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Push myself. Notes & Observations Journaling. Stop waiting for the perfect notebook to do it. You have more than enough sexy leather bound ones to start. Cardio. How the hell do you expect to keep up this "crime-fighting" ordeal if you can't keep up one night a week? The heart and lungs are just as important as your biceps and traps. Mobility. This one is puzzling. You always feel so good after a Smooth Panther routine...why not do them more often? Fuel. 5x a day is doable. I've already started and it amazes me how quick my body adapts and fast my metabolism gets going. I've become a great white shark... Strength. No excuses for Tues/Thurs. I have a good DB set + KB's + weighted vest/pull-up bar. I can get a good workout in before I leave for work. No need to go to the gym. I have my own "Batcave". Wolf

“Hidden in the chaos is the element, waiting to strike like snakes. And I'm there too. Watching. 2 years of nights have turned me into a nocturnal animal. I must choose my targets carefully. It's a big city. I can't be everywhere. But they don't know where I am. We have a signal now, for when I'm needed. When that light hits the sky, it's not just a call- it's a warning. To them. Fear is a tool. They think I'm hiding in the shadows. But I AM the shadows. I wish I could say I'm making a difference, but I don't know. Murder, robberies, assault- 2 years later, they're all up. And now this. This city's eating itself. Maybe it can't be saved, but I have to try. PUSH MYSELF. These nights all roll together in a rush behind the mask. Sometimes in the morning I have to force myself to remember everything that happened.” The Batcave · Go to the gym 4x a week · The Focus: Speed and Power i.e Compound Lifts, Olympic lifts, KB’s, calisthenics The Batmobile · Cardio 2x a week & Mobility Daily · The Focus: Running, Walking with Heather, Swimming or Metcons (using KB’s), #SmoothPanther The Utility Belt · Daily Vitamins and Veggies · The Focus: Leafy greens, complex carbs, D3, fish oil, zinc, vitamin C The Cowl · Daily meditation, journaling and putting an emphasis on SLEEP · The Focus: 5min minimum for meditation and micro-naps are encouraged Wolf

OKAY!! So here we go, there's a couple things I'd really like to get back into. Last 5 week challenge went generally pretty well! Struggled this last week but for the most part kept to my goals BUT here we go! Goals for this challenge! 1. Intermitten fasting! start eating around 10 am stop eating around 6 pm. 2. Stay in my Calorie Allotment 3. DRINK SO MUCH WATER 4. Journal a few times a week 5. Maybe some pushups or something. to be clear i want to do at least ten pushups 2x a week

Starting a bit late, but you've got to start somewhere. I find that a combination of work stress and my natural anxious nature have really been getting in the way, both in terms of fitness and nutrition, but also in a more general sense. It's definitely a negative spiral I want to pull myself out of. My focuses for this period are: Meditate every day, even if it's only for five minutes in the morning. Learn to take a step back and/or journal when the anxiety sets in, instead of writing off the whole day as a failure. Take time for hobbies, away (or at least alongside) endless hours mindlessly browsing YouTube.

Basically, I'm tired of Kathryn Janeway not being the most awesome thing ever, so it's time to go back with a rewatch and see if we can change that. This challenge: Captain's Log - Stuff is going on in my life, and I need my brain to work on it, so I will write it all down and create documentation. This is the "pics or it didn't happen" of the thinking process. Starfleet Fitness Training - Does what it says on the tin. Vulcan Meditation - Having Vulcan officers makes this hard to avoid. Ship Routines - Routines are hard, but ships run on them. I will try again. What Would Janeway Do - Take advice from Janeway during my rewatch.

Good day fellow Rebels. Last challenge, I made some observations about goals that were lacking, and I selected three: reading, breathing (specifically Wim Hof Method breathing) and journaling. The other goals have essentially become daily habits now because they have been part of my routine for quite some time. So if you have been following me for a while, assume that the rest of my usual daily habits and routines that have been mentioned in the past are now expected. And so I begin: Goal 1: Read Harder and More Often -- I love to read. I love books. I have all the traits of a bibliophile. However, I'm not very disciplined, and I struggle to focus and pay attention when I read. I know this is normal and nothing to be ashamed of, but it still bothers me. I'm also a very picky reader, like... picky to a fault. Yes, some of it is because I have standards, and because I value my time, so I struggle to read something that just... isn't very good. But, if I'm honest, much of this pickiness has led me to make unfair assumptions about various genres, authors, and forms of writing. So, I have decided to take on the BookRiot Read Harder Challenge, as well as to set an ambitious but doable reading goal of 50 books in 2021. I have a few strategies for helping meet this goal: read every day for at least 30 minutes put my phone on the charger on the other side of the room while reading select and read books from the Read Harder Challenge first audiobooks, children's books, and poetry collections totally count towards the 50 goal Goal 2: Breathe Harder and More Mindfully -- I have practiced the WHM in the past, and many of the elements have stuck like glue, specifically the cold showers and cold exposure (going outside shirtless and shoeless in the cold, taking long hikes in the snow with no shirt, etc.), but the breathing (which, if I'm not mistaken Wim himself said is the most important part of the method) has just been a struggle to fit into my daily routine. It's not that I don't want to; in fact, I really enjoy it and feel great every time. It's almost like my brain says, "Dude... It's breathing. We do that al the time. Just skip it." And so, I end up skipping it. However, I noticed last challenge that I was filling that gap of time normally reserved for WHM breathing with mindless scrolling of Instagram or Facebook. So, for this challenge I will work to fit WHM breathing into my morning routine, just as I was before. Below are my strategies for meeting this goal: schedule a time for breathwork, after prayer/devotional time but before workout and cold shower: 0445 Mon-Fri, Sat/Sun time varies use the app and/or music or a guided audio or video to make the experience more interactive at least three rotations; time is not as important as impact, so be mindful of the impact of each inhale and exhale, as well as how your body feels during and after each rotation Goal 3: Journal More -- In addition to loving to read, I also love to write (or at least I used to love it in that I used to write a lot because I wanted to, not because it was a requirement or a chore). I need to get back to that love, but in practical ways that don't make it feel like a task or just something else to check off on my daily to-do list. I used to keep a journal regularly, writing just a few paragraphs a day, recording my thoughts and my feelings and occasionally sharing favorite poems or song lyrics or lines from movies and TV shows. And sometimes I would draw (not very well, but it brought me joy). I need to get back to that less prescribed and more open journaling practice because if it feels to rigid or more like a "have to," I won't do it. Instead, it should be a "get to." I get to journal every day. So below are my strategies for meeting this goal: journal every morning before starting my day and at the end of the day: Mon-Fri right before leaving for work (0630) and before bed (2100); Sat/Sun times vary aesthetics matter; use a notebook that you want to write in and a utensil you want to write with in order to feel encouraged to do so make it brief but important and free flowing, not prescribed or stilted; just express yourself freely and openly without judgement keep it secret; keep it safe (you knew I wouldn't get out of this challenge without at least one LotR reference) And there you have it. My goals for this challenge. Sorry it doesn't have any creative theming or anything, but I knew these areas needed to be refined and strengthened, so that was my main purpose. And of course, you can expect plenty of nerdiness to arise in the form of cool gifs and memes and quotes.

