Mizbrek Solos Challongia Cavern

[Mizbrek]

 

 

Mizbrek shook off the snow from his cloak and stamped his boots as he stepped into the Mended Bow Tavern. The heat from the many fires hit him instantly. The place always seemed bigger on the inside, with its two-storey roof and many tables. He ducked under a man walking past who nearly elbowed him, slapping a green Orc on the back as he did so. He sighed. There were disadvantages to being so short sometimes.

 

He ducked around an Argonian before hopping on one of the taller stools on the bar. The Mended Bow catered to people of various shapes and sizes, and it helped to even some folks out. He tucked his bag under the bar and waved over the bartender. Miz could never remember his species, but the dark skin and forehead ridges, not to mention his frequent discussion of honor, stuck out. The barkeep grunted at him as he approached.

 

“How would you like to buy my newest ale, Gormok?” Miz said with a grin.

 

“Your last one tasted like fruit,” he barked.

 

“Well, yes, it had something from Tel-Abim in it! Can’t remember the name of it but it was good.”

 

“The customers thought it was weird!”

 

“Ugh, no sense of adventure, your customers. That was a fine, hand-crafted, artisanal ale!” Miz shook his head. “This one is standard though. A simple lager, but with ingredients from all over the multiverse! The finest spring water from Rivendell! Hops grown in the Valley of Four Winds in Pandaria! Some of the first barley ever grown by the Minbari! Spices from the Klatchian Empire, and brewed in the fires of Vulcan!”

 

Gormok sighed. “Fine. How much do you have and what do you want for it?” As Miz reached into his bag and pulled out a keg that was far too large to have fit in the bag in the first place, Gormok added “and someday you’ll need to tell me where you got that bag.”

 

“I won it in a game of Hearthstone off some raggedy Doctor,” Miz said, dropping the keg onto the bar with a thud. “I want a room for the night, a few days of supplies, whatever’s on the menu for tonight, and a few drafts of your finest ale.”

 

“Done,” Gormok said. He hefted the keg behind the bar, tucking it away.

 

A few minutes later, full of some 2 ales and a bowl of some miscellaneous stew, Miz’s ears perked up. As a brewmaster, your learned to listen. Sometimes that was to talk of a new ale people liked. Sometimes that was to talk of where your next adventure would come from.

 

“...thing tore his legs right off. He was mad though, I told him…”

 

Miz moved quietly closer, finding a small, empty table near the group. Mostly humans it looked like, but there was one dressed oddly, long robes and bear. Wizard, Miz recalled, but from some other world than his own. Some place called Hogwarts, he thought he remembered.

“I’m sure they are exaggerating, there’s no way Medrak was that big,” the taller of the group was saying.

 

“He was! My cousin’s brother’s former roommate went in with a group of 25 himself, they didn’t manage it! Snaegar they managed, but Housgar wore them down.”

 

“I heard Calorus tempted them all with some kind of siren song, made half of them fall off some kind of crevasse in the cave,” the Wizard said.

 

Miz drained his ale as he continued to listen, waving down the barmaid and draining a second as they continued to discuss.

 

“I’m telling you, Challongia Caverns is undoable. Not with five armies could you manage it,” the tall one declared. “One at a time, perhaps, but not all at once.”

 

The fourth ale arrived and went down smooth. Miz started on his fifth as he wandered over.

 

“Gentlemen!” He declared, the humans turning towards the small hobbit, taking in his simple leather armor and his odd, ornamented staff strapped to his back. “I could not help but overhear. Where is this Challongia Cavern you speak of? I am a brewmaster, I seek adventure, and I would love to visit it. I have a new brew I’m working on, and they say Dragon’s Fire is just the key to getting it juuuuust right…”

 

On reviewing his words, Miz thought it possible, based on the stunned looks he got, that he may not be as thought as he sober he was. But they quickly dispelled that notion.

 

“You?!” the taller one said. “I could kick your ass! What’re you going to do against 5 dragons?!”

