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I had a good run and still am feeling mentally and physically well. But there's things I want to build up better again: get back into running after 6 months of injury. have a 12 week running plan I want to follow. Its pretty daring to start in October when the wheather gets real shitty, but it would be nice for my mental and physical health as well as the dog-childs happiness. Have looked at lots of plans and will only run twice a week plus a third day with a short bodyweight program. my budget has been so small that I asked friends for help often. its slightly better now with my project friendship point income but still!! I want to learn to live within my budget even if that means I cant eat keto! Last month I spent 40Euro on vitamins alone and even if I felt awesome thats just not acceptable. Either I can dial down my keto costs or I have to try other forms of healthy eating after all. experiments are needed. This time I will try the 4 envelope strategy of putting my weekly money in 4 envelopes and only using the money that is in there. maybe I can set apart a "fun fund" of 50 euro to do spontaneous stuff. also my goal is to save 30 euros in October to build a emergency fund. prep food on weekends. I dont feel like cooking healthy meals every day. next possibility to prep is on Tuesday when I get paid. do sober October. I have had drinks again and am fine with that but would love to try a whole month sober. If thats too hard I will aim for maximal dry days. I started a great online meditation course and didnt have time to follow it really. ist a 21 day course Want to use the next 3 weeks to build in meditation and the audio listening into my morning routine. seems like a tall order for me to get this done. Its 3 weeks only and I can try out what sticks. There will be no self punishing! Only honest effort and self love! I missed you! ❤️

Heyo! Decided to revamp my challenge on the 28th, a little more indepth if you read the original post in spoiler. But working on finding a Practicum/Job to finish my degree. Trying to make good choices along with it, and now if I follow through I'll reward myself with the Nintendo Switch and Ring Fit Adventure! Quest for the RING CHALLENGE Feb 28 - Week 3 Day 1 (just using normal challenge timeline now) 1. YNAB Reset - 0/0 2. Applications 0/1 3. Savings: 12% 4. Taxes: Federal done, State to be finished 5. Calorie Tracking: 1/1 Did the math for Dominoes before I ordered pickup (had a solid craving, last out 2 eat on my own for the reset) 6. Meditate: 1/1 7. Journal Daily: 0/1 8. Musuem Job Catch up 0/30 9. Decluttering: Step 3 - Paper 10. Workout 0/1 -- working on getting through a ring fit walkthrough (sadly it is tiring w/o the ring) whelp there we go Orginal:

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

Hello! It's been awhile. Oh... you don't remember me... oh... well... that's not surprising to be honest. I have a tendency to start one of these, post like once or twice, then drop off the face of the Earth for 3 or 4 challenges, then pop back up randomly to do it all again... BUT NO MORE! I have had enough. Lately I've been making more small changes in my life to be more present, active and get out of my comfort zone. I've been attending meetups with *gasp* ABSOLUTELY NO ONE I know *dies of shock* So, to further push myself I will do another challenge! But also back it up with other accountability so I don't completely fail again. So without further ado my goals for this challenge: DIET GOALS 1) Complete a weekly Meal Plan in Real Plans 2) Make planned meals and track calories (we'll be focusing on tracking, not trying to stay in a certain threshold this challenge, to get a baseline and to see how certain meals stack up for later calorie restricting and macro planning) EXERCISE GOAL 3) 1 hour of Contortion progression stretching 3x's a week (Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday) -I am currently researching for a good yoga-esque flow that will work for this, so today will still be counted as a win as long as I find/create a program for the rest of the challenge before end of day today. - This will be documented on my Instagram, I'll be time lapsing the first round (IE sorta like a "this is what I can do pre-warmup... but it will be after a brief warm up... not crazy enough to try and stretch cold >_<) and then time lapsing the last round (Like a "this is what I can do after an hour of work") If you wanna follow that progression, my Instagram is lifeslittlemistrys - I'm thinking each day will be a different foundation work - Monday Front Bends/ Hand balances, Wednesday Backbends (bringing back Wednesday Bridge Club!), and Saturday Splits MONEY GOAL 4) Create a monthly budget and track spending weekly -using the Everydollar app for this, such a good resource. So that's it... pretty simple this time around I hope... the only thing I'm worried about is the 1hr long stretching 3x's a week, but there's not really much point in doing less than an hour when trying to extend your range of motion i think. Any tips, tricks, resources that may be helpful would be much appreciated, and let's get this DONE!

What's a 260 lbs warrior to do? Cut the bullshit and stop being an asshole No more gluten free, paleo, eat only this, don't eat that... just don't eat like an asshole. No more half-assed, unplanned workouts or making excuses to get out of them... just don't work out like an asshole. No more not working and complaining about money problems... stop being a lazy asshole, and stop spending money like an asshole. The big thing is I'm prioritizing getting more hours at work so I can not be stiffing bills and better yet saving up. I also want to get myself back to lifting regularly and properly. And frankly playing video games is the best way to unwind. So I'm going to "invest" some of this money into a gaming console so I can veg out and unwind at the end of long days, and while I wait for muscles to rebuild themselves. Then saving up so I can maybe "buy" a house in the next year or two. So nerds... any thoughts on gaming consoles, games? Goal 1: Don't eat like an asshole Assholes: Eat the whole pizza in one sitting. Go an entire day without eating any fruit or vegetables. Drink more than 2 beers by themselves for no reason. Never say no to a dessert/sweet. Do not prepare meals and wind up getting fast food when they end up getting hungry even though there is healthy food in the goddamn fridge. Do all of this shit in a single day sometimes. Non-Assholes: Can stop eating pizza after two or three slices. Will not only include fruits and vegetables in their diets, but make them a priority. Drink no more than two beers, better yet only one beer, or save this treat for social occasions. Refrain from desserts/sweets until a goal deserving of such a reward has been accomplished. Prepare healthy meals in advance, and always prefer the healthy foods that are available. Do not let one slip up snowball into a pile of fuck-it-itis. Goal 2: Don't Exercise Like an Asshole Assholes: Have no specific goals Don't follow programs and allow fuck-around-itis to rule their exercise time Make excuses to skip workouts Pay for gym memberships, but never go to the gym regularly Non-Assholes: Set goals, and choose lifts that help them meet those goals Program their lifts and exercise routines sensibly Stick to their Programs and workout as scheduled Either use their gym membership or cancel it (I'm going to cancel, cuz I have the equipment I need at home) Goal 3: Don't be a lazy asshole Assholes: Hit the snooze button five times, then reset their alarm an hour later then hit the snooze button five more times before finally getting up two hours after they set their alarm to go off originally. Find excuses to leave work early, or not work the extra OT hours that pay. Non-Assholes: Get the fuck out of bed the first time the alarm goes off at 4 am so they can get to work around 5 am and put in a full day. Keep working until they've maxed out for the day or hit at least 50 hours for the week. Goal 4: Don't spend your hard earned money like an asshole Assholes: Waste money on junk food and booze. Make impulse buys based on spur of the moment interests and don't shop around for ways to save money. Don't budget. Don't save. Non-assholes: Refrain from spending money on junk food and booze. Take time to consider what they are buying, why they are buying it, and finding the best price. Always check their budget. Always save at least a little.

