Ironhead

Great goals! The trip to Germany sounds great, as does the the orienteering and climbing, I have been very interested in both of these. Good Luck!

Here is some exercises I'm mixing in to my mace workout.

Picked up a punching bag today and got it hung up in the shop, figured it would be a fun way to get a little cardio going. So my plans for my three workout a week are: 1 Mace workout, followed by a body weight workout, followed by yoga 1 battle rope workout, followed by body weight workout, followed by yoga 1 day of heavy lifting, squats and bench press etc followed by yoga. I will have to do this one Sunday nights after work so I can use the gym there. I am also looking into starting some sort of martial arts class this week. I am going to check out the ones near here. There is a karate school that looks promising. Also i think i am going to join or at least take some classes at the local yoga studio. All these things depend on cost and schedule but I think they would both be fun.

Excited for a full challenge! Current stats: Height: 5'11" Weight: 217lbs Main quest: 10 consecutive chinups Challenge 1: Eat paleo everyday Measurement in days missed: A=0 B=2 C=4 Reward: A=+3 CON B=+2 CON C=+1 CON Challenge 2: 3 workouts per week Measurement in days missed: A=0 B=1 C=2 Reward: A=+3 STR +2 STA B=+2 STR + 1 STA C=+1 STR Challenge 3: Yoga/stretching 4 day a week Measurement in days missed: A=0 B=1 C=2 Reward: A=+3 DEX +2 STA B=+2 DEX +1 STA C=+1 DEX Life Quest: Pay off $500 of debt Measurement: A=$500 B=$400 C=$300 Reward: A=+2 WIS B=+1 WIS C=+0.5 WIS Motivation: Be able to play long and hard with my kids.

Almost forgot, hit my $500 dollars of debt payoff and then some. Put all the overtime to good use. Finally done with all the overtime and ready to start the new challenge tomorrow.

Got down into the 217 goal today, barely. The weight loss slowed a little the last three or four days, I think from lack of sleep. Excited for the next challenge! I think this challenge, though short was extremely successful and I am encouraged to jump right into the next one. Got some goals picked out that I think are better than this challenges goals, a little more flexible. As for the character building? 3 weeks is level one correct? I want to add a level and get over to the Rangers area

Keep up the good work!

That lines up very well with what I have heard about it. Practical and efficient for the real world, I respect all of the martial arts and discipline it takes to learn them, but some of the techniques seem like a bad idea for real world situations.

Got another mace workout in! I got a lot further this time. I am noticing increased energy fro he new diet even with the crazy schedule. @cn3wton I think the sledgehammer will work good to start with I know I have seen mma fighters using them. I think they are usually 5-7 pounds so when you get stronger you might want to upgrade. I am already noticing increased strength and will probably be stepping up to the next level in a month or so. The great thing about it that I wasn't expecting was the grip strength required to do the workout which I am also already noticing improvement on.

Another pound down, 219. I've almost hit my main goal for this challenge, I think I should be able to make it before the next challenge! WOOHOO! I'm pretty excited the lowest I have ever been able to get is 215 and I was working a lot harder and starving myself to get there last time. This time I feel fantastic and eat well, which is giving me a lot more motivation to continue further.

Good idea, being flexible is the key to success I think. I have had to put in some serious hours at work the last two week which destroyed my workout plan. But I stuck to eating right and squeezed in 2-3 mini workouts throughout the day where I could (ie 1 circuit of the body weight workout, 15 mins of yoga, some pull ups under the stairs at work, using the stairs at work, standing at my desk) Keep the momentum going!

Failed all week at the no energy drinks I had an easier time when I quit drinking booze lol. Darn things are addictive. Tomorrow back on the wagon!

Sounds like your doing good. Sorry to hear about the back pain, hope it gets better soon! Have you thought about your goals for the next challenge? It's coming up quick! Keep up to good work.

Please let's us know about your experience! Krav maga is one of my goals and would be very interested to hear how it goes.

Got some yoga/ stretching in last night when I got off. It felt really good. I am down to 220 which is only 5 pounds from the lowest weight I've ever gotten to. Once these two 80 hour work weeks are out of the way, which will be right when the next 6 week challenge starts, I'm going to really kick it up a notch on exercise. I'm going to keep the workouts I'm currently doing and try to add some yoga in 5-6 times a week, nothing strenuous just try and get some flexibility, since I have almost none I'm also going to fine tune my diet for weight loss. I have basically gotten to full paleo but for a while I am going to remove nuts and fruit to really limit my sugar and carb intake. I think this will help and seems like a common suggestion from the experts. The goal is to get around 200-210 but add a significant amount of muscle. I'm also going to get some of the body fat calipers and try to figure out where I at there.

Hey Steve welcome! Fitness is 80% diet so i would definitely lock that down quickly. I am in the process of cleaning out all the crap in my diet and can't believe the difference it has made. Definitely look more into the paleo diet, I'm a bigger guy my self, 220 Used to be 330, and i like to eat and don't like to starve myself. I cut all the grains, sugar and processed crap and started buying from the local farmers market and butchers getting the best quality food i can and it is working wonders. I don't worry about how much i'm eating, if i"m hungry i just eat some meat and veggies, or bacon and eggs and the weight is coming off. I feel great, and would highly recommend you take a similar route. No starving no calorie counting, just remove the garbage. Join the next six week challenge! July 28th i think. Good luck. I'm going ranger myself hope to see you in the guild!

