Nephaisys

Hiya L'irlandaise - thanks for your reply! I feel I'm arriving late into exercise too if it makes you feel any better. I watch all these naturally skinny folk walking about and wonder if they know how lucky they have it. As a positive though, it's a better story if you struggle with your weight and win, everyone can identify on some level with that Real women aren't afraid to lift and lift heavy - I can't say I'm very good at it, but I'm learning None of those vinyl covered free-weights for me! It's nice to meet a kindered spirit! Not quite 22 moves, but it feels like it! 9 times in the past four years is enough for me, think I have two more moves in me (one into the area I fully intend on growing up in, and one into a house that I buy, need to get on the property ladder some how!) And thank you for your advice, you've got me thinking a little about how to tackle it - I guess I need a routine to accompany my withering social calendar - just bumping into randoms constantly and hoping to spark friendships probably isn't the best idea long term! Nothing wrong with crochet (I'm a knitter myself! Just completed a full length Dr. Who scarf... in the name of nerdiness!!) Keep smiling!

I too, was late to the party. I like to think of it as being 'fashionably late'. It's when all the cool kids arrive Congrats on signing up - look forward to seeing you achieve your goals!

I hate running. I'm rubbish at it. But that what keeps me doing it Oooh - great to meet another another couple zombie run fans! I was thoroughy enjoying using that app, until I read the last weeks training programme. Zombie fitness focusses a lot on 'Free-form running', at which you're encouraged to "run or walk as much as you like". Walking for me is the easy option, and because it told me I could, I would often literally walk the course! I'd recommend if you're not used to walking / hiking / jogging, Zombie run is brilliant fun, and it's ace for getting you out of the house and motivated and moving. If you want to learn to run / jog, I use Actives C25K, it cost about £1.90 (... just over $3 for those across the pond), and that's considerably better at getting you to run, giving clear instructions when to walk, at what pace, and where to run. I also have an app call 'Figure Running'. The whole aim of the app is to draw pictures over your map with your running - again, it's pretty good fun!

Didn't read your original challenge, but these look great! I'd be careful meditating three times a day though, why not try once a day for two minutes instead? You'll most likely get more out of it! Achieving a silent mind is tricky, much like a muscle, it needs to be built up. Water is the most amazing thing. PRO TIP: Buy yourself a litre bottle of water. Fill it up, and keep it by your side, fill up whenever thirsty, or bored! Good luck to you! Keep smiling. Regardless how crummy things may seem, smiling will make you feel better - "fake it til you make it" works as well for emotions as everything else

Hello! You should be proud! Not sure I could totally cut out beer and pop! Full of admiration!

Generic Update: Day 1. Today's work out brought to you by DJ Fresh - Gold-Dust. #1 Running I used to use Zombie Fit Couch to 5K (I swear, without my smart phone, none of this would be possible!) until I saw a preview of the last week. It suggest the ultimate goal is 'free-form running'. It's a brilliant little app, but it does mean they encourage you to listen to your body and "run or walk as much as you want". I can walk 5k no problem, I want to run it, damn it! So I reluctantly swapped apps, using the 'Couch to 5K Active' app. I felt a bit negative at first, as I had to pretty much start from scratch. Did pretty well though, 2.4 miles, half of that jogged. Give myself a C for this. #2 Strength None done, but plan divised to lift on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. #3 Flexibility (Goal... doesn't have an alternate title) Yoga done, complete with my boyfriend singing along with some of my 'plinky plonky' music. A #4 Get social Signed up to 'MeetUps' and booked myself in for a meeting with "Recently moved to the area girlies" for wine on Wednesday ... excited!

Hiya ArilianPrincess! I'm super excited about Japan, going three weeks today (flying out 30th June)! It's been so long since I've been abroad; and as part of our flight we get 13 hours in Italy too, so looking forward to a bit of an adventure over there Glad I can provide a little bit of motivation! This community is what motivates me - folks on here really know how to get this stuff done! Travelling for work does add another layer of complexity - it means body weight training is high on my list, but also means that I rarely get to cook home made meals, and there's always a McDonalds around the corner! I love what I do though I'm a Lean Six Sigma programme manager - in a nutshell, it's making things better for the Customer, the People and making the processes better. It's brilliant fun. (More on it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lean_Six_Sigma) I work for a brilliant company who I love and am passionate about. I genuinely look forward to Monday's! As for hobbies... I'm not sure! Quite fancy dress making, or pottery, or star gazing. I'm not sure! What would you do if you could pick up any hobby?

Hi LegoLady! I am genuinely humbled by your words, thank you so much! I don't have what I consider to be a "normal" life! I've been incredibly fortunate to travel around and do something I love, but it takes a fair amount of personal sacrifice too; I can't just catch up with friends in an evening for a coffee, because I don't know where I'll be on a daily basis. I can't schedule any weekend activities, because I don't know if I'll be in the country. I'm lucky that I have a very understanding and patient boyfriend Luckily we're both pretty indepedant You're right about my #4 though, and I've thought long and hard about my answer. I'm not that worried about doing something that interests me, it's about going out there, doing something, and meeting people. Even if it's something I normally don't do, then I'd class that as being a bit daring, and a bit social. I wouldn't include museums, or seeing a play as social, because I'm not out meeting people, though would probably count taking a class (common interest, and talking to folk). I guess it does need a little refining. As for Japan, I've never left Europe. It's my boyfriends' birthday and he said he wanted a 'culture shock'... I couldn't think of anywhere more diverse and culture-rich than Japan! ps - Read your thread too - you use fitbit! We should Hook up over there and encourage each other!

