Hello from a new rebel (lifelong nerd)

[KalistaFauner]

Hello all!

 

My name is Kaitee -- trying out using Kalista Fauner as an alter ego idea, to see if that helps me overcome some of my hangups.  I heard about NF through a friend who volunteered at Camp Nerd Fitness this summer.  I was totally enamored by the idea and have been lurking around the blog and such for a few months.  Finally made a character and joined the forums today. Yay!

 

I am a puppeteer, and have been a performing artist for most of my adult life.  And though, very truly, my body is my instrument, I have not taken care of it.  I'm not unhealthy, per se.  However, I am a little heavy for my height - and my biggest health challenge is my mental health.  Luke Skywalker's battle with himself, having to master the monsters in his head, rings very true to me. 

 

I have tried to "force" myself into fitness habits.  I joined an ilovekickboxing gym near my house -- they are amazing!  The instructors are nothing but supportive, as are the other members.  It is not about being the fittest or the sexiest, but just pushing yourself.  And you know, hitting the bag seemed like a really good stress reliever.  I have been a member for six months, and even though I feel AMAZING when I'm there, I really do struggle with attending class.  As my therapist calls them: I have a hijacker in my head.  I think that a part of me really doesn't think I deserve to feel amazing.

 

I've had some success with gamifying habits before -- I recently started to using HabiticaRPG to gamify some basic life goals.  So, I thought maybe it was time to actually join NF.  I still have my kickboxing gym, and I want to fully integrate that into my life.  Because something I know I am missing is community -- so I'm excited about the NF community, and investing in the IRL FitFam of ILKB.

 

I also have some very tangible benchmarks I want to hit: 

• My dad, brother, and I are planning to summit some 4000 footers in New Hampshire this summer.  My dad wants to summit all of them before he's 65.  I thought it'd be fun to share that.
• My hometown holds an annual Thanksgiving Road Race that I have watched my entire life.  Next year, I am going to run it.

 

So I have these two milestones within the next year.  And I know when I set my mind to something, I can accomplish it.  But those brain weevils... that depression and social anxiety is one of my biggest challenges with fitness.  I hope that NF can help me combat this weevils.

[Syrella]

Hi, welcome! I'm new here, too!

 

That's really cool about puppeteering! You sound like you are way more in shape than I am. Lol! Good to have a goal like hiking a mountain or running a race! I'm not sure I feel like competing at all, but I always applaud those who have the ambition for it! How are you enjoying Habitica? I've been using it for a bit, too, though I often forget to check it.

 

I totally hear you on the depression and anxiety. Therapy helps as an option, if you haven't tried that.

 

Good luck with your fitness goals and the like!

[KalistaFauner]

Hello Syrella! 

 

The nice thing about this "race" is that it's really only a competition for the first 20 or so finishers in each age/gender bracket.  After that, it's just about the town tradition.  So, I'm focusing on that right now.

 

I like habitica.  It took me a little while to figure out the best way to phrase my tasks and habits, but now that I've gotten it down, it's really been a tool to helping form some new habits.  Like, brushing my teeth every night.  When I start to feel like I don't want to, I remember that it's not just good to brush my teeth, but that if I don't, I'm going to take damage (literally, my avatar takes damage.) And if I do, I get experience and gold. I might find a new pet egg to hatch -- all the fun game stuff.

 

Also, you can form parties on Habitica, and go on quests.  In those quests, not completing daily tasks affects your whole party -- every one takes damage.  So, it's a bit like accountabilibuddies. I haven't used that feature of Habitica yet.

 

I have been in therapy for quite a while.  I've actually made the choice to stop for a while, see how I do on my own.  And honestly, i've been doing okay.  It just really comes up around all the fitness stuff.

 

Thanks for saying hi!  Good luck with your own goals too!

[Infinity.Creates]

The mountain climbing goal sounds awesome! Hiking is the greatest, though England doesn't have as many mountains as I would like. 

 

I also really like Habatica, but I struggle with the logging in to check it. What I've found is that if I keep it as an open tab on my laptop, I'm much more likely to check it.

 

Feel free to head over to the 4 Week Challenge section, introduce yourself to the fellow awesome rebels, and create some cool quests to work on so you can learn and grow!

[Maggie-Miau]

Hello and welcome to the forums, Kalista! We're so excited to have you, and looking forward to sharing in your journey! Congratulations on taking the first steps!