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norabrice1701 · 4 years

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An Offer Received - Part IV

A Jaguar Villain Tom Hiddleston Character (Thomas Conrad) fanfic

Pairing: Thomas Conrad x Fem!reader

Summary: Life as Mr. Conrad’s foot soldier has consequences.

Rating: Controlling behavior, threats, f-bombs, Dark!Conrad

Previously: Part III.2 - 5 Months

A/N: Still here, and still going! The life delay took longer than anticipated, but excited to wrap this up! Thank you to everyone who’s liked and followed this tale!

GIF credit to original poster via the Tumblr search!

Part IV - 5 Minutes

You only limped for two weeks while the incisions healed. But every time you took a step, you swore you could still feel the VI emblazoned in your skin. His mark. His brand. A constant reminder of what you’d been folded into. And, worse, given your word to support.

It should repulse you more, but strangely…it hadn’t been bad so far. Nothing in the office environment changed. You still reviewed divisional output, provided daily briefings, and assisted with whatever Mr. Conrad needed to keep LOKI as the industry frontrunner. He remained just as cold and detached as he had before he marked you, except for a searing, possessive gleam that darkened his eyes if you held his gaze for too long. As if he dared you to give the situation a voice, dared you to press him for everything that remained unspoken.

But you bided your time. At first, you had wondered – now that you were a marked foot soldier – if you would be privileged to know more about the mysterious Operation ‘Blue Sea’. But apparently there were still limits to Mr. Conrad’s trust. As infuriating and frustrating as it was.

It made you wonder if he could actually do it. Would he build the sixth greatest empire that the world had ever known? Was that even possible? And if he failed, what then? How many foot soldiers would go down with him?

Those thoughts shouldn’t concern you right now, though. Mr. Conrad had a meeting in 29 minutes and he needed your notes from this morning’s divisional alignment meeting. Your fingers flew over the keyboard with swift accuracy, recounting the discussion as it happened and nothing more. Mr. Conrad was more than capable of drawing his own conclusions.

“Hey, you.”

The familiar voice warmed your insides and you couldn’t help but look up with a smile. Sebastian Barnes had always been handsome with his dark hair and stormy eyes, and those lips that always edged a playful smile. You’d been surrounded by so much cold precision as of late and Sebastian was a welcome wave of comforting warmth.

He chuckled softly, gaze dancing over your face. “It’s good to see you, too. Been a while.”

You hummed in consideration. “Too long, probably.”

“Too long, but hopefully not too late.” He glanced around the office suite. “Swanky new digs. It’s obvious the new gig agrees with you. Certainly suits you, anyway. Mr. Conrad’s never had someone represent him so directly.”

You arched a dubious brow. “He doesn’t trust me that much.”

“Doesn’t matter. You’re good at everything you set out to accomplish. I admired that about you from the start.” His smile brightened boyishly as he stole a quick glance to Conrad’s closed doors before turning back. “But hey, I was wondering if we...could do dinner tonight. We’re both guilty of work getting in the way, but…I think I’d like to make that change. At least, for myself - new year, new resolution and all that. So, yeah….dinner tonight?”

Your throat tightened, so desperate to say yes, to enjoy a night of easy conversation and free laughter outside the delicate web of Conrad’s design. But how could you possibly take that risk? You shook your head slowly, regret softening your face. “That sounds wonderful, Sebastian, really - but I’m…I’m not available. Tonight...or any other night.”

His brow pinched in obvious confusion. “No? Oh, no – please don’t tell me I’m too late. What…is there – is it me? Or…someone else?”

You bit your lip, not wanting to lie to him. “I – yeah, I guess you could say there’s someone else.”

“How did I lose out, huh? We had a good thing – good, if infrequent. How did I get bumped out of line?”

It was a fair question. You’d never said you were exclusive with Sebastian, but you weren’t the kind of girl to play a string of lovers. You sighed, glancing quickly to the clock on your computer screen. Time was running out before Conrad’s meeting. “I didn’t mean for it to happen,” you started softly, “it had nothing to do with you – I really did enjoy our nights together. But this other guy, he just…just swept me up.”

That seemed to take him aback as he pulled a confused face. “What does that even mean?” He glanced up from you, around the suite. All at once, an idea flashed on his face, revulsion and disbelief seeping into his eyes. “Oh, Christ…I didn’t want to believe it. But it’s true, isn’t it?” He stared at you as if he’d never seen you before. “You did fuck him to get the job.”

“No, god no. I didn’t fuck him to get the job.”

“Oh, so you just fucked him after you got the job?”

You glared up at him, feeling your cheeks flush, betraying the truth. “It’s not like that.”

“Jesus.” He scrubbed a hand through his hair and down his face. His eyes locked to you, passing undeniable judgment. “I defended you, you know. I thought ‘no, she’s above sleeping with a guy for professional gain.’ I mean, you slept with me with nothing to gain.”

“Sebastian, stop talking. Please-.”

“How could there possibly be another explanation?” He studied your face, tilting his head as he seized on another idea. “Wait…please don’t tell me that you actually like that cold bastard?”

“It’s…it’s complicated.”

“It’s really not. Unless he forced you…,” he blinked, eyes probing your face for more, “please don’t tell me he forced you. Or, better yet…please do. It would be gratifying to take down that smug son of a bitch.”

“No, he didn’t force me. And you should really stop talking now.” You cast a sideways glance towards the still closed double doors. “You do realize that he can probably hear you.”

“Don’t know that I care much. Whatever he did to you, said to you…he stole you from me. And that…,” he paused for a breath, sadness seeping into his face, “that hurts, you know. I like you – well, I did like you. But I guess you weren’t the girl I thought you were.”

You sighed, welling with heartache and hoping this would be the end. The last thing you wanted was for Conrad to make an unwelcome appearance, so better to just rip the bandage off. “Yeah...I guess not.”

He opened his mouth as if to speak, but closed it just as quick. He half-nodded, still looking hurt and baffled, but then he turned for the office suite doors. Your heart longed to call out after him – he really was a decent guy who deserved someone better than you. Someone better and stronger who wouldn’t have fallen into Conrad’s calculating clutches.

The hydraulic hinge hissed as the door closed behind him and tears stung your eyes. You bowed your head, fighting them back. You knew that you needed to focus now – this meeting was soon. Your notes were expected. You could cry all night, pound the pillows in frustration, and numb yourself with wine later. Later.

“…Darling?”

Your head shot up on the gentle endearment, startled at the suddenness of the voice.

Conrad stared down at you with an alarmingly compassionate, concerned edge. His expression looked so genuine, but you knew him well enough now to know that it wasn’t genuine. How could it be? He hadn’t been genuine with you since that first meeting.

“Darling,” he repeated, his voice so achingly tender, “you look so terribly upset.”

You forced yourself to summon a smile, hoping your eyes and cheeks weren’t too telltale red. “I’m fine, really. Just...early spring allergies.” You sniffled, mostly for effect, but also to help clear your tears. “But I do appreciate your concern, sir.”

