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yournatnatworld-blog · 4 years

Text

Helianthus During Winter

Helinthus will bloom during winter. My name is Louella S. Morales eighteen years old live in Kasayahan Street Batasan Hills Quezon City.My life began when I was born around one o clock in the midnight of the first day of March year two thousand and one I was born in Jose Fabella Hospital. My mom’s due date is last week of February but my mom wanted to gave birth at her birthday but because of excitement and eagerness to see my parents and the world outside my mom’s womb I’m being lazy at her womb for a whole week. I was so small back then so that My mom easily delivered me even if she wants that we have same birthday .The interesting scenario after the labor day of my mom. The car stops in the middle of the highway and It was raining hard. I was the second child of Lolita and Gil Morales I have two beautiful sisters. The history behind my name is quite interesting, my names was Lou Ella given by my father but it turned out Louella because some of our relatives said that it was hard to pronounce. I have amazing Childhood experiences tug of war, hide and seek, rock paper scissors and dirty slipper game name it all I can play outdoor games well. Me and my parents set an agreement that before we play outside is to finish our meal, do our assignments and to sleep every two o clock in the afternoon so that we can choose what we’re gonna do to watch a television or to play outside until five o clock in the afternoon. During weekends they allowed us to play at two o clock in the afternoon until six thirty in the evening .But my parents decided that we aren’t longer a kid anymore we have to be responsible in the household chores. So my parents set up an a agreement that we need to do household chores in the Saturday including general cleaning, washing the dishes and helping washing our clothes. During evening is the exciting part of our weekend because our house is transforming in to a board game dungeon because we play several board games. Because English is our second language in the house so our parents gave us a book and let us analyze what stated there. We need to take down notes all unfamiliar words that are listed on the book and we need to find that words in a huge dictionaries volume one to volume five. It’s a effective way to improve our vocabularies and English Skills. During Sunday we attend a morning or afternoon mass if my parents aren’t busy at their work, we’re excited because we know after the mass we’re heading in to a mall to buy our daily needs and clothes. If we’re not going in a mall our parents bring us in the park so that we can socialize with other people. My parents provide our needs they work hard for us because they know how’s reality work on. My father didn’t finish his studies because of financial problems ,My mom graduated, Pass the bar exams and get a stable job. My parents did their best to provide anything that we want. I’m thankful that they’re my first teachers they taught me how to be well mannered, Strong and smart woman. We have a dog named “Ampon” a rescued stray dog around our area.”Ampon” is a black and white dog beside of his color, ”Ampon” is a younger brother and a best friend to us but sadly our dog died because of depression. We have five cats live near at our house we fed them everyday. We have goldfishes in the house since I was young I wanted to have a fish and a huge aquarium because I’m interested in marine biodiversity. Since the day “Ampon” died I never trust any dog because some stray dog attacked my sisters. So for now I have a good relationship with cats because of their overflowing love and I know that they will never hurt me because I don’t want to bear a pain again once I’m connected on my pets. If I’ve given a chance to have a dog again I will protect them as we protect and care to ”Ampon” in the past.Animals are indeed a creation of the God because of our pets we feel safe and happy when they’re around. My first Nursery school was Music and Micah Preparatory School I’m the youngest student there during that time because my parents and the teachers see my potential. I’ m excited to meet a new friends and enemies. So that they sent me in the school even if it’ s a accelerated subjects. When I was in kindergarten school everything was smooth and fine. I proved to everyone that even if I’m the youngest it doesn’t mean that I don’t have a rights and potential to attend a class. Some of my classmates bullied me verbally and physically because they know that I’m weak but they never know that my parents taught me how to be well mannered and a strong woman. And my parents said that don’t mind them, In the end they will get tired. My parents said that when everything gets harder learn to stand on your own. When I was four years old a tragic accident happened at me. That day we’re playing outside with our neighbors and then someone step my feet and I bumped into something hard so I lose my consciousness . The next day I can’t move my the whole right leg my parents think that maybe my feet are swollen. After several tests the result is my bones at my feet are broke into pieces. After I heard those word my mind become blank because I don’t know what will happen next. I lose my confidence after the accident and get stuck at the chair if I need something I have to call my mom so that she can assist me.I don’ t have time to play and attend m class because it was coated and cast and preparations for the surgeries. Because of that I stopped in my Kinder One and just follow the right age so that I can enrolled as a grade one at a right age. I went to San Diego Elementary School and Batasan Hills National High School where I completed my Elementary and High School education respectively. I joined the science technology program when I was in grade 8 because I know it will showcase my skills on developing, programming and encoding .Last night I received an email and its stated there that I’m qualified for the competition and a congratulations letter. The moment I received the email I can’t explain my happiness and emotion because it’s a one step closer to my dream. every qualified students have a same goal and reasons why they joined the program and because we all know it will help us in the future. Skipped Meals and sleepless nights are endless just to present a codes and machines that we built. The day of the test drive comes quickly it’s a day o checking the machines and the codes. To avoid the misleading of the codes in the codes bar. I can’t express What I feel during the test drive because I’m not confidence enough on my work but I remind myself whatever happens, happened for a reason. After several hours of checking and analyzing the codes and the machines of my fellow competitors the result will be announced right there after the talking of the judges and some of professionals. I won the regional round but It doesn’t mean the battle is already done. It'a sign that I need to improve my work for the next round. Coaches and the speakers congratulates me after the winners name announced at huge speaker and displayed on a huge screen. The speakers announced my names in rank seven. I can’t express my self because that moment I forgot that I’m in the venue of the competition because my mind keep reminiscing my sacrifices while doing my work. After that I told to myself that all my sacrifices and pain are worth it Growing up around professionals wasn’t easy considering the fact that I’m still on the first rack to build my dream. I wanted to be Doctor someday and a teacher too but because I know Medicines take ten years to study so I need to choose the practical way. I Know God has plans for me in right time and a right place I’ll pursue medicine so as of now I will take education to fulfill my dreams. Because I wanted to be a Doctor its related to my interests ,My interests are to read a book that related to medical ,biology and sciences. They’re my favorite books rather reading fiction book though I still read them but not as my favorites books because for me Romance book are cliché .To be honest I can finish a more than two hundred pages of book in just one sitting on my chair aside from reviewing the technical terms One volume of book is enough to live for a whole week. I haven’t reach my biggest accomplishments so far because for me the biggest accomplishment in life is to finish my college education and to wear a black toga while holding my diploma. It’s the best and biggest accomplishment in my life. It’s not just my fight but also the fight of my parents because I know their sacrifices just to sent me on a school. I won’t waste their efforts and sacrifices because some of people didn’t have a chance to go to a school and some of them are have a problems with their financial. For me the biggest accomplishments is to give back, For some reasons the moment I reach the peak of the end. More challenges will come And I have to be ready because I’m no longer a kid that will tell “I can’t do it maybe later” because the time is important when you get older. My favorite is “Don’t be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart.” written by Roy T. Bennett in his book The light in the heart. I’m strongly agree with that quote because I know when you let your fears ,pains overcome you there’s nothing good will happen. Unless you use your fears and pains to make yourself better and stronger.

