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When you first get your Driver and become a Kamen Rider, the path is never always crystal clear. You may win a few battles here and there, but there's an element of struggle. You're not sure how to use this power that you've been given. While you're struggling with that, your battles keep seeming easier and easier until you hit your first hurdle; a new opponent who's stronger than you. That's when it becomes clear; all those previous struggles were meant to prepare you for that first power up in order to defeat said opponent, so you can find your purpose. Sure, I feel like I've won a few of these first battles last challenge, but a few opponents that ran away before have returned, and they brought friends. I'm not at that hurdle yet, but I know it's coming. It's time I focus on what I'm really struggling with this month in order to be ready for my soon-to-come power up. Goals for this challenge are as follows: Continue to attend class a minimum of two times each week and stretch daily. I did well with class attendance last month, but I relied heavily on gaining that sticker to do so. Going to add it again so it becomes a habit that no longer needs a sticker. Stretching didn't go so well, so it's back to get better. Continue to journal daily and track all food and drinks in MFP. I did well with the journaling, but it followed the same as the one above; get dat sticker. I'm keeping it until I don't need it and adding my tracking to it as well. This is something I started recently, but it's been sporadic, and I don't want it to be, so there. Follow elimination protocol for caloric drinks, especially coffee-containing substances. I feel like I got a handle on my treats, so I'm moving on to a sub-par habit that I've picked up. I've been drinking the not-optimal coffee options for caffeine (see this chart for reference; I'm mocha and frappuccino -.-). This usually only happens when I succumb to Big Food, but I'll need to be extra conscious about it for when I do. Typical protocol; toss 1/4 for first two weeks, then progress to 1/2 for the second. Eat a home cooked or prepared meal for breakfast AND lunch a minimum of three times a week. Yeah, I know I was working on vegetables last month, but I really noticed just how badly I struggled with just EATING the food I brought to work and being too lazy in the morning to get up early enough to eat at home. It hurts my gut, waistline, and wallet, so I'm going to focus on this for now. It doesn't need to be squeaky clean, but it should still increase the quality of my food and decrease the quantity. I'm set with my strategy, now it's time to implement! Here comes Week Zero!

I know that I've been yo-yo-ing here on challenges a lot lately, but I think I figured it all out. I stretched myself a bit too thin, trying to take on too many things at once. So, I'm here to start from the very beginning, with what I know works best for me . Because in the end, all that matters is what works for me. And so here it is: I'm going to start my official Kamen Rider Training. Yeah, I know it's pretty obnoxious and childish, but it can get me really excited and motivated (read: HYPED). Part of my goals for the year include being much more authentic, even over here on the forums. So, that includes more honesty, more asking for help when it's needed, and MORE KAMEN RIDER! For the month of January, here are my simple starting goals: 1. Eat ONE CUP of vegetables DAILY. Kamen Riders know what best fuels them to fight for justice and humanity. For me, that means more vegetables. This sounds quite manageable to me. 2. Eliminate 1/4 of all treats. This basically means that I can still have treats when I'm craving them, but I toss 1/4 of whatever it is before I eat it. This has worked wonders for me in the past to successfully stop eating something (when I remember it), and I think treats (which means desserts of the refined sugar variety) isn't too big or broad of a category to overwhelm me. It's still a bit on the broad side, and I might still have trouble remembering, so I'm not going to upgrade to 1/2 for the full month. 3. Attend capoeira class a MINIMUM of TWO times each week AND spend a MINIMUM of TWO MINUTES correcting leg and hip muscle imbalance. Kamen Riders know how to fight, and they certainly know how to KICK. I have a tendency to not go to class when I don't feel like it (or when I lose sight of commitments, lose sight of my value, that kind of thing), so I'm slowly transitioning myself to the default of "JUST GO" when that happens. I know that I always feel better afterwards. And with the kicking comes hip and leg health, so I'll be stretching (using Focused Flexibility) and doing some PT exercises to correct muscle imbalances in the legs and hips. Getting up and doing them is hard, so I'll start with just two minutes each day and go from there. 4. Journal daily. Kamen Riders never forget their purpose, or when they do, a friend beats them up fights them until they remember. Knowing that small, progressive steps IS the best thing for me, I was inspired by Staci's sticker tactic and my own love of journals and journaling that I decided to combine the two. Instead of stretching myself out and having more than one place where I'm tracking my stuff, I'm going to put these hardcover journals I collected to use for tracking EVERYTHING, keeping it all in one spot. This should allow me a chance to be reflective and keep me present to everything I want to be changing and why. It'll also give me a place to brainstorm and keep notes as to how things are going so that I can better evaluate what I'm doing. I'll spend some time every day journaling; food tracking, logging training sessions, breaking big goals down into smaller steps, and just reflecting on my thoughts and feelings for the day, even if it's just for a minute or so every day. We're just getting started here. I'd have more of it finished (and this thread up sooner), but there's SO MUCH STUFF TO DO around the house that I've been spending a good deal of time getting that stuff managed this weekend. Become a more responsible adult is on the list of things to accomplish this year. Well, there it is, the new beginning of my journey. I didn't mean to be THAT long winded about everything, but hey, I'm being authentic and refuse to edit it. Let's Henshin!

