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Last challenge I did started redefining some habits that were bad and creating better ones. This challenge is a continuation of that. A couple of the goals are to complete what I started last time (PLP and HASFit Warrior Program), and a couple are new. The overall goal of my challenge is still to prepare for my Warrior Dash that is coming up in July. I have it planned out that this challenge will finish up the same exercise plan I started last time for building strength, and then the next challenge will be about running and getting the cardio in order with a little strength also. If my calculations are correct, this challenge is April 14-May 26. Then there will be a week off between challenges (May 26-June 1). June 2-July 11 will be a second challenge (the running/cardio one) and then I will have 2 weeks before my race. 1) Complete PLP Challenge (+3 STR) I started this in the middle of the last challenge. I am doing it with a friend and we are on 36/69. I have seen great improvement with this workout and want to see just how much strength I can gain from it! 2) Complete HASFit Warrior Program (+2 STA +3 DEX) I started this last challenge and want to see it through to the end. I will actually complete it the week after this challenge is complete currently. My “rest†days toward the end will be the days I play softball. 3) Walk with wife and puppy 4x per week (+2 CHA) I wanted to include this as a goal because we both work and our dog is in her cage all day. With it being spring, the weather is typically nice enough to take her out and give her some exercise. Also it will give us some time away from electronics to talk and spend some time together. As a mini bonus, I plan on wearing my Vibrams and weight vest while we walk to get some exercise out of it. 4) (LIFE) Finish reading “Drive†and “Teaching with Love and Logic†(+3 WIS) I have started reading both of these books but have not finished them yet. There is an idea in the back of my mind about a new way of teaching that I think would be helpful not only to my wife, since she teaches, but also for when I teach to the high school students that I volunteer with. 5) (DIET) Eliminate pop (+2 CON) I have fallen off the no/few pop bandwagon this year and I know that part of my struggles with my BF% is because I am drinking pop still. So my plan is to do a ladder system for stopping. Week 1, I will be allowed 6 pops throughout the week. Week 2 is down to 5 and so on. I will allow myself to drink as much real fruit juice as I want during this time, but eventually I know that drinking too much fruit juice will also keep me from my BF% goals. But one dragon at a time. Side Experiment: Fast 1x per week for 24 hours. I have done intermittent fasting in the past but doing it by skipping breakfast, eating only between 11am and 7pm. After listening to Brad Pilon talk about what he meant when he started intermittent fasting, I am going to try his 24 hour 1-2x per week fast. I will start with once a week starting on Saturday at 1pm and starting again on Sunday at 1pm. This is normally a time where I am not exercising and can take a break for my body to reset and repair.

In this challenge I want to focus on building some health habits that I plan on taking forward into my future challenges. They may seem like small things to shoot for but if I do them on a consistent basis then I will see greater changes over time. On a similar note, at the end of last challenge ARock10 and I joined forces to start an Accountability Group for better posture called Upward Spiral. So along with the main challenge, I will be working with others in the group to work on posture. Main Quest: 1)Follow the HASFit Warrior workout everyday (Typically 1 day of rest each week) (+2 STR +3 STA) This one is mostly on here so I can expose more people to HASFit. Darkfoxx tipped me off to this website and I have really enjoyed the workouts I have tried so far. Easy to follow and so far, doesn’t require a lot of equipment. 2)Post on 10 other people posts 2x per week (+2 CHA) This may seem like an odd goal, but I find that when I post more on other people’s challenges, it not only makes me less selfish in that I am thinking of others but it also inspires me when I see their success. So if you want me to post on your challenge, leave me a note below. If 10 people don’t respond, I will read through everyone’s posts and you might randomly see me post on there. Darkfoxx Why Not AlexCold Tenaciousglee Quickdraw dhert Starpuck ARock10 Northlander Shadowlion 3)Do Prohands workout 3x per week and Posture work 5x per week. (+3 DEX) As a climber, I got a set of Prohands for Christmas a few years ago. The problem is I have not consistently used them despite having one in my car and one at work. So this challenge is about consistently using them. I know it will only help my climbing abilities if I do. The second part of this is related to the Upward Spiral accountability group. As I sit at a desk most days for work, I need to do the stretches to undo the bad habits my body is learning from sitting. Side Quests: 4)Build a standing desk at home (+2 WIS) I talked about doing this last challenge and really need to do it so that I don’t go from sitting at work to sitting at home. Part of wisdom is not only knowing the right thing to do but also to be able to apply that knowledge. 5)Cook 1 new Paleo meal each week (+2 CON + 1 CHA) This is a carryover from last challenge since I did not complete it. I got a bunch of recipes to try, but I need to plan better to make a meal each week. It was perfect timing this week with the Supermarket Sweep post. I might have to take Steve up on his challenge.