 

“Come here and I’ll show you,” Miz slurred slightly.

 

The taller one grinned, and the Wizard made to hold him back, but the stool was knocked back, and he was leaping towards the hobbit with surprising speed.

 

Miz had been known to brag. He was famous for it throughout the multiverse.

 

But it was rarely said it was without merit.

 

With a speed belying his small size and intoxication, Miz’s fist shot out, catching the man on his side and tossing him to the right. A second was up, and found the Hobbit in the air, checking him with his whole, small, but surprisingly heavy body. The second man slammed onto a table, the wind knocked out of him. The third found his head snapped to the side by a strong kick. It didn’t knock him out, but when he went down, he stayed down. There was no point in messing with a tiny guy like that.

 

The Wizard stood on, not making any move to get up.

“So that’s what you’ll do against 5 dragons?” he asked conversationally.

 

“More or less,” Miz said, with a grin.

 

As he retired to his room a while later, the Wizard’s map tucked safely away in his bigger on the inside pack, Miz wondered for a brief moment if he’d made a mistake, boasting and promising drunkenly to defeat 5 dragons that had felled armies.

 

Eh. It’ll make a good story either way, he thought to himself.

 

 

 

Well this is my first challenge, and hopefully no one minds a bit of RP! I'll be doing my best to throw in some RP elements with each update, but I don't expect I'll be able to write the story in perfect detail. Just wrote this for some of my own fun!

 

For this challenge I've chosen 5 goals, represented by 5 dragons that Mizbrek will be trying to solo. At the same time. Cause that's the kind of stuff my WoW characters do, and let's face it, aren't we all doing this so we can do the stuff our fantasy characters do?

 

The 5 Dragons

 

Calorus, the Consumer - For this challenge I will be tracking my food with MFP and attempting to stay under 2100 calories. I'm giving myself extra points if I can do so NOT counting exercise as an offset, but for the purpose of this I'll plan to count those calories. Though I won't try and eat UP to that.

 

Medrak, the Disruptor - I'll be attempting to meditate for 5 minutes a day. Using an app to do so. I have some experience with this, and I may up that a bit, but I haven't had a regular practice in a long time, and, well, the NF Academy suggested it, so I figured I'd give it a shot. I've been doing it a bit the last little while but may need to revisit my practice - I'm doing it with headphones on on my commute home, which isn't as restful, I've found. But we'll see. Still working at building that muscle, so to speak.

 

Snaegara, the Temptress - For a long time I was buying snacks on the way home. Chocolate bars, M&M's. I would feel this pull whenever I walked by a store. I've been off this for a bit, and haven't in a while, with one small exception, but I want to maintain that. I'd also like to try and avoid snacking in general, when people bring stuff into work, or when I'm out and people put out appetizers. There's a very specific way I dig in and want MORE MORE MORE. I can have one or two polite bites of something, but there's no need for that most of the time.

 

Housgar, Bane of the Hearth - I will do 20 minutes of housework per day. This is both to keep me active and help my wife out a bit. I often get home and just plop myself in front of the computer, and that helps no one and nothing. The house being out of sorts stresses her out, and I want to be better at that. I'm allowed to occasionally count something out of the house for this (like running errands on the way home), but I've left her as the final arbiter here of what counts and doesn't. I trust her to be a firm but fair dictator on that front (even if she is thinking of joining the Alliance in the mini-challenge).

 

Activron, Scourge of the Wastes - This will be the new one for me - 10 minutes of dedicated activity per day. This DOES NOT include dog walking. To get a check mark in this column I need to do something specifically for the purpose of exercise. This can include going out for a walk, going out and playing Pokemon Go, going for a run, yoga, bodyweight exercises, going to the driving range, any of those. The idea here is to build a habit of some form of exercise daily, which I don't currently have, and starting small so it's attainable and doesn't seem daunting. 

