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So... uhm... Life went kinda bonkers for a while there. I was resettling slowly into routines, getting stuff done, then... ...poof. OT nonstop for a while, long story very short there were some personnel changes at my job and I was at first, training a new person to work with me, then doing most of the work period because... people, then became the only person in my position so trying to plan for things outside of work basically became impossible. Fast forward to now - I have a new person in the lab with me, who is so far doing fantastic, and while he's still in training now I'm starting to be able to take a step back and breathe again, I've been able to use my bullet journal again for things beyond just "write this down because otherwise it will get forgotten in 3 months when you have a moment to think again and look back." I'm able to plan ahead, at least a bit, cook meals (Mom got me an Instant Pot for Christmas that's been helping with that a lot!) and overall start working towards general self improvement instead of just having to double down on work itself. Don't get me wrong, the paycecks have been nice, but I have other priorities that I need to start looking after. I won't hop into the middle of this current challenge, but I think I should be able to hop into the next one. I do think I'm going to have at least my first challenge spread between 2-3 5 week spreads though, because I'm going to be picking myself off the ground floor. Again. But hopefully things won't go as pear-shaped this time, and even if things start to derail I'll be able to readjust and continue rather than having to drop everything for what, 7 months again?

ok, so... I'm missing this place! but I'm in a different place that I was. my Exercise program is in shambles, old (good) habits have been lost, and the passion that I try to bring to all my efforts was less so- I need to get it back. and part of that means coming back HERE. telling y'all that I will do better and being accountable to someone for Doing it! ofc, its midchallenge, but there's always a reason to procrastinate... THAT (procrastination) must stop! it must stop today. --- about the only thing to add is over the summer I fell back in love with Chess and I am truly trying (again) to improve. chess is important to me, as its a sign of clarity of thought and a challenge of unbelievable difficulty. Even my big 100 miles walk (which IS happening again in 2019) it Not, IMHO, as daunting and difficult as improving in chess. due to long experience I even have a number/rating to fit the accomplishment and If I can claw my way to 1600* (online) it would be a big, big deal.** ... I feel a little awkward about dissapearing from you guys lives like that. I really appreciated the effort some of you spent in encouraging me last year. and I probably need it more than ever. so I'm BACK! I hope I can post regularly. maybe NOT like the old days but I NEED to get back to old habits and this is a good place to sart *FYI, I'm sure a Rating like 1600 doesn't mean much to anyone around here. but I feel the need to explain it. First as you might guess, computers are Really, really good (at chess)- they NEVER make a mistake and look at millions of potential positions. they play around 3000. you might call that near perfection in chess. as for how Low people go, well I would say that the average uneducated (but having some promise) adult would be about 800. an "expert" is both a good player and a suprisingly defined chess player. if you are above 2000, you are an expert. so 1600 is definitely an intermediate player- good enough to beat newer players with ease; yet would Not win against an expert. ** BTW, if your curious, actually, chess and exercise go together very well. for a sport that involves long hours of sitting, it is Really strenious (at high levels) to keep the concentration and focus like that. Exercise gives muscles the ability to endure. and endurance is Everything in high level chess.