He shook his head, the concerned façade disappearing to reveal pure disgust. “You’re a terrible liar, and you should know better.” He crossed behind your desk in a predatory flash, standing alongside your chair, a firm hand on the back to hold you steady. You breathed deep his subtle cologne as he leaned down, warm breath against your ear. “Tell me the truth. Right now. Otherwise…well, you remember what I said about punishment?”

You squeezed your eyes shut, hanging your head. What did you have to lose? Sebastian already thought the worst of you. You already wore Conrad’s brand. You swallowed hard. “A lover’s quarrel, that’s all. A quarrel that ended hurtfully.”

Chilled fingertips crept across the skin of your neck. “Good girl. Though, I confess myself disappointed - you never told me that I was second. That someone else in this building was first to convince you to spread your legs.”

You froze, suddenly confused. “I...I wasn’t a virg-”. Your words choked off as his hand wrapped around your throat, squeezing just enough. Panic rose in your chest as you forced yourself to keep breathing.

“Don’t be stupid.” His words were little more than a deadly hiss. “It would be embarrassing for a woman of your age to still wear that mantle. Just as I won’t be made a fool of playing second fiddle to a man like Barnes.” His thumb stroked delicately against your skin as he continued to hold you, lips skimming the shell of your ear. “So, you will tell me each detail - how he touched you, how he fucked you. And only when I am satisfied - only when you have earned it, and you’re begging me - will I fuck you until you forget his name and yours.”

You twitched in your chair, feeling your heart race. Nothing about that should sound appealing, but some dark part of you thrilled at his show of dominance. Even if it was, at base level, nothing better than a threat.

You swallowed, gaze darting to your computer clock to stall for time. “But, sir -.” You gasped as his hold tightened.

“You’re not invited to speak unless asked a direct question.”

“But - your meeting!” You tried again, voice ragged. “The notes you need-.”

He sneered a discomforting laugh. “Fuck the meeting. Believe me, this time next week - it won’t matter.”

Fear raced along your spine, both at his words, and the sudden withdrawal of his hand and suffocating presence. You gasped for breath, trying not to jump as strong fingers pressed to the underside of your chin, tilting it sideways and up to look at him.

His eyes burned with dark, glacial fire, his posture the mark of controlled composure. “My office. Five minutes.”

He turned for his office, nothing hurried in his stride, and you drew a deep breath. You didn’t realize you’d forgotten to breathe as the words slammed home in your brain.

His office. Five minutes. Fuck the meeting. Everything he expected you to tell him.

You rested your head in your hands, fighting to bury every last feeling you had for Barnes. They wouldn’t help you, and you refused to give Conrad the satisfaction of seeing you cry. Perhaps you could - well, not lie exactly - but stretch the truth. What you shared with Barnes was not Conrad’s business, and if he thought he could make you think differently...then, he had another thing coming. If he wanted to control you, flay you open and rebuild you in his image, then...then you damn well wouldn’t give him that satisfaction.

Two minutes now. You hit the ‘do not disturb’ setting on your phone and computer status before rising, steeling yourself. Your heels sank into the carpet as you approached his open office door.

He stood at his desk, grey suit jacket slung across the back of his chair as his fingers worked at his tie. Your throat went dry at the sight - he’d never been seen around the office without his tie perfectly placed.

With a whisper of fabric, he pulled it free from his shirt collar, letting it drop to his desk. His gaze landed on yours as his fingers turned to his cufflinks. “Close the door.”

Your heart accelerated, feeling the heady pulse of adrenaline as you followed his order.

The cufflink clinked to the glass desktop, nimble fingers now rolling up his sleeves to expose strong forearms. “You understand my expectations?”

You bit your lip. “Yes, sir.”

He turned his attention to his other sleeve, letting the anticipation, the tension build.

His office had never felt so suffocating, the air so thick you might choke. You watched as he came around the front of his desk, fingers skimming the discarded tie in an unspoken threat, an unspoken promise. An unbidden current of heat flared to life within you.

He leveled you with those piercing eyes. “Now, where were we?”

Up Next: Part V - 5 Days

#tom hiddleston #villain #the art of villainy #hiddlesedit #good to be bad #world domination #loki #avengers reference #fanfic #an offer received #wannabe writer #tom hiddleston x reader #tom hiddleston x you #not rpf

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sophiasalise-blog · 4 years

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Procrastination and Mindfulness

Procrastination keeps many people from doing what they are supposed to do. It hinders them from achieving the things that they should achieve. And I am one of those many people who constantly procrastinates. It has always been a challenge for me to do tasks right away as soon as they are given because I think that there is still a lot of time to do it and I can just work on it later but in the end, I am left with little to no more time. Whenever there is an upcoming exam or a paper or project due next week, I become aware of my responsibilities and my time and I try to schedule. However, I still end up starting on those papers just days or hours before it is due because I chose to somehow run away from it by doing other things that I find entertaining and fun. It is a constant struggle for me because I always end up in the same scenario every time, that excruciating feeling of having to rush things just to make it to the deadline. After every hell week or busy season, I always promised to myself to never do it again and that I should plan my study schedule. But I still ended up doing the same thing.

These procrastination incidents made me realize that delaying things is never fun that is why I really want to be serious about improving myself in this aspect. I want to learn how to follow my schedule and make the most out of my time for life not to escape from me. I want to become more mindful of myself and my time. During those times that I procrastinated, I was only thinking that I still have a lot of time so it wouldn’t be bad if I would watch a few episodes of a series or sleep for an extra few hours. I thought that it was just alright and that I was only relaxing, but the relaxing phase became uncontrolled that I kept delaying my responsibilities in exchange for the short-term gratification that I got from it. At the start, I felt happy because I was able to watch some episodes and I was able to do other things outside school-related activities. But as the deadline drew nearer, I started to become anxious and I panicked internally. I started regretting about wasting time being unproductive. I wished that I could turn back time and do what I was supposed to do. However, I couldn’t do such thing, so I just faced reality and started working on the remaining time. In that little time, I felt the pressure, maybe about 3 or 4 times the pressure I felt when the task was given. I felt like everything was falling upon me, the requirements, the deadlines, the quality of work that I should achieve, all that were piling up to me. But I couldn’t run away anymore because if I do so, I would fail. And that failure won’t be worth it because it was only due to my mismanagement of time. So, I pushed myself to beat the deadline, and fortunately, I was able to do so but I was not confident with my output or with how much I studied. I regretted again but I promised to work better next time yet again I was caught up in the same cycle.

The experience was both bad and good for me. It was bad because I worked under so much pressure. I couldn’t deliver the best of my abilities and ended up producing mediocre work. It stressed me so much to the point that I just wanted to give up but thankfully I did not. The good thing about the experience was that I was able to see the result of my actions. It made me realize that it’s not good to keep on procrastinating and that I should improve my work habits next time. However, I am still at the part of putting my goals or these improvements into action. At this point, I can say that my process of learning and putting things into action is not that effective yet, but I’ll get there hopefully soon.

