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Last challenge went really well, setting aside my foolish injury. I want to take another challenge to fully cement the habits before adding very much more. Some of the wording will be tweaked, but the goals will feel pretty familiar yo those of you who have followed previously. 1. Maintain the population of Draconis saccharum at its current low level. (Keep intake of added sugars below 15g/day 80% of the time.) I surpassed my expectations to drop my sugar levels last challenge. I had thought it would take several challenges to get to where I am now. I definitely want to keep the goal in the foreground, though, so those sneaky dragons don't repopulate while I'm not looking. I am dropping the time restriction as unnecessary. 80% works out to 31 of 39 days (including the rest of 0 week), so 8 days I am allowed to indulge a bit more on something really worth it. I want to really reflect on what I choose to spend my treats on and not just mindlessly eat trail mix or something dumb. 2. Continue to introduce strains of Draconis vegetabilis to the park. (Eat 2 servings of veggies every day.) I am dropping the timing constraints on this one too. Just eat the dang veggies. I probably should look for some new recipes to try, but I'm not quantifying that this challenge. 3. Conduct regular physical surveys of the park. (Swim + GMB Elements every 5 days) I am slightly increasing the frequency here from once a week to once every 5 days. It's a nice compromise between once and twice a week, since it will basically be a bonus workout every other week. 4. Not Baroque (Art "play" once a week) I want to take one day a week to just play with techniques/media without feeling the pressure of making something postable. I have been experimenting with different things, but the process has made me frustrated because I am putting the cart before the horse a bit and wanting to make great art before I have learned the techniques. So, once a week just play with loose sketches, blending, brushstrokes, whatever, and make unpostable art. I can make postable art other days, or even after play, if I want. But the point is to make room for play with no expectations.

On Sunday, I was getting ready to plan out the next challenge and rebelled against the complicated schemes I was trying to spin. So, I backed off and let the brain mull stuff over while I spent a few hours painting at our Rotary club's affordable housing project. By evening, I was so tired that I didn't have the energy to be anxious anymore (I also biked to the site .... so I'm channeling Indiana Jones at the moment), and I came to the conclusion that I should do some recycling of successful components from prior challenges and aim to keep it simple and (dare I say) fun over the summer months. By the end of the challenge, I want to: Weigh <= 150 pounds again Have the boxes unpacked or tucked into organized sections of the basement (bonus objective ... have the workout space set up) Have had FUN .... ok, hard to quantify, but there ya go Still playing with the D & D theme here, and so the "party" refers to the different characters journeying with me to ultimately deal with the dragon terrorizing the Sword Coast. There probably will be no actual beaches, but I am hoping to spend some time by the local pool. I do have my new, serious swimmer swimsuit on hand. Still .... "party" invites lots of memes and video sharing. Plan: Rejoin Weight Watchers with the ultimate goal of 135 pounds, which is my happy, healthy weight. Should be achievable in 9 months. I will use my icons tracking from a previous challenge to report daily progress here. Daily cardio using the random map. This gives me some guidance and inspiration, but .... every day, I have a choice of 8 directions in which to travel!! And, like "42", "walking" is always the correct answer. Use icons for tracking accountability. "Other" movement daily, based on the classes of party members*. Use icons for tracking accountability. Unpack a box or organize stuff for 15+ minutes daily. Checkboxes. Weekly-ish: Do a grandmother level hero workout for TREASURE!! Trying to mix it up a bit with workouts, each class in the party (a couple of us are multi-classing it): Inspired by: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/419273/Manual-of-Gainful-Exercise-DD-Subclass-Workouts Artificer: use the machines at the gym, bike ride, or a fitness game Bard: Dance or music based workout Druid: animal flow, swimming, yoga Paladin: free weights or kettlebells Ranger: CrossFit, archery practice Rogue: bodyweight, gymnastics moves (especially pullups and rope-progressions) Wizard: Fitness video, yoga I'm not going to be too hard on myself. I'd like to really mix up workouts for the summer and do one for each class each week. But .... trying to avoid the overwhelm too ......

Hey, hey! I'm not quite as fancy-free as these lil meatballs, but my big show is over, I have some fun summer travel coming up, and life is feeling pretty sweet. Last challenge I had goals for each of the core D&D stats. I did well on CHA (music and dance practice) and STR (all the deadlifts and bench presses); reasonably okay on CON (limiting alcohol and tracking calories + protein) and WIS (practicing morning gratitudes and mindfulness), plenty room for improvement on DEX (knee physio) and INT (keeping the momentum going on the research paper I'm supposed to be writing). Still figuring out whether I will focus on areas of weakness from the last challenge or just double down on what I'm doing well at and lean into the spikiness! I guess that's what zero week is for. I can share that by the end of this challenge I'd love to weigh under 150, have that blasted paper submitted somewhere and off my desk, and be moving around more nimbly on the roughed up knee than I can currently. Now how am I going to get there? I'll figure that out soon. Today is good so far, walked doggoes breakfasted, showered, walked to campus good meeting with student A good meeting with student B hiked over to little religious-school campus where the food is better than it is on my campus got trapped there awhile by deluges of rain, but had my laptop with me and made some good paper progress! updated academic society mailing list for the upcoming conference Still to do, zip back over to my campus, specifically the gym strength workout Zumba class at 5! walk or bus home, depending on how legs are feeling food prep That's all for now! Rain looks like it is lightening up (boy did we need it) so I'm going to beetle over to the gym while the getting's good.

