier than I did before. Which means I need to absolutely be to work on time every day, if not a little bit early. Leaving by 7:15am gets me to work at least 10 minutes early, which gives me plenty of time to settle in and get little things done before heading to my first class. Anchoring myself to the same time each day ensures that I know when I have to leave, regardless of when I got up (guys, I can get ready for work in 10 minutes or less -- shower included). I'm giving myself the day off on Wednesday since kids come in a bit later. Healthy Home (Bonus Challenge) Work through some system of getting the house back in order and under control over the course of the next five weeks. Manageable enough to make routines easier and more accessible. Perhaps this will be devoting time each weekend to doing more major clean-up jobs, or ensuring that I do a little bit of cleaning every day after work. A healthy home makes it easier to have a healthy mind, body, and soul!

So I'm continuing what I've been doing since I re-spawned at the end of August. So far counting all my goals daily has been helping while keeping it slow enough. (Can't find the one with a quote). So continuing on with my goals... Kind of wish I could theme it, but all just going directly at it (the easiest way possible). Trying to avoid adding goals, but the main goal is getting ready for school in January and being hired with extra money in my pocket by then (with a job that I'm able to do and enjoy, instead of the latter). So that's what I'll figure out how to get that out for actual "SMART" goals setting. Since it is one of those "temp:" goals as when needed. Main Goals: Journaling: 29 out of 64 Journals (longest streak) Reading (20 mins): 0 out of 35 Days (20 mins daily) Longest streak: 20 days (gradually going up from 10 mins a day - 20 mins a day) Screens off at Midnight: 13 out of 48 (longest streak) Poison Be Gone (Days w/o Pop): 12 out of 47 (longest streak) (trying to beat my 3 month streak that I did back in 2014 before NF) Weekly Goals: 1 hour weekly (Scheduled for Tuesdays or Thursdays) enter/confirm money transactions: 1 out of 6 weeks Taking Note What I'm doing Toward 2nd job searching (working less this month, so this will be nudged up a bit) (to be tracked when figured out) Only two goals has been missed 1 day each so out of the last 21 days, I only missed 2 habits. Enough to keep a watchful eye (1 night staying on the computer too long, 2nd one was yesterday I missed a day of 20 mins of reading). But yeah! Marching on! With little duckling steps.

Do not feel lonely, the entire universe is inside you. Stop acting so small. You are the universe in ecstatic motion. Set your life on fire. Seek those who fan your flames. --Rumi After writing and re-reading this intro it feels somewhat heavy and serious. Which it is. But not in a sad way. Rather in the way of opening and expanding and becoming stronger. In the way of taking this moment and using it to grow. What I'm trying to recognize in life is this: I am the strength that I seek. I spend so much time reaching outward for appreciation, acknowledgment, courage, permission, justification, and empowerment that I have missed entirely that I am capable of all that -- and more -- within myself. I am so afraid of making a mistake that I often don't trust myself with my own intuition, aspirations, and beliefs. Even when the pain of staying quiet and stagnant becomes all-consuming. I can count on half of one hand the number of decisions I've made just for me and nobody else; without influence or response to judgement. And though what resulted wasn't always easy and never perfect, those decisions opened doors to a better, more confident me. This challenge is about not losing myself to the start of the school year. It's about putting myself first while deepening my compassion toward others, two things I've struggled to do for the past several years. It's about respecting the slow process. Health Goals: Yoga 3x/week. During this challenge I will start my search for a new yoga class or studio. I have a few in mind that I would like to visit -- it's just a matter of pushing aside my worries and doing it. I learned last challenge that I like going to a class with a teacher and other students. It gives me skills that I can practice more easily at home. Ideally I would like to take a class once a week and then commit to practicing at home at least twice a week. Eat mindfully: 1) 2 servings of fruit and/or veggies each day; 2) no chips. The ban on chips is an extension of last challenge, and I want to keep going with it and know if I don't make it an official goal I'll likely fall off the wagon. And although I was doing really well with my freggie intake during this past school year, this summer turned into a long break and I'm cringing as I realize just how little I've eaten over the past few months. So, starting back up small and manageable. Limit Facebook scrolling to 1x/day. For me this is most certainly a health goal. Staring at the computer or my phone hurts my eyes and my brain and my shoulders; Facebook seems to be my biggest weakness. Last summer I was trying out being an online health coach and was instructed to post on Facebook several times a day, so I started to get used to (and enjoy) using social media as a tool for sharing interesting information. However, over the course of the year it turned into a tool for distraction and although I do often find good tidbits posted, more often I just end up falling down a frustrating rabbit hole. My goal is to give myself one time during the day to check and scroll through Facebook. I'll have to sort of "see where it goes" and figure out how to manage this. Life Goals: Focus on honesty + voice. This is a goal without parameters or guidelines. Simply, I want to stop being so afraid to speak and honor my truth. Whether it's sharing an idea during a staff meeting, asking for what I need at home, or following a pursuit I feel passionate about, I need to start cultivating the ability