terrormortus

So my legs are telling me to go to hell today, which means I have to be doing something right. But yes the hills have been murder, plus side I'm finding all sorts of secret paths behind my house, apparently someone really likes four wheeling. Yesterday's workout was walk/run intervals which I ended up doing at the high school track to keep track of how far I ran, ended up being three and a quarter mile. Time's the goal but it's still nice to have another measurement too. Meditation happened for about five minutes before I conked out but considering it was 4am I kinda expected that. And here are the before and after pictures, both of me drinking beer which may be telling about me... Okay so apprently I have no idea how to post an image from my computer, anyone know how to do that? >.>

Thank you everyone for the welcome backs, glad to be back. Alright so things are getting off to a good start. Meditation has been pretty easy, especially as I can do it right before bed and use it to help me sleep. Haven't been doing it for massive amounts of time but a little is better then nothing. Eating has been a little bit of a challenge as all the snack have been tempting me, still keeping the faith if only barely. The morning workout has been kicking my but, seriously those hills are crazy, almost vertical in some places so my legs are getting crazy work out. I ended up cutting short my pistol squats last night as my legs were just too tired. Still was working up a massive amount of sweat, so still a vigorous workout. Besides that Monday's workout ended up being a 5k run as I had SO MUCH ENERGY and needed to run for a while. Think it was probably my way of dealing with stress, I'm not terribly fond of not living in a place that isn't "mine". Thank you. I'll probably take your advice with the lunges, too many squats can't be good for my legs. I found a good before and after picture I'm going to upload at some point, the difference is... staggering.

So I still need to read the rest of the thread but looking good! Also damn you for reading Skin Game before me, but I love the Dresden themed challenge.

So I have a good recipe I learned in the army that I actually make at home now. Corn O'Brian You need... Bacon Corn Green Peppers Onions Pimentos Salt and Pepper Crumble up the bacon and cook it, setting it to the side but keeping the grease in the pan. Saute the onions and green peppers in the grease, then add the corn to cook it. Afterwards add the pimentos and keep cooking till they've warmed up, put the bacon back in, and season to taste. Pretty simple but really good.

Very nice challenge, glad to see you got so many jobs while I was gone. Subbed and definitely looking forward to seeing you do awesome.

"Why not?" Pretty much I always ask myself this question when faced with doing something I'm not certain/afraid of doing. It usually ends with me doing whatever it is.

