aranona

Yay -- you have a sleeping goal too! You're goals seem great and I really like your accompanying explanations. How did your first day go?

Way to go metal_weaver! I definitely admire your first goal - that's a big undertaking. I love dancing. Such great exercise and it's fun. It's been awhile since I've done any Zumba, but I might just have to get back into it

Hi Bekah! Great goals. I especially like the last one with pretending to understand. I'm guilty of doing that a lot. Looking forward to watching succeed over the next 6 weeks!

Either aranona or Allison is good, but I'll also answer to hey, you

Just stopping in to say hi! How was your first day?

Thanks! I found the recipe here Thanks! I love the emphasis on form and find it really calming. The video I found is here. She does go through the moves kind of fast, but all of them are pretty standard. There are also a couple of really weird intro/outro breaks. But, hey, it is free I live in the DC metro area (Northern Virginia). Portland sounds awesome though. I've never been, but want to visit sometime.

Day 1: Goal 1 - Met with a delicious breakfast of plain greek yogurt, a tiny squeeze of honey, and mixed berries. Goal 2 - 20 minutes of yoga. Found a great deep stretching video Goal 3 - Success! This was really interesting and I'm looking forward to having more data Goal 4 - Failed by 10 minutes. But it was a definite improvement over midnight. Today I completed my first attempt at the BBWW and recorded my stats.

Instead of clicking quote, click multiQuote on all of the posts you want to quote. It will keep adding them in your reply box below. Hope that makes sense!

Hi NVs! Sounds like good first days all around -- way to go! In terms of this group, my goals is to have a group of people who I have to report back to for accountability and who I can be inspired by. I feel like the Adventurers group as a whole is really big and I don't want to get lost, so I like the smallness of NerdVengers. I met 3/4 goals on day 1. Failed on getting to be by 11 (goal #4). I was in by at 11:10, but then read for 20 minutes. I think I need to shoot for 10:30 to actually make it by 11. Tracking was really interesting/informative and I'm looking forward to having enough data to see trends. This morning has been great! Woke up early did my first BBWW and recorded my stats (will update challenge thread soon). Also walked to the metro (~1 mile). Have an awesome day 2!!

I look forward to seeing your tracking sheet. Also, thanks -- you definitely inspired me to make an actual tracking sheet, rather than just go with what was in my head and then try to remember when I updated my thread.

I signed up. This is my first challenge as well. I'm looking forward to getting to know all of you! So far so good although the only objective on my list for this morning was eating breakfast and tracking it. Tonight I have yoga and managing to go to bed by 11 (more difficult than it sounds). Good luck on day 1!

Thanks! That's definitely true, but it makes me laugh. Usually the instructors are way more excited than anyone else. Guess it's one of the job requirements. I definitely want to go there. It's been awhile since I've been to Orlando and I've never been to Universal Studios (only Disney).

Love your goals, especially the last one. Meal planning is such a challenge and it's easy to fall into a rut. Good luck!

Your goals look good. You may want to consider putting in some rest days with the BBWW -- your muscles need that time to rebuild themselves. I'm definitely not saying to only exercise 3-4 days per week, just consider alternating the BBWW with something else (e.g., cardio, interval training). Good luck!

Great goals. Are you awarding attributes based on 100% success or some sort of grading system? You could use a grading system to reward yourself for completing most of the workouts or bring your lunch most days. Good luck!

Thanks for the great tips! I definitely need to plan ahead on breakfasts because there will be mornings like that. On Sunday I'm planning to make crustless quiches and freeze them. Those should be good for mornings when I'm running late because I can grab one and then have breakfast at work.

Love your quote. I might just have to go find the soundtrack and listen to it this afternoon.

