Chanda

Oh a rainbow post... pretty! And a fellow Flybaby to boot. I've recently been rediscovering my things tha tI enjoy too! Looking forward to seeing how you go!

When I see 1200 calories it seems impossibly low to me (I eat somewhere between 1600 and 2000 every day). However, I can see it working if on the weekend you balance out by eating more... In fact, it sounds pretty good to me. Loosing that kind of weight is impressive stuff!

Wow you sure can write! Great challenge. Interesting thing about cutting back on alcohol, at least for me, was how much I actually saved financially. I look forward to seeing how you go!

Welcome to the Druids! Nice to have you with us for this challenge. I am too tired now, but if I think of any good yoga sites I'll come back and share the link. Wonders off to go find a cookie. See what you started?

This is what you call keeping it as simple as you can? I bow in humility! Your goal about your job is excellent and really touched a cord. I am struggling myself in that area. Thanks for the reminder that my own attitude has a lot to do with my experience! I look forward to seeing how you go!

Welcome to the Druids! Looking forward to seeing how you go with your goals. I find it interesting how you are approaching your eating. Love the quote you picked. Sounds very buddhist/taoist... and yet its Shakespeare. Awesome!

Welcome to the Druids. Yoga does grow on you and is quite addictive. I hear you on the sleep disturbances and comfort eating... I know it all too well. Good luck finding your inner zen and letting your authentic self out to play!

Sounds good... Welcome home!

In order to fulfil my need to bring some order into my day to day while still enjoying life, I need to: accept myself, slow down, simplify, accept that "Good is Good enough" and be kind to myself. Why? Because back in March I had a nasty surprise when I discovered I was on the verge of reaching burnout for the second time in my life. Thanks to my high demand job, motherhood, being a perfectionist who likes to do things quickly and my own sense of responsibility, I have been using up more energy than I am regaining during my down time... My reserves are on empty. I'lll spare you the details except to say, there are a number of actions I am taking to turn things around. Some of these I incorporated into this challenge. I am not re-inventing the wheel, a lot of it is the same old stuff... just with a different focus and expectations. Main Quest:To slow down and smell the roses. 1. Fuel: Eat smaller portions, more vegetables, less "mindless snacks". With some luck I will loose a little weight by reducing the snacking, if not... maintaining is good too. Tracking: Daily rating: Great, Good, Goof. 2. Move: Four sessions per week (more is OK). Since I have a 5 km race at the end of July, these should ideally be 2 runs or hill walks and 2 yoga sessions but I'll take whatever my heart leads me to do. Tracking: Weekly average workout count: Great = 5-4, Good = 3-1, Goof = 0. 3. Rest: Shift get up time to 6:30AM weekdays and 7:30AM (or earlier) weekends, while still getting 7 to 8 hours sleep. Currently average is 7:30AM weekdays/8:30AM weekends. Shift by 10-15min per week. This is part of a larger plan to re-arrange my day so I can manage work and being a mother. Tracking: Daily rating: Great, Good, Goof. Life Quest: 4. Doing: The No Procrastination Challenge on weekdays (optional on weekends). Follow Leo's approach, except instead of the "No wine" penalty, its "No TV series". And instead of "reading and meditating", doing the NF challenge activities is the first item on the 3 most important tasks (MIT) list. Tracking: Daily rating: Great=3MITs , Good=2-1, Goof=0. Diet/Fitness Side Quest: 5. Being: This is a mental fitness quest. Follow Weeks 2 to 7 of the 8 week Mindfulness program. Tracking: Daily rating: Great, Good, Goof. Scoring: For each of the 5 goals an overall rating of Great/Good/Goof is worth 3/2/0 attribute points, giving a total of 15 points. I will decide on what actual attributes I allocate based on where I feel the benefit/improvement was greatest at the end of the challenge. I level up if I earn 7 or more attribute points. Number of earned attribute points will also determine final challenge score... A to F based on 15 to 0. You may have noticed I am being very lenient with my scoring. It is part of training myself to accept that being good is good enough... I don't need to do it all and be perfect. Deep down I really want to earn all 15 attribute points. I challenged myself to set the level up border as low as I dare to go as a lesson that not everything needs to be perfect. I almost went with 8 attribute points as my level up border. In the end I reluctantly decided on 7. This was hard because 8 is more than half of 15, which in my mind is a clear "pass"... while 7 is slightly less than half of 15, it feels like a lot like a fail. Yet... arent "2 Goods and 1 Great" good enough? I think they are... and that is a 7 according to my scoring scheme! “Smile, breathe and go slowly.â€Thích Nhất Hạnh

Oh burpees love it! I am in. 1+2+3 coming right up. I would do more but I am sick and don't want to get my heart rate too high. Will be doing unmodified burpees. I remember the days not so long ago when I first learned them and did them modified to the point you wouldn't recognize them as a burpee. So do I get this right Sunmage's cat gif tax is 6 burpees for posting? And 5 for laughing at a cat gif? This might actually get me to like cat gifs.

I am back. I read your status update the other day... Congratulations are in order!!!! So happy for you!!!! Hope you had a nice relaxing weekend and were able to renew yourself. Love your challenge for this time around. As usual you inspire me!