Okay, here we go. First off what I have been doing for the past few several months. I ended up leaving Nerdfitness for a little bit to get ready for BCT (Basic Combat Training) and AIT (Advanced Individual Training). I am happy to say that as of this past Wednesday I successfully completed both of them, even graduating in the top 10% of my class for AIT. So I am now an in shape National Guard Cook and very pleased with myself. Still I can't let myself slip so with that idea in mind I bring you... My Main Quest: Score at least a 270 on my next APFT (Army Physical Fitness Test) So yeah I'm picking a pretty attainable goal for my first one as I want to ease into things. My last APFT I scored a 253, not bad at all but I would like to get it a little higher. The break down of my score is (all of these are out of a hundred) 89 points for my push-ups, 65 for my sit-ups, and 99 for my running. So yeah my weak area is Sit-ups, kind of a theme through out my life. So need to get those up and maybe increase my push-ups a bit, so with that in mind my goals. Goal 1: Do a morning workout six days a week Alright so basically this one is to help me get moving in the morning and to keep up with just general fitness. So far I've been doing the following... 30 Push-ups 30 Sit-ups 30 Squats Run for 15-20 minutes It has actually been pretty relaxing but if anyone has an exercise or two they think would be a good addition please let me know, so far I've just tried to hit all the areas. For the running I've been taking advantage of my new trail shoes and the trails near my current house. Lots of super steep hills but not a lot of random branches or rocks so it's been a fairly simple but challenging run. Scoring: My standard scoring system (days I did it) / (days I planned on doing it) x 100 = Score! Goal 2: Do a more vigorous workout five days a week. So this is the real meat and potatoes of my workouts, the stuff that makes me gasp for breath and sweat like crazy (aka the fun stuff). I have a rotating schedule of six days of what I do which follows... Day 1: Fartlek Day: Basically running easy for a while and then running hard, alternating the two for however long you do it. My plan is to run for 30 minutes, doing two minute easy run followed by two minute fast run. After this challenge I'll switch it up, making two minutes the minimum for the fast run but running till I'm tired, or bored. The ideal is eventually I'll be able to for a full thirty minutes of fast running but that is a future goal. Day 2: Calisthenics: Sticking with Convict Conditioning I'll do as many reps of each exercise that is at my level. Day 3: Run/Walk: Kinda like Fartleks but a little easier. This one I run for two minutes then walk for one minute for thirty minutes. Day 4: Muscle Failure: Basically I do two minutes of push-ups, two minutes of sit-ups, two minutes of squats, and two minutes of horizontial pulls (pull ups when I can manage them) one after the other until I can't do them any more. This is basically for endurance and could last a while, I'll have to record the numbers as best I can to see the progress. Day 5: Long Run Day: This is a a nice easy run but done for an extended amount of time, namely forty five minutes to start with. Every time I'll add five minutes of the total time until I'm running for super long periods, the cap is going to be three hours though. Day 6: Gym Day: Some actual pumping of iron. Since I don't have a gym membership this could prove tricky but I'll figure something out, may be that I just pay for each individual visit until I am officially settled. Seems like a crazy routine and it kinda is but I've been doing stuff like this for a few months now. For when I'll do this stuff I'll be working out Monday - Wednesday then Friday and Saturday, so it'll look something like this... Monday, Day 1. Tuesday, Day 2. Wednesday, Day 3. Thursday, Rest. Friday, Day 4. Saturday, Day 5. Sunday, Rest. Monday, Day 6. Etc. Scoring will be the standard. Goal 3: Continue to eat healthy So yeah I've lost up to this point 105 pds and I am not gaining them back. So healthy eating it is, chiefly it is real foods such as fruits and vegetables with a decent amount of meat and good carbs. The emphasis will be on food I actually have to cook. Scoring: So each day I eat right is worth +2 points, every day that I have something bad but do well over all is worth +1, and a day where I say screw it is worht +0 points. At the end I tally them up, divide by 84, multiply by a hundred,and there is my score! Goal 4: Meditate I got into this habit when I was in basic but it has been slipping lately. So I'm going to get back to it, namely sitting down to meditate every night, doesn't matter how long as long as I actually take the time to do it. Scoring: Standard. So yes there is my new challenge! any thoughts would be appreciated, I'll update and check out other people's tomorrow as I now have to get some real world stuff done, namely workout!

So this is a place holder for the time being. I got my ENTIRE challenge written up, then remembered we use a different system now. So I should have something up tomorrow. See you all then and it's good to be back, I'll fill in what I've been doing in tomorrow's post.

A few people might recognize this name (hopefully at least) and put together that this is in fact a reintroduction thread! So in essence I kinda fell off the edge of nerdfitness mainly because I was preparing for something called BASIC TRAINING, the Army's way of turning me into a soldier. Well it worked and what do you know I'm home in time to start a new challenge! So yeah for four months I did what some people would call f***in' crazy. For two months I exercised six days a week, climbed walls, trained outdoors in frigid temperatures, learned how to shoot a rifle, and all sorts of other things. The next two months were devoted to learning how to cook surprising good food and other skills as well as continued combat training. It was awesome, and it made me a better person. But you at nerdfitness like numbers don't you? So here are a few. When I went to my recruiter I weighed 291pds and was told I had to lose a ton of weight. Two years later (yeah it took awhile) I way a wonderful 187pds. Total Loss: 104 pds. Yeah I like that number. In addition I can now run two miles in about 13:00 minutes, meditate daily, keep a journal, can knock out one hundred and fifty pushups a day (though not all in one set, still working on that), and now have razor sharp focus. To sum things up, glad to be back Nerdfitness and watch out because I have some momentum I don't plan on losing.

I agree with this. Introverts tend to be pretty good at reading subtle signs, so they probably realized you were being sincere and let you into their little hamster ball.

