PhantomDingo

Hmmm. Seems like the 26th has definitely become problematic! After the 26th I'll be busy on most Saturdays! Aaaaagh. But whatever date gets decided I'll try and work around it! PD X

I completely agree that Scottish Nerds are extra awesome Well I actually work during the day on Saturdays, but am definitely up for a reschedule if another date is suitable for people! PD X

Brilliant! That makes me feel a bit better Well I'm definitely in if people are keen! Well whether celebrating or commiserating, the drink is always welcome I hope you make your milestone! PD X

Hey guys, How goes the planning for the 26th April? Is that still on? I know I'm new here and I don't know any of you guys but if it's still ok to come I'd love to meet people in my neck of the woods! PD X

Well I am definitely in! I'm always up for a get together, and it would be great to meet some fellow rebels close to home! Looking forward to details! PD X

Awww man I wish I had seen this earlier, I'm near Edinburgh! PD X

This is absolutely brilliant! Well done!! I'm hoping to start some work on handstands soon, you'll have to let us know how you progress! Well done again! PD x Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

This is absolutely amazing! I've just added this post to my list of favourites to keep me on track with Paleo! Well done! PD

That's amazing! Was this a first tattoo? PD

Congratulations! That's absolutely brilliant. PD

Thanks so much you guys. I breathed a huge sigh of relief there, I had these images in my head of everything going to pot because of those 2 weeks off. I'll take it a bit easier tomorrow and try and get back to where I was next week and see how I go. Thank you again for your advice guys! Also, that's really good to know about taking 5-10 days off occasionally. I'm going abroad for a week in September so it's good to know that one week won't set me back a great deal. PD

Hey guys, So I was on Level Two of the Rebel Fitness Guide, I'd been exercising consistently since March (working my way up from Level One) and then 2 weeks ago I went on holiday for a week, and my eating habits kind of went to pot and I decided I could probably take a break from the lifting. Then I came back and missed my Monday workout so figured 'Hey, I'll wait until next week, I hate not having a routine, and Monday, Wednesday, Friday are my lifting days.' Throughout this week my diet was even WORSE than the previous week. So, it came to Monday this week, and I couldn't get to the gym, but I knew if I didn't go on Tuesday then I'd fall into every bad cycle I've ever had before where I'd fall off the wagon and put back on the stone that I've lost since March, so I thought to myself 'Screw routine! For this week only you can lift on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, then get back to normal!' I could BARELY finish the workout. The lunges left my legs shaky and I was seriously worried I might not be able to stand; my planks were atrocious because my legs kept slipping, unable to hold themselves up, and I struggled with a 20kg barbell that was manageable before. I couldn't finish with the 20 minute jog/sprint session because I just didn't think my legs would cope. Has anyone ever taken a prolonged break from exercising and then gone back to it? Any tips? I'm taking it slowly, but not TOO slowly, because I don't want to half-ass it just because I feel like I should 'ease myself in'. I should also note my diet is back on track, smoothies for breakfast, and as paleo-as-possible meals the rest of the time. Will I fall back into this?! I would hate to have undone all my progress for 2 weeks off. Even though I felt like a failure, I have to admit that NF has clearly had a big impact on me. The old PD would have given up and gone home for a takeaway. The old me is determined to get back to my best. I will NOT give up! Thanks guys! Hope you're all well PD.

Thank you so much for your advice you guys! I feel very excited to start back with yoga and spin. I've been feeling so strong since starting with weights and really wanted to get fitter. I will definitely follow the 'trial and error' approach and just see how it works out. I'm really keen to see what I'm capable of, actually! Thank you again for your great replies, guys! PD X

Thanks airen123. I think seeing yoga as a supplement would be good, because then I could do it on the days that I lift and not feel like I'm doing too much. PD X