Sure one could slay dragons, but that seems so laden with tropes of farm boys with swords. I don't even own a pair of overalls, and the only sharp blades I keep are in my kitchen. Personally I'd rather make friends with a dragon or two. Then I have awesome dragon friends. Maybe one lets me ride on its back. Maybe we just make s'mores and talk about life. Anyway...let's meet the dragons I'll be befriending over the next 4 weeks. Budget the Mighty The most intimidating of all my dragons. This dragon can only be befriended through brutal honesty, a willingness to make tough choices, and continual tending. This pragmatic dragon will bring me peace of mind and help me plan for the future. To befriend him I must: Create a basic budget (week 1) Consolidate debt (week 1) Update any spending through YNAB (daily as needed) Prioritize goals (week 2) ?? Beatrice the Productive I've already begun making friends with this dragon. She appreciates a companion who gets their shit done. To continue growing my friendship with her I need to keep a steady, thoughtful pace with my school and work days. Beatrice prefers to hangout during daylight and generally doesn't like to see anyone after 5pm. Engage her without good reason after dark at your own peril! The Funinator The Funinator just wants to have a good time but will start setting things on fire if you tell it the night's plans are to camp out in front of the tv. She's okay with it every once in awhile, it's just that there are so many more interesting things she'd rather do like make art or music or even curl up with a good book. The Funinator is also a great encourager of getting out of the house now and again, even if it is very, very cold outside. Bro the Built Bro can be a little much sometimes, but his intentions are good. Deep down he wants his friends to be happy and healthy and knows that getting them off their asses is the best way to do that. He hasn't been super pleased watching me eat my stress the last few weeks and suggested I start writing down everything I eat for the next 4 weeks. He was also way too excited when I told him that I missed feeling strong. He is "totally pumped" for me to try his new bodyweight routine 3x per week and supplement it with 20 minute yoga sessions 2x per week.

Yeeeeeeeeeep, it's about that time to kick off the Summer months with some fun and excitement. Upon special request from a few close friends, I will be doing a Mad Sweeney themed challenge over the next 4-weeks. Who is Mad Sweeney, you ask? Well he's a big ass Leprechaun who likes to brawl and perform coin tricks. Easily one of my favorite characters in the STARZ show, American Gods, based off the novel written by Neil Gaiman. If you really want to nerd out and find out more about Mad Sweeney, then you can view his complete history via THIS link. I've been on a roll lately with fitness and I want to keep up the momentum as we head into this upcoming challenge. I'm combining aspects of both strength training and body building by doing a strength week followed by 2 weeks of hypertrophy followed by another strength week. So far, this schedule has been working out perfectly. During my strength weeks, SW, I stay within reps of 3-8 and perform big compound exercises like squats, deadlifts and bench press. During hypertrophy weeks, HW, I'm within reps of 8-15 and working on "time under load" with a 4-1-1 cadence. Over the course of this challenge, I'll have 2x SW, 1x HW and a deload week. The deload week will start "Week 2" of the challenge and pick back up with a SW the following week. At 3 days a week with a bonus day for sprints/HIIT/Gaelic football stuff, That puts ,me at 12 WOD's NOT including the deload week. I'll scale back and only do 2x light lifting sessions that week just to give myself adequate rest as I head into the 2nd phase of the training. Things have started out nice and easy to make sure I stay consistent and the intensity will pick up after deload week. I'm drawing a lot of inspiration for my workouts from Anthem, an upcoming 3rd person shooter out of Bioware, the same company that made the Mass Effect games. I'm gamefying my life right now and embracing the Freelancer lifestyle! Lol. Oh, and who doesn't want their own Javelin mech suit? I thought I was excited about Destiny but MAAAAAAN.....I realize it's slated for a Fall 2018 release, but it's not too early to get a little hyped, right? I'm currently centering my training program around what I think the training program of a Freelancer Javelin pilot would be, lol. #Nerd Back to Mad Sweeney.. With Gaelic football pub league in full swing, I'm feeling like I need to exploit my Irish ancestory a little. I also need to budget better...especially since purchasing a new TV that wasn't in the plans. Aaaannnd, road tripping to San Antonio next weekend for Tank's wedding. Busy, busy! Just Pluck them from the Air Budgeting needs to be on point these next 4-weeks. With traveling next weekend plus general budgeting trends for gas/food for work, things could be a little tight and that's ok. I just need to manage me coins fer da important tings! Track the coins you save! Limit the Monsters I've gotten used to drinking Monster energy drink recently...specifically the yummy as hell, pipeline punch. And I'm not ashamed to rock that pink can anywhere I go. This. Needs. To. Stop. Maybe not completely, but definitely not daily, like it can be. Limit myself to 3x monsters a week. Become the Javelin In keeping with my Anthem inspiration, also, keep up with my training program. I didn't list this one first because I feel like I've got a handle on it right now. All I need to do is keep up the consistency 12 total WOD's/2x Gaelic Football Saturday's This is a Brawl, not a Pillow Fight! This goal is more generalized. Here falls the extra HIIT/Acrobatic stuff I want to do throughout the challenge. Shadow boxing, hand balancing, KB swings-basically all the stuff not added in with my WOD's. Get 2x "Extra Stuff" in each week. Bar brawls count for double... HAHAHA! This is going to be a fun challenge. I'm liking my goals and the impact they'll have on my daily and weekly routine. I'm very excited and honored to be in Tank's wedding and have the opportunity to meet other nerds I haven't met yet!! Next weekend will just be epic in general Shall we get started? Wolf

From 3/19 - 4/15 Animuse will... Challenge 1: Wake up at 6AM on weekdays I/We have been REALLY bad about what time I get in to work. I'm super privileged to work at a place that doesn't really care, but I want to get more out of my day, so leaving earlier would be cool. Also because... Challenge 2: Begin Couch to 5K! My husband's coworkers want to run a 5K in September, and my husband wants to go with. I... don't run. It's like the last ranger thing I DON'T do. So like a good(?)ranger, I'm gonna learn how. And do it in the morning. Or the evening if I don't get up on time. Schedule is M/W/F, weight training is T/Th/Su, so that works out pretty well. Challenge 3: BUDGET MAH SELF We have some credit card debt we want to pay down by May, and... that isn't happening. So we did a DEEP dive tonight of our finances, and we've budgeted $100 per week that I can use from the debit card for food and things. So we'll see how that goes. Challenge 4: MAYBE COOK MORE OR SOMETHING See Challenge 3. Last challenge I just wanted to track if I ate at home or not (and I plan to continue that, 'cause not so much) but bonus points if I attempt to meal prep or bring food to work.

