[JediNickD] World 2 Level 7: "Size Matters Not"

[JediNickD]

Welcome back for another episode of the exciting Adventures of JediNickD! It was a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away that I joined this site and started my first challenge. Upon my return, I have decided to revisit some of my challenge themes to turn them into lessons as I had been doing more recently.  I feel it is a good way to reflect on my own learning and progress to write about and share these lessons, but I also have another objective. I am cataloging these lessons in a document which is now up to 136 pages. The plan is to use this document as a reference for my personal Jedi training and to pass on for my Padawan training. It isn't just my Nerd Fitness challenges. It includes every Jedi-related writing I have done, training I have worked through, and documents I have collected (which are not protected but have sources noted).

 

 

Challenge Lesson:

"Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you? Hmm? Hmm. And well you should not. For my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the Force around you; here, between you, me, the tree, the rock, everywhere, yes. Even between the land and the ship."

-- Yoda, Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

 

 

What my experience at Nerd Fitness has taught me is that there is always time, it is just a matter of priority.  There is no to-do list too daunting, there is no bar too high, and there is no skill that cannot be learned.  It takes prioritization, motivation, and determination.  There will be failures along the rode, but those are learning opportunities.  There will be obstacles in your way, but those are problem solving opportunities.  There will be risks and consequences to the journey, but those are just costs for the reward. 

 

Size is just a measurement from a perspective.  Find what aspect of you perspective the size is relevant to and change it.  The size will change with it.  Think of yourself as an ant.  Everything human is huge or irrelevant to your life.  Think of yourself as the moon.  Everything on Earth is tiny and irrelevant to your life.  Now, relate that to your goal.  What are the things that make the goal appear impossible?  How can you turn those things into something possible?  Let's say you overweight and would like to be able to run a mile.  You are 30, the last time you ran a mile was high school, and even then it was a chore.  That goal looks enormous.  Well, you can't do anything about your age, but you can do something about the weight.  You can do something about your puny muscles and weak lungs.  Pretend those obstacles are solved.  Does the mile still look difficult?  Now, take aim at the sub-goals you have: lose weight, gain muscles, build stamina.  Find the aspects that make the task difficult.

 

Of course, Yoda is speaking specifically of the Force and how it knows no bounds.  Just as the Force has no bounds, neither should one's belief in it.  Belief, creativity, passion, empathy, faith, ambition are just a few concepts which know no bounds.  Artificial bounds in these concepts stunts growth and understanding.  If you want to be enlightened, then find a path across any artificial bounds in these areas.  Sometimes it is another matter of changing perspective.

 

My Main Quest and Mission:

My mission is to be the best Jedi I can be. My main quest is always to enhance my overall health, fitness, and knowledge to be prepared for whatever challenges life could throw at me. As a Jedi, I need to be able to help people, whether that is a life threatening situation or just a charitable one. There is no boss level in Jedi training, there is only tomorrow.

 

World 2 Level 7 Challenge:

FITNESS:

• Work Up a Sweat - 600 minutes of conditioning training for the entire challenge.

  DEX +2, STA +3

  The weekly plan is a minimum of two 60 minute tabata runs with Pokémon Go.  These runs are to include at least 5 sprints of ~50 meters for increased intensity.  It's getting cold outside, so I may move to a treadmill for a few of the runs.  We'll see how it goes.  I'll also have 60 minutes of racquetball on Fridays.  I'd like to do some field or gym training for rugby, soccer, and football footwork and ball work, as well.

   

• Stretch and Strengthen - 600 minutes of exercises and stretches for the entire challenge.

  STR +2, DEX +1

  The weekly plan includes 10 minutes of regular stretching each day, two 20 minute sessions of physical therapy exercises and 30 minutes of other strength training each week.  The minimum leaves 40 minutes to make up by the end of the challenge.
   

DIET:

• Weight Control - Lose 2 lbs by end of challenge. Never weigh more than 161 lbs. Complete measurements before or during Week 1 and again during or after Week 4.  I tend to over eat at gatherings on the weekend.  I plan to eat as little as possible at the next gatherings, Thanksgiving included.
  CON +3

• Going to eat salad and veggies as much as possible with apples and dark chocolate as my sugary snacks.  Avoid soda, ice cream, and potato chips.  Minimize cheese and nuts.  Most importantly, I have to continue to watch my portions.  I cannot ever have two "large" meals in one day.
   

