Samantha Jane

I am looking into a stand to make my bike stationary. I probably won't be able to get it until after Christmas though and I didn't want to go that whole time with little to nothing.

Hello everyone, I am going on my third quest and I have an issue...I live is New York. I have been biking to keep my fitness going but winter is coming, I'm planning a wedding so I'm am beyond broke and I need a new fitness plan. Here is my bigger issue. I have had surgery on my knees so I can't do high impact, no jumping, running etc... I have not had the much needed sugary on my shoulder yet so no pull ups, serious push ups or even bar hanging. And I have asthma...that doesn't keep me from much, it's just a little more difficult building up endurance. I teach so I can keep a pretty good schedule, but I was biking because it felt more purposeful than just working out. I was going to work or going home. So being the giant pain in the butt that I am, I would love any suggestions. I would really like to look my best for my wedding.

Challenge #2! I know I am late but I really wanted to do the full 6 weeks of my first challenge. I have set up my Second challenge on my computer but I forgot to post it! (I apologize for any typos, I am posting from my phone and I'm not as good on that) I very recently got engaged so my goal is to lose 5lbs! Q1: drink 48oz of water per day. Q2: avoid sweets 6/7 days. Q3:physical activity for 30 min 3/7 days a week. LQ:look for a full time teaching job 3x a week. For each quest I get a 3 strike rule. Each one will give me three points for the week. One mistake,2pts, two mistakes 1pt and so on. A perfect week is 12/12,passing is above 70%. I keep track with an excell sheet. It's an easy way for me to keep a good track of my progress. I am still pretty tired after workouts but I'm hoping that will change soon. If so then I will up my work outs. Until then I am focusing on diet! Good luck to those working hard to turn it around! Also, I'll take any advice to get a bride into shape! Samantha

I finished my quest and passed with 80% (with a 70% passing rate). I do feel that it is helping me create a new life style and find way to solve everyday challenges. No eating dairy has made my like 100% better. No radom stomach aches or cramps. I have been biking to work almost everyday and I am feeling great about it. I am pretty tired after riding to work, teaching all day and riding back, but I am working on a way to boost me system. I am thinking more protien (because I'm not a big meat eater and I don't like fish) I have started my next challenge but I will post that on the adventurers guild. Good luck to everyone in turning around your life!

I've gotten through week 3 into week 4!! Week 3 was really rough with a lot of challenges and hurttles. I had some trouble not eating dairy because of friends and or family cooking for me and they ONLY cook dairy... and you can't be rude and say "ya know, I really can't eat anything you've cooked." We talked about it later and they are doing very well with working around my apparently "strange eating habbitts" I have uped my biking from 6 miles, 3 days a week, to 8 miles 3 days a week. I was going to try to bike every other day but I found I really need those 2 days in a row every week for my muscles to truly heal from the work out. I am working on getting my time down each time I bike. I am still very tired after every work out but it is getting easier. I know that people keep telling me that work outs will eventually leave me energized but I have not gotten to that point yet. I truly enjoy biking though, so it's easy to keep going. There were deffinatly some challenges to over come this past week but I feel that I am going strong into week 4. Eating around no dairy has become a way of life, and my boyfriend is lactose intollerant as well... so he has no complaints! I am going to go the full 6 weeks even though I know I can graduate after this week, but the goal isn't to stay on schedule but to change your life... right? So I am going to stick to it! I will see all you adventures in a couple weeks!!

Week 2 complete. I am still not at 100 percent in every category. We had family this weekend and I ate dairy without even knowing about it. I was very ill for a lot of the weekend. I am getting into the swing of biking often and can't wait for school to start. Good luck to those that are almost finished!

I am new to forums....so I put my updates as comments on this thread?