Hi everyone! I've been doing the Rebel Fitness Guide (Basic Training) for about 5 weeks now and am on Level One: Rookie. I've recently rejoined the gym near me because I needed to up the weights and a lot of the time, I feel I work harder in the gym because there are more people there. Now, I'm not VERY unfit, and do feel at the end of these workouts I could go further. I'm VERY keen to start yoga and I'm quite tempted to start spin classes again, which is something I used to do before I gained the weight back that I'd lost a couple of years ago. Now, I do my rebel routine on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and do half an hour of cardio on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. My question is this: If I were to attend yoga on the same day as one of my rebel workouts, is that doing too much in one day? Also, if I do a half hour spin class (sometimes a 45 minute spin class) on the same day as one of my rebel workouts, is that too much? With regards to spin, I'm conscious that Steve will have me running intervals when I get to level 2 of this workout, and know for a fact that too much leg work will mean I'm too sore to do the squats (etc) in my workouts, and I've felt so much stronger since starting that I don't want to do anything that will detract from the progress I've made. I don't want to half-ass a lift day because I did too much sprinting and spinning. Has anyone ever swapped the running intervals for something similar to a spin class? On a side note, does anybody do yoga at home? Are there any DVDs anybody can recommend that would enable me to simply do yoga at home without having to worry about there only being 2 days in the week I can attend a class? (Work and University commitments make it difficult to attend the ones during the day). I feel that yoga is the key component here, because I suffer from lower back pain, something which I know yoga is good for because it helps you get stronger (and leaner, which is great). My main question, essentially, is how much is too much? I apologize if this is all over the place and seems like a simple question, but I know that you all have tonnes of experience and would love to hear back from you with advice on how to proceed! Thank you for reading! PD X

Thank you for that, I'm very grateful! Also, I have no idea why I didn't just call you Brandon in my other post...or do you prefer Stubbs? PD X

Hey everyone! Thank you so much for your wonderful replies. I always do double shifts on a Sunday so I apologize for the delayed replies! But to each of you: Hey again Stubbs! First of all, I'll be following your blog as of this evening! I LOVE reading other people's experiences. I do have a blog (very new) but it's really taking a while to get into it because my schedule is so hectic, so when I get it fully up and running (for example, setting aside one hour per few days to update it) you'll have to drop by Your course sounds great! I also had a friend that started out in computer science strangely enough, and then went into psychology and sociology. He was the same, in that although he had a great interest in tech he realized it wasn't for him. I love that your subject also feeds into your love of martial arts. That's a fantastic position to be in! It's also, like you say, a great motivation for getting your fitness back on track! One thing I've noticed is that when we (the collective 'we' that is) start working, or studying or anything that consumes inordinate amounts of our time (I know the dead end job feeling, I work in a supermarket right now to support myself when I'm at Uni. Seriously, it's soul destroying, 6 years of scanning other people's shopping takes its toll...) then the fitness regime is always the first thing that we sacrifice! We don't do it intentionally I think, I know for me it just started as 'Oh I don't really have time for it today...' then that turned into a few months and all the weight I'd lost came back on! But now that I have Rome to look forward to in September, I can get back on track! As far as my own subject goes, I just LOVE how romantic Scottish History is. I'm Scottish, so love that I'm learning my own history, and I was furious they never taught it to us when we were in school! Our own history! It seemed ridiculous, so I sought after it at a higher level and this year marks my 6th year of it In a nutshell, I love the kings, the queens, the politics of it all, learning about our medieval landscape and how it has changed between then and now, and how the nobility and the people lived and interacted with one another! Plus, there are some amazing battles which is always interesting! That's so great about your new apartment! I love moving to a new place! I am also really keen to try out your juiced veg/apple mix! I'm really into things that are easy to prepare and easy to transport (because I travel a lot between Uni and home and the archives in Edinburgh). I'm really excited to see how you get on! Also, that's really cool you get to test robots! How did you come by a job like that?! It's so unusual Also, I adore that picture. No idea where I found it, but delighted I did haha. Take care pal, catch you soon! Hey Morning_Witch! Thank you so much for the advice! You're like me, I'm a bit of an egg fiend. I absolutely love them and would you believe I've been eating omelettes for years and it was only 4 weeks ago that I tried making one with veg in it?! Shocking! But I tried it with tomatoes and onions but found the tomatoes got a bit soggy after a while so wasn't really that appetising... I'm really intrigued with you putting strawberries in your salads...I think I have this standard image of salads as just being boring, some lettuce, some onions...you know the type...but if there were strawberries involved I could be persuaded to get on that bandwagon! Also, I have no idea how I came across that picture, but my my it makes it a bit easier going Paleo... I hope to hear from you again! Hey Keelan! Thank you so much for your suggestions! I'm really keen to try them out! Now, I've never had almond milk before but obviously it is the go-to if you're going paleo so I guess I should man up and try some, and then try using water and then compare So, when adding fruit to your leafy greens, does the taste of the fruit mask the taste of the greens? Don't get me wrong, I do LIKE the taste of greens (some...like Kale, which I love...which is probably why I struggle with salads, because I seem reluctant to give lettuce a chance haha) but you know, I'm not sure I could cope with a kale aftertaste first thing in the morning Thank you so much, catch you soon! Thank you again everyone, I really appreciate your advice and tips, especially fruit and veg combos to use in my blender PD X