LIFE:

• Get Stuff Done - Complete 28 Tasks or Projects from any of the following areas: Toastmasters Communication Practice, Toastmasters Leadership Practice, Webmaster Work, Jedi Training, Job Work, Charity Work, House Work, Yard Work, Animal Care, Home Renovation, Auto Maintenance, Family Activities, Adventuring 
  (to keep it diverse, no more than 4 from any one category)

  WIS +2, CHA +2

  I need to revisit my IJRS Jedi Training this challenge.  It has been too long. Auto Maintenance will be important to get to before week 4 as we have a long drive for Thanksgiving.  Same with any Home Renovation and Yard Work.  Incorporating a reward and consequence has been really helpful, so I'll keep doing that. 
  REWARD:  For each week I complete 7 or more tasks, I will put $10 aside for buying something just for me.
  CONSEQUENCE:  For any week where I complete less than 7 tasks, I will give up $10 of saved cash.

 

Major Dates:  Nov 5th Extra Life Game Day, Nov 19th My Birthday, November 22nd-26th Thanksgiving Travel.  Each of these weeks will need to be planned carefully to meet my goals.

[JediNickD]

Something I have been putting off a long time has been scheduling an annual doctor visit and getting my blood work done.  I'm interested to see how my cholesterol has changed sine 2007, which was the last time I checked it.  I've made a lot of changes to the food I eat since then.  Hopefully, it is improved with more improvement likely next year. I had the blood draw this morning and will have the annual next week on Wednesday. 

 

Another item that has been on the back burner for a while has been self-defense training for my family.  My daughters are both old enough at 6 and 8 to get into it and pick up the skills necessary, namely, patience, focus, and balance.  After a demo at a health fair last week, we attended two Karate classes this week.  The first my wife and I watched to gauge our kids interest, the second we both participated (it's no-belt to yellow for all ages).  We all really enjoy the class and instructors and are going to join.  I made this a goal of mine 8 years ago.  I wanted my wife and kids to learn some basic self-defense since they are all female and males are dirty, dirty pigs.  I am so excited that they are all interested. 

 

Ran 4 miles Tuesday, physical therapy and bodyweight exercises (for Sonic Pinball Bonus Mini with the Assassins!) yesterday.  I did a 15 second headstand.  I never did one before.  WOOT!  I'm going to do a handstand next week.  Usually, I just walk up the wall and keep my toes touching, but next week I'll turn it around and throw my legs up and see if I can do it and hold it without touching the wall.  Should be AWESOME!

[JediNickD]

159.0 lbs this morning.  WOOT WOOT! 

 

After racquetball, I tried some handstands this morning.  I held one for 3 seconds before tumbling.  My back may be falling apart, but I'm going to keep doing amazing things.

[JediNickD]

Wrapped up writing my Challenge Lesson, which had been alluding me all week.  I should have picked something more relevant to what I am doing or learning about, but decided to stick with the previous world order for now.

 

Challenge Lesson:

"Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you? Hmm? Hmm. And well you should not. For my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the Force around you; here, between you, me, the tree, the rock, everywhere, yes. Even between the land and the ship."

-- Yoda, Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

 

 

What my experience at Nerd Fitness has taught me is that there is always time, it is just a matter of priority.  There is no to-do list too daunting, there is no bar too high, and there is no skill that cannot be learned.  It takes prioritization, motivation, and determination.  There will be failures along the rode, but those are learning opportunities.  There will be obstacles in your way, but those are problem solving opportunities.  There will be risks and consequences to the journey, but those are just costs for the reward. 

 

Size is just a measurement from a perspective.  Find what aspect of you perspective the size is relevant to and change it.  The size will change with it.  Think of yourself as an ant.  Everything human is huge or irrelevant to your life.  Think of yourself as the moon.  Everything on Earth is tiny and irrelevant to your life.  Now, relate that to your goal.  What are the things that make the goal appear impossible?  How can you turn those things into something possible?  Let's say you overweight and would like to be able to run a mile.  You are 30, the last time you ran a mile was high school, and even then it was a chore.  That goal looks enormous.  Well, you can't do anything about your age, but you can do something about the weight.  You can do something about your puny muscles and weak lungs.  Pretend those obstacles are solved.  Does the mile still look difficult?  Now, take aim at the sub-goals you have: lose weight, gain muscles, build stamina.  Find the aspects that make the task difficult.

