Amphion

Update 003 - 10/03/12 ~ 5:24 PM CT I completed another bodyweigth routine. I missed a running session so I will try and make that up tomorrow. The rest of my goals are on track, except for the life insurance I still haven't started researching yet. I will have to make sure I do not put that off too much longer. I found out that my gym will be closed this weekend so it looks like I will be substituting a bodyweight routine in for Saturday. Currently I am working out mainly in the mornings. I wake up at 4:30AM and prepare my lunch and mix up a protein shake. I then do my workout and drink my shake on the way to work. I have read that it is good to do this but yesterday morning I felt like I had no energy. I was not able to do as many pushes ups as last Thursday and reached failure more quickly. I did have a good workout Saturday at the gym but I was wondering why I experienced this. Is it possibly slow recovery from Saturday or should I be eating something for energy before workout? My sleep pattern is not really good either so that could be to blame as well. Just wondering if anyone had any thoughts on this. I am still learning so if anyone has any suggestons about anything please feel free to suggest. PROGRESS GOAL 1 | DAY'S WITHOUT SODA | 9/42 | 21% COMPLETE GOAL 2 | COMPLETE 18 WORKOUTS | 4/18 | 22% COMPLETE GOAL 3 | RUN 18 MILES | 1/18 | 6% COMPLETE GOAL 4 | GET LIFE INSURANCE | 0/1 | 0% COMPLETE SQ | DAILY BIBLE READING | 9/42 | 21% COMPLETE CHALLENGE TOTAL | 23/121 | 19% COMPLETE

Right now, during the week I have a protein shake consisting of Whole Milk, Whey Protein, Banana, and Coffee. I drink this at around 5:20 am after my work out and it will keep me full untill around 10:00am. I usally have a snack around 9:00 though. Om the weekends I eat bacon and eggs most of the time.

I bought it and liked it but MK is right. I wasnt that familiar with the exercises so it did help me some.

Update 002 - 9/29/2012 ~ 11:10 PM CT Thanks again for the continued support. It makes a world of difference. I got a run in yesterday and made it to the gym for my workout today. I have been walking some with my wife for a while but it has been a long time since I ran a mile. It was brutal but I was able to finish it without stopping or walking. I was using runkeeper to track it and the gps signal kept cutting out on me. I know I ran a mile(based on the laps)but I am not sure what my final time was. I am positive it was under 9 minutes so I am happy. I will just use the stopwatch next time. (*side note: Pandora sucks to run by, just when you feel like stoppping and you need an extra boost, freak'n commercial comes on. Won't do that again.) Workout at the gym went pretty good. I was a little sore from the run but managed to do pretty good. So far, my gym routine looks like this: GYM ROUTINE ELLIPTICAL | 5 min. (WARM-UP) BENCH PRESS | 135lbs 5 reps x 4 sets INCLINE BENCH PRESS | 115 lbs 5 x 4 PULL-UP | 3 CHIN-UP | 4 LATERAL PULLDOWN | 110lbs 5 x 4 TRICEP EXT. | 80lbs 5 x 4 SQUAT | 135lbs 5 x 4 DUMBBELL FLY'S | 15lbs 10 x 3 DUMBBELL CURLS | 35lbs 5 x 4 Still trying to find exactly what exercises I want to do. I only get to go to gym once a week and I can't spend 3+ hours there so I will have to be very selective in what I do. I do have a question and that is since I am only working out at the gym once a week, should I do squats and deadlifts, pick one, or alternate? I found a NAVY trainging video where the instructor suggested doing squats, deadlifts and overhead presses to build strength. They also suggested a 5 x 5 routine so I was thinking of switching to that. Like I said it is a work in progress and I am open to suggestions. Hopefully by the end of this challenge I will have a better understanding of my body and figure out what exercise will benefit me the most in the time that I have. I am also adding some START OF CHALLENGE stats that are just for me to keep a record of so that I will have something to compare to at the end of the challenge. WEIGHT | 185 lbs PULL-UP MAX | 3 CHIN-UP MAX | 4 PUSH-UP MAX | 28 MILE RUN | 0:00 WAIST | 37" PROGRESS GOAL 1 | DAY'S WITHOUT SODA | 5/42 | 12% COMPLETE GOAL 2 | COMPLETE 18 WORKOUTS | 3/18 | 17% COMPLETE GOAL 3 | RUN 18 MILES | 1/18 | 6% COMPLETE GOAL 4 | GET LIFE INSURANCE | 0/1 | 0% COMPLETE SQ | DAILY BIBLE READING | 5/42 | 12% COMPLETE CHALLENGE TOTAL | 14/121 | 12% COMPLETE

Great song, great message. Just got dropped on my workout mix. I agrea. I haven't been here long but I see that all over these forums. The motivation I have recieved from this community makes me feel like I can accomplish anything. I thank everyone who is a part of this community for everything they have done for me and for others. Keep this up and we will be unstoppable

Your doing great. Be strong at the conference when you see the food. Failure is not an option.