My Venom themed challenge brought some very positive results. I am definitely gonna come back to it. But as I am jobless right now and I don’t experience any anxiety at home, I decided to make a different challenge this month. Lara Croft is my favourite childhood heroine, I always loved her and admired her, I think she also shaped the kind of person I’ve become. So here we go, Tomb Raider challenge! The adventure ends in ground slipping from under Lara’s feet, walls falling down and great explosions, as it usually does. Lara comes back home to Croft manor, but she is injured and it will take time to recover and get enough information to embark on a new journey. It’s all right - she has been through worse things. Croft manor has lots to offer; spacious rooms, the garden, swimming pool, training ground, rooms filled with books and treasures. Let’s make a cup of tea and explore! 1) Don’t forget the first aid kit As most of you already know, I am injured. I must focus on these things to recover: wear a corset, spend most time lying or walking (no sitting or standing), do core strengthening exercises. 2) Unravel the past I’ve always been interested in history, but never really had time to learn it, so that’s something I want to focus on now. If you watched any interesting documentaries or read books, feel free to recommend me something 3) Decode the inscriptions Reading Chinese is almost like reading hieroglyphs, maybe that’s why it makes me so excited. Recently I discovered I can finally read novels, so that’s the plan - read more in Chinese and try to improve. 4) Work out The only thing I can do now is swimming. I am planning to upgrade my training and try to build muscle at the pool if it doesn’t hurt me. I already have a few ideas, I’ll see how it goes. I am also more and more convinced to take swimming classes to learn a proper technique. That’s it! Let’s get it started!

How does the repetitive movements in swimming affect muscle imbalances and lead to poor posture in swimmers? What are some specific exercises and stretches that swimmers can do to improve their posture and prevent injury? How long does it typically take for a swimmer to see improvements in their posture with these exercises and stretches?

The last day of this challenge is the day Mx and I fly out to the reef to celebrate my 30th and to find Nemo. There will be swimmers and strangers and probably photos. Goals~ Eat with intention: 5/4/3/2/1. Minimal takeaways. Use the meal prep delivery service. Stay away from soft drink. Swim prep: I’m going to be going in the water. Get ready for that now by swimming once a week, getting familiar with the swimsuit again. Gym it: this is basically an ingrained habit now, twice a week gymming, currently on 5x5 lifts. Keep this up. Mental toning: spend some time each week loving on the body I have. The beach gets the body I’m in.

Welcome to the Scouts Camp! Ever on the move, our camp has relocated from the mountains into the wilds of the jungle farther down the river of NerdFitnessLandia What we will find as we explore this year? What mysteries lie out in the world beyond our camp? Welcome to 2018 ... here's to the future!

So since I am in a much better mental state these past couple months and have moved back into my house after the ex left I figure I can now focus on the next 5 months. I have a lot of cleaning/purging to do in my house of junk as well as clothes and kitchen things. I need to buy some more furniture and set some things up here and there. My back yard is an overgrown mess and the garden is a nightmare. The garage is ummm, did a hurricane already come? So I am going to set some 5 month goals in here and refer back to them over the next couple challenges as well as challenge goals and weekly goals moving forward.

I know. Long time no see. *sigh* The tl;dr version is that I've spent the last 1.5 years not working out much aside from tons of walking, gaining weight (not the good kind), and feeling fatigued. Also, the whole family has been in a funk. So, thanks to covid and my husband getting 100% telecommute, we moved across the country 1.5 weeks ago. Our pod full of stuff arrives tomorrow! I'm hoping that a new location means a new start and a new lease on life. I'm also excited about the new Dune movies coming out. I'm a huge fan of the books and loved the Dune and Children of Dune miniseries that came out 20-ish years ago. I also literally moved from the swamp to the desert, so the loose theme seemed fitting. Goals: 1. Earn 14 fitness points for each of strength, cardio, and stretching. Right now, I have a garage that will soon house my weights, rings, a mini climbing wall, and a silks rig (I already have the silks set up!). I also have a 8' deep, maybe 40' long backyard pool. Since I want to keep things light and easy, the requirements won't be huge for this. I get 1 strength point for every 10 minutes of silks, rings, or weights, 1 stretching point for every 10 minutes of yoga, and 1 cardio point for every 1 mile walk or every swimming session. 2 (tied to point 1) "But it's a dry heat..." Most summer days, it reaches 100+ degrees. I can't let that prevent me from working out. So, the plan is to work with the weather rather than against it. I need to make outdoor, non-swimming workouts happen before 9 am or after 5 pm. Or I need to suck it up and deal with the heat. I'm not allowed to laze around in the mornings, decide it's too hot, and then after 5 pm decide that I'm too tired to bother with a workout. +1 point per day of compliance 3. Be mindful of the water - The goal is to take water with me everywhere and make a point of drinking a lot of water. Hydration is going to be trickier here, and drinking enough water will also help with some of the binge eating. +1 point per day of compliance 4. Wear my stillsuit - This one has two parts. (a) Check the UV index and put on sunscreen if I'm going outside and it's over a 3. (b) wear a cloth mask whenever I'm going to be out in public. +1 point per day of compliance. Bonus: Have fun exploring - Yay for this one! The whole family reached a point where we were bored with everything in the area and even within a weekend trip from our old house. Now, we have tons of new places to explore, and we're about a 10 minute drive from a couple different national forests with great hiking trails, a 40 minute drive from a mountain summit that is 20 degrees cooler and has great rock scrambling, and a 2 hour drive from some lakes that actually have good scuba. We're also 15 minutes from a climbing gym. So, there will be tons of exploring to do both now and after covid has died down a bit.