to be honest. I don't take this to mean that I need to start opening up and sharing everything about myself all the time; I am still and will always be an introvert with a very capital I, and I love that about myself. But staying closed up and silent all the time isn't working for me anymore. It leads me to feel resentment, passive aggressiveness, anger, and hopelessness. I direct frustrations at people I shouldn't and allow myself to get wrapped up in negative, spinning thoughts. Consider life outside of teaching. Welp, this is a big, scary goal that I've sort of been dreaming of since I started teaching 4 years ago. Almost immediately after I started my first year I knew wholeheartedly that teaching wasn't for me. There are many things I love about teaching, but being a teacher in a public school just doesn't fit. I lost control of myself so quickly. I gained 30 pounds, got really sick really often, fell into deep depression, and stopped connecting with my friends and family. I wasn't me anymore; I would look in the mirror and not see my face. I told myself that I would make it to 5 years, and now I'm about to start my 5th year. Last year was a lot better and I felt mostly successful and confident, but I still didn't feel very happy. What has kept me tied to the job is the money and insurance and vacation time, I started to worry that I wouldn't be able to find something that would support me as well. So I want to really think about what might come next and ease some of my fears: show myself that this isn't the end of the road.

I’m back for a summer challenge and so looking forward to having a focus for these long unstructured days. What helps me the most with these challenges is the daily journaling, reflection, and accountability. The levels and characters are so fun but this time around I need to just focus on my goals and not worry as much about points and percentages. I’m taking a cue from my more successful past challenges and focusing on goals that are simple, straight-forward, and attainable. This will be my first challenge with the Druids! Challenge Goals: 1. 2 intentional workouts each week. This will be done through my weekly yoga class and then another class or workout of my choice - either a fitness class with a friend when we are able to schedule one, an at-home yoga practice, or a long walk/hike. Any exercise beyond twice a week is awesome and something I hope to do as well. 2. No chips. Simple as that. In the past year I stopped drinking soda and stopped consuming meat, dairy, and eggs. I had to take a bit of a break from taking things out of my diet until I could get a handle on all the new changes I was experiencing. Chips are a specific snack food that I eat too often and add nothing of value to my health, and are something I know I can and need to successfully quit. The only times chips are okay: if they are topping a casserole or if I’m eating nachos. 3. 64 ounces of water daily. I feel SO much better when I’m hydrated. It regulates my appetite, helps with digestion, and reduces my anxiety. I used to be really good at drinking enough water but fell off the wagon during the school year and haven’t been able to get a habit going again this summer. If I can have a glass of lemon water upon waking up and then three more glasses throughout the day this will be an attainable and helpful goal. Life Goals: 1. Commit to opening myself up to new solutions for my ADHD, anxiety, and depression. I’ve been pretty stuck in the mindset of relying on medication. It worked well for a while but I need to take the next step now of trying therapy again and looking into meditation (and more yoga). I made myself a couple of appointments over the next few weeks and I’m keeping track of my mood to see which activities have the most positive impact. Mental health and physical health go hand-in-hand! 2. Avoid disposable cups and straws. They're a bummer and I use them way too frequently. This will double nicely as a reducing sweets/treats goal as it means I probably won't have as many iced chais/vanilla soy lattes/hot chocolates. A little rambling . . . I started on NF about a year and a half ago, and since then I’ve had a few successful challenges and a few not-so-successful challenges. I have learned a LOT about myself & my health since last summer and I’ve spent the previous year navigating the world of a wholesome vegan diet and lifestyle. I’m currently the healthiest I’ve ever been, and although I haven’t been able to completely keep off some of the weight I lost, I haven’t gained any extra. Exercise remains my nemesis, but I have enjoyed the process of finding what I truly love to do and learning to see movement as a normal part of life rather than a 30-minute chore. Food, exercise, and mental health all play a part in bettering my wellness. Things that work for me: eating plenty of fruits and veggies, limiting snacking, taking exercise classes with a buddy, getting enough sleep, planning out my meals, learning to cook, going for walks, practicing yoga, taking things one step at a time. The simpler the plan, the more successful I usually am. Any activities I can easily incorporate into my daily life allow me to build positive habits. And being honest with myself about what I like to do and what I can do helps me narrow down what I can change right now. Things that don’t really work for me: counting calories, restricting too many foods at once, at-home workout DVDs, complicated tracking systems, weighing myself often, meal plans that are too long and adventurous, running. All of these things have been tried multiple times, and I usually come up with the idea to jump into them again when I hit a period of desperation (weight gain, fatigue, social anxiety, deadline, etc). It’s when I want to lose weight very quickly and lose sight of the bigger picture of overall health. With all this in mind my focus is to build habits that are meaningful and long-lasting through cleaning up my diet step by step and discovering what movement I enjoy most!

