Artemis

Hi and welcome to the rebellion!

I'm also a college freshman who ended up in a similar meal plan situation and the food at home is definitely better than the options here.  I recommend checking this article out: http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2012/10/18/a-college-guide-to-eating-healthy/

I've recently been making a huge effort to eat better even when stuck with dining hall fare and so far it's going pretty well, though it is hard when I have to expose myself to all of the bad options.  At home, I could choose not to surround myself with these foods which made healthier choices easier.

If your school has to-go boxes that can really help with a tight schedule, as you can leave full meals upstairs in your room.

Also, have you thought about joining the current challenge?

Thought I'd pop in and say hi.  You're doing an amazing job and I think you've convinced me to give the Zombies, Run! 5K app a try.

Done with my 5 minutes of stretching.

Paleo went really well today except for the diet pepsi this morning (again).

Thankfully Midterms are over and went rather well, so I'm kicking the soda and will attempt to plan better so that this doesn't happen again in a few weeks.

I weighed in at 193, which seems kind of low, but I'm chalking it up to water loss and the fact that I haven't eaten in almost 24 hours.  This wasn't on purpose, I've just either been studying, in class, or catching up on sleep.

I also picked up a copy of David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell.  This is something I've wanted to read for a while, but haven't gotten the chance to yet. Turns out one of my professors has a copy, so he's letting me borrow it.

Did my 5 minutes of stretching and started talking to someone about a business idea.

Paleo did not go as well today: had macaroni on the go for lunch and a bit of icecream tonight.

Messed up, but I'll do better tomorrow.

Awesome! When you said premier, I assumed a local showing. I think going all the way to NZ would qualify more as a pilgrimage . The materials look fantastic, the armor will be epic.

Ah, ok.  You understood me; oops.  Yep, I'm definitely planning to make it to NZ eventually, just not in the near future.

Cross fingers that it turns out amazing.  I'm pretty sure I can build it, but I need to look like I can wear it...

In that vein, here's today's workout:

   3 circuits of:

      20 squats

      15 wall push-ups

      20 lunges 

      10 dumbbell rows on each arm (4 textbooks/ 20 lbs.)

      20 second plank (5 seconds more! Small victory, but still something)

I'm getting a lot deeper on the squats and lunges as time goes on, so it's going fairly well overall.   

Other stuff today: did my 5 minutes of stretching; ate mostly Paleo (I've had Diet Pepsi).  I actually ended up drinking some Diet Pepsi last night also, because I seriously needed the caffeine.  Midterms and other things meant I got about 2-3 hours sleep last night. Yay. (Sarcasm intended)

After this week I'm ditching the soda and will attempt to plan better so that these late nights don't happen again.

-Artemis

@the25R

Hi!! Sadly, I won't be able to make it to New Zealand this year. My friends and I refer to "midnight showings" as a sort of "movie premier" locally and I didn't exactly explain that. My college student budget isn't going to cover airfare, the costume's already putting a good dent in my relatively small saving account. So, I'm staying local, but it should still be lots of fun.

This is maybe slightly less awesome than going to New Zealand, so I shall appease you with costume progress pictures later tonight.

@Tyrant Lizard 

I'm kind of in love with dark chocolate, though I try not to consume tons of the stuff.

Thank you for explaining the progress bar. I'm very numbers oriented, so I'm hoping that the visual metric will kind of propel me forward.

Summary so far:

Day one: Forgot to stretch, ate mostly Paleo  (slipped up with 2 Dark chocolate squares and a glass of Dr. Pepper)

Day Two (today) - stretched, ate Paleo (100% so far today)

I've added stretching to my calendar to help cut down on my forgetfulness.  With midterms, I may resort to Diet Pepsi occasionally if I really need caffeine, though I'm trying to avoid it.

Hi, can anyone tell me how to put a progress bar in my signature?

Good luck with your mid-term exams!

 

I have tagged your thread as @assassins, that mean the assassins and I will make sure to follow your progress for the whole challenge, I can't post much but be sure that I, or an assassin ambassador, will check your thread at least once a week to inquire about your previous week.

 

Hey there!

 

Just remember, Facebook is not studying. Talking to friends with your computer open is not studying. Studying is studying! (Otherwise, your Social Psychology Test turns out terrible).

I've been doing Steve's BBWW for about a month.

Right now I'm at 3 circuits of:

20 squats

15 wall push-ups

20 lunges (not walking lunges. I'm working with the limited space of a dorm room.)

10 dumbbell rows on each arm (I'm at about 20lbs. In a backpack)

15 second plank

The third circuit is pretty tough, but I've been making it through; I time myself and tend to hit somewhere between 13-15 minutes for the whole workout. Currently, I'm working on going deeper on the squats and lunges. I'm also making knee push-ups a bit of a side project until I can do 5-10 at which point they will be subbed into the circuit.

My modifications to Steve's template were minimal - I basically only cut out the jumping jacks. I've got a heart condition, and I'm supposed to be a bit careful. If my heart gets going too fast I have some trouble, so I cut the cardio from the strength workout in order to be able to finish. I am still doing some light cardio, just separately from my workouts.