Welcome to my brand new, daily(ish) battle log! I’m your host, SkiBlue. I’m glad that you’re here; thank you for your support and interest in my quest to level up my life. This is where I’ll be sharing my progress on what I like to call my life improvements; things that I’d like to work toward, build habits around, and will level up my life. This won’t really be taking away from me participating in six week challenges; on the contrary, the challenges will allow me the chance to hone in on specific priorities and trouble areas, while this log will give me a central place to update my progress for accountability and pursue other things outside of the challenges. I’m greatly excited for this; I’ve always struggled with enjoying the process, and now that I do, that will be the focus of this log, since sharing it with the Rebellion in the first place allowed me to make that final leap. Here is the most recent, comprehensive list of life improvements that I’m either currently working toward or in the process of planning to: reach and maintain a healthy body composition improve my relationship with food develop a regular sleep routine to build a regular sleep cycle become more active; get stronger and more flexible improve posture and reverse sitting damage develop money management habits develop habitual home management (improve adulting skills) develop time management skills at work and home include more socialization and appreciation include more hobby-work and skill-building As I work down this list, I'll update the log with the specific steps I'll be taking to make these changes possible. I’m hoping that with the Rebellion’s help, I’ll make those habits transition from daily checks to ways of life. If you’re still curious, head over to my list of concrete goals for leveling up my life, the things that this log is working toward, slowly but surely.

At first, I wasn't sure if I should do a challenge this month, but realized that with this being the holidays, I definitely need it. I was also gonna do a Kamen Rider OOO theme, because December is my birthday month, and with Birthday Cake President, it would fit... Plus, an Anhk motivator wouldn't hurt... Okay, maybe it would. But I think I'm too hyped over all of the Neo-Heisei series bugmen in spandex that I don't really want to limit myself, now that I found out I'm not alone in my fandom. So here are the four major points I want to work on for the next month. They're obviously going to be quite similar to last month's, since they're not quite habits yet and need to be. 1) GET UP IN THE MORNINGS. Yep. This one's still giving me issues. 2) Eat enough food. I'm not eating enough, especially when I'm eating strict Paleo, so the goal for this month is to just get 2k calories consistently. This will obviously involve tracking food. I'm not going crazy and eating everything though. Grains will be limited, and I'll be trying to focus on getting as much protein as possible (130g) and having at least 1 cup of veggies in a day. 3) Progressively eliminate chocolate and cookies. The office candy is now an after-thought. I don't even want it anymore. However, Christmas means COOKIES in my family, so for the first half of the month, I'll be eliminating 1/4 of all sources of chocolate and cookies, and then progress to 1/2 in the second half of the month. 4) Move those hips! Still having leg and hip muscle imbalance issues, so I'll be spending up to ten minutes daily on strengthening exercises and stretches. Let's do this challenge with no continues!

This will be the first time (I recall) not taking a break during Week Zero. I'm rolling with the same basic habits that I was working on last challenge (and practically forgot to keep tracking). I've added a few more ways to gain bonus points, but they're not really required. Just some things I would like to work on once the basics get easier. Eat Well: Continue brown bagging lunches on work days. Bonus points for eating at home on the weekends and in the mornings. Sleep Well: Be in bed by 10:30pm. Bonus points for staying up after alarm in the mornings. Move Daily: Continue to attend regular Mon & Wed classes consistently. Bonus points for any extra training. Love Daily: Track all food and drinks (including water). Bonus points for any time spent on the KonMari list. EDIT: Goals edited for a bit more simplicity and focus. Also, it's kinda dumb, in my opinion, to focus on getting up at a specific time when you don't go to bed at a specific time first, to make sure you get enough sleep.