What? Two challenges in a row? Jeez. I realize I didn't do a lot of updating over the last challenge, and really no visiting of anyone else's threads. For me, NF is a very all-or-nothing thing. I used to spend all day on here, updating, reading, encouraging, playing in chat, etc. And then it got to be too much (well, Mr Mir felt it was too much because I wasn't spending any time with him). So, in my way of doing things, the NF switch got flipped to Off. I'm still not sure what an appropriate amount of time looks like. I miss interacting with nerds; I miss talking to the people that have encouraged and loved me through some of the hardest times in my (recent) life. So I'm trying. This is me, trying. I still don't have any clear goals for this challenge, other than continuing my am/pm routine and trying to turn it into a habit. Not doing so great so far - from Jan 11 to 31 I only did my am/pm stuff 6 times. It's easy stuff, but I just wait until too late and then I'm tired and say, "whatever, I can just do it in the morning". As far as the morning stuff...I'm usually running behind during the week, and I guess I'm just lazy on the weekend - I'll get up, put on some pjs, and go downstairs instead of cleaning my guard, which would take all of 2 minutes. Sometimes I take a step back and analyze the reason for putting these things into place to begin with. I don't want to get stuck back in a place where I feel guilty because I'm not doing the things I said I would, but the only reason I said I would do them was so I could accomplish some other goal, and I'm accomplishing the other goal without doing the things. (That seems rambly; does it make sense?) So like prepping my coffee the night before - is it necessary? Not really. I can do coffee in the morning. But it IS kind of nice (especially during the week) to be able to stumble downstairs and basically just hit "brew". Eliminating steps in the morning is good. And cleaning my occlusal guard isn't to accomplish something else but should be done for its own sake - because ew. And meds - goes without saying, really. So, yes, back to the goals. I don't know what to set. There are too many things and I can't decide what's most important. Is it important to do my physical therapy exercises? Is it important to set up a launch pad? Is it important to make sure the dishes are done every day? Is it important to keep laundry off the floor? There are too many options, and then I get overwhelmed and think maybe I should just keep trying the am/pm thing until it's a habit and then add things slowly. But then I think maybe I should discard the am/pm idea because it's not working. Too much stress. Very overwhelm. In other news, which I don't think I talked about last challenge, I got dumped by my therapist. (Bolding bc important thing in the middle of word vomit.) Being dumped sucks. Being dumped by a therapist REALLY sucks. Being dumped by a therapist via no contact/response really, really, really, REALLY sucks. I will admit that I was not great at keeping appointments. But I never no call/no showed. I always let her know. And really...last summer was tough. Some days I didn't have enough spoons to even get dressed. One day I emailed her (yes, we primarily communicated via email) to cancel/reschedule...and I never heard back from her. Ever. To this day. It was just a couple weeks before I was planning to go back to work, and I thought it was probably a good idea to see her. But yeah, no response. I tried not to judge; I figured maybe she was sick or wasn't practicing anymore or whatever. However, I heard through the grapevine that she is, indeed, still practicing. So I vagged up one day and called her. Got her voicemail stating she would return my call within 24 hours. Never heard back. Ever. To this day. It was fairly recent - about 2 weeks ago. Definitely informed my depressive episode. So now here I am, without a therapist, and still in that place of "omg, I'm going to have to find someone new and spend all that time and energy and effort AGAIN" - those of you who are/have been in therapy know exactly what I'm talking about. Rehashing everything all over again...it gets so old. Anyway...other than that, feeling generally sad and weepy today. And frustrated. Frustrated by many things. I'm trying to just sit with it and not judge or be mad at myself that I've basically gotten no work done yet today. Especially since I might start crying at any moment! But! There's a ray of sunshine in the darkness! His name is Benson; I've nicknamed him Bun Bun. He is adorable and soft and cute and sweet...but, in true guinea pig fashion, still very skittish and frightened. Hopefully he will warm up to me in time.