I learned that I should do away with this habit of procrastination and start working on improving myself because this won’t do me good in the long run. Since I wanted to improve, I read some articles about procrastination and I found out that the real cause of it isn’t bad time management, but it is about managing emotions. According to the article, the task we’re putting off is making us feel bad – perhaps it’s boring, too difficult or we’re worried about failing – and to make ourselves feel better in the moment, we start doing something else, like watching videos (Jarret, 2020). And it struck me because all this time I thought that I just didn’t know how to manage my time well, but I was wrong, there are just things in the task that made me want to run away from it. And if I incorporate this idea with the video that I watched about mindfulness, I can say that I was too overwhelmed with many emotions and thoughts about the task that I found other tasks - which are unimportant - as a form of an escape.

What I did in the past incidents was I only kept on telling myself to plan out my study schedule and avoid distractions the next time it would happen. It was not that effective that is why I would do something differently next time. Since I already know what the real cause of procrastination is, I will try to sort my emotions about the task and find out why I want to run away from it. I will do it with the aid of 10 minutes of meditation as taught in the video. It will help me to take a step back from the task and examine it for me to be able to become familiar with it and the emotions that come with it. By doing so, I will somehow find a way in dealing with the overwhelming thoughts and emotions.

When it happens again, I will have a greater sense of focus towards the present situation I will be in and remain calm in performing the task. It will allow me to become fully aware of the present and hopefully be able to prioritize the important tasks. Only then will I be able to maximize my time more and use it well for personal growth and improvement while also giving time to leisure and fun.

You can watch All it takes is 10 mindful minutes by Andy Puddicombe at this link:

https://www.ted.com/talks/andy_puddicombe_all_it_takes_is_10_mindful_minutes?language=en#t-251249

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pequena-dedeus · 4 years

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Everything about Tasks

How's it going guys today. I want to go over a question called task scheduler. This is a super super common interview, question right now: that's going on at Facebook, so it's a good one to know. As a quick note, sorry that I've not been uploading like the past month or so I actually got sick for a while, and then I was out of town - and I was studying for a bunch of stuff, so kind of can really can commit a lot of Time to uploading, but hopefully I will start uploading super regularly again. I don't really want to commit or promise anything just yet, but I really am trying to upload a lot Morgan. So hopefully I will be able to do so. So, just as a quick start up - and you guys have any kind of questions you guys home and do be sure to leave in the comments I'll try and address all the comments like I always do and I would be happy to try and solve any question. You guys are having problems with so again today is task scheduler. This is asked by Facebook. Definitely a good question to know it says, given a character array representing task.

Cpu needs to do. It contains capital letters, A to Z, where letters represent different tasks. The task can be done without the original order. Each task could be done in one interval for each interval. The CPU could finish one task or just be idle. However, there's a non-negative cooling interval and that just means between the two same tasks. There must be at least and intervals that the CPU is doing different tasks or just being idle. You need to return the least number of intervals that the CPU will take to finish all the given tasks, wow. That was a mouthful and kind of broken English, but anyways the whole gist of this problem is that we're given a bunch of tasks, some of which are recurring so here right. We see that a curves 3 times B occurs three times and we need to process all these tasks on the CPU and the only catch really is that between two same tasks, there's some non-negative cooling interval. So if this is our example, right and n is to 2, which is the non-negative cooling interval. We output eight and the reason is because we're on a and then B and then we have to be idle and then a then B again, and we have to be idle right because we haven't had two processes in between a here. So we can't rerun a, and so we have to be idle here and here and then we output 8, because this took 1 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 8 cycles.

I guess, or intervals to actually run all these tasks. So the first thing that should really kind of jump out of you that jumped out at me is this is like a greedy approach, and by greedy I mean you want to run the most frequently occurring task first, and the reason for that is because then, if You run the most frequently occurring tasks. First, you have the best chance of not running into the situation where the CPU has to be idle right. So, ideally, the CPU will be idle as little as possible and if we run the most frequently occurring tasks first, we have the best chance of it running again in the shortest time period, because we can put all the other tasks between it.

So that's the first thing that jumps out. The second thing that jumps out is that, because we want to always be running the most frequently occurring tasks or if we can't run a right, which you know arguably in this scenario, is the most frequently occurring task. We want to run the next one, which would be B, so we had five processes. We always want to greedily, be taking the most frequently occurring task that we can process it process at any given moment. So we probably won't like a max-heap right, so we can keep track of all the most frequently current tasks. So I think what we can do is we can make a map a hash map. We can count. However, many times all of our different tasks occur, throw them all in a heap and then we could be in doing our processing. So let's start doing that.

Okay, so we're gon na make a hash map. So hash map will map a character which will be a task to an integer, which is how many times it occurs. Map equals new hash map cool and so now, we're gon na say for every character, C right, which is really a task in our tasks. We'Re gon na say, map top put that character with maps out yet or default C: comma, zero plus one. So if you guys haven't seen me use this function before all this is doing, is it's gon na say put whatever C maps to in the map increment? It by 1, so plus 1 or if we've never seen C before we're gon na put it in the map with a count of 1. That'S all that means well, okay, cool! So now what we want to do is we want to make a maxi right. So, let's make a priority queue, priority queue and it's just gon na hold integers, because we don't really care what task is running necessarily. We just want to make sure that the count of the tasks is the highest or the most frequently occurring so we'll say max heap equals noon. Priority queue cannot type right now, oops.

Now we need to tell the priority queue: how to organize itself right. So we're just gon na pass it function, saying if you're given two elements a and B return or compare them by saying B minus a so all that's going to do all that fancy jargon is really just gon na say. Give me a max heap. Put the max the max number at the root of the heap, so we have constant time access to it cool. So now we have a max heap, so we're never just gon na, say max heap dot. Add all we're gon na say, map dot values. So all this is doing is throwing all the values from our map into our key, and now we get to the actual processing. So we need a return value. So I'm just gon na call this cycles because, typically, when you're dealing with CPUs you're talking about how many cycles are running and I'm sorry how many cycles have passed and how long a certain process takes in terms of cycles, things like that so cool. So now the idea is that we're gon na use our max heap to determine when we're done processing, so our max heap is empty. We'Re done. Otherwise we have some processing to do so.

We'Re gon na do that. So while our max heap is not empty right, we still have some sort of processing to do, and so now we want to do is we want to try and process again the most frequently occurring task that we can write whatever is available so like here? We couldn't run a so we would have run the next thing. Maybe there would have been a third task see in some example, then we could have run so we're gon na do is we're going to iterate through, however long the cooldown interval is and we're just going to constantly try and take tasks to process. So to do that we'll just say for in I equals 0 well, I is less than n plus 1 because it's inclusive right. So if a cool-down is 10 seconds, we need to actually make sure we're waiting, a full 10 seconds, not 9, so we will say, while it's less than n, plus 1, 5 plus plus, and we're actually going to also make a okay. So we're gon na make a list called integer, we'll name at temp equals new ArrayList, and so the idea of temp here is we're.