#autobiography #myvictory

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helianthusnerdy-blog · 5 years

Text

Autobiography

Helinthus will bloom during winter. My name is Louella S. Morales eighteen years old live in Kasayahan Street Batasan Hills Quezon City.My life began when I was born around one o clock in the midnight of the first day of March year two thousand and one I was born in Jose Fabella Hospital. My mom’s due date is last week of February but my mom wanted to gave birth at her birthday but because of excitement and eagerness to see my parents and the world outside my mom’s womb I’m being lazy at her womb for a whole week. I was so small back then so that My mom easily delivered me even if she wants that we have same birthday .The interesting scenario after the labor day of my mom. The car stops in the middle of the highway and It was raining hard. I was the second child of Lolita and Gil Morales I have two beautiful sisters. The history behind my name is quite interesting, my names was Lou Ella given by my father but it turned out Louella because some of our relatives said that it was hard to pronounce. I have amazing Childhood experiences tug of war, hide and seek, rock paper scissors and dirty slipper game name it all I can play outdoor games well. Me and my parents set an agreement that before we play outside is to finish our meal, do our assignments and to sleep every two o clock in the afternoon so that we can choose what we’re gonna do to watch a television or to play outside until five o clock in the afternoon. During weekends they allowed us to play at two o clock in the afternoon until six thirty in the evening .But my parents decided that we aren’t longer a kid anymore we have to be responsible in the household chores. So my parents set up an a agreement that we need to do household chores in the Saturday including general cleaning, washing the dishes and helping washing our clothes. During evening is the exciting part of our weekend because our house is transforming in to a board game dungeon because we play several board games. Because English is our second language in the house so our parents gave us a book and let us analyze what stated there. We need to take down notes all unfamiliar words that are listed on the book and we need to find that words in a huge dictionaries volume one to volume five. It’s a effective way to improve our vocabularies and English Skills. During Sunday we attend a morning or afternoon mass if my parents aren’t busy at their work, we’re excited because we know after the mass we’re heading in to a mall to buy our daily needs and clothes. If we’re not going in a mall our parents bring us in the park so that we can socialize with other people. My parents provide our needs they work hard for us because they know how’s reality work on. My father didn’t finish his studies because of financial problems ,My mom graduated, Pass the bar exams and get a stable job. My parents did their best to provide anything that we want. I’m thankful that they’re my first teachers they taught me how to be well mannered, Strong and smart woman. We have a dog named “Ampon” a rescued stray dog around our area.”Ampon” is a black and white dog beside of his color, ”Ampon” is a younger brother and a best friend to us but sadly our dog died because of depression. We have five cats live near at our house we fed them everyday. We have goldfishes in the house since I was young I wanted to have a fish and a huge aquarium because I’m interested in marine biodiversity. Since the day “Ampon” died I never trust any dog because some stray dog attacked my sisters. So for now I have a good relationship with cats because of their overflowing love and I know that they will never hurt me because I don’t want to bear a pain again once I’m connected on my pets. If I’ve given a chance to have a dog again I will protect them as we protect and care to ”Ampon” in the past.Animals are indeed a creation of the God because of our pets we feel safe and happy when they’re around. My first Nursery school was Music and Micah Preparatory School I’m the youngest student there during that time because my parents and the teachers see my potential. I’ m excited to meet a new friends and enemies. So that they sent me in the school even if it’ s a accelerated subjects. When I was in kindergarten school everything was smooth and fine. I proved to everyone that even if I’m the youngest it doesn’t mean that I don’t have a rights and potential to attend a class. Some of my classmates bullied me verbally and physically because they know that I’m weak but they never know that my parents taught me how to be well mannered and a strong woman. And my parents said that don’t mind them, In the end they will get tired. My parents said that when everything gets harder learn to stand on your own. When I was four years old a tragic accident happened at me. That day we’re playing outside with our neighbors and then someone step my feet and I bumped into something hard so I lose my consciousness . The next day I can’t move my the whole right leg my parents think that maybe my feet are swollen. After several tests the result is my bones at my feet are broke into pieces. After I heard those word my mind become blank because I don’t know what will happen next. I lose my confidence after the accident and get stuck at the chair if I need something I have to call my mom so that she can assist me.I don’ t have time to play and attend m class because it was coated and cast and preparations for the surgeries. Because of that I stopped in my Kinder One and just follow the right age so that I can enrolled as a grade one at a right age. I went to San Diego Elementary School and Batasan Hills National High School where I completed my Elementary and High School education respectively. I joined the science technology program when I was in grade 8 because I know it will showcase my skills on developing, programming and encoding .Last night I received an email and its stated there that I’m qualified for the competition and a congratulations letter. The moment I received the email I can’t explain my happiness and emotion because it’s a one step closer to my dream. every qualified students have a same goal and reasons why they joined the program and because we all know it will help us in the future. Skipped Meals and sleepless nights are endless just to present a codes and machines that we built. The day of the test drive comes quickly it’s a day o checking the machines and the codes. To avoid the misleading of the codes in the codes bar. I can’t express What I feel during the test drive because I'm not confidence enough on my work but I remind myself whatever happens, happened for a reason. After several hours of checking and analyzing the codes and the machines of my fellow competitors the result will be announced right there after the talking of the judges and some of professionals. I won the regional round but It doesn’t mean the battle is already done. It'a sign that I need to improve my work for the next round. Coaches and the speakers congratulates me after the winners name announced at huge speaker and displayed on a huge screen. The speakers announced my names in rank seven. I can't express my self because that moment I forgot that I'm in the venue of the competition because my mind keep reminiscing my sacrifices while doing my work. After that I told to myself that all my sacrifices and pain are worth it Growing up around professionals wasn't easy considering the fact that I'm still on the first rack to build my dream. I wanted to be Doctor someday and a teacher too but because I know Medicines take ten years to study so I need to choose the practical way. I Know God has plans for me in right time and a right place I'll pursue medicine so as of now I will take education to fulfill my dreams. Because I wanted to be a Doctor its related to my interests ,My interests are to read a book that related to medical ,biology and sciences. They're my favorite books rather reading fiction book though I still read them but not as my favorites books because for me Romance book are cliché .To be honest I can finish a more than two hundred pages of book in just one sitting on my chair aside from reviewing the technical terms One volume of book is enough to live for a whole week. I haven't reach my biggest accomplishments so far because for me the biggest accomplishment in life is to finish my college education and to wear a black toga while holding my diploma. It's the best and biggest accomplishment in my life. It's not just my fight but also the fight of my parents because I know their sacrifices just to sent me on a school. I won't waste their efforts and sacrifices because some of people didn't have a chance to go to a school and some of them are have a problems with their financial. For me the biggest accomplishments is to give back, For some reasons the moment I reach the peak of the end. More challenges will come And I have to be ready because I'm no longer a kid that will tell "I can't do it maybe later" because the time is important when you get older. My favorite is “Don't be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart.” written by Roy T. Bennett in his book The light in the heart. I’m strongly agree with that quote because I know when you let your fears ,pains overcome you there’s nothing good will happen. Unless you use your fears and pains to make yourself better and stronger.

#Autobiography Victory

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chaptersonetoinfinity · 3 years

Text

NaNoWriMo 2020: DAY TWENTY-NINE

Sunday, November 29th

Stuff That Happened: Part 4 has been written, as I had promised to myself. (Along with some freestyled bits from Veracity Verse, because no, part 4 is far from 3k words long, even if I’m the one writing it.) Regardless of whether I make it to the 50k finish line tomorrow, the entirety of the Coffee Shop AU has been drafted, so I’m proud of that!

Tomorrow’s Goal: Get myself to the 50k line and win that 50% off code for the Scrivener app, which is the real MVP of my NaNoWriMo shenanigans this year. No real idea where I’m going to pull that last 1.5k words.

Daily Word Count: 3,038

Total Word Count: 48,595

Rough Draft Sneak Peek: Wickodi Coffee Shop AU

Vaguely, Julia hears someone slide into the seat opposite of her, but she keeps going and waits for them to make their presence known.

One chapter later she gives up and pulls her head out of the book. It’s Penny, and he’s smiling at her. “You know the read-a-thon is over, right?” he asks.

“I haven’t read a single book since September,” she says. “This afternoon I finished two.”

“Did you win?”

“The bet? Yeah, it was close, but I bested Q by about a thousand words.”