Welcome! Good to hear you are focused on feeling good more than looking good. I believe this is a key point to success. I am on a similar path right now and am also cutting out sugar and also all grains (bread, rice, pasta etc.) and i am really noticing a difference. I would also say that don't necessarily avoid fat, fat from good sources is actually really beneficial for your body and a great source of energy. Think grass fed meat, healthy oils, avocados, nuts, fish, and so on. All of these have fats that a great for you. I am currently doing the paleo diet lifestyle and focusing on high fat, the more the better, it's delicious. In the last three weeks i have dropped ten pounds. I think are bodies like to have the fats and and are less likely to hold onto fat if you consume it regularly. Just my experience. Good luck! Join the next 6 week challenge and set some goals! By the way, your English is very good!

Welcome! I really like your goals, they all sound great! As for not having time to workout, you would be amazed at what 30 mins 3 days a week can accomplish (or shorter just depends on intensity of workout). As for the parkour and wushu i think you will have to carve out a little more time for those, but start small. I'm sorry to hear about your tendinitis, that seems like it could be a real pain. I would look into yoga and maybe some specific hand stretches to counter this and maybe considering trying to strengthen your hands with different grip strength exercises. I have an old shoulder injury, which was torn muscles and torn tendons. It acts up but the more I strengthen and stretch the muscles around it the more use I can get out of it, so don't feel like it will hinder you. There is always a way! I also wish I could get more into the superhero comics, not enough time. Captain America is by far my favorite though, with the hulk and batman in a tie for second second. July 28th (I think) is the next challenge! Join in and set some goals, if you like RPGs you might really enjoy the character building part, it's kind of fun. Good luck!

I've gotten some bodyweight workouts not as many walks but I'm on my feet walking through the plant most of the day so I think that's covered. I have been nailing the diet except a few energy drinks which I'm having a real problem kicking, especially with 80 hour weeks. I am really feeling the diet change the way I feel though, I have a lot more energy and it is very motivating. I am down another pound, sitting a 220 now, and I am by no means starving myself. It's amazing how just putting the right foods in balances your system. I have been eating 3 large meals a day and I let myself get hungry but never starving. I'm definitely going to start out in the Ranger guild. It seems the most fitting for me at the moment. I am really interested in some of the aspects of the assassins guild, but don't really have the body type for it to be practical (yet at least) though I am trying to include some basic parkour exeecises/ moves because it just looks so awesome. I have the ten pound onnit mace and really like it so far. won't be able to do too much with it for another week or so but so far I would recommend it. Mace

There are other reasons for genetic modification for sure and it does depend on the crop so maybe my comment was a little far reaching. But I do have to say that the main gmo crops that are debated are corn and soy and the main reason they are modified is to withstand the effects of herbicides and pesticides so, in my opinion they are something that needs to be looked at more closely. I do agree with organic or "beyond organic" as a better choice,if you want to eat them. As far as being completely against all gmo, I'm not and I do hope to see progress in the future. I think wonderful things could be done in this field if the goal was creating better food and more nutritious food instead of making more money. So far, all I can see is more harm than good and lower quality food. But I am also not an expert and don't have enough time to read everything out there and I'm sure there are some good things being done. My decision is avoid them with what I currently know, but I am not completely against gmo. A little off topic lol. Darn those hot button topics. It still stands that soy is not considered "paleo" (by most people) which was the original question, and all the other negatives still apply. Even without the gmo issue

Yea gotta be flexible! It's been a crazy work schedule but still making progress. Dropped another pound only four more to go. Might need another goal by the time the next six week rolls.

I'm going to have squeeze in some body weight workouts through this week and next. Looks like I'm going to have 80 work weeks for the next two weeks. That doesn't leave me much time for workouts. So... goals are to make up for this I will use the track at work and take a walk/ jog at lunch and try a squeeze in a quick body weight workout as well.

6 pounds down now! 221 and last night I had to have eaten a pound of prime rib. Sticking to the paleo is pretty amazing I almost feel like my portion size doesn't matter as long as all the food is the right stuff.

I still do cheese and some other dairy, raw milk is great though an acquired taste. I think soy is actually pretty bad for you, it is also a legume. But it might be more so for men, i think I've read it messes with testosterone levels. (disclaimer: might be wrong) "The primary reason you may want to avoid soy in the U.S. is that, since 2007, 91% of all soybeans planted have been genetically modified in order to improve crop yields."-Link Below Basically means they are soaked in poison, which in turn means you are consuming some amount of that poison. Small amounts aren't bad but over time can build up, especially if your getting it from multiple sources (bioaccumulation) i.e. gmo corn, gmo soy, chicken, beef, pork raised on soy and corn. High consumption of soy phytoestrogens as been linked to: Increased risk of breast cancerLoss of bone massDepressionDecreased sex driveImpaired thyroid functionIncreased body fatImpaired blood sugar control<From Link Below> Key word i see there is phytoestrogen... which usually means problem for men So all kinds of fun stuff! I think it's impossible to avoid everything (and possibly expensive) but do what you can when you can and it can make huge differences. Don't get discouraged it's worth the effort. change what you can keep what you like, in the end it's all about being happy. Is soy Paleo?