(note - I randomly signed in to my 750words account and had no idea what to write, so this is what happened. From there, I decided that I'm keeping a diary and will turn it into a daily log here.) I'm feeling kind of lost and confused, so I'm going to write to help myself figure it out. What do I want? I want to be healthier. I want to lose weight. I want to be strong. I want to look and feel sexy. I want to be better than I am. I feel like a lump right now. Kind of meaningless. That sounds super depressing. I don't think I'm depressed? I'm not sad. I'm pretty happy, actually. I think I'm in a good place in my life overall. I have a great job, good friends. Just stuck. Like I'm in a wide open field and could go in a lot of directions, and I'm being really indecisive about which one to chose. I don't think I've ever been good with too many choices. I need a to make a plan, or plans, and stick to them. So let's start that. What did I want? To be healthier. Very broad and lots of ways to do that. Everything that follows that pretty much pertains to being healthy. Let's break it down into categories that I can break down even further. Food. Exercise. Mental. Hygiene. Beauty. I'm going to include beauty in there because I want to. Food. Let's be honest - I've been eating like shit lately. Christmas and New Years have come and gone. I've been eating what's convenient, what's easy, what's tasty... and to be honest, none of it's been particularly healthy. Nor nutritious nor good. At some point, for a brief period of time, I adopted the idea that "food is fuel" - food is meant to just power my body and help it do incredible things. That didn't last too long. I do need to change that. I am worried about about food. After really starting my migraine meds, it had decreased my appetite so much that I was barely eating, and I needed to force myself to eat. I didn't like that. I'm starting back up on them again, and I'm afraid. But maybe I can use the lack of hunger as an opportunity to get back into the "food is fuel" thinking. Without hunger overriding my brain, I can purposely make beneficial and healthy choices. I want to look into to whole foods and less processed crap. I think strictly limiting myself will send me on a dark path, but if I take my inspiration from Whole30 and Paleo plans, I can learn good and healthy habits. I'm going to ask my NF ladies for recommendations on blogs or how-to books for healthy and whole eating. No scare tactic books. None of that Netflix drama documentary series crap. I'm not interested in the scare tactics of it all. I need to start reading ingredient labels and understanding everything as well. Exercise. I gotta become more active. I have become a lump. I sit on my butt from the moment I get home until I go to bed. I sleep until the last possible moment in the mornings. I work a pretty sedentary job anyway. I don't want to be a lump. I want to be a badass! Planks and Darebee's Hero's Journey. When I was doing planks every day, it was pretty easy to see my improvement. And that was really inspiring. It was great to challenge myself to hold it for just 5 more seconds, just to beat yesterday's record. And my core is my weakest area by far. Not that I'm super strong anywhere anyway, but I'm definitely lacking in the core. So, planks! And I successfully did two whole days of Hero's Journey before... but I saw other people's progress and journeys and it seemed really interesting. So I'm going to do that. I'm going to challenge myself to complete it. I can do it. I believe in myself. And when I do, I will get myself an awesome tank top. Mental. I need to figure out what's best for my mental health. First I need to figure out what's lacking. I don't have a straight answer for this yet, and that's okay. I think this is the sort of glue that holds everything together, and once I start taking better care of myself in specific areas (like above), I'll automatically strengthen my mental health too. Or I'll need to work on in separately as well. I don't know. Part of this will be keeping this kind of diary/blog thing. A way to track my progress in life. Hygiene. I feel like using the word 'hygiene' as a goal implies that I'm dirty...? But meh. Since coming off birth control, my skin has been like "oh hey, acne is great, let's do this all the time!" I guess I either developed not so fantastic face washing habits because I didn't particularly need them and now I do, or I'm shit out of luck in the hormone department anyway and this will all be futile, but hey lets try it anyway. Beauty. This also feels like a dirty word. But I feel like I haven't put my best foot forward lately when it comes to making myself look awesome. I want to spruce up my wardrobe. I want to learn how to style my hair better. I want to do my makeup regularly. I feel kind of stale, and I want to feel fresh. So I broke all this down during the course of the day. While working, I kept coming back to this and adding ideas. I took a few things out here and there, but I mostly added. I also went back and started planning what I'm going to be doing in the food and exercise sections. I ordered a kick ass notebook to be tracking my exercise journey and that should be arriving next week. But I'm going to be starting tomorrow. In rereading what I've written so far, I recognize that this has started out fairly depressing sounding, but it eventually took on, or at least I hope it took on, an air or hopefulness. Because I feel more hopeful. I feel like I have a plan. At least an idea of where to start. And that's exciting! Tonight I am going to clean out my fridge. I'm going to make a meal plan of what I'll be eating for the rest of the week, including lunches. I'm going to pack my gym bag and make sure my headphones are charged. I'm going to head to the gym tomorrow morning and WORK OUT AND CRUSH IT. And if I can't crush it, at least I'm going to do my absolute best.