 

Of course, Yoda is speaking specifically of the Force and how it knows no bounds.  Just as the Force has no bounds, neither should one's belief in it.  Belief, creativity, passion, empathy, faith, ambition are just a few concepts which know no bounds.  Artificial bounds in these concepts stunts growth and understanding.  If you want to be enlightened, then find a path across any artificial bounds in these areas.  Sometimes it is another matter of changing perspective.

 

 

 

[JediNickD]

Starting weight 159.8 lbs.  I've got my work cut out. 

 

This morning was 60 minutes of physical therapy and bodyweight exercises.  I did three 3 sec handstands, more than 20 attempts at holding a handstand, one 10 sec handstand with my heels or heel just touching the wall, and two 20 sec headstands.  I also did two sets of 2 reps of one-handed chin-ups followed by three sets of 5 reps of leg raises from a pull up hold.   

 

It's a good start.  My running may be effected by a foot injury.  Not sure what I did on Friday, but my foot arch and ball were in a lot of pain all weekend.  Of course, I couldn't avoid walking as we had planned Frightland for Friday night, Zombies at the Zoo for Saturday night, a Toastmasters conference all day Saturday, and a going-away reception after church.  It's healing, but I'm not sure running tomorrow morning would be a good idea.  I might bike instead.

 

Karate is Wednesday and Thursday evenings this week.  I'm counting those classes as Stretch and Strengthen.  I may have to adjust that goal adding those hours to my plan.  Before I set my goals, I wasn't sure how best to incorporate.  I need to get the first week in and gauge its impact. 

[JediNickD]

Here's a chart tracking my weight loss progress.  The Average Weight line shows the trend I plan to keep until I hit 150 lbs.  There I will re-evaluate my body and see if more weight loss would be beneficial for health or if I should focus more on muscle growth.

 

I'm at 159.2 lbs today.  I stretched 10 min, biked 10 min, and physical therapy 20 min.  My foot is still sore, but faired well from walking 2 hours Trick or Treating last night.  My neck however is very sore from giving my 6 year old a shoulder ride.

[JediNickD]

158.8 lbs (NEW LOW!)  I feel like I write "New Low" once a week, which is right where I need to be.

 

I completed the Lake Zone of the Assassin Sonic Mini this morning with some physical therapy exercises and quad extensions.

 

Last night was a Toastmasters night, but we had a Fiesta instead of a regular meeting.  During the Fiesta, we did a round table of "share why you joined TM, share a TM moment, share a life success attributed to your growth in TM, and share why you will keep doing TM and stay committed to the club".  It was awesome to hear all the stories from the other club members.  Just a really fun night.

[starpuck]

Hello fellow Jedi.

 

I've been searching the outer rim systems forums for fellow force sensitives and it seems the Force has crossed our paths.  I'll be following your career with great interest.  I love your journal plan too!  That's so cool!

[JediNickD]

159.0 lbs this morning after a brisk 40 minute tabata run for 2.2 miles.  Last night we had karate.  We got to break our first board with a heal stomp.  I hope it felt as awesome for the kids as it did for me. 

 

I'M SUPER EXCITED FOR SATURDAY!  Extra Life Game Day can't come soon enough! 

 

I had my annual checkup today with my doctor, who is awesome.  Cholesterol is 228, which is still above 200.  I was at 220 nine years ago.  Not much change.  Doctor recommended low fat cheese.  I prefer less quantity than switching to low fat and compromising FLAVOR.  Why eat cheese if it tastes bad?  It would be an interesting experiment though.  I kicked Dr Pepper to the curb over a string of awful tasting cans.  It was so easy to stop drinking it because it no longer tasted so delicious.  Now, I might have a Dr Pepper a week.  Maybe I will give the low fat cheese a try. 