**SPOOF** Sweet merciful barbecued baby Jesus! How'd I get back here? Seems when things start a changin I get an ictchin to visit my ol' stompin grounds 'ere and set up shop for a new challenge. So last challenge I had just moved to a new apartment, gotten begrudgingly complacent at my desk job, doomsday prepped for the onslaught of the holidays, and goodness knows what else... because that was half a year ago. And things move fast in my plain of existence. Because now I've got a new job. No longer am I confined to a cubicle nine-to-five that I promised myself in high school I'd rather commit sepuku than settle for. No longer will I be at the bottom of the totem pole being paid pennies for what a robot could do if it weren't for the fact that most companies are run by slow muggles that are too busy cleaning up after the messes of one another to press the skynet button. No longer shall I dress myself in an occupational costume, or prattle on with the convoluted business rules as I prostrate myself to the fake social niceties. For now I am... in the IT field. . That's right I'm the doctor dolittle of computers. That cloud you throw your precious data into? It's physical. And I get to dig around in it. Well... not really. I just do some hoodoo voodoo and replace damaged parts of the borganism so it's mechanical mind continues whirling though the cosmos of time. Ok... enough with waxing poetry. On to the challenge. I've got an odd new schedule. It's four days of 10hr shifts and a three day weekend. Don't get me wrong, it beats the muggle standard. But the work days are so crammed that there is no time for dilly dally. It's straight home, walk the dog, eat dinner, unwind for at max an hour, pass out, rinse and repeat. And a three day weekend seems like plenty of time to kill except the chores take the remainder of the space. The living space cleaning and maintenance, the meal prepping, grocery shopping, managing virtual social meetings, planning world domination. You know... normy stuff. This makes me wonder if I should bite the bullet and find myself a nice girl. I can wear the corduroy pants in the relationship for four days and a sarong on alternating days. And we can make beautiful food together. Korra's Automated Abode Challenge Tracking Food Tracking food can be hard and plugging in all that data day after day can be tedious. So why not automate it with meal prepping? I've got 6lbs of pork tenderloin and more chicken than I can shake a stick at ready to go. And who knows? With all the nutrition info coming in, I can squeeze some healthy snack time goodies in there to fill in the gaps Stretching With my new job I'm on my feet most of the day and walking here and there finishing up tasks so I don't have to worry about a step goal. And my dog demands a walk every two hours so he can visit his doggy friends at the apartments that like to chill on the balcony. But the back does tend to get tight at work. So I'll be doing stretches at certain intervals through the day and maybe some yoga during the weekend to spice things up. Lifestyle Staying present and checking in is always good. It keeps one from falling back into bad habits that ultimately lead to a downward spiral to a deep dark hole that at that point is not worth climbing out of. So I'll do journaling in the evenings to check in on how the day went, what went good, what didn't go well, and how things can be their best tomorrow. And if the urge to download another soul sucking empty void of a smartphone game crosses my mind I know to grab that journal and scribble like the dickens. If journaling doesn't help then meditation always does. I think I one time connected with the universe and it felt the way all the religious people describe the feeling of meeting their deities. So going for those feelings seems like a good cure all. I'm not quite sure what steps to take after you've been surrounded by people for long periods of the day and not interacting with them in a way to scratch the human social need and thus your mind tries filling in those gaps with an imaginary friend (usually from a well watched tv show or video game). Do you engage with that part of your conscious and wax and wane philosophy of the need for human connection in a quasi attempt to fill that void?

