ven83

-21°F? That sounds like the perfect temperature for a snowball fight! But I guess that you might have to wait until your cold gets better... No, I'm kidding. I start complaining about the cold when the temperature drops under 15°C (59°F), so I have no idea how you survive with -21°F. However, I do hope that you get better soon PS: I tried again the tuna cakes. You were right, they are better with eggs ^^

Evenewbie: Thank you for your kind words. I think that I needed a bit of motivation, since I didn't do well this week, so thank you

I wanted to post my results on Monday, but I kept telling myself that I would do it later (probably because I'm not too happy with the results...) Week 4: 1. Mindful meditation 2/4 2. Beauty sleep 4/6: Going to sleep 8 hours before my alarm 4/6: No computer or cellphone for half an hour before going to sleep 3. Mindful eating 2/2 Finally! 4. Getting things done 6/14 I think that the end-of-semester stress is catching up to me, and since I left a lot of important things for the last minute, I have a hard time handling it all. The frustrating part is that when I feel stressed, I stop doing things that would help me (meditating, sleeping enough, actually doing the things that I'm supposed to do) and do counterproductive things instead (procrastinate, eat a lot of garbage, stay awake until 2 am looking at random stuff on internet). I don't want to end this post on a completely depressing note, so I'll say that there are still some things that keep me from going too crazy: for example, my Jeet Kun Do classes are a great way to burn some stress. I also enjoy other things like cooking yummy recipes (Spicy Tuna Cakes!) and hanging out with friends. Also, when I'm in the right mindset, I can enjoy mindful observation of my surroundings. The transition between autumn and winter offers quite a lot of things to observe. It keeps me grounded in the present, and I find it particularly helpful when I'm feeling overwhelmed by everything.

Just remember that grades are not the whole story You felt great, you had peaceful moments, and had a good holiday. I agree with Earlsdottir, it sounds like a week of serious win! I hope that you keep up the motivation and the good vibes throughout next week PS: I tried your Spicy Tuna Cakes! I was wondering why the texture was a bit weird, and after cooking them I realized that I had forgotten the eggs ^^' They were very good anyway, so I'll do them again! (with the eggs this time ^^)

Turtle 21: Thanks for the motivation ^^ I'll admit that I'm also a bit surprised about how "easy" it is to go to sleep 8 hours before my alarm, but I'm not sure if it's a realistic goal for the long term. I hope so, since I do feel the difference! Week 3: 1. Mindful meditation 3/4 I tried meditating once after 6 pm, and it is really a bad idea. I spent most of the time trying not to fall asleep, even though I wasn't particularly tired... 2. Beauty sleep 5/6: Going to sleep 8 hours before my alarm 6/6: No computer or cellphone for half an hour before going to sleep It will probably become harder, since I have a bunch of homework that should be done for this week and next week! But I do feel the difference, and I'll keep on trying to sleep enough 3. Mindful eating 1/2 This time, I just forgot about the goal... Doing something else while I'm on the computer is such a habit for me, that I just realized what I had done afterwards. But still, I only did it once for the whole week! 4. Getting things done 6/14 I think that I might be overreaching with this goal (although this is a challenge, after all...) However, I am quite happy about the fact that about 4 of the things I accomplished (out of the 6) wouldn't have been done if I wasn't doing this challenge. What's more, I even started 3 of the others things on my list! And since those are things that I should be doing anyway, I am not (too) disappointed with my score on this challenge

Thanks for your complete answer! I was wondering, since I'm doing more exercise than before, if I should eat more "energizing" food, and your Spicy Tuna Cakes sound pretty nice ^^ i'm sorry to hear that you're not feeling very well :/ but you are not a bad turtle! You might have made bad choices, but it is really not the same The relaxation massage sound very nice, and a vacation on top! I hope that you enjoy both, since you deserve it ^^ Have a super nice week!

Hello! Random person from the internet passing by ^^ I just saw that your goals are a bit like mine (I also am a longtime lurker of Mark's Daily Apple, and eating more "primally" will probably be one of my goals for the next challenge). Just wanted to congratulate you on your progress: even though it seems like some of your goals aren't going exactly the way you want them to, you are stil, making the effort, and more importantly, you still have the time to do even better. Tomorrow is a new day! And it is also a great day to try those coffee table push-ups Keep up the good work

Week 2: I’m still here 1. Mindful meditation 3/4 I tried a guided meditation, mindfulness of sounds, and found it very nice. I think that I rarely pay attention to background/subtle noises, so I enjoyed changing my perspective. 2. Beauty sleep 6/6: Going to sleep 8 hours before my alarm 5/6: No computer or cellphone for half an hour before going to sleep This goal is getting more difficult since my workload for college is getting bigger! but I do think that sleeping makes me feel better (and happier) throughout the day, so I'm making an effort ^^ 3. Mindful eating 1/2 My brain still cries for food every time I’m on the computer, although it’s more manageable than the first week. It can be specially difficult if I’m eating with someone else and they are used to watching TV or youtube videos while eating. I don’t really know what to do in those situations :/ But it does help with the mindless snacking, and I enjoy my food more 4. Getting things done 8/14 On one hand, I am quite proud of all of the things that I’ve done this week. On the other hand, I admit that about 4 or 5 of those were done on Sunday… Oh well. Next step is accomplishing more, and not leaving everything for last minute

Hey, thanks for your comment and motivation ^^ see that you're going strong this week. Congrats! And I hope that changing what you eat helps you. If you don't mind answering, what are you going to eat to get more energy?