I pretty much gave up last challenge and ate So last challenge I did two GORUCKS and then really just sat around and ate. two years a go my pre IRONMAN Texas race weight was 163lbs. Up until a few months a go I have stayed down in the 165's or so. That has recently gone way off the charts though. This morning I was 175lbs. That being said I know a lot of it is sodium but I still have gained close to 10lbs I am guessing. It is not helping that my In Laws are here until Sunday and we are drinking and eating out every night. I can try to use that excuse but last nights burger and brownie sundae were my choice as opposed to a salad. The Delerium Red on draft was excellent though and I have never seen that. So for this challenge I would like to get under 163lbs, yes lose 12lbs in 5 weeks. Keep in mind though I should drop 3-5 quickly due to sodium. I also have two other minor goals, WOD daily, and eat paleo clean(this will be how I lose the weight). Lose 12 lbs WOD daily(includes stretching) Eat Paleo I do have a GORUCK heavy in 3 months so my WODs will be a 3 day rotation. Lift Recovery(swimming usually) Ruck, and possible light WOD That is about it for me. Kicking this off today 6/25.

I have been planning on making a battle log for a while now. I have been in and out of the challenges for 3 or 4 years now. I have enjoyed them but I think for now I am done with them. I used to be bigger into lifting and rucking and then shifted into the world of IRONMAN. In 2017/2018 I finished two full IRONMANs struggled through a couple of GORUCK challenges and generally was not too happy with my fitness. This past year(2018) I have kind of been lazy and not focused much on a goal, I did a few sprint triathlons and a GORUCK light. For 2019 my new game plan is to hit the triathlon disciplines pretty hard while maintaining rucking and beginning a new linear lifting progression. In general I want to become stronger, fast, quicker, and improve my flexibility. I want to achieve a WOD daily with stretching. I have always followed a mostly 80/20 healthy eating regiment. I find this is not really good for me, I like to eat healthy during the week and then I would do an 80-100 mile bike ride on Saturday which would be followed by binge eating then usually a night of binge drinking. Sunday would be a "refeed" day. In order to really achieve what I am hoping for I need to follow a 100% healthy eating rule and maybe see it slip into the 99/1 range. I have a large amount of goal distances and weights I am shooting for. I won't post them until I achieve them. Same goes for other(mental)aspects of my year. For now I have a GORUCK light scheduled in two weeks, a tough/light in may, and a heavy in September. Tri's are just some sprints and a tune up half IRONMAN in march. I do want to get my "A" race sometime in the late fall for the half distance. I have no intentions of doing a full this year, that is for sure. I will post some book reviews as I finish them since I have reading goals as well as any other aspects of my hobbies that I feel like(gardening, cars, fishing, etc).

Attention all Vancouverites! How many local rebels do we have? Let's go for a hike or 2 or 20. I live in Surrey but usually travel to TriCities, Valley, or North Shore for hiking. Open to any suggestions I also love swimming and plan to swim lengthways across Buntzen Lake sometime in August.

*Shudders* I'm frighteningly excited to see this movie! Meg is about a megaladon shark that terrorizes the oceans. It's based off the books written by Steve Alten. I've actually read the first three (or in the process. I'm almost done with the 3rd book). They are cheesy, but I love feeding my fear with sharks. Fun fact: sharks scare the crap out of me! Specifically, Great Whites. They also just happen to look like the scariest thing on the planet. Good thing there's a thick...very thick piece of glass protecting that little girl...or else. So anyways, sharks scare the crap out of me, yet, I'm fascinated with them at the same time. My wife thinks I'm extremely weird because of this. I dunno, I can't help it. I LOVE a good shark movie. Jaws, Deep Blue Sea, The Shallows, 47 Meters Down. Most shark movies are pretty stupid too. Like, Sharknado...all 6 of them. The CGI on the shark(s) is what draws me in, and Sharknado doesn't do it for me, lol. I digress lol. Ever since I first watched Jaws, I've been terrified of these monstrous fish. So, we're going to have a little fun this challenge and take my increased time spent swimming and turn it into something swanky. Back when the Shallows came out, I actually had a full fledged challenge written out but never ran with it. So, I'm taking elements from that for THIS one . I'm also combining elements for a Steam game called Depth. You can either play as the shark or as the diver in an arena type setting. If I do well this challenge, I'm making the game purchase my challenge reward . Goal 1: How Fast is a Great White? Great White's can get up to speeds of 25 mph in the water (125 mph in Sharknado...) and my goal is to out swim....KIDDING. Not gonna happen. I'd be lucky to get up to 2 mph in the water. My goal is to simple swim 2-3x a week on my off days, which is Tues/Thurs/Sat. The goal is to work on technique, speed and power. I would also like to test my lung capacity and see how long I can hold my breath....and THEN try and beat that time by the end of the challenge! Possible Points: +3 END, +1 DEX Goal 2: Eat Like a Great White (or Megaladon) Great Whites are the largest predatory fish on the planet. They. Eat. Alot. That's my goal as well. I want to swim hard and I know that burns a good chunk of calories, which means I'll need to replace them afterwards. I'm sitting between 185-187 right now and want to maintain that weight OR gain weight via muscle by the end of the challenge. Once again, before/after photos would be nice. Before Pics: Possible Points: +2 CON, +2 WIS Goal 3: What Waits in the Shallows? I'm writing again. While working on some bigger stories, I wanted to entertain y'all with a shark thriller of my own. It'll be a short story with little installments spread throughout the challenge, so be on the lookout for those . Possible Points: +3 CHA I want to add a 4th goal...but I need to meditate on it. So, I'll just post what I have now and update later on. Goal 4: Swimming is ALL about Pulling I need a strength goal, so I'm taking a node from @jonfirestar this challenge and doing GtG pull-ups. Let's shoot for a ladder set of 2-3-5 each day and anything else is just extra. Possible Points: +3 STR, +1 DEX Welcome to the Wild Blue Yonder, y'all!! Wolf