Looks like I’m back again! A big shout out to whoever posted to the Texas rebel Facebook group about the challenge. I’m wanting to catch up with the community here and share shenanigans that happened while I was away. For those of you who don’t know me… Hi I’m Korranation and my life is kinda crazy [video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PhiYI5GGZA[/video] Sorry for those of you on tapatalk. The hidden feature doesn’t work and yall are subjugated to a wall of text that is my life. I’ll sprinkle in some pics and illustrations for some pizazz. The last challenge I was writing about had something to do with creating a and maintaining fictitious animal crossing village seen only via text-based story. And honestly, I was using that as a means of escapism to distract myself from my job at the time. A few weeks after my last post I went to the doctor’s office for a checkup. I was diagnosed with a chronic disease. And a few days after my diagnosis I was let go from my job. I wallowed around in my apartment for a few months. After a time of locking myself away in my apartment in self-isolation I decided to get a grave yard shift job so I could get out of the house, have to physically move around, and do something while I listened to audio books. After some more time there, I decided to bust my bum and network my way into a desk job again. Now I have a job with less of a commute time and a great working environment. My life has hit a good plateau right now and I feel like I have enough time to be posting regularly here. I’ve finally healed my body and gotten rid of my toxic head space. I want to focus on healing up and prepping my body for the onslaught that is the holiday festive foods. I want to make sure my tummy is all good this challenge, then start reintroducing foods into my diet next challenge. I know you’re thinking “But Korranation, haven’t you been on AIP so your symptoms wouldn’t come back?” And my answer is why yes of course I did. But then just like everything else, I fell off the bandwagon. I did start small with things like rice, then potatoes, then dairy which I can do in small doses. You can’t keep this rebel away from her prized sea salt and vinegar chips! RAID ALL THE KITCHENS CHALLENGE Water – drink X amount of water I usually don’t drink much water at work and don’t until towards the end of day where I end up chugging +32oz in one go either because my legs are cramping, my saliva is getting foamy (which means dehydration), or I’m feeling hungry after I’ve eaten but I only want bad foods. Food – try new AIP recipes and post them here I meal prep all the time. I have morning smoothies every day. Which is kale, coconut water, avocado, banana, and collagen peptide protein. I don’t want to give myself a certain number to do each week or challenge since I can make enough food to last me the entire challenge in one meal prep session. Tracking – log in all food into MFP I need to start logging things into the app anyways. I know if I don’t hit a certain calorie amount at lunch or have a snack buffer to fill that deficient, I’ll end up binging when I get home or go to the snack shack at work and get either caramel popcorn or gummies which has no nutritional value and causes a later crash. I want to use this time to find more nutrient dense foods and snacks that I can always go to. I may invest in the MFP premium since I’ve been wanting a more in-depth look into nutrients other than the macros (protein/carbs/fats) Lifestyle – Stoic evening routine I found a video going in-depth about stoic methods important people in history tried. Plus I found a free pdf copy of Marcus Aurelius’ journal called Meditations. It was his private journal that was never meant to be read. But I want to see what the most powerful person in that time period worried about. From the summaries I’ve read it seems to be no different that the morning pages I do. I’d love to do other things like: doing a morning stoic routine so I can clear out the flotsam and jetsam in my mind to be ready to have a focused and more productive day writing every day so I can be done in time for the end of NaNoWriMo maintaining my L.inked.In everyday in hopes of finding a recruiter to move me to a full time employee position so I can get some healthcare having an overall evening apartment clean up routine so I have less mess to walk through and deal with And start a garden on my patio so I can have home grown veggies I can enjoy But all this is less interesting to discuss on here, it’s mainly maintenance that will not lead to a big reward at the end of this challenge (excluding the professional social media one). Anyways...

I’ve been away for a couple of challenges. The holidays and new year left me evaluating my online haunts—I’ve let some go, but here I return. NF is a place for good. Who am I? I'm Ann of Vries, aged 39; a diarist, a fiber artist, a gamer, a traveler, a hiker, and a new mother. I’m madly in love with my partner, Mr of Vries, and my 11(!) month old son, Rowan of Vries. Warning: There will be baby pics and talk on this thread. I live in London, after having emigrated from Seattle three years ago. I love it here, although I’m still trying to find my tribe (outside of the House of Vries, of course). Where are we now? The days are as long as sleepless nights, and the months move as fast a thought. Mr of Vries has a new job after a four month break (bringing dinosaurs and robots to life!), and although I cannot yet see the sunset of this new chaos, Rowan and I are getting back into the routine of it just being the two of us during the day. Here's a photo montage of the last few months: The Challenge: Carry On My theme of my challenge will be to carry on not let the frantic pace and demands of daily life tear me away from key rituals and routines I know are good for my mental/emotional/physical health. After a long plateau, the rest of my pregnancy weight has began to (slowly, but progressively) slide off. I’d like to keep that in forward motion. I suspect that moving to 3 small meals and a “tea" a day (coinciding with RoV’s eating routine), helped in this. I also want to expand my cooking repertoire as I’m getting bored. Keep moving my weight down through good eating choices. As a guideline, but not absolute rule, I follow the philosophy-if you wouldn’t feed it to your son, why are you eating it? With the dark season came a return of the shadows in my mind. Getting out has helped. I’m now trying to go out daily, even if it’s only for a few minutes of walking around the block, pushing Rowan on the swings at a nearby park, picking up food at the grocery. Sometimes it’s such a bother—ask anyone trying to go anywhere with a small child! But sometimes I just need to put him in a carrier and go out for a little while, close to home. Mr and I are trying to use our weekends more wisely to get out, walk, spend time together and as a family. We’re still hoping to get back to hiking regularly. We’ve also hired a babysitter a couple of times a week so I can go out on my own for a couple of hours. I can do most things with Rowan along, but sometimes the company I need is my own. Keep my mood up and my weight down with daily adventures big or small. (I will not penalize myself in situations of poor physical health or inclement weather.) Over and over again, I learn that my personal journal is something I cannot neglect for long without my psychic landscape turning into a black, fell wasteland. I’ve spent a lot of time writing in fictional worlds, but the truth is that while I love making up worlds, I really want to have that “life worth writing about” in my own. (Even if I’m the only who is reading it.) Make time to explore my psychic landscape in my journal when I need it. I need to create things. Over the years, I’ve often vacillated between writing fiction and fiber arts (knitting, sewing, etc.) . Lately, I’ve increased my attentions to my fiber arts. At the moment I’m knitting and learning embroidery. I can’t do it with the single-minded focus I did before I was a mother, but if that was a reason to not do something… well, I wouldn’t be doing much of anything right now. And that never goes well for long. Make time to explore my fiber arts creations, simple or complicated. I’m an introvert, hands down. But I still need people in my life. The problem is that sometimes I feel like between Rowan and Mr I’m always “on.” Yet, I still need to be part of the wider world. One of the things I always think about when I’m about to do another challenge for NF is that I can’t keep up with threads half as much as I want to and it makes me feel guilty. Locally, I’m still trying to find “my people” on this side of the Atlantic. Honour my introvert nature, but push myself a little more to reach out to people and make connections (both online and offline). I’m an introvert, not an island. I tend to forego the metrics, as when I try to devise them I get more focused on the numbers than I do on living my best life (which is really the goal). So… I’ll update a couple of times a week and let you know how I’m doing. I can watch the scale—and I will be—but ultimately, whether I’m doing well or not is based on my overall mood and emotional state. Carry on!