“Examine your world from all angles and you will see the interconnectedness of all things. Even that which is humble can be the key to greater things.†– The Lion of Two Rivers Last challenge, I began the journey to learn how to love my body for what it is, right now. The battle is far from over, but once upon a time, when I first joined Nerd Fitness, I actually started to like how I looked, so I decided to go back to when I feel I was the most successful at these 6-week challenges from a body image standpoint and have recycled old quests from my first two challenges. Because while learning to love myself is largely a mental and emotional challenge, as a sufferer of depression and ADHD there is most certainly a physical component as well that affects my mental and emotional states, and vice versa. Everything is connected, and through this connectedness, I can find happiness. Wu the Lotus Blossom is my home girl (and someday, I’d love to cosplay her!) MAIN QUEST: Love my body and love myself! Because poor body image issues and low self-esteem are a pain in the ass. QUEST 1: MIND: REMEMBER THE BASICS [+5 CON] Eating is 90% of the battle, and I’m all about making sure I eat smarter. Last challenge, I focused on taking control of my mindless snacking, which was a definite success for the most part; this challenge, I want to revisit calorie counting and macro management and utilize the IIFYM practice, at least until I get to the measurements I want, in which case I will reevaluate. Whether or not that happens this challenge, we’ll see; I’ll cross that bridge when I get there. In the meantime, 6x/week, I will be sure to eat between 1430-1787 calories (gross) daily. If I burn more than 500 calories in exercise, I will allow myself up to 2000 calories in total. I will also track my macros (target: 150g carbs/98g protein/49g fat), but it will not be part of my grading just yet, if at all this challenge. I will reevaluate every week to see if any of these numbers need to be tweaked any, and so the exact numbers will be subject to change based on lessons learned. A = 6x/week | B = 4-5x/week | C = 3x/week | D = 1-2x/week | F = 0x/week I will, of course, strive to make this a 7x/week goal, but I'm giving myself some leeway in case of Life. That said, I don't want to fall back into a "Well, I managed it for Monday through Saturday, I can take Sunday off!" mindset because there has only been problems with that approach for me. So, if I manage to eat within calorie limits for all seven days of the week, I will put $10 towards the bonus gift at the end of the challenge. QUEST 2: BODY: WAY OF THE CLOSED FIST [+3 STA, +1 STR, +1 DEX] Throughout the course of the next 6 weeks, I will be running in four races, which while I know I can finish them, I want to make a strong showing. That said, I don’t want to let up on my other training in dance and bodyweight strength training, but I know that considering my life, I can’t do it all. So, I will commit to running 3x/week and other workout (strength and/or dance) 2x/week. If I can do more, I’ll certainly try, but I won’t hold myself to it. Dancing during rehearsals, if the total time spent on choreography is over 30 minutes, WILL count. Also, Week 6, in lieu of tech week for Cabaret, will be exempt from this quest because I literally won't have any time between work and rehearsals and whatever little sleep I actually get, and any spare time I do find will likely just be resting. Running: A = 3x/week | B = 2x/week | C = 1x/week | F = 0x/week Strength/Dance: A = 2x/week | C = 1x/week | F = 0x/week If in any given week I manage to dance 2x/week and strength train 2x/week, I will give myself $25 towards the bonus gift at the end of the challenge. If I don't do the ideal but manage to do strength/dance more than twice in a week, it'll be $5 per extra workout. That said, dancing for Cabaret rehearsals will have a max limit of 2x/week; if I want extra dance points, it needs to be outside of rehearsal. Working on choreography outside of rehearsals will count, though. During Week 6, aside from the race I'm running that week, any workouts I do that isn't part of the show's dancing (practicing choreography on my own outside of rehearsal will count, but if it's during a run-through or part of the rehearsal itself, it will not count because that's just cheating) will merit me an extra $5 per workout. QUEST 3: SPIRIT: WAY OF THE OPEN PALM [+3 DEX] Of all physical skills to let slide while in rehearsals, this is the one that will take the hardest and longest time to recover from, plus flexibility will make all sorts of things easier from a physical, a health, and a performance standpoint. 3x/week, I will dedicated 10-15 minutes to flexibility work be it long and deep stretches, splits work, yoga, what have you. Also note that for Week 6, this quest will not be exempt and the challenge will then become about fitting in long, deep stretches prior to rehearsals/performances. A = 3x/week | B = 2x/week | C = 1x/week | F = 0x/week LIFE QUEST: EXPLORE THE JADE EMPIRE [+1 WIS, +1 CHA] Once a week, I will endeavor to try something new. These can be big things like going someplace I’ve never been before or trying a new activity, or small things like trying a new recipe or new exercise/yoga pose or what have you. As long as it’s something I’ve never done/tried before or someplace I’ve never been before, it counts! Alternatively, something that maybe I’ve done/tried a long time ago, failed, and have been too scared to try again, will also count. The more outside of my comfort