Chris-Tien Jinn Posted January 2, 2016 Report Share Posted January 2, 2016 Many heroes have a history or family legacy that they must overcome. The Skywalker family seems destined to flirt with the Dark Side. Spiderman had to live with the guilt he felt after his uncle died. Natasha Romanov was taken from her family and raised to be an assassin. Few heroes seem born from easy circumstances. They all - we all - have things we need to overcome before we can be the heroes we dream of being. Me??? At my daughter's wedding, I was reminded of my family's destiny. As my last living aunt looked at the unfortunately overweight bride, she commented that every woman in our family ends up being fat. With a knowing look and resigned sigh, she looked at me and said, "Just wait." And I shook my head and replied, "Not happening." But it is a fact that my family of origin had terrible health habits, and I sometimes slide into them. This year's goal really is to continue with the progress I've made so far here at Nerd Fitness and accelerate it .... hitting some milestones and enjoying a lighter, stronger body by doing some of those fun runs and obstacle races. Frankly, committing to doing a race where I have to climb over things is scary. I hate heights. I am not very strong in my upper body. And I'm not very graceful. This is going to take some work over a year or two. Goals for THIS CHALLENGE 1) Tame the Sweet Tooth I generally know how to eat well, but I have a hard time stopping once I start eating refined sugars, refined carbs, or wine. For this challenge, I will be intentional and enjoy (in moderation) one evening when I can have dessert and a glass of wine or two. But 6 days out of 7 will be focused on whole grains, proteins, vegetables, some fruit, and avoiding sugar in all kinds of things (like so-called energy bars). 2) Get Over That Wall I'm still working on regaining the ability to do a pull-up. At the moment, I'm doing lat pull-downs and want to get strong enough to do 10x70, 10x75, 10x70 by the end of the challenge. I can currently do 65 pounds for most of three sets, but I'll need to work on my hand strength as well as arms and shoulders. How to get there .... by strength training 3 times each week and trying to increase weights each week. 3) Find Balance Last year, I was literally dreaming of doing a crow pose. Why? No clue. But I also want to be able to do a handstand. So, I'll be working on these two progressions through the year. For now - I need to work on wrist flexibility!!! How? Working it daily with the GMB folks. 4) Keep Moving Finish Season 2 of Zombies Run 5) Push Boundaries In college, I very much wanted to go to Greece during a January interim. But I didn't have the money. 34 years later, I have saved up enough to go on an alumni trip (organized by the same professor!!) - probably in January or June 2017. But I like to be able to understand the local language and read road signs. So .... my goal this year is to learn modern Greek!!! I had studied ancient Greek in college; so the alphabet isn't completely foreign, but I have a lot of learning to do. I got a book and audio set for Christmas and will do a lesson per week for each challenge. At 46 lessons, that should work out about right with the challenge schedule. Theme??? I'm kinda waiting to find out more about the new epic quests and such. I'm tempted to go back to a Star Wars theme. That's where I stared with Nerd Fitness, and I have a lot of history in Star Wars RPGs as Chris-Tien Jinn, the Jedi Master. Stay tuned. 11 Quote Level 63 Human ... Oath of Ancients Paladin "We are better than we know, if we can be made to see it, [then] for the rest of our lives, we'll be unwilling to settle for less." - Kurt Hahn STR: 14 | DEX: 14| CON: 17 | INT: 17 | WIS: 17 | CHA: 14 Link to comment
SkiBlue Posted January 2, 2016 Report Share Posted January 2, 2016 I can understand that. Most of the women in my family (on my mother's side) look very similarly heavy-set. Looks like you've got a solid plan to tackle your goals. Can't wait for more! 1 Quote LEVEL 1 REBEL Link to comment
Polgara19 Posted January 3, 2016 Report Share Posted January 3, 2016 Will be following for the sweet tooth goal - one of my nemesis' is my sweet tooth!Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Level 6 Ranger Current Challenge - Scrubs! Previous Challenges - Theme-Free Laziness, Medieval Marginalia, Brandon Sanderson's Way of Kings Theme - Again, Way of Kings 1, Top Gear Theme, Stargate SG:1 theme, Iron Druid theme! 2016 Battle Log (Long term goal tracking) Link to comment