Drills aren't too horrible. There was a pretty large amount of exercise (and we got smoked a lot) but most of it was spent in a class room learning about what to expect from BCT. Hap Ki Do looks pretty interesting but unfortunately the only dojos nearby are forty minutes away minimum, so probably not a viable option. And please feel free to copy my side quest, you would not believe the amount of interesting things I've learned about as a result. That might actually. So far I have been reading the paper when I can at work to sort of see in injustices going on around me. I'll have to try that tomorrow as it is about 2am here now. Alright so update on the last two days. Meditation has been going well, I'm still getting a little antsy after five minutes but it's getting a little better. Virtues as I mentioned above has been mainly reading the paper to see what is happening in the world around me. Good example is the fact that a landlord had killed two of his tenants and wounded a third, minutes after police had left after being called. It is very sad and I'm not sure of the entire story as it is unclear, but suffice to say I shall be watching the trial as much as I can. Learning hit its first speed bump, I forgot to study yesterday. I did a VERY intense workout yesterday and when I got home collapsed in bed, remembering that I needed to study only after I had bundled myself under the covers. I tried to think of a way I learned through the day, but in the end I couldn't and was too tired to get out of bed (slept for 11 hours). While it needs to be worked on, this is why I put in the option to earn extra points. Learning today however was this TED talk (and yes I am starting to play Superbetter) and reading a bit of "Scatter, Adapt, and Remember" by Annalee Newitz to hit those last few seconds. Find My Path: Tomorrow is the day! First Week, +2 for checking out Muay Thai! Control my Mind: Monday, +2! Tuesday, +2!, Wednesday +2! First Week, 12/14 Points! Learning: Monday +3! Tuesday -1! Wednesday +2! First Week, 17/14 Points! Practice My Virtues: Justice, working on it. Sincerity, Yes!

Yeah those people tend to be annoying. That's when I ACTUALLY glare at them and tell them to go away. Haha, nice. I like XKCD's shy t-shirt (here is a link as the image comes out enormous) but it kinda tends to backfire.

I agree with this guy here. Be proud of what you have, because that is much sexier then a clean shaven anything. This advice from a guy who will look like a wookie in a few years.

This line had me chuckling at my desk. Great job with the progress so far. I can relate a bit with the posture problems, I have a habit of not keeping my shoulders straight and it's a poin in the but to fix, especially where I have to work on a counter all day.

That's pretty much hitting the nail on the head there. My "thinking" face is kind of a glare, and since I don't like small talk and think a lot people tend to think I'm mad most of the time. I've found honest communication is the best policy. Usually if you tell someone that you don't talk a lot so don't be offended if you're quiet they understand.

Glad to see another person with learning as a Goal this challenge. So yes good luck on the challenge (yes it is a little late but I'm a crazy busy guy) and hope you do well with the new start.

Popping in to say hi and that I like your challenge. Also that is hilarious.

Alright so an update on the last few days, a weekly review, and then a bit about Justice. So for those of you who don't know me I'm a member of the Maine Army National Guard shipping out for Basic in January, till then I have the RSP drills to keep me busy. So this Friday I headed out for drill and as a result my challenge did suffer a bit of a set back. Awesomely I did keep up with meditation though I had to do it at night when I had free time rather then in the morning, and I learned all sorts of things all through drill so great there too. As for Sincerity I was utterly honest with myself the entire time, didn't gossip, and didn't lie what so ever. So the week went well. For a review I have to say that for goal 1 I did make some progress, namely in the fact that I possibly found a place to study. Still making sure to check out different places just in case. Meditation has gone well, one hitch I'm running into is that I can really only maintain meditating for five minutes before I check the clock but I am able to sit for the full ten minutes. Learning has also been pretty good, much more manageble in this format rather then a few marathon sessions. Alright with that over here is today's update! Meditating was a little hard as I was still a little wired from Drill but it did get done. Learning was another re-watch of crashcourse videos and reading Herman Melville's "Bartleby , the Scrivener" (taking a short break from it currently to write this). It's a pretty good book so far and I even managed to grab a free copy from Project Gutenberg. As for trying out a new style I'm heading for a Brazilian Ju-Juitsu lesson this Thursday. The virtue this week is Justice, which is hard to pursue as I don't see a lot of injustice on a regular basis. I think however that I should try and learn a bit more about the world for this week, find injustices and example of justice. Not sure entirely what to do exactly. Find My Path: Plans have been made First Week, +2 for checking out Muay Thai! Control my Mind: Monday, +2! First Week, 12/14 Points! Learning: Monday +3! First Week, 17/14 Points! Practice My Virtues: Justice, working on it. Sincerity, Yes!