 

Everything else at the doctor visit was in good working order.  The doctor noticed asymmetry in my neck and wants a look at my thyroid just to be safe.  He thinks he's a little paranoid and I told him that I want a paranoid doctor.  That's how you catch things early!  I'll be doing my annual physical and flu shot every year before my birthday in November.

 

Life Goal Week 1:  Trick or Treating with the family, Toastmasters (2 meetings as Toastmaster of the Day), Doctor's Visit (new category Self Preservation), folded and put away laundry, and cleaned cat litter boxes.  I'm at 6 with Extra Life counting for 1 on Saturday, cleaning the house counting for another on Friday.  I want to squeeze completion of one or three more tasks in this week, all work related.  I am close on two.  The third will take a big effort.

[JediNickD]

158.0 lbs this morning (NEW LOW!)

 

Racquetball for 60 min this morning.  Karate for 60 min last night.  Some light chores, but nothing to check off.  I did complete one of my work projects. 

 

Tonight we are taking an old neighbor out for dinner for his birthday.  He's getting to the point where he won't be able to live on his own (and I don't see why he would want to). I've taken him to the hospital a few times in the last two years.  He is not the nicest or the smartest making it difficult to be around him or have him around my kids, but he needs people to love him, so we are there for him.  Everyone needs people to love them. 

 

And now for some excitement!  Tomorrow is Extra Life Gameday!  When my stream is up, I can post it here with my donation page.  I should be live around 6am EST.  Extra Life will have a featured stream and I might post that too.  I might pull that up to see who else is playing.  Playing games for the kids!

[JediNickD]

158.8 lbs this morning.  Stretch 10 min, ran 40 min, bodyweight exercises 20 min this morning.  Yesterday I got some cardio in with the kids playing monster tag with 30 min of running and climbing.

 

On Sunday, I had my first Worship Committee meeting.  It is odd being a non-Christian and non-member of the church while being a part of a committee which supports the Sunday service.  My role as the Audio/Visual Tech Advisor (my made up title) focuses more on the member experience than the content, but I will be contributing to the content in some ways supporting advent, decorations, and things like that. 

 

For a charity task, I helped an older couple from church with their home video setup adding a set of wireless headphones for the husband with hearing loss.  It is fun to see their excitement over being able to watch a VHS video recording from 10 years ago and being able to hear it clearly.

 

Extra Life Gameday went really well.  I raised $600 meeting my goal.  I played games from 6am to 4am (turning the clock back before bed), so I owe 2 hours of gaming, but I was falling asleep between plays in Madden earning a few delay of game penalties.  I might make it up with a stream of my Cosmic Encounter birthday party on Saturday.  I think my favorite part was the second half of the kids mermaid RPG when my adult friend Marc stepped in for my 6 year old's character to finish an adventure.  He was hilarious in doing the mermaid voice.  I got to do some funny voices for a blacksmith, weaponsmith, and pet store owner, which my 8 year old got a real kick out of.  My stream during those parts had the most viewers, so I hammed it up as best I could.  The night capped off with Halo 4 Spartan Ops online with an old friend.  It was a riot. 

 

I want to get more local multiplayer video game action.  We get good turn outs for board game and RPG nights, but not many of my local friends are into video games.  I need to incentivize it for those I know who would want to play like some of my high school and college friends (arrange babysitting, rent margarita machine, mutual location, prizes for winners and losers).  I need to find out from them what would get them there.  Use the projector for big screen retro games like Super Mario and Mario Kart for Wii, GoldenEye, Mario Kart, and BattleTanks on N64, Mutant League Hockey or Mortal Kombat on the Sega, or maybe a retro game tournament with high scores on Super Mario, Sonic, and a few other classics.   It probably wouldn't be another Extra Life Gameday, just a fun gathering around some other occasion.  I think for my next Extra Life Gameday, I'm going to aim for a more professional stream with a more popular online game for Xbox One or PC.  Or maybe not.  I really enjoyed Saturday and would do it all over again, except maybe less Minecraft. 