Elastigirl Posted January 3, 2016 Report Share Posted January 3, 2016 I love that you are changing your families legacy. I know you will continue to get stronger, and will motivate the rest of your family by example and that is super fun to watch. I had such weak, stiff wrists, before I started handbalancing stuff. It seemed like whenever I gardened or did anything, I ended up hurting them. So nice to feel like my wrists are actually strong. I think you will be super pleased with GMB wrist work. 3 Quote Wisdom 22.5 Dexterity 13 Charisma 15 Strength 21 Constitution-13 "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind' Luke 10; 27 Link to comment
karinajean Posted January 3, 2016 Report Share Posted January 3, 2016 hi there! looking forward to seeing how you start out this new year! 1 Quote 2014! #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 2015! #6 | #7 | #8 | #9 | #10 | #11 | #12 | 2016! #13 | #14 | #15 | #16 | #17 | #18 | #19 | #20 | #21 | #22 | #23 | 2017! #24 | #25 | #26 | #27 | #28 | #29 | #30 | #31 | #32 | #33 | 2018! #34 | #35 | #36 | #37v1 | #37v2 | 2019! #38 | #39 | #40 | reference materials | academy battle log mermaid ninja assassin. on a motorcycle. with swords. and knitting needles. and kittens. Link to comment
Tanktimus the Encourager Posted January 3, 2016 Report Share Posted January 3, 2016 Welcome to the Ranger Corps! You are certainly in the right place for everything you listed. Several members are OCR runners. Dark_Raider, the Ranger Commander, is Greek and lives in Athens. Nymeria is the queen of handstands. You have some great goals. I am so happy to see that Ranger Badge under your avatar. 4 Quote Current Challenge "By the Most-Righteous-and-Blessed Beard of Sir Tanktimus the Encourager!" - Jarl Rurik Harrgath Link to comment
Chris-Tien Jinn Posted January 3, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2016 I can understand that. Most of the women in my family (on my mother's side) look very similarly heavy-set. Looks like you've got a solid plan to tackle your goals. Can't wait for more! Looking back on my mother's and aunts' behaviors, they really did everything wrong. They'd yo-yo with very restrictive diets and then "fail" and go back to old habits. And almost never exercise - my mom did aqua walking for a while in her 70's, but she never strength trained. I think that the knowledge we have now is going to be my ace in the hole. Will be following for the sweet tooth goal - one of my nemesis' is my sweet tooth!Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk And as Thom has discovered, sugar is EVERYWHERE!!!! I love that you are changing your families legacy. I know you will continue to get stronger, and will motivate the rest of your family by example and that is super fun to watch. I had such weak, stiff wrists, before I started handbalancing stuff. It seemed like whenever I gardened or did anything, I ended up hurting them. So nice to feel like my wrists are actually strong. I think you will be super pleased with GMB wrist work. Great! I hope it will also help relieve the perennial computer-wrist syndrome as well. But I just love the attitude at GMB. hi there! looking forward to seeing how you start out this new year! Likewise. You're always an inspiration!!! Welcome to the Ranger Corps! You are certainly in the right place for everything you listed. Several members are OCR runners. Dark_Raider, the Ranger Commander, is Greek and lives in Athens. Nymeria is the queen of handstands. You have some great goals. I am so happy to see that Ranger Badge under your avatar. Yeap, the prodigal daughter returns. Hope you didn't give away my bunk. And I hope D_R doesn't mind my occasional attempts to try to write a sentence. At the moment, I need to figure out how to get my computer to switch alphabets. 5 Quote Level 63 Human ... Oath of Ancients Paladin "We are better than we know, if we can be made to see it, [then] for the rest of our lives, we'll be unwilling to settle for less." - Kurt Hahn STR: 14 | DEX: 14| CON: 17 | INT: 17 | WIS: 17 | CHA: 14 Link to comment
Tanktimus the Encourager Posted January 3, 2016 Report Share Posted January 3, 2016 D_R has been very longsuffering with my attempts to write in Greek with my half-rememberd Koinh Greek from undergrad and Seminary. I haven't figured out yet how to get a Greek font in the forums. 3 Quote Current Challenge "By the Most-Righteous-and-Blessed Beard of Sir Tanktimus the Encourager!" - Jarl Rurik Harrgath Link to comment
