curlybee

That sounds like a very good plan...I'm thinking that doing 30 minutes everyday alternating beginners yoga and bodyweight exercises would be a good goal to have until the next challenge...maybe add some journaling in there, too... Thanks so much for taking the time to respond. The acceptance thing is HARD!

You are on the money, and I have been thinking about this all week... How do I start?

That's so sweet of you to send! Thank you! I really don't care what I start with so long as I start. I will definitely give this a look see!

That is great ErikaisEpic. Thank you for passing that on

Serious question for you all: I don't know if this is the right place to post this, but please recommend other forums if you think it's a better fit elsewhere. I'm not new to diet or exercise (tried and failed many times), but I am completely new to having an exercise be my "thing". I really want my thing(s?) to be a combination of bodyweight exercises, yoga, and pilates. They're quiet, I can do then anywhere, and I just love the pace and mix of strength and stretching, plus the mental challenge. All this is very exciting BUT...I have NO clue how to reasonably start. NO CLUE! and I need some serious advice on how to make sense of what are the many options I see for myself. This has been something I have wanted to do for a very, very long time, which is why (as you will see), I have so many dvds, books, and pieces of equipment. It suddenly dawned on me: if I don't start it now, when will I? My main goal is so find something that will work for a set period of time (6 weeks or between now and Christmas [which is 12 weeks, guys!]), and stick with it. Particular goals about pounds lost will come later. These are all of the resources I have right now: - a LOT of pilates, barre, and yoga DVDs that I've collected over the years. A DVD + a paperback were my favourite things to buy for myself at the bookstore I used to work at, so I have quite a few Gaiam ones. They range in length and difficulty from 20 minutes to 60 minutes long, and from beginner to intermediate/advanced. I am definitely a beginner. - The Women's Health Guide to Pilates - The Women's Health Guide to Yoga - The Women's Health Book of 15 Minute Exercises - A Netflix account I am dying to actually use (I want to watch my favourite shows while on my exercise bike - no more late night TV when I can't sleep!) - the goal to walk and cycle my way from the Shire to Mordor and back - it takes 55 minutes to walk from my apartment to my university. I love the outdoors, and I'd love to make the journey a regular thing instead of the train. I do this mostly to give my thoughts room to breathe, not for cardio. That being said, the minute I get stressed about the demands on my plate (which happens a lot as a grad student), this walk and exercise are the first things to go. I don't want it to be this way... This is what I have equipment-wise: - yoga mat - 2.5 lbs dumbbells - yoga strap - pilates stretchy band - yoga blocks - exercise bike - suitable shoes These are the ideas I have in my head as to what I OUGHT to do or what a daily regime OUGHT to look like in the end. These are based on books and conversations that I've had with trainers or instructors over time: - to lose the pounds: 45 minutes of good, sweaty cardio 5 days a week (according to Women's Health). This is where my bike and Netflix comes in. - to gain endurance and strength: 30-60 minutes of pilates/barre/bodyweight exercises every second day - for stretching and coordination: 30-60 minutes of yoga after all strength and cardio workouts BUT - to make pilates, bodyweight exercises, and yoga a practice: 60-90 minutes a day, everyday (according to a yoga instructor I know) (these two points are where the expectations contradict each other, which is perhaps where all the stress around planning this comes from) - to keep mentally sharp and focused: walking to and/or from campus five days a week. I think of this as purely mental and emotional exercise. I want the movement, fresh air in all weather, and the routine. It helps me think. I'm not saying these are ideas are all right, but they're what I think I ought to be doing, and I'm willing to change these ideas for a time so long as I just get started...this is where I need your help. I don't want to give a workout routine more than 60-90 minutes a day, and I do not count walking to university as part of my workout. That time walking has an entirely different purpose. In combination, I am willing to give both of them 2-2.5 hours of my day in total. Ultimately, I want to lose 95 pounds, but for now, all I want to do is get a good routine that makes me feel good, feels meaningful, and helps me mentally. I'm an aspiring academic - I need all the brain and physical power I can get. If you have any serious advice about how to balance this or questions to ask myself when thinking about it, please let me know...