zone, the better! Any new exercises/yoga poses done during mini challenges will not count towards this quest because that's cheating. Pass/Fail; there is no middle ground BONUS QUEST: 100 Days of Happiness! I started this at the end of last challenge and would like to use Nerd Fitness as motivation to keep it up. From May 23 – August 31 (for a total of 100 days) I want to have one image to describe what made me happy that day, or if nothing in particular made me happy or if I had a bad day, an image showing what makes me happy in my life. Ideally, I will take the picture myself, but there are days when it won’t be possible so I’ll use a stock photo or pull something from the Internet instead. I will include these in each of my daily updates. No grading or stat points included. This is just for fun. SUMMARY: Quest 1: Eat according to IIFYM 6x/week. Quest 2: Run 3x/week, Strength/Dance 2x/week at minimum Quest 3: Deep flexibility work 3x/week Life Quest: Do something new/scary 1x/week STAT POINT DISTRIBUTION: +1 STR | +4 DEX | +3 STA | +5 CON | +1 WIS | +1 CHA WEEKLY RECAPS Day Zero | Week One | Week Two | Week Three | Week Four | Week Five | Challenge Complete! MINI CHALLENGES Day Zero AMRAPs: Assisted Dips: 9 Assisted Pull-ups: 6 Assisted Pistol Squats: 4 Hanging Knee Raises: 1 5 Current AMRAPs: Assisted Dips: 20 Assisted Pull-ups: 11 Assisted Pistol Squats: 15 Hanging Knee Raises: 13 +1 STA Earned! +1 STR Earned! +1 DEX Earned! REWARDS! I haven’t utilized rewards in a while mostly since it was too hard and stressful coming up with a suitable/realistic reward system. This time, for Reasons, I have some rewards that I want, to look forward to, and that I can’t justify spending money on since I’m trying to tighten up my finances in lieu of the Cancun vacation in August (all paid for, but I’m saving up money for surprise extra costs that might pop up), possibly moving this autumn (because we’re considering adopting a puppy, and a third floor apartment just won’t cut it, plus we are So Over the crap parking situation at our current place), and a relatively last minute surprise Japan trip around New Year's (that I'm already needing to dip into my savings account to be able to pay for). Stacking rewards! A-average = Professional massage/spa day B-average = New swimsuit for Cancun trip C-average = Buy a thing (less than $25) at Charming Charlie’s (preemptively purchased, whoops!) Bonus Gift! The money I earned for going above and beyond the Quests 1 and 2 minimums will be used towards extracurricular (read: unnecessary but desired) extra costs in Cancun, such as drinks, souvenirs, touristy things, etc. Week One Earned: $70 Week Two Earned: $100 Week Three Earned: $75 Week Four Earned: Starting Measurements and Photos: Waist @ Narrowest: 26.75" (Goal: 24") Waist @ Navel: 30" Hips: 35" WHR: 0.76 (Goal: Maintain between 0.75-0.80) Chest: 31" Bicep: 9.5" Thigh: 20.5" Calf: 14.25" Neck: 12" Wrist: 5.5"

Main Quest- Move beyond the recommended routine found on /r/bodyweightfitness. Complete the recommended routine every other day. Limit sweets intake. (Pastrys, soda, candy.) Cardio three to four times a week. (Running, jump rope, boxing.) Life Side Quest- Write a story. Try to submit a page a week. While I am working on this challenge I will be writing a narrative day by day to go along with with my posts here. Something to try and grab your attention and keep your attention over this six week challenge. Links: Recommended routine - http://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness/wiki/kb/recommended_routine Story - http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/62939-port-idles-an-assassins-birth-book-one-chapter-one/

Frell me dead. I have just started working out regularly as a manner to fight the depression that I have been going through as a result of losing my decently paying job. Through the insurance provided by my employer (for whom I had been working mostly as a way to have insurance and pay the bills, but worked hard I did), I had been seeing a psychotherapist and had started taking an anti-depressant and a stimulant (to combat whatever role my ADHD had been playing in my depression). In addition to the medical approach, I was also starting to use physical activity to ease my woes. My father had depression when I was growing up, and he says that his constant bike riding and hockey playing are what keeps him sane. I had started a six-week, twelve-class sword fighting program, which started getting me active, and I have just joined a gym so that I could supplement the activity during the week. And I was getting so much better. (This has all been laid out in my introduction post from just over a week ago). Yesterday, I had my second appointment with my psychiatrist, and had gotten my second month's supply of medication, and I got the boot. The line they gave me was something along the lines of 'We appreciate all the hard work you've put in, we really like you, but—the company is going through a rough patch, and we're worried that when you start graduate school you won't be able to put in the overtime that your seat requires.' Ugh Luckily, I was insured when I saw the doc and got my drugs ($45 vs $400), and that I have been winding down appointments with my therapist (the last one was this week, and the next one isn't until mid-January). But now I'm finding it difficult not to just sit at home and play Minecraft all day. I'm going to try to get my stuff together to go to the gym after I post this, but I think I could use some frelling encouragement right now.