I don’t have a lot of plot exposition this time around, as I’m just mildly adjusting my last challenge, The Secret Life, which I feel really speaks to my overarching goals at the moment. I really want to travel more (by ‘more’ I think I mean ‘all the time’) and showcase my travel writing and photography more, so this challenge is designed for those things. Also, my December is going to be nuts so a simple challenge is best I also have a big trip coming in late spring that I’ll talk about more next challenge, but this challenge will begin to lay the groundwork. (And the financing.) To the Goals: PUT OUT THE MAGAZINE: I had a really hard time with this last time around; I’m not sure if it’s that I never seem to have a large block of time to get editing/writing done, or if I just have terminal ADD, but I only got it done once. So editing/writing is a big priority this time. Goal: “publish” something once a week, and post to my blog twice. Travel Journal: work on an ebook. I have like 3-ebooks half written (all about travel, go figure) so I need to work on those. Sell the Piano: Travel may be the only thing you buy that makes you richer, but it still costs money. I need to find ways to make extra cash to pay for it. I used to have a little ebay business where I sold second-hand clothes and old props and whatever, so I am going to start that again and funnel all the money into my travel fund. I’ll also be looking into other ways to generate income (sell my plasma? dog walking? ladies wrestling?) that also goes to the travel kitty. Get it? It's a travel kitty. Bake the Cake: Last challenge I attempted to eat a different foreign cuisine every week, which was frighteningly easy, because I love to eat out. However, I spend a fortune eating out in general, probably 6-7 times a week. So this challenge I am limiting meals out to two per week (meals that someone else pays for, like when I’m traveling for work, do not count against this), and making myself cook/eat at home. Still going to attempt to eat as much ethnic cuisine as possible. This will make it easier for me to control my intake, as restaurants (especially Tex-Mex, my favorite) tend to go overboard with the food, and work on my nutrition. Adventure Waits for no one: Again, aiming for one adventure a week. Can be a band, a hike, camping, kayaking, becoming a hermit in a mountain fastness, something. Ungoverned Afganistan: My domestic rangering is in severe disarray. One whole section of our house is basically unusable due to mess (I live in one of those sprawling split-ranch houses, it’s way to big and falling apart around us). I need to work on cleaning the patio, den, and my office daily and get it under control. Test the Body and Mind: Workouts. I’ll list these later so they don’t bore everyone, because they haven’t changed a ton. Just harder I’m also going to add one brain puzzle per day to my regimen, because lately I feel like I’m getting stupider. I think it’s just a combination of too much on my mind and a lot of distraction, but I gotta work on it. By the way, in case it seems weird that I have so much travel stuff on a site devoted to workout challenges, I have to say that my whole “get in shape” journey was started because I got so out of condition that traveling was becoming difficult. One of the reasons I finally snapped to and started getting stuff under control was watching my parents age badly and realizing that if I wanted to continue traveling as I got older, I needed to maintain the machine. So the two things go very much hand-in-hand in my book. So that’s it! Join me on my very Mitty challenge if you’d be so kind.

Shit happens. That is the premise of this challenge. If there is one constant in my life, it’s that something will always come along to cause upheaval. Good or bad, the end results are almost the same and more often than not have me retreating back to the start and trying to build anew on top of the rubble of failures past. This time it was the need to get a second job that threw me. Quick summary: Job 1 refused to up my contract hours, leaving me in a sticky financial situation. So I tracked down and secured Job 2. Now, J1 is a morning thing, often with 6am starts and lasting roughly five hours per shift. J2 is an evening thing, starting at 6pm and often lasting until around 11pm. Naturally this means I need to start adapting my routine to first maximise my sleep, and second actually ensure I have time to do everything I want to do and actually have productive days outside of the workplace. I want an effective solution, and that means fully utilising every resource at my disposal. That means actually cracking down on my time management issues so hard that they’re reshaped into something effective. So this is the plan: UNO 80/20 clean eating. I know full well that I cannot sustain a 100% clean eating diet, and a major part of that reason is because I don’t want to. I like cake and jelly beans and rum. Sometimes all at once. So I’ve picked a plan to follow (in this case the NFA level 9 plan) and have made a set of rules to allow for adjustments: White/basmati rice is allowed up to three times a week Breakfast is a protein shake Pizza is allowed once per week, but must be accompanied by a better choice (for example, homemade sweet potato wedges and a salad) Two litres of water/weak juice per day minimum, up to three cups of coffee(full caf and decaf), fruit/herbal tea in moderation Alcohol up to twice weekly Hot chocolate is allowed in place of desserts Fruit is allowed Any other variations can and will be taken into consideration Zero week is going to be hit and miss as far as diet is concerned. Fortunately the 25th and the 30th are both paydays for me, which means that I’ll be in a good place to get decent quality food and kick this thing off for real. In the mean time, I’m compromising, but for once these compromises are pretty good. DOS The time for rigid scheduling is now. I get my J1 rotas in groups of four weeks, and I get my J2 rotas about a week in advance, so at the very least I know what I’m doing for the whole of any given week. Considering I work five shifts at each job, there’s a chance I will go for weeks without a full day off. This means I’ve got to plan the hell out of everything otherwise I will do nothing, sad but true. So this one is simple. Plan my week and stick to it. The complicated part will be that I’ll have to stick to J2’s weird Saturday to Friday schedule, but that’s a small price to pay. Schedules will be posted when written, with the exception of zero week. TRES Nap time! Assuming a J2 night backs on to a J1 morning, I’ll have a chance at maybe five hours of sleep that night. Not sustainable. Therefore I’ll be learning to take a nap after I’ve come home from J1. ...it sounds so easy, but I know it won’t be. So I’ll be creating a nap tracker to chronicle the journey and figure out what works best. CUATRO Live as cheaply as possible. Not a new goal for me, but still relevant. Now that I have two incomes, the urge to let out the spending net is almost overwhelming, but that cannot happen. I have a good few things I’m saving for (moving, getting some form of reliable transport, and one actually batshit crazy plan that might just work), and if I play it right then I can live comfortably and put money towards my goals. So a weekly expenses tracker will be maintained. Indeed, is already in effect. So far the common trend is impulse buying food, the solution to which will be a strict shopping list. CINCO Socialise. Here. Right here. It’s part of the routine thing. Come here, bathe in the epicness of my fellow Rangers, and don’t check out without good reason. (...but not you guys, obviously ) And that’s it. Simple, to the point, and completely relevant to where I’m at in life right now. Week zero is going to be a trial week of sorts, with me stumbling around trying to get things in place for when my holidays from J1 end (which is either tomorrow or Monday, I’ll be dropping by the place tomorrow to check). No theme (the title of this challenge comes from a book I’ve recently read), no problem. My tracking will be mostly of the pen and paper variety. I’ve fallen down the bullet journal rabbit hole and I’m actually loving it. I’ve kind of strayed away from the ‘official’ guidelines and am basically building up a notebook of varying trackers and daily accounting. There’s the odd combo-breaker thrown in here and there (I’ve got a mostly full page of lovely things folks here on NF have said to me over the years, for example), but I’ve found the format that seems to be working best for me and I’m keeping it. So, to sum up (as a TL;DR): 80/20 cleanish eating All of the schedules all of the time Naps aplenty Be a cheapskate Socialise Gifs everywhere

DAO Spoilers We saved the circle, big sigh of relief. I know Morrigan is not happy we saved it but we have our first allies! Wynne, the mage who helped us in the tower, has decided that life in the circle is not for her anymore and wishes to travel with us. Wynne’s alright and we can always use another to fight the darkspawn but she’s sort of old so I worry about her. She has some mad skills with magic though so that will help. Wait what... Once back at camp, Alistair suggested we go to Redcliffe for support next. With Loghain spreading lies about the Grey Wardens, we will need a powerful noble ally. Alistair seems convinced that Arl Eamon will be that ally. Redcliffe Village PT 1 - Gaining allies #2 I swear everywhere we go something is wrong. This can not be a coincidence! Redcliffe seems to have a problem with waves of undead attacking them as the sun goes down. "Walking corpses? Do you think it's something in the water?" - Leliana. The villagers have not heard anything from the Castle and fear the worst. I don’t blame them. Being the helpful bunch my traveling companions and I are, we’ve decided to stay and help out. We also need to get into the castle and this seems to be the only way to do it. "These people don't deserve what has happened to them. We must get to the bottom of this." - Wynne Help Redcliffe Villagers : Not everyone can fight and those who can, don’t seem to have the weapons to do it. Redcliffe Village’s mayor, Murdock, has asked that we help get the villagers prepared for a long night of undead battles. We will need to get weapons for those who can fight & food for those hiding in the Chantry. Food Quest: More protein : over 50g of protein (5 out of 7 days = Collect 1 supply bundle of food per week) Life Quest : No credit card spending & make payments: Villagers can only be helped if I don’t use my credit card. For every credit card purchase, 1 villager doesn’t get helped. Villagers helped goal = 25 (weapons) Take back Redcliffe & get into the Castle (Each week will have a different focus): Exercise Quest: 2 Cardio & 3 BWW Getting to the Core of the problem: Exercise Quest: Plank progressions everyday Front Plank (On Elbows) Plank (Push Up position) Side Plank (Elbow/Knee position)