 

Now these may seem like relatively lukewarm goals, but for me the key here is consistency. Every program or change I've ever tried I've given up, most within a few weeks. I signed up for the NF Academy about a month ago and have been working through that in order, and what they emphasize first is mindset and nutrition, of which these target. A few of these I'm already doing. I'm mostly under 2100 calories, most days, I haven't snacked in a while, I've been pretty consistent about the housework for the last week or two, and I've been meditating for a few days. The activity is the only totally new one, but it's an important step. The idea here is to build a good base that I can work from in the future, to build good habits that I stick with. Already the NF program is my 3rd most successful weight loss endeavour, the other two involving me either being unemployed or having a ton of money, and neither of which stuck.

 

So I hope you'll join me! I'll be aiming to update daily, and you can follow my Instagram as well for other updates! And I'll see some of you in the mini-challenge!

 

And if you've joined the Alliance, then I look forward to honourably crushing you on the field of battle for the glory of the Horde.

 

 

 

[Marauder]

Following.  I'll have to come back and read your story when I have more time, but your goals look great and you are SO right...  Consistency and small steps are important building blocks for long term success.  I never stuck with anything before NF.  I change my goals and areas of focus, but for the most part, I've stuck with it now for 9 or 10 months, which is huge for me.

 

 

[Mizbrek]

6 minutes ago, Marauder said:

Following.  I'll have to come back and read your story when I have more time, but your goals look great and you are SO right...  Consistency and small steps are important building blocks for long term success.  I never stuck with anything before NF.  I change my goals and areas of focus, but for the most part, I've stuck with it now for 9 or 10 months, which is huge for me.

 

 

Thanks! And that's awesome! I'm dropping the pounds slowly, and would like to go a bit faster, but I know if I try and do too much I will burn out FAST. I think besides this the longest I stuck with anything was maybe a week.

[skinNbones]

Hey teammate. I'm loving your dragons, and I think you're taking a wise approach to your goals too.

They are us.

[Broba Fett]

On 7/14/2016 at 0:27 PM, Mizbrek said:

Now these may seem like relatively lukewarm goals

Not at all.  Small changes add up to big results.  Better to blow away small goals for months at a time than shoot for huge goals and burn yourself out. 

 

I'll be doing my best to follow along and cheer you on good sir.

[Rurik Harrgath]

Not quit sure how this challenge escaped my attention until now, but...

 

On 2016-07-14 at 0:27 PM, Mizbrek said:

“Ugh, no sense of adventure, your customers. That was a fine, hand-crafted, artisanal ale!” Miz shook his head. “This one is standard though. A simple lager, but with ingredients from all over the multiverse! The finest spring water from Rivendell! Hops grown in the Valley of Four Winds in Pandaria! Some of the first barley ever grown by the Minbari! Spices from the Klatchian Empire, and brewed in the fires of Vulcan!”

 

Beer from all the corners of fantasy fiction!  I couldn't be more pleased.    It's a recurring discussion around these parts, usually the typical divide between the Hops and Malt parties.

[Mizbrek]

Testing something, please ignore! grrr, wrote an update and it seems to have gotten eaten. Will have to rewrite it!

[Elastigirl]

Small goals are usually the best at gaining consistency. Looks like you are off to a great start.

[OwlBean]

Following -- solid goals! And LOVED the tidbit about playing Hearthstone with the raggedy doctor. Fantastic!

[Marauder]

So, you play Hearthstone too?  We have a thread for that somewhere.  I'll see if I can resurrect it.  I haven't been playing a ton since the latest changes, but I need to get back to it once I get caught up from vacation.

[Mizbrek]

15 hours ago, skinNbones said:

Hey teammate. I'm loving your dragons, and I think you're taking a wise approach to your goals too.

They are us.

Thanks! I had fun coming up with the names.

 

3 hours ago, Broba Fett said:

Not at all.  Small changes add up to big results.  Better to blow away small goals for months at a time than shoot for huge goals and burn yourself out. 

 

I'll be doing my best to follow along and cheer you on good sir.

Thank you kind sir! Loved your theme and your goals are certainly inspirational to me!