 

 

[JediNickD]

No exercise this morning as I was at the polls early to vote.  It's difficult to feel good about the presidential race.  One of them will win and hopefully not screw us for 4 years.  Looking forward to voting them out with the right candidate in 4 years.  I might actually register for a party and get involved in the primary process.  After both parties completely fouled it up, I feel like I need to be part of the solution instead of sitting idle.  "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke

 

Last night, I repaired a portion of fencing separating the dogs from the chickens, rabbits, and compost pile.  I need a new stake for the fence as the old one is pretty broken, but it will hold for now.  The ones my wife bought are thin metal and just aren't made to be pulled out and put back multiple times.

 

Toastmasters this afternoon should be good.  We have 3 new members giving their first speech!

[JediNickD]

Signing up for https://us.movember.com/ Movember!  I stopped shaving on the 4th.  I look ridiculous, but it is for a good cause!

 

To donate:

http://mobro.co/JediNickD

 

 

[JediNickD]

158.2 lbs this morning.  It was a bodyweight exercise morning with some physical therapy sprinkled in (60 min total with stretching) completing the Assassin Mini and working on the Ranger Mini.  I did a few 5 second hand stand holds with one heel against the wall.  Balance is getting better!

 

Last night, we had Karate.  The kids need work on their fighting stances having their guards up, but they are having fun hitting the bags.  The teachers think I have a lot of potential and want to push me quickly through the lower belts.  That's cool, but I want to set the pace as I have my hands in so many things right now.  I think after we attend an adult class I might be accelerating myself anyway. 

 

Toastmasters Webmaster gig is about to get interesting.  The District put together a committee for overhauling the website.  I'm excited about it since the current website is difficult to maintain, but the workload could be more than I can handle at this time.  I hope they take the time to collect all the relevant information before moving forward.  It seems like the lead wants to jump towards what other districts are doing successfully without understanding what makes them successful or what makes our website unsuccessful.  I believe we have a tool and content to deliver a successful product, but the current format is difficult to work with and we don't have expertise with the tool necessary to make maintain it.  I'd like to redo the format getting rid of slide show banners instead using menu bars and tabs (as I believe that is what will meet member needs best), but I have no clue how to design and build it.  I also have no clue how to get rid of the slide show banners without disrupting everything else.  It is a mess and I'm glad I'm not the only one working on it now.  

 

 

[JediNickD]

158.0 lbs this morning after Racquetball.  We only got 30 minutes in because I overslept.  I'm pretty sure my body needed the rest.  Karate last night in the Adult Class was only 45 minutes, but it was a killer cardio workout.  My legs were already burning from the workout in the morning; therefore, they were not up for the 30 minutes straight of practicing the white belt basic form.  I know the pattern very well now.  I tend to step too far and lose balance between moves.  I tried concentrating on correcting that, but it messed up my rhythm.  More practice is needed, but I should be ready to test by November 27th which would be cool.  For the 45 minutes, I'm counting 30 min towards "Work Up a Sweat" and 15 min towards "Stretching" goals.  I did some extra stretching after racquetball for 20 min. 

 

 

[JediNickD]

159.2 lbs after a birthday weekend full of cake, lasagna, and snacks.  I thought we'd have plenty of veggies, but they spoiled.  I didn't expect to be perfect this weekend.  My back was sore, so I didn't run or walk either.  I've got some work to do in Week 3.

 

Stretch and physical therapy for 30 min this morning, and on Friday and Saturday.

 

Over the long weekend, I did get some work done on my Life Goal.  I cleaned my car brakes (they were squealing due to brake dust or rust), fixed deck screen door to keep the cat from escaping, cleaned swept vacuumed and mopped the upstairs, washed dishes (x2), folded and put away laundry, cleaned litter boxes, cleaned dog crate, worked on the District website (but didn't fix any of the broken stuff) and met with the website steering committee, took the kids to a pool party where I met a few new people, helped old couple from church with their TV/sound setup.  

 

I met my limit for House Work in Week 1, so those 6 don't count, but I made my weekly goal with 11 done.  That's $20 banked!

[JediNickD]

159.4 lbs today.  I ran 40 minutes for 2.26 miles, pushing my sprints hard.  I did some leg lifts and hand stands when I got to the gym for 20 minutes, plus my 10 min stretch before my run.  I have karate tonight. 

 

I reviewed the Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe.  I'm reading it for an Interpretive Reading speech tomorrow.  I've done it before and it was a lot of fun.  Can't wait to deliver it again.