Balsquith brings back the routine My last challenge was rather amusingly titled ‘Balsquith doesn’t give up’ and saw me disappear from the face of the earth after barely 2 weeks. The challenge itself wasn’t badly set up and I will be keeping parts of it here. This time around I will have 1 key goal, 2 goals to support it and a couple of additional goals. Key goal: Get up to my alarm everyday This goal is the key to everything, it is less about me being a heavy sleeper and groggily hitting my alarm clock and more about me already being mostly awake but just not wanting to get up, due to having no desire to and no plan. As such, success in this goal reflects me having actually got my life a little bit in order. Supporting goal 1: Morning routine. In order to give me something to get up for, I want a little bit of a plan. As such I want to re-establish a morning routine. I have many plans for this, but for the purpose of this challenge I will keep it very simple. Every day I will do the following upon getting up: 1. Say ‘Today will be a great day’ 2. Drink a glass of water. Supporting goal 1: Evening routine. As with the morning routine I have a number of ideas of how I want this to be, but will start by ensuring that I have a nice tidy place to live in. So every night before bed I will do a least a bit of tidying (no minimum). This can be clearing the table or doing the washing up. This will settle me down in the evening and ensure that I have a nice clear space to wake up to. Fitness goal: Exercise 3 times per week. I started going to a crossfit-esque gym recently and have spent much of the time recovering from muscle soreness (even with almost a week between sessions). Hopefully this will get better enough that I can do 3 sessions in a week. Money goal: Create weekly budget and stick to it. In a previous challenge I started recording my daily expenditure, which is great except for the fact that I haven’t changed how I actually spend my money. In this challenge I will set a reasonable budget and stick to it, allowing me to actually have some money to put in savings at the end of the month.

This story is not about him. For most of my life, I waited for Gandalf to show up. Not literally, although that would be cool, too. Most of the time life was fine; things were comfortable, I had no real complaints. But some days I'd sigh and wail and wonder why Gandalf never came to my door to say, "Here's an adventure, off you go." Then one day it occurred to me. What if I'm not Bilbo? What if ... I AM GANDALF?!? What if all along, I've been living this hobbity life and the whole time I'm really a meddlesome wizard instead? And I just never knew it? (You'd think I would notice; hitting my head on the ceiling, all the chairs are too small ...) So this challenge will be about this Adventurer finally getting her teeth into some adventures. Goal 1: The Financial Adventure So I looked at my list of things I want to do (see previous challenge) and the obstacle I kept running into over and over is, "This costs money, which I don't have." Finish the remodeling? Money. Classes/lessons of any kind? Money. Things that require equipment? Money. Things that require travel? Money. Things that require classes, equipment, and travel? You guess it, money again. And I don't have cable, buy daily lattes, get manicures - any of the things people suggest you cut out to save money. My budget's pretty tight. However, I do have a habit of impulse purchasing things that aren't stupid but I don't necessarily need right now. And if I didn't have any credit card debt, I'd have money for more exciting things. The plan here is threefold: 1. Stick to the monthly budget. I'm going to try the cash-in-envelopes system. When the cash is gone, nothing more can be purchased. 2. Save what's left. At the end of the month, if anything remains, it goes into savings to guard against emergencies so I don't have to charge unexpected expenses. (If I manage to stay on budget, there should be some money left at the end of the month.) 3. Pay down debt. I get side jobs from time to time. The money from these will be split in half. Half can be spent on non-essentials (paint for the remodeling, yoga class, books I really want, etc.). The other half goes to pay down the credit cards. Goal 2: The Cooking Adventure One thing you don't want on an adventure is a lot of extra, unnecessary stuff. Everything I've read about backcountry hikes says that 35 pounds is the absolute upper maximum amount you want to carry. Well, I'm already hauling 60 extra pounds with me every day. Eating cleaner has helped, but I think I've gone as far as I can with that alone. The time has come for ... calorie counting. (Insert ominous music here). I decided to take the hassle out of it by planning four weeks ahead, figuring out the calories in each meal. Each week, I'll pre-prep 4 servings each of 3 different meals. And just to be adventurous, I'll be trying many new recipes. I'm going with a "mostly Paleo but not obsessing about it" theme. I got a kitchen scale in order to be sure I'm getting the correct portion sizes. This week will look something like this: Breakfast: Eggs and any vegetable (but probably broccoli), and a banana for approximately 400 calories Meal Option 1: Meatball stew (my own recipe), sauerkraut, and an apple, 398 calories Meal Option 2: Thai chicken zoodle salad (NomNomPaleo) and strawberries, 416 calories Meal Option 3: Spicy tuna cakes (NomNomPaleo again), brussels sprouts, and an orange, 388 calories I also have a list of healthy/reasonably healthy 100 calorie snacks, from which I can pick two a day. This should put me at around 1400 calories a day, but I'll allow up to 1500. I'll also have two "free" meals a week - they still need to fit the calorie plan, but don't have to be prepped ahead of time so I can have what I'm in the mood for. I also have a couple of different breakfast options in case I get tired of eggs and broccoli. Goal 3: The Adventure Adventure There are a few things on my list that require little to no money. I'll start with those. 1. Cartwheels! I always wanted to do a cartwheel, but being an unathletic child with overprotective parents who were terrified I was going to hurt myself, I never managed to do one. The first step, it seems, is a handstand. So I'm going to follow the plan in Steve's post (https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2013/10/24/how-to-handstand-better-than-luke-skywalker/) and add five minutes of handstand practice to my daily workout. 2. Walk the Parks - Last summer/fall I went on Park Quests to all the local city parks. Now I'll be expanding to the state. This challenge I want to walk all 20 miles of trails at the nearest state park. The park is only about 20 minutes away, and I can get an annual parks pass for $50 or I can go twice and pay the $7 entrance fee for a mere $14 - the parks pass is the better value, but it will depend on my budget. Bonus Goal: The Art and Character Adventure Bet you were wondering where that 34% more art was, weren't you? I want to have more fun with my Stealthstitcher character, and since I have to draw for work I hardly ever get around to drawing for fun. I'm going to combine the two and at least once a week, do some challenge/character related drawing. I've got ideas; I just have to sit down with my pencils and paper and get to it. I also want to complete my character sheet with my epic quest checklist.