 

3 hours ago, Rurik Harrgath said:

Not quit sure how this challenge escaped my attention until now, but...

 

 

Beer from all the corners of fantasy fiction!  I couldn't be more pleased.    It's a recurring discussion around these parts, usually the typical divide between the Hops and Malt parties.

Team Malt! Though I'm getting over my dislike of hops. Think it's just that I spend a lot of time with Americans due to family, and their beer lately is all hops all the time. Give me some good balanced Canadian beer any day!

 

34 minutes ago, Elastigirl said:

Small goals are usually the best at gaining consistency. Looks like you are off to a great start.

Thanks very much!

 

23 minutes ago, TheLonelyWolf said:

Following -- solid goals! And LOVED the tidbit about playing Hearthstone with the raggedy doctor. Fantastic!

Thanks! I liked envisioning the Doctor playing Hearthstone. I imagine him playing Shaman these days.

 

4 minutes ago, Marauder said:

So, you play Hearthstone too?  We have a thread for that somewhere.  I'll see if I can resurrect it.  I haven't been playing a ton since the latest changes, but I need to get back to it once I get caught up from vacation.

I do! Not a ton these days, but I go in fits and starts. My wife and I both play and it's just such a fun game, though doesn't help my fitness goals! Though one of my Epic Quest goals is to hit Rank 14!

 

The gloomy cavern was suddenly lit as if daylight had finally come to it as Activron's flame seared towards the tiny Hobbit brewmaster. Mizbrek's unintelligible battlecry quickly shifted into an incantation as he swung his staff up, a magical barrier appearing in front of him and moving with him as he slammed to a stop. The shield buffeted the flames around him, blocking most but not all of them, the sickly smell of his singed leathers tingling Miz's nose. Activron seemed stunned for a second. Flames stopped most things. Miz took a swig from a small keg on his back, wiping his mouth with his gloved hand, grinning at the dragon.

 

"Every heard of Leeroy Jenkins, ya scaly bastard?"

 

So my official challenge doesn't start til later, but I wanted to get in the groove of sharing on here! Thanks all for the follows and comments, really warmed my heart and motivated me! Got a bit of activity in today, though it did prove a challenge. I was going to go out for a half hour walk/Pokemon Go session on my lunch break at work, but the rest of the office basically ran out at noon, leaving me as the only one watching the front desk. There were a couple people in back offices, but they had closed their office doors, which in my office is code for "don't bother me." I felt a bit torn, and as soon as one of them surfaced from their closed office I asked her to watch the front desk. I think she was planning to run out too, as she seemed a bit miffed, but I have to remember I have as much right as anyone to go out at lunch!

 

Did manage to get my 10 minutes in though, so calling this a win! I did also do my meditation, and it's feeling better and easier. Didn't do the housework today, but I'll do extra tomorrow. It is Friday after all. Also, no snacks, and I believe I will be under the calories even not including the exercise (though it's hard to estimate our homemade pizza tonight).

 

Thanks again all! Tomorrow, driving range and lots of housework I think. Meditation will be the challenge, as there isn't really a good place at home, but I'll see what I can find.

 

[Rurik Harrgath]

18 minutes ago, Mizbrek said:

Team Malt! Though I'm getting over my dislike of hops. Think it's just that I spend a lot of time with Americans due to family, and their beer lately is all hops all the time. Give me some good balanced Canadian beer any day!

 

Irredeemable MaltHead here.  My favorites have been coming out of Granville Island and Muskoka Breweries lately!

[Mizbrek]

 

Irredeemable MaltHead here.  My favorites have been coming out of Granville Island and Muskoka Breweries lately!

Ah! Granville's Hefweizen was my go to beer lately. Had Belgian Moon tonight though which was good. I like Muskoka though nothing there has grabbed me lately, but they make solid stuff! Beau's makes some really interesting stuff too if you get a chance to pick it up. They did one a year ago based on one of Margaret Atwood's sci fi books that was amazing.