In which I describe my goals: I'm working on getting my life together in numerous ways, one of which is managing my ADHD better. My therapist says that a solid foundation for managing ADHD is based on consistency in four key areas: 1) Medication, 2) Sleep, 3) Exercise, 4) Diet. My medication is pretty good and I've taken big steps in making my sleep consistent. That means that it's time for number three! Now, I could argue that I'm already consistent in this area, in that I don't get any exercise. (Har.) But my blood pressure's getting a little high, and I'm tired of getting breathless just mowing the lawn. Plus I'm going to have to shovel snow in a few months, and I'd prefer to be able to do more of it so my sixty-something dad doesn't have to do as much. And my best friend has undertaken running--she's already done her first 5k!--so I'd really like to be able to run a 5k with her. (The next one she's planning on doing is at the end of October, so I don't think I'm going to be able to be ready for that one, but the one after that, yup!) My first goal in this area is consistency. I am not good at developing and maintaining habits. So right now I am aiming for at least two and ideally three days a week. I'm planning on running in the mornings, and I have apps set up on my iPhone to help me. I'm using Zombies, Run! Couch to 5k, although right now it's more like, Zombies, Stroll! I've got a playlist set up and I got an armband so I don't have to worry about my phone bouncing out of my pocket. My reward for when I get through a month of being consistent will be to get fitted for a pair of running shoes!

I was going to do a Doctor Who-themed challenge, but I can meet you halfway on the Firefly theme, and go with the original Western-inspired criminal-rebel-misfits-in-space show, the grandfather of them all: Blake's 7. Gosh, that makes it look so... serious. I suppose I'll be disabusing you of that idea over the course of this challenge. This show's got a smuggler, and a computer hacker who broke a bank, and a petty thief, and a murderer, and two political criminals trying to topple a corrupt government: the lead, Blake, and Cally, an alien from Auron, who's an actual proper trained rebel. (Those who can count have noticed that's not seven. Yeah, slightly sore point there. They never got around to it and tried to claim the disembodied talking computer Zen was the seventh.) They're on the run, pursued by a madman with a grudge and the most dangerous woman from any TV show ever, planning rebellion and trying not to kill each other or snark each other to death, and, despite the show occasionally forgetting it has female characters, Cally is one of the best of whole lot: the committed alien terrorist and vicious killer who's also the kindest and most genuinely moral one of the entire bunch. (Admittedly, it's a low bar on that ship.) So it's time for some actual proper rebel training. My longer-term goal is weight loss and building up strength, flexibility, and good conditioning for martial arts, maybe take up some climbing or parkour on the side for kicks. This is Cally trying to interrogate and kill three of her future friends, as one does. The great thing about the DVD releases is that, now, after she pushes Blake down that hill and onto the ground, you can see her bootprint clearly on his chest. She genuinely got a good kick in there; that always makes my day. Also, I think there's some ukemi in there, or at least we'll say there is, cuz she takes a fall and ends up on the ground. It counts. So: Goal: Aikido training I'm dojo-less at the moment, but I want to get a training plan for what I can train, so that when I go back, I'm in better shape than when I left. The basic warmups from training sessions each morning, some ukemi training, some sword kata. Those seem like the immediate things to work into my training routine. That's Cally scaling a castle with Blake to free a deposed and imprisoned president because politics. The politics, and the president, were actually very interesting. But the important bit here is scaling a castle. Hauling your body weight up two storeys takes some strength. Goal: Strength Training I've been doing a strength workout that is more of a placeholder than a real plan. I'm going to start El Diablo's Start Bodyweight Training plan to scale up a bit. I like bodyweight training, and that's got some well-laid-out exercise progressions, which can be one of my frustrations as I hit uneven patches in my fitness. I've got a bit of weight to lose, so I'm going to be following his suggestion for weight loss, with some cardio and HIIT in between - I'm basically doing that now, but the goal is to get it all working with a scaled-up strength training plan. This is Cally meditating while... god, best not to ask. It was the '70s. I think the men are doing Space Yoga, which is like regular yoga, but infinitely dorkier. (And those who've seen the show will get the pun in that banner. That's the computer, Zen.) Goal: Meditation This doesn't seem like a fitness goal, but in a way it is, because in a sense it's very like aikido training for the brain, with the repetitiveness and the focus. My ADHD significantly gets in the way of my forming new habits, so that's the thing I need to work on for my fitness habits to stick. I feel like a terrible martial arts cliché here, but screw it: that's the training I need, so that's the training I'll do. My plan