So I signed up for a GORUCK Heavy in January. I need to get rucking, miles on my feet as well as build muscle while losing fat. For those that do not know what this is, here is the description from the website: So with a pack loaded with a 30lb weight plus water and food/gear we will travel around 40 miles in 24 hours. All lead by a special forces Cadre. Sounds fun right. Leading up to it I have a back to back regular Challenge and Light in October, as well as two sprint triathlons in September and October. Goals for this challenge: Get working out - mornings of weights and cardio(long or sprints), afternoons swimming for fun. Get my diet and food choices down. When selecting dinner think about the fact I will be working out in the morning. This includes drinking. Keep up my Duolingo(I try to finish two modules or crowns in French and Spanish during weekdays. On weekends just hit my 20 minute goal) Reading, podcasting, audible as usual.

Quick Introduction I'm Natalee, fun, funky, fabulous mother of 2 sweet little boys charting her course in waters rough and rugged. I've been struggling to get my fitness, specifically bodyweight fitness in order these last few months and it came to mind to visit this wonderful haven and lo and behold a challenge is about to start, so here I am. For the next four weeks my aim is to do all of four things Bodyweight train 6 days a week, actively rest on Sundays, a part of this bodyweight training will be a focus on improving flexibility. Improve my eating habits; I need to make healthier choices, increase protein intake and decrease the consumption of cookies. (Cookie monster Alert!!} Develop the program outline for my proposed physical education program. Listen to Bible and personal development audios daily. I'm short on time at the moment... working on work... but this is the outline and I will add an in depth breakdown of my goals, adding my workouts and diet plans when time permits. I feel really excited, NerdFitness has helped me before, and I have all confidence that sharing with you all will help me to LEVEL UP! Can't wait to meet you!

on we go Lucky fire dragon shifts shape part 3 Shifting shape part 1 had me slim from 70kg down to 68kg roughly, in shifting shape part 2 I got to 67kg but then back up to the 68 and now I'm aiming to stabilize at 67 and/or go lower aaaaaaaaaand stronger again Strength gains happened slowly as I had to tickle myself out of big inertia, but slowly I'm getting into motion again, whooohooo. Now to keep it going and build up a bit more. As shifting shape also needs a certain innate flexibility and clarity in focus, I've been training my meditation skills and will keep building on those some more as well. Inspiration is another helpful aspect to keep me going, in many ways this is really just a continuation of my previous two challenges. Part of this challenge however will be providing the best mom-support I can for my kids especially my son as he is in his second last school year, with lots of exams coming up over the next weeks and months. One of his major exams will be in sports and he chose basketball and swimming for this. He will also have to run through a circuit training of basic strength and endurance drills like push ups, squats, weighted sit ups etc... While I can't help him with basketball, I can renew my daily 10 motivation and have him join me and I can take both kids to the indoor swimming pool regularly for a while. Youngest is learning to swim the crawl (is that how you call it?) at school so extra practice will be great for her as well. My boy needs to build up to 600m swimming endurance, which I think should not be a problem, but we'll have to see how far that really is in the end and also depending which style he needs to swim it in. Best to tackle it early so why not theme this time just SWIM Sadhana Sadhana practice is what kundalini yogis call their morning practice and ideally it means rising 2 - 2,5 hours before sunrise, freshening up with a cold shower and then practising pranayama (breathing exercises), kriya yoga (physical exercises), chanting and meditation. In a way, hubby and me had started on this with our 5am meditation habit already, so now I'd like to expand on it. I gave this way too much thought again I'm good at complicating things - wondering how to do it that I don't wake any of the kids up too early, like would the shower wake them... how do I find undisturbed time to add the pranayama and kriyas in... should I get up at 4am, will that be enough time... will I manage though? I already struggle with the 4.45 getting up time.... and so on, my mind would try and plan and drive me mull So this morning after our meditation time I woke youngest, popped their buns in the oven and made her tea, tidied up a bit around the kitchen until the buns were finished and then went right back into the living room and started a pranayama exercise. I didn't care about youngest thinking her mom might be totally nuts now and I didn't care when I had to interrupt in between for talking to her. What I realized is this: I won't EVER be completely undisturbed! Yes, I could force myself up at 3am in the morning or whatever, but then the cats would think it's time for breakfast and even if kids and cats and the whole world would not interfere, my mind would still cause a racket from time to time and I'd have to refocus just the same! This realization brought immmense freedom for me: I can basically do my exercises of choice whenever and when I have to interrupt, I'll just get refocused and start again. With time I'm sure, we'll work it out in a way that's smooth enough. It's better to do it imperfect than not doing it at all, so if I do my yoga while the sun is already up, so what?! I'll still do it first thing in the morning and have a great start into my day So here is my plan: Get up at 4.45, wash face with cold water and feed cats, meditate with hubby until 6, get buns etc for kids ready and wake youngest, once she is sorted do my pranayama and kriya yoga, then take my cold shower while my boy gets up for his breakfast, see if he's alright and then get my own breakfast going and voilà I'm set for a great day. Wish me strength - those kriyas are harder than they look and getting up is still a battle Water Despite being a fire dragon, water is really good for me I'm aiming to go swimming with the kids at least 4x over the course of the challenge Drinking at least 2 Liters of water / day Have cold shower in the morning and wash my feet with cold water before going to bed at night (I found it very soothing and helping me sleep deeper) with some lovely skin creams for luxury after (I have so many nice creams and lotions and hardly ever use them, time to shine instead) Inspiration An idle mind often comes up with such nonsense! I'll keep filling it instead with inspiring stories and teachings by reading and reflecting on helpful things. Also have to finish writing the script for my healing workshop and that will challenge me to tap into my inner inspirations, so that will count towards this goal as well. 10 minutes of reading per day keeping my 4TW streak going (444 words per day, currently my streak is 61 days) will be enough. That is a small goal to reach, so I'm hoping to top it on many days and to really reach it every single day even amidst unexpected action and chaos, which are part of life and bound to happen. Mom support As meditation is already part of the sadhana practice I'll dedicate the M to my mom duties instead, well duty is not the best word as it's much more voluntary then that. I want to be the best support I can be for my kids. Not sure how to structure this goal yet, as I'll have to see when making them study and maybe helping them study is due and when break times, games, or outdoors times would be better... might just look at it a day at a time and do my best without a structured measure to go by. And yes, salads will be a continuous thing and so will yoga classes be - do shout at me if I start slacking on them again! That's it, let's do the thang