After a nice long break its time to dust of the cobwebs and start moving again. The smell of Spring is in the air! Over the next 6 weeks I will be doing my own private bootcamp. I spent the past week "twicking my plan" so I am not counting it - that is why I also didn't post. I start officially on Monday and I will actually run for 6 weeks until 13.Apr. I all report on the status on 06.Apr like everyone else but will only level up if I keep it going until 13.Apr so I have a full 6 weeks. Main Quest: I am a loving and organized person. In order to become the loving and organized person I dream of being I need to be fit, healthy and not weighed down by stuff. In one way or another, that is what ALL my goals are about. 1. The 3 Main quest Goals: First things First: Healthy Me! To keep the body in good health is a duty, otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear. -- Buddha (c. 563 BC to 483 BC) Since this is a fitness site the first 3 goals are related to fitness. After all I have to look after myself and be fit and healthy if I want to be the best person I know I can be! a. attend yoga/tennis classes (except work/sick/holidays) DEX +2 b. 3 x exercise (anything counts: run/yoga/body weight) STR +1, STA +1 c. no mindless snacking in the evenings (planned desserts and post exercise protein snack allowed) CON +2 2. Life Quest: Finishing the unfinished:How you start is important, very important, but in the end it is how you finish that counts. -- B.C. Forbes I keep using all the stuff I think I need to be doing as an excuse for not doing the things I want to do. Over the next 6 weeks I plan to deal with it all… or at least a large chunk of it all. a. 1 hour per workday spent on dealing with tasks I have been neglecting: 100 small tasks/projects completed or deleted! WIS +2b. at least 7 hours per week at home spend on decluttering/organizing/finishing tasks: 100 small tasks/projects completed or deleted! WIS +2c. one full round of "deep cleaning" around the house. CHA +2 3. Side Quest: Good Sleeping Habit for a Perfect day: Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise. – Ben Franklin The Life Quest will be using up a lot of my energy both mentally and physically. Good sleep and relaxing each day will be used to recharge at the end of each day. a. Up early (6-6:30am) CON +1b. Relaxing time (from 8:30-9:30pm) CHA +1c. Bed early (10-11pm) STA +1 Starting: 03.MarFinishing: 13.Apr Warning Signs that I took on to much: Yes, its a lot but its over a specified time period. So I think its sustainable. Nonetheless, I am implementing 2 warning signs to tell me that I have taken on too much. If so, I will re-avaluate the list. 1. If I start getting grumpy and short tempered.2. I dont find the time each day to play with the girls. Lets do this!

For those that missed it, we have a Druid advent calendar: http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/40842-mini-quest-the-great-druid-advent-calendar-tree/ I will be offline until 2014… I hope you finish this challenge strong and wish you all a great start into 2014!

Day TWENTY-FOUR: Twas the Night Before Christmas What did you think our Advent would end with? Dick Van Dyke version: Celebrities version: And in true NF style… Lego version:

Day TWENTY-THREE: Should I Workout Today? The answer is YES!

Day TWENTY-TWO : 30 day yoga challenge As a Druid you simple must give yourself the gift of taking on the 30 day yoga challenge! http://www.doyouyoga.com/challenge/http://www.youtube.com/user/DoYouYoga/videos

Day TWENTY-ONE : LoTR Christmas Its not a Nerd Christmas unless we also visit Middle Earth Jingle Hell:

Day TWENTY: SMART goals And while you are thinking about what you want to achieve in 2014… please be SMART about it!

Day NINETEEN: Sabbath Manifesto Consider adding a true day of rest to your week in 2014. http://www.sabbathmanifesto.org Yes, I know some of us are not religious or don't eat bread or blah, blah, blah… excuses. Don't get caught up in the details of what applies for a day of rest. Make it your own!

Day EIGHTEEN: Beauty in the midst of Chaos Even in the midst of fighting He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, Harry Potter found time to see the beauty of Christmas and enjoy the presence of good friends… We really have no excuse. Take the time to see the beauty in your life!

Day SEVENTEEN: Christmas Past From all the way back in 2009 (and even some 3 posts in 2008): Nerd Fitness a Look Back and a Look Forward until now… How far have we come? There is a huge selection of posts to search and read at NF. Enjoy searching and browsing! Nerd Fitness Search Nerd Fitness Blog Archives Inspiring to see how consistent Steve has been with keeping us inspired and motivated! Thank you!

Day SIXTEEN: Make it so No comments needed… nerd out on Star Trek at Christmas:

Day FIFTEEN: 12 days of christmas workout We've all heard the 12 days of christmas poem but there is something better out there! After (or even better before) those huge Christmas feasts… how about a nice workout? http://www.channelmag.co.nz/channel-features-mainmenu-8/webpage-1208/the-12-days-of-christmas-workouthttp://www.examiner.com/article/12-days-of-christmas-crossfit-wods-find-the-best-one-for-you We are all at different levels of fitness, so please don't hurt yourself. Learn from the concept above and create your own… one that is suitable for you!

Day FOURTEEN: Christmas Classics Following a nice Christmas meal there is nothing like relaxing and watching a Christmas Classic. One of the most famous is from way back in 1946: It's a Wonderful Life: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frXklECPkD0

Day THIRTEEN: St. Lucia Buns One of our favorite traditions is to make St Lucia Buns on the 13th of December! http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/st-lucia-buns-recipe Christmas doesn't have to be all about white flour and sugar though. Check out these sites for some wonderful Paleo Christmas recipe ideas. http://www.mynaturalfamily.com/recipes/paleo-recipes/paleo-christmas-dinner/ https://www.pinterest.com/michagrissa/paleo-xmas/ http://www.elanaspantry.com/christmas-cookie-round-up/ http://eatdrinkpaleo.com.au/paleo-christmas-dinner-menu/