Just gon na store all the processes that were actually able to run in this while loop or the current iteration of this. While loop, so here we would have been able to run a and B and then we would have been idle. The next time we've been able to run a and B, and then we would have been idle. So now, we'll just simply check if the max-heap max-heap is not empty, then we're just gon na record the fact that we're running whatever's in its route, so we'll say, temp, dot, add max-heap, remove and so again all we're doing is we're taking the current thing in The root of the max heap and we're just gon na say: okay, we're running this. So now, once this loop terminates, we need to determine okay, everything that was in temp right, so everything that we just ran for the given cool-down interval does it still need to be processed more right, and so we determined that a process needs to be run right. If it still has some number left right so every time we run a process, we want to determine the value and if it's not zero, then we need to add it back to the heap right, because we have to run it again.

So we'll just iterate through everything in temp, so for in Zion, temp and we'll just check if we subtract. So if I so, if we subtract one from that current value that we're on in temp, if that's greater than zero, that means that that task still has to be run right. So that's like us running a once. We still have to run a twice. I'M sorry two more times right because it occurs three times. That'S all we're doing so. If we haven't run it enough times, we're gon na say max heap. Add I so we're just adding it back to the heap so now. Finally, once we get here, we need to account for how many cycles that actually run so there's only one interesting scenario like there's two things that could potentially happen, but every time one one of them will happen except the end. So, at the very end, if we let's say run right like here, are two processes a and B, you don't actually need to sit there and be idle for the other.

You know, however many seconds of the cooldown right. We only did that much processing to run a and B, and then we should terminate. We should just be done. So what we can say is we'll say well we'll increment cycles by looking at max-heap and if it's empty, so if max-heap thought is empty. If that's true, then we know we only need to increment cycles by, however many things that we ran so we'll just say: temp dot, size, and otherwise that means that we needed to wait. The full cooldown period like this is a scenario where we run in and we just have to sit there and be idle, so we'll say, plus n plus 1. So again, the idea is just that if we can just simply terminate right, we just finished running the remainder of the tasks.

We only want to increment the number of cycles by, however many processes we just ran, but every other time we'd probably get stuck at the cooldown, so we're just going to increment our cycles by n plus 1, which is the cooldown so now. Finally, once this loop terminates, right or max-heap will be empty and then we should have process all the tasks. So all we have to do is return our cycles. So let's make sure that this works awesome and it looks like it does so guys. That'S how to solve task scheduler or leak code in Java. I hope this is helpful. Good luck on all your interviews. It gives them any questions or anything. I can help you with be sure to leave in the comments: [, Music, ], [ Applause, ], [, Music, ],

#task scheduler #error #task

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edenfalling · 7 years

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[Fic] “Whose Allegiance Is Ruled by Expedience” - Naruto

the_rck said: How about the butcher / baker / candlestick-maker: tradesman for an OC view on some part of the Naruto story line?

Note: This is set pre-canon, and hopefully I've included enough context clues about which canon character and part of the story line I threw at my OC businesswoman. :D (1,600 words)

--------------------------------------------- Whose Allegiance Is Ruled by Expedience ---------------------------------------------

There was a limit to how hidden any ninja village could actually be, even with the bulk of the active ninja out on missions at any given moment. It took a lot of resources to support that many soldiers, and even more to support all their support personnel. Grains and vegetables had to be grown and stored, animals raised and slaughtered, cloth woven, metals mined, waste removed, etc.

There was a lot of money in running a city on a constant, low-grade war footing, if you knew where to look and didn't mind the risk of invasion.

For those who didn't mind risk and who weren't encumbered by deep emotional ties to any one country, there was even better money in supplying missing-nin. Renouncing their political allegiances didn't let missing-nin renounce basic physical necessities, and Kuwa Natsume had rarely met a ninja who was willing to spend actual time and effort on practical logistics when they could subcontract the headaches out instead. The less of a pre-existing support structure they had, the more they were willing to pay to recreate it.

Twenty years of profits had let her buy and refurbish a very nice set of warehouses in her hometown of Asase: a quiet Fire Country harbor near the ruins of Uzushiogakure, popular with smugglers and missing-nin alike. In twenty more years? As long as she exercised some basic precautions, the sky was the limit, wasn't it.

The first trick was keeping the hidden villages from using her records to spy on her clients. Natsume managed that mostly via scrupulous compartmentalization: anything she and her staff didn't need to know, they carefully never learned, so there was no point questioning them for secrets they couldn't reveal. Her willingness to supply off-book missions for the hidden villages didn't hurt, either. Her company was far more useful as a neutral logistics resource than as a reluctant source of probably compromised information. (This didn't stop some ninja from following her staff to various dead-drops, but if her clients weren't alert to potential ambushes at inherent weak points, that wasn't Natsume's problem. Her contracts were explicit on that subject.)

The second trick, of course, was making sure her clients didn't start thinking of her as a threat instead of an asset. Again, compartmentalization helped. So did a track record of honesty and cost-effective results. She'd started small -- little things like food drops, clothing orders, finding convenient gaps in property claims where a hidden camp could go unnoticed -- and by now her reputation did a lot of the hard work for her. The remaining danger was the spice that kept her sharp.

And her latest potential client was certainly dangerous. Natsume had trained herself not to speculate on her clients' names, origins, or intentions, but she was sure this one could kill her in a breath if he wanted. She'd just have to make sure he never wanted to.

Natsume scanned the architectural plans that the missing-nin -- a tall man with paper-white skin, long black hair, and flashy earrings, probably attractive if you went for the sociopathic pretty-boy look -- had handed to her, sighed, and let the scrolled sheets roll back up with a rattling snap.

"Science labs aren't my thing, so I'll assume you know what you need on that front. The rest of it? That's a mess. You'll need a lot of water for a single base this size, let alone a whole series of them. Sound Country's a mess, but political disorganization won't stop farmers from poking around if you divert some streams; that's a nuisance I'm sure you'd prefer to avoid. If you release the used water to rejoin its original streams, you'll need good sewage treatment facilities or people will notice the contamination in the watershed; again, that leads to all kinds of inconvenience. And that's just the plumbing. I could go on about heating and ventilation, but we'd be here all day."

The missing-nin frowned, an expression conveyed more by the wave of frigid potential violence suddenly swamping Natsume's office than any tensing of his facial muscles. Natsume's pulse kicked up. Sweat prickled the edge of her hairline and the small of her back. Her breath caught and her knees wobbled. She didn't bother trying to hide any of that, but she didn't retreat or let her tongue loose, either. You had to let ninja make their little power plays, had to show you were scared -- missing-nin especially could get interested in people who seemed resistant to their skills -- but you couldn't actually knuckle under or you'd never get anywhere.

After an unpleasant minute, the missing-nin smiled and tucked away his killing intent. "I believe I was correct to come to you, Kuwa-san. How soon can you present me a revised set of plans?"

Natsume took a deep breath and forced herself to speak evenly. "That depends on how much you're willing to pay to expedite the process. Overtime hours aren't any cheaper for architects and engineers than for ninja, and yours isn't the only construction contract on our plate."

The missing-nin named a price.

Face carefully blank, Natsume ran a quick set of mental calculations. "Four days, pay half now and the rest upon completion of the contract. And then you should review them in the same room as my team, to save time with the inevitable corrections and additions. Shall we say nine in the morning, five days from now?"

