Next Challenge

[matalina]

It seems I've joined at a good time, just before a challenge is about to start. One of my best friends pointed me here. yay for that.

I have 5 goals I want to acheive, 1 life, 1 work and three health/fitness

Follow my Exercise Routine everyday - consisting of the Beginner body weight workout, some wii ddr/zumba for off days and situps

Lose 5 lbs by the end of the challenge - less than a lb a week

Eat vegetables with every dinner - biggest challenge as I'm not the one cooking (hubby does)

Use the Pomodoro Technique everyday at work - keeps me focused really helps and lately I've been floundering, but that has to do with not having any project direction

Finish the first Draft of Revolution (and world building editing) - writing yay! I love to write, so this is fun and I might actually finish before the 6th so that's what the latter part is for.

[twilson.spqr]

As a quick note: If there's a theme to this Challenge, I may wind up moving my goals around a bit. We'll see what Spezzy puts out.

[North]

I'm another newbie excited about planning my first challenge.

One of my goals includes doing the 6 week '100 pushups' program.

I've been complaining about my pushup weakness for, literally, months, and Steve's article about 'making it a priority' was certainly timely.

Exactly what I'll be doing too, I've had that app sitting around for ages, got halfway with it back in December and then forgot.

In addition: do my 3km in 12 minutes (instead of 15), which would mean finally beating over my old enemy from high school, the Cooper Test.

Something diet related (cut out crisps and soda? Complete veganism? Minimum number of calories? Macronutrient ratios? Any of that couldn't hurt.)

Life goals: collect multiple measurable criteria for successfully starting university, for example join at least three clubs.

So when does it start? One week, two?

[Nuala]

August 6th

[Sea Level]

Welcome to all the new rebels! I'm pumped for this next challenge, my third!

Here are my ideas:

Three main Health/Fitness goals and their smaller parts:

1. Dance(+2STA, +1DEX):

-Learn a new solo jazz dance (The Stompology Stomp-off) +1STA, +1DEX

-Retain the solo jazz I already know (10 minutes daily) +1STA (I'm a swing dance nerd!)

2. Improve Flexibility (+2DEX, +2STR):

Work Back Bridge +1DEX, +1STR

Work Yoga 3x weekly +1DEX, +1STR

3. Bodyweight Work (+3STR, +1CHA):

Work bodyweight 3x weekly +1CHA, +1STR (working on some more advanced moves/poses like L-Sit, Planche leans, Pistol squats)

Complete 30 sec. wall-assist Handstand +2STR

Life:

Practice piano 30 minutes, four nights/week minimum (Su-Th nights) +1CHA +1WIS

Get up early, and electronic sabbatical in morning +1WIS

Get resume up to date +1WIS

[Sambalina]

One of my goals is to do 20 push ups by the end of the next six weeks. I would love to have someone to "compete" against! Maybe we could post the total number of pushups we complete through the week? So Monday through Sunday I would tally all of my pushups. We could have a thread in the adventurer challenge to see who does the most pushups for the week? Anyone could post their stats! A lot of adventurers have pushup goals, too.

Great idea!

North - come join us

And Inara - those assassins are WAY too badass for me!

[EmCee]

My goals are listed below. I'm totally excited to get started! The last day of the challenge is the day I fly to Chicago to visit my boyfriend so this works out PERFECTLY for me!

I'm assigning no points to anything, I'm opting out of that part of the challenge. I plan on still grading my overall performance though.

Fitness Goals:

- Three uninterruped and unassisted pull ups.

- I currently can do none. I have been prepping to do pull ups by performing back exercises as well as inverted rows and negative pull ups.

- 4x5 Stadium Sprints

- I currently can do about one set of stadium sprints without stopping for a long long time before the next set. I would like to do 5 sets of 4 reps (one sprint up and then back down is considered 1 rep)

- 5% body fat loss

- Currently I am (supposedly) at 22-23%, I would like to get into the teens. This is my most ambitious goal and goes hand-in-hand with my diet goal.

Diet Goal:

- Whole30 challenge - no cheating.

- Currently eat pretty clean. Have been cutting out grains and sugars of late but I am going to really bring it for the challenge.

Life Goal:

- Get finances better organized and stop being surprised by monthly payments :-D

- I am super unorganized in this department of my life. I can't remember when payments are due, when they are withdrawn, etc so I tend to be surprised by them despite the fact that they generally come due the same time every month!

[Scorpion1674]

Well, my philosophy on goals is to be realistic, but don't be afraid to be ambitious. I believe that you can achieve greatness if you really try. I ran a 8:43 mile yesterday. Yes, I COULD set a goal of 8:00 mile, but I'm setting it at 7:30. If I fail, I still succeed. I don't want to think "What if I pushed a bit harder?" and I don't want to reach a goal and stop and catch my breath and not push myself further. That's what happened when I ran 2 miles in 13:57. I stopped working so hard. I won't let that happen again.