Snow drifted gently from the heather-gray skies above, settling a blanket of white stillness around the courtyard. The priory was quiet on this early winter morning, the cold keeping everyone in their beds long past the sun's late rise. Kyellan swept the stones clear of the snowfall, though he knew he would be doing the same a mere hour later. The elder brothers could not traverse slick walks, and there was no sense inviting injury when it could so easily be avoided. The world seemed impossibly quiet, with all the animals in hibernation and the birds flown to warmer climes. A gentle chirp startled him out of his near-meditative state. He looked up to see a small, red bird sitting atop the stone wall. He knew its kind well, but the crimson starlings flew south in the late autumn... and yet more, something seemed strange about this one. Its feathers seemed startlingly dark, almost the color of a drop of blood. The bird cocked its head at him, chirped again, and then exploded from the snow atop the wall in a spray of white, and was gone. The world returned to its softened silence. Kyellan shook his head. Perhaps the bird had merely been lost, or left behind by its fellows. A sad state, indeed, but he knew naught of the affairs of birds. With the stones at last cleared, Kyellan set aside his brush, shook his gray cloak and gloves clean of the snowfall, and returned to the eastern common hall. A cheery fire now burned in the hearth, spreading its welcome warmth throughout the stone walls. Kyellan gratefully shed his snowy cold-weather gear and took a chair beside the fire, rubbing his chilled hands. His right still ached faintly from that training accident two months ago, but every day the hurt grew fainter, and his grip stronger. "Good morning, Ky," said a voice, which warmed him almost as much as the fire itself. He turned and smiled at Athe, his blood-sworn sister. They had taken the oath of service to the Sentinels together, and though the ceremony had been the first time they met, a bond of friendship like Kyellan had never felt before had been forged between them through trial, hardship, and learning. "And good morning to you, lazybones," Kyellan grinned. "I see you've taken to rising with the bears, rather than the sun." She rolled her eyes and pulled up her own chair to the fire. Her auburn hair glistened in the flickering light from the hearth, and glared at him briefly from beneath her eyelashes. "You always take the best spot in the morning." "And if you'd get up earlier, you wouldn't have this problem." "If even the Knight Commander sleeps in on a morning like this, you can hardly blame me for doing the same. Don't worry; after the morning meal, I'll be in plenty of shape to beat you all around the training yard." Their shared laughter was interrupted by a throat-clearing from the doorway. Kyellan looked up to see the weathered face of Marcthelion Irontree, Knight Lieutenant, and the man in charge of their training. They immediately sobered, and rose to attention. "The Knight Commander summons all Sentinels and Companions to the Great Hall. Immediately. A message has arrived from the capital." Irontree's deep voice was grave. ---------------------------------------- Okay, so I gave this a fair amount of thought. I've decided that I've kind of played out the Star Wars theme over 2015, and despite the fact that I still go to lightsaber class every week, I think it's time to give the Jedi thing a rest. So, since I also make some kind of claim to being an author, I've decided to go with something original this time. We'll see how it goes. Like the running challenge I did last summer, I'm going to add a bit to this story with each update post I make throughout the month. This is all-new... I'm making this up as I go along, folks, so bear with me. You're seeing the writing process here--first draft, little editing, and no outline. Let's see what happens. Anyway, on with the challenge goals! This new 4-week thing is interesting, so we'll keep it light this first time out. Goal 1: Track calories every day. I've been making great progress on my weight loss since I picked MyFitnessPal back up a few months ago, and I'm starting this challenge somewhere between 210 and 215. (I'll get an exact number tomorrow.) That means I'm down somewhere between 20 and 25 lbs from where I was in the summer. Don't change a system that works--I'm actually getting toward fighting shape, and I want it! The holidays are over, and I'm once again in full control of my food. On the bright side, I only had a couple of tough days throughout the holiday season, so I actually kept making progress instead of being set back. Goal 2: Run 5k once a week. In preparation for the June Tough Mudder in Vermont (which I'll be running with Oramac, and anyone else who wants to join us! ) I've been running once a week with my buddy. He pushed me through a 5k training route back in mid-December, and since then we've also run a 4-mile loop and a different 5k trainer. It's been great! My first 5k time was 44:59, and last time it was 38:11, which I'm pretty happy about. Goal 3: Injury Recovery via Sword Training. I'm still working off the hand injury I got back in November, but it's getting better. I'm gently trying to work my grip back into shape via my lightsaber and my longsword. This is a careful and tricky process, but it's very important. Level Up Your Life: Track every expense for the month in YNAB, and reconcile it all at the end of the month. The wife and I have been working with YNAB through December to great success, and I want it to continue. We've already worked ourselves from being pretty far behind to being back on track, and I want 2016 to be a carefully managed year, money-wise. We've got our Germany trip coming up in September, and I want to figure out just what my salary can do when it's put to real priorities instead of disappearing into the ether. ------------------------------ That's what I've got. Looking forward to seeing everybody else's challenges as we roll into 2016!

MAIN QUEST: Continue self-improvement, become a Triple Threat (act, sing, and dance awesomely), and don't burn out! Every third challenge, I burn out, and I spend the challenge after that licking my wounds and trying to get back on the horse. Not this time! I will continue the hard work I’ve put in instead of taking a step back, because Reborn would expect no less from one who is to become head of the Vongola Family, so why should I expect any less from myself? QUEST 1: EAT TO SURVIVE REBORN’S TRAINING [+3 CON] Reborn’s training is brutal, and it’s impossible to survive without the proper fuel. Not only do I need to make sure I’m eating enough protein, but I need to make sure I’m eating enough, period! I’m at the point now where I should be looking for my maintenance numbers since I’m basically right where I need to be in order to do so, so that’s going to be a primary focus of this quest on top of making sure I get the protein intake I need. (Taken from starsapart’s quest for maintenance a few challenges ago, modified for my needs.) Eat at least 75g of protein a minimum of 5 days/week. A = 5x/week | B = 4x/week | C = 3x/week | D = 1-2x/week | F = Nope Calculate average daily gross calories at the end of each week. If my measurements decreased, I will increase my minimum calories by at least 100 calories. If my measurements stayed the same, I must be eat within 50 calories on either end of that range. If my measurements increased, I will evaluate and adjust accordingly. A = Followed the criteria 100% | B = Short of the minimum by 25 | C = Short of the minimum by 50 | D = Short of the minimum by 75 | F = Did you even try?BONUS OPPORTUNITY: If I eat at least 95g of protein (my estimated lean mass being ~95lb), I earn $10 towards Japan spending money. QUEST 2: A WELL-ROUNDED MAFIA BOSS [+12 TBD] Reborn trains Tsuna with some of the oddest regimens that covers a wide range of skills – basically, in the KHR world, a "mafia" boss can’t be any less than the best in strength, dexterity, stamina, constitution, wisdom, and charisma. And so, taking a page out of stillskies’ book from last challenge, here is a grab bag of assorted things in order to improve all manners of necessary skills in my own life! Of course, I have a few rules in place to make sure that I stay consistent with the habits that I feel are still too raw to rely upon without a challenge to motivate me. The Rules: In order for the fitness points (STR, DEX, STA) to count in a week, I need to exercise 5x/week for at least 30 minutes. This does not need to be traditional workouts/exercises. In order for the non-fitness points to count (CON, WIS, CHA) in a week, I need to make sure that on Monday morning at the latest my budget is up-to-date. Ideally, I’ll have it up-to-date Sunday evening. Attribute points will be distributed at the end of the challenge based on total points accumulated in each category. Mini-challenge participation will grant me 5 points in the appropriate category each day I contribute (for example, if the challenge is to earn +1 STR, it will be 5 points in the strength category when I do it). If the mini is particularly involved, I can earn 10 points in the appropriate category; alternatively, if I’m one of the top five contributors if it’s a quantitative challenge (top three in a team if we do teams), I can earn 15 points (only once a week). Clarification: if I'm both top three in teams and top five overall, then it will be 30 points. In order to successfully complete the challenge, I need to accumulate a total of 2,500 points. Number subject to change based on my progress throughout the course of the challenge. For every increase I need to do, I will earn myself $50 towards my upcoming Japan vacation. BONUS CHALLENGES And here are some extra things I'd like to pay attention to and reward myself if possible that didn't make it into the grab bag itself. Twenty Pull-Ups Challenge: I’m participating in the PVP for the Twenty Pull-Ups Challenge, and damn it, I’d like to be able to do a pull-up before I turn 30 besides! That gives me 15 months to do a pull-up. So every time I do this, I will earn myself an extra +5 points towards strength, up to 3x/week for 15 bonus points. I will most likely spend the entirety of the 8 weeks in the -2/-1 Week but hey, it's the effort that counts! Pirouette Drills/Tap Basics: So I suck at pirouettes, and this is not okay. I may not be able to move up to the intermediate jazz classes for a while, but if anything is going to hold me back, it’ll be my pirouettes. So, every day that I work on the drills, I will earn myself +10 points towards dexterity. (Added on Day 02: Because I need some serious help with tap basics, if I work on it at home, I will earn +10 points towards dexterity. If I do both pirouette drills and tap basics, then yes, it'll be +20 dexterity points.) Conditioning: I want to spend quality time with my exercise band and the foam roller and work on my grip strength. Every day that I do conditioning exercises with the band, roll out my muscles, or dedicate some time specifically to grip strength, I will earn +5 points towards my stamina. Why stamina? Because this will keep me going stronger, longer! Clarification: +5 points each conditioning exercise. Meal-Planning: A lot of stress that comes from making sure I meet my macros comes from a lack of planning, and so I will plan out my breakfasts and lunches for the work week every Sunday to make sure that no matter what I eat for dinner, I know I’ll be making my minimum counts on protein. If I make a plan, I will earn +20 points towards constitution for the week. If I stick to it, I will earn an additional +30 points for the week. Adjustment: for every breakfast and lunch during the work week I eat according to play, I will earn +3 constitution points up to +30 points. Focus: I am… really bad at staying focused at work. The Adderall helps, but I have to pull my own weight in this regard, too. The goal here is to devote only the last 15 minutes of any given hour towards non-work distractions, and at the top of the hour, I’m back to doing something productive again. If I miss that :45 mark, I miss it and I can’t make it up. And if I really need a distraction, I take a brief walk to either get more tea, or a glass of water, or just walk around the building some. And if I have nothing to do? I FIND something to do that’s work-related, even if it’s just reading documents. I earn myself +15 points towards wisdom for every day that I manage to stick to these criteria. Hygiene Routine: I am AWFUL at taking care of myself before I go to bed. I usually just do one or two things (usually dental care) and then hit the sack. I need to be better about this. And so, every night I commit to a full hygiene routine, I will earn +10 points towards charisma. What is a full hygiene routine? Brush my teeth, floss, wash my face, moisturize. If I do a full facial, I get an additional +10 points. WEEKLY RECAPS Day Zero | Week One | Week Two | Week Three | Week Four | Week Five | Week Six | Challenge Complete! REWARDS (non-stacking) I'll be going to Japan at the end of December through mid-January, and Japan is expensive, so this is the money I'm going to allow myself to withdraw from personal savings. Non-stacking, because let's not go insane here! This is the money for food and shopping and sightseeing adventures. I'm already budgeting for travel and hotel costs. This will be on top of the money I allot myself via bonus money in the above quests. 100% of total points achieved = $500 towards Japan spending money 90% of total points achieved = $400 towards Japan spending money 80% of total points achieved = $300 towards Japan spending money Starting Measurements and Pictures Waist @ narrowest: 26.875" Waist @ navel: 30.625" Hips: 36.25" Thigh: 21.75" Calf: 14" Est bf%: 23.35% (as of 9/7/15) Weight: 124lb (as of 9/14/15)