On a side note: I didn't do yoga or Jeet Kun Do last week, but I went to the gym And for the motivation recommended by Staci, I like this phrase: You have exactly one life in which to do everything you’ll ever do. Act accordingly. - Colin Wright I copied it and pasted it somewhere I can see it everyday

Week 1: For this first (half) week, a quick update: 1. Mindful meditation 2/2! Although for the second one I almost fell asleep… I'll stop meditating while lying down from now on. 2. Beauty sleep I thought I would change a little detail about this goal: instead of trying to get 8 hours of sleep, which I have somewhat less control over, I’ll aim for being in my bed at least 8 hours before I have to get up. This way, it leaves the possibility of my sleep being interrupted for some reason, without really altering the spirit of the goal. So, 4/4 days (since Wednesday, when I started my goal) I’ve gotten 8 hours of sleep. ¾ I’ve stopped using my computer for at least 30 min before going to sleep. 3. Mindful eating I was expecting this goal to be the easiest one. I was WRONG. I did not expect my brain to start demanding food every time I sit down to use my computer. I hadn’t realized how much of a habit it had become. It is weird for me to sit down and “just†eat. Once I even started doing something else, and I just realized afterwards that I was still eating… Funnily enough, reading again some NF articles I found this: http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2013/05/09/5-jedi-mind-tricks/, where Steve recommends trying mindful eating. I guess I’m on the right track… For this challenge I think I will be giving myself 2 points max each week. This week I get: ½ 4. Getting things done ⅜ Not happy about this, I’ll see what I can do. I would like to update more and comment on other people’s challeges, but with my tendency to leave everything for the last minute, and my sleep goal, I find it difficult. Maybe I’ll put in my fourth goal for this week

Starting Point Right now, I am: A college student. 64-65 kgs. On a semi-Primal diet (about 60-40), and reasonably happy with the results. A non-native English speaker (Spanish is my first language, French my second language) Happy that I’m finally doing a second challlenge! Goals 1. Mindful meditation (WIS +3, CON +2) I am currently enrolled in mindful meditation classes, but I have trouble finding motivation to do the homework (which is mostly meditating...). My goal is to meditate for 10 minutes at a time, 4 times a week. 2. Beauty sleep (CON +2, END +1) I didn’t have this problem before, but I am starting to go to bed late, and I feel tired even when I have had enough hours of sleep. For this challenge I am aiming for 8 hours of sleep 6 nights per week. Also, I will not use electronic devices for half an hour before going to sleep (6 nights per week). 3. Mindful eating (CON +1, WIS +1, CHA +1) Instead of trying to make my diet more Primal (a goal which I would like to attempt in the near future anyway), I’ve decided to tackle a more “basic†problem: mindless snacking. For this challenge, I will “simply†avoid doing something else while eating. No computer, no cellphone, no books, nothing (except maybe talking to people). I’ve noticed that I can eat several bags of anything while I’m distracted doing other stuff, so I think that it’s a good place to start. 4. Getting things done (CHA +2, WIS +2) As for my previous challenge, I want to do a Weekly Review of things to do for the week (based on a book called Getting Things Done), choose 15 of these tasks, and grade myself based on how many I accomplished during the week. These tasks are usually varied, going from “60 minutes cleaning my room†to “write to my friendâ€, or even “brainstorming for a projectâ€. They help me get closer to my goal (which is admittely vague) of being more organised, and stop leaving everything for last minute (like signing up for NF 6-week challenge…). And all this while doing at least 2 exercises a week (usualy 2 hours of Jeet Kun Do and 1h30 of yoga). I am happy to be back, and excited about this challenge! I am also looking forward to reading about your challenges, and supporting other people who are also working towards their goals

