Horsley Child

I really like that your plan incorporates various aspects of physical and mental well-being. Good luck finding the energy and time with which to be consistent in your growth! ¡Se puede!

Is there anything that you're particularly interested in in life? Any passion? If there are exercises and diet plans tht you're thrilled about, that's wonderful, but if not, perhaps a good place to start is to think of things which interest you which you do or would like to someday do and to incorporate diet and fitness into doing them/preparing for them.

Congratulations, and good luck as you progress! Two months of dedication to anything is impressive, but especially something as conscientious as a health plan. Se puedes!

@Mekong--I hope that you are able to get back into a regular yoga routine and enjoy it. Hard to find time and motivation sometimes, but it's very worth it! It seems like you're accomplished in other respects, though. @T2sarrahconnor--Thank you. I'm trying! Staying motivated is difficult for me, but I'll be where I want to be someday.

Day 14 Update I've been busy lately with events, projects, cleaning, and family time, so I haven't updated my thread yet (I know--excuses, excuses), but I'm doing that now. I've been trying to keep up with a Palaeolithic diet, but I've let it slide quite a bit. I generally avoid dairy, bread, and processed foods/refined sugars anyway, but I've been drinking "original" flavour almond milk, which does have some refined sugar in it. My mother is a saint in the kitchen and brings my brother and I homemade casseroles and soups all of the time, so I've had a bit of rice and barley with that, too. Overall, I would give myself a "C" grade in this department. Yoga has been an amazing benefit for me. I began with the original plan in the link at the top, but I needed a bit more than the daily regiments, so I follow the same plan of one day of just the basic routine in between days of a more intense regime, but I do all of the pose collections on my "on-days" now, and I'm feeling great about my increased flexibility and balance. I went back to my chiropractor as a follow-up after I threw some ribs out of place a couple of weeks ago and had them re-positioned, and he says that my back is holding its position much better. I feel like I've earned an "A" in this department. Making time to walk/hike regularly in the winter has been more difficult than I thought that it would be, particularly motivation-wise. In my first week of this challenge, I walked for around three hours and took a four hour hike on the weekend. The second week, however, I completely dropped the ball and took around a half-hour to walk one day. I've been using sore feet and cold weather as an excuse for about five days too long. So, I would also give myself a "C" here. So, main goal average is around a 75-80%. Definitely room for improvement. As far as the side goal is concerned, I'm still at it, but it's going great. I live with my mother, so I can't sort out and donate a lot of the stuff that I'd like to in order to tidy up the house, but I'm working around that as much as possible and trying to convince her to become involved in the process. So far, I've recycled over fifty pounds of unnecessary papers; donated five boxes of excess clothing, childhood toys, and random household goods; effectively organised my remaining clothing; built shelving for my bedroom; and cleaned and redecorated my fish tank. Every time something leaves the house I feel better. A "B" seems fair.

Your challenge is looking great. Late response, but thank you, and good luck to you, too! Glad that you're making progress with which you are happy.

Entering this challenge a week late, but I'm thinking that I'm going to try to participate for the next five weeks to reach level one, and then I'll try for level two in the next 6-week challenge, if that's all right with everyone. I dropped out of the last challenge, but I'm trying to motivate myself to do more with my life and don't want to wait until mid-February. Main Goal: Be more agile and build endurance. >Sub-Goals: >>Continue Palaeolithic diet for at least the next five weeks. >>Continue daily yoga with this plan (http://yoga.about.com/od/beginningyoga/a/30dayquickstartmonthone.htm) and then advance. >>Make time to walk/hike at least three hours per week. Life Side Goal: >>Finish organising and cleaning the house completely.

Week one: 15% F Today: 80% Yoga routine - x0 (0%) Warm-Up - x1(100%) Bar curls and presses - x5 sets 10 reps each @10lb. (100%) I'm finally getting back to my routine after a failed first week. I decided to use the NF beginner body weight routine in addition to crunches as my warm-ups. I can finally do 50 reps each (alternating each set of ten) of the bar curls and bench/standing presses at ten pounds. I did not get around to doing the yoga routine this morning, but I should tomorrow morning. I have not yet completed a running day, which I think will be my biggest challenge as running is not something which I enjoy. The dietary goals which I've set have been difficult for me. I've been feeling rather ill to the stomach for the past week and have eaten a staple of nutrient-poor soups, vegan cheese and crackers, and similar comfort food. I hope to set aside some time in the next few days to do some vegan/vegetarian-paleo-esque cooking. With five weeks left of the challenge, I want to set a rough timeline for achieving my fitness goals. I should be able to complete estate one by the end of this week. Stage One: Week Two • lift full routine @ 10lb • one mile run • complete 3/6 yoga sets Stage Two: Week Four •lift full routine @20lb •two mile run •complete 4/6 yoga sets Stage Three: Week Six •lift full routine @30lb •three mile run •complete 6/6 yoga sets

Thank you, Blaidd, for the advice. I'll have to go have a look at this Warrior section. I know that I'm setting my expectations for myself low, but I am doing so in hope of overtaking them. Update for Day Two: Due to a death in the family, I have been busy since yesterday evening with traveling, paperwork, and sorting possessions with my siblings. I have maintained the morning yoga routine, but will likely forsake the other exercise elements for the rest of the week. 20% completion.

