Nolondil

This is my first challenge with the rangers and I'm pretty psyched - I really enjoyed the last challenge and I'm hoping this one will set me up feeling good for Christmas. I'd love to have a few support buddies so if you're interested in what I'm doing and want to hear my ramblings as the weeks progress, just say hi! Motivation: I’ve booked a holiday to Benidorm and I want to feel confident in my own body by the pool. I usually avoid going to the bar because I’d have to walk past people and other minor issues like that - this year, I’d like to be able to conga around the pool and not feel self-conscious. Starting my training for the London Triathlon (31st May) and either Manchester (19th April) or Liverpool (14th June) Marathon (still undecided). Goals and Stats: Reduce BF% (currently 23.9%, goal = 15%), build muscle, increase stamina and endurance. Main Quest: Get back on track: reclaim the self-control I had over my finances and fitness at the start of the year. Quest 1 - Fitness: Follow my self-made triathlon plan - currently based on 3/4 runs and 3 gym sessions (StrongLifts and cycling/spin classes) per week - but based on the last challenge I know I need to factor in a bit more flexibility, so my goal is to hit 3 runs and 2 gym sessions a week (if I can’t make it to the gym I will substitute the session with a bodyweight alternative). Measurement: A = 25-30 workouts over the 6 weeks, B = 20-24 , C = 15-19, D = 10 - 14, E = <10 A = 3 STR, 2 DEX, 2 STA, B = 80% C = 60% D = 40% E = 0%. Quest 2 - Diet: Stick to my calorie goal - I’ve been going over consistently for a while now and my weight has been creeping up (fat, not muscle sadly!). Measurement: Based on the extent to which I’m over my six week calorie total. A = On target. B = 2.5% over, C = 5% over, D = 7.5% over, E = 10%+ over A = 3 CON, B = 80% C = 60% D = 40% E = 0%. Quest 3 - Spending: Eradicate spending deficit (through saving, since I don't want to use my wages). Adjusting to London has been more expensive than I thought, and with Christmas coming up I really need to get my finances in order. Current deficit: £91. Measurement: Based on the extent to which I’m over my six week spending total. A = In the black. B = £5 remaining, C = £10 remaining, D = £15 remaining, E = £20+ remaining A = 5 WIS. B = 80% C = 60% D = 40% E = 0%. Life Quest: My current life quest will just be to achieve my three quests (unless somebody can suggest a better one!). Measurement: A = Achieved 3, B = Achieved 2, C = Achieved 1, D = Achieved 0.

Amazing!

A happy ending then, enjoy your gymming

Don't be so hard on yourself! You wouldn't expect to get into a car and drive perfectly for the first time, or enter your first 10k and break a world record (unless you're Sonic or something). Just doing one circuit is great, and more than you did the day before... Well done!

I'm in a similar situation to you Firefly, I'm going to the free weights section of a gym for the first time ever on Monday... I'm pretty nervous about it to be honest, which is strange because usually I'm quite outgoing, happy to talk to people - there's just something about the gym which can be quite intimidating.

Thanks! It'll be open water, and the joys of it being my first tri is that the times aren't very important, my goal will be just to finish it! I think I'm going to take the two weeks off - I'll carry on running and bodyweighting for now, and I'm going home next week so I'll be trying out the gyms there to start my Stronglifts app, so I can hit the ground running for the next challenge.

Thank you Doctor, and thank you Brekketechie for all your support/gifs!

Isn't that what it's all about? Amazing outcome, well done!