Darkfoxx 8: Moving Through 2014 With A Slew of Kicked Asses In Her Wake Darkfoxx 8: Leaving No Ass Unkicked Darkfoxx 8: Kicking All The Ass In 2014 Darkfoxx 8: Never Leave An Unkicked Ass Behind Ok, so I went off on a little tangent when trying to come up with the theme of this challenge cycle. My Die Hard references evaporated months ago, and I’m too lazy to look for awesome nerdy .gifs. So, tangent time. Like my girl and NF partner in crime Fonzico, this is my one-year nerdaversary as well. W00t W00t. <<< hey, lookee there, it’s a gif. Boom, bitchez. I can’t freakin believe I’ve stuck with this Nerd Fitness business for a year - a whole. freakin. year. And I’m not even ‘over it’ yet. This is pretty much unprecedented, and I have my merry band of constant friends to thank for it. Thanks guys for the support, the harassment, the ass kickings, the internet parties, the woots, and the loves — I totally wouldn’t still be on this journey if I had to go it alone. *ahem* Tough it up, there, Darkfoxx - enough of the mushy stuff and on with the show. Main Quest My overarching mega goal still hasn’t changed - I’m still pumped about doing Mudderella in May. This has been my goal to work toward for 3 challenges now, and I’d like to think that everything I have done in that time gets me a little closer to my goal of finishing all 5-7 miles without dying. I’m still nervous and excited about Mudderella - and I only have 5 months to go! Goal 1 Fitness. I’ll fully admit I’ve been a complete and utter slackass the last week of 2013/this first week of 2014. I finished last cycle (barely) - and then family came to town. Sure, we walked a bunch (I clocked 9 miles one day, with 3-something as my lowest day), but that’s all I did. And I ate like there was no tomorrow. Carbs akimbo. This week I’ve done exactly zero of the things. I nursed a cold and watched Twilight Zone. Twilight Zone isn’t going to help me get to Mudderella. Working out will. So, I’m going back to my old favorite - HasFit. I’ll be starting up the crazy intense Hero 90 program at the start of this challenge, and it will run me all through this cycle and the next. After this craziness, I’d *better* be able to Mudderella - it looks intense (in a good way). I’ve missed Coach K and it will be good to have him egging me on again. Goal 2 Metrics and Moar metrics. My diet has gotten away from me at the end of this year - hellooooo white potatoes - and I need to button that shit back up. Goals are the usual 100 grams or under of carbs, 70 grams or over of protein and 1500 or so calories. I’m still doing My Fitness Pal - and I’m adding my new buddy - the FitBit Flex to the mix. Not only will I be tracking my food this go round, I’ll also be tracking water (again - I slipped on my water intake during our weeks off), sleep patterns, steps, and fitness minutes. Goal 3 Keep this ‘moving rapidly through space’ thing up a little. This can’t be a hard and fast goal. I know HasFit is going to completely kick my ass. I know it’s the middle of winter. But … I found myself actually enjoying going out and doing my Zombies, Run 5k trainer — even at 30 (or even 20) degrees. And I have the gear for it, so I’d like to keep it up. I will consider even one extra time out a success here. Week 3 has a prescribed 60 minutes of cardio (+ 6 minutes of abs) day - and I’ll definitely go out for that - the plan is to do 2 regular Zombies, Run missions for that workout. But I want a little more. I’m not sure when I’m going to pull this off - should it be on the day I do a 30-minute HIIT workout? after 20 minutes of MMA training? give up one of my coveted days off? It might kill me, but I’d like to do it once. And if I never feel like I can manage it? Well, that will be a shame, but I won't let it ruin my jam. Life Side Quest Address the DVD mess. I’ve been waaaaayyy too lazy to keep up with the semi-broken DVD storage solution I have (all DVDs stored in paper sleeves in an apothecary drawer chest in alphabetical order). I have tons of DVDs that need sleeving - and things need to be gone through to ensure everything is in order. Ideally, I need to come up with a new system that will actually allow me to figure out what all I have - but I’m not holding my breath for that one until I make the jump to all-digital storage. For now, I’d be happy with all my DVDs being safe and orderly. Fitness Side Quest The handstand craze from a couple of months ago sounds like fun. I think I’d like to work on that. No big pressure to perform here, I’d just like to give it a go during this challenge cycle. Starting Measurements (taken 01.02.14) Neck at narrowest: 12" (up 3/4" from last cycle start) Bust under breast: 31" (static) Waist at narrowest: 27.5" (up 1/2" from last cycle start) Hip at widest: 40" (static) Thigh at thickest: 20.5" (up 1/2" from last cycle start) Arm at widest: 10.5" (up 1/2" from last cycle start) Weight at wakeup: 123.9 lbs. (down 3 lbs. from last cycle start) Height: 5 ft. 2 3/4 inches (5’2†for measuring purposes) According to the FitBit scale, my BMI is: 22.67 (28.2% fat) - dead mid normal range According to calipers, my BMI is: 23.4 - mid-low ideal range