I won't lie; eating Good Food was REALLY difficult during the last challenge, even after a successful W30. I've been stewing on the role of mindset in my quest to get healthy for the past few weeks, and I believe that's where I need to improve in order to make these changes stick. Inspired by those Rangers who've been taking a flexible, minimalistic approach to goal-setting, I'm following suit, in a way. My goals are a return to regularly scheduled programming; the foundation of my healthy habits, but the means have changed. I will aim for a minimum instead of a maximum and be counting any and every effort in my goal areas. While aiming to do all four daily seems daunting, they encompass a lot of effort choices on their own, and in my tracking spreadsheet, I've edited my formulas and formatting to account for a 70/30 compliance rating. As long as I'm hitting 70% compliance, I'll be RANGERING. My main goals have also evolved into smarter, more manageable pieces. I'm hoping that these changes will allow me to start shifting my mental focus from being too hard on myself for failing (and not being perfect) to appreciating my efforts and progress. Main Goal: Reach a healthy body composition by taking care of myself and my health. My current target number is 35% body fat. Goal One: Eat well. Do the best I can. Minimize consumption of grains, sugars, and Big Fast Food. Maximize consumption of veggies, proteins, and good fats. Find ways of making a sub-par situation better. Every effort counts. Goal Two: Sleep well. Give myself 8 to 9 hours in bed to sleep daily. I'll also be working to improve the quality as well, continuing my use of the Sleep Cycle app, remembering to wear my orange glasses, calming down after late classes with a bath, and maybe investing in some Natural Calm, but those aren't requirements. Goal Three: Move daily. This can take the form of Capoeira training, heavy lifting, bodyweight & endurance training, stretching, or yoga (or anything else that shows up). I should also be stretching at work, using Pomodoros to remind myself not to sit constantly (when my work flow slows). Goal Four: Love daily. This includes loving myself AND other people. Doing things for myself, like meditating, journaling, sewing, reading, writing, coloring, etc. This also includes spending time with the husband; gaming, model building, and all the other stuff we like to do together. We both need a bit more love in our lives.