Introduction: Hi all, I'm just your average MunckinLion (also Lil'Lion or just Lion) and this is my first challenge--after about two years I mean. I've lurked and munched away at snacks for far too long; I'm the laziest Lil'Lion in all the pride lands. I'm in college right now doing a Literature major ( so obviously I kind of like reading) but aside from that, I enjoy swimming and soccer.I'm trying to expand my interests! My ADHD brain makes me love trying new things, but makes me not so great at sticking with them. Main Quest: Lose 20lbs by June. I'm kinda doing a lot of fun stuff in June, so I want to at least feel good in my body Quest 1: Stamina +2, Strength +2 Go to gym 3x a week. 1 of these days MUST be swimming for it to count. Measurement: A = 4 weeks, B = 3 weeks , C = 2 weeks (Subtract 2 pt from total score if swim requirement isn't met) Quest 2: Constitution +2, Wisdom +2 Stay within 1,400 calorie limit daily. Ideally, because I'm only 5'1 I'd work with 1,200 calories, but that seems a bit too restrictive currently. Measurement: A = 28 days, B = 18 days , C = 10 days. Quest 3: Constitution +3 3L of water a day. I do a really poor job of hydrating myself Measurement: A = 3L, 28 days; B = 3L , 18 days, C = 3L, 10 days Personal Quest: Intelligence +3 Finish reading 4 books. I have required books for class, which will count towards this, but the real challenge will be getting myself to read something for fun~ Measurement: A = 4 books B = 2 books , C = 1 book

Whoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo lives in a pineapple under the sea? Gurdris the Imbiber! Flimsy and flabby and lazy is she! Gurdris the Imbiber! If nerdical fitness be something you wish Gurdris the Imbiber! Then drop in the gym, and sweat like a bitch! GURDRIS THE IMBIBER! GURDRIS THE IMBIBER! GURDRIS THE IMBIBER! GURDRIS THE IMBIBER! GURDRIIIIIIIIS THE IMBIBER! Yarr, now that the musical number is out of the way... Main Goal: Become Wonder Woman and maintain the weight loss streak I started when I needed to make my shiny new engagement ring fit. Challenge Goal: Stick to a routine of exercise, fitness and keeping on top of laundry. No more collecting underpants - my fiance needs clean ones. Fitness Complete a streak of 10 unmissed workouts, totalling 20 with my trainer. Workout days are Tuesday and Thursday after work, Sunday morning. Loot: trainer and the co-worker who works out with me offered to pay for my dinner if we go out together after 10 workouts. Nutrition Follow my trainer's diet plan (lean meat and veg, low carb, low fat, no junk). Loot: additional plates, knives and forks for our understocked kitchen Mental Read before bed for at least 30 mins every day, instead of Facebooking in bed. Loot: art supplies Life Do laundry twice a week (folded and put away) Loot: new clothes Bonus challenge: Complete listening to an 8hr audiobook (Foundation by Isaac Asimov). However, it may only be listened to underwater, while swimming laps. No swim, no book. No book... No loot. Loot: Full body massage at the spa. Ohhhh yessssss... I've done challenges before but I'm doing this one after a long time away, so consider it a respawn but I'm adding in the extra 2 because I've already been able to maintain some of these goals for most of a month. Scoring: Mental 20xp Fitness 25xp Nutrition 25xp Life 15xp Bonus 15xp -------------------- Total: 100xp Accountibility: I'll update this Challenge log daily with my successes and/or failures and/or spongebob gifs and/or other gifs/all the gifs / no jifs only gifs.