Plus, in order to know where you're going, you gotta know where you are. I spent the past week testing myself and figuring out my goals. So here goes:

1. Run a 7:30 mile STA +4

2. Complete a set of 10 pullups (outside shoulder width with full extension of course) STR +4 (currently at 5)

3. Bench press my bodyweight 10 times, whatever that might be (good incentive to keep losing weight) STR +2 (I can currently push 155)

Honorable mention: reach my goal of losing weight down to 174. Since I currently weight 175, that's not a real goal. But considering I WAS 195 earlier this year, I'm very happy.

Life: umm... ... so much I want to do! I need to declutter and organize and rebalance finances and learn or achieve new things... but my goal is:

Complete my SSD III (military online course) before the 6 weeks is up. WIS +5

Yeah, that'll work! Plan to follow on the official post!

[Legacy]

I'm still kinda confused on how challenges work, but do these goals and points seem reasonable? And I know you get fifteen points to allocate, but I feel like I'm kind of all ones across the board.

Class: Hylian Ranger =P

Fitness Goals:

Be able to jog 20 minutes and/or 2 miles without stopping (Currently at 7 min and .5 mi) +2 STA +1 DEX

Do 15 Pushups (can do 5) +1 STR

Squat a 45 pound bar 4x5 (currently doing squats, haven’t tried lifting Olympic bar) +1 STR

40 second plank (Can hold for about 18 seconds) +1 STA +1 STR

Lose 8 lbs +2 CHA

Remove sugar from my diet as much as possible. Minimal Fruits and Dairy. + 2 CON

Life Goals:

Finish Chapters 2-6 in Wheelock’s Latin and be able to pass a test. +3 WIS

Acquire a steady job +1 CHA

[Elastigirl]

On sugar what do you mean as much as possible? No desserts at all, no sugar that you add (maybe some in salad dressing or eating out food) only eating dessert once a month. or week or? I'd be a little more speciifc.

[Legacy]

Hmm, I wasn't sure how to clarify. I suppose a better goal would be not eat things with vast amounts of sugar that have little or no nutritional gain. I was thinking about sodas, ice cream, candy bars, cereal, etc. It is vague. Maybe no ice cream, candy, sweet tea, or soda, with chocolate fine on weekends.

[leadchipmunk]

Fitness 3: Alternate Workout

Decide between a kettlebell circuit or sledgehammer workout. Do so without using the ridiculous phrase, "shovelglove".

I guess I failed this one already. I called it shovelglove to reference the link. From here on out, it is Elastigirl's title of "The Sledgehammer of Doom!"

I'm still kinda confused on how challenges work, but do these goals and points seem reasonable? And I know you get fifteen points to allocate, but I feel like I'm kind of all ones across the board.

Class: Hylian Ranger =P

Fitness Goals:

Be able to jog 20 minutes and/or 2 miles without stopping (Currently at 7 min and .5 mi) +2 STA +1 DEX

Do 15 Pushups (can do 5) +1 STR

Squat a 45 pound bar 4x5 (currently doing squats, haven’t tried lifting Olympic bar) +1 STR

40 second plank (Can hold for about 18 seconds) +1 STA +1 STR

Lose 8 lbs +2 CHA

Remove sugar from my diet as much as possible. Minimal Fruits and Dairy. + 2 CON

Life Goals:

Finish Chapters 2-6 in Wheelock’s Latin and be able to pass a test. +3 WIS

Acquire a steady job +1 CHA

I can see those as reasonable goals (outside of the vagueness of the sugar one). I personally went from 0 pushups to 10 in a set and 50 to 60 in a day, 20 seconds of jogging to 10 minutes (1 mile), and lost a good bit of weight in one challenge, so I know it is all doable. The weight one may be troublesome depending on where you are right now though.

[Blaidd]

Hmm, I wasn't sure how to clarify. I suppose a better goal would be not eat things with vast amounts of sugar that have little or no nutritional gain. I was thinking about sodas, ice cream, candy bars, cereal, etc. It is vague. Maybe no ice cream, candy, sweet tea, or soda, with chocolate fine on weekends.

Maybe you should attempt to steer clear of refined sugar. You can still have fresh fruit desserts and the likes without adding sugar

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[Elastigirl]

Hmm, I wasn't sure how to clarify. I suppose a better goal would be not eat things with vast amounts of sugar that have little or no nutritional gain. I was thinking about sodas, ice cream, candy bars, cereal, etc. It is vague. Maybe no ice cream, candy, sweet tea, or soda, with chocolate fine on weekends.

Yes, that sounds like a good clear goal.

[HansBraggart]

here are my ideas...