[Rurik Harrgath]

1 hour ago, Mizbrek said:

Ah! Granville's Hefweizen was my go to beer lately. Had Belgian Moon tonight though which was good. I like Muskoka though nothing there has grabbed me lately, but they make solid stuff! Beau's makes some really interesting stuff too if you get a chance to pick it up. They did one a year ago based on one of Margaret Atwood's sci fi books that was amazing.

 

Wait until winter flies and pick up Muskoka's Winterweiss (a Dunkelweizen) and you might just change your mind.  As far as Granville, similarly their winter offering Lion's Winter Ale is seriously on point for any fan of malty ale, and their English Bay Pale Ale is a solid summer sipper in its own right.  They also have a small batch only Black Notebook series that has just about anything you could dream of but I've only tracked down their Twisted Twin Dunkelweizen, which was solid (noticing a theme?), but I dream of finding their Burly Goat Doppelbock sitting on the shelves at my local LC.

 

Also a fan of pumpkin ales and Oktoberfest-style lagers.  Speaking of which, one of our own Rangers started a vlog talking about beer if you want to check it out:  Kat Drinks Beer

[Broba Fett]

12 hours ago, Mizbrek said:

Ah! Granville's Hefweizen was my go to beer lately. Had Belgian Moon tonight though which was good. I like Muskoka though nothing there has grabbed me lately, but they make solid stuff! Beau's makes some really interesting stuff too if you get a chance to pick it up. They did one a year ago based on one of Margaret Atwood's sci fi books that was amazing.

Just not noticing the "Hobbit Brewmaster" race and class in your sig.  Awesome.  I just brewed my first extract kit a couple months ago, did an APA and it turned out great.  I actually just found about 10 bottles that were hiding in the basement and I'm super excited to crack one tomorrow as I grill and see how it's aged.

 

Like you and @Rurik Harrgath, I haven't been a huge fan of hops in the past but I'm finally getting to the point where I can appreciate a really hoppy beer without it just tasting like lawn clippings. 

 

It's not a really a fancy craft beer but right now the go-to weekend cheat beer is Blue Moon's Belgian White. Good stuff and not $2.50/bottle.

[Mizbrek]

On 7/16/2016 at 9:07 AM, Broba Fett said:

Just not noticing the "Hobbit Brewmaster" race and class in your sig.  Awesome.  I just brewed my first extract kit a couple months ago, did an APA and it turned out great.  I actually just found about 10 bottles that were hiding in the basement and I'm super excited to crack one tomorrow as I grill and see how it's aged.

 

Like you and @Rurik Harrgath, I haven't been a huge fan of hops in the past but I'm finally getting to the point where I can appreciate a really hoppy beer without it just tasting like lawn clippings. 

 

It's not a really a fancy craft beer but right now the go-to weekend cheat beer is Blue Moon's Belgian White. Good stuff and not $2.50/bottle.

 

The Brewmaster thing was kind of my own class design based on a mix of Druid/Ranger, with a further emphasis on kind of being knowledgeable and worldly. If you know Warcraft, think Chen Stormstout - travelling the world, getting into adventures, seeking out new ingredients and new ideas and new brews. Big part of my goals is reading more (news and books) and having a better understanding of the world, as well as being more physically fit and being able to better handle physical challenges. So it kinda fits ranger, but I also like yoga and liking meditation better. Plus, golf!

 

 

And Belgian Moon is my go to now - cheap, refreshing and readily available! Not sure where you guys are  (@Rurik Harrgath think I read you were in ?) but in Southern Ontario there's a brewery called Royal City doing this Hibiscus Saison which is lovely, though been hard to find. Oooh, just remembered my local brewery is doing a Saison now too, may have to make a trip out there today.

 

Though, admittedly, I don't have any interest right now in being an ACTUAL brewmaster. That seems to involve far too much chemistry for my tastes!