I wanted to start on date but as always, Monday came and went... and here I am, at least not a week late xD! First of all, hope you're having a great start of the year. South here we were having great summer, beach days until a polar front passed over. So we went from over 30ºC to almost 10ºC. Absorb what is useful, discard what is useless and add what is specifically your own. – Bruce Lee My mantra this month. Losing weight. I can't count calories, I've tried... but I've failed. So I'm sticking with dish sizes, portion and not having seconds. No alcohol on week days and checking my cravings, having healthier alternatives for those late night sugar wishes. Run, run, run. Once a week I'll go sprinting. Most likely hill sprints to make it easier on my knees. (Having run two 10k I know long ones make me bored so, fast and hard). Preferably, on Wednesday. Lift KTB workouts thrice a week (Is that how it's called three times?). Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturdays. Yoga and mobility Having to deal with a pubalgia I'm having lots of mobility and strengthening exercises that I'll pair up with my personal yoga sessions. That will be every day. Write I want to write every day, and I've found many resources. I'm aiming high, I'm aiming big. I'll try journaling at night, to reflect on day. And writing 500-750 words during the day. The more the merrier. So... let's begin. This afternoon I'll make the first checking in.

Ok, so we made it through the tutorial rounds. We’ve killed all the monsters we needed to kill. We explored Astera, set up camp in the Ancient Forest, explored the Coral Highlands and the Wildspire Wastes, and even ventured into the Rotten Vale. Now we’re on to the next level -- hunting HIGH RANK monsters in and around the Everstream in the Elder’s Recess. You know… the normal monsters, only bigger. And stronger. Much stronger. Stamina Fighting off monsters takes strength and stamina. This goal is for my running and lifting workouts throughout the challenge so that I can wield my weapons accurately… and run very, very fast if a monster goes full agro on me. I have a charity 10 Miler I am running in October, so I need to get back in training shape. Current mile time is 13:45 and I need to be to a consistent 13 minutes to feel good about this race, but damn I'd love to be back to 12 minutes. Running 3x Per Week, LIIFT4 4x Per Week, 1 Rest Day 0/30 Complete 3 weeks of LIIFT and Running SLAY DIABLOS Foraging Taking time to collect natural resources to craft useful items like potions and monster traps is a must. While out walking around and foraging, it will be important to stay hydrated - especially in the Wildspire Wastes. 64oz water a day, lunch walks 3x per week 0/35 0/15 Go for 10 walks and drink 64oz water daily for a full week without gaps SLAY ODOGARON Canteen Ordering a giant Chef’s Platter from the Meowster Chef is only useful if we’re off to hunt big game. Being mindful to only order what I need to fuel me on each expedition will not only make my body happy, but make my monster hunting much more effective. One cheat day a week, one order/eat out night a week, otherwise stick to meal plan. 0/30 Three successful meal plan weeks SLAY RADOBAAN Monster Guidebook It’s important to gather data when you’re out in the field to bring back to Astera to study the monsters in their habitats. Turning in data to the lead ecologist helps prepare for any encounter with any monster in the field… but you can’t be prepared if you don’t take notes! Journal 3 days a week. 0/15 Complete 9 new entries SLAY NERGIGANTE Overall - earn 80% SLAY TEMPERED KIRIN 0/125