I want to do this exact same thing!

Hi everyone, I want to make a ticker for my profile, and I want it to measure distance walked. I've tried the tickerfactory.com but didn't see any that I liked. Does anyone have any suggestions? Curlybee

Life came up in a big, big way, and I had to check out of everything non-essential for a while...but I'm back and hope to do much better this time!

Yeah! and holy cow! It's week 4!! I've sucked so far this challenge. Feeling sad, stressed, and frustrated. I need a victory this week. My goals for this week are: record what I eat consciously make one pro-paleo meal/snack choice a day alternate between 30 minutes of bike machine and pilates every morning record my sleep Also: finish my current academic project in a way I am very proud of.

3 positives today: 1.) I allowed myself to take the day off from studies to look into how to take care of myself during times of very high stress. Trust me, it sounds easy and obvious but this is a first. 2.) the ice maker in my fridge is no longer spitting out disgusting pieces of goodness-knows-what with the ice cubes. Cold water FTW 3.) I'm reading: "Spark: the Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain". Usually I detest exercise books, but I'm liking this one for not being too complicated or bedazzled with fads. Basic premise: do exercise (esp. cardio in the morning), and have a more energized, more awake, and more clear-minded day. I can get excited about that.

Oh gosh! Hello everyone! Sorry to reply so late. I thought I had my email settings to show me when someone replied to this. To reply: Little Turtle: Thanks Journaling has been going well. I recently recorded my sleep for a week and who knew I was having issues?! I'm definitely learning to take my sleep more seriously but it's so easy to justify going without it with work and studies always on the go. I recommend that others try it at some point. I learned more about my habits than I thought I would! JittersTheClown and I am Eve: thank you very much! I hope you guys are doing well. I feel like I am taking this challenge in slow-motion. There's a lot of revelations about how I handle stress throughout this process so it's very much a learn-as-I-go thing. Maybe this challenge can be about making those strides and the next one can be more physical? I'm not sure, but it's a daily process - and trying not to be hard on myself at the same time.

Hi everyone, I just wanted to make my own topic to keep me accountable throughout this 6 week challenge. I am still reflecting on what exactly my SMART goals are and will have them up next week, but by having my own topic thread I hope to keep myself accountable by posting things and encouraging you all on your own journeys. 3 positive things today: 1.) currently, half of the sky is shockingly orange and the other half is coal-grey. Looks pretty and daunting all at once; 2.) I could open my mouth enough to put a fork in it so I had my first solid food since Monday. 3.) I'm reading "Tales from the Perlious Realm" again Hope everyone is off to a great start this week

Just throwing this out there: would any fellow druid like an accountibuddy? I wasn't sure about putting this idea out there because I don't have my SMART goals set out yet, and won't until after my first counsellor session talking some life stuff out. However, it sounds like there are lots of people in this guild who would understand 1.) the sort of place I'm in right now in facing anxiety therapy, and 2.) the sort of progress/growth/recovery/emboldening/calming sorts of goals that come with that. Is this even the right place to post this?

Hahaha katastrophenkatzchen ! I am shaped a bit like a curvybee so the name could work!! und deine Benutzername ist toll!

Yeah, LittleTurtle! You're right, breathing is a huge part of it! It's sounding more and more like I should be keeping a journal of these 6 weeks...

Great advice storms79 and TheComebackKid! and sorry, I meant to be clear that I would start the Mt Doom walk. 6 weeks isn't enough time to walk it. I'll need to sit down tonight and think/map this all through more concretely this evening