I started my 6 week challenge a little late, but I'm am sticking to it dang it! It has been much easier sticking to my 3 goals then trying to just "remember to be healthy" most of the time. I really feel more like I have the chance to be successfull about this. Week 1 stats: Main Quest: Bike to work Q1: Bike 1 mile with dog every day 100% Q2: Bike 6-8 miles 3 out of 7 days 100% Q3: No Dairy 6 out of 7 days 100% LQ: No Nail Biting 85% I have only had one hang up on my goals. One of my goals (because I am lactose intollerant) was to give up dairy 6 out of 7 days a week. My first "day off" I had a cheese burger and a milk shake. After not having dairy all week, I honsetly thought I was going to die. I was coaching my marching band when the stomac cramps hit me and I thought I wasnt going to make it through the lesson... Lesson learned for myself. On "days off" going overboard may not be the best of all ideas... Being nerdy and a math person I created a spread sheet on excell to track my progress. I highly recomend this (as I'm sure it's been recomended before). I've noticed a lot of people, including myself adding points wrong, figuring out percentages wrong etc... Even if your new to excell there are lots of easy ways to create a spread sheet to do the math for you! Journaling is great, but if the spread sheet will do all the math for you, then why not? right?! If you would like help setting one up let me know!! I have convinced my boyfriend to create a 6 week chanllenge as well. He is not on Nerd Fitness, but I'm trying to get him to join in. His is going well, but he is waiting on some results from thowing his back out (not because of his goals). His goals are very minor right now, but they have kept him moving and made him more aware of what he is or is not getting done in a day, His goals are to complete the Spartan Sprint next year (3mile run with 15 obsticles), and I am going to keep readng on here for anything and anyone that I think may help him. I can't wait to get to week 3 with the rest of you!! Great job on leveling up to those at week 3!! I can't wat to read all the greate advice from updates!! Shiny! Samantha

Cleaned out my closets and my dressers. I think next I will go through my tools! ( no harm in making room for more useful tools)

Hills? Seriously? I sent a picture but you should look at a topographical map of stueben county in New York state. I am literally surounded by hills. I wanted to set my goal to ride to my mother's house, but I decided to wait on that one because it's about 15 miles of up hill...the whole way there. 580 ft up. I will look into those tools because any excuse to buy new tools pretty much works for me! I don't have a water bottle cage, but I will see if I can figure something out for the pump.

Thanks for all the great advice! I am certified to teach grades 1-6 general and special education. It is about 6.5 miles to the school I work at, and then another 6.5 miles from there to the after school program I do and then 10 miles home. It is hard not to put a lot of effort into biking there because it's basically a giant hill. It's pretty much up hill for the first 3-4 miles, then it's flat or down hill for the last 3. This may not seem like much but I've only been biking for about a month. I will work on getting the supplies, I bike mostly back roads to school. The upside is there isn't very much to blow a tire on. The down side is that no one is out there. Can I ask what the tire irons are for? With all the repair tools will I have enough room for extra clothes and shoes? Things that will make me more presentable when I get there? Again, thus was very helpful, thanks so much!

Hello! So I am new to everything really, to this site, to fitness, to biking, to forums!! I've started biking because I have knee issues and it's really easy on my knees. My goal is to start biking to work when it starts up. I'm a substitute teacher so I have a couple weeks left to get ready. My first and biggest concern is looking like crap when I get to the school. I'm a newly certified graduate and I'm still job hunting I don't want to show up to work a hot mess when I'm trying to look good to potential employers. I get pretty gross when biking. My second concern is road rules. I know very few of them. I don't want to be one of those jerks giving bikers bad name. Is there a good place to look them up? Also I always have trouble with the first 3 miles. After that I could bike forever. Does that ever go away? Lastly I have asthma which causes me to ride with my mouth open to get enought air. Which you can guess causes dry mouth and all sorts of other problems. I was thinking of getting a camel back to keep water handy (since I'm not the best yet at riding with a water bottle). I would appreciate any suggetions anyone has and any advice you have to offer. I also really appreciate the feed on advice for new bikers!! that was helpful all in itself! -Samantha

I love music and find its a great motivator. What kind of music are you looking for? Are you looking for fast pace music to keep moving or happy music to be mellow and happy. Also, being a nerd, don't count out theme songs. The superman theme song is my motivational song when I don't feel like going further. Andy Grammer and Gavin DeGraw are usually very positive singers. There is also a group called playing for change which is a group of street musicians around the world that have been put together and it is very inspiring. Good luck and let me know if you need more songs!