Alright so update on the last two days I've managed to hit my meditation goal for both days. Sincerity is getting a little bit harder as there have been a few times I've really wanted to complain or gossip a bit but held myself in check. Yesterday I fulfilled my learning goal by finishing up the last little bit of "Quiet" so I need to get something done online tonight, probably some math. Plus side this means I get to start reading "The Werewolf's Guide to Life" by Ritch Duncan and Bob Powers which looks really good. Tonight I went to a local Muay Thai class and it looks pretty good. The instructor ended up chatting with me and suggested that if I wanted to get something effective I might try Jui-Jutsu so that will probably be next week's one. Find My Path: First Week, +2 for checking out Muay Thai! Control my Mind: Monday +2!, Tuesday +2!, Wednesday +2!,Thursday +2! Learning: Monday +3!, Tuesday +2!, Wednesday +2! Practice My Virtues: Good so far

Yeah it's something I always have a bit of trouble fitting into my schedule as I actually like people and want to chill out with them. Another goal for another challenge. Thank you! I kinda need that little bit of punishment to keep me in line and it seems to work out perfectly this way.

Alright so quick update on the last two days. I made an appointment to check out a local gym that offers both Muay Thai and MMA classes and am checking them out on Thursday. This place came as a recommendation from an army friend so I have high hopes here. They also suggested if I'm really interested that I try a class for free just to be sure. Meditation has been going well, though today was a little more "sleepy" then I would like due to late nights. Learning was reading "Quiet" by Susan Cain and a bit of a history video from Crash Course on the 1812 war. I watched a whole lot of these last challenge but I wasn't as able to focus on them so trying to rewatch and get a little more from it. Sincerity has been going good as well. Instead of complaining about customers I've been trying to have real conversations, and it's been great. As for work out yesterday did see a little bit of a snag. I'm pretty introverted (hence why I'm reading Quiet) and being up front with customers all day wore me out. So ended up deciding to call my cardio work out 2/3 of the way through. In the future I think I am really going to have to give myself a break before I head from work to the gym, a little breather basically. Find My Path: Looking Good so far Control my Mind: Monday +2!, Tuesday +2! Learning: Monday +3!, Tuesday +1! Practice My Virtues: Good so far

So far I know a few things that I want in a style (skills to protect others, takes advantage of my general strength and toughness) but for the most part I am trying to stay open. That said I have looked at Krav Maga and Muay Thai in the past and liked them so they are on the list of things to check out. So far I've been using the Vipassana method from "Mindfulness in Plain English". I tend to have a very chaotic mind so for the time being I'm focusing on simple mindfulness. I've also had a bit of success with moving meditation in my morning run at least as a way to empty my mind. The current virtue is Sincerity and here is a handy link to see where I am getting my inspiration from. Basically it boils down (for me) to being as honest as possible, not being unkind, and knowing when to not say anything. I am usually pretty good about upholding these ideas but I have noticed a definite change in how I talk about things, namely less complaints about irritating customers at work. As for the rest day so far it has been working out okay. I have the actual rest day on n Saturday and a half day (only the morning run) on Wednesday. I try to listen to my body, if it says take it easy today then I take it easy for a day. Cardio is basically another 3 miles but done at a higher speed (right now 7.5 mph vs 6 mph) which brings my mileage for the day up to 6 miles. Figure that is plenty of running for one day. For the time being I am focusing on unarmed as the only assured thing you will have in a fight is yourself (hopefully). Plus the fact that I live in an area where their aren't a whole lot of options in my area in terms of weapons training kind of complicates matters. That said I am really interested in learning both the knife and the sword some day partially because of their utility but also because they are just cool.

Holy crap! Seriously congratulations on that time!

What a coincidence, I'm going to be sitting in the morning for some basic mindfulness meditation. I'm in the same boat with the neurological aspects. I was focusing a little while back on helping my heart, but according to my doctor I really don't need to worry about that.