“Good.” He crosses his arms and leans back, every bit as confident as he’d been when he was being a prick to Quentin back in their dorm. “I was rooting for you. So, what, you’re trying to finish a third book before the shop closes?”

“Maybe.” Julia puts a bookmark on her page and closes the book. “I’m thinking of taking tonight off, just to read. After midnight I’ll start doing midterm revisions again.”

“Isn’t that time for bed?”

At that, Julia laughs loud enough for him to startle. “I can’t remember the last time I slept more than five hours. Double major is a bitch.”

#sas does nanowrimo: take four #nanowrimo 2020 #day twenty-nine #wickodi

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fucklawschool · 7 years

Text

Habitica ideas for students

I’ve been using Habitica for a while now and I love it. The reason I love it so much is that I can use it to track pretty much everything, even apart from the normal productivity stuff, if I’m a little creative.

As for setting all of this up, I highly recommend doing that on desktop. The mobile app is great for on the go but I wouldn’t recommend it for putting an entire new system in place (maybe that’s just me, though).

So here are some maybe a little more unconventional ideas for Habitica usage:

HABITS

My habits are mostly positive with few exceptions because it’s much easier to reward yourself for doing something than to punish yourself for not doing something, in my opinion. Plus, I feel like it works out, too, because after all, you do usually want to feed your pets or buy equipment or buy quests.

Water tracker: Drinking water is important, yo. The way I go about this is I have a positive habit called “1l of water” and I just hit the + for every liter I drink. I’ve set it to reset daily so I can see at how many liters I roughly am at for the day. If you struggle with drinking water more, you can also just put “drink a glass of water” and set the difficulty to hard instead of easy, as I have it set because at this point I’m pretty used to drinking a shit ton of water, I just like to keep an overview in case I’m busy and forget. That’s the beauty of Habitica vs other apps, you can modify it to your needs!

Meet friends: This one I have set to reset every week so that I can see at a glance whether I’m having a social life. Having “high density” fun (as Thomas Frank frequently puts it) is crucial to my mental health, yet I tend to do it too little especially when I’m stressed and instead sit there on my phone wondering where the hours went and feeling generally very blah. I only have this as a positive habit because I don’t want to and need to force myself to do something with friends every single day (what’s up fellow introverts), but I’m aiming for at least once a week of my own accord, so not counting when I see them in a uni context or at fixed activities. I have this set on hard to motivate myself to actually do it, too, since I have to leave the house to fulfill it.

Color: As you may have noticed (X, X) coloring is a bit of a hobby of mine so the habit isn’t really necessary right now while I’m still technically on break and have more time to do it, but I like to keep it in there anyway. I usually color while listening to podcasts because that goes hand in hand, and many podcasts I listen to are also somewhat educational (hmu with your favorites, I’d love to discover some new ones!) while still expanding my horizons beyond what I learn at uni. This one I have set to medium, because while it is a hobby that I like to do, there’s definitely some resistance because you have to be very focused and can’t really do other stuff except listen to podcasts simultaneously. Coloring is very therapeutic to me, and I’m not an artsy person, so maybe give it a shot! You can also replace coloring with any artistic habit, obviously.

Read or listen to podcast instead of watching TV: I love doing both of these things yet they start to get infinitely harder when you’re at uni and running around town trying to stay alive during the semester. Reading especially is very beneficial to my mental health and I love doing it, but it’s just so much harder to pick up a book than to hit play on Netflix. I should probably split these two habits up now that I think about it, because I do tend to read much less than I listen to podcasts. Either way, the difficulty setting here is hard with a daily reset although it doesn’t really matter that much as both daily and weekly resets are equally suited for the purpose in my opinion.

One book per week: Ah yes, my reading goal. I am terrible at reading slowly and steadily during the year which leads me to binge read on vacation. Now, while I love doing that and I don’t perceive it as a stressful, I would prefer to also read during the year. This habit is set to hard with a weekly reset, and it is both a positive and a negative (which means I probably have to hit the - today, siiiiigh).

Work out: During the school year, I weirdly don’t struggle with working out a lot because I see it as a study break and I’m one of those people who actually looks forward to working out and hitting some goals. This one also has a weekly reset, hard difficulty and is both a positive and a negative habit, however, I only hit the - when I was supposed to work out and didn’t. This is partly the reason why I don’t want my workout as a daily, I don’t like having fixed days because sometimes you gotta move your schedule around a bit and I simply aim to work out 4-5 times a week. I’m looking into starting an exercise class for swimming next semester, though, so if I do join that one, I will absolutely make it a daily.

Meal not eaten at desk: Kind of a weird one. I started developing this terrible habit of constantly doing everything at my desk last year, especially eating. Now, if you don’t have a ton of space and roommates, it makes sense for your desk to be basically where you spend your entire day, but I want my desk to be as much of a work only, no play space as it can be, even with limited space, and eating at it is a very bad idea to keep that mental separation in place. Also, I want to be focus on what I’m eating as much as possible and not do five things simultaneously. So, in order to motivate myself to eat my food at the dining room table, I’ve made this a simply positive habit with a medium difficulty and a daily reset as I usually eat three meals a day.

Cook: If you follow me, you probably already know I’m a big proponent of home-cooked meals. But cooking is time consuming, exhausting and hard sometimes when all you want after a long day at uni is some sushi. I aim to cook at a proper meal at least two or three times a week and try to avoid takeout as much as possible. To motivate me, I have this as a positive habit, at a hard difficulty and a weekly reset.

Go to bed before midnight: I struggle with this. A lot. However, I do need my sleep - when I don’t sleep at least seven hours, I’m unfocused, cranky and tired. Plus, it’s really bad for athletic recovery. Getting to bed before midnight at least ensures I’ll be getting seven hours (since I try to get up at 7:00), ideally I’d get eight or nine, but I’m trying to stay realistic here. I have this as a positive habit with a weekly reset and at a hard difficulty. I don’t see the point in making it a daily because I know I won’t do it (I could, however, maybe make “get to bed before 1:00 a daily, to get brownie points for getting to bed even earlier than I needed to, I might yet do that).

EDIT: It’s been brought to my attention by the lovely @gold-n-mind that mobile doesn’t show the counter, something I didn’t really think of because I only use Habitica of my phone when I can’t avoid it but mostly use it on desktop. You can still set up everything how I mention it, but you will have to check the count on desktop, as of right now there doesn’t seem to be another way for mobile users. For potential mobile only users, this is what I’m referring to:

DAILIES

These, just like the habits, will be very personal. My dailies tend to change a lot because when I’m back home at my parent’s I don’t really need cleaning dailies for example. But here are some ideas nevertheless:

Get up within 15 minutes of waking up: I suck at this. I tend to waste away time in my bed, staying on my phone for 30 minutes before I even think about getting up. But a quick jumpstart to my day is extremely beneficial for my productivity, so I’m trying to work on it. This is due every day since lounging about in bed makes me tired and cranky and consumes time I could be using to eat breakfast while watching youtube.

Morning skincare/evening skincare: Pretty self-explanatory. Due every day.

Open window: Due every day. I try to always open my window before I start studying, as I don’t really leave it open over night and fresh air is obviously very helpful for da brain. Also, the cold air tends to help me wake up.

Make bed: I never used to do this. But then I read “Unfuck your habitat” and I saw the merit in starting your day on a positive, structured note while making your room seem more tidy. Also, these easy dailies give me something to check off before getting started on my harder to dos, which is a concept known as momentum. Due every day.

Do a 20/10 of cleaning somewhere: Another lesson from UFYH. It means you do 20 minutes of tidying somewhere, then take a 10 minute break. I have found I rarely really need more than 20 minutes, and you can easily integrate one 20/10 somewhere in your daily schedule. It’s not fun, but constantly chipping away at messes means you don’t have to do huge binge-cleans. Due every day, but usually not needed every day.