is to step up over the six weeks, so a passing score will get more demanding over the challenge and the habits can work into place gradually, rather than make for an overwhelming week 1 and 2. Aikido stretching/warmups: The goal is every day. In week 1, three days a week is a pass. In week 6, six days a week is a pass. (6 points total, 1 per week of pass) Aikido ukemi practice and sword kata: For this challenge, I'm going to aim for adding one session a week. I might want to increase to two or three, but let's start with one and see how it goes. (6 points total, 1 per week of pass) Meditation: The goal is every day. In week 1, four days a week is a pass. In week 6, six days a week is a pass. (6 points total, 1 per week of pass) Bodyweight strength/cardio training sessions: The sample plan is the basic strength training routine 3x/week, and 35 minutes of cardio (two steady state and one with Tabata intervals) 3x/week. Week 1, I'm going to consider a pass as three cardio days, and using the other days to find my baseline in the progressions and learn the exercises I don't know well. Week 2, a pass will be getting the scheduling right, but I won't consider it a fail if I run out of time and can't get the full session in. Weeks 3 and onward, getting 5/6ths of it done is a pass. (6 points total, 1 per week of pass) 0%0% (0/24)

Hokay. So. Here's Mir. Background: Near the end of last challenge, suddenly we decided to talk to a realtor. So now our house is going up on the market THIS WEEK and we are beginning to look at houses closer to where we work (right now is about a 40 min commute and we are sick of it). It's all happening way too fast, and I've never bought a house or sold a house before so I'm in completely uncharted territory. This past weekend was spent getting the house in show-ready condition. If I'm not lazy, I'll take some pics of our immaculate house for y'all. If I am, maybe I'll just link to the MLS. Only then you'll all know where I live. And there are probably stalkers on the internet. So maybe not. ANYWAY, other things that are going well: weight loss. I didn't have it as a goal last challenge, but it IS a goal. Since the beginning of the year-ish, I've lost 15 lbs-ish. I'm hoping for another 5 or so and then I plan to reevaluate and see if I want to lose 5-10 lbs more. I'm getting close! Hooray! work. Still a struggle, but I've been doing MUCH, MUCH better about being focused while I am here. Yes, here. I am typing this at work because I need a small mental break. And I keep getting harassed about making a challenge *cough*Raev and Chairbrokey*cough*. And it's good that I've been more focused because HOLY HELL AM I BUSY. Between work and house stuff, I haven't been to the gym on lunch. In like three weeks. Seriously. And I'm considering taking my PC home tonight and/or this weekend because I have a LOT to do. And I haven't been having too much trouble getting to work on Mondays. I did miss Tuesday, July 8, because I don't know why, but at least I went into work on Friday to make up for it so I didn't use as much sick time. I also used sick leave on Monday, June 23, but again I made up for some of it later that week. Before that, it was May 27. And again I made up some time. So yeah, I mean that's a lot, but not nearly as much as it was. And I have almost 20 hours of sick time banked (wooo). Seriously, huge accomplishment. Things that aren't going well: workouts. I've been too busy at work and with the house search, as stated above, but I've also been making excuses. I want to step it up, but at this point I'm unwilling to make it a challenge goal. I just want to keep it in the back of my head. planning for Japan. Eek. That is all. WITH ALL THAT BEING SAID. Challenge goal #1: JUST DON'T DIE. (with apologies/thanks to Blueberries) I can't believe how stressed I am about selling the house. For serious. So this will be about managing my stress levels. I'm not good at that. In a crisis (or other stressful situation), I'm a whiz. Until I get overloaded, and then I shut completely down. Like, can't get out of bed completely. I don't want that to happen. Hence the goal. Challenge goal #2: KEEP THE HOUSE SHINY. Seriously, this is THE WORST goal for me. I am not good about keeping on top of household things. Now all of a sudden not only do I have to do things like wash the dishes and put away laundry DAILY (when I'm normally a once a week kinda gal), I have to remember to do stupid shit like keeping the toilet lids down, making the bed EVERY DAY (I never ever make the bed), probably emptying our trash daily and vacuuming on the regular because you never know when someone is going to request a showing. I cannot overstate how horrible this goal is going to be for me. No I'm not being overdramatic. Challenge goal #3: DON'T EAT LIKE AN ASSHOLE. I'm usually good on this front. I haven't been tracking calories lately because with all the med stuff, I just haven't been hungry. So many days I'm only eating one meal a day. NOTE: Please no one yell at me about this. My energy levels have been fine (actually GREAT, to be honest) and I'm not wasting away or anything. I'm assuming at some point the side effects will wear off to the point that I have an appetite again. In the meantime, I'm riding the coaster. Or whatever. Uh. And then hopefully I can get back to the gym on the regular. That's pretty much it. I'm ready to go home and have a bottle of wine now.