“Welcome, chummer. If you’re viewing this, it means I’m either dead or finally out of the running business. Either way, I’m out of the picture so the information contained within can do no harm to myself or those I might care about. I’ve tried to keep any dangerous references to a minimum and even use different names for added protection. For example, you can call me Cloud. Let me introduce you to the rest of my crew. Yeah I know, we use aliases from some video game of ages past, but hey it just clicked once we realized our skills as a team so save me the irony and bear with me, a'ight?” Final Fantasy 7 was the first and probably only RPG where I identified so much with the main protagonist. Mind you, I have played several before and after that, plus I never liked anime, manga, J-RPGs or anything of that ilk, so that’s a big achievement for FF7. It seems to come at a right time for this challenge and not just because a remake was announced. Cloud begins the game distant, indifferent and demotivated, as I have been recently. By the end of it, he has gone through hardships, romance, loss and the burden of leadership. Revelations concerning his identity and his past are not pleasant, but he refuses to accept what appears to be his nature. Cloud transcends it all and even later on (for anyone who’s watched FF7:Advent Children) he struggles with self doubt before crushing it and blazing through his own self-imposed barriers. That’s where I’m at right now, aiming to achieve things that after a year of NF progress my mind has accepted I cannot do. Well guess what: I can. So where does Shadowrun come in? Besides being one of my favourite RPG settings, of course. Well, FF7 might fit into the general groove of the challenge but it’s hard to relate with my actual goals. Shadowrun, on the other hand, competed for theme of this challenge (and several others before) but had no “bigger picture” to inspire me. Until I saw the above image, which made everything fall into place. FF7 has it all: An urban sprawl (Midgar), a megacorporation (Shinra) making profit by destroying the environment (draining the planet’s life force to produce electricity), eco-terrorism (AVALANCHE), cybernetic limbs (Barret’s arm), magic (Materia), dragons (Bahamut), you name it. Heck, even Cloud begins as a Shadowrunner, a mercenary infiltrating and blowing up megacorp property. It totally makes sense to combine them into a single challenge theme. Besides, it’s the Ranger way: when faced with dilemmas, say “why not both?” So this is the fictional tale of my Shadowrunning self and his team, inspired by characters of FF7. Also, thanks to continued inspiration by the mighty, mighty ShadowLion, I will be expanding beyond the 6 Week Challenge format like never before. My goals are not achievable within such a short timeframe, so the challenge will continue and evolve until I nail every single one of them. Just for the sake of S.M.A.R.T. goals, I’m setting a deadline for myself until the end of the year. Keeping it simple with 3 goals, plus whatever is added down the road via guild mini-challenges, accountabillibuddy groups and any other insane stunts you crazy people might drag me into. The Team Tifa Lockheart “Tifa is a physical adept. That means she’s Awakened (the Sixth World term for “Magically Active”) but her magic only affects herself. She uses it to enhance her physical, athletics and martial arts skills, allowing her to perform stunts you would only see in a trideo film. Let me tell you, seeing her fight is mesmerizing. Too bad when that happens, I’m usually busy dodging bullets or worse. When not on a mission, Tifa follows a strict eating, training and recovery regime. I assume it’s got something to do with her powers as well, because I’ve never seen her do the fancy casting show that mages and shamans normally put up. Despite her cheerful personality, that lifestyle comes out at times and she’s my harshest judge when I’m not at the peak of my performance. She never cuts me any slack and I love the way that pushes me to get better and better.” Goal: Get under my lowest weight ever (75,8 kg) How: Weigh myself at the box after every workout. Get the weekly average of that (thanks deftona!) and use calculator to determine my macros, set to Faster Weight loss and 50/50-75/25 carb/fat ratios. Buy groceries and batch cook during the weekend. Track macros on MyFitnessPal. Repeat until goal is met. Rewards: Upon reaching my weight loss goal, I shall reward myself with a proper post-workout supplement and begin the next step of this journey towards lean gains. Vincent Valentine “Nobody really knows the deal with Vincent. The only thing that’s certain is that he’s undead. Not in the zombie or vampire sense of the word, but rather because of the fact that he doesn’t seem to age. From what I’ve been able to piece together on him, he’s spent time as a lab rat, presumably under some super-soldier enhancement program. That would also explain the claw on his one hand, bet there’s probably some scar, burn or mutation he’s hiding underneath because he never removes it. I’m not certain if the experience left him thin and frail or if there’s a bit of elven blood in him, because he’s agile as a cat and a deadshot with firearms. Actually, he has it all. He’s the real deal, the complete package. He’s got strength, agility, brains, skills and an eternity to perfect them.” Goal: Achieve the final Crossfit moves I have been lacking. Muscle Up. Handstand Walk. Strict Handstand Pushups and proper, consecutive Double Unders. How: On training days, spend extra time at the box working on pull ups, dips, muscle up attempts and double unders. On active rest days at home, work on handstands and pushups (regular and handstand pushups) along with NF Yoga. Rewards: A piece of workout gear upon achieving either of the four moves. A Yoga mat after 6 consistent weeks of NF Yoga on rest days Cid Highwind “Cid fills our gap in the Matrix and drone area, but he’s first and foremost a wheelman. If it can be built, repaired, pulled apart, upgraded, driven, walked or flown, Cid’s your man. His weapon of choice is a lance, back from his motorcycle gang days but even that is a last resort compared to various weapons he’s got mounted on vehicles. Apparently Cid has undergone high profile pilot training and saves the nuyen he makes from runs for some super secret project of his. When it comes to spending money, I always check with him to make sure I’m not throwing it away.” Goal: Get a grip on finances and hit 200.000 Nyuen in pure savings How: Put up a balance sheet and track income and expenses, both current and expected in the near future. Update daily. Rewards: Flight tickets and accommodation for the Orte 2016 Spartan, once the plan shows I can afford them without upsetting my financial viability. If things go extremely well, I might throw buying a new motorcycle into the mix.