It's been a loooong while I haven't kept a regular schedule for my personal purposes. Schedules and to-do lists never worked for me because they triggered a lot of anxiety, so I have always been more about: do this a couple of times a week, whenever you feel like it. Which is ok, but I also tend to slack and do half of what I really wanted to do. Since this has been getting better -me being more responsible- and my anxiety levels are the lowest they've been in my whole life, I am going to give it a try and follow a schedule. I am also in a better mental place now than years ago, to understand that plans won't always work the way I want, or that there will be days when I'll need to be flexible and drop a couple of things, but I'll try to be disciplined, because I've been feeling I really want to level up, I mean REALLY LEVEL UP, and the best I can do to achieve this is not to miss workouts and/or practice sessions. What do I want and how do I achieve it: Physical I want to run faster and longer ---------> I`ll go for a run twice a week instead of once. I'll keep working on sprints but also on extending my usual last run. I want to be stronger ---------> I'll work on push-ups, pull-ups (only dead hang by now), abs and planks. I'll add 5” to my dead hangs every week, and also 1-2 push-ups to the same set (my trainer at self-defence recommended fist push-ups yesterday when I asked him about improving my wrist and fist strength and control when punching, so I'll work mainly on those). Base line for fist push-ups still to be determined, same for the time I can hold a declined plank (almost handstand). Abs twice a week. Dead hangs and declined planks are unscheduled because they will usually happen at any free moment along the day. I want to be more flexible and improve mobility and posture -------> Yoga everyday. First thing in the morning, last thing before bed. Animal flow once a week. I want to improve blood circulation (amongst others) and go ahead with the WH course -------> I'll add 5-10” seconds to my cold showers every week. Musical I want to play more freely, to feel I enjoy playing my flute instead of fighting against it -------> I've been journaling a lot about this, and I've decided the first thing I need to do is to be consistent. Rather than working on refining or perfecting things, I'll work on reducing “mistakes”. The biggest one is, no doubt, random practice, so from now on, no day without practice, no excuses. Once this “mistake” is fixed, others will be addressed. Mental I'll journal about those things that upset me, and whenever I feel ready/comfortable I'll choose some things to share at NF. I will keep a “thank me” journal. Everyday I'll write down what I did to take care of myself. MAGIC SCHEDULE! MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN WAKE UP: BREATHING + YOGA WAKE UP: BREATHING + YOGA + PUSH-UPS WAKE UP: BREATHING + YOGA WAKE UP: BREATHING + YOGA + PUSH-UPS + ABS WAKE UP: BREATHING + YOGA WAKE UP: BREATHING + YOGA + PUSH-UPS WAKE UP: BREATHING + YOGA + ABS MORNING: SELF-DEFENCE MORNING: INTERVAL RUNNING MORNING: SELF-DEFENCE MORNING: ACTIVE RECOVERY DAY AFTERNOON: PLAYING WITH ANIMAL FLOW MORNING: INTERVAL RUNNING MORNING: ACTIVE RECOVERY DAY NOON O'CLOCK: MUSIC PRACTICE NOON O'CLOCK: MUSIC PRACTICE NOON O'CLOCK: MUSIC PRACTICE NOON O'CLOCK: MUSIC PRACTICE AFTERNOON-EVENING: MUSIC PRACTICE AFTERNOON 18:00: MUSIC PRACTICE AFTERNOON 18.00: MUSIC PRACTICE EVENING: JOURNAL + YOGA EVENING: JOURNAL + YOGA EVENING: JOURNAL + YOGA EVENING: JOURNAL + YOGA EVENING: JOURNAL + YOGA EVENING: JOURNAL + YOGA EVENING: JOURNAL + YOGA

- Recent words of wisdom from a good friend. Introduction: Last month, a nuclear bomb went off in my life—I gave birth to my son. We’ve survived the first four weeks, but I’m struggling with creating new balance in my life especially after my husband has returned to work. So for this challenge, I’ve left my adventuring pack behind, and wandered into the druid’s grove, to focus on being, (un)becoming, and the transition into fallout. Around the time I gave birth, a blog post appeared that really spoke to me—it’s about Being—being who you are rather than always chasing for Becoming Someone. It sounds unaspiring, but I actually found it quite the opposite. I feel like I have been given permission to be right where I’m at. (And, when I asked myself the Hard Question of “what if this is all that there is”? I mean, I have to admit a pretty amazing life. Stupid hedonic adaption.) I still aspire. I still aim to inspire. But for the moment, I need to focus on being right where I am. I need to learn how to balance this huge, new responsibility in my life without it consuming all of who I am. Background: I’m an Adventurer at heart. I’m a traveler, a hiker, a storyteller, a diarist, a fiber artist, a gamer. I’m madly in love with my husband (Mr of Vries), and of course my new son (Rowan of Vries). I hail originally from Seattle, WA, but I followed Mr of Vries and immigrated to the UK (London) about two and a half years ago to marry him and start a new life in a new city, a new land. This has opened up whole new adventures and travel opportunities in my personal universe, and also added myriad new challenges—including having a new baby with a near non-existent support network. This has been… difficult. My son is wonderful and very loved, but the situation comes with a high emotional/physical toll. The Challenge: Note: I don’t do hardcore metrics. My way is to have spheres of priorities, and keep focus on fulfilling actions within those priorities. So what you will see are categories and example/target actions in which I aspire to. Balancing the Books of Vries: I used to have a daily spread/layout in which I kept track of my desired and needful tasks for each day, but baby blew that system apart. I want experiment with and design a new record-keeping system for my day that incorporates mum-care, baby-care, and everything else. Try different spreads/layouts Make sure to add self-care and the space to actually do it (taking care of the baby is a given) Relaxing I have not done much purposeful relaxing over the last four weeks, and it’s wearing me down. I need to be better at centering myself. Recognize when I tense up, relax my muscles Stretch! Breathe Recognize and dispel anxious or other damaging thoughts Reading and journaling Movement There was the obvious recovery from childbirth, but then learning how to be out and about with a tiny baby. I’m getting better at this. Get walking regularly, or whatever else gentle movement I can do (with and without baby) Figure out good pram routes for local and city travel (not all stations--including our local one--have step-free access) Sort out a good baby carrier so I can move around more easily when I don't need the amenities of the pram Creativity/Psychic Space I am a creative being. I need to find the space in my self again to contemplate, to write, and to Make. One could argue that I’m Making a person, and that’s true, but it can’t be everything I do. Writing (journal or novel) Reading Knitting and other fiber crafts Here we go....