"We shall." The missing-nin stood from his chair in a swift, graceful motion. "I look forward to the fruits of your labor, Kuwa-san, as well as to your continuing discretion. If I'm sufficiently impressed, I may consider signing a supply contract as well as a building contract. We could do business for many years to come."

Natsume smiled, dryly. "So long as you keep yourself alive, I'm happy to keep taking your money. Five days, nine o'clock. Please knock on the door instead of sneaking in so my staff don't have to waste an hour resetting all our alarms and traps."

The missing-nin offered what had to be a deliberately off-putting smile before dissolving into a pile of writhing snakes, which then dissolved into smoke that filled the room from floor to the high warehouse-style rafters.

Natsume waited a minute to be sure her knees had stopped shaking. Then she stood, flung open her window, and leaned out into the sun-drenched afternoon. For a good five minutes she breathed the clean, salt-scented air, watched a ship's crew carefully load and stow the myriad irregular shapes of its cargo, and listened to the irritable scream of gulls and steady rush and slap of waves against the harbor breakwater. Asase, her beloved town, living and growing again, forging new economic lifelines across the continent to replace the ones shredded and drowned by Uzushio's destruction.

Eventually she turned back to the dim interior of her office and said in a conversational tone, "You don't need to spy on me. I'm not going to report your boss to hunter-nin or cheat him on his plans. I don't even know his name. If you'd like to contribute to the design process, though? That could save your boss some valuable time when he comes to review our work."

The office was silent. The nondescript money pouch on her desk offered no clues; it could have appeared at any time, via any number of tricks. Ninja liked their dramatic gestures.

Natsume shrugged. If she'd been talking to an empty room, nobody would ever know. If the missing-nin had left a spy, maybe an extra body would turn up in the project room sometime over the next few days. Or maybe not.

Either way, she had better things to do than fret about ninja paranoia. Storage scrolls didn't order themselves, to say nothing of the copper ore she needed to move from Sand Country to Sky Country, the salt she needed to move from Sky Country to Fire Country, the subcontractor she needed to find for a massive bandage order, the numerous small farms whose pre-optioned output she needed to keep tabs on, and so on and so forth.

Natsume gathered the scrolled plans from her desk, and walked out through her secretary's office. "New client," she said in response to the young woman's curious glance. "Clear my afternoon until, mmm, three o'clock. This one needs a bit of personal attention to make the pieces snap into place, and you can handle everything except client meetings by now. I'll be in the drafting room if you run into any documents official enough that a forged signature won't pass inspection."

Her secretary sat straighter in her chair, looking both terrified and flattered. Smart girl: time to see if she'd sink or swim. Natsume was betting on the latter, but if not, she could smother any fires before they grew too large.

In the meantime, she headed down the hall to the bare, industrial room her chief architect and her chief engineer had claimed for their shared office and workspace. A missing-nin with this much money to throw around, planning for a truly ridiculous number of followers -- almost like he was trying to set up his own village -- most likely meant one of the hidden villages was in crisis. It probably also meant another shake-up in Sound Country. But that wasn't Natsume's concern. All she needed to know was whether the man would honor a contract, and the weight of the pouch in her hand gave her a good feeling on that front.

Whistling to herself, Natsume knocked on the drafting room door.

Profit, here she came.

---------------------------------------------

End of Fic

---------------------------------------------

I have Thoughts about economics among the Elemental Countries, in case that wasn't already obvious from my other Naruto fics. *wry* Actually, now I kind of want to work Natsume into "Guardian," if only as a throwaway line discussing some of Amane Eiji's business partners and stuff. (I am pretty sure Natsume uses his company for shipping, since that's something she'd rather subcontract out to avoid headaches.)

#liz writes stuff #mini ficlet prompt meme #naruto manga #genprompt bingo #in conversation with the internet

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fereality-indy · 7 years

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Gravity Falls Valor Force Rangers

by Fereality

Monday June 6th, 2016

Gravity Falls, Oregon

A group of Gnomes are surrounding a shorter Gnome which had his back up against a young sapling. As he looks around a younger looking Gnome walks to the front of the crowd.

"Well if it isn't the shrimp who was too short to help his family gain more seed blocks from the local bird houses," Geoff said as he stopped in front of the obviously shorter Gnome.

"Look Geoff, I'm sorry. I...", the shorter Gnome started before he was interrupted by Geoff.

"Did I say you could speak? No, I'm not done berating you.", Geoff was practically yelling in the shorter Gnomes face, "Not only did you fail then, you are a constant failure Jefferson. This was your third strike. You messed up the deal we had with the Northwests to supply them with the enchanted pyrite and then you had to open your mouth and it cost us our new queen. She had agreed to everything till you spoke up."

"I had to," Jefferson spoke up, "you were trying to..."

"I was doing nothing that went against the treaty we have with the Pines family," Geoff cut him off again, "AS I have said this was your third strike. You are shunned, exiled from the tribe."

And with that the Gnomes turned away from him as one. As the group began to walk away Jefferson reached out and grabbed Geoff by the shoulder and forcibly turned him back around. "You can't do that to me! You know who I am. My father was the Speaker of the Tribe before you. You're jealous of the fact that I should have taken over as Speaker as soon as I came of age, but no you pulled some archaic rule about height to keep me from gaining my rightful place at the head of the tribe."

"Someone as short as you would never be able to...", Geoff started yelling before he was stopped by Jefferson punching him in the face.

Geoff was saved from a continued assault by the other Gnomes. They picked Jefferson up and threw him down a nearby ravine. They didn't even wait until he had reached the bottom before they had turned back around and left. If they had stayed they may have seen the eerie green light that emanated rock his head hit when he landed.

"They'll regret doing that. I'm still important to our tribe. They'll see that they need me one of these days and then Geoff will rue the day he threw me out," Jefferson said as he dabbed at the blood on his temple.

"If it is vengeance you want, my lord and I can help you gain it.", a sensual voice said out of the air.

"Who are you? Where are you?", Jefferson said as he looked around for the voice. He pressed some fabric from him sleeve against his head wound as he continued, "I know I hit my head but not hard enough that I should be hearing voices."

"Oh my, cutie. I am no mere voice in your head," the disembodied voice practically purred in his ear, "If you decide to help me and my lord, I will reveal myself to you."

"What exactly do you want from me?", he asked as he continued to dab at his wound.

"Just pick up the stone that you hit your head on and smash it to release us," the sultry voice explained.

After digging out the stone he saw it was some type of tablet etched with green glowing markings that seemed to be in some ancient language he doesn't recognize. Tentatively he picked it up and lifted it to face level.

"Well what are you waiting on?", the voice asked feeling as smooth as silk in his ears.

In one swift, strong movement he brought the stone tablet down across a large rock in the center of the ravine. There was a pair of flashes, one green and one a reddish brown.

"Your beauty only surpasses your voice," Jefferson remarked as he took in the two beings standing before him.

From out of the green light walked a caramel skinned beauty. She was dressed in thigh high black boots, a long emerald green dress with a slit up the left side and split open sleeves, a black leather corset, and a silver headdress that framed her face. There were silver lines emblazoned through out her ensemble. Her ebony hair was long and braided with strands of silver and green mixed within it. The thing that struck Jefferson even more than her beauty was the coldness that emanated from her violet hued eyes.