[Rurik Harrgath]

On 7/16/2016 at 10:50 AM, Mizbrek said:

And Belgian Moon is my go to now - cheap, refreshing and readily available! Not sure where you guys are  (@Rurik Harrgath think I read you were in ?) but in Southern Ontario there's a brewery called Royal City doing this Hibiscus Saison which is lovely, though been hard to find.

 

 

 

It's beer night and I'm so excited.  A whole week of good behavior shall be rewarded with malty goodness... but not excessively. 

[Mizbrek]

On 7/16/2016 at 1:18 PM, Rurik Harrgath said:

 

I'm in southern , yup!  Which part of Ontario are you in?  The girlfriend is from Peterborough and we were out there at the end of June for a wedding.  Their local brewery had an amber that absolutely blew my mind; Smith Haven Amber Solace.  It was expensive as hell at the lake resort the wedding was hosted at, but I couldn't stop going back for refills.  It's a shame so many of those lovely Ontario craft beers never make it out west.  is only slowly opening its collective mind toward the brewing scene unfortunately, not like Ontario and BC. 

 

It's beer night and I'm so excited.  A whole week of good behavior shall be rewarded with malty goodness... but not excessively. 

 

I'm in Oakville, just outside of Toronto. Lots of great breweries here. I think Beau's is starting to expand out West, so if you haven't had them I'd highly recommend. I constantly lament that they're in Ottawa and a bit far for a drive to pick up some of their beers. Most make their way to the LCBO but they do some really interesting ones. Picked up a very nice Saison from my local, place called Cameron's, which I'd recommend if you ever see.

 

Activron batted at the hobbit as he charged in again. Miz brought his staff up to block the swipe but the hit overpowered him, pain blossoming in his side as he went flying. Calorus seized the opportunity, belching a gout of flame. The brewmaster angled his body mid-flight, throwing his weight to the side and getting only lightly singed, but it hurt. He cursed as he landed.

 

He leapt to his feet and launched himself into the air again, narrowing avoiding Housgar's swipe as he smacked the dragon's head with his staff, the lizard stunned for a moment and falling back. Miz landed on its back, jumping at Medrak, but he underestimated the Disruptor. The dragon reared onto its hind legs and lashed out a talon at the suddenly out of position hobbit. He turned midair to avoid the claws, but still got hit with a powerful palm. Miz's trajectory changed suddenly as he slammed into the side of the cavern, sliding down the side as Calorus, Medrak, and Activron closed in. He cast a quick healing spell on himself as he got to his feet, the dragons approaching with wariness, but approaching all the same. Mizbrek cracked his knuckles, picking up his staff, and grinning.

 

"Alright. No more Mr. Nice Hobbit."

 

Yesterday wasn't great challenge wise. I felt wiped and unmotivated overall. It's been a long week and I think it caught up with me when I finally rested. Or maybe it was because I didn't have my normal dose of protein with breakfast (tried a new recipe that failed miserably). But either way it was hard to work up a motivation to do anything.

 

I did get caught up on housework, got a good chunk done in cleaning out our spare bedroom, and I got some activity in, went for a nice speedy, sweaty walk. I did also do the NF Academy calibration test, but I was hoping to start work on one of the bodyweight routines they have. The plan is to do one today, but I'm almost scared to? Like I'm scared of failing, scared that I'll fall back into old habits and that all this will just be for naught, like every other attempt at getting fitter has been. But all I can do is try not to let that happen.

 

I also drank too much. I do enjoy sitting out back with a good book and a cold beer, and I did a lot of that, perhaps a bit too much. Need to try taking a nice glass of ice water out back instead, methinks. And after drinking too much I thought it was a good idea to have a big bowl of ice cream at the end of the night. All this means I didn't sleep well, and I was way over my calories yesterday, even accounting for the exercise I did do.

 

Oh well, back to it today. The British Open is on so I'll have that going in the background, and I think it'll make a nice background to some bodyweight work (and apparently some mountain climbers!). And I'm going to try to limit myself to 1 or 2 beers today. I do need to find a way to catch up on meditation today. It's tough in a house with several animals who never want to be apart from you, and who will cry at closed doors, but we'll see what we can do. Need to do 10 mins today to make up for yesterday.