And the number of dwarves is seven. So far during challenge, I’ve come up against - kicked the ass of - and danced victoriously over the corpses of - (more than) seven dwarves of crappitude (but this is challenge cycle 7 and I’m running with this seven dwarves thing, dammit). Let’s revisit, shall we? Challenge 1: Recovered from the dreaded ‘using the holidays as an excuse to do jack shit and eat like crap’ time of year. Got back to eating right and working out twice a week. Dwarf 1: Lazy Challenge 2: Lost enough weight to just about fit back into my skinny pants, pushed myself harder with my workouts, and worked on leveling up my wardrobe. Dwarf 2: Chubby Challenge 3: Slayed the demon of dehydration, pushed myself further with working out, started on my long metrics journey, and forced some crafts out of my head and into the world. Dwarf 3: Thirsty Challenge 4: Kept going with metrics in fitness & food, worked to find other employment, and leveled up my food photography. Dwarf 4: Photo-y Challenge 5: Kicked the ass out of workouts by starting a 90-day warrior challenge, kept up with my metrics + went even further with a Whole30 challenge, tried to de-stress where possible, looked for a damn job and researched ways to have even more metrics in my life. Dwarf 5: Stress-y Challenge 6: Finished my 90-day warrior challenge, kept going with my food metrics, added more metrics for supplements, fell down on a pushup challenge, made my food blog more user-friendly, and consulted a professional re: kettelbells. Dwarf 6: Warrior 90-y I’d say I’ve been steadily building my arsenal over the past 11 months and working toward being more badass overall. Main Quest This hasn’t wavered in the past 2 cycles and won’t be changing until it’s completed. I have signed up to participate in Mudderella NY/NJ this spring (May 10) and am working toward being fit and capable enough to not only finish - but finish without dying. This is my first time even thinking seriously about accomplishing anything even remotely close to a fitness activity and I'm equal parts excited and scared. Goal 1 This challenge cycle, I’m taking a little break from my HasFit video routine and giving the Nerd Fitness Academy program a try. I’ll be doing the Dumbbell Division Lvl 1 workouts 3x a week. This is going to be hard for me (it already is - I started last week) as I am not good at self-directed workouts in the slightest. I get confused and suck at counting reps. So, this isn’t going to be my favorite or the easiest thing. Drama leads to growth. Goal 2 Continue on with my Zombies, Run! 5k trainer app. I’m on week 3 right now and these workouts run 3x a week. I can do this - I bought some cold weather pants & tops and I can totally kick this dwarf's ass. I just have to remember that I can do this when it’s 30 degrees and dark. Dark and cold won't kill me - and neither will intervals. Goal 3 Keep it going with the diet metrics. Eating no more than 100 grams carbs, 70+ grams protein, and around 1500 calories seems to be working for me - I’m going to keep it up. I’m darkfoxx on My Fitness Pal, too, so check out my stats if you wanna. Life Side Quest Borrowing from NF friends’ past challenges, I really need to address the monster(s) in my closet(s). Really. It’s kind of ridiculous. My living room closet is a black hole, the pantry is Hong Kong level crowded, a closet built to house a washing machine has been dubbed the ‘closet of shame’, the linen closet is pretty much a solid wall of crap, my office closet is full of things I haven’t seen in the 2 years I’ve lived in this apartment, and my bedroom closet always needs some TLC. Fitness Side Quest Since my 6 week program won’t take me all the way through to the end of challenge, the side quest here is going to be to immediately start up with something else. Most likely the HasFit Hero 90 program. I may allow for a week of zombies only here - I haven’t decided. I'll be finishing up my 5k app at the same time as the NF Academy program and I might just jump to a week or 2 of regular zombies, run app to advance the story a bit. Starting Measurements (taken 11.11.13) Neck at narrowest: 11 3/4" Bust under breast: 31" Waist at narrowest: 27" Hip at widest: 40" Thigh at thickest: 20" Arm at widest: 10" Weight at wakeup: 126.8 Height: 5ft. 2 3/4 inches (5'2" for measuring purposes) According to my FitBit scale, my BMI is: 23.19% (mid-normal). According to my calipers, my BMI is 28.2%/18.5mm avg. of 3 (lower end of average range for my age).

My last couple challenges did not turn out so well, they started with motivation, which quickly dwindled. Here we go again. EAT 1300 calories a day Going mostly with the counting calories, also continuing with drinking from my water bottle with 3 fill-ups a day and one Coke Zero in the morning. Going to casually try to make the switch to hot tea especially as the mornings are getting colder. BRUSH teeth at 9:00 pm This goal exists as a way to prevent myself from grazing in the evening. When trying to overcome a bad habit or behavior, I've learned through my education in education, you should replace it with a behavior that negates the ability to do the undesired behavior. So if my goal is brushing my teeth earlier, then I have no desire to snack in the evenings and put more calories into my body. GO-go Gadget behaviorism. HASFIT 30 Day Challenge I will make it through the Hasfit 30 day challenge. My rest days will be Tuesday and Friday. I know that there are more days in the challenge than there are in the program, but I'm probably going to need some wiggle room because I HATE WORKING OUT. Does not feel good and is Oh So Boring. Hasfit has been way better for me than the Rebel Strength guide. I like Coach Kozak's constant encouragement. WRITE session notes I really suck at this and not keeping up with my therapy session notes is really bad (I'm the therapist). I have to enter the notes in online and there is sooo much clicking to different pages and checking boxes, why can't I just write down what happened?! It blows, and this year I get to do Medicaid forms, yay