Fitness

-do ten pullups; I can do three as it is, and I have been doing dumbbell rows to improve

-do two sets of twenty pushups; I can do two of fourteen as it is

Mental Health

I am struggling with some anxiety- and depression-related issues right now. I know what I need to do, i.e. what steps to take, to get me out of my spells, but I often would rather just wallow in my loathing because it is easier. My goal will be to do what is right more often, but how can I translate that into a quantifiable and accomplishable goal?

Personal

I like to read, and I am all about the benefits of reading books over TV, movies, web-surfing, etc. However, due to symptoms of ADHD (having a constant feeling of restlessness, trouble sitting still, trouble participating in calm activities quietly, etc), I often must force myself to read. When I succeed in doing so, I struggle to read for much longer than half an hour, simply because I feel like there are so many other things I could be doing than sitting down reading a book. Also, I become easily bored with looking at text on a page for a long time. I do no believe this is due to a short attention span but to a lack of patience.

I am thinking of making it my goal to read a certain number of hours per week and, additionally, to read an hour of fiction before bed every night, as Tim Ferriss reccomends this for healthy sleep.

what do y'all think?

[Rivanariko]

If I were you, I'd go to the grocery store and just buy a few days worth of veggies and fruit. Grab frozen veggies (like green beans) and frozen fruit (strawberries). Fish of any kind thaws really fast, so grab some frozen fish filets. Also grab chicken cutlets, ground beef, and thin pork chops. When you get home, make thin burger patties. Freeze all the meat individually (take a sheet pan, place wax paper on it, put all of the chicken/beef/pork on the sheet pan without the pieces touching, freeze). When the meat is frozen, pop the pieces into ziplock bags. When it's dinner time, the thin cuts of meat can be cooked from frozen! Fish can be cooked from frozen, too... Or you can thaw it out on the counter in half an hour. Add veg and fruit to the meal and you are set. This is the no plan meal planning that I do sometimes, but for a family of four. You have options, but only one day of prep is needed. You could take this up a notch and do all of your cooking on Sunday for the entire week. Then it's reheat and eat. This is how I do it. I do all my major cooking on Sunday and small prep stuff during the week.

Hope this helps!

I don't eat fish (allergies) so that's out. I've tried this method before, and honestly, it doesn't work for me. I am incredibly lazy when it comes to taking care of myself. It got better when I moved in with Husband for a while, because I needed to take care of someone else, but our schedules are so opposite lately that I'm still usually just cooking for me. Which is too much trouble and not worth it. When I lived alone I literally wouldn't eat for days because I just couldn't be bothered to. Thus, actually PLANNING my meals is important, because if I don't have a plan for them, they don't happen. It doesn't have to be an elaborate gourmet meal that I'm planning, "chicken and veggie stir fry" definitely will make more than one appearance, as I love it. "Sandwiches" might be there a time or two. But unfortunately I don't currently put feeding myself at a high enough priority to do so without having it scheduled.

[Legacy]

Maybe you should attempt to steer clear of refined sugar. You can still have fresh fruit desserts and the likes without adding sugar

That was what I was thinking of, refined sugar. And thank you, Elastigirl, for your help.

[shortstuff]

So another 6 week challenge has end, which means another is only a week or two away. Anyone get any ideas as to what goals they may set for the next one?

I know the last one has just ended, but for the last week or so I have been coming up with ideas for the next challenge.

I have decided on reducing my soda intake - something that I thought was getting better but instand went back to the way it was, make a workout plan for three months starting November and reduce bf% by 2.5%. I am yet to make up my mind on my life goal but I am thinking maybe something to do with study again.

Has anyone else picked goals yet?

[Tocho]

Assuming that the challenges are done the same, mine will look like this.

My fitness goals will be;

1) 6 week 100 pushups program +3 STR +2 DEX

2) Attend ALL Capoeira classes (15 is max, I think) +1 CON, +1 STA, +1 STR, +2 DEX

3) Not sure yet. +2 Some stat

Life goal;

Has to do with the trip I'm taking. It will be 10-11 days of the 6 week (42 days) challenge. +2 WIS, +1 CHA

I will elaborate on the goals of my challenge later this week, but I think this is what I'll do, or at least something like it.

And your goals seem sensible, shortstuff! How did this challenge go for you?

[shortstuff]

And your goals seem sensible, shortstuff! How did this challenge go for you?

Thanks, some of my goals I did really well - completed stage 1 of NRoL for women, and warmed up, cool down before/after every workout and only forgot to stretch twice both of which were my goals. I did really poorly with my study goal - I think I aimed a bit too high with that one, and did ok with my last goal.

How about you? How did you do with the last challenge

[Tocho]

Thanks, some of my goals I did really well - completed stage 1 of NRoL for women, and warmed up, cool down before/after every workout and only forgot to stretch twice both of which were my goals. I did really poorly with my study goal - I think I aimed a bit too high with that one, and did ok with my last goal.