Alright so I have come to the Druids' Hidden Forest in search of my self, or at least the art that I should be practicing. Basically during my last challenge I came to the realization that while I like the philosophy behind Aikido, the actual physical Art itself simply doesn't do it for me. Some of the principles remain true for me, using a person's energy against them and neutralizing people without harming them in particular. But in terms of the actual moves they aren't really doing it for me. on top of that I also realized that why I want to learn a martial art isn't for self defense like most people or to prove my physical superiority. Rather it's to protect others. There is a philosophy out there about Sheepdogs by David Grossman and more and more I find myself in that role. Some is in trouble, I'm nearby in case they need help but not the one to be nurturing. A guy looks like he's going to start a fight, I'm nearby in case something happens. So this challenge is about finding an art that let's me protect others, learn the calmness and mental clarity that is required for that, continuing to adhere to my virtues. Challenge 1: Find my Path (+2 Wisdom) So like I mentioned, Aikido wasn't for me. But the art that is still eludes me and that is what this goal is about. What it Entails: Basically it means that I need to get out there and actually try out different styles or at least observe them. The Nitty Gritty: This is hard, but basically I want to have checked out a minimum of six different styles with at least one each week. If there is a reason that I can't actually physically check out a style then in return I have to check out at least two styles online, that way I have a little wiggle room but still motivated to actually check things out the proper way. Grading: At the end there shall be a 12 point grading system implemented with the following values. Looking up a style online: +1 Actually going to watch it being practiced: +2 Taking a class or other hands on training: +3 Not checking out a new style in person or looking at two online: -2 At the end we tally things up and there is your score! Challenge 2: Control My Mind (+1 Wisdom +2 Constitution) Basically I'm a pretty stoic guy guy, but I have two bad habits. First off when I let my anger rule me it goes rampant, like snarling animal rampant. on top of that I have a habit of dwelling on things and bringing myself back to the emotional state I was in. And if I happened to be in a bad mood suddenly I'm in a horrible mood. What it Entails: Basically I need to meditate regularly to make sure that I have a few calm moments to collect myself. But also on top of that I need to learn to focus on the present and not dwell on the past. The Nitty Gritty: Every morning I need to spend ten minutes meditating before I face the day. Hopefully that will carry over into real life as well and help me focus on the present. Grading: Like the above I'll have a set amount of points for the end, in this case 84, and use the following to tally them at the end. Meditated in the Morning: +2 Meditated at Night: +1 Meditated Both During the Morning and Night: +3 Missed Meditation for the Day: -1 Challenge 3: Twenty Minutes of Learning (+2 Wisdom, +1 Charisma) So this is a sequel to my last learning goal, jut toned down for my schedule. Rather then three marathon learning times a week I have a much easier daily goal. What it Entails: Each day I sit down and learn fv twenty minutes, easy as that. It can be anything (math, science, history, psychology, piano, etc) but it has to be a "school" type subject. The Nitty Gritty: Even night when I get home I have to spend twenty minutes learning. While it will be hard to do it on Saturday (my packed day) I should be able to swing it in the morning on that day. Grading: Same system with a total of 84. Spent 20 Minute Learning: +2 Spent 20 < 10 Minutes Learning: +1 Spent 20+ Minutes Learning: +3 Spent Less Then 10 Minutes Learning: 0 Spent No Time Learning: -1 Challenge 4: Practice My Virtues (+3 Charisma) Basically I'm trying to develop my virtues by following in the steps of Benjamin Franklin. This is a continuation of last times fourth challenge, minus Chastity I worked on that during the break. What It Entails: Basically each week I have a different virtue that I try to emulate going down the list. The Nitty Gritty: This one is pretty easy, just follow the virtue for a week. Grading: This unlike the others will be on a yes or no grade for each week, with a final assessment at the end to see how I did. Side Quest: Stick to my Workout Schedule (+2 Strength, +2 Stamina) 3 mile run six days a week. 2-3 Strength Sessions with Convict Conditioning 2-3 Cardio Sessions Cardio and Strength Alternate which one is 2 times and 3 times.