I started lurking around the site a couple of weeks ago and have been looking forward to starting this challenge. I’ve tried to pick goals that will push me but won’t set me up to fail. I’m interested in all of the primal/paleo stuff, but want to take it in baby steps, especially since starting The Fresh 20 a couple of weeks ago. I’m looking forward to embarking on this challenge with all of you! EDIT: Assign attributes and make goal #3 more specific EDIT 2: Complete mini challenge #1 with plan for success entries ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Goal #1: Eat a primal breakfast every single day. Attributes: STA +2, CON +1 Grading: A = Follow for 6-7 days in a week B = Follow for 5 days C = Follow for 3-4 days D = Follow for 2 days F = Follow for 0-1 day Plan for success: Have on-the-run breakfast items prepared (e.g., crustless quiches, snack size bags of frozen mixed berries to add to plain yogurt)Look for a new breakfast recipe/idea for each week to keep it interesting Goal #2: Add 1 additional yoga practice and 2 strength training sessions to weekly fitness regime, resulting in the following 3x Jazzercise (typically T,R,Sat)2x yoga (typically Sun,W)2x strength--NF Beginner Body Weight Circuit (typically Sun,F)Attributes: STR +3, DEX +1, CHA +1 Grading: A = Complete all 3 new workouts B = Complete 2 new workouts C = Complete 1 new workout D = Complete regular set of workouts (4 total) F = Complete less than regular set of workouts (<4 total) Plan for success: Allow flexibility in the days and times of workouts, but plan at least 1 day in advanceMark down workout times in Google Calendar as a reminder Goal #3: Track food consumption (number of calories for anything I eat or drink) and exercise (time spent for cardio and number of sets/reps for strength traning) every day using an app on my phone (Calorie Counter by Fat Secret). Attributes: WIS +3 Grading: A = Follow for 6-7 days in a week B = Follow for 5 days C = Follow for 3-4 days D = Follow for 2 days F = Follow for 0-1 day Plan for success: Track after each meal/snack or workoutSet a reminder alarm each evening to review entries and fill in anything that has not already been entered Goal #4: Make sleep a priority by going to bed by 11pm on weeknights and 12am on weekend nights Attributes: STA +2, CON +2 Grading: A = Follow for 6-7 days in a week B = Follow for 5 days C = Follow for 3-4 days D = Follow for 2 days F = Follow for 0-1 day Plan for success: Start getting ready for bed at 10:30If the first week does not go well, I start setting an alarm for that time to remind myself

Hello! I’ve been lurking around the website and community the last couple of weeks and decided that it’s time to stop and introduce myself in time for the next challenge. A little about me…I just started my first real-world job about 6 months ago after finishing a master’s in economics. I live in the DC area and absolutely love it. There’s so much to do and see! I discovered after finishing school and starting a desk job (economic data analysis in communications) that I walk a lot less and have to be very intentional about getting exercise. In addition, I always used to use school as an excuse for eating poorly and it was easy to continue. *insert mumbling about being busy* On diet & fitness…My fitness/health measure up until recently was that I still wear the same size as I did in high school (graduated in 2006), but I realized that I have very little stamina and essentially zero strength and I want to change that. I’ve engaged in various fitness pursuits over the last few years -- water aerobics, yoga, pilates, zumba, running -- but nothing has ever truly stuck. Right between Thanksgiving and Christmas I purchased a Groupon for Jazzercise and fell in love with it. It’s the first type of exercise where I actually want to go and am not just going because I paid for it (although that’s a good incentive too). I also appreciate that it includes strength and I’m looking to build upon my fitness routine with the beginner’s bodyweight workout here. In terms of diet: over the last couple of weeks, my DH and I have started using The Fresh 20. We’re already eating more vegetables and it’s much harder to make excuses when the food is already been purchased and it’s partially prepared. My nerdy side…It started with Star Wars in elementary school and LoTR in junior high and I’ve been into fantasy and sci-fi novels ever since. I finally have time to read fiction again without feeling guilty that I’m not reading journals. Currently, I’m re-reading Harry Potter at the same time as DH (it took forever, but I finally convince him to read the series). I’m looking forward to being part of the community here and now it’s off to the challenge boards!