Chris-Tien Jinn Posted January 3, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2016 D_R has been very longsuffering with my attempts to write in Greek with my half-rememberd Koinh Greek from undergrad and Seminary. I haven't figured out yet how to get a Greek font in the forums. I'm going to give this a go ... tomorrow. I was pre-seminary and took 4 years of ancient and koine Greek. But when you don't use it ..... Have you seen these instructions about switching to Greek letters (Windows and Mac)? 2 Quote Level 63 Human ... Oath of Ancients Paladin "We are better than we know, if we can be made to see it, [then] for the rest of our lives, we'll be unwilling to settle for less." - Kurt Hahn STR: 14 | DEX: 14| CON: 17 | INT: 17 | WIS: 17 | CHA: 14 Link to comment
Sloth the Enduring Posted January 3, 2016 Report Share Posted January 3, 2016 Your aunt is mean. If you ever need back up for an OCR, my offer is open. 2 Quote “We might as well start where we are, use what we have and do what we can." – Caitlin Rivers Sloth: The Man with the Hammer battle log Link to comment
Tanktimus the Encourager Posted January 3, 2016 Report Share Posted January 3, 2016 Your aunt is mean.If you ever need back up for an OCR, my offer is open.It's a crabs in a bucket situation. When unhealthy people see someone losing weight they rationalize the success away in their own minds so they don't have to admit they are responsible for their situation and capable of changing. The snarky comments are one manifestation of this phenomenon. 6 Quote Current Challenge "By the Most-Righteous-and-Blessed Beard of Sir Tanktimus the Encourager!" - Jarl Rurik Harrgath Link to comment
Thom Stépan Posted January 3, 2016 Report Share Posted January 3, 2016 Speaking Greek? Talk to Dark_Raider, he lives there. Edited to note that Tanktimus has beaten me to this point. Going to tag along with a lady who helped me many times on my NF journey. Woden uses ravens, I use an iphone. 2 Quote Where to find me: Current Challenge : Battle Log : Facebook : Instagram : "Each day, just focus on getting 1% better in whatever it is you're trying to improve. That's it. Just 1%." ArtofManliness Article. "That which is wise and holy helps the health and wholeness of the chain of generations." D. R. Miller. "We do not rise to our expectations. We fall to our level of training." Archilochus Link to comment
Nymeria Posted January 3, 2016 Report Share Posted January 3, 2016 Oooh. I love your goals! The lat pull down is a great exercise, and it should help you build some of that pull up strength. And the crow pose is great for building up some wrist and forearm strength. I'm not familiar with the GMB progressions, but I bet you could at least do some partially weight bearing crows, where your feet stay on the ground or on a block, and your hands take as much weight as you comfortably can. I'm always willing to give advice and support for arm balances! While the OCR looks a bit daunting now, I bet you'll find the whole thing very liberating after you conquer your fears and just do it! 2 Quote Level 30? who the hell knows anymore? Direwolf Assassin/Ranger - current challenge ACL rehab thread 2016 parkour My tutorials: handbalancing: crow, flying crow, side crow, crow->headstand->crow Bo staff: strikes 1 2 3, spins 1 2 Link to comment
annyshay Posted January 4, 2016 Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 First off, your challenge looks amazing. Second.... HOW DID I NOT KNOW THIS!!?#R?@!?R Closet classicist! (realizing that I have never mentioned Ancient Greek on NF)I had studied ancient Greek in college I'm going to give this a go ... tomorrow. I was pre-seminary and took 4 years of ancient and koine Greek. But when you don't use it ..... Have you seen these instructions about switching to Greek letters (Windows and Mac)?Great! I hope it will also help relieve the perennial computer-wrist syndrome as well. But I just love the attitude at GMB. Thirdly, yay GMB wrist preps!!! 2 Quote Love as thou wilt. Link to comment