Take out trash if needed: Tasks like these (this one is exemplary because I have a lot of these when I’m in my apartment during the semester) are great because they get you check if you have to do something every day and if they’re due, you do them right away since you’re already there checking! If they’re not due, you can easily check something off your dailies without actually doing work. Of course, the difficulty setting on these is usually trivial, but taking out the trash is a very trivial task, you just tend to put if off forever. Other ideas for this are put on laundry, check the mail, etc.

Week review/weekly planning: This is due every Sunday. I suck at following through and do need to get better at it, but actually looking at your week in advance and knowing what’s gonna happen when as well as getting into the mindset for Monday does help.

Study dailies: These will vary wildly depending on what kind of study system and schedule you have! I have a general study daily with a checklist that says “x pages” and “flashcards”. I also now have a separate flashcard daily with a checklist for every set of flashcards I’m trying to get done. Like I said, it will vary - for some of you having a daily with a certain goal of pomodoros may work (I don’t really utilize the pomodoro method a lot, though), some of you just need a push so “study for 30 minutes” may be enough to set you on a productive course. I change up my study dailies most frequently of all of them because they change a lot depending on what subject I’m focusing on, but most of the time I’ll only have them due during the week, sometimes also on Saturdays.

Go to class: I don’t really struggle with this because I literally cannot skip more often than once or they fail me, but why not reward yourself for leaving your comfy flat and braving the real world? These are also easy to set up because classes generally take place on a weekly basis, just set them as due on the weekday when the class is, and if you don’t struggle with going to class like me, you can always set the difficulty to trivial.

TO DOS

I won’t really go in depth on the to dos, because I feel like they’re pretty self-explanatory. I will explain a couple, but apart from that it’s pretty personal and whatever you have going on, just throw it on there.

Grocery list: This is the only more “unconventional” use I have for to dos. I like to make one to do that says “grocery shop” and then put everything I need as a separate sub-point. This works really well and I like to do it this way mainly so I don’t have my shit spread out over five list apps. The only drawback is that you can’t share that list with friends (unless you shell out €€ and get a group plan), so if you have a joint shopping list with a roommate, you might not be able to use this.

University readings: I like to make huge tasks of my required reading with tons of sub-points so that the reward is proportional to the pain (lol). The drawback to this method is that you don’t get the instant gratification of being able to check off a task at the end of the day, but I use dailies to work like this so my to dos are kind of a more long-term overview of where I want to be by what date. You can be as detailed with this as you want, but I just kind of use the big chapter headings. You could also divide it by pages, though. Whatever floats your boat.

#habitica #study #studyblr #studyspo #studyspiration #study inspiration #study inspo #lawblr #productivity #determinationandcaffeine

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anamelesstraveler · 7 years

Text

Fic Rec Sunday - 4/23/17

It’s still Sunday in some parts of my country!

Sciles

untitled by @lozenger8

Prompt: Loz, you know what there isn't enough fic of? Scott helping Stiles out during the time of the virgin sacrifices. Like "logically I don't want you to die, so we MUST do the do. What exactly counts as loss of virginity anyway? We should cover all bases."

Sterek

The Brawny Man’s Emo Cousin by @troubleiwant

Amanda takes a shine to Stiles instantly. He’s gregarious and funny during their dorm floor introductions, but a little twitchy-anxious and just weird enough to dodge smarmy bro-ness. Stiles takes a shine to her too, maybe on account of her Dr. Who t-shirt or her self identification as a Slytherin. All in all, a promising start.

She takes the initiative to seek him out and say ‘hi’ at dinner that night, and while he seems happy to have someone to sit with, he also makes it about two sentences before dropping a quick, faux-casual comment that while he’s a Slytherin himself, Derek-my-boyfriend is a Hufflepuff through and through.

Amanda just laughs. “I’m not coming on to you,” she explains. “I’m super gay. A little femme about it, is all.”

the engagement (tumblr post) by bibliosexual (@bibliosexxual)

“Stiles,” Derek growls the next morning, “why did Wanda just call me to congratulate me on my engagement to you?”

“Uh, because we are engaged?” Stiles tries. “We’re having a spring wedding with two flavors of cake, or did you forget? By the way, you still need to buy me a ring.”

Home is Where the Heart Is by @eeyore9990

It should have surprised him. It should have startled him, made him jump and flail and press a hand to his racing heart.

Instead, all Stiles felt when he entered his bedroom to see a familiarly shaped too-dark-to-be-a-shadow lurking in the corner of his room was relief. Bone-melting relief of the sort that brought a lump to his throat, a burning sensation in his nose, and a wetness to his eyes.

But he wasn’t crying. No, of course not. Derek fucking Hale being back in town after being gone for almost two years was not cause for tears.

the nerd party (tumblr post) by bibliosexual (@bibliosexxual)

Until this moment, Stiles wasn’t even sure Derek could read, and now he’s trying to steal Stiles’ obscure eight-hundred-page fantasy novel. What.

The Payoff Pitch (tumblr post) by Leslie_Knope (@leslieknopeismyspiritanimal)

Derek is on the cusp of his second season with the LA Dodgers, and as the reigning runner-up Rookie of the Year, the pressure’s on him to become the team’s star pitcher and lead them to the playoffs for the first time in five years. He’s trying to deal with the burden of expectations and really has zero desire to spend any extra time or energy on anything that isn’t baseball.

But then he meets Stiles.

*Put Down in Words (tumblr post) by paintedrecs (@paintedrecs)

“Oh,” Stiles said, his voice coming out low and breathy, “fuck me.”

“I don’t think that’s on the syllabus, but we can check to see if there’s a spot open in any of his classes,” Scott said, grinning.

“This isn’t an actual professor, though,” Stiles insisted, unable to resist brushing his thumb over the sharp line of the man’s bearded jaw. He was laughing at something off-camera, the shot taken in three-quarters view, his coat collar casually rumpled and opened to reveal a sliver of a simple grey t-shirt. The whole thing was deliberately calculated to lend him a more accessible feel, and god help him, Stiles was falling for it.

When Stiles signed up for Dr. Hale’s intro to history class, he had two goals: knock out the credits his advisor was bugging him to complete before he graduated, and spend a few hours a week daydreaming about his sexy professor’s salt and pepper beard.

Derek, a few months away from turning forty and not sure when his life had started feeling so damn lonely, had never encountered someone like Stiles before. Bright-eyed, sharp-tongued, determined to throw Derek’s carefully cultivated world into disarray…and absolutely the last person Derek should be falling in love with.

Put Out the Fire (but not the one in my heart) by omelet

Derek thinks this is getting a little out of hand. Because honestly, he never would have guessed that he would one day come to own a firemen-themed calendar.

Sheriff Stilinski: Father of the Year by @the-apocrypha

Stiles and Derek have been dating on the downlow for a few months. Stiles is eighteen and all, but the thing they have going is so low key that it didn’t seem worth announcing. They hang out, and sometimes they kiss, and sometimes they cuddle, and sometimes Derek sucks Stiles off until Stiles literally sees stars–but it’s not any kind of great romance, nothing like the relationships they’re surrounded by.

They’re even tentatively planning to keep an open relationship when Stiles goes off to college in the fall (which Stiles claims is ridiculous, since his school is only an hour and a half away, totally within booty call limits).

untitled by @bibliosexxual

It’s almost midnight when Derek finally shoulders on his coat, locks his office door, and steps out, only to spot Stiles crouched in front of the vending machine at the end of the hall, whacking the glass with the heel of his palm and muttering darkly.

Derek can’t just ignore him; he never can. (It’s a bit of a problem, and everyone in the hospital seems to know it, except for Stiles.) Before he knows it, he’s changed tracks and walked right over. “What are you still doing here?”