Totally ignore my random questions in my reply on my post, I had no idea you'd started your own! I'm really glad you've started this too. Totally loving your dedication to martial arts! I dabbled in Tae Kwon Do when I used to live abroad but I never went back to it. I miss it a lot, actually. Totally feel you on the 'sick of feeling like crap' front. I actually don't think I remember the last time I woke up feeling ready to get going for the day. It would be nice to actually FEEL like I can make it through the day without wanting to go back to bed by lunchtime... Good luck to you pal, let's DO this! PD X

Hey Stubbsmcgee! Absolutely, I think I'm going to have to work on my impatience and try to ease into this. It's like Steve says, we're trying to make this a lifestyle change, not a quick fix! At the 3 day mark I had a kind of mood swing, I felt like it was too hard to constantly think about what I eat and what I need to have or buy to replace what I'd given up. I'd gone from eating bread (my favourite go-to snack) to having none at all! Not cool. I'm the same as you in that, at least for the moment, I'm the only one in my family who is on board with the Paleo lifestyle so it was getting a bit expensive buying things and then getting awkward when I had to cook a different meal to everyone else! I felt like I was stressing out the people around me because I was like 'No, I can't have that, it isn't Paleo' but I definitely want to give it another shot, just slower this time! Are you a student too? Or do you work in academia? I'm studying the history of Scotland in the years 1300 to 1500. I adore it. 6 years come September I've been at the same Uni and in 2 years I will (hopefully) have a PhD! I wouldn't mind looking a bit more glamorous at my graduation than I have done these past 2 times, though. Thank you for your luck. I really appreciate it! I'm sending a huge amount your way PD X

Hi everyone, I came across NerdFitness about a month ago when for some odd reason, after a huge session of Assassin's Creed on the Xbox, I googled 'how to train like an assassin'...and what d'you know? There was an article exactly about that on this site! Since then, I have bought the Rebel Fitness Guide and have been on the Rookie Workout for the past 4 weeks. I also tried going Paleo but did the wrong thing going in head first, crashing out and feeling disheartened just 3 days later! BUT, I'm ready to try again. Frankly, for those 3 days I WAS Paleo, I noticed a big difference in my energy levels, I noticed that I didn't feel 3 sizes bigger after eating, and I felt happy. But I took on too much too soon. I'm very impatient by nature, and I'm pretty sure that had a huge part to play in my inability to stick to it. I also don't eat a lot of vegetables. I am trying new ones all the time and I have favourites that I stick to and eat a fair amount of but it's a slow process and honestly, I really don't like salad. I associate it with being bland and find it quite difficult to eat. So, as you can imagine, transitioning to a diet that focuses on an increased intake of vegetables and has salad with meals was bound to be difficult. But I do know that this could be the way forward for me. I'm 5'8' and 229lbs. I'm heading to Rome in September for the first time and it's honestly the trip of a lifetime for me. So naturally, I don't want to look huge in my photos. I know that doesn't give me plenty of time and I'm not saying I want to be a size 12 by the time I go but I would like to be FIT. I'm tall(ish) and have always known that being super skinny was not only not an option (Honestly, super skinny not only doesn't appeal to me, but wouldn't suit my body frame) and I love women that simply look healthy, and are lean and strong. I want to be like that. 2 years ago I lost 2 stone whilst at University, but it was all cardio and low fat microwave meals. I may have lost 2 stone but my body fat ratio went nowhere, and after a back injury I lay off the gym and piled it all back on in about 4 months. I'm now a PhD student and my lack of energy is taking its toll on my ability to concentrate and get the work I need to do done to a high standard. How many times have I heard 'You have everything it takes to get a good grade here, but you don't seem to have put as much work in as you should have', knowing full well it's because I'm too lazy to go the extra mile? Does anybody have any tips for how they transitioned to Paleo? Or anyone who found eating that much veg to be a struggle, and how they overcame it? Or even just how people got on the right path and started losing weight, whether Paleo or not?! I'm an Ogre right now, but was a really slim child, and would love to be an Assassin or Druid in the future. I know they're very different, but I do love weights, I love sprinting (and would love to get back to a fitness level that would let me do that) but I'm also desperate to get into yoga. The few times I've tried it, I felt better for it and it really does help my back. I have friends who tell me how good it is for the mind, too, and I could really do with a bit of peace and quiet up there! Plus, I study Scottish medieval history for a living, and anything to do with druids is just plain awesome. I'm really excited about this and I feel like 2013 is the year for it. I'm ready to level up my life! Catch you all later Any help is much appreciated! PD X