 

 

[JediNickD]

159.4 lbs today.  I stretched and did physical therapy exercises completing the Week III Ranger Mini-challenge and I did a slew of pushups to complete the Assassin Sonic mini for the week.  Last night we had Karate which I split due to the extra cardio we did.  Those 6 year olds get us in trouble.  We studied as a family for the test on the 27th.  I have the form and creed down, but the cadence of the class throws me off.  We'll be studying as a family all next week, since we will be away on travel for Thanksgiving.

 

I need to pick up the pace on my Cardio goal.  I have not been hitting my long runs recently because of soreness.  I've got to substitute something and get the time and sweat in.  I'm well over my Stretch and Strengthen goal, so I can use Monday for cardio.

 

My tasks for the week are slow going too.  I've got three, but I can't wait for Saturday since I'll be out of town most the day.  I have some work tasks which need finishing up.  Hopefully, I check them off.

[JediNickD]

I updated a bunch of items on my Epic Quest.  The big items is adding a Self Defense section to my Jedi Training and Physical Feats to my Bucket List.  I need to look at my challenge goals and line them up with my epic quest.  This will better define what I am working towards:

 

GOALS

• Toastmasters International
  • Pass 5 lessons by Dec 31st, 2012. COMPLETE
  • CC manual by Jan 31st, 2013.  COMPLETE 2013-01-22
  • 10 Advanced Manual lessons by Dec 31st, 2013 to earn my Advanced Communicator Bronze.  COMPLETE 2013-10-01
  • Hold a new Club Officer position in July 2013 - June 2014. COMPLETE
  • Complete two Successful Club Series speeches by Jan 14th, 2014 to complete my Advanced Leadership Bronze.  COMPLETE 2014-01-18
  • 10 Advanced Manual lessons by June 1st, 2014 to earn my Advanced Communicator Silver.  COMPLETE 2014-03-24
  • Serve as Area Governor July 2014 - June 2015.  COMPLETE
  • Complete term as a Club Coach by June 2015.  COMPLETE
  • Complete one one-hour Leadership Series speeches by June 2015 to complete my Advanced Leadership Silver. COMPLETE (Speechcraft)
  • Complete 10 Advanced Manual lessons and two Educational Training sessions by June 2015 to complete my Advanced Communicator Gold. COMPLETE
  • Complete both Advanced Communicator Gold and Advanced Leadership Silver to earn Distinguished Toastmaster. COMPLETE.
  • Earn a Triple Crown (3 or more Toastmaster Awards in a year) every year I am in Toastmasters with a minimum of 20 speeches in a year. ON GOING
    • 2013-2014 COMPLETE: CL, ACB, ALB, ACS, CC (34 speeches)
    • 2014-2015 COMPLETE:  CC, ACG, CL (x2)
    • 2015-2016 COMPLETE:  CC (x2), ACB, CL (x2), ALB (x3), HPL
    • 2016-2017 In Progress:  HPL (submitted), CC, ACB, ACS (4 speeches left), ACG (7 speeches and 1 training left), CL, ALB, ALS, DTM (Going for the Cycle)
• Jedi Training
  • IJRS Courses: Pass Intro, Meditation 101, and Force 101 by March 1st, 2013. COMPLETE 2013-02-14
  • IJRS Courses: Pass 2 courses (Communication 101 and Creed 101) by December 31st, 2013.  COMPLETE 2013-12-30
  • IJRS Courses: Pass 2 courses.  (Passed one, the other will take longer than I expected)
  • Maintain CPR/AED Certification 
  • Self Defense
    • Karate
      • White Belt - Testing Nov 27th
    • Judo
    • Aikido
    • Tae Kwon Do
  • Helping Others
    • Extra Life
      • 2016 Gameday COMPLETE - Raised $600
    • Movember
      • 2016 Growing, Fundraising Goal = $200

BUCKET LIST:

• World Travel
  • Asia (Japan, China)
  • Australia (New Zealand)
  • South America (Brazil)
  • Africa (Pyramids)
  • Europe
    • Greece (Parthenon)
    • Spain
    • France
    • Poland
    • Netherlands
    • Iceland
    • Ireland
    • England
  • GeoCache in all 50 US States
    • DONE (12):  Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Florida, Arizona, California, Texas, New York, Nevada, South Carolina
    • Just a matter of time (4):  Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, West Virginia, North Carolina
    • Just a matter of money (5):  Hawaii, Alaska, New Mexico, Colorado, Maine, Minnesota
    • Possible (9):  Michigan, Oklahoma, Ohio, Georgia, Vermont, New Hampshire, Tennessee, Kentucky
    • Difficult (18):  Montana, Idaho, North Dakota, South Dakota, Illinois, Indiana, Lousianna, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, Missouri
    • Not Interested but will do it anyway (2):  Kansas, Utah
• Physical Feats
  • Handstand for 10 seconds without support
  • Handstand walk for 5 steps
  • Pull-up Above the Bar
  • Toe Above Bar
  • Run 5 miles
  • Run Half-Marathon
• Experiences
  • DONE: Hike Mt. Whitney to above 10,000 ft
  • Hike and Camp at the Grand Canyon
  • Niagra Falls
  • Egypt Pyramids
  • Colosseum
  • Sky Dive
  • Ride in a Jet
  • Hunt with a Bow and Arrow  (training with a crossbow)
  • Marble Caves, Chile
  • Spotted Lake, British Columbia
  • Moeraki Boulders, New Zealand
  • Cao Cristales River, Columbia

 

[JediNickD]

158.6 lbs this morning.  Ran 60 minutes for 4.1 miles.  Karate last night was 40 min cardio 20 min stretch and strength.  Played a bunch of games with my kids and two others while babysitting.  They taught me a new one called "Night at the Museum" where each player has to keep still or be statues while the security guard player is looking, but can move around when their back is turned.  I did a few challenging poses, a hand stand with my feet touching the wall being one, pistol squats and planks being a couple others.

[JediNickD]

156.6 lbs this morning!  WOW!  I feel lighter, healthier, more fit, and more energetic. 

 

Now to maintain it through two big challenges: my birthday (and two others) this weekend and Thanksgiving (and the leftovers after).

 

Karate class last night was mostly cardio for 45 min with 15 min of stretching.  I was wiped, but I'm getting the technique down for the combinations and form.  This morning we played 4 games of racquetball with some hustle and hard fought points.  I lost concentration too many times taking my eye off the ball.  I need to practice on my focus and swing.

 

Knocked out two work projects yesterday. I have my self assessment to complete and three important meetings to get through.

 

My wife and I cleaned the chicken shed and treated the chickens for mites.  We've had a mite problem in there, which we need to be better about being proactive with it.  I cleaned litter boxes for the cats (proactive there!). 

 

That makes my 8 tasks for the week, though I decided to raise that to 9 since I added a three new categories: Self Preservation, Church Committee, and Animal Care.  I went back and added to my total giving me 15 in Week 2, still 9 for Week 1. 

 

Tomorrow morning, I should complete my tasks (if I don't get a work task done) after a run (should be the dogs first run since the pup got snipped).  I have a rabbit to clean, a car to clean and check before our road trips, and some yard work to do.

[JediNickD]

Happy Birthday to me this past Saturday!  Had a great day, after the awful start.  It had to be done, but no one enjoys doing manual labor on their birthday.  Then, we got stuck in traffic on the drive to my brother's house for his son's 2nd birthday party.  My family surprised me with some gifts, NY Jets cupcakes, and a giant homemade chocolate chip cookie.  So much fun.  

 

And I did pretty well with my diet since they had plenty of veggies.  I kept my portions low on all snacks, pizza, and desserts.  The Sunday birthday had zero healthy options.  I ate popcorn, doritos, and pizza.  Ugh.  I tried to keep it light, but I was just hungry yesterday.  I screwed the pooch with breakfast making it worse.  I had to stop to pick up cookies for coffee hour at church, while at the store in the bakery section my kids saw the donuts and had to have one.  They had a peanut butter donut, so I got one.  It wasn't your typical sugary donut, but I was setup up for failure after that as there was nothing healthy at coffee hour or the birthday party.  At least I didn't eat any gross "kid" birthday cake. 