#eternalsterek #foreversciles #Sterek #Sciles #Teen Wolf #ScottStiles #StilesDerek #fic rec #Fic Rec Sunday

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weloseeveryweek · 7 years

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my football day

(That’s Gaz the bear. He’s part of superstition #19: scarves on bears before the game. Phil and Gaz have to wear the correct scarves, and they have to be sat with Sir Alex in the correct order; if we lose the game, I switch the order. I am a functioning twenty one year old adult.)

I remember most games I’ve watched. This is an unfortunate thing for someone whose first full season was watching David Moyes exuberantly lead us to seventh place. The first game I ever saw on telly was the 3-2 derby win in 2012; I was in a hotel and did nothing much besides jump up silently (everyone else was asleep) when Robin scored the winner.

Over the years my rituals have developed into something almost - well - ritualistic. I don’t know if that says something about what football means in my life; I am not religious, and yet on Sundays I still pray.

My football day actually starts the night before. I must get in bed before midnight; the United blanket I am unfortunately obsessed enough to own must be spread across on top; a Class of ’92 t-shirt is sometimes added, depending on the fickleness of my brain. Nothing happens then until two hours before except for me pretending that I’m capable of doing work when all I’m really thinking about is the Game. (People shouldn’t have to do work on game days, I think. It just becomes substandard and you end up writing ‘Mata’ instead of ‘matter’).

Two hours is where the Intensiveness (Obsessiveness? Anal retentiveness? Rach, get a life, oh my fucking god?) begins. Heartlessly abandoning my work, as it were, I open youtube and 11v11.com. Then I hunt down United’s best wins against the day’s opposition, queue them up, and make sure I catch every single goal in beautiful 240p. 11v11.com serves another purpose – it tells me which jersey I ought to wear. As you may know, I have amassed more United jerseys than Sergio Ramos has amassed red cards; that, obviously, is saying much. Anyway, as I’m looking through the record I’m also picking out the best kit according to our wins to wear. Sometimes historicity takes precedence. Every Chelsea game is summarily dealt with the 2008 final shirt, and John Terry crying invoked. Derbies are faced with the black stripe that graced the Scheville kiss in 2010. Most of the time I go for 100% win rates, or failing that (and we are terribly inconsistent, I realise; I had nothing to wear for Burnley because we’ve not beaten them twice in a season since 1975/6) the biggest win. Should Ipswich Town, for example, ever return to the premier league, I will be well prepared.

Youtube watched, kit on – just time to eat Ben and Jerry’s, another embarrassingly specific ritual. I have to eat at least one of the Phish or Brownies or Caramel Cups or whatever is in the ice cream, more so if it is an important game. I suspect if we ever make it to the Champions League final I will have to eat a whole pint to satisfy the gods.

One hour to kickoff and I must have done all of these things. Shirt must be on. Videos must have been watched. Ice cream must have been eaten. I cannot watch or eat anything else from this moment, which has led to very tight cooking schedules as I valiantly attempt to fix up pasta without missing the start. Now no Scousers must be talked to (if it’s a Northwest Derby, this particular tradition stretches to a week, leaving me even fewer social outlets than usual because all of them seem to be Scouse) and all I can listen to is a specially-compiled spotify playlist comprising the normal versions of United chants. My flatmates must be wondering why I can be found changing the words of Bad Moon Rising or Agadoo twice weekly; Spotify and the NSA must be questioning my curious attachment to childhood standards like This Old Man and London Bridge.

Five minutes. Now is the time to blast This Is The One, a cheap imitation of the walk on in Old Trafford (this is actually a must for both home and away games, which is hardly logical, but I never pretended towards logic in the first place). If I still have bakkwa left over I eat it at kickoff – unfortunately, the addictive nature of these snacks has led to a rapid deterioration of supply, and I actually sat down one day to count out all the important games we had left and ration accordingly. (The only consolation after the Cup loss to Chelsea was vengefully eating the slices I had earmarked for the semi-final and final. And this is why you shouldn’t expect too much.)

Think it’s over? There’s more. I switch off the sound at half time, unless Scholesy’s on, in which case I unmute when he’s speaking and mute again when Michael Owen (it’s somehow always him, I wonder if Scholesy’s as sick of him as I am) starts. I eat a second slice of bakkwa when the second half begins. If we score I nibble at a pineapple tart (again, no longer practiced due to the deliciousness of the object in question). No one can see what kit I wear, so if I have to be out with people I wear something over it and if I’m at home I just never leave my room. I pretend that I’m going to do work during the game, but that, like us scoring more than two goals in a match, is wishful thinking. At the end of the 90 minutes I usually only have the stream(s), twitter, and tumblr open. Everything else has vanished, including my sense of dignity; even the neighbours hear me screaming ‘WHAT THE FUCK KIND OF A FUCKING BALL WAS THAT, FUCK’S SAKE’.

It is a very lonely way to watch a game, I know. That comes by way of another superstition. The first game I ever watched in a London pub was our 5-3 collapse against Leicester. It was also the last. When my parents came to visit and suggested we go back to that pub for lunch I promptly cried and refused because we were playing Chelsea in the evening, so we went to another pub instead. (We ended up losing, anyway, so I don’t know what the point was.) I don’t suppose I ever really feel alone when I watch a game, though. In fact I prefer not watching with people because then at least I will not have to face anyone for my truly bizarre utterances during the game. But more than that, it’s a communication with other people that continues to exist even when I’m just in my room - I’m talking to everyone; I’m following my team on every outlet, I’m watching something at the same time with millions of fans around the world. It is a strange, strange link, almost tenuous, yet links like these are the heart of football, aren’t they?

I know I’m obsessive by any standards. I know a lot of people think it’s stupid and I too think this often. I did all of this for the quarter final against Chelsea and still we lost. I did everything to the letter for last year’s Manchester derby and still we lost. I do this – oh, heck, Northwest Derby prep, that’s a whole new level – against Liverpool and we’ve drawn the last three. It ain’t a great record. And I tell myself, after every draw, after every loss, that I’m going to fuck all of this and never bother again.

And yet. The next game I find myself pulling up youtube (the recommendations page is entirely football). I dig out my jerseys. I’ve even invented new superstitions to cope with losing; I’ll change the Ben and Jerry’s flavour if it didn’t work the last time, and my brain will come up with stupid things like ‘if you don’t eat for the next twenty four hours you’ll win’ and I have no choice but to follow. It is entirely irrational. It makes me sound mad. At times it is even probably degenerative to my health (certainly my social life). But I suppose it is my own little obsessive, intensive, borderline terrifying way of showing how painfully much I care.

#weloseeveryweek #manchester united #football #prompt response #welcome to my strange little world #if I'm going for an actual game it gets even weirder #submission

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wellpersonsblog · 6 years

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12 Monthly Nutrition and Health Challenges to Thrive in 2018

Each new year, just after the clock strikes midnight, we’re given a golden opportunity to turn the page on one year, and start writing the story of the next.

To set resolutions, and tackle the health, nutrition, and fitness goals that plagued us for the last 12 months. It’s beautiful, if you ask me.

The only problem? Health and nutrition goals like that — goals that stick and make a lasting change — take work.

There are a lot of blogs out there that promise quick fixes through hacks or other shortcuts, when what you really need is real, lasting change. And the cold, hard, nobody-wants-to-hear-it truth about achieving your health and fitness goals is that it ain’t easy.

Which, if you haven’t figured it out already, is why most people’s health goals and new year’s resolutions fail (often before they even get started).

But your 2018 goals?

Those will be different.

Those will be… magical. No no, that’s not right. No mythical magic here…

Those will be…

Earned.

Sexy, it is not. But in truth an earned goal is far superior than one handed down with magic (if there actually is such a thing).