 

But hey, if Phil Mickelson can be making a run at a major at 46 or whatever, I can certainly accomplish a few things at 31!

 

Happy first challenge day everyone!

[Rurik Harrgath]

1 hour ago, Mizbrek said:

Yesterday wasn't great challenge wise. I felt wiped and unmotivated overall. It's been a long week and I think it caught up with me when I finally rested. Or maybe it was because I didn't have my normal dose of protein with breakfast (tried a new recipe that failed miserably). But either way it was hard to work up a motivation to do anything.

 

Days like that are going to happen.  Even after over a year and a half down this path, I'm still plagued by the 'blahs,' the 'mehs,' or outright 'fuck-its.'  I get whatever workout in that I can sustain, or take an unscheduled rest day and rearrange my week, and carry on.  Maybe your mental health just needed a day of video games/movies to rehabilitate before tackling another dungeon.  There's a reason so many folks /afk in Dalaran between quests, right? 

 

 

[Mizbrek]

Miz took a flying leap at Activron, smacking the dragon hard across the head and stunning it. As he landed he kicked at the dragon's leg, hard, and followed it up with a smack with his staff. The beast howled in pain, slinking back. 

 

Snaegara rushed forward as the hobbit rolled out of the way, whipping a keg out of his bag and leaping up, smashing the keg atop its head. He pushed off the dragon, hit the wall, and launched himself back, landing on her back. He took a swig from a special, smaller flask, and breathed his own fire at the dragon, the heat burning his mouth. The alcohol it was soaked in caught on fire, and it screamed, rolling around to put out the flames.

 

The Brewmaster took a moment to bask as two of the five dragons were temporarily defeated. This was interrupted by the sound of an intake of breath. Miz's instincts kicked in and he rolled to the side just as a gout of flame incinerated the spot he had been moments ago. He rolled over to see Calorus bearing down on him, bringing up a paw to pin him to the ground.

 

A better day! Didn't sleep well, but still got up and did things. Meditation caught up on, reading done, no snacking, AND did both a NerdFitness bodyweight workout AND went to the driving range! The NF workout didn't feel like much of a challenge, to be honest, but I think my muscles will feel it tomorrow, and better to start somewhere where I'm not discouraged right away. Still need to do my housework for the day, but that should be very doable. 

 

And did some Mountain Climbers for the challenge! Going to try and squeeze a few in every day.

 

Debating if I want to try and get up early tomorrow to try and do another NF workout. Course if I do get sweaty that'll throw me off a bit in the morning, since I shower at night, but we'll see how I sleep tonight.

[Broba Fett]

Gonna try to get my first mountain climbers in soon. Pretty sure I haven't done them in 25 years 🤐

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

[Jormungand]

Hello, fellow Horde teammate. Your goals are anything but lukewarm. Being intentional and consistent is the key to success in the long run. It's actually what I'm trying to nail down in my own challenge this go around. 

 

I'm also mainly in the malt camp. For the longest time, anything super hoppy just tasted like hand soap. For the past few years, I've been able to enjoy more IPAs, though I still prefer my beer to have the look and consistency of used motor oil. 

[Mizbrek]

17 hours ago, Broba Fett said:

Gonna try to get my first mountain climbers in soon. Pretty sure I haven't done them in 25 years

 

No time like the present! I'm not able to do much but doing my best to contribute!

 

1 hour ago, Jormungand said:

Hello, fellow Horde teammate. Your goals are anything but lukewarm. Being intentional and consistent is the key to success in the long run. It's actually what I'm trying to nail down in my own challenge this go around. 

 

I'm also mainly in the malt camp. For the longest time, anything super hoppy just tasted like hand soap. For the past few years, I've been able to enjoy more IPAs, though I still prefer my beer to have the look and consistency of used motor oil. 

 

For the Horde!!!