I think that's about it. I'll be adding more info to this page soon, life's just been crazy with midterms coming up this week.

-Artemis

Hey, just wanted to say good luck with your challenge! Merry has some suggestions for your new paleo eating plan...

 

Thanks!  All the healthy foods:

Hail, Artemis!

 

Welcome back! Fair winds and following seas on your ventures (exercise and otherwise!). Also, your themed pics are awesome.

Thank you, best wishes to you too.  Expect lots of pictures and feel free to contribute.  Let's make this epic!

Ok, thanks.  Just to clarify, I can accumulate stat points once I'm in a guild, right?

Oops.  Double post

Hi everyone, can Level 1 rebels participate in these mini challenges?

Quick Summary: I lost a lot of weight in the second half of 2012 because I found Nerd Fitness and went Paleo. Things were great, I was about 145 lbs. and felt amazing. Then I hit a bit of a downward spiral, got depressed, went back to eating badly and here I am at nearly 200 lbs.

I got myself to that weight and I am also capable of getting myself back down into the 140's (eventually, not in 6 weeks ).

Eventual Goal: Attend the midnight showing of There and Back Again in full elven armor (from TTT). Added clarification on 3/4/2014 - my friends and I refer to midnight movies as "midnight premiers". I'd originally listed "attend the premier", but sadly I will not be making it to New Zealand this year (college budget, and the outfits already set me back something like $200-300). Sorry about the confusion. Instead, I'll be hitting up the first local showing. If the release is large enough, and I pick the right theater, I've seen people lined up around several blocks. And when you're waiting in line for hours, people in costumes are your best friend.



To look like that I need to lose weight, about 50lbs. to get back into the 140's by December. Sooner would be better, so that I can get the whole outfit fitting properly.


Mission for this Challenge - Weight Loss

Goal 1 - Eat Paleo.


Okay, Lembas bread wouldn't be paleo but if I could get my hands on some I would totally eat it. I'm shooting for 90% on this goal, so that I have some flexibility.

Goal 2 - Exercise

True, this picture has nothing to do with exercise; but I needed something to fill the space.
This must be a minimum of 3x per week and cardio by itself doesn't count. I want this goal to apply specifically to strength training.

Goal 3 - Work on flexibility and balance

Spend 5 minutes a day doing stretches so that I too can someday ride Oliphants.

Life Goal - Work on a business

Sometimes business is like war and planning is necessary. Other times, planning is simply stalling, and I should get off the couch and get going already.
So, spend 4 hours a week working on a business plan or taking action. Preferably action.



Initial measurements will be up soon. Okay, that's all of it for now.

Thanks for reading through everything,
Artemis


P.S. This thread is to keep me accountable. Memes, GIFs, and comments are all welcome and greatly appreciated.

StoryOfItsOwn, on 13 Feb 2014 - 3:46 PM, said:

Well, if you are a complete noob about it, and you want to get fit and get good exercise, who better to follow than someone who is already proven in that regard and ask people who know about that kind of stuff?

It's sound logic; that's what I did when I first started.  I began with Steve's Beginner Bodyweight Workout and have only recently started to modify things. There's definitely a long way to go before I've got as much experience as BigM  and the others.

Pick a plan you like, even if it isn't Steve's, and try it out for a bit.

Sorry if we misunderstood.  I get that you want to start with a program that someone else has constructed, something proven.  You feel this is a safer place to start then attempting to construct your own program and having the chance of accidentally leaving an important piece out.

http://www.beastskills.com/   - body-weight exercises of all types, for all levels of skill

-Deleted post.  Accidentally reposted.

Is there a reason you're ignoring the bodyweight routines?

What he means is that body weight exercises are a wonderful solution if you don't have gym access.  If you think about it, dumbbells are a very modern invention.  People got by with bodyweight exercises, or using what they had on hand, for thousands of years. 

Performing bodyweight exercises can, and will, get you wonderful results if you're consistent.

Check this article: http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/25/how-to-stay-in-shape-while-traveling/

Also, see if you can find Waldo on the forums.  His main focus is bodyweight, though I know he's added in some dumbbells and things.

Since you're still in high school you may have a backpack.  I don't have dumbbells either, so I load up a backpack loaded with textbooks for my dumbbell rows.  You don't have to use books, but they're an easy solution.  I have about 20lbs in mine right now and have space for at least another 10 lbs of weight.

Be imaginative and you can typically find substitutions for exercises.

I know the book and can even give you a link. This should be it: http://www.amazon.com/Fat-Cat-Robin-Brande/dp/B004KAB58W

This would be an awesome story to share with the masses. The great thing about Waldo's story is the long-term dedication and persistence he demonstrates. I am a fan of the 4-6 month stories, but it would be awesome to see Waldo's story laid out in one epic post. Just like with Staci's follow-up, it it is inspiring to see the changes in people who truly make fitness a lifestyle.