How did I miss all this fun? Anyway, good start CD and I definetly will be watching this.

Thanks for the suggestions. I do plan on getting me a set of dumbbells to take to work. I had a dumbbell I made at work to do curls with but I have already surpased it. As for the Bible reading, I find it makes a good start and end to the day. Puts me in the right frame of mind and gives me a positive attitude. Thanks for the motivation CD. Yeah I am not a big fan of sit ups either. They really hurt my lower back and I do not want a back injury. Maybe if I was in better shape it wouldnt hurt so bad. As for the liquid corn syrup, they should have to put a poison label on the side of it.

Good work, sounds like your rocking it. Yes I would say cutting grass counts as a cool down. Some yards may even qualify as a workout.

Oh come on, Chuck Norris can be legitametly pictured doing anything and owning it. Love the title. Looks like you got a good plan and a good start. Keep up the good work.

Good job. Keep it up. Welcome to the forum.

Keep it up the good work Ranger. Those are great goals and you seem like you are on the right track. I too struggle with sugar. I am not strong enough to completly dump all sugar yet, but I am quitting all soda's. I ave tried to cut back drasticaly though.

Update 001 - 9/27/2012 ~ 7:30 PM CT Thanks for all the support. Had a good week so far. I have completed two workouts. My bodyweight routine is pretty basic right now. It goes as follows: Bodyweight Routine START Jumping Jacks x 50 (WARM-UP) CIRCUIT 3X (WITH AS LITTLE REST AS POSSIBLE) Prisoner Squats X 30 Push-ups X 20 Plank X 30 sec Sit-Ups X 30 Pull-ups X 3 END OF CIRCUIT END OF WORKOUT Jumping Jacks X 50 (END) I plan to intensify this as I decide on what exercises to add. (Any Suggestions?) My core strength is really bad so I wil probably add another core exercise for sure. I will probably go angry birds style pretty soon. I have about 20 minutes on my lunch break to workout, so I will probably work something in there too.Tomorrow I have time set aside to run at least a mile. Haven't touched any soda's or even wanted to yet. PROGRESS GOAL 1 | DAY'S WITHOUT SODA | 3/42 | 7% COMPLETE GOAL 2 | COMPLETE 18 WORKOUTS | 2/18 | 0% COMPLETE GOAL 3 | RUN 18 MILES | 0/18 | 11% COMPLETE GOAL 4 | GET LIFE INSURANCE | 0/1 | 0% COMPLETE SQ | DAILY BIBLE READING | 3/42 | 7% COMPLETE CHALLENGE TOTAL | 8/121 | 6% COMPLETE

Isn't it great...I love watching my 2yr old daughter try to do pushups with me. Hilarious. I will join in as soon as I get home from work. Time to NERD UP and represent!

To name a few, I like TFK, Skillet, Fireflight, Flyleaf, Project 86, Chris Tomlin, Five Blind Boys of Alabama, Kari Jobe, Shane and Shane, Casting Crowns and old country legends like George Jones and Johnny Cash singing old hyms. I also like a lot of gospel and southern gospel as well. Really just depends on my mood and what I am doing.

Thanks you all for the advice and I edited my goals using your suggestions.(I assume that is okay) I want my workout routine to be flexible so that it can be adjusted to fit different schedules if need be. I really like bodyweight workouts for this reason. I purchased You Are Your Own Gym by Mark Lauren and I really like it and recommend it. However, I do still like to workout at the gym doing basic strength training too. I have no excuse for missing a workout now. I did the same with my running goal. My stamina is very poor so my mile times aren't that good but I can complete a mile. I will aim to run a mile three times a week but have allowed for me to be able to shift my running sessions now to adjust to any unexpected bumps. Thanks again to all.

Christian here, although I fail at it miserably quite often. I am glad to see that there are many here. The peace it brings me make me wonder how you could ever make it through life without it. I couldnt imagine facing my problems alone.

Great start. I am in the fizzy drink trenches fighting with you. I have cut way back myself. As part of my challenge I am dropping them all together. I have noticed the less sugar I take in the better I can handle unsweetened beverages. I feel so much better too.

Sounds like your off to a good start. Looks like you got some good goals. I really like goal 4. That is something I try to do as much as possible now.

Sounds great. I am really interested in this crocopony. Any pictures? Keep up the good work.

Thank you for the suggestion. I have been a fan of Dave Ramsey as well and I completly forgot about that. I will definetly start out there.