Hang tight, the insanity is about to begin... Because when you want to leave work, you LEAVE and update your challenge thread after a home made steak dinner, not before. >.< But the least you can do is save yourself a spot on the Rangertrain. Update: 10/26 @ 8:10pm Dinner is DONE (gotta love steak and sweet potato soup), so now it's time to update this thread with my actual challenge goals and such. If you couldn't already tell, the theme to this challenge is... I've decided to stick with my overkill insane motivation for the remainder of the year. I had mixed feelings about using this as a challenge theme; my husband happens to hate the movie, and I know there were a LOT of mixed reception about it. While my knowledge of the 80's TV show is very limited, I still enjoyed the movie for the exact reasons that my husband hates it and more. It brought to life an idea that I've had for a Spec Ops team since I was in middle school, and the ridiculousness, the unrealistic, the hilarious, the insanity, and the EFFECTIVENESS just makes me melt inside (while laughing maniacally). So, without further adieu, I bring to you the challenge in which I become an early bird. Last challenge, I went back to my basics and learned a few things during my struggles. The biggest lesson I learned is that, while it sucks getting up at 5am, it actually makes my life easier to do so and gives me enough time in the day to do the things I need. So, sleep will be added to my basics, along with a few other small things. The Mission: Lose 10lb by December 22nd (my 28th birthday). Team members for the mission: Team Leader: Colonel John "Hannibal" Smith Hannibal is the leader; the brains behind the operation. It is his brilliance in tactics that carries the team through their missions time and again. He is the backbone of the team, always making sure their plans work, one way or another, and gets them out of trouble.Diet is king when it comes to losing weight. So, for this six week challenge, I've decided to take what I've learned about my food issues from last challenge and come up with my own eating plan. I will follow a predominantly Paleo diet while aiming for specific macro-nutrient/calorie numbers. I tend to under-eat while eating clean, so aiming for specific numbers should help me avoid that. The macros should also help with cravings that I just need to nip in the bud and get over. I want to stay as clean as possible though, because it just makes me feel so much better when I do.Macros: CALORIES: 1670|PROTEIN: 145g|FAT: 90g|CARBS: 70gWhat does this have to do with becoming an early bird? Well, if I get my lazy butt up when my alarm goes off, I can actually eat REAL BREAKFAST, something I really need to start doing.Mission role: Eat clean/Paleo at home, following my macros. Reward: +3 CON Team Member: Lieutenant Templeton Arthur "Faceman" Peck His nickname says it all. Peck is the face of the group, always getting into trouble, being the bait and the reel for their plans, and looking damn good doing it. Full of charisma and good-nature, albeit a bit immature at times, he can always be relied on to pull his weight.I will continue with my strength training regimen. Three times a week, push/pull/leg. Although, I'm extending the time from 60 minutes to 90 minutes. This will allow me more time to do a complete workout, main movement and accessory work, not just a main movement. Waking up on time is crucial to this. Peck is also the player of the group, always flirting with the ladies. Because of the bumps that occurred during my last challenge, I'm planning on having a date night with the husband at least once a week. We're still working to put our relationship back on the rails that it was before, so I plan on making a conscious effort in this endeavor.Mission role: strength training 3x week; one date night per week. Rewards: +3 STR, +1 CHA Team member: Sergeant Bosco Albert "B. A." Baracus "Bad Ass" Baracus is the muscle and mechanical brain of the operation. Primarily an "hit first, ask questions later" kind of man, he stands out and is constantly straight forward about himself and his methods. However, being incarcerated has given him a chance to re-evaluate his stance on violence and get in tune with himself to understand how he feels about things.Here's the biggie: SLEEP. I will dedicate EIGHT HOURS to sleep; in bed, no distractions, eyes closed. Even the bedtime routine needs to be done before I start counting. Quality will be tracked with my FitBit. Bedtime is 9pm and I MUST get up with the alarm at 5am, especially on week days. Maybe some leniency during the weekends, but not much. On weekends, I should be out of bed by 8am.My anterior pelvic tilt needs consecutive MONTHS to start correcting properly, so this also needs to be a primary focus, as I didn't spend as nearly enough time or attention to it last time. Waking up early should allow me the time without distractions in order to complete the FULL ROUTINE, instead of just the basic stretches.On the mechanical side of things, I've been a bit lazy at my new job. I've taken the opportunity that it would give me to do more of the things I love (creating, tinkering, etc.), so this is something I will aim to make better. Though, I don't plan on tracking it just yet.Mission role: adhere to bedtime protocol and do my APT therapy routine (full) every, single, day. Rewards: +3 STA, +3 DEX Team member: Captain H. M. "Howling Mad" Murdock Murdock is the pilot and the supposedly insane one of the bunch. Eccentric to the extreme, but completely lovable (in my opinion) and in some ways, ingenious, he completes the team and puts that extra childish, ridiculous flare to their schemes. Always leave it to Murdock to put the madness into the method.EDIT: Play aspect of this challenge will now include any time spent doing any of the following hobbies: sewing, writing, reading, gaming.I will continue to work on my Mandalorian kit. I've got all the fabric swatches and boots, so after I select a fabric for the flight suit, I can purchase it and begin that work. After that's complete, all the other soft parts should fall into place. EDIT: This part will now include all the sewing projects that I have accumulated. I've added a list of what needs to be worked on and completed. Theses do not need to be completed by the time the challenge is over; these are just the articles that I need to spend time working on them. Any time spent sewing costs for this part of the goal.Writing needs more effort than I gave it last challenge. I will try to journal every day, doesn't quite matter about what, and try to get in some serious writing sessions in once a week. This means headphones on, proper writing music in the background, and my pen and notebook. Because, that's how I write.Adulting! There are quite a few adulting chores that I need off my list of things to do. What better way to get them accomplished than to feature them in a Nerd Fitness challenge! I've got a working list so far, but I imagine it'll get things added to it as I remember them.Mission role: work (chores and adulting) and play (sewing and writing hobbies) throughout the week. Rewards: +1 WIS, +1 CHAAdulting List: Sewing List: And there it is, folks! Open and exposed.