 

For me it's saisons and hefweizens lately! Can't get enough of them. Tried an IPA and it's okay but just not as smooth for me. Not sure what it is but hops kinda bug me.

 

Today has been good so far! Got up and did Bodyweight Workout 2B from the NF Academy, and it went well! Very sweaty by the end, which I suppose is a good sign! Squeezed in a quick shower before work and still managed to eat a healthy breakfast and walk the dog. Also got out for a quick walk over the lunch hour, though sadly didn't find any good Pokemon. Hoping to keep up the morning work outs, but I really need to watch my sleep. Traditionally I've been able to do this for a few days or weeks before I get sick from lack of sleep, usually some kind of cold. Trying to streamline my mornings a bit, debating if I need to do a rest day or if alternating muscle groups with the two NF Academy workouts are sufficient.

 

I'll have to just watch over the next few days. When it's warm I want nothing more than to sit out back with a cold beer. Will need to resist the urge on that. Thankfully, tomorrow is WoW patch day, which means less sitting out back, more sitting indoors and trying things out! That is, when the servers eventually come up, likely several hours after Blizzard says they initially would. Besides that I don't think they should be too bad. No big outings, no big temptations, hopefully.

[ixaera]

29 minutes ago, Mizbrek said:

For me it's saisons and hefweizens lately! Can't get enough of them.

 

These are also my favorite!

[Mizbrek]

Sorry for the short break folks! Been a bit busy and had a couple small crises!

 

I've fallen off the wagon a little bit in that I've snacked the last couple days, done some emotional eating and made some less than great food choices. But, counting exercise, I've stayed within my calories (or close to it). And I've logged everything, which is a good habit. It's funny though how quickly things change. Had a piece of pie yesterday, pecan, which normally I LOVE. It didn't taste as good as I remember, and I immediately felt sick from it. 

 

I've been doing the NF Academy bodyweight workouts every morning, and getting up early, however this morning I chose to give myself a bit of a rest and take a long walk. I really wanted to go back to bed when the alarm rang at 5:30. I've been up late the last few nights, stressed at work, not eating great, and just felt like crap. But, I didn't do nothing! Had a lovely quiet walk (about 2km), caught a couple Pokemon along the way, worked up a bit of a sweat. It's not as good a workout as my bodyweight workouts, I don't think, but it was something.

 

It's funny cause I can almost SEE the alternate universe me where today was where I gave up. I mean I wouldn't have totally, but I would've said "oh, I need sleep so I'll get back to it tomorrow." But I can never wake up easily on Fridays, so I would've slept in tomorrow. And I'm busy on the weekend so I would've sworn I'd get back to it on Monday. But I'd end up staying up late on Sunday and not eating well and I'd just take the weekend off from logging with MFP, I know what I'm doing, I'm sure it's fine, I've made some progress, I can afford to treat myself. Oh, well, I don't have time to login to NF today, I'll just check it tomorrow, or when I get home, or in bed. And suddenly it'd be 2 weeks later and everything would be back to normal, I'd be eating like crap, getting winded easily, and waking up an hour later and eating breakfast at my desk instead of a cooked, delicious, protein filled breakfast at home.

 

I can see that today could've so easily been the day I gave up. But I didn't. I went out for a walk, which granted isn't ideal but is something. I still got up and did something. Tomorrow, back to the bodyweight workouts. I've meditated already today, eaten a healthy lunch, and I'm good on calories. 

 

Should try to do some more mountain climbers for the Horde when I get home. But overall I've gotten through a difficult period, I think, and stayed with it, and I have all of you to thank for that! Thanks for your support, your comments, and keeping me accountable Rangers!

 

It'll be a busy weekend but I feel confident I can squeeze in everything I need to. Meditation and reading might need to be done on Sunday together, but I can make sure to squeeze in a workout on Saturday before we head out to watch the golf tournament. Wife was kind enough to grab some last minute tickets for the Canadian Open, last year they're having it in our town I think, so can't wait to see it.