"Hold on to your butts." Well I finally decided to take the plunge and start a 6 week challenge. I have been reading NF for the past 6 weeks and learned a lot already. I have already started watching what I eat a lot more and trying to make healthier choices. I turned 27 today and I am not happy with the shape I am in. I have two wonderful little girls and I want to make sure I am able to be around to enjoy them as long as possible. So NOW is the time. I want to change my lifestyle and develop healthy habits that will benefit my life and hopefully one day benefit my children. I figured my starting stats based on my own strengths and weaknesses. I am an asthmatic with practically no stamina and pretty shy and introverted. My strengths are probably my agility and wisdom. I can move pretty good, just not for long periods. I get gassed really quick. I love to read, tinker with computers, and build things with my hands. I kinda have more brain power than physical power. So that gives me the following stats: STR 3 | DEX 4 | STA 1 | CON 2 | WIS 4 | CHA 1 I am mainly focused on developing functional strength and good stamina. I want something like the fitness level and skill set of a Special Forces soldier that would allow me to take on any situation that I might would face. It is for this reason I have chosen the Ranger class because I believe this corespondses the best with my fitness desires. With this being my first challenge, I have named it Foundation Building. This is what I want to gain from my first challenge. I want to walk away from this in 6 weeks with a solid foundation to build on as my fitness lifestyle advances. So my following goals are: GOAL 1 - DIET ELIMINATE ALL SODA'S FROM MY DIET I don't believe there is anything good to come from soda's. I feel like they are a poision to the body. At my peak I drink 3 to 4 12oz can's a day. Right now I am at 1 a day. I have already felt a tremendous difference in the way I feel and I want to take it further and cut them out completely. PLAN Quit them cold turkey. REWARD CON +1 GOAL 2 - Fitness WORKOUT 3X EACH WEEK COMPLETE 18 WORKOUTS I want to establish a good workout routine and build it into a habit. Due to work, 2 kids, and my wife's ZUMBA schedule, I have a limited amount of time to set aside for workout's. PLAN On Tueday's and Thursday's I will workout out at home using a bodyweight routine and other functional training methods. On Saturday's I actually have time to make it to the gym with a friend of mine. So on Saturday's I will strength train at the gym hitting all the basics; Squats, Deadlifts, Benchpress, etc. If for some reason I can not make it to gym on Saturday I will try and reschedule for another day or subsitute bodyweight routine. REWARD STR +4 | STA +1 | CHA +1 GOAL 3 - FITNESS RUN 3X EACH WEEK RUN 18 MILES Not at once, total miles ran by end of challenge. I will do this on the days that I do not work out. As I said previously, I have asthma and get gassed pretty quick. When I was younger and active, I didn't have as much trouble with my asthma as I do now and I beleive this is related. I hope that by running and conditioning my lungs it will help control my asthma as well. Will run 1 mile each session for a total of 18 miles by the end of the 6 weeks. Can run on workout days if necessary, just plan to do it on my off days to give me something to do. PLAN Monday's, Wednesday's, and Friday's I will run a mile after work or use a stationary bicycle at home. REWARD DEX +2 | STA +3 | CHA +1 GOAL 4 - LIFE GET LIFE INSURANCE I had it at my old job but when I changed jobs I didn't roll it over. I recently watched a friend of mine die from cancer and saw how much of a burdan it can be on your family when you pass away. I have a wife and 2 kids to think about and I want the satisfaction of knowing that if something was to happen to me that they would be okay. PLAN Get life insurance NOW! (Anyone have any suggestions on this?) REWARD WIS +1 | CON +1 SIDE QUEST READ BIBLE EVERYDAY This is a side quest I am throwing in. It is something I need to do. I have always failed at this miserably and now it is a good a time as any to do something about it. PLAN Read Bible all 42 days of my challenge. (Need to make this a habit) REWARD Special Loot earned for completing this side quest. After completing this I get to buy myself a Gold Cross Necklace. So that's about it. Not quite finished with the details yet, but I will fill them in in the morning. I wanted to make sure I got this up in time. Finished.

This is great. If it is alright for me to join in, I would like to vote for The Hobbit. I have been wanting to reread it since the movie will be out soon.

Hello to all. I have been reading Nerd Fitness now for the past 6 weeks and decided it was time to finally jump on the forums. I have already made major improvements to my life by following the advice given here. Like many others, after graduating high school my fitness and overall health fell by the wayside. I went from squating 315lbs my senior year of high school to barely being able to squat 90lbs a month ago. I was caught up in the daily grind of college, work, wife, and then kids. When I began to pull muscle's taking off my shirt at the end of the day, I decided it was time to make a change. My gut was growing larger and I felt tired and sick all the time. Then I stumbled upon this site and it has saved me. I am 27 with a wife, 2 year old girl, and 5 month old baby girl. After having my kids I realized they were all that mattered to me and I wanted to make sure I would be around for them for as long as possible. I also read Steve's article about a man being able to take care of his family and save them in a dire situation and felt horrible because I new that I probably couldn't. So all in all, I have decided to change all of that. My goal in life is to be the best father possible to my kids. They are my world. I want to be healthy and live a long life with them. I also want to lead by example to them and show them a healthy lifestyle that will benefit their own health. I will post my first 6 week challenge later own today.