Better late than never, right? My 'cunning' and 'resourcefulness' took me away on business for the past ten days, so I'm fashionably late to the party. I didn't think Slytherin was ever all that bad. Unlike thos fluffy hufflepuff do-gooders, they're sneaky. You can find my goal thingy here: http://nerdfitnessrebellion.com/index.php?/topic/31290-the-one-where-nephaisys-gets-a-life/ Can't wait to get truckin' with you guys during the weeks!

Hello, toot toot, and my best "tally ho" from the (unusually) sunny United Kingdom! Better late than never, huh? I know the challenge started on Monday - this is my first time online since then. And I'm cool with not winning anything anything physical Long time lurker, first time poster. I started reading the NF articals last January, and through the course of 2012, I lost around 50lbs, and to date, almost 3 and a half foot of fat from my body (nearly 102cm's for my non-Imperial, trans-atlantic buddies). Yah, that's a pretty big achievement, and probably a lot slower than most. But I have a fitbit, and in that time, I saw my activity level rise from "Sedentry", to "Lightly Active" to "Active" as I'm sat here today (not as I'm... literally sat here, you understand). I've also genuinely made improvements in how I eat and made sustainable changes to my life style. For example - I got rid of my car. One day, just woke up and sold it. I walk / cycle everywhere (plus my carbon footprint is minimal \m/) I was rubbish at eating. I convinced myself I was happy how I was, and then in moments of reflection, I'd crash diet swearing NEVER to drink alcohol or drink sugar again which simply didn't last ("Willpower is a finite resource" ;D), call myself a failure and justify every bad thing I'd ever thought, and go back to eating cr*p. So I started calorie counting, and have been for 18 months with MyFitnessPal. It really helps me focus on my portion sizes and means I don't have to avoid all treats (though I have significantly cut down), but that I have to balance them and offset them against food that's really good for me, and exercise to burn it off. Anywho, enough waffling. I'm putting my stats, plus my January 2012 stats, purely for reflection really; It can be easy to be so focussed on where you want to go, you forget where you've been. ====== Starting Atributes ====== Height: 5"7' Weight: 250lbs (January 2012 = 302lbs) Bust: 45" (January 2012 = 57") Waist: 38" (January 2012 = 56") Hips:49" (January 2012 = 59") Strength (STR) - 3 Dexterity (DEX) - 3 Stamina (STA) - 2 Constitution (CON) - 2 Wisdom (WIS) - 3 Charisma (CHA) - 3 Don't really know my path yet, I would love eventually to be an Assassin, but I think that 'Scout' will be my interim step. ====== Goals ====== #1 Running (Run around the park without stopping Run three times a week and achieve >12k steps per day) I'm damn good at walking long distance, regularly racking up 6 - 10 miles a day. Running is a different story. I'd like to be able to run around my park without stopping (2.4 miles), but an enabler to doing that is working through the Couch to 5k program in sequence and building up my endurance and general levels of fitness. To achieve my end goal, I will run three times a week, and achieve >12k steps per day. A = Entire course can be run (bar 5 minute warm up up the first hill!) D = 5 minutes solid running without breaking. DEX - 1 STA - 2 #2 Strength (Complete Circuit and Learn new routine) I have a barbell and used to love lifting (wasn't brilliant at it, but the lovely warm feeling in your muscles can't be beaten). I follow the Randy Couture circuit, for better or for worse, because that was the one that was first introduced to me, but I have been slacking as of late. A = Complete circuit 3 times a week and discover 3 new circuits (or 15 circuits - I'm a week late to the party!) F = <3 circuits over 5 weeks and no new circuits discovered. STR - 2 CON - 2 #3 Flexibility (Complete yoga routine 3 times a week) For a chunky lass, I'm pretty flexible (I can easily get my legs behind my head!) I also love yoga, but have lost touch with it recently. I'd love to reconnect to it as it does give me massive benefits. A = Complete yoga routine (my own designed one, takes about 1/2 hour) 3 times a week (practice makes perminant) F = Yoga practices less than once a week. CON - 2 WIS - 2 #4 Get social (Do something social once a week and find a regular club / class to attend Reconnect with people I already have / had connections with.) So I have lots of Facebook friend, friends I have numbers and email addresses for that I haven't seen ... or spoken to in years. I think one of the reason I don't mind having that many close friends is because I've convinced myself that other people think about me as often as I think about them. That might not make sense to you... but it does to me. So! Regardless where people are, geographically, emotionally, physically or otherwise, email something thought-provoking, meaningful, and conversational to two people per week. That means, re-connecting with 6 people I've lost contact with before the challenge is up. A = 6 people contacted (this can be by phone, email, text, or Facebook) that prompts a reply. F = Chicken out. Email no-one. CHA - 4 Anyway, that's me! I'm pumped for the next six weeks - I'm also going on a trip of a life-time to Japan (which I reckon might give me a few extra life points!) so I'm super stoked about that. I have already packed my running / yoga gear - international travel isn't a reason to let a habit slip! I'd love to know what you think about my goals - are they similar to yours? Are they smart? Adventurers ... ho! *Battle charges in*