Better Late than Never Challenge #6- September 12 - October 22 Well, its been a while....almost a year if I'm not mistaken, and I considered not even bothering to start anything since there was only 3 or so days left of this challenge, but I figured the "I'll do it tomorrow" mindset was what got me into this mess in the first place so I might as well just buck up and post something for this challenge, and try to continue it through the next. Life got pretty bad for a while, from terrible teaching classes and relationships to family trouble and just about everything in between, my real life seemed set on kicking me while I was down. Pass a few hard months and I finally started to get my work and romantic lives together but my health and fitness really started to decline. A few more months pass and I'm in a happy relationship and work is going much, much better but my health and fitness is the worst its ever been. So I'm getting back on here in hopes that the community and accountability will help me get back into the best physical shape of my life, like I was the last time I was a very active user on here. I know the new challenges are 4 weeks but since I'm coming in at the last minute I'm planning on just continuing mine through the break and into the next challenge roughly about 6 weeks in total, anyway without further ado: Goal One: Go to the gym/workout 3x per week ____/18 One of the reason that my fitness started to decline was that I just stopped going to the gym, and working out really at all. Video games and just watching Netflix became what I did when I got home instead of working on my body. Its time to fix that and take control of my life again. Goal Two: Loose 6lbs and 2%BF Start: 172.3lbs Goal: 166lbs Start: 22.1% BF Goal: >20% Not shockingly when you're not exercising or eating right you tend to gain weight I'm currently the heaviest I've ever been lbs wise and my BF is a very sad 22%. I've got a long way to go to get it back down to where I was and where I want to be. Goal Three: Record all food intake in MFP (MyFitnessPal) for 6 weeks _____/ 42 I need to get my diet back in order to get to where I want to be. So the goal is to just get into the habit of logging my food, good or bad, in MFP. Hopefully that will help and seeing the calories will help me make better choices. Goal Four: Read Spartan Fit ___/1 Reading about diet and exercise and the Spartan mindset is sure to help, so instead of watching TV at night I'm going to try and read this book. Loot: New workout Shoes $$$ towards a Spartan Race Dip Belt New Book (Level Up Your Life) Throwing Knives Starting Photos: [Incoming] Starting Measurements: Abs/Waist: 33.25 Arms (unflex/flex): 12.5/13.5 Calf:14 Chest: 40 Hip: 34 Shoulders: 46.5 Thigh (R/L): 22/22 Butt: 40 Neck: 14

So ... there were work parties ... and then family celebrations ... and then a mini-vacation ... And yeah, I've eaten enough carbs for a boys' football team over the last week. I'm not even going to weigh myself because I'm sure I've gained at least a couple of pounds back. Tonight I review (and revise, if needed) my goals, and tomorrow I start again. I've got this.

Hi! So, I am back (from outer space..or not) atleast hopefully. Moving onwards right? I have gotten my doctor to put me on antidepressants because I couldn't deal with my depression any more. Which is a big step for me. I am attempting to make my UNI work a priority and possibly throw in some exercise. Positive thinking a go! I am so over respawing.

So my challenge a while ago, didn't go to well. Distractions were in the air, and was a little overwhelmed with work and other personal things. So, I'm going for a better round this time. For my quest I will keep it somewhat the same. I have been running, going to the gym, and for the first part of quest 3, swore off McDonalds, Burger King, Wendys, and any other processed burger joint like that. Sticking to Jimmy Johns if I do go out (and I get an unwich instead of bread). Wish me luck! Main Quest: Lose (35lbs) by New Years 2015.If I can drop the 25lbs by the new year, I will not only have just turned 30, but I'll have the feeling that I'm 20 again. My confidence level will reach new levels that I haven't seen in a decade. Quest 1: Hit the Gym 3 times a weekThe gym has been my friend since high school. It's there when I need it, and there when I don't go to taunt me about not going. If I go 3 times a week minimum, I'm pretty sure I can smile and feel better. Quest 2: Run three times a weekI've always tried to run. I've accomplished mud runs, and a 10 mile race. But, I work up to those. I want this quest to be about making running a hobby and habit. To the point of I feel broke if I don't accomplish this habit. Quest 3: What's fast or processed food?Fast food and processed food are a weakness. When I'm stressed, I go to food. Not alcohol or drugs thankfully, but food. The convienence of these foods are my downfall. I want these two types of food to be erased from my vocabulary and be written as myths that do not exist. Side Quest 1: Go for a run/walk in the morning before work.I've been getting better sleep, so I go to bed earlier, and wake up earlier. I will use the extra time before work to run or walk. Side Quest 2: Ride my bike more oftenThis goes with Quest 1 and 2. I ride my bike to the gym to work out and run. Motivation: Friends, Family, The girl(whoever she may be in the future). I've had a lot of friends follow my progress of working out, running, trends that I've taken on. I want to encourage everyone to not only follow what I do, but to see them commit to it and be healthy themselves. Life Quest: Finish my story and create the website to go with it.I'm currently in the process of writing a screenplay with a friend of mine. I've never taken on something like this before, I want to finish the screenplay, and start filming. Reward System:-10 info if fast food eaten+10 info with extra run/workout(max 100 info) Weight Loss Info(Instead of credits, xp, or $, I prefer info. Its value goes beyond anything else):100% complete - 200 info90% complete - 90 info80% complete - 80 info70% complete - 70 info60% complete - 60 info50% complete - 100 info40% complete - 40 info30% complete - 30 info20% complete - 20 info10% complete - 10 info700 info total, (100 extra info available). Possible Awards traded for information.500 info - New Suit400 info - Portillos Dinner300 info - Rock Bottom Dinner(Nachos Galore)300 info - Movie with snacks200 info - New Game