How about you? How did you do with the last challenge

Alright, well done. And I looked up your challenge; in my opinion 12 hours is a lot, but maybe not for you. Well done nonetheless

I joined late, but the 3 weeks or so that I participated went quite well, with only a few failures. I cheated once or twice with cutting out all junk food, but I went to sleep at/or before 11 PM every day that I had to, etc. All in all I'm quite pleased with how it went.

[Lefeux]

My goals so far for the next challenge:

1) Do the Rebel Strength Guide Barbell Battalion 2a workout for 6 weeks. That should put me some where near 180lbs bench, 300lbs squat, and 200+lbs deadlift. I am looking at getting the over head dumb bell press upto 50lbs in each hand.

2) Complete the couch 2 5k program. Started early (this is week 3) so that I could finish on time. Should I finish early my goal is to then get to 27min or less for 5k.

3) Currently at 18.5ish% body fat. Continue fasting and 90% paleo (1 cheat meal per week) and get down to 13-14% body fat. I dropped 7 percent last challenge so I am hoping that 4-5% isn't to difficult.

life goal.

Attend church every sunday for the challenge.

Ill set reward points laters.

[twilson.spqr]

Here's what I'm looking at, for now.

Fitness Goal 1 (Muscles (pronounced Musk-els)): Complete a set of 15 pull ups.

Fitness Goal 2 (Cardio): Incorporate sprinting into my weekly routine.

Fitness Goal 3 (Wild card): Up for debate. I think I need something flexibility / dexterity related.

Lifestyle goal: Save $300 and spend it on Sumo Lounge Gear.

Fitness 1 expanded: 15 pull ups with rests no longer than 2 seconds. Feet will not touch the ground.

Fitness 2 expanded: I'm going to start with Tabatas. 16 minutes doing 4 sets of the following: 20 seconds hard exercise, 10 seconds rest (example 20 second sprint, 10 second walk) x8. Example exercises: heavy bag, jump rope, pushups, burpees, squats, sledgehammer swings.

Fitness 3 expanded: None yet

Lifestyle 1 expanded: Pretty much name on the tin

I'll need to sort out goal # 3 at some point. I'm thinking of incorporating handstands into my weekly routine, with an eventual goal of handstand pushups. What's reasonable when starting out? Two minute assisted handstand?

Edited to add: Alternately, I've had several people recommend trying yoga. Is it reasonable for a beginner to start Yoga from a DVD? I'd always thought of the DVDs as methods for people who know what they're doing to keep at the exercise.

[jennageah]

I've been excited about the next challenge for weeks because it'll be my first one, yeay! Here's roughly what I'm thinking:

1) Strength goal: work on building enough strength to achieve an unassisted pull up. Not sure if this is attainable within 6 weeks, but I'll damn well give it a go. I can lift about half my bodyweight at the moment, and I'm One Arm Rowing with 10kg dumbbells, so time to move on to inverted rows and/or try negative ones. Weekly goals will be to up my weights and experiment with new exercises.

2) Cardio goal: do a decent (5+km) run, (800+m) swim, or (25+km) bike ride per week, no excuses. I have cardio challenges in mind for next year (a 120km ride and maybe a half marathon or triathalon) and I sure as heck don't want to start from scratch fitness wise when I start training for them.

3) Nutrition goal: keep to an 80% paleo diet, allowing for two cheat dinners (not completely awful nutritionally but including grains) per week and one sweet treat. This is basically what I'm doing now so I won't be getting many points for it, but I might add a kicker like zero soft drinks or something to make it harder. Dairy might be an option, as I still tend to eat a lot of cheese and I love my yoghurt.

4) Life goal: pay off my credit card within the six weeks. This is something pretty attainable that has managed to allude me so far this year, my card hovers between 1000-1500 dollars of debt, and although I earn a good salary and have a pretty disposable sum after bills, the lure of shiny new things has stopped me from getting serious about a budget. My boyfriend will be pleased if I manage this one haha

Anyway, that's the rough idea. Extra general goal is to just find a way to be active every day and be open to trying new things!

[leadchipmunk]

I have my 4 goals ready:

Life: start learning Japanese. I have a few resources and one site that has the steps set out with tons of information that I'm going to work with and a certain level where I want to be at the end of the challenge (nothing too high, but around the average after 6 weeks time).

Exercise 1: KB work 2 days a week

Exercise 2: 50 pushups in one set. I had this as a goal my first challenge, but I didn't specify that it was to be 1 set, so I settled for 5 sets of 10 over the day. This time I'm going for the day. I normally would go for 100, but with my kettlebell work, it may impede my rest and progress, so I dropped it down.

Exercise 3: 1 35 pound Turkish Get Up with each arm. Must go back down too. I think I'm more scared to do it than it is because of weakness, so I'm going to progress from unweighted (for form) to 25# to 35.