I HAVE SO MANY THINGS TO SHARE Overview Since I first started doing challenges, I've known there are sort of "4 pillars" of fitness that I thrive under - walking, eating primalish, yoga/mobility work, and strength training. Every one of my challenges includes these in some way or another, although the eating is a big question mark right now. Last challenge, I was overall pretty good. I did a ton of work on reducing stiffness and increasing mobility, and I was overall very active. Last challenge, I also confessed my secret dream of doing a triathalon despite wobbly cycling, an inability to breathe while I swim, and constant running injuries. I made less progress in these areas. So like any good ranger, I am working on goals related to these three areas on top of my 4 pillars. I also had wrist surgery last October after struggling with wrist pain for a little over a year. That whole process really forced me to cut back on pushups / dips and I've seen a huge reduction in overall strength, which is frustrating. On top of that, I'm also trying to get back into Aikido, which I stopped doing after I moved in August / had to have wrist surgery. And of course I might as well throw some sort of non-fitness goal in there too, right??? Is this way more things than is reasonable? Yes. But a baby's gotta do what a baby's gotta do. Honestly, I'm frustrated with how weak I feel. And I'm waaaaay overly scared of trying new things (like going to a pool I've never used before). So I'm going to try to embrace the baby mindset and accept that I am where I am, but I've gotta do the things anyway. PILLAR 1: Flexibility If I do yoga or other flexibility work, I feel about 60% better even if I do nothing else. I feel good in my body. I don't feel stiff. I feel more in tune with my needs. I've done 18/30 days of this year's Yoga With Adrienne Challenge. I want to finish the remaining 12 videos this month. Continue slowly integrating MWOD stuff into my routine and reading Becoming a Supple Leopard. No specific goal here other than to keep trying to do the sessions regularly. Continue doing GST videos 2x/week (45 minutes each), skipping yoga on GST days ROADMAP: At the end of the month when these things are done, I can: A - pick up the third and final GST stretching video, B - Sign up for some in person yoga classes, and/or C - Do a 14 day mobility challenge using either Becoming a Supple Leopard or Ready to Run. PILLAR 2: Walking I work from home and don't have a very active social life. If I don't deliberately take the time to walk, I do not walk. Ever. And I really like walking and hiking. It's also just really important for basic health because people are meant to walk. Walk 16 miles per week (2 miles weekdays, 3 miles weekends) - this only counts deliberate walks and not overall steps/distance, although TBH there's not a huge difference. PASS: 12 miles. EXTRA CREDIT: 20 miles. For each week I do extra credit, I can put $10 towards hiking/backpacking gear goals. ROADMAP: Start rucking again now that I have a better backpack for it, begin exploring local hiking trails more. PILLAR 3: Strength Pretty self explanatory. I seem to naturally be pretty strong and I like doing strength work, but I have a lot of recovery to do after surgery, etc. Do at least 2 startbodyweight sessions per week, and do at least pullups and pushups in a 3rd session (exception - for Zero week I'll just do 2 sessions and an OCR workout without the extra push/pull work) ROADMAP: After a month or so of consistency, re-evaluate whether I want to push forward or switch tactics. Options include: Keep going until I feel stuck on startbodyweight (aiming for 3x/week?) Redo/finally complete GMB Elements program Look into actual lifting at a real gym Look into GST foundations program Look into GMB integral strength program Intro class at local crossfit place (there's one where the coach is also a certified running coach) PILLAR 4: Food Kind of a mess, tbh. I don't even know where to begin here. I'm doing a lot of slow and mindful exploration right now, so it's hard to set a concrete goal. Eat 5 servings of freggies/day. PASS: 3 veggies specifically. EXTRA CREDIT: 3 consecutive days. For any 3 consecutive days, I accumulate $10 towards a kitchen gadget or fancy food of some sort. I may need to recalibrate this as I go. Triathaloning The big challenge here is just getting out and doing a couple things that make me nervous. Once I've done them I'll be fine, but that initial 20s of courage keeps stopping me up. From there, it's a matter of establishing the basic skills. It may require lessons - tbd. Take my bike in for that tuneup and go on at least one real outdoor ride (I've been delaying because it's winter, but it's not actually really snowy at all here so I can go out.) Weekly cycling session, increasing by 5 minutes total time each week Go swimming. Just get there and figure out how to use the swimming facility. It doesn't even matter what I do. Just do it at least one time. Continue trying to run without injuring myself Get running gait analysis on the 12th to help diagnose form issues ROADMAP: Start working towards 2.5 hours of aerobic work per week to establish a good base Aikido Visit the 2 closest dojos and observe sessions - either sign up for one of those or explore the other dojos in the area. By the end of the challenge, my goal is to know where I want to practice and to sign up somewhere. Non-Fitness I already meditate/practice Japanese through duolingo daily, but I feel like I don't spend enough time on self improvement / learning outside of fitness. FRUGAL FEBRUARY. I do this every year and have already started for the month. No extra purchases at all allowed for the month. Exceptions: Book I already preordered that comes out on Feb 6th & 1 REI purchase since I have a $20 gift card that is going to expire and I want to use it Spend 2 hours/week on some sort of personal development - I have a bunch of things it can be and for now I'll just choose freely based on what I feel like doing - whittling or other creative exploration, work related reading, python, harmonica practice, etc. Do 1 thing/week to connect with my father Prioritization This is a lot of things, so there will be times when I can't do them all. I definitely want to make strength work priority #1. If it's a choice between that and something else, I'll prioritize the workout. Everything else is about even. Flexibility work is even with walking. Aikido is even with swimming and getting a bike tuneup. Running is a slight priority over cycling, but they're about the same.

January starts with the Wolf supermoon and ends with the Blue supermoon. The end of the year holiday visiting and playtime have been wonderful, but now, taking a cue from the moons, it's time for some serious reflection. I need to sit quietly and listen, to look behind me at the fractured path that was 2017, to lean into the feelings and find the insights as I prepare to walk forward. I'm glad to have you along.