So, this is me. Lightning. I'm back from a long journey that was full of arduous boss battles, too many enemies, and too many loves lost. I've learned a lot along the way, despite making some of the same old mistakes again. But, I've already spent enough time licking my wounds and enjoying a pity party for one. Lightning is known for trying to do it all on her own and she is (I am) still learning to ask for help. Now I need the help of a doctor because there is still some healing that needs to happen. But, I'm LIghtning and that means a little bad-assery also needs to take place. Good thing this doctor makes house calls. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The illustrious and nerdy-sexy Doctor Strange is going to help me get back into Boss Battle shape. I'm going to follow him into Kamar-Taj and emerge from this challenge stronger in both mind and body. Discipline Tracking my food with MFP every day. I need to reestablish this habit before I can even think about dieting. also 5 Servings of Fruit and Vegetables a Day. Battle Ready Bodyweight exercises 3x / wk Following the Startbodyweight program because I enjoy the progressions. Meditation Any type of positive mental exercise 5x / wk meditation, journaling, or the Superhappy App

I'm tired and need a breather, y'all. I've been adding new habits and goals and things to my life at a terrific rate, and they have all been positive changes and I'm super happy about them and all, but now I feel like it is the part of the story where I need to slow the pace, consider some backstory and character motivations, heal (!!!!), and get myself into a better place, head-and-bodywise, before charging off wildly on my next adventure so carelessly that I forget my pocket-handkerchief. Heal From My Injuries: Today marks the three-month anniversary of my hand and arm surgery, and the only obvious residual effect is that the palm of my hand is still very sore when I OHP or bench press. I want to be more diligent about doing the PT exercises with the silly-putty stuff and massaging sore-muscle salve into the area - at least 5 days/week. Get Some Inner Peace: Prayer journal at least once per day. Bonus points for twice (morning and evening). Set Off on the Right Foot: Continue with/solidify my already established and (thus far pretty successful and beneficial) morning routine of Bible study Duolingo practice Headspace meditation 15 oz. water before coffee and healthy breakfast Bonus Goal (NO PRESSURE IF I DON'T GET THIS RIGHT!!!!) One Lift to Rule Them All: Now that I am back to about 75% of my pre-surgery strength in all my main lifts, and my grip is so far holding up fine in the deadlift, I feel like I should get back to what was always fitness priority #1 - I want an unassisted pull-up!!!!! So, the goal = at least 5 days out of every week, do something to move me towards pull-ups. Lat pulldowns, negatives, assisted, inverted rows, hollow rockers - but at least one thing specifically targeted towards that one big goal that I keep letting myself get sidetracked from (this is the goal that actually got me into the gym 2+ years ago, but I keep dropping it and chasing butterflies or something...) Heal Injuries: 0/20 Get Inner Peace: 0/28; bonus points 0/28 Right Foot: 0/28 One Lift: 0/20 Full disclosure: I am recycling my gif theme from last time because I did not finish the art piece for the library that I was working on. It's a drawing of Smaug on a weathered wood board, with the Gandalf quote "I am looking for someone to share in an adventure that I am arranging." My plan was to coordinate my challenge themes to my library decor, but distractions happened so I'm still here.

Keeping the momentum going while staying clear of the dog park and fighting off the librarians to earn my Eternal Scout badge. Keep a steady decrease in weight and mile time going, pushing for 5 more pounds and 30 more seconds off. The race happens during this challenge… so PRing the half marathon is also a major goal, here. Important work post race will be focusing on three recovery weeks where I want to complete some recuperative yoga and shorter runs. 1. A Look at the Traffic... Last few weeks pre-race and the goal here needs to be leg muscle stretching -- hip flexors, piriformis, achilles, calves, glutes, hammies… Morning and night. 2. The Community Calendar... Run 3x a week OR 10 miles. Planning for one interval run, one speed day, and one distance run, post race will be tempo runs and speed training 3. But First, The Weather... POST RACE - Complete all 21 days of Wanderlust.tv “21-DAY YOGA CHALLENGE: VINYASA FOR LIFE” 4. A Word From Our Sponsors... Stick to macros (which means more tracking again…) of 35% fat (69g), 35% protein (136g), 30% carbs (97g) 5. The Children’s Fun Fact Science Corner… Journal daily - try out morning pages. 3 pages or 15 minutes every morning. Goodnight, Night Vale. Goodnight.

Goal 1 — Paying the Iron Price: Continue the Stronglifts Program Last challenged I started Stronglifts. I took a break for a week for the holidays. I will continue lifting, reach Week 8, which will leave me with 4 more weeks for the next challenge. Week 1 ✘ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 2 ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 3 ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 4 ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 5 ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x ~xx% ~x Goal 2 — A Warrior's Flexibility: I will stretch after every workout. I'm terrible at this. I always forget it, do some half-assed stretching while I cool down in the shower but I will make stretching as part of my workout routine as every great warrior does. Also, to counter the effects of sitting and because I've been suffering from low back pains since I can remember, I will do some 30s/1m spinal decompressions between Pomodoro breaks while working on the computer or whenever I'm leaving/entering my house. Week 1 ✘✘ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 2 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 3 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 4 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 5 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x ~xx% ~x Goal 3 — A Warrior's Discipline: Track with diligence I'm also terrible at this. I forget to take pictures, take measurements and I always end up frustrated that I don't see any progress. I will take pictures, measurements, track sets/reps and weights properly and share them here. I have an appointment with a nutritionist in a couple of weeks and I'll sit down with her to set some more solid goals in terms of losing weight/body fat. If there's something I envy from the warriors, is that they're very diligent with tracking everything. Week 1 ✘ ✘ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 2 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 3 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 4 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 5 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x ~xx% ~x Life Goal: A Warrior's Soul A significant of my focus for this year will develop, grow, and strengthen certain qualities of spirit, to work out my character and inner life as much (or more) than I do my body. I will pursue certain spiritual disciplines and make them part of my daily rituals. And just to keep me accountable and go with the tracking goal (and in case you're wondering which spiritual disciplines I'm pursuing). Meditation and Contemplation Week 1 ✘ ✔ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 2 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 3 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 4 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 5 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x ~xx% ~x Fasting Week 1 ✘ ✘ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 2 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 3 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 4 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 5 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Silence and Solitude Week 1 ✘ ✔ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 2 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 3 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 4 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 5 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Journaling and Gratitude Week 1 ✘ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 2 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 3 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 4 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 5 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Fellowship and Confession Week 1 ✔ ✔ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 2 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 3 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 4 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 5 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Study and Self-Examination Week 1 ✘ ✔ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 2 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 3 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 4 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 5 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x unicode: ✔✘☐

