CraftyChemist

Week 3 Update: I was pretty sick this past week, so I did not meet any of my goals. I stayed home and rested, although I've got a lingering cough that will probably stick around for awhile I'm feeling much better now. I should be able to get week 4 back on track. I did have a small victory though, I went to Pizza Hut with some friends yesterday and chose unsweetened iced tea instead of my normal Mountain Dew!

Belated weekly update: Week two started out really well. I met my step goals, logged my food, and did my exercises. Unfortunately, my husband and I came down with the flu this weekend! Week three is not off to a good start.

Weekly check in time! The first week of this challenge was a success. I remembered to log what I ate and drank, which was a good motivator for making better choices. I met my step goal of at least 7000 steps a day, and I even had two 10,000+ days! I decided to start an account at Fitocracy to track body weight exercises, since the Fitbit site is really only designed to log distance activities like running, cycling, swimming, etc. It's been fun getting familiar with that site. I'm CraftyChemist there too if anyone wants followers! This past week I did: Monday: 3 sets of 10 squatsTuesday: Plank and side plank for 30 secondsWednesday: 3 sets of 5 kneeling push-upsThursday: 3 sets of 10 walking lungesFriday: 3 sets of 10 calf raisesSaturday: 3 sets of 10 crunchesSunday: 5 sets of 6 kneeling pushupsI need to find a good upper body pulling exercise that I can do in my house. Most of my furniture isn't particularly stable, so I'm not sure what's the best thing to do. Thanks Alexandrite for checking up on me! My engagement rings has an alexandrite stone.

Hello! This will be my third Nerd Fitness challenge, but it's been quite a while since that last one. I'm a graduate student working on my PhD in analytical chemistry, and last year was very stressful. I put my health on the back burner and have extra pounds to prove it. This year, I'm excited to join the assassins guild because I think it aligns nicely with my goals. I want to be able to work out without relying on a gym or fancy equipment. I'd like to be the kind of person who is capable of meeting whatever challenge comes my way. My main quest for this challenge is to establish a healthy routine by tracking my activity and food with the help of my new Fitbit Flex, which I got for Christmas. My three specific goals for the challenge are: 1) Log all food and drink I consume. I do try to cook healthy meals, but I get into trouble by snacking on whatever free food might come my way. By tracking what I eat, I'll hold myself accountable. 2) Take at least 7000 steps a day, and keep my weekly total above 50,000. I know everything recommends 10,000 steps a day, but I think 7000 is something I can realistically achieve. 3) Do some sort of body-weight exercise every day, and log it with Fitbit. Something like push-ups one day, squats one day, etc. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to plan this, so if anyone has advice I would appreciate it! I'll try to clarify this goal over the course of this first week. For grading, I'll dock myself a full letter grade for each day I don't log or meet my step count goals. Goal 1: +5 CON Goal 2: +5 STA. Goal 3: +5 STR Good luck to everyone on this challenge! I'm looking forward to this journey together!

My first challenge as a Druid was very successful! Goal 1: Make something from scratch at least once a week: A (3 CON, 2 WIS) Although I haven't completely removed convience food from my diet, I did a lot more cooking with whole foods during this challenge. I'm finally getting into the habit of making a meal plan and going grocery shopping during the weekend when I have have more time, and doing prep work in advance and using my Crockpots more. I've tried some new recipes from my mother-in-law that are definitely keepers, like French Onion Soup. Goal 2: Walk at least 5000 steps every day: A (5 STA) I only walked less than 5000 steps on one day during the challenge, and that was not a good day in most respects. Most days were really successful, and I got over 10,000 steps on 15 of the days. Goal 3: Go to two classes at the University gym every week: A (3 DEX, 2 STR) I did manage to get to two, and occasionally three, classes every week during the challenge. I tried out several styles of yoga, plus cardio kickboxing and Zumba. I really enjoyed every yoga class I tried, and I feel a difference in my back from doing yoga regularly. The next challenge will be whether I have the willpower to get to the gym in the winter when its snowing! Overall grade: A

This past week was pretty busy! My adviser became chair of the chemistry department this year, so he has a lot more on his plate and delegates more things to us grad students. I'm getting a reputation as the GC/MS expert of the grad students, so I've been helping a lot of people run all sorts of samples on different instruments. I'm enjoying the extra projects, but I keep having to meet with people when I'd rather be in yoga class. I only got to one actual fitness class this week, but I did go to a dance rehearsal which is equivalent work-out wise. The Downtown Dance Collective is putting on a performance of Michael Jackson's Thriller next week, and I'm taking part. It's really fun, I'm so excited for Sunday! This week I made my step goals, and we had pulled pork in the Crockpot for supper on Wednesday night. I've got all sorts of tasty meals lined up for this week and got all my shopping done ahead of time. Thanks for the book recommendations MadScientist, I'll see if I can find them!