So. I'm not feeling very hype-y at all. My cat is sick and I'm really sad. But fortunately I thought through this challenge back when I WAS feeling more hype-y a few weeks ago. We all know that the key to success is doing the thing even when the hype is not there, so I decided to do the thing even though I'm not feeling inspired at all. There are a ton of things I want to do. I feel like I've been slowly losing fitness for the last 1.5 years as I dealt with wrist pain and eventually surgery that prevented me from continuing with the stuff I was working on. Last week, I was finally able to do 3x10 pushups again, so I think my wrist is in a place where I can start doing a lot of the stuff I was working on again. But beyond bodyweight strength training, there's so much I want to do. A few of those things happen to be the things that you do in a triathalon - running, swimming, and riding a bike. I've had a secret desire to do at least a mini-triathalon for a while, and I feel like now is the time to start working on that more seriously. I've been working on running and have a million issues there. I HAVE a bike but mainly just wobble when I ride it. And I worked on my swimming skills with lessons this past summer, but I still haven't quite figured out how to breathe while I'm swimming. So in terms of dreaming bigger, being able to do all three of these things is a big effort. I'm in CA until Friday, and then I'll be back in VA. I don't really intend to start full challenge stuff until I've gone back to VA. Goals: Do Adrienne's new 30 day yoga challenge in January Start a 30 day paleo challenge when I'm back in VA Take my bike to a bike shop for a tune up. Ride an exercise bike at least once/week until weather allows for outdoor riding. Explore options for things like local bike clubs. Find a pool where I can go to practice swimming. Determine whether I'm comfortable working by myself or need a teacher to help me advance. Find teacher if needed. If not, practice at least weekly on my own one I've found a place that works for me. Continue running but make it easy - just use the treadmill if I don't feel like dealing with the winter weather. Work on getting back up to 5K in whatever way agrees most with my legs. Continue doing 3x/week workouts. Maybe 2x bodyweight strength and 1x some local fitness class or bootcamp. Details may vary. Do 1 small thing/week to connect with/ be nice to my father

I have lots of good reasons to go into the Navy: I want to see the world, I want to be able to call myself a veteran, I want to get an edge applying for federal jobs, and I want help paying for a masters of social work and to take spanish classes. I've been a retail pharmacy tech for 5 years and have grown to really, really, REALLY hate the field, mostly because of the poor pay and instability. Things will be running smoothly, then all of the sudden, I'll get cut to 10 hours a week and I have to job hop. I often work clopenings, so I get anywhere from only 2 to 12 hours a sleep in a night and I have a big belly because I live on fast food and comfort eat a lot. I've recently cut out sugary drinks from my orders, but I still have a fast-food diet because I never have the time or energy to cook. I'm 40 pounds overweight and am not sure where to start, but I know I need to meet all requirements for a medical waiver to even be considered for the military, especially a selective branch like the Navy or Air Force. Army isn't out of the question, but I am drawn to the Navy and Air Force first, and especially the Navy. My mother had me on ADHD medicine and antidepressants as a teenager, and I'm paranoid that if I lie about that, I'll be caught, but I also know I'll need approved for a waiver if I disclose that information about me. I'd really like to lose 40 pounds in 4 months, and be passing at least the minimums expected for Navy boot camp, but the better I can be, the better chance I'll have of getting a waiver. As for a class, I think either Ranger or Scout lends itself to the workouts I'll need to increase my strength and endurance, but moreso endurance. If there is any other information I left out, I'll be glad to fill you in if I ask. I'm glad to be here, and hopefully, I can get out of this career field I hate and into something better. (In case anybody is wondering, I am a man.)

A final hurrah! for 2017, I'm letting this challenge span from November 19 - December 31 This challenge I'm going to put together some of the best parts of 2017, laying a strong foundation as I head out of this year and into the next. We have two major holidays going on in this challenge, and I'm looking forward to the structure holding me. Also, I have Yet Another Court Case at the end of the challenge, so all structure is good structure; my balance tends to get wobbly with court cases. The daily and weekly structure seems to work best for me, one of the lessons I've learned this year is that when I aim small I miss small, meaning that I can correct the course before I have strayed too far off the mark. This has been a really helpful lesson, not just in the gym or as a challenge element, but as a life tool. So with that in mind: Daily: Sleep Chronic Fatigue makes sleep elusive and fitful. Routine helps, so with that I'm hoping to #Fall back into a routine: Sauna or hot bath Swimming a few times a week, hopefully no less than three times. More is better on this front, so possibly daily. Writing a few pages each day, hopefully finding something that can get worked on well enough to turn in for the submission due on December 1. Reading I have a bunch of reading that has to be done in order to write papers that are due on December 4. I would like to have them done well in advance of that, as I'm getting together with a spiritual formation group to discuss Learning to Walk in the Dark, which I'm really looking forward to reading. The talk is November 30, and I can't really justify spending the time on the book if I haven't finished my classwork. Also, I need to develop the daily reading habit once again. Knitting I am working on three different projects: A dress for me, a sweater for Vivian, a blanket for Vivian. It would be nice to wrap these up and have at least one to put under the tree for her. And of course, I want to wear the dress! Weekly: Therapy works. Legal Notes and Log Updates Court on December 19. Editing The classmates' work will need to have three readings between Dec 1 and Dec 8, with written critiques due Dec. 8. Future Planning I have a few elements that need attention for where I'm heading: Submission Packet to Hollins Scholarship packets to Tinker Mountain Writers Workshop - A and B Scholarship submission to BYM Women's Meeting Mantra: #Acceptance leads to #patience. #Patience leads to #balance. #Balance leads to #harmony. #Harmony leads to #peace.