When most people picture nerds they picture someone like me. Short, chubby, with asthma, a math major, playes the xylophone.... I have it all. I have had a lot of trouble with being fit because of lots of physical short comings. I don't mean that I am drastically over weight, I have a lot of phsycial inabilities. I have dislocated both my knees, my right elbow, both my shoulders, and I have asthma which is heat and physical activity induced. I have curbed my weight to some degree by eating pretty well. Althought I only found out reacently that I'm lactose intollerant... which works well with your paleo diet ideas. I became interested when I was looking throught this site and I saw they have a modified chin up that I COULD ACTUALLY DO! Most people think you can do certain physical feats because even with your weight or mindset, if you just try a little harder that you can make it. Well it doesn't work if your never supposed to run again... Doctors orders, or you can't hang from a chin up bar for fear that your shoulder will pop out of it's socket... Plus, I recently found bike riding, which I am allowed to do and getting pretty good at! And so my quest begins... Stats: Age 28 (pretty much... I have like a month to go) Weight 207lbs height 5'5" Pants: womens size 16 Main Quest: It has been my goal (since I talked with my doctor) to be 160lbs or under. Not to look pretty or wear a bikini, but because he said that 160 lbs is the safe weight for people (like me, who have a high risk for diabetes) to not become diabetic. 170lbs was the weight listed on his paper, but he suggested 160lbs to be well out of range. 6 Week goal: To be biking to work 3/5 days a week. (preferably everyday... but hey, lets be reasonable to start). When I say biking to work, I mean all of my work. I substitute teach 6.5 miles from my house. I then travel roughly 6 miles where I work for an after school program, and then travel 11miles back home. I have already started working at this, but hey, a quest sounds like way more fun. 3 steps to help me complete my quest: 1.) Bike 1-2 miles with my dog every day (he enjoys it) 2.) Bike 6-8 miles 3/5 days for the first 3 weeks, and then 8-10 for the last 3. 3.) Cut dairy completely out of my diety (I'm almost there) except 1 day a week, where if I so choose I can have a small milkshake because they are my weakness in life. Life Quest: Quit biting my nails. I have whats called an "oral fixation" issue. I know it sounds really dirty, but it just means that I like to chew on things, like pen caps, pencils, my fingernails... it also causes me to eat even when I'm not hungry just to be chewing on something. I am going to use gum to try to curb the habbit from biting things that are not really good for my health and maybe go from there. Motivation: To never get diabetes. Also, I coach a competative high school marching band. They are my passion in life. For the last couple years I have had a student with a disability of some sort that causes his muscles to slowly disintigrate until he dies, which is suppsed to be like in his early 20's.One day at a competition I had to lift him out of his weel chair and into a seat and I almost couldn't do it, and I also almost caused him to lose his pants. It was embarressing for him and me. I would like to be stronger so that never happens again, and because he will never get the chance to decide to be stronger, and it would be silly of me to waste my life not trying. scoring: 3 points for completeing a task perfectly.for a week 2 points for completing it with no more than 1 day off 1 point for completeing with no more then 2 days off 0 points for completeing a task with 3 or more days off. 2 points for every week I don't bite a nail 1 bonus point for every pound I lose. 68 points possible: A= 68-61pts B = 60-54pts C = 53-48 pts. 48pts or less is a fail. I hope I have hit everything... let me know if I missed a part! -Samantha Jane "Your life is an occasion, rise to it." -UK-