And to earn those healthy goals, I can’t think of any better way than making small-step-style progress through monthly goals. Small challenges that will make hard-to-get-started health goals easier, manageable, fun, and most importantly, successful.

12 Monthly Health and Nutrition Challenges for 2018

For the past two years, we’ve put together a plan of monthly challenges to help you push through the next year. The first year focused on running, the second happiness, and this year we’re focusing on nutrition and general health to build a solid foundation.

Because any big, lasting health change or goal only takes root on a strong habit foundation. Once that foundation is established, the options are endless.

If you stick with this plan, laid out through 12 monthly challenges, you’ll unquestionably make progress towards your larger health and fitness goals.

Here’s how it works:

Each challenge is designed to last a month, but the hope is that you’ll keep up that new habit, or at least a similar version of it, after the month ends. If you’d like to slow it down, feel free, but I encourage you to push yourself to stick within the schedule.

The challenges build on each other, so start with numero uno.

Most challenges are adaptable, so if something sounds too easy (or if you’re doing it already), step it up a notch to make it harder. If what I’m suggesting is simply far too hard, take it back a bit. But let me be clear, this should be difficult. These are challenges, after all.

Each year we set these up to start in January, but they don’t have to! If you’re finding this in August, start now!

Ready to get started? Good. Let’s make 2018 your best year yet.

Challenge 1: The Year Of…

I’m a big believer that overarching themes can help us stay focused. By setting a theme, you provide a guide for all your goals and objectives.

That way, when you’re feeling conflicted about a task or mini goal, you can ask yourself:

Does it fit my theme?

If the answer is “yes,” then great. Go for it. If the answer is “no,” you may want to rethink it.

Objective: Create a theme for your year, then brainstorm how the next 11 goals, plus any others you may have, can fit that theme. They might not all fit perfectly, but there should be a way to make the connection. Take your time on this, and spend the next weeks refining it (and the following challenges) in a way that supports your theme.

Rules: Define your theme in an objective way. Sample themes could include:

The year of going vegan.

The year of running a marathon.

The year of losing 20 pounds.

As an example, my theme this year is running related: The year of vertical gain. All the races, training plans, and objectives I set for myself will be based on big vertical gains and mastering the climb. Though many of the challenges below don’t have anything to do with running, I can frame them in a way that will set me up for success with my training.

Now it’s your turn. What will be your theme for the year?

Challenge 2: Nailing Breakfast

They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

I’m not sure who “they” are, or even if they’re correct, but I know for sure that if you start your day off on a healthy note, it will get you in the right frame of mind to kick ass as the hours go on.

For this second challenge, start with nailing breakfast by having a healthy, nutrient-rich meal before you start the day.

Objective: Make a nutrient-rich, energy-rich breakfast a priority.

Rules: During each weekday, make a nutrient-rich breakfast to start your day. It could be a smoothie, bowl of oatmeal or fruit, salad, or anything else you come up with. Feel free to treat yourself on the weekends.

Note: Going back to the last challenge and tying my theme into this second focus, I’ll be eating hills for breakfast. Only kidding, but since most of my runs will take place in the morning, I’ll be designing a breakfast perfect for fueling tough workouts and big hill days.

Resources:

The Perfect Smoothie Formula

Overnight Oats Recipes (One, two, three, four)

Breakfast Salad (Minimalist Baker)

Challenge 3: Daily Meditation

Just a few minutes of mediation each day can make you happier, calmer, and more focused. And it’s absolutely free to do.

But anyone who has tried unsuccessfully to meditate knows that quieting the mind for five or 10 minutes is crazy hard. Despite my best intentions over the years, I haven’t been able to make a meditation habit stick, and I know you may be in the same boat.

This month let’s make it happen together.

Objective: Create a daily meditation practice to stay focused, increase happiness, and improve health.

Rules: Start with just two minutes per day, and build from there. You can do this at any time of the day, but it’s often recommended to meditate in the morning, before the day gets too involved. As the month goes on and the two minutes begin to feel like nothing, begin slowly increasing the time.

Resources:

3 Meditation Hacks for People Who Can’t Meditate

Meditation for Beginners (Zen Habits)

How to Meditate for Beginners (True Wellth)

Headspace Meditation App

Challenge 4: Meal Planning

If I could give only one piece of advice to someone looking to eat healthier, it would be to start meal planning.

Planning out your meals for the week saves time and money (fewer last-minute calls for take-out), and can be far healthier because you’re not grazing the kitchen looking for something appetizing. When you think through your meals and shop for the ingredients ahead of time, you’re more likely to stick with the healthy habits or goals you’ve set for yourself.

It may seem like a lot, but once you get into the routine of planning your meals, you’ll find it liberating to no longer have to worry or wonder what’s for dinner.

This month the challenge is to start planning your meals for the week ahead of time.

Objective: Save time, energy, and money, and guarantee you’ll get your healthy meals, by making a weekly meal plan.

Rules: Compile a list of your favorite recipes and go-to meals you don’t need recipes for, and plan out at least five lunches and dinners (remember, lunches can be leftovers from the night before!) for the week no later than Sunday. Shop for the meals all at once, so you can start your Monday off with a full fridge and knowing what’s on the schedule. The two additional days can be “free days” to go off-schedule and eat out or treat yourself to something unplanned.

Resources:

The Dr. Seuss Secret to Simplifying Your Meal Planning

Health Made Simple Meal Plan System

The Healthy, Practical Plant-Based Diet: A Typical Day

7-Day Kickstart Plan

Bonus: Heather Crosby on Meal Planning

In this short clip, recorded for a meal planning module in the No Meat Athlete Academy, Heather Crosby shares what to do once you’ve selected a number of recipes for the week.

http://www.nomeatathlete.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/e8a60990-e03a-11e7-a66c-e3f38771cb13.mp4

Click here to gain access to the full module with Heather Crosby, along with dozens of other health, fitness, and mindset programs inside the NMA Academy.

Challenge 5: Sunday Food Prep

Got the meal planning down? It’s a pretty nice routine to get into, if I do say so myself.

Now let’s take it one step further and actually start prepping your food for the week ahead of time.

Even with the best-planned intentions, life can get in the way, and you may find yourself without time to cook what you had scheduled. By starting food prep on Sunday, or any other day when you have a block of time to focus on food, you can pre-chop veggies, soak beans, cook and freeze a meal, or sort snacks for later in the week.

The early preparations will keep you on track, and often lead to healthier decisions, since you aren’t as rushed to get something together.

Objective: Save time and make healthier choices by prepping food for the week ahead of time.

Rule: Block off one to three hours on Sunday to pre-chop, cook, and prepare food for the week ahead. You can do this in the evening instead of watching TV or as a fun family activity with the kids.

Resources:

Vegan Food Prep Tips for Healthy Meals All Week (Running on Real Food)

Meal Prepping Tips (The Glowing Fridge)

Challenge 6: Integrated Exercise

I first learned this term from friend of NMA, Sid Garza-Hillman. The idea is simple: take advantage of the two- to five-minute breaks you have throughout the day to add in short, high-intensity exercises like push-ups, squats, sprints, etc.

Just think about the number of push-ups you could knock out in five three-minute mini-workouts, that you probably wouldn’t make time for otherwise.

Objective: Take advantage of short breaks while in the office, watching TV, between phone calls, or any other time you find yourself with a few minutes to kill, to do mini-workouts that get the heart rate up and build strength.

Rules: At least three times per day, use short windows of time to exercise. These should be in addition to your regularly planned exercises.

Resources:

Integrated Movement (Sid Garza-Hillman)

Challenge 7: A Month of Review

Phew! What a first six months this has been!