This will be my first challenge after my respawn (excellent timing, really). Keeping it short and sweet: Main Goal: lose 20lb by December 22nd EAT CLEAN! Continue on the Whole30 for the entirety of the challenge. +5 CON STRETCH! Spend time every day doing PT routine for my anterior pelvic tilt. +3 DEX EXERCISE! Strength training three times a week (Sunday/Tuesday/Thursday). +3 STR, +2 STALife Quest: October is the time for COSTUMES! +1 WIS, +1 CHA Complete costume designs: Orange/Black tunic set; Mando armor set; Paladin armor and attire set.Spend time writing prose (converting story/character notes into prose from TTRPG games).Basics that I've been trying to work on for a while, but I'm determined to see this through (as indicated by my respawn thread). I'm already Day 8 into the Whole30, but I don't think stopping at 30 days will be enough time for me to break out of old habits and food cravings. I plan on doing a full reintroduction period afterward, but I will probably take a slow roll approach. My APT always bugs me; I focus a good deal on the physical therapy aspect during leg day (Sunday), because I focus on deadlifts, but the PT routine needs to be done every day. Part of that also includes NOT SITTING a lot. So, I'll have to move around more often at work. Strength training is down; Sunday is leg day, Tuesday is push day, and Thursday is pull day. It's just a matter of getting out of bed in the mornings on Tuesday and Thursday. But, seeing as I've been waking up at 430am since Week 2 of the Whole30, it shouldn't be a problem. And seeing as how I've been hording Ren Faire costume supplies and materials for YEARS, I think I need to get them going, since I always show up to the Faire at least once. Edit: for motivation (and other) purposes, I've decided to change the theme of this challenge from Mandalorian themed to.... if anyone is familiar with Kamen Rider. If you are, awesome! If not, I understand completely.

After completing a true Whole30 back in January, I'm ready for action. Main Goal: Drop body fat percentage by 10%. Not going to happen overnight, and that's okay with me. Here's the plan to get that started and going. Goal #1 (+3 CON): Stay eating Whole30. I came off the Whole30 at the end of January and never should have. So I'm going back. I started last Monday and plan on keeping it going through the entire challenge. I plan to follow a good deal of their recommendations about meal-planning too, not just the required rules, with Steve's advice for losing fat tossed in (more fats on rest days, more carbs on workout days). Goal #2 (+3 STA): SLEEP. Eating Whole30 has greatly improved my sleep, but not completely. I plan on GETTING up and going to bed at the same time every night. 5:30am was when I naturally woke up (hungry) during the last two weeks of January, and I'd like to get in bed BEFORE 9pm to help regulate my sleep cycle even more. Goal #3 (+3 STR): Exercise. Three times a week. I'm going to pick up on my strength training routine where I left off. Goal #4 (+3 DEX): Correcting my posture, all of it. Pick up and continue with my anterior pelvic tilt stretch routine and do it EVERY. DAY. I also plan on adding some general posture therapy into it as well. It came from an article about how you can reset your balance or something to the Earth itself using simple baby movements. I wish I could find the article, but alas, the Google Machine is failing me. I will be adding posts with some starting stats, a link to my challenge spreadsheet for added accountability, and the routine for APT/posture and workouts.

After a hiatus, I've decided that I need to return to the structure and discipline gained from partaking in challenges. I know that it's going to be during the holidays, but goals don't wait for those things to pass by, since they happen all the time. My mission, whether I can get to it or not, is to lose 15lb by my birthday, which is December 22nd. Here are the quests that I will undertake to accomplish the mission: 1. Eat clean, Paleo diet (complete Whole30 standards) for all meals, with only ONE exception per week. +5 CON 2. Workout three times per week. Workouts have been pre-planned, based on Steve's workout blueprint. +2 STR, +2 STA 3. APT (anterior pelvic tilt) therapy must be performed every day. This is a short body-weight movement and stretch routine that I've pre-planned as well, based on some simple research. +5 DEX My side quest has been difficult to decide on, but I think I will pick one that will help aid the above quests: 4. Learn how to plan meals for the week. +1 WIS I believe these quests will allow me to complete my mission by the deadline. I know that it seems like a bit much in such a short time, but I've been too relaxed during my hiatus. I wish to return to having plans and structure, to nurture my self-discipline. It will work; I love plans, schedules, and all sort of nerdy things like that. I also understand that using the Whole30 standards at once seems a bit tough and slightly against the habit-forming standard here of gradual elimination, but methodical elimination does not work with me. If I want one thing I shouldn't eat, I want all of the things I shouldn't eat at once. For me, holding myself to those standards all at once is the best way to keep me focused and make it easier for me to say "no" to things that otherwise might be questioned. It gives me some good black and white rules to follow. The one meal per week is a little window built in for those nights when I forget to plan ahead and need to hit the steakhouse for dinner (if the budget allows for such a thing). The point of that is to get me used to being okay to fall off once and roll back onto the plan after that moment without feeling sorry or guilty about it. I will post some pre-challenge stats, like measurements and maybe some before photos, later this weekend. I will also share the pre-planned workouts and therapy routine that I'll be doing, along with attribute points for completing my quests.