 

So 90 minutes of cardio digging post holes for a new fence on Saturday.  Cleaned up the yard of dog poop and trash the dog destroyed.  Cleaned out the car.  Checked the car fluids and stuff.  Sunday, I cleaned up some scrap wood to go to the dump along with some more trash from the back yard.  The wind last night probably blew some stuff off the deck.  I'll need to make a final sweep. 

 

Finished last week with 13 tasks for Goal 4.  That's another $10!  I've hit all the marks for my challenge totals.  I just need to finish out Week 4 without any fouls.

 

Tonight or tomorrow morning, I need to repair a piece of lattice on the deck which the dog ripped loose.  He's a monster.  I'll need to do some work on the District Website over the holiday weekend.  We'll do the annual raking of the Thanksgiving football field.  Looking at my categories, I've maxed out most at 4 and I'm scratching my head as to how I'll get 9 in the final week.  Adventure and Jedi Training, I guess.

 

Played racquetball this morning for 60 minutes.  We hustled and fought hard today.  The muscles are wiped.

 

     

[JediNickD]

Over the long weekend and travel, I was able to hit all the final marks. 

 

Goal 1:  60 min of Karate on Monday, ran 30 min on Tuesday, played football for 60 min on Thursday.

Goal 2:  Stretching every morning for 10 min, Karate practice for 30 min on Wednesday, 20 min of body weight and physical therapy exercises on Thursday.

Goal 3:  Ate healthy with good portions on all days.  Dessert and Dr Pepper were tricky animals, but I handled them well.

Goal 4:  Tuesday morning I did yard work, car cleaning and checks, and fence repair before leaving on our road trip.  On the road trip, we ventured off the regular path to hit some Pokestops and catch Pokémon.  On Wednesday, I completed two Webmaster tasks (and another work one while on vacation!).  On Friday, we adventured to a Marine Wildlife Rehabilitation Center and a local beach to see seals and other marine wildlife.  On Saturday, we drove home and ventured off the beaten path again.  That's 11 for the week and another $10. 

 

My final counts and grades are coming.

[JediNickD]

 

World 2 Level 7 Challenge Grades:

FITNESS:

• Work Up a Sweat - 600 minutes of conditioning training for the entire challenge.

  DEX +2, STA +3  A  720 min

  My sub-goal was 125 min per week, but I fell short in the first two weeks by 15 and 20 min.  I kicked it into high gear in week 3 with 360 min.  I think this kind of production can mask my physical results.  I need more consistency to impact my long term health and fitness.  Maybe, I make weekly sub-goals part of my challenge goal.

   

• Stretch and Strengthen - 600 minutes of exercises and stretches for the entire challenge.

  STR +2, DEX +1  A  1010 min

  Karate had a huge impact.  I will account for it next challenge.  I'm adding new bodyweight exercises all the time to continue to challenge myself physically and keep the training interesting.

DIET:

• Weight Control - Lose 2 lbs by end of challenge (159.8 lbs start, 161.4 average over last 30 entries). Never weigh more than 161 lbs. Complete measurements before or during Week 1 and again during or after Week 4.  I tend to over eat at gatherings on the weekend.  I plan to eat as little as possible at the next gatherings, Thanksgiving included.
  CON +3  A  156.6 low, 157.6 end, 158.7 average over challenge, 159.9 average over last 30 entries (13 entries during challenge)
  Mid-challenge I started counting "successful" days in regards to portions and healthy food choices.  I'll make that a qualitative portion of the challenge goal next go round.

LIFE:

• Get Stuff Done - Complete 36 Tasks or Projects from any of the following areas: Toastmasters Communication Practice, Toastmasters Leadership Practice, Webmaster Work, Jedi Training, Job Work, Charity Work, House Work, Yard Work, Animal Care, Home Renovation, Auto Maintenance, Family Activities, Adventuring 
  (to keep it diverse, no more than 4 from any one category)

  WIS +2, CHA +2   A  48 tasks complete, $40 saved up

  I didn't get to the Jedi Training as I wanted, but I really rocked what I did get done.  Instead of limiting to 4 each for the whole challenge, I may limit it to 2 on a weekly basis or limit quantities by task (e.g. 4 work related, but 8 chores).  I maxed out a few by week 2.  It forced me to reprioritize which is good, but I don't want to skip something just because it won't count.  I'll need to investigate the best approach.