If all has gone as planned, you’re now crushing your mornings with a healthy breakfast and meditation, taking advantage of extra time to work out and get stronger, and between regular meal planning and food prep, you’re saving time and money, and eating healthier than ever.

That is pretty darn cool. But …

Chances are at least one of those challenges hasn’t stuck.

This month I want you to ask yourself why you’re struggling with a certain challenge, and really dive in to figuring out what you can do to make that challenge, or a version of the habit it encourages, stick.

Objective: Review the first six months of challenges to see where you’re falling behind and which habits have been the most successful.

Rules: Do a complete brain dump of everything you’re thinking and feeling about each month’s challenge. Over the next few weeks, review those notes and spend the time evaluating progress and hurtles to see how you can improve and set yourself up better going into the second half of the year.

Resources:

The Sacred Weekly Review: How to Stay on Track Indefinitely (Jeff Sanders)

Challenge 8: Intermittent Fasting

This one might be the toughest challenge yet, but harder challenges yield bigger results.

Intermittent fasting, or cycling between fasting and non-fasting, has recently become a popular weight-loss tool by boosting your metabolism, and it has also been shown to provide longevity benefits as well.

There are a number of approaches to intermittent fasting, including:

The 16:8 method where you eat within an eight-hour period each day and fast for the remaining 16 hours. When you’re fasting you can’t take in any calories, but you can consume non-caloric beverages, including coffee, herbal tea, water, and sparkling water.

The 5:2 method where you eat normally for five days of the week, and restrict your calories to 500 (women) or 600 (men) the other two days.

The eat-stop-eat method where you do one or two 24-hour fasts each week; for example, not eating after lunch until lunch the next day.

The alternate-day fasting method, which involves eating normally one day, and then eating very low-calorie (500 calories) the following day.

This month, the challenge is to follow one of these methods for 30 days.

Objective: Experiment with intermittent fasting to see if it helps with your energy, weight, or overall healthiness goals.

Rules: Ease into an intermittent fasting cycle by choosing a plan that works for you. Once you have a plan, give it a go for the next month. Take notes and track how you feel and your energy levels, and consider whether it’s something you’d like to continue.

Resources:

Intermittent Fasting for the Vegan Athlete: Is It Right for You?

Disclaimer: As with any major diet change, consult your doctor to ensure you’re healthy enough to start intermittent fasting.

Challenge 9: The Pre-Dawn Miracle

Not a morning person? Me neither. I wasn’t, anyway.

In a recent upgrade to the Apple iPhone iOS, they added something called “Bedtime,” where you set a bedtime and wake-up alarm based on the number of hours you’d like to sleep each night. Up until I used that tool, I would set my morning alarm based on what I had going on that day. Now, my phone wakes me up at the exact same time each day. And because I’m an idealist, I set that time earlier than I normally wake up.

Amazingly, after a week or two of waking up at the same earlier hour every day, my natural clock started following the alarm. I’d wake up with more energy and alertness, and the added time and energy has made my mornings more productive than ever.

This month, the challenge is to turn that daily alarm up by 45-60 minutes, and start the process of kicking off your day earlier. While 45 minutes may not sound like much by itself, in just one week that’s over five additional hours of productive time. Over an entire month? 22.5 hours. How’s that for finding time?

Objective: Begin waking up earlier to take advantage of the quiet, productive time and not feel as rushed or stressed in the morning.

Rule: Set your alarm at least 45 to 60 minutes earlier for each weekday morning. No snoozing!

Resources:

How to Use the First 20 Minutes of Your Morning to Transform Your Day

Mornings 101: How to Become an Early Riser (Jeff Sanders)

Bonus: Jeff Sanders on the First Things You Should Do Each Morning

In this short clip with Jeff Sanders of the 5AM Miracle Podcast, recorded for a morning routine module in the No Meat Athlete Academy, Jeff shares the steps he takes first thing every morning.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/no-meat-athlete/7f1387b0-e03e-11e7-a66c-e3f38771cb13.mp4

Click here to gain access to the full module with Jeff Sanders, along with dozens of other health, fitness, and mindset programs inside the NMA Academy.

Challenge 10: Morning Pages

What if you could start each (now earlier) day by dumping out everything on your mind first thing — no matter the topic?

It’s called Morning Pages, and people (including Matt) swear by it. Morning Pages is the process of writing three pages in a stream-of-consciousness format first thing in the morning. These aren’t pages anyone will ever read, and aren’t intended to be rewritten or used on a blog.

Just a massive brain dump, every single morning.

Objective: Promote clarity and productivity through stream-of-consciousness writing first thing in the morning.

Rules: Write at least three stream-of-consciousness pages. There’s no wrong way to do it, as long as you just let the writing flow. Remember, no one will be reading this or using it later.

Resources:

Morning Pages

Challenge 11: No Beer, Coffee, or Other Vice

Whether it’s alcohol, coffee, chocolate, or Doritos, everyone has their vice.

It’s time you go 30 days without yours.

I know, I know… What’s the harm in an evening beer or morning cup of joe? Probably not much, but you likely won’t know until you go without it. The discipline, clarity, and independence you’ll gain from ditching something you once felt dependent on will give you strength to take on bigger challenges moving forward.

Objective: Ditch one vice for 30 days to prove to yourself that you’re strong enough to go without.

Rules: Select a vice. Ditch it for an entire month without exceptions. If it’s hard to ditch, you’re doing it right.

Resources:

One Year No Beer

My Randomized Plan to Quit Coffee

One Year No Beer? (NMA Radio)

Challenge 12: Tidy Up

If you listen to No Meat Athlete Radio, you’ve likely heard Matt and me talk at length about The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. For us, the book was, well, life-changing.

This month’s challenge is to tidy up your life: your things, habits, and lifestyle.

If you’d like to follow Marie Kondo’s method exactly, I definitely recommend the book, but for the purposes of this challenge, let’s keep it simple:

Get rid of what doesn’t serve you.

Objective: Rid your life of the extra “stuff” that clutters your home and life.

Rules: Throughout this month, focus on one specific area of your home or life at a time, and go through it. Ask yourself, does this thing/habit/routine serve me? If not, make an intentional decision of whether or not to keep it.

It may seem hard at first, but trust me, freeing yourself from things you don’t need is addicting, and once you get going, you’ll be amazed at what you can let go.

Resources:

The Life-Changing Habit to Start Today

Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up by Marie Kondo

Marie Kondo’s Talk at Google

Print This Out. Make a Plan. Take Action.

Reading through this all at once, it sounds impossible.

You want me to do all that, one right after another?!

But once you get started, and begin feeling and experiencing the benefits of the changes and habits you’re developing, I bet you’ll look forward to each new challenge.

Challenges that could make 2018 your happiest, healthiest year yet, and catapult you towards your fitness and nutrition goals.

So print this out. Get your friends or family involved, and start laying the foundation for a healthier, stronger you.

About the Author: Doug is an ultrarunner, coach, and the co-host of NMA Radio. Pick up his free eBook, Why Every Runner Should Be a Trail Runner (And How to Become One).

The post 12 Monthly Nutrition and Health Challenges to Thrive in 2018 appeared first on No Meat Athlete.

First found here: 12 Monthly Nutrition and Health Challenges to Thrive in 2018

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vitalmindandbody · 7 years

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Mamadou Sakho: ‘Whatever they say or do, they cannot replace what they took away from me’

In an exclusive interview, the Liverpool defender who is on loan at Crystal Palace, talks for the first time about his devastation at missing out on Euro 2016, what he did during his ban and his future

For Mamadou Sakho, there is no satisfaction to be had in vindication. He has known for over a year he had done nothing wrong, and that the fat burner containing higenamine, for which he tested positive after helping Liverpool to Europa League progress beyond Manchester United, was not included on the World Anti-Doping Agencys prohibited list. Uefa had admitted as much last July before, in the first section of a 104-page dossier released this week by its control, ethics and disciplinary body, the blame game over the players ban degenerated into petty finger-pointing between the governing body and Wada.