Day One: Monday Routine Morning Yoga Pose Series x3 (recommended goal: x6) Crunches x20 Alternating bar curls and presses x3sets10reps each (rec. goal: x5/10) 70% completion.

6-Week Challenge #1 Introduction: I've been consuming a vegetarian diet for two years and transitioned to a vegan diet in September. In the past few years, I've become somewhat obsessed with health, particularly cutting all fast food out of my diet (as well as those with whom I spend time regularly, to their dismay), as well as reducing my refined sugar and empty calorie intake. Four or five years ago, I was incredibly enthusiastic about arm musculature and benched fifty pounds regularly. I then proceeded to become lazy and weak over the course of moving several times and not understanding how to properly deal with my emotions and surroundings. I've never really been fond of cardio--I'm not built to be a runner, and I've never made a habit of it. In the summer, twenty miles of cycling to commute here and there does me in for the day, and in the winter I cycle less than a few miles a day. After realising this summer that I had been gaining body fat at an unattractive rate, I am finally getting around to exercising a bit and eating a more careful diet and have begun to lose those stubborn pockets of fat. I presently find myself of an average build, if not a few pounds of fat too many. Despite this, I've been rather busy lately and fear losing my motivation and failing to accomplish my goals. Thus, I'm holding myself accountable here and beginning a challenge which will hopefully help me to push myself that extra mile. Main Quest: • Become prepared for the revolution. Goals: 1-Exercise. • Lift MWF. Five sets with ten reps each of bar curls and bench presses. Starting at ten pounds and progressing to thirty. • Jog Tues/Thurs. One mile circuit progressing to three miles. • Rest Sat/Sun. 2-Eat. • Cut out refined sugars. • Refine diet to primarily include proteins, vegetables, and fruits. • Adopt the Warrior Diet and assess effectiveness. 3-Meditate. • Take up beginner yoga routine (MTWTF). Life Side Quest: • Learn the basics of the Russian language. Motivation: My motivation is that I want to be prepared to handle any situation and that I want to be the most productive member of society which I am capable if being, which all has to start somewhere. Where better than here?

Greetings, and welcome to House Hufflepuff! While those in Hufflepuff are typically thought of as being generally less intelligent and possessing less positive qualities as those of other houses, please allow me to assure you that this is simply not true. Hufflepuffs are, by nature, honest, hard-working, friendly, and loyal individuals. The Hufflepuff house produces many a fine witch and wizard quite often--we simply don't see fit to boast about our achievements. Anyone is free to join House Hufflepuff: "said Hufflepuff, I'll teach the lot, and treat them just the same." We're happy to have you. In all honesty, I had intended to create the Ravenclaw house, but I thought that that would be unkind to other Hogwarts students/enthusiasts, seeing as it is that not many people think highly of the Hufflepuff house and thus another would be left to create a house that he or she thought lesser of, and to Hufflepuffs specifically, seeing that they are in need of someone to stand up for them and their passiveness. Thus, here is the Hufflepuff house, though the commons will have to be placed elsewhere--somewhere more hidden... Perhaps beside the kitchen, through some barrels of vinegar? That all being said, to introduce myself as prefect of House Hufflepuff, I am unknown here at NF as Horsley Child, though anyone here may feel free to refer to me however he or she pleases. I enjoy a wide range of pass-times and hobbies, including cycling, playing guitar (not very well, mind), brewing potions, playing with my tabby and bullfrog, defending the Gilnean frontier, practising the art of tea (one does not simply drink tea), and reading forums. I lift and perform various isotonic excercises occasionally, but my primary form of excersise is cycling (typically bicycle commuting to the library to use the WiFi therein to play WoW). I am an adventurer and am not sure what I want to become; in fact, I think my fitness goal might just be to become a fit adventurer, which would be fine by me. My primary goal is to break my habit of procrastination, however, which stands in the way of many of my important fitness and otherwise goals. All first years, please share any and all of what you wish of yourself and your goals below. Best.