Well, my isnpiration for this challenge is the hunger games... Allthough the books where awfull, and the movies were kinda meh... I don't know, let's see where this goes. This month's challenge is all about getting hungry (Hunger Games... you know... )Well, not really starving-to-death-hungru, but kinda hungry... I decided I really need to know if I'm hungry, thirsty or just want to put my teeth in something tasty. That's why I will start intermittent fasting. So I will set a time I can start eating each week. If I feel good enough to keep fasting I can fast longer. Goal 1: Intermittent Fasting/Diet Week 1: Breakfast around 12:00 PM Week 2: Breakfast around 1:00 PM Week 3: Breakfast around 2:00 PM Week 4: Breakfast around 3:00 PM Coupled with this I want to try a low carb diet for this month. And then I just mean skipping as much as possible bad carbs: pasta, bread, white rice, candie, cookies, fruit juices, pudding, cakes,... (the list goes on)... you get the idea... Cheat day to give me some hope is on saturday. Goal 2: wake up every day around 5:00 AM Well, I have to get up every morning to keep up with my enemies! And, it makes me active, some alone time in the morning, I get to make a planning for the day. etc... It will probably be the hardest the first week. Goal 3: drinking 3l water/day Just staying hydrated, something I find very difficult! Goal 4: do something active every day So yes, this wouldn't be about fitness if I wouldn't do something about that, so I made a list with activities I can swap between. It's a ll about getting my body fit, mobile, more functional... Not necessary about getting more muscle. If I do a certain activity I will go more in depth describing what I did more in detail. For me it will be better that wayto see if I make any progress. Activity 1 Hill sprints Activity 2 Walking 1 hour Activity 3 Yoga Activity 4 Strength training Activity 5 Swimming The ideal routine would be like this: (but that is crazy, maybe I can get there in a few months) - Yoga and walking every day - Strength training 2-3 times a week - Hill sprints 2-3 times a week - Swimming 1-2 times a week

Hey everyone! My name is Hannah and something you should know about me: I tried enlisting into the Army but was shut down because of my Kidneys. I have Nephrocalcinosis, meaning I have calcium surrounding my kidneys and it can lead to kidney failure if my kidneys are put under too much stress. So instead, I’m going to school at my local community college to become a nurse. And I’m also still working out. Because of spite. Now my workout routine may seem like a lot, and it is but like I said I was going to enlist into the military. Goals: (I’m not going to be able to complete all of these in the next 4 weeks but these are long term goals) - Complete the 2-mile run in ~10 mins - 100 sit-ups in 2 minutes. - 100 push-ups in 2 minutes. - 20 pull ups in 2 minuets - 18 miles with 50lbs in 4.5 hours - Deadlift, bench and squat of 400 (I’m currently at least 200-250 for all of them) - Know how to read a map and use a compass. Swimming: - 2-3x a week, 2,000 meters - Wear fins when swimming for half of it How I do it: Swim any stroke you wish for 200m, get out of the pool and do 20 pushups and 20 abs of choice. Get back in the water and repeat above ten times. This totals 2000m of swimming 100-200 pushups and 200 abs of choice. This is one great workout for the arms and lungs. Hypoxic pyramid adding the PT at every 100m. Hypoxic- Swim 50-100m freestyle breathing every 4 strokes and build up to 10-12 strokes per breath for 50-100m each and work your way back down the pyramid. This workout, if you go from 2 - 12 - 2 using the even numbers as your step will only take about 20-30 minutes but will challenge your lungs to the maximum. Running: - 5x a week run 5 miles (can include biking as a substitute) - 2x a week carry a 30 to 50 lbs 5 to 15 miles at a fast walking pace. (Hiking!) How I do it: The Run and Leg PT Workout: x5 a week Repeat 4-5 times - Run 1 mile at your goal pace (5-6/mile) (no ruck sack) - Squats - 30 - Lunges - 20 / leg - Calves (heel raises) - 30 per leg (this is to stretch) Long Distance Bike / Leg Workout (Life Cycle Pyramid) x2 a week (when I don’t run) On a stationary bike with manual mode and levels of resistance: Start at level 1 for 1 minute; increase resistance level by 1 level each minute until you can no longer pedal in between the 80-90 RPM zone. Typically, I will do this workout for 20-30 minutes. Once at the top, repeat all levels in reverse order and work yourself down the other side of the pyramid. (It’s hell but oh my god do I feel great after a good workout) And, of course, there are long distance ruck marches for 10-20 miles with at least 45 lbs in a rucksack. The best way to train for these to move out with a rucksack for 1-4 hours at a time combined with smart foot care. (I.e wearing 2 pairs of socks and walking for a few hours before heading out to break in your boots.) Go from 3 mile ruck march with a 30 lb rucksack at a 45 minute pace to 18 miles with 50 lb ruck sack in 4.5 hours. put 45lbs in your ruck and move 4 miles as fast as you can. A good goal is to get 4 miles in under 35 minutes. PT: Every Other Day - Pull-ups, 100 (10 sets of 10 reps). - Push-ups, 300 (15 sets of 20 reps). - Sit-ups, 300 (10 sets of 50 reps). i don’t always do the sets back to back, sometimes I run out of time, so I split it up, like during a study break I’ll do 1 set of each and continue on with studying, or if I’m waiting for the bus I’ll do it again with the help of the bus stop’s over hang. Me going to the Y: swim -> bike/ run -> EAT AND SLEEP.! The point is that I keep moving! Afterall, the best motivation is to prove them wrong and showing them that you can do it.