This past week was very successful! I made it to three classes this week: Zumba, Level 1 Yoga, and Core Power Yoga. The Zumba class is in the evening so I drove back to campus after going home for dinner. I enjoyed the class, but probably won't go regularly because 8:00 pm feels late to be doing an aerobic class, plus it cuts into homework and housework time. Level 1 Yoga was just added to the schedule and I wanted to try it. Its a foundations class, so we went through poses slowly and focused on getting our form correct. I'll try to go to this one every week if I can, since its always good to go back to basics. Core Power Yoga is a flow style class, and I really enjoyed it. I've been intimidated by the name, but I kept up just fine except when we attempted some arm balancing poses! It's interesting how my two fitness goals work together: the gym is on the opposite side of campus as the chemistry building, so getting there and back takes about 3000 steps! The only days its hard to meet my 5000 steps goal are weekends and days I do consulting in another lab, since there I stand in front of the same instrument all day. I made a couple of dishes from scratch this week. One night was enchiladas, which are very tasty but getting them to stay rolled up is a pain! Another night I tried my mother-in-law's recipe of beef and veggies in the Crockpot with brown gravy and ranch. That was good, and there was leftover gravy to go with mashed potatoes another night. It was a good week!

I made it through week three! I only made it to one class at the gym this week: I forgot my yoga pants on Monday, then caught a cold on Thursday. I did make my step goals everyday, and it was a good week for cooking. Now that its fall we've been in the mood for soup, so I got out my crockpot and made chili one night and french onion soup on another. Super tasty!

I couldn't figure out why I couldn't find my challenge thread, and recently realized I had posted in the previous challenge forum! I'm starting a new one in the correct place, but I've been doing the challenge since September 16th. From the other thread: This is my second challenge here at Nerd Fitness Rebellion. The first was a great experience, so I'm back for more! My goals will be similar to the first challenge, but it will be slightly more challenging because school has started back up and life is busier (I'm a grad student working on my PhD in chemistry). Main Quest I want to have an active lifestyle. I want to enjoy doing things like hiking, biking, walking, swimming, dance, yoga, etc; and feel like no day is complete without doing something active and fun. My Three Goals Goal 1 (Diet): Cook something from scratch at least once a week. Although I don't go out to eat very often, I rely a lot on convenience food like frozen pizza or hamburger helper for dinner, which is a lot of junk and not a lot of nutrition. I will try to make at least one home cooked meal that incorporates fresh meat and veggies. Grading: A - 5 or 6 meals; B - 4 meals; C - 3 meals; D - 2 meals; F - 1 or 0 meals during the challenge. Goal 2 (fitness): Take at least 5000 steps everyday. I've been wearing a pedometer and tracking steps for about two months now. Although I get between 7000 and 10000 steps during the week as I bounce around between campus buildings, weekends are more challenging. This goal means adding more walks on the weekend. I haven't figured out how to grade this one yet, but I'm determined to succeed! Goal 3 (fitness): Go to at least two classes a week at the university gym. There are all kinds of fitness classes like yoga, pilates, spinning, ballet barre, Power Pump, and Zumba that are either free or you need a punch pass that costs $30 for 30 punches, and I want to take advantage! A - 5 or 6 weeks; B - 4 weeks; C - 3 weeks; D - 2 weeks; F - 1 or 0 weeks that I get to two classes. I've met my weekly goals successfully for the first two weeks!

Thanks MadScientist! I meant to post yesterday but it was very busy day... Week 2 also went very well! I made my step count goal without having to pace around my house at all, I went to yoga and Ballet Barre classes, and I made an apple crisp from apples off my friends apple tree. (Apple crisp isn't quite a meal, but I don't think you can get much closer to cooking from scratch than using hand picked apples!) I also realized that I posted this in the previous challenge forum, so I'm going to start a new one in the current challenge forum. I couldn't figure out why I couldn't find my thread...

Those musical genres all sound fabulous, I'd love to hear any of them!

Week One was a success! I met all three goals: I took yoga and kickboxing classes, I made a stirfry with chicken and veggies for dinner on Thursday, and I've taken 5000+ steps everyday, even if it meant pacing around my house until I made my step count. Bring on week two!

Thanks MadScientist! I'm in my second year now, so I still have a ways to go. I got 4 out of 6 required courses out of the way and passed my proficiency exams last year; this year I need to put together my committee, write and present a research proposal, and pass a divisional exam. I'm finding it harder to do homework this semester because I'd rather be working on my research! I've been to two fitness classes so far this week (Continuing Yoga and Aerobic Kickboxing), so that's one goal accomplished for the week!

I have an Omron GOsmart pedometer, and I love it. I got it on Amazon for around $20. It tracks steps, calories, and miles; and it's pretty accurate in my experience. It resets automatically at midnight, so you don't have to worry about accidentally hitting the reset button and losing your data. I wear mine clipped to my belt and track the data in an Excel spreadsheet.

What kind of music do you write? I'm a fellow scientist and music lover. Good luck with your goals!