Fairly straightforward this time, journal the shit out of the feels while I start an SSRI. No, not subject you people to the journaling, this isn't xanga for christ's sake. But I'll try the fugging check boxes that I've always judged you for, and also whine about my last full training cycle before peaking for a comp. □ Reading □ Journaling □ Meditation □ Puppy Training □ Language □ Physical Therapy

** Dear newbs: As of right now it seems we don't have a guild leader. I've been here for over 3 years so if you have questions feel free to ask me. You can ask here, PM me, @ tag me in another thread, or post in the general chat thread. Please feel free just to drop in and say hi too. My threads tend to move fast because I'm friends with crazy people, but we're the good crazy. ** Right-o. Changed my title because I decided to take this challenge in a different direction. So the American Psychological Association's definition of resilience: Resilience is the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or significant sources of stress — such as family and relationship problems, serious health problems or workplace and financial stressors. It means "bouncing back" from difficult experiences. tl;dr version - I have an anxiety disorder and feel like I'm constantly stressed. Which is Not Good psychologically or physiologically. I've also had a number of massive stressors recently, one of which is only going to get worse from here. I've been told I'm handling it all really well and I know they're legitimate things to be stressed about, but I don't like where I am right now. In my crisis management class we talked about resilience and how to build/strengthen it, so I'm pulling from the principles on his powerpoint and choosing goals that were on my list that will mesh with what he said. The Goals 1. Take Care of Yourself Movement every day - yoga, Elements, even a walk around the block Cut out dairy, minimize meat Be in bed by 11pm, out of bed by 8am Cut caffeine 2. Active Problem Solving Register and study for the Certified Associate in Project Management exam (falls under "goal setting") Complete one Spanish skill or 30 exp on Duolingo every day. 3. Maintain a Positive Outlook Post a daily recap of all the things I did - job applications, phone calls, taking out the trash, anything to prove to myself I did more than just sit on the couch all day End journal entries with 3 things I’m grateful for 4. Social Support ??? 5. Meaning and Purpose Daily meditation Journal every day Reach out to some of the organizations I might want to volunteer at and see how to get started The much longer version of the rationale: (under a cut for length, not because I'm embarrassed or ashamed to talk about anxiety/etc... actually I'd talk about it forever if you let me) Handy dandy tracking spreadsheet. Feel free to make a copy and adapt to your own needs.

MAIN GOAL : be a yogi (union of body, mind and breath) to keep my zenitude with my loved ones I have fallen off the NF wagon for a few years. And I miss it, I really helped me a few years back. So, I’m running behind the train trying to catch it up. I used to be in the adventurers, but this time around, let’s be a druid. I’ve been cranky as of late, losing my patience and temper too often with my kids and my boyfriend. I don’t like the person I’m becoming, and I want to change that. Regain my peace of mind, build my shape back on, be more mindful and present and enjoy life more. I’ve been meaning to add daily yoga since forever, because I feel this is exactly what I need. So here goes! SHAPE UP I want to carve a daily yoga routine in my morning. Grounded mommy = happy mommy, and happy mommy = happy loved ones. And weather is beautiful, so I want to run again, aiming at 5k overtime. - 30 min Yoga Revolution with Adrienne every morning (6/6) - Yoga class each Tuesday night (1/1) - Run 30 min 2 times a week with the kids or alone (Monday and Wednesday, or weekend if it rains) (2/2) EATING I have been skipping breakfast for too long. I only drink a coffee and I know it’s not enough for me. Eventually I want to focus on a paleo breakfast, but let’s start simple and just eat something for starters. But I give myself a few good options - Eat breakfast every day (7/7) o Frittata o Eggs with sweet potato rostis and avocado o Smoothie bowl with chia pudding o Overnight oats SLEEPING: sleep 7h, 5 days a week, gradually moving towards 8h30 over next challenges - Wake a 5h30 (5/5) - To bed at 10h30 pm (5/5) SPIRITUALITY - 5 min meditation each morning on weekdays (5/5) - Journaling : 3 gratitude logs/happy memories before bed (7/7) HOME - Pick up living room (7/7) CYSTIC FIBROSIS These are things I never do and should, so lets get them into my daily life - Sinus rinse daily (7/7) - Physiotherapy (1x set of 10 + offing) (7/7) FUN (bonus) - Finish knitting winter rye shawl - Start knitting in brioche - Read yoga sutras of patanjali - D&D 2 times on Thursdays with the guys So… this seems like a lot, but at the same time not, since they are all sort of related. And I tried to keep tasks simple enough. Waking at 5h30 will give me enough time for yoga and breakfast. I’ll add the sinus rinse and physio at the same time as my other treatments I already do. Morning routine will look like this: - Wake at 5h30 - YOGA do spine stretches and yoga 30 min - MEDITATE 5 min - CF : pumps, sinus rince, inhalotherapy, physiotherapy - BREAKFAST & make lunches - Get dressed - Out the door at 7h And Evening routine will be - Pick up the kids and go out for a run while my BF is cooking dinner - pick up living room - Wash face / teeth / shower - Do what’s left from my challenge list if I lacked time in the morning - Knit / read - Journal - Bed at 10h30