to elaborate on the 5 things, for example mine right now would be: I see 1.) my bierstein full of water; 2.) the three piles of books on my desk; 3.) the five sticky notes partially peeling off my wall; 4.) the creases in my blinds; 5.) and my hair pins left on my notes after last night's reading. I hear 1.) my neighbours speaking French on their balcony; 2.) the sound of a distant car; 3.) the wind blow through the big spruce tree outside my window; 4.) the drum of my fingers typing anxiety advice to a complete stranger; 5.) and the creak in my second hand office chair I feel 1.) the weight of my curls testing the strength of my hair elastic; 2.) the numb and tingle of my face and jaw after my dentist appointment; 3.) the stiffness of my makeup after a day of professional smiles and research; 4.) the deepness of my exhale/sigh as I remind myself I still have a document to write up tonight, and 5.) the reach of my inhale as I remind myself I worked hard this month...my write up will turn out ok. So then you carry on again with 4 more things all the way down to naming one thing. It doesn't matter if things repeat, but it's good to look for as many different things as possible. for some reason I am second guessing if smell is in there haha! I suddenly can't remember if it was or if it was something more generic like "sense". the down side is it can be easy to fall into hearing/feeling/seeing a negative: "i feel my throat getting sore" I feel my aching feet" etc. etc. but I found a reliable remedy in those situations is to find neutral things like piles of books or the sound of cars etc. When I'm feeling crisis/apathetic out of exhaustion or stress, the positives aren't immediately there but I can still see the neutral things. Eventually guiding my way via the looking at the neutral elements builds up to noticing/feeling something positive (as you just read).

Oh man, I don't know. I get my new therapist next week, but the counsellor I saw at my university last year when I was going through a really bad time suggested an exercise for those moments where one feels overwhelmed (or on the other end of the spectrum) apathetic to the world. I still use it now and then and it helps. What you do is make sure you are in a safe space, doesn't matter if it's public or private so long as you feel physically OK and can devote a few minute to your thoughts. Then to yourself or writing them down, you count down 5 things you hear, see, smell, and touch, and then 4 things, 3 things, two things, and one. It takes about 5 minutes, but I've done it in the public library and in my own space and it's helped me feel better enough to get back to my task (studying, usually [i'm a grad student so anything that helps me think more clearly is worth a shot in my world]). I really do want to do that walk to Mordor and back challenge. I adore LOTR and it gives me something to measure. With pilates and yoga, I'm a bigger girl, so it's hard to physically do the moves because my flesh is in its own way, so I am really not sure how to gauge success there... what sorts of goals do you have? what are your tips for attaining inner calm?

Hi there, Blaidd forwarded me to you guys because she thought my goals aligned with what you do. I'm actually really, really excited to get in touch with my inner druid. Question: what kind of goals are you guys setting? I'm taking on this 6 week challenge in tandem with some counselling on stress and anxiety. It's all cognitive behavioural therapy, nothing physical, so I am not sure what sorts of physical goals to set for myself.

Meditation would be a great idea! Thank you so much for passing this on! I still need to think things out a bit more to see if my goals fall in the SMART criteria...I'm not off to a great start. Two days of intense dental work made me not want to walk home because of how I was feeling from the freezing, but at least with a swollen face there isn;t much more I can eat than protein and fruit smoothies. That's a bit of good with the bad, right???

Hi everyone, I am brand-spanking new to NF and am starting off by doing a challenge. What drew me to NF was the sense of adventure, creativity, and (a touch) of fantasy in fitness. I have specific goals that I will tackle in time, but I aspire foremost to make a genuine mind/body connection. For a long time, my body has been a vessel for my mind - the mortal coil that shuttles my passions, thoughts, and questions throughout the world at my feet. Sadly, over the ups and downs of life, in time I lost all mindy/body connection to the point that it's very hard to gauge how I'm physically feeling (good or bad) outside of the urges of being hungry or thirsty. What now? Here's what I'm thinking: My main quest is to take my first real steps towards connecting my mind and body. Three missions will be: 1.) Walk from the Shire to Mount Doom and back http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2012/07/23/walking/ not sure how long this will take but my journey will begin today. 2.) Experiment with yoga, pilates, and bodyweight exercises every morning for 30 minutes. 3.) Plan my meals and shopping ahead of time. I won't be sticking to a diet outside of common sense for this challenge. Life quest: Undecided, but it will either be something creative or to the benefit of my beloved academics. Do you guys have any suggestions? My motivation: Life is beautiful. I have a lot of things going for me, and I'm afraid that if I don't take the personal responsibility to connect with my body now, the anxiety and overprotectiveness from past hurts will calcify and permanently deform my character and appreciation for the all good things I have. I need to learn to be kind to myself.