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Hey! I am making my return this challenge, while I have been gone from the forums for a month I haven't been skipping the gym. I even come with gifts!!! AKA workout videos! So my trainer and I were talking last month and he talked me into try out a strongman competition. The training is a lot more enjoyable for me (and him), and I have been learning so many events. Yoke Carry 280lbs (current max for same distance is 320 now) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PG2eEgsilzU 80lb log press - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foYY5E8nyTA 290lb sled pull - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSia7NF94a4 500-600 lb tire flip - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfN4AggxH_Q I was actually embarrassed to put this one up at first, but then someone said good fight to me. I realized that yes, it was sloppy, but I didn't give up and that was a pretty awesome feeling. 260lb frame carry - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFvtph-_inA So now that we have caught up, and you have seen what I have been up to we will move on to what I will be up to for the next month. This challenge will basically be all about training for the competition which is Oct 22. Events will be released later this month. Goal 1: 3 weight days and a 90 min orange theory (up to my limit of 4 per month) class weekly. If I can't do another orange theory I will do my own interval training at home. Goal 2: Follow my nutritionist orders 80% minimum. If I only have white rice instead of brown then so be it, if I hate plain greek yogurt and get the kind with less sugar I am ok with that. I need to make this work for me (and it has for the past 2 weeks quite well), so I am finding the happy middle where I can follow this the majority of the time but still not go crazy. I also must have fish oil daily. Goal 3: Feel pretty damnit! (aka look like a damn lady at least 3 days a week) I have some serious body issues/ self confidence problems, so much so that while I put videos up I am too embarrassed to put current photos up. And while I know putting on a bit of makeup or taking the time to look put together is not something I do in the mornings it does help my self esteem so it needs to actually be a priority. I will also be starting up my Instagram to follow my progress, and training awesomeness and need to post something at least once a week (I am Harshtart if you want to follow). No awesome gifs but I can give you a photo of the new stray kitten that has found our home. We have had him for about a month now, and while we never really found a name he is known as Secret Agent D.O.G.. don't ask me why, it just kind of happened.

So I have been gone for a while. I no longer had access to the gym I was training in during my last challenge and due to pure life exhaustion I did not bother finding a replacement. I spent a couple months letting my physical conditioning deteriorate while I recuperated mentally and emotionally, all the while knowing I needed to do something to get back on track. I still love weight training, and I want to get back into that at some point, but for now the main goal is to be practical and incorporate fitness training into my life in a way that makes sense and is attainable for me. Chapter 2: I took a leap and invested in a piece of fitness equipment I felt would be useful to me so that I could meet some goals I've been really wanting to work towards in terms of cardio and endurance training. The goal here is not necessarily calorie defecits or weight loss (but those would be nice), but instead it is to improve my cardiovascular endurance and my general metabolism. Although I just started this thready today, I have been training on my new Assault AirBike (look them up, they're intense) since the start of November, doing almost daily HIIT workouts before I go to work in the morning. Before I got the bike, I lost 3 lbs of muscle mass, and since I have been training, I've gained one lb back. I can feel the strength returning in my legs and I am very happy about that. I set informal missions for myself over the past month that go something like this 1) HIIT workout on airbike 3-5 times per week (20 minutes/day) 2) Eat clean, wholesome food (follow some basic paleo principals, but I do incorporate quinoa and some other basic ancient graines occassionally) 3) Get adequate sleep every night (no less than 6 hours, ideally 8 hours) I have also informally set a life quest for myself as I have started knitting again, with the goal of creating small pieces for friends and family during the holiday season. I have completed 4-5 projects so far and currently have one on the go. I have been feeling guilty about slipping away from the NF community so I wanted to put the work I have been doing for the last month into a formal challenge thread to help keep me motivated to continue. My current HIIT workout regime is adapted from one that I found on a web page called 4 Brutal Fan Bike Workouts where they give a beginner HIIT workout that spans over 6 weeks. I have decided to convert the 6 weeks into 6 levels since cardio has never been my strong suit and I feel that I need more time to adapt to the difficulty levels before moving on to the next. This is how my training has progressed: Week 1/Level 0.5 - Had to build my way up to being able to sustain maximum output for 10 intervals of 10 seconds each. I started with 5 high intensity intervals, and used week 1 to build my way up to being able to do the full 10 intervals with 5 minutes warm up and 5 minutes cool down.Week 2/ Level 1 - 3 workouts were performed at level 1 with 10 full intervals of 10 seconds at high intensity, with 5 mins each of warm up and cool down. 2 other workouts were performed that week with less high intensity intervals.Week 3/ Level 2 - performed 5 workouts with 10 x 15 second high intensity intervals. These were at the maximum of my ability and left me ready to fall off the bike by the time I was done. I decided to repeat Level 2 into week 4Week 4/ Level 2 - performed 5 workouts with 10 x 15 second high intensity intervals. I am now currently on Week 5 of my training and I will be attempting to move up to level 3, where each of the 10 high intensity intervals will last for 20 seconds. Wish me luck!

Every winter the toughest Starks take to the wilderness for the Winter Trials, a three month long series of challenges designed to test each warrior’s endurance, discipline and work ethic. Only the strongest Starks are selected to compete. Those who are able to endure the elements and successfully complete the grueling trials are bestowed the honorable title ‘Winter Ranger.’ This year Jennifer Stark begins her journey toward becoming a Winter Ranger. Step #1 Get Selected! To be selected for the Winter Trials Starks must display a number of important characteristics: Work ethic-You can’t get anywhere without hard work, so this one is pretty obvious Maintain an average of 50% productivity at work throughout the challenge. Physical Fitness-Winter Rangers must flexible and strong to traverse some of the most inhospitable terrain in Westeros. Continue 2 body weight workouts per week and add 1 Slide Board Workout per week. Endurance-The North is a big place, journeys are often long and grueling. Work up to 2 straight minutes of slide board sliding. Direwolf Compatibility- The key to survival for any Stark. Walk the dog 2 mornings per week Motivation: I am an important part of the family business. I want to level up because I know I can do more to push the business forward and continue to make it a success.

Hey, Team #ZAP! Thanks for joining and welcome to the next six weeks of life! Here's my challenge. Since this is my first time (Be gentle with me... no, screw that. We have zombies to outrun or defeat!), my goals may evolve a bit as this first week goes and I get a feel for how much I'm trying to hurt myself. Let's get this party started! DefiantlyLiterate