Hi guys! So this is going to look almost exactly like my last challenge! But with Lord of the Rings Gifs! We are still building the habits. Aka, they vanished during zero week, so there is more work to be done. Though to be fair to myself, last week was INSANE. Quest 1: Eat Breakfast (aka channel my inner hobbit) Every morning I'm at home, must finish breakfast before I leave the apartment (or between the apartment in my car - can't get into my car until the food is gone) - I'm adding the car part because I have to wait for two separate elevators between my apartment and my car so eating while waiting for the elevator is acceptable to me. I would very much prefer to eat at home though - I'm going to get bonus points for eating before leaving apartment. Quest 2: Jounal (this is basically a journal, right?) Either do it (accomplishments, things I'm grateful for, freestyle or list of feelings I felt that day) or consciously decide not to do it. Either is fine, but I need to think about it! It really seems to help me process my day. I'm actually attending a yoga/journaling workshop this Sunday, so hopefully I'll get some tips and tricks! Quest 3: Self-Care (unrelated but fantastic gif) To be documented in journal usually, when I journal. I really liked something Taddea posted about boring self-care and I liked that a lot. I really liked making self-care in general consciously part of my day in the last challenge, it really helped keep me grounded. Other things: I'll be lifting, eating, sleeping, kicking ass at work, going to therapy, etc as usual. Going visit a nerd this upcoming weekend, we may lift together! Would be super fun. I ordered both a sunrise alarm clock and a happy light with some gift money so that was nice. Oh and I've been doing the dating thing. Let me know if you want to hear the horribly punny tinder messages I have received. Oh, and my meet is July 15th so that'll be fun Meet prep FTW!

Where would you go, if you could go wherever you wanted? In the previous challenge, I decided to stop counting calories for some time, and trust my body's hunger signals. This changed everything: I understood how calorie counting was my way of coping with a trauma, and a way to measure my worth, deciding whether I was good or bad. When I stopped counting calories and listened to my body, I suddenly realized that all my life, I have been controlling my body instead of working with it. As if I've believed all my life that I am inherently bad and unworthy of making right decisions. Now I feel free and happy, perhaps happier than I've ever been. Nevertheless, I'm also scared: food causes me some anxiety, and I'm afraid of gaining weight. Now that there's no more calorie counting and obsessing over food, I find myself with a lot of mental energy, a lot of space to fill. I need to conquer that space, and find things to do with my life. Luckily, I'm not alone: I have NF, my friends, my family... And a connection between my mind and body. Finally! I don't know how to set goals, but I'm going to journal here to get my thoughts out from my head. I also want to finish my thesis during this challenge, which should be possible. The greatest challenge will be that I keep listening to my hunger signals, and learn how my body works. I would also like to make peace with food and understand that no food makes me better or worse as a human being - but eating different kinds of foods can have different consequences on my health. Buckle up, everyone! We're in for a lot of journaling: I need to figure out this "eat like a normal nerdy human being" thing, and find things to do now that I don't obsess over getting my diet right all the time. There will be animal gifs to keep things light, bad Finnish humour. Let's get this party started!

Remember Romney? That champion of feminism with his sensitive remarks about how much he values hardworking women? One day, I'll be that on point with my phrasing. Until then, I'll be reporting on my daily progress this month with the help of a pantheon of female comedic greats. Warrior lyfe 531 programming 4x a week Chiropractic weekly MFP daily Assassin nonsense Modified PLP (handstand practice in lieu of push-ups) Ranger nonsense Running and accessory circuits 4x a week Druid nonsense Daily meditation, yoga, and journaling Adventurer Nonsense Daily language practice Read a trashy German novel Mess with pencils and sketch pad at least weekly

Hi guys! Back at it again. So far this year has been... eventful. Challenge 1 - My SO and I (5 years) broke up Challenge 2 - I went on three trips in a two week period, on the last one (out of the US) my passport and work laptop got stolen Challenge 3 - I'm moving to the lovely state of Michigan (Detroit area) near the fantastic @Taddea Zhaan Here is hoping for a boring challenge other than the move! Challenge this time is just to post daily and journal daily- I think I've been getting distracted with shiny things, and don't have the habit of posting regularly like I used to, leading me to get overwhelmed when I try to post, and hit goals, and do life things. The journaling is at the suggestion of my therapist, so hopefully that works out well. As I am writing this, I keep thinking of ALL THE THINGS I want to be doing and wanting to add them. Like the kittens, they are clamoring for attention. However, I'm trying really hard to not add more things - so please call me out if I start doing that! This challenge will have two themes - adorable animals (feel free to cross post with Taddea's challenge - goats!) and KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid/Silly) Starting Measurements: Weight - 138.0 pounds Neck - 13 inches Chest - 33 inches Bicep (R) - 11 inches Bicep (L) - 11.5 inches Waist - 31 inches Hips - 39 inches Thigh (R) - 19 inches Thigh (L) - 19 inches Calf (R) - 14 inches Calf (L) - 14 inches

Dearest friends, This time in quiet solitude has done me well. I have brought myself back from what felt like the brink of madness, and found some measure of peace again. My habits had become unsustainable, my discipline lax, and my focus had begun to waver. I feel as though the tide is changing; and I, like the legendary Da Yu, direct the flow of water to make my life habitable. However, my time here cannot yet come to an end. There is a torrential storm waiting for me, lurking on the horizon, and it blocks my path back home. I can see it approaching with the inevitability of time, and I know that I must stay here to weather it. I would do well to remember that old Chinese proverb: I wish you all the best, and I hope to return home once the storm has passed. Be well, my friends. - Kyellan