Hi! For those who are new. I'm a 35 year old computer programmer from northern germany. I train chen style taijiquan. It's a martial art from china. The better known druidic tai chi orginiated from it. My introduction thread: http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/65161-hello-from-germany/ My nickname is burrowed from a general. According to the historians he is guy who wrote the first text (in the 16th hundreds) about taiji. So as i like to geek out about china(been there 4 times), i thought a reference to sun tzu's classic would be a nice theme for my next challenge. Now the general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple ere the battle is fought. The general who loses a battle makes but few calculations beforehand. Thus do many calculations lead to victory, and few calculations to defeat: how much more no calculation at all! It is by attention to this point that I can foresee who is likely to win or lose. -Chapter 1 : Laying Plans I want to make daily and weekly plans about what to cook and when to shop for groceries and i will post these plans on sundays. I want to make at least 4 Meals per week by myself. Like in the last challenge i will post daily updates about how the day before went. With those updates i will post the goals for the next day. (As far as possible i will name specific times). On the next update i will report on the progress of those goals. During the last challenge i started budgeting with ynab. I will note every expense every day of the challenge in ynab und do a full budget for oktober and november. There is no instance of a country having benefited from prolonged warfare.- Chapter 2 : Waging war During the Challenge i want to get all items on the following list done and of my mind, there were there for to long:1. I hang my heavy bag mostly on a roof beam with a rope. From there it has to be taken down, when we are having a party in our flat. After this it takes me ages to set it up again. It at least want to hang it up again. But i will look for a more permanent solution.2. Wrap up my Game of Thrones Tabletop RPG Campaign. 3. I need some new nice pictures of myself. Contact a photographer. 4. In November will be for a weekend in London and then travel to spain. I need to get this organized. 5. I need to move my desk at home a bit.6. I want attend a test lesson of an escrima school recently discovered. 7. My bookshelfs are completly full. I will comb through and sell books i don't need or read anymore.8. My wardrobe needs an upgrade. I will sort through it and throw away or donate anything thats not used anymore.9. I will take an exam for a specific programming certification.10. Reconnect with a friend. Call him up. Thus the energy developed by good fighting men is as the momentum of a round stone rolled down a mountain thousands of feet in height. So much on the subject of energy.- Chapter 5 : Energy To develop this energy i will need sleep, meditation and exercise. 1. I will sleep at least 7 hours everyday. Lights are out by 23:45. 2. I will meditate every day using headspace. At least 15 minutes. (This will be included in the daily goals).3. I will do one short handform per day. (This will be included in the daily goals).Also this last third point will be my focus area. If everything else fails i try to meditate everyday and to get my sleep. So lets go to work... (Until Monday i might change these goals, im quite happy with them but who knows)...

Actress by midnight, rocket scientist by daylight… wait. That’s not how that goes. MAIN QUEST: Establish healthy habits and make permanent changes. Because after a year on NF, I’m still relying on these challenges to stay on top of being healthy, and it’s time to really start solidifying these things as real and true habits once and for all. QUEST 1: DON’T EAT LIKE USAGI [+4 CON] For Usagi, every day is a cheat day. I, fortunately, have better self-control and only have cheat days once a week, but even once a week is too much. Getting rid of cheat days altogether isn’t a sustainable practice for me personally, but I also need to stop with once a week cheat days. So for this challenge, I will only allow myself one cheat day every two weeks. For my purposes, a cheat day is a day in which I throw caution to the wind, don’t track my calories, and eat all of the things. In order for something not to count as a cheat day, I need to log every single calorie consumed regardless of how many calories I actually ate. The eventual goal is to allow myself cheat days only once a month, or only on holidays, but baby steps! A = 0-3 cheat days | B = 4 cheat days | D = 5 cheat days | F = 6+ cheat days HOTARU BONUS! For every day that I eat at least 75g of protein, I will reward myself $5 for free-spending money in Cancun (if earned in Weeks 1-4) or Japan (if earned in Weeks 5-6). QUEST 2: THE BEAUTY AND GRACE OF REI [+2 DEX] I miss dance class terribly and I need to get back into it badly. Problem is, August is a weird time for many dance studios as they come out of summer schedules and into fall schedules, but that shouldn’t stop me, and it won’t! So, once a week, I will go to a jazz or tap class. EDIT: I will dance 60 min/week Ideally both, but it’s dependent on the schedules of the studios. The week I’m in Cancun is exempt. because I’m about 99.99% certain there won’t be dance studios available to me to complete this quest. If for any reason a jazz or tap class isn’t available, I will count any other dance class or 60 minutes worth of at-home practice. A = 60+ minutes | B = 45-59 minutes | C = 30-44 minutes | D = 15-29 minutes | F = 0-14 minutes MICHIRU BONUS! For every dedicated extra 15 minutes spent working on dance, I will earn myself $5 towards Cancun (Weeks 1-4) and Japan (Weeks 5-6). If I manage to make it to a jazz or tap class, that's an extra $10. QUEST 3: BE TOUGH LIKE MAKOTO [+3 STR, +2 DEX] I’ve always admired Mako-chan for her strength, and while I don’t necessarily need to be so strong as to be able to lift youma over my head (though that would be cool), strength is something I do want to continue to work on since it’ll help me in all aspects of my life. And so I will do strength training 3x/week. A necessary part of this regimen will be to cooldown with 10-15 minutes of dedicated flexibility because injuries suck, and I want to be able to do the splits because I am so close I can taste it. A strength training session will not count if I don’t finish with deep flexibility work. Strength: A = 3x/week | B = 2x/week | C = 1x/week | F = 0x/week HARUKA BONUS! Since I do plan to continue running races but don’t want to overwhelm myself with too many quests, I will earn myself $5 for every run I go on during the quest towards Cancun (Weeks 1-4) and Japan (Weeks 5-6). Races count. LIFE QUEST 1: RESPONSIBLE LIKE AMI [+2 WIS] I need to get better at adulting, especially in the realm of finances. The past few years, I’ve been coasting because I make really good money that I never had to actually worry about it, but between expensive vacations, moving, and getting closer to my 30s, it’s time to grow up a little bit. Therefore, I’m going to make and maintain a budget, making sure every Sunday that it is up to date with every last purchase and transaction I made during the past week. Pass = Budget up-to-date and accurate | Fail = Didn’t even touch it SETSUNA BONUS! Any surplus I have in my budget at the end of August will be put towards free-spending money in Japan. (And yes, I’m including all this bonus money business into my budget!) LIFE QUEST 2: BARRELING TOWARDS STARDOM WITH MINAKO [+2 CHA] With the closing of Cabaret during Week 2 of this challenge and with no new shows lined up (nor am I wanting to do anything until September anyway), August is promising to be a dead time in which post-show depression and the fears and anxieties of never being cast again will hover over me. Instead of moping, I want to be proactive and keep working towards improving my acting skills! That’s why 3x/week, I will do something productive towards my acting career. It can be reading a play, seeing a live play/musical, researching monologues, working on audition stuff, going to a workshop, whatever. Looking up and signing up for auditions will not count; attending auditions and callbacks will count. A = 3x/week | B = 2x/week | C = 1x/week | F = 0x/week SEIYA, TAIKI, AND YATEN BONUS! If I do something towards my acting career more than 3x/week, I will reward myself an additional $5 per extra day of work. SUMMARY Quest 1: No more than 3 cheat days over the course of 6 weeks Quest 2: Jazz/tap class 1x/week Quest 3: Strength training 3x/week Life Quest 1: Maintain a budget 1x/week Life Quest 2: Acting development 3x/week STAT POINT DISTRIBUTION: +3 STR | +4 DEX | 0 STA | +4 CON | +2 WIS | +2 CHA WEEKLY RECAPS Day Zero | Week One | Week Two | Week Three | Week Four | Week Five | Challenge Complete! REWARDS! (non-stacking) I'll be going to Japan at the end of December through mid-January, and Japan is expensive, so this is the money I'm going to allow myself to withdraw from personal savings. Non-stacking, because let's not go insane here. ;;; This is the money for food and shopping. I'm already budgeting for travel and hotel costs. This will be on top of the money I allot myself via bonus money in the above quests. A-average = $500 spending money for Japan B-average = $400 spending money for Japan C-average = $300 spending money for Japan Starting Measurements and Pictures: Waist @ Narrowest: 26.75" Waist @ Navel: 30" Hips: 36.75" Thigh: 21.625" Calf: 14.25" Est. bf%: 22% (based on last year's data marks)