From the other light emerged a tower of a man, or at least Jefferson thought it was a man. He was seven feet tall if he was an inch and muscular, though not bulky like those Manotaur imbeciles, no it was a lean compacted musculature. And though he was wear leather breaches, his upper body was bare. From head to toe he was covered in a fine, ruddy colored fur.

"You have done well my servant," the hirsute mountain of a man said in a voice so deep it shook the ground, "We now must again search for the portals. They will allow us to bring forth my champions."

"I feel the presence of a small portal near my liege," the green garbed beauty said.

"Then dispose of this onlooker and lead the way, Lady Vane" the hairy behemoth ordered.

Jefferson's face fell after hearing the order being given. He swept his gaze over to the virulent goddess before him.

"I would do so Lord Tulka, but much has changed since we were last here," Lady Vane called out before sweeping a hand towards Jefferson, "We will need his help for awhile longer."

"Well then make him more presentable, I cannot have such pathetic creature working under me.", Lord Tulka commented with out a second thought.

"As you wish my liege," Lady vane responded.

As she raised her hands they glowed a deep violet, she leaned over and placed a hand on either side of Jefferson's face. As the glow began to envelope Jefferson he heard her murmur something intelligible. It was only as his body felt like it was on fire, that he felt he should have left the stone alone.

Mystery Shack

"Thanks for letting us have the welcome back party here Soos," Stan said as he watched the former handyman set up the DJ stand in the party room.

"It's no problem Mr. Pines," Soos called back inbetween hammer strikes, "You know the lil doods are family."

"Yeah, besides you and Mr. Ford still own still own the place.", Melody said as she joined into the conversation from where she was hanging streamers, "Soos honey, how does this look?"

"I must channel my inner Mabel," responded as he looked up. Scratching his beard he added, "MORE GLITTER!"

"Gotcha," Melody said with a giggle.

Stan chuckled as he watched the newly engaged couple. He headed over to where Ford was working on the sound system. He had said something about increasing the sound output while decreasing the potential for injury to the ears' audio receptacles.

"Hey Sixer, how's the nerd work coming?", he asked as he looked over Ford's shoulder at what his brother was working on.

As Ford was about to say something he heard a loud incessant beep start coming from his wrist. Looking down he said, "Oh Bill!"

Ford sprung up from the chair he was seated in and headed towards the vending machine doorway.

"Sixer, what's going on?", Stan asked as he followed Ford.

"Hopefully nothing, but if it is something, well I've been preparing some surprises if needed.", Ford said as the vending machine swung open.

Friday June 10th, 2016

The One That Got Cafe

Gravity Falls

The former Dusk2Dawn convenience store had been purchased last summer by a mysterious benefactor and remodeled into a cyber-cafe and coffeehouse. The owner then went and hired one of the most tech savvy people in town, Tambry Mauslein, to help manage it. She in turn hired Candy Chui and Grenda Cliffe as servers, she even found out that her friend Lee Smark was a remarkable barista. There was even a small stage that held monthly poetry recital, bi weekly karaoke sessions (she had Mabel Pines to thank for that one), and occasionally Robbie Valentino and his band played. She's even let that freak Gabe Benson hold a puppet show as a favor to Candy.

Today she was actually spending time with her friends at the counter while Candy and Grenda ran orders. Everyone was there besides Thompson, who was supposed to come in later after he finished his last class of the college semester. He was taking courses in marketing in Portland and the professor in this class was a stickler about attendance. He and Robbie still talk on the phone but no one has seen him since he left for his sophomore year at college two years ago.

"Alright, everyone coming to the Shack tomorrow night?", Wendy asked as she sipped her vanilla foam hot coco.

"Of course man," Lee replied over his soda.

"No way I'm gonna miss a chance to hang out with Funtimes and his sis," Nate added before he downed his espresso.

"And I definitely wouldn't want to miss you and Dipper fawning over each other all night," Tambry said with a smirk as she watched her best friend's cheeks start to gain some rose tint to them.

"We, we do not...", Wendy starts to protest.

Robbie just butted in cutting her off, "You two just need to kiss and get it over with, I'm getting sick of the yearly betting pool going unclaimed."

Upset at being cut off, Wendy jumped up. "We are just friends. Wait a minute, what do you mean 'betting pool'?"

"Wends, sit down.", Tambry said as she grabbed her friends hand, "You're making a scene."

"I'm not causing a scene," Wendy said as she looked around, when she saw that most of the people in the shop were watching her face went redder. Sitting down she continued, "Besides he's only my friend, nothing more."

"Protesting much?", Robbie smirked.

"I'm not protesting, you're protesting.", Wendy snapped at him. Looking around at her friends, she raised an eyebrow as she asked, "What was that about a betting pool?"

Everyone looked around sheepishly, even Grenda and Candy.

"You guys too?", Wendy said as she looked at the younger members of the extended circle of friends. The two girls quickly went back to work.

"Well we've all known you two have liked each other since that second summer," Nate said as he took another drink.

"Speak for yourself, I've known since Dipstick first came to Gravity Falls.", Robbie said as he snagged a biscotti off of the table, "Why else do you think I gave him such a hard time back then, it was so obvious that he had a thing for you that I had to eliminate the competition. Ouch!"

Tambry and Wendy both removed their boots off of the top of his feet.

"Wait if you guys were betting," Wendy started, "does that mean you guys don't think the age difference is too much?"

"At first it was weird but as good as you guys are together," Tambry said as she took another sip of her drink, "you two should totally should go for it."

"Totally, you and Funtimes would be great together.", Lee added

"Lee. We need a triple shot espresso with a shot of vanilla," Grenda called from the table closest to the door.

"Alright muscles," Lee called back as he looked up from the group. While he tamped down the coffee he swore he recognized the patron who apparently ordered the drink.

"Hey do any of you guys recognize the dude over by the door?", Lee asked as he was running the espresso press.

Almost as one the group looked over towards the table. Everyone seemed to agree that the guy looked familiar, it finally took Candy coming over and saying something before they finally figured it out.

"Thompson?"

------------------------------------------------------------

Welcome everyone to the first chapter in this new series. Here is my attempt at a Gravity Falls Power Ranger AU. In summer of 2016 an ancient force has arrived in Gravity Falls intent on finding weakened layers of reality that are prevalent in the area and exploiting them. Realizing fear is one of the ways to find the weak points, he and his evil henchman have begun corrupting both creatures and objects in order to terrorizing the populace. Taking a cue from a friend he met while stuck on the other side of the portal, Ford recruits five 'Teens with Attitudes' to combat this threat.

Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works here: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/556729/fereality

Gravity Heroes, A Superhero AU. A few months after the Mystery Twins head home from Gravity Falls Mabel gets a call from Soos telling her that Dipper was found turned to stone out in the woods. The problem is Dipper is standing right next to her. This leads them off to a new adventure.

Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents.