The real victim, the man who had been denied involvement in a cup final and a place in the host nations squad at Euro 2016, can only watch as the bickering shames the authorities. I worked so hard to prepare myself for the European Championship, to help my country, to wear the France shirt in a tournament on home soil, says Sakho. Now Ill never do that. Whatever they say or do, they cannot replace what they took away from me. My lawyer can see what happens next but, for me, I focus on other things. I have learned in life you should never look back over your shoulder, wondering what might have been. That is the past. Always look forward, at the next challenge. Its life. Good and bad things happen, but my mentality is always to try and find a positive. It is the only way to be and, today, I am really happy.

The last 13 months have tested that admirable mindset but, while his circumstances have shifted dramatically, Sakho is not one for changing. He is sitting in a backroom at The Hoxton, a hotel in east Londons trendy Shoreditch, a Crystal Palace loanee whose impact at Selhurst Park has helped wrest five wins from seven matches to ease Sam Allardyces team away from the condemned. A player more used to competing at the top end of a division has been a colossus a leader and organiser, a warrior and inspiration delivering everything Palace hoped he might. He has already achieved cult status among his adopted supporters, just as he had back at his parent club. On Sunday at Anfield, where he will be ineligible, he will watch on from the stands with both teams potentially, if privately, wishing they had him to plug the Sakho-shaped holes in their respective defences.

He admits to finding that scenario awkward, as if uncertain where his loyalties should lie, but it is just the latest twist to an unconventional year. Some of his setbacks have been self-inflicted perceived tardiness on Liverpools pre-season tour of the United States, for which he apologised and was fined, helped fracture his relationship with Jrgen Klopp but it was that routine drug test and the assessment of his urine sample undertaken at a Wada-accredited laboratory in Cologne which had nudged his career on its unexpected course. Sakho has never denied taking the product which contained higenamine and, after liaising with Liverpool, voluntarily made himself unavailable once Wada flagged up the positive test. Uefa would ban him for 30 days pending its own investigations, inquiries which ultimately saw it query whether higenamine should even be considered a prohibited beta2-agonist.

The centre-halfs last appearance for Liverpool had been as a goalscorer in a 4-0 victory over Everton. Less than a week earlier he had scored his sides equaliser in that staggering Europa League quarter-final comeback over Borussia Dortmund. Sitting out what followed fuelled frustration and anger, born of a feeling of helplessness.

But for me, the hardest moment was when I saw my Mum, my sister, my brother, my wife in tears they didnt understand the situation, says Sakho. That was difficult, seeing them upset. They were devastated, but I was there trying to explain to them I had done nothing wrong, and that everything would be alright. It would all be fixed. I was actually quite calm, quite peaceful, and just trying to reassure them. It was a time for me to be strong, and those who are close to me had faith. We knew that, eventually, I would be proved right.

Crystal Palace won their first four games with Mamadou Sakho in the team, including the victory at Stamford Bridge over Chelsea. Photograph: PPAUK/REX/Shutterstock

He would be, but not before he had sat out the Europa League final, where Sevilla eventually overran Liverpool, and been overlooked for Frances squad for the summers championships. Missing out on a home tournament, whose showpiece would be staged just across the Parisian pripherique from where he grew up in Goutte dOr, was cruel. Uefas disciplinary body would absolve him of any fault just 48 hours before the final. I knew the ban meant I could not be picked, so I spoke with the manager Didier Deschamps and promised I would come to Frances first game, and to their last game too, and that I hoped that would be the final. It was. I visited the team hotel in Paris the day before the final to show my support. My ambition is still to play for my country at the World Cup in 2018, and regain my place.

During that whole period I spent time with my family, and with my charity [AMSAK] in Senegal and Ivory Coast. I know I have been lucky in my life and can give something back. We visited an orphanage, a school for deaf and dumb children, and a juvenile jail, speaking to the kids there, giving them advice because everyone makes mistakes. The most important thing is to learn, to share knowledge. Doing that does feel like a release, a chance to put out a positive message and show that everyone can do something to help in his own way. I am lucky I can use my status in a positive way and give something back. You have to help people find a better level, always. The world can be better as a result.

Life at Liverpool was always a game of catch-up after the suspension, with the issues over the summer confirming the team had moved on. An August switch never materialised and he went into the final hours of the January transfer window uncertain where his future lay. Palace, 19th and defensively fragile, won at Bournemouth on the night of the deadline with Allardyce unsure whether he would end the game having secured Sakho or the Everton striker Arouna Kon as his second top-flight loanee. There were frantic post-match telephone calls conducted by the chairman, Steve Parish, and the manager in a corridor at the Vitality stadium as the clock ticked down, with Sakho waiting in the clubs office up in Soho. It was only after midnight that the Premier League ratified the defenders arrival on a five-month deal.

Id only heard good things about the manager, and his being here helped make my decision easier, says Sakho. I spoke with [the Rubin Kazan midfielder] Yann MVila, who had worked with him at Sunderland last season, and he spoke so highly of the coach. He knows what he is doing, a top manager. Then there were people like Yohan Cabaye and Christian Benteke who told me this was a good team, a good club, and reassured me the move would work for everyone. Then there was the chairman. When he spoke to me on the telephone, he sold me his club. The passion with which he spoke about Palace it really touched me. He transmitted that emotion to me in the telephone call. Hes a man of his word. He made me want to fight for his club.

Look, it was still a big challenge, and a very different kind of challenge. But Im so glad I did it. I get a kick out of being out on the pitch, playing football again. I am playing in front of big crowds, fans who appreciate my style of play. Ten months is a long time, but theres no secret to hitting the ground running. No magic formula. I never stopped training and working really hard at Liverpool, over the summer and Im proud of the effort I put in. It is paying off. It comes from my parents. They came to France 30 years ago from Senegal and it was so hard for them. They had to fight for everything, and they transferred this mentality to me. It is in my football, and it comes from the upbringing my parents gave me.

Mamadou Sakho visited the France team during Euro 2016 to give them support and hope to represent his country at next years World Cup. Photograph: Dave Winter/Icon Sport via Getty Images

His seven matches to date have yielded 16 points, four clean sheets, a win at Chelsea, a first home success over Arsenal since 1979 and, most surreal of all, a celebratory jig of appreciation on the pitch from Sasa Curcic. Allardyce and Palace would be eager to retain his services if they retain their Premier League status, even with his asking price spiralling closer to 30m with each eye-catching display. But you know, to talk about my future now is almost… goste. Yes, selfish. It is not the time. My only goal is the mission I have accepted at Crystal Palace, and Im trying to help them succeed in what they need to do. Im part of a team, and its the team that matters. Not my future. Not my contract. Not what happens next.

Its all about seeing Palace safe, and were not there yet. If I wear the Liverpool shirt again I will gladly. I have three more years of contract there. But if I have to stay at Palace, I would do that gladly too. Im happy, I feel good here. Im also someone who is ambitious, so I will let my agent deal with that in the summer and well see where we are. If my future proves to be somewhere else well, so be it. Ill leave everything on my mothers prayers.

Sunday will be strange. I will be there with the Palace squad but, for this game, Im in an awkward position. I have a foot in each camp. I still belong to Liverpool, a great team with a great manager, a club I really appreciate. I had this great relationship with the Liverpool fans and the players. But I now have that same relationship with Palace and their fans. The team as well. Everything has gone so well in the last few months maybe this should be a case of may the best team win.

Liverpool will always mean something to Sakho, as was demonstrated by his recent post on Instagram on the anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster. But, today, I am with Crystal Palace, he adds, and we need those three points.