Barenaked

Alright, a little late on the update, but I'm still in it. Successfully moved into a new house and have some roommates now. I've kept really busy over the last two weeks, so even though I haven't stuck 100% to my goals, I'm still feeling good. Plus, life just got really awesome over the last week! So progress by Goal: Diet Have not attempted a fast yet, however two of my new roommates are vegetarians and everyone eats pretty well. We're getting a routine down that keeps us well stocked with healthy ingredients. Also, the cooking expert of the house helped me improvise a pretty basic and tasty new dish that's mostly paleo. I'll count it! Two left to go. Strength I have only managed to do the circuits once a week so far, but I've still got time to do a second this week. The weather was pretty hot and humid for the days we moved, so I tried not to overdo myself by working out on top of that. Last night was the best I've felt doing the circuits ever and was able to squeeze out more reps than ever. The results are already very satisfying. I have not found a decent pull-up location yet (should not be this hard), but I will. Endurance While I originally said that I hate running, I gave it a try anyways last weekend. While it was very painful, I'm intrigued enough to try it again. It was only about a mile broken up with a little walking, but I think I'll try again and time myself. I've kept up with the goal for inline skating. My last four mile (actually 0.8 mile) times (alternating against wind/with wind): 5'42" 4'47" 4'37" 4'18". I need to get the full mile on these and see if I can get under four minutes and see how that feels. Unfortunately I have to slow down for a few intersections there, which kind of robs the 8-wheel momentum advantage. Oh well... Life While I haven't kept up a pace of 10 applications a week, I have made a good push. I've got lines out there and even have an interview next week. It's for a part time internship, but it's right up my alley so it's hard to resist. Additionally I've been able to work my current network a little and possibly line up some contract work. Gave blood today so I'm gonna take it easy and maybe catch Game 3 of the Kings and Coyotes! I hope every one else is enjoying their challenges!

That sounds awesome, I know myself and some of the other VISTAs here really crave that kind of work at this point and we end up doing more volunteering outside of our VISTA hours. I haven't made much progress with the challenge yet other than deciding on some goals and working on job applications. I'm moving into a new place this week so that's gummed up my routine pretty good.

Don't worry, this is hopefully the first of many Barenaked Challenges...

Great to hear from a VISTA alum! I already have housing arranged here so I'm definitely sticking around. Thanks for the tip!

Thanks for the advice! I'm not familiar with National Direct, is it affiliated with CNCS?

I'd love to see more paleo ideas! And thanks on the skating, I don't see a lot of inline skates on the bike paths these days and my friends don't miss an opportunity to tease me about it. It's good to know that the Rebellion values my skating!

I appreciate all of the congrats on quitting smoking. I don't really know my way around these forums yet, but if there's an area for people looking for help with quitting, I'd be happy to share what worked for me.

I highly recommend wearing knee and wrist pads while learning to skate (and just to be 100% I'm talking about rollerblading, I just hate using that word, it makes me think of neon colors and trapper keepers). If you have good wrist guards you can brace yourself without hesitation while falling, which will save your bum a lot of pain. Oh and a helmet, of course.

Thanks! I really think I can do IF in one form or another and would like to give it a try. But I have no idea what's realistic to accomplish in six weeks. I would like to start with a 24-hour fast to see how it feels, but I don't really know where to go from there. The alternative is to focus more closely on paleo. But I'm just having a hard time setting a tangible goal here.

I'm not entirely closed to the idea of running, but for now I'll stick to what my body somewhat remembers how to do. Perhaps I'll try running in a future challenge. Thanks for the encouragement!

Class: Ranger Height: 5'11" Weight: ~185 (don't own a scale) Age: 25 I've been reading Nerdfitness for a couple of months now, but hadn't jumped into the community until I saw this 6-week Challenge and decided it's just what I need right now. I have less than 2 months left in my VISTA year and as of now I haven't lined up a job for afterwards. Therefore priority #1 of this challenge will be the job hunt, but some fitness and dietary improvements can't hurt the effort. This winter I turned 25, which prompted me to start breaking some bad habits I picked up during college. I quit smoking on Xmas and haven't looked back (I was a pack-a-day for 6 years). However, I really indulged myself during the first month or so after quitting. I dived headfirst into SW:TOR and ate and slept terribly. Fortunately I hated the end-game content, rage quit, and had a moderate mental breakdown. A week later I ended a very unhealthy long-term relationship and decided to start building on the success of quitting smoking. Around this time, a friend pointed me in the right direction and introduced me to Nerdfitness. I've spent the past couple months making gradual changes that I can sustain. I'm pretty happy with how much I've cleaned up my diet and improved my sleeping habits. My bike was stolen and I hate running, so I broke out my old inline hockey skates for endurance exercise and can do a solid 3-4 miles at a time (these skates are not designed for distance). I also started doing bodyweight circuits since I don't own any excercise equipment and can't afford a gym membership. I would love to get back into my passion, which is ice hockey, however I have not found any adult leagues close enough that I can afford. I have also vowed to only to play console games. My goals here are going to be more concentrated on establishing a focused routine that I can build on. Base Stats: STR: 3 DEX: 4 STA: 2 CON: 1 WIS: 3 CHA: 2 Goals: Diet I'm very curious about IF and have been looking to try it. I will try a 24-hour fast and work from there to find a regular IF practice that I can work into my life. I will also learn to make at least 3 new paleo meals that don't involve beef. +3 Constitution Strength Do the beginner's bodyweight circuit at least twice a week, increasing reps each time (or longer duration plank, etc). I will also start timing the circuits. I will find a long-term way to do pull-ups, whether it's a nearby park or purchasing a pull-up bar for the house I'm moving into. +3 Strength +1 Stamina Endurance As I still hate running and still can't afford a bike, I'm going to stick with the inline skates (I can handle the funny looks and jokes about the 90s). I'm going to keep the distance around 3 miles at a time since that's as much uninterrupted, good pavement I can find nearby. I want to work more sprinting intervals into that distance and be more consistent. I will finally time myself over three miles and determine a realistic way to improve. Skate at least twice a week. +2 Stamina +1 Dexterity Life I need to line up a job. Success here will be determined by relevance to my education (Computer Science) and career goals (non-profit/philanthropy). Points will be deducted for temporary or part-time placement. Send out at least 10 applications a week. +2 Wisdom +3 Charisma **Update** I've finalized my goals. Since I'm also moving into a new house this week, I'm going to try not to over exert myself. Thanks everyone for the warm welcomes and I look forward to the next 6 weeks with you all!