Welcome To The Gravity Falls Region (Coming Soon), My take on the Pokemon AU. Follow the adventures of the potential Pokemon Master Dipper Pines and his sister Mabel, Pokemon Coordinator extraordinaire, while they travel through the Gravity Falls Region.

The Curse, thanks to a misunderstanding Wendy is targeted by a fairy curse. This is a short story following what happens afterwards.

I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If you do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far. I have received art now from Deviou5, Siryleleen, & Polydactyly Zodiac. These will be posted soon in my Deviant Art account as fan art and credited to them. Thanks again you three. I'm happy to see different interpretations of the characters from the Gravity Heroes AU. Let me know by PM if you do and I'll send out a list of the full descriptions to you. The art is now up at fereality. deviantart just remove the spaces. A new pic of Yami is now up.

Again I'd like to give a shout out to dusk4224, EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.

Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on.

#Gravity Falls #Power Rangers AU #Wendip

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ruthellisneda · 5 years

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3 HIIT Workouts for Beginners: How to Start Interval Training

So you’ve heard amazing things about High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT).

You’re not quite sure what it is, only that people seem to like it and it helps them lose weight. You probably have questions like:

Is it running?

Sprinting?

Why is it so popular?

What are the positives and negatives I should consider?

What if I hate running?

If you’re a busy person, you don’t need to be spending hours a day on a treadmill or out jogging around your neighborhood to lose weight. In fact, those hours of running could actually cause a litany of healthy issues if you don’t have great form!

I’ll try to keep things concise so you can get to the root of the real reason why you’re here: “will Interval Training help me lose weight and get in shape?”

Let’s dig in to what interval training is, and how you can use it to give your heart a great workout and kickstart your weight loss regiment.

What is interval training? What is HIIT?

High Intensity Interval Training is following a specific regiment where you vary your speeds and intensity throughout a shorter run/swim/bike/row.

Any cardio, as long as you’re able to vary your speed easily, can be a form of HIIT.

Imagine jogging lightly for three minutes, then pushing yourself hard for a minute by sprinting, and then repeating this cycle 4 more times (usually around 20 total minutes). That’s HIIT.

So what’s the deal? Why is HIIT so hot in the streets right now?

In 2018, HIIT was ranked the number one fitness trend by American College of Sports Medicine[1]. This makes sense to me, because everybody is busy and overwhelmed, so they’re looking for fast results in a minimum amount of time

Which brings us to intense, short workouts that hopefully create the results we’re all after.

(Notice the word “hopefully” there – but I’ll get to that shortly.)

You may be asking, “Steve, just how short and intense are we talking about here? Also your new haircut looks spiffy.”

Thanks! Let’s explore the pros and cons of intervals!

What are the benefits of HIIT?

The 1996 landmark Tabata study demonstrated the benefits of extreme HIIT[2].

Dr. Izumi Tabata, from Japan’s National Institute of Fitness and Sports, was obsessed with interval training. The doctor sought to see exactly what kind of gains were obtained from short, intense, periods of exercise. So he experimented on some Olympic athletes who were hanging around his institute.

The results were fascinating: compared to regular cardio, HIIT had a greater impact on improving both:

Aerobic increases (endurance)

Anaerobic increases (power)

“Steve, you’re losing me! What’s that mean?”

Let’s imagine you are trying to increase how long you can run. And you also want to increase how hard you can go.

What would you do to improve?

Most people would answer with “try to run more.” You know, like jogging around the block. They’d start doing this a few times a week to improve their overall running capability.

Not a bad response, but there’s a better answer:

As Tabata demonstrated, the best way to increase aerobic and anaerobic capacity would be to focus instead on bouts of intense effort with sprinting followed by short periods of rest. A HIIT exercise, in other words. The intensity required to do such a thing helps build both endurance and power at the same time.

Plus, it takes less time! The average interval training workout is 20 minutes or less. Tabata was able to demonstrate improvements in his athletes in just four minutes. Incredible.

What’s happening here?

Your heart is a muscle. Intense interval training challenges it by forcing it outside of its comfort zone.

This is a good thing.

If you keep your heart beating at a constant rate, never expanding it outside of its comfort zone, it will never grow stronger. This is not good.

That’s why I support Nasim Taleb’s concept of “antifragility” – by introducing chaos and pushing your muscles outside of their comfort zone, they must adapt and grow more resilient in order to survive!

In other words: progressive overload – the same concept behind building strength.

Since Tabata’s 1996 study, many other trials have shown the benefits of interval training. Such as:

Weight loss. A study in the Journal of Obesity found participants were able to lose more body fat following a HIIT program compared to regular cardio[3]. This makes sense, because other studies suggest high intensity interval training burns more calories than a “steady state” workout[4]. Revving up your effort requires more out of you, including calories. If you’re interested in HIIT for weight loss, you’re on the right track.

Lowering blood sugar. Managing blood sugar is really important for health, and not just for diabetics. Those trying to lose fat should be aware of their blood sugar and corresponding insulin levels. The good news for our current discussion? HIIT has been shown to help lower and manage blood sugar levels[5].

Heart health. Touching on the “antifragile” topic again, HIIT has been shown to help with overall cardiovascular health the same way traditional endurance training does, but at a fraction of the time (almost half)[6].

Sold? Me too. Let’s chat about how to actually do some interval training.

What’s an example of a HIIT workout? How to do interval running

The key to HIIT is being able to go from “easy” to “difficult” All sorts of different exercises can get you there. We can group all workouts into aerobic, bodyweight and resistance.

HIIT is generally associated with running (aerobic), so we’ll devote this section to just that.

However, before we get into running (or any kind of HIIT workout), we need to talk about warming up.

To help prevent injury in any HIIT exercise, warm-up first. It can be as simple as doing some jumping jacks and air punches/kicks. These few minutes will loosen up your muscles, priming them for the intensity we are about to bring.

Also, when you’re done doing HIIT, do some stretching or yoga to cool down. Time to warm-up in reverse. This will help your muscles recover after your intense workout.

Okay, back to running.

Probably the easiest way to experiment with HIIT would be to run.

Here’s how to start with a basic HIIT running workout::

Go to a park in your neighborhood.

Warm yourself up with some light jogging, high knees and mobility – leg swings, arm swings, etc.,

Run at a brisk pace for 30 seconds.

Need to slow down on the way? No worries. Jog or walk at a slow pace for 2 minutes.

After your rest, rev up the intensity again. Shoot for another 30 second jog if possible.

Continue until you get tired or after about ten “push/rest” intervals.

You’ll be surprised how quickly you get better at this, so don’t get disheartened if you find yourself stopping a lot. When beginning, don’t even worry about a timer. Just think about switching intensity.

Also, “running” or “jogging” is subjective. Whatever walking fast means to you is great. Do that for your periods of intensity.

It should be noted, that the entire “Couch to 5K” concept rests on interval training through running. It’s all broken down into “walking,” “jogging” and “running.” If you’re curious, check out our in-depth review of the program here. If want to start interval training, “Couch to 5K” could be a good way to do it.

Are you more of an indoor person?