Final Review ! 1. If it ain't broke, don't fix it - (WIS +2, CON +1): I'll be copying Steve's meditation goal. So, basically, I'll "meditate 5 days a week, for 1 minute, increasing by 1 minute each week". Result: 25/30 meditation practices. Meditating is great, and I plan to continue with it. My goal is to continue adding one minute per week to my meditation practices, until I meditate at least 20 minutes, 4 times per week => A 2. Shuettle deinen Speck - (STR +3, STA +2): At least 2 of the following workouts per week: Bodyweight workout (I like the Angry Bird's one), Yoga class or High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). Result: 9/12 workouts. This goal has been the easiest. My next goal will be to workout (do yoga, sprints, bodyweight workouts or go to the gym) at least 3 times a week (twice a week isn’t enough). I also want to learn some martial arts. => B 3. Squat like nobody is watching - (CHA +2, STR +1): I'll get over my fear of ridicule, and go the gym at my university at least 3 times, and once to the Crossfit class. Result: I only went twice to the gym. Although scary (especially at first), I would like to go again, because I liked working out with weights. => C 4. Conscientiousness - (WIS +3): I'll finish reading 2 books: The Power of Habit, and Getting Things Done. I'll also do a weekly review (as described in Getting things done), and I'll grade myself based on how many of the things that I was supposed to accomplish that week were actually accomplished. 1/3 of my grade will be reading both books, and 2/3 will be the mean of my weekly grades + actually doing the weekly revision each week. - I read both books (2/2) - 4,5/6. I did 5 out of 6 Weekly reviews, one of which was late. Rereading the book, I realized that my Weekly Reviews were incomplete, so one of my next goals will be to do them correctly. - I did 32 out of 71 important things. This one was my absolute worst, no doubt about it. I need to find some incentive to do them, instead of procrastinating… But at least I am writing down what I’m supposed to do, setting goals for myself, and planning ahead. => B RANDOM THOUGHTS/COMMENTS I like getting points when I complete “quests†(like the points that I’ll get now that the challenge is over), but I also like a system where I can get points every time that I complete a workout (like Fitocracy).Having already completed one 6-weeks challenge that I had made up for myself, I thought that I already knew more or less how it would be. But I didn’t know how the social aspect of the Nerd Fitness’ Challenge could affect the results. Having a community of like-minded people was great, and having accountabilibuddies was a key factor in my progress.I thought that I would lose my energy and my will to commit to something once the challenge was over, but I’m already wondering what my goals for the next challenge will be! Maybe it’ll be to do one normal push-up. Or a pull-up. I would like to keep on going to the gym. I would like to learn at least one martial art. And take some tango classes. And organize my life even more. And meditate for at least 20 minutes in one sitting, 4 days a week. It’s like all of the small wins that I’ve collected during this 6-weeks just make me want more.Basically, I think that it was a very positive challenge. I felt supported by nice people, and accomplished a few things. And what’s more, I’m ready for the next one J

Final Review !!! 1. If it ain't broke, don't fix it - (WIS +2, CON +1): A. 25/30 meditation practices. Meditating is great, and I plan to continue with it. My goal is to continue adding one minute per week to my meditation practices, until I meditate at least 20 minutes, 4 times per week. 2. Shuettle deinen Speck - (STR +3, STA +2): B 9/12 workouts. This goal has been the easiest. My next goal will be to workout (do yoga, sprints, bodyweight workouts or go to the gym) at least 3 times a week (twice a week isn’t enough). I also want to learn some martial arts. 3. Squat like nobody is watching - (CHA +2, STR +1): C I only went twice to the gym. Although scary (especially at first), I would like to go again, because I liked working out with weights. 4. Conscientiousness - (WIS +3): B - I read both books (2/2) - 4,5/6. I did 5 out of 6 Weekly reviews, one of which was late. Rereading the book, I realized that my Weekly Reviews were incomplete, so one of my next goals will be to do them correctly. - I did 32 out of 71 important things. This one was my absolute worst, no doubt about it. I need to find some incentive to do them, instead of procrastinating… But at least I am writing down what I’m supposed to do, setting goals for myself, and planning ahead. RANDOM THOUGHTS/COMMENTS I like getting points when I complete “quests†(like the points that I’ll get now that the challenge is over), but I also like a system where I can get points every time that I complete a workout (like Fitocracy).Having already completed one 6-weeks challenge that I had made up for myself, I thought that I already knew more or less how it would be. But I didn’t know how the social aspect of the Nerd Fitness’ Challenge could affect the results. Having a community of like-minded people was great, and having accountabilibuddies was a key factor in my progress.I thought that I would lose my energy and my will to commit to something once the challenge was over, but I’m already wondering what my goals for the next challenge will be! Maybe it’ll be to do one normal push-up. Or a pull-up. I would like to keep on going to the gym. I would like to learn at least one martial art. And take some tango classes. And organize my life even more. And meditate for at least 20 minutes in one sitting, 4 days a week. It’s like all of the small wins that I’ve collected during this 6-weeks just make me want more.Basically, I think that it was a very positive challenge. I felt supported by nice people, and accomplished a few things. And what’s more, I’m ready for the next one J

I'll write a quick review for last week, and then I'll do the whole summary for this challenge: Goal 1: 5/5 Goal 2: Great! 2/2 (actually, 3/2, but I won't get any extra points). I did 2 Angry Birds Workout, 1 sprinting session, and 1 sun salutation. I also took 3 tango lessons, went swimming, did some Tai Chi, and walked around a lot. Goal 3: 0 Goal 4: I finally finished both books. I did my weekly review, and accomplished 3/13