NF Challenge Post These six weeks have flown by. I think incorporating this challenge during such a big change in my life was a good idea, since it kept me busy and forced me to go to new places and do things I may have put off otherwise. So, without further ado, here’s how I adid. Quest 1 - Fitness: Stick to my weekly workout routine (3 runs, 2 swims, 3 bodyweight sessions) Measurement: A = 44 - 48 workouts over the 6 weeks, B = 38 - 43 , C = 30 - 37, D = 20 - 30, E = <20 Achieved A! = 3 STR, 2 DEX, 2 STA. I just about managed to hit my targets for this, but I began slipping in the last couple of weeks as work, uni, networking, and personal commitments began to build up. I think a 3/2/3 pattern was too demanding, I’d feel guilty or annoyed when I missed something, and it wasn’t really motivating me to achieve my goals, rather it just got me a bit down. Lesson 1: Rigid structures or targets aren’t flexible enough for my life at the moment. I need to be able to trust myself that I will do the right amount of workouts for me at any given week. I do think I have the willpower in this area, and it’s good to see the side effects of pushing yourself too far (even if it is time wise, rather than physically or in terms of strength). However, I will keep my 3 runs a week target (maybe 4 when full-scale marathon training kicks in) since that’s the thing I enjoy the most, and I think it’s really my priority. I will probably drop swimming for a few months and replace it with a gym session or two per week, and one spin class per week (I don’t cycle, and it’s a kinda a big deal in the tri!), and go swimming as and when I feel like it. Quest 2 - Diet: NO FIZZY DRINKS - I've recently really upped my intake of these, and they make me, my skin, and my mouth feel horrible. I tell myself because they've got no calories in I'm ok, but can feel the negative side effects raging in my body! Measurement: A = 38 - 42 fizzy drink free days, B = 34 - 37 FDF days, C = 30 - 33 FDF days, D = 26 - 29 FDF days, E = <26 FDF days Achieved A! = 3 CON, I decided early on to not include fizzy drinks when they were used as mixers, because the alternative would be straight vodka/tequila/malibu… and I’m sure that would be worse for my health than a diet coke! I did miss them sometimes, when I fancied a drink that wasn’t water but not booze - they can be a good middle ground. Whilst I know that excluding them isn’t a strategy that would work for me in the long term, I’m glad I could give them up for six weeks and see some of the benefits for my body (and also the fact that I seemed to enjoy them less when I did have them during the challenge, suggesting that the taste is acquired and can be unacquired too?) Lesson 2: Moderation. Fizzy drinks aren’t evil, but the amount I was drinking was unhealthy - I think only having them as a special treat, or at an occasion when I want something more exciting than water but not booze, is going to be where I go with this. Quest 3 - Socialise: Try out the university running and swimming clubs, and if they're not for me, then local groups. If they're not for me, then hey ho, at least I tried! I think this is quite an important goal for me because I've never seen myself as sporting, athletic, etc. and have always felt like I wouldn't fit in teams or sporting groups. This is a prime chance to banish those thoughts and prove myself wrong! Also, they offer coaching sessions and such which would increase my technical ability (hence WIS points). Measurement: A = tried a running and a swimming group, B = tried either a running or swimming group, C = tried neither Achieved A! = 3 CHA, 2 WIS, I’m really happy about my progress here. On my second day in London I tried a swimming club, and on the third day a running club. I kept going for a couple of weeks, but the cost of the swimming club (£300/year) was too much for my budget, and both of the clubs were pretty far away from me (each day had a different meeting point, varying at around 3 - 7 miles away). However, in the last week I found one based on Victoria Park, right next to me, so I’m bloody made up! Main Quest: Establish the fitness base to be a strong triathlete. I think I have done this, even though the triathlon I’m looking at is in June 2015 - so for this reason I think the swimming will take a back seat - but I have seen my half-marathon PB smashed and I my average running speed is increasing… so something is going right! ChairmanDavey is now Level 2! + 3 STR, 2 DEX, 2 STA, 3 CON, 3 CHA, 2 WIS! Where am I now? I am happy with my bodyweight (ending weight 69.4kg/153lb), but I still would like to reduce BF%. I think I have gone as far as I can with my calorie restriction though, I was on a deficit for 1lb a week and I think my body could really do with the extra calories - so I'm going to go just below maintenance (because I'm always nibbling...) and work on gaining muscle. I have a few ideas for the next challenge (when is it by the way?) - let me know what you think! Portion and calorie control - I tend to go through a big blow out every 6/7 days, and it takes a lot of willpower to not carry it on until the next day. Building muscle - got free gym membership for November through work (and December too if I do over 35 hours a month), so I think I might do something about making progress on the Stronglifts programme (I wasn’t too enamoured with my experience of bodyweight). I think I’m at a good weight now and I’d rather add 5kg of muscle than loose 5kg of fat (much much more easily said than done I imagine!) Marathon training plans are saying I should be doing four runs a week, so I think this might form the basis of the challenge for me, and maybe use a running pace calculator to get a sub 3:05 marathon done next year. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR HELP, the support on NF has been great and it's been nice to have people who are cheering me on, y'all great