Okay, so I didn't really complete my last challenge, so I'm going to just do the same thing again. Hopefully, this time I'm going to build enough bicep and back muscle strength to perform a pull-up. So, here's a copy and paste from my last thread: Training to be accepted as an Assassin’s Apprentice Main Quest: Complete 1 unassisted dead hang pull-up to be accepted as an Assassin’s Apprentice Goal 1: Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger Borrowing from Daft Punk, an assassin must be harder, better, faster and stronger than those around them. For this I must train to prove my worthiness. Train to be Harder and Stronger by completing 3 bodyweight strength-training sessions each week. Train to be Better and Faster by completing 3 running training sessions each week. Goal 2: Be Lean and Show Discipline An assassin must be lean and disciplined. To show my worthiness to these values, I must control my diet and restrict myself to 1 non-primal cheat meal per week with a total weekly calorie target of 11000 calories. I am permitted to ease into this goal however, and so long as the last three weeks of the challenge are kept at the target level I will have shown my self-discipline and become leaner. Goal 3: Demonstrate Patience and Flexibility An assassin is patient and flexible. I will show my worthiness for these values by completing a 10 minute stretching routine 6 days a week, slowly progressing this to a short yoga routine. Then, as my patience and flexibility improve, I will begin to increase the difficulty and duration of my yoga sessions. Life Quest: Allow the Mind to Flourish Assassins aren’t all just impressive feats of physical strength and endurance, killing people and wearing black. They are also who and rounded people. To do this I must allow my mind to do more than focus on becoming physically healthy, I must allow it to be creative as well. To achieve this, I will commit to doing 1 thing creative writing related every day. It can be as small as making a note on a post-it about a story idea, or scene I want to write, or as big as sitting down and smashing out 12000 words in a single day. Motivation: Well, I still don't have any of this... Apart from wanting to look something like this: Feel free to let me know if you think I'm insane, or boring for just doing the same thing over again, etc, etc, etc. Any feedback is appreciated.

Well, as those know who have followed my last few challenges, I've been sucking. I could make up a million excuses, but the short of it is, I lose motivation/get distracted and fade away. One common theme for me is setting these GIANT LIFE-CHANGING goals, doing GREAT at first, then running out of willpower. As I start to suck, I start to fade out when I get sick of telling everyone how much I'm sucking. So this challenge is all about taking those baby steps, or collecting Power-Ups. Obviously, since this IS a challenge, and I need to have four goals, I will be making more than one small change, but all the changes will be small. Goal One: [+3 CON] No fried food. I don't eat it often, so this one seems pretty simple, but I'm terrible about giving in to my whims/desires. This includes potato chips and similar snack foods. I've been eating terribly lately. Goal Two: [+3 CON] Drink water! This is a repeat goal (again), but I'm still bad about getting enough water in a day. 96 oz a day is the goal. Goal Three: [+3 STA] Run three times a week. I went from working out 5-6 days a week to not at all. Time to start back at the basics, when I went from not working out at all to 5-6 days a week, I burnt out quickly. Goal Four: [+2 WIS, +4 CHA] Apparently I complain too much, to the point where it is risking my job (which I think is a little ridiculous, and so do some of my coworkers, so obviously I don't complain THAT much). Time to focus on what is coming out of my mouth. Starting with work for this challenge, I'm going to attempt to keep a tally of the number of times I complain. Having to think about it all the time should help me realize exactly how much I do complain. Week one will set the standard, to see if it's possible to not complain AT ALL, or if I should allow myself a certain number a night (I work in food service, after all. There's always SOMETHING to complain about. Servers are some of the whiniest divas I've ever met). So, in short, complain less. Here's hoping all my old supporters haven't given up on me!