Hokay. So. Here's Mir (round) . Damn, that's a sweet Mir. So, quick backstory that most of you already know. Suffer from depression, and working on getting an official diagnosis of ADHD. I am in counseling and also on meds. Currently I am taking 40mg of Prozac a day. ---- Quick update from between challenges: OHMYGOD. SOMETHING HAPPENED. I FEEL SO MUCH BETTER RIGHT NOW. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED. One day I was a miserable pile of sludge and the next I was just happy. Just...happy. Even being bored and annoyed at work hasn't been enough to keep me down. I've been making social commitments and keeping them, getting along well with Mr Mir, and just generally being ok. This started 4 days after I increased my dosage of Prozac to 40mg. I am skeptical that it is the medication for many reasons, chief among them that I NEVER felt like this because of Prozac before. I don't remember the last time I was just happy to be. I am working with my therapist on preventing a horrible spiraling relapse, and that's what this challenge is going to be about. Because as glad as I am to be feeling this good, I'm absolutely terrified that it will go away just as suddenly, and with just as little explanation. So here's where it starts. No Zero Days. If you want to read the Reddit post that inspired this theme, you can find it here. Otherwise, I will sum up. 1. No zero days. This means do SOMETHING every. single. day. that will help to improve my life. I spent a long time trying to think of how I was going to narrow down the list of things I wanted to accomplish for myself this challenge, and the simplest way is to put it all in one bucket and pick the thing(s) that need to be done the most, or that will help me feel the best. Because I know myself. And although it may not be lupus, depression is still a real illness, and I've found that spoon theory does a great job of explaining my energy level variation. So some days I may be able to do all the things. Others, it may be a struggle to get out of bed. 2. The Three Mes (Me's? Debate.). I have two best friends in the world: past me and future me. We are BFFFL. So every day, I will thank past me for something I did that has improved present me's situation. And every day I will do future me a favor. Even if I wouldn't do it for me, I would do it for my BFFFL. *Note: I think this is an especially important goal. Specifically the thanking. I definitely have trouble with dysfunctional thought patterns, and I am trying to combat that but it's hard because I'm not always aware of it. So by instead focusing on positives....I think this will help. 3. Forgiveness. This is also huge. I am very hard on myself. I will find a quote from Strawberry Squatcake in a minute if I remember. But yes. If I try, really try, to have a nonzero day and I still fail? Practice grace. Forgive my past self. Forgive myself for the mistakes I make. And move on. 4. (hey! this is where it actually gets challenge-y!) Exercise and books. Exercise, duh. And obvs since I am a warrior I will be lifting the heavy things. But also still doing my physical therapy. I still have trouble doing things where I only have to bend over slightly, like putting on my underwear or spitting into the sink after brushing my teeth. And books. Read books that will help me be a better me. I already have a bit of a list, but I'm always open to suggestions. I think for this challenge I am going to focus on ADHD books and Japanese books. ADHD because I want to learn as much about it and coping mechanisms as possible, and Japan because I'm fucking going to Japan this fall!!! And I took a couple Nihongo classes many years ago, but not much has stuck with me, and I'm definitely concerned not only about the speaking barrier but the reading/writing barrier. I bought an awesome book called Remembering the Kanji and, as is typical for me, devoured the first 3 sections in about an hour and I haven't looked at it since. No more of that. Alright, so that's enough. I did want to put down a list of things that would count for nonzero days, because I am typically so hard on myself. So here it is. Not inclusive, just representative. And if you have ideas or feedback, let me know! Go to work (even if I am not productive) Be productive at home (even if I don't go to work - so errands, housework, yardwork, etc) Journaling Planning for Japan trip Planning for moving (eventually) Scrapbooking Calling a friend (texting/online will not count for this unless I'm in a REALLY bad place, so it's subjective) Being social outside the home Having friends over Cooking dinner NST Taking meds (this will only count on a really bad day) Counting calories Things that will NOT count: sleeping video games reading fiction books playing on Facebook playing stupid games on phone I'm ready! But nervous.