Rurik Harrgath Posted January 4, 2016 Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 Following along for my Game of Life inspiration, CTJ. 1 Quote [Level ??] Rurik, the Wayfinder Class: Gloomfall Gunslinger (Artificer/Gunslinger) BRUTALITY 11 | FINESSE 10 | VIGOR 11 | INSIGHT 14 | WILL 13 Equipment: The Alchemist greatcoat armor, Longshot adventuring rifle, Slicer & Dicer dual blades, with adventurer's pack containing an alchemist's kit. "Rangers have to at least give up on pants. It's a special rule we enacted after Rurik became a Guild Leader.” – DarK_RaideR "Did I just get my ass kicked by a member of Metallica meets History Channel's Vikings?" - Wild Wolf "By the Well-Oiled-and-Meticulously-Groomed Beard of Rurik!" - Tanktimus the Encourager Link to comment
Chris-Tien Jinn Posted January 4, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 It's a crabs in a bucket situation. When unhealthy people see someone losing weight they rationalize the success away in their own minds so they don't have to admit they are responsible for their situation and capable of changing. The snarky comments are one manifestation of this phenomenon. I think you've got it. Even at the moment, I kinda shrugged it off. Most of my generation is a healthy weight - we work at it, but I think that's a necessity in the country of too many cheap, empty calories. And that aunt will complain bitterly that she can't lose weight while heading back for the 5th heaping plate at a buffet. The battle isn't against genetics - it's against habits from both my family and my husband's family. And since they were developed so early, it is a lifetime of vigilance to avoid falling back into them. 7 Quote Level 63 Human ... Oath of Ancients Paladin "We are better than we know, if we can be made to see it, [then] for the rest of our lives, we'll be unwilling to settle for less." - Kurt Hahn STR: 14 | DEX: 14| CON: 17 | INT: 17 | WIS: 17 | CHA: 14 Link to comment
Thom Stépan Posted January 4, 2016 Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 Yes it is a battle, but you are powerful enough to keep going. You also have a great support team here at NF to give you the boost when you struggle. Woden uses ravens, I use an iphone. 3 Quote Where to find me: Current Challenge : Battle Log : Facebook : Instagram : "Each day, just focus on getting 1% better in whatever it is you're trying to improve. That's it. Just 1%." ArtofManliness Article. "That which is wise and holy helps the health and wholeness of the chain of generations." D. R. Miller. "We do not rise to our expectations. We fall to our level of training." Archilochus Link to comment
DarK_RaideR Posted January 4, 2016 Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 A Star Wars theme sounds rather fitting, I remember a blog post by Steve using SW to talk about challenging one's legacy. Glad to have you back in our gang of lunatics for this round. You know of course that I'm always available to help with your foray into our tough-to-master language (I'm both honored and amazed you're even giving it a shot) as well as your upcoming trip! Typing Greek: As a rule of thumb, check that your OS supports greek characters and has that option enabled/installed. If that doesn't do the trick, perhaps it has to do with encoding (here's a sample in Ελληνικά for you to check it out). Language switch on the keyboard is usually done using Alt+Shift but I've also happened upon variants using Ctrl+Shift or something like that. Oh, and as far as characters go, I can send you a photo of my keyboard, it's got the latin and greek character on those double keys so you won't have to use that table on the link provided earlier 2 Quote Lvl 54 Multitasker Link to comment
Charlie_Quinn Posted January 4, 2016 Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 Did someone say OCR?! Obstacle races can be a scary thought at first but try a short one to start with to see what you think. Most events will let you skip any obstacle you aren't comfortable doing (Sometimes with a burpee or running penalty) so if you find a high wall too daunting, you can always go around. But you'll probably end up surprising yourself and doing more than you think you're capable of. Love your challenge. Another vote here for a Star Wars theme, because Star Wars. 2 Quote Current: Assassins / Instagram Previous: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44 2020 Races: CANCELLED! Spartan Trifecta: Beast: 18-APR / Super :11-JUL / Sprint: 12-JUL Summer Nuts: 5/6-SEPT / Nuclear Blast: 12-SEPT / Nuclear team race: 04-OCT "You have the heart of a Rebel" "I'll take that as a compliment" Link to comment