If you're struggling to not buy crap during your 10 minute breaks, either don't take any money, or put your wallet/purse in a locker or somewhere where you can't get it easily within 10 minutes, or distract yourself between breaks, or maybe take something like a satsuma or small apple to eat. I think part of the problem in situations like that is that you kinda programme yourself to 'expect' food then, and so you create a habit that becomes hard to break.

One of the problems with the NF challenges is that we get so absorbed in them sometimes we miss out on actual life happening, or feel guilty when it does and messes up our carefully made plans... but that's silly, because the point of these NF challenges is to level up our lives, and we can't do that if we refuse to live them! ...basically, what I'm saying is... you've worked so hard already, enjoy the fun bits that mess everything up!

Spartan 5k or a full marathon... I don't know which sounds more challenging! I've heard the Spartan challenges can be pretty tough, good luck man.

Excellent, let us all know how you get on!

I felt the same as you when I started swimming, i adapted pretty quickly.

Another UK student here... I'm quite lucky in that I get free gym membership for a month if I work more than 35 hours in the previous month... the problem is, I just don't know where to start and going into a gym as a newbie is pretty intimidating. I think I'm going to start cooking in bulk too, I only really have about 3 or 4 different meals anyway and eating the same thing doesn't really bore me, so what's to lose?

Hey guys, just wondering if there's anyone around in London who wants to start a little sidekick group, keeping each other motivated, sharing tips, or just chatting about what's going on in the Big Smoke?

That looks amazing. I'm wedded to MFP because it's so easy to use on the iPhone, but massive kudos on being able to do that... I wouldn't know where to start.

I very much doubt the app was developed in a toxic sweatshop in Vietnam.

I use Nike+... mainly because that's what I started with and I haven't had a reason to change, but I do wish there were more features available. Still, if it's early days just try each one out and see what works for you.

Perhaps if you're feeling ambitious/amphibious, you could try swimming from the Grey Havens to Valinor...?

It's a Womble, from a UK children's book series/TV show about creatures that reused litter thrown on a park. They even had a few hits...

They finally uploaded the womble picture! The look of joy on my face is real, I wasn't expecting that at all. And, for a running photo I don't have my usual 'shoot me' face, so I'd call that a success!

Hello fellow rangers! I'm looking for a bit of advice or support. One aspect of my six week challenge is based on exercise - 3 runs, 3 bodyweight sessions, and 2 swimming sessions. However, I'm finding the bodyweight aspect really difficult and I'm beginning to lose motivation. I'm following the Start Bodyweight plan, but I really can't get on board with the handstand push ups - I think I have terrible form (but I have no way to check this since I'm working out in my room) and I don't think I'm getting any benefit from it. In fact, I think my form is quite bad for a lot of them (especially the single leg half squats, which is where I'm up to in that progression). What should I do? I'm thinking of cutting out the handstand pushups altogether and focusing on the five areas that I feel like I can do. I want to finish the challenge and get my points, but it's becoming more of a chore than an enjoyable experience. Hopefully, this month I will work enough hours to qualify for the free gym membership for November, where I'm going to try the Stronglifts programme. I'm a bit gutted because I really liked the idea of bodyweight training!

Wow, you've shamed me... Over the past week I've watched the Hobbit 1 and 2, and LOTR Fellowship and Two Towers, both extended versions... and done no exercise! You're doing amazingly

Just found out I came 10th out of 465 people. I'm shocked at the moment - I just kinda realised 'If I can do that when I've been treating my workouts and my body so badly, what can I do if I actually give it 100%?'... well, now I'm going to find out!