Greetings and Salutations Fellow Adventurers! You had me at the Star Wars opening theme in the mini-quest Hiraedd. My main quest: To increase my endurance, strengthen and tone my flabby post-two children body. I want to inspire my kids to be active, healthy, and physically fit. I want my family to have a sustainable and healthy lifestyle. Part 1: Do the beginners strength training/body weight work out twice a day three times a week. (+2 STR, +2 STA) 1a) I will do the BBWW on Tuesday, Thursdays, and Saturdays 1b) One circuit will be done either in the morning after I wake up or during my Lunch break at work, the second will be done in the evening. Part 2: Do interval training a la Steve's recommendations on alternate days from the beginners body weight strength training (three times a week). Outside if weather permits. (+2 STA) 2a) This will be done during my Lunch break on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday Part 3: Exercise/Play with my children each day for at least 30 min, preferably outside (weather permitting). (+2 WIS, +2 CHA, +2 DEX) 3a) I hope by getting them outside to play for a half hour with me they will better understand the importance of physical fitness and maybe, just maybe go to sleep easier at night. Life quest: Maintain the budget that I set up in my first challenge, and pay off $500.00 of credit card debt. (+3 WIS) Motivation: I only have one family, one body, and one life. I plan to maximize the use and enjoyment that I get out of it. I will track my goals using my favorite tracking tool ever - a spreadsheet! I'm tracking it fully on a .xlsx, but I cannot upload the file to share with the limits of from the message board. Date Net Calorie intake Day of week Workout Play with Kids? Notes4/12/2014 2242 Saturday None No Example/In-between Challenges I use MyFitnessPal as my calorie tracker. I've been using it since last July and have lost 25 lbs using its method/madness. If I become injured (I had back trouble in the first challenge), I will do all that I safely can do without causing further injury. Since I do not have any specific calorie goals, I am not too worried about celebrations/cheat days, etc. I'm just tracking my calories using MFP because I'm data driven like that. My dietary requirements post-accident cause me to focus on whole foods and minimum processed foods/sugars, etc. If I eat badly, I pay for it physically so I am extra motivated to not eat crap. *Edit* As for how I will grade myself - it will be a pass/fail on a daily basis - I either did what I said I'll do or I did not. Each component will get a simple letter grade with notes as to why felt I deserved that grade. With my .xlsx tracker I have a daily grade for each behavior, and then I'll average out the grades for the whole challenge. */Edit*

"There can be miracles when you believe. Though hope is frail, it's hard to kill. Who knows what miracles you can achieve? When you believe, somehow you will." The Curly-Haired Warrior turns up her ipod tunage, ties her running shoes tight and takes a last swig of water. She's about to go hard. She ain't going nowhere but up, and she certainly isn't going home (until she's tired). This is her first full challenge, and she's determined to make it a good one. GOALS: 1. fuel the body. Eat a minimum of one portion of vegetables for lunch and dinner two portions of veg per day. [changed because of mini-challenge 1] doesn't include potatoes."portion" = at least the size of my fist.Final score = /42 STA 2 / CON 2 2. use the fuel. feel the burn. a) jog/ stumble/ crawl the 5k route in my local park at least once each week and record time. improve time each week twice by the end of the challenge (suggested by GoodDoug) anything counts as long as I don't walk the whole thing.Grading a) A = 5/6, B = 4/6, C = 3/6, D = 2/6 A = 2/2, B = 1/2 Minimum for each part must be met for each grade boundary (so to get a B overall I must improve at least once) STA 2 / DEX 1 / STR 1 3. you can't put petrol in a diesel car. stick to my food elimination diet plans. During the majority of this challenge I'm going to be doing a pretty (ok very, extremely, crazily) strict food elimination diet. It seems to be pretty daft not to include this as part of my challenge. [starts 22/4/13] Every meal eaten in accordance with the food elim diet = 1 tick. Total /105 A = 100%, B = 97%, C = 95%, D = 92%. It's a food elimination diet. I can't mess this up! CON 4 4. count the pennies. levelling up my life one pound at a time. Week 1: record groceries bought and the cost of each. List everything, paying particular attention to any foods that get thrown away. Week 2: set a reasonable budget based on findings. Stick to it. Carry on recording. Week 3: review budget and change accordingly. Week 4: plan meals for week and only buy what I've planned for. drop budget by 10% Week 5: plan meals as before. drop (original) budget by 20%. compare food prices of market, health shops, supermarkets etc. Week 6: get smart. using findings, plan not just what to buy, but where from. drop budget by 30%. A = all stages followed, budget decreased by 30% B = all stages followed, budget decreased by 20% C = more than 3 stages followed, budget decreased by 10% D = at least 4 stages followed but no budget decrease F = budget increase (!); less than 4 stages followed WIS 3 READY TO POUND THE PAVEMENT. LET'S DO THIS.

IF Verizon successfully installs fios at my house then I'll be able to update my goals tonight while crying over my internet bill. If not, then I'll update my goals tomorrow at work.