Chris-Tien Jinn Posted January 4, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 Winter wonderland!!Sent via two swallows carrying a message in a coconut. 7 Quote Level 63 Human ... Oath of Ancients Paladin "We are better than we know, if we can be made to see it, [then] for the rest of our lives, we'll be unwilling to settle for less." - Kurt Hahn STR: 14 | DEX: 14| CON: 17 | INT: 17 | WIS: 17 | CHA: 14 Link to comment
Chris-Tien Jinn Posted January 4, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 A Star Wars theme sounds rather fitting, I remember a blog post by Steve using SW to talk about challenging one's legacy. Glad to have you back in our gang of lunatics for this round. You know of course that I'm always available to help with your foray into our tough-to-master language (I'm both honored and amazed you're even giving it a shot) as well as your upcoming trip! Typing Greek: As a rule of thumb, check that your OS supports greek characters and has that option enabled/installed. If that doesn't do the trick, perhaps it has to do with encoding (here's a sample in Ελληνικά for you to check it out). Language switch on the keyboard is usually done using Alt+Shift but I've also happened upon variants using Ctrl+Shift or something like that. Oh, and as far as characters go, I can send you a photo of my keyboard, it's got the latin and greek character on those double keys so you won't have to use that table on the link provided earlier Hey, I recognized the word Ελληνικά!!! I run a Mac; so I know I'll be able to type in Greek. I'm just laughing at myself. Back in the day, I typed my assignments on a manual, Greek typewriter. In some ways technology makes things more difficult. But I will happily accept help with the keyboard. As someone who types ALOT, it's frustrating to not know where the keys are by touch. So send along the picture of your keyboard, and I can put in on my wall for reference!! ΕυχαÏιστώ! 4 Quote Level 63 Human ... Oath of Ancients Paladin "We are better than we know, if we can be made to see it, [then] for the rest of our lives, we'll be unwilling to settle for less." - Kurt Hahn STR: 14 | DEX: 14| CON: 17 | INT: 17 | WIS: 17 | CHA: 14 Link to comment
DarK_RaideR Posted January 4, 2016 Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 Oh. I think Macs change the language with a two key combo that involves that special flowery Mac key that looks like a # with curves around the corners. Friend of mine uses a MacBook Pro, so I'll take a shot of his keyboard and send it to you 1 Quote Lvl 54 Multitasker Link to comment
Rurik Harrgath Posted January 4, 2016 Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 Winter wonderland!! Your view out the backdoor reminds me of mine! I do love living in a place with actual seasons. 2 Quote [Level ??] Rurik, the Wayfinder Class: Gloomfall Gunslinger (Artificer/Gunslinger) BRUTALITY 11 | FINESSE 10 | VIGOR 11 | INSIGHT 14 | WILL 13 Equipment: The Alchemist greatcoat armor, Longshot adventuring rifle, Slicer & Dicer dual blades, with adventurer's pack containing an alchemist's kit. "Rangers have to at least give up on pants. It's a special rule we enacted after Rurik became a Guild Leader.” – DarK_RaideR "Did I just get my ass kicked by a member of Metallica meets History Channel's Vikings?" - Wild Wolf "By the Well-Oiled-and-Meticulously-Groomed Beard of Rurik!" - Tanktimus the Encourager Link to comment
Thom Stépan Posted January 4, 2016 Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 That is a beautiful place that you are living in.Woden uses ravens, I use an iphone. 1 Quote Where to find me: Current Challenge : Battle Log : Facebook : Instagram : "Each day, just focus on getting 1% better in whatever it is you're trying to improve. That's it. Just 1%." ArtofManliness Article. "That which is wise and holy helps the health and wholeness of the chain of generations." D. R. Miller. "We do not rise to our expectations. We fall to our level of training." Archilochus Link to comment
Mrs Van Posted January 4, 2016 Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 Yay! Here for you That trip sounds awesome and you're already picking up on the Greek.What a stunning view, I can do with some snow at the moment, with days topping 40C. Want to send some my way? 1 Quote Mrs. Van's Latest Challenge Zechariah 4:6 "Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit, saith the Lord." Link to comment
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