Consider a treadmill, where it actually sets intervals for you based on your desired difficulty. We’ll be talking about machines a lot more in the next section, but a treadmill is all you need to do a HIIT workout. Experiment with the speed and incline to find a setting that you would consider “intense.” Many machines can be programed to flip between this and an “easy” setting. And you know what that means… boom! It’s built for HIIT

What are other examples of HIIT cardio?

There are a lot of different aerobic exercises for HIIT cardio.

For example, you could jump on a bike.

Biking for HIIT is much like running, but with wheels. Try peddling as hard as you can. Might be difficult to do on an actual street, so a stationary bike would be great for HIIT. Every spin class is based on this idea. Check out SoulCycle, Flywheel, or even your local gym for spin class opportunities. They’re popular for a reason, and you can make a friend or two!

Another important point on bikes: when scientists do research on HIIT, they generally use stationary bikes because of safety and ease of observation and measuring energy output. You probably won’t trip and fall on a stationary bike, no matter how fast you are pedalling. If you’re antsy about doing a HIIT workout because of the potential for injury, the bike might be the way to go.

Don’t have access to a bike?

Let’s chat about some other examples

Elliptical. If it has a dial for resistance, it can be used for interval training. That’s the name of the game here with the elliptical. For a couple minutes, go on low resistance (0-2 level). Then crank up the resistance for one minute (up to 8-10). Repeat this process for 12 and a half times, which will give you a 20 minute workout (the “half” allows you to stop after a low resistance interval). Everyone’s different, and this includes ellipticals, so adjust as needed.

Stair Climber. The dial again will help us here. Much like the elliptical, alternate between periods of low intensity for two minutes, then one minute for high intensity. The difference with the climber is the dial will control the speed of the stairs. Be careful.

Rowing machine. We’ll follow the same strategy here. Start with a two minute warm up. On minute three however, row like you’re being chased by the kraken for a full 60 seconds. Then catch your breath. The rowing machine might be hard to do for a full twenty minutes, since it’s a lot of upper body. Shoot for ten minutes at first.

Jumping rope. Jumping rope is a full body exercise. Your leg muscles work to jump, your core engages to keep balance, and your arms work to rotate the rope. Also, it’s fun. There’s no dial here, your own body controls the pace of the jump. Follow the same two minute ease, one minute intense as above. Jump rope can also be done with friends!

So far we’ve just been talking about aerobic exercises. Let’s cover our other categories, of bodyweight and resistance.

What other HIIT workouts are there?

Let’s chat about some alternatives to HIIT cardio, because I can already see the emails coming in:

“Steve, this all sounds great. But I hate running!”

Confession: So do I. So I don’t really run.

Here are some bodyweight examples to get going on HIIT:

Burpees. Stand up, then squat down, kick your legs out, do a push up, bring your legs back in, and explode up into a jump. Try to do 20 repetitions, then rest for two minutes. Repeat this a few times, for 15 minutes. Here’s exactly how to do a burpee:

youtube

Push-ups. For 20 seconds, do as many push ups as possible. Rest. Then do it again. If you’re worried about proper form, check out our full article here. I will mention that I want you to think of your body as a straight line. Focus on tightening this line throughout the whole movement. As demonstrated here:

youtube

Pull-ups. Same idea as above, do pull ups for 20 seconds, then rest. If you can’t do a pull up, we got you covered in this article right over here. Want a video of some nerds walking you through it?

youtube

Okay, that’s some bodyweight exercises. Let’s now chat some resistance examples for HIIT:

Kettlebell swing. For ten minutes, do 20 kettlebell swings on every minute. This will be intense, and worthy of a congratulations when you’re done. Check out our article for everything you’ve ever wanted to know about kettlebells here.

Battle ropes. If your gym has battle ropes, they’ll be great tool for HIIT. For intensity, the amount of slack in the rope determines the load. The more slack on the rope the tougher, and more intense, the workout. Also, don’t get stuck in just up and down movements. Variation will target different muscles.

Weightlifting. This would essentially be lifting heavy with fewer reps. More weight equals more intense. The critical piece will be moving from one exercise to another, for example the bench press to the lat bar: we call this circuit training! Might be tricky if you use a public gym and it’s busy, meaning you’ll have to wait your turn. If you can, go early. Beat the rush.

We’ve now covered aerobic, bodyweight and resistance forms of HIIT workouts. Let’s think outside the box though. We can get cray with interval training.

Basketball, tennis, soccer, and frisbee are AMAZING styles of exercise that use interval training (it’s all start and stop!). Run here, catch this and wait for the next round to start. That’s what we’re looking for in a HIIT workout.

So find a buddy and go play!

You can also do circuit training as a form of HIIT. Circuit training is going through a sequence of exercises, or stations, back to back. Push-ups to pull-ups, back to push-ups, only resting briefly from one exercise to another. This training would be perfect to mix it into a HIIT workout, since you can design your circuit to be very intense.

Check out our post for 15 routines to choose form. Plus, there’s a Batman workout hidden in there. You’re welcome.

Now, I understand at this point if you feel overwhelmed. I just threw a lot at you. And you might have a lot of questions: Is HIIT right for me? What should I be eating to prepare for interval training? What days should be rest days?

All good inquires. And we can help tailor a specific response just for you!

We answer questions like this in our 1-on-1 coaching program.

Here’s how it works: we get to learn your goals, lifestyle, challenges, and situation: Kids? An old injury? A job that requires travel? All the above? We got you covered.

We’ll then pair you with a coach from Team Nerd Fitness that fits your personality and situation. They’ll work with you to build custom workouts and nutrition guidance to meet any goal you might have. Unless that goal is ruthless world domination. Use your powers for good, okay?

Want to see if we are a good fit for each other? Click on the button below to schedule a free call. We’d love to talk to you, no matter what!

HIIT for weight loss

My guess is that you’re reading this article because you’re trying to get the most efficient “bang for your buck” when it comes to getting in shape.

And HIIT is a great form of exercise and COULD help with weight loss. I will, however, lower some of these outlandish claims that exist in the media. For example, Time magazine calls HIIT “miraculous” in one article[7]. That’s a little much, even for me, who writes for a living on why you should work out and likes using hyperbole for effect.

Seriously, I’m better at it than ANYBODY ON THE PLANET.

Ahem. Cardio, strength training, and HIIT all have benefits. HIIT deserves praise, but exercise in general deserves praise. As we discussed in our “Cardio vs HIIT vs Weights” post, all three forms of training have their place, and the best one for you is the one you actually do.

And strength training. Always strength training.

So to answer your question, is HIIT the secret and only weapon for weight loss? Na, it’s just great exercise. And exercise is important.

However, I will mention an important point: If you wanna lose body fat, how you eat will be responsible for 80% of your success or failure.

One of the Rules of the NF Rebellion is that “you can’t outrun your fork.”

This means that I don’t care how many intervals you do, it’s not gonna help you lose weight if you don’t also fix your nutrition. You can read our Beginner’s Guide to Nutrition if you want more information.

If you want to download our free 10-level Nutrition Guide to help you fix your diet starting today, you can do so by signing up in the box below:

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#3 HIIT Workouts for Beginners: How to Start Interval Training

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almajonesnjna · 5 years