darksideofthemoon

Back on the yoga wagon now that I've been able to enforce an earlier bedtime. Made some really good blueberry and coconut baked oatmeal for breakfast this week, and it is delicious. Overall today I'm feeling pretty good, and we'll see if I can finish the socks today Sent from my SM-S975L using Tapatalk

I never thought of mixing with yogurt instead of milk, but that sounds interesting! Thanks for the tip. This week has overall been okay. I've been doing really well on the knitting, water, and breakfast goals in that I haven't missed a day yet. My morning yoga goal has been going a bit wonky -- I missed Wednesday through Saturday because although I set my alarm, it was like I couldn't wake up. Normally if I get up and go use the restroom first thing, I'll be awake, but not this week. I have been going to bed earlier to accommodate getting up at 5:30, but at the end of last week we had visitors that sort of tanked my goal of getting to bed by eleven at the latest. Hopefully this coming week I'll be able to really knuckle down on the getting to bed, because I think that'll help with getting up in the morning.

The challenge is going well! I've been three for three since Sunday and although my body is minorly achy (lots of core work in my yoga videos, ah!) I feel really good. I'm about halfway done with my socks, so I'm excited for that.

I don't have any nerdy projects in my WIPs, unfortunately. I really like this Force Awakens hat though (https://images4-b.ravelrycache.com/uploads/vballprincess859/336018118/tfa-1_medium2.jpg) but lol I have to psych myself up for that level of charts and colorwork. Still want it though, one day!

Woo yoga buddies! Thanks for following me; I'll do the same for you.

Following the heck out of this! I totally feel you on the anxiety struggles and how epically crap it is to job hunt on top of everything else. I've totally been there, and it is literally the worst. Your goals are awesome and I've no doubt that you're headed in the right direction with your challenge. You got this! <3

I really need to work on following through with the good habits I've started. In that vein, most of my quests this challenge are things that I've recognized as worthwhile habits, but I have issues sticking to them and following through. Mainly I just get really lazy -- I feel way better when I follow through with all of these, but here lately I've been talking myself out of doing them (things like I don't have enough time/I'm too tired, etc) Quest One: Settling into a morning routine! I have recently discovered how awesome yoga is, and I've done a few different yoga exercises on my own. I also have been meditating for a while, but I want to work on setting up a daily practice for both. I know I feel so much better (mentally and physically) when I take the time for myself and focus on how my body feels, I just need to buckle down and actually do it. My goal is to do a 30 day yoga challenge for this, along with about fifteen to twenty minutes of meditation following my yoga workout. A+ - 30 workouts / 30 days of meditation A - 27 workouts / 27 days of meditation B - 24 workouts / 24 days of meditation C - 21 workouts / 21 days of meditation D - 18 workouts / 18 days of meditation F - Anything less than 18 workouts / 18 days of meditation Quest Two: Fueling the fire! I really feel better when I eat breakfast, but I suck at remembering to eat it. I'll either get too busy and forget, or just wake up and stare in the kitchen cabinet (I am living at home presently, so I don't do the shopping myself) at the cereal and go 'meh'. I'm not the biggest cereal fan; I don't know whether I've just not found the right cereal or what, but if all I have to eat is cereal I do generally pass it up. I'm cool with other stuff like bagels and oatmeal and even overnight oats! So my goal is to actually make breakfast for myself (either in bulk a few times a week, or put together some overnight oats the night before) so I have no excuses to not eat. Or maybe look into a protein smoothie for breakfast, but the point is I just need to eat something healthy in the morning or else I'm cranky and I run the risk of eating all of the bad things that lurk on the break room table. A+ - 30 days of breakfasts! A - 27 days of breakfast B - 24 days of breakfast C - 21 days of breakfast D - 18 days of breakfast F - Anything less than 18 days of breakfast Quest Three: Commit to Hydration Another thing that I've sort of started, but need to fully commit to! I have been drinking at least 64 oz of water sporadically and I do feel way better when I do -- less thirsty, and less tired. But I sometimes forget to drag the jug (as I so fondly call it) to work and then I ruin my weekly streak, all because I get in a rush and forget to fill it in the morning. My goal is to get up in the morning and fill up the jug when I let the dogs out (which is well before I have to get out the door) and put it by my bag so I've got no excuses, then make sure to get through it over the course of my workday A+ - 30 days of at least 64 oz A - 27 days of at least 64 oz B - 24 days of at least 64 oz C - 21 days of at least 64 oz D - 18 days of at least 64 oz F - Anything less than 18 days of at least 64 oz Quest Four - Knit and Prosper I love to knit! It's my anxiety relief and fun time rolled all into one, but here lately I haven't been making time for it. There's been a lot of really heavy RL stuff going on, so I've been more stressed than ever and I need to make this more of a priority. Plus it's fun, and I love gifting my knitted items (I just have to finish them first, haha). I've got at least one major WIP I need to work on (a basic shawl that was supposed to be a birthday gift in March >_> ), along with some smaller projects (a gauge swatch for a sweater, a pair of socks, and a thumb on a pair of fingerless mitts). My goal is to avoid the startitis and focus on finishing what I have already on the needles by committing to 30 minutes a night for knitting. A+ - 30 days of at least 30 minutes/night A - 27 days of at least 30 minutes/night B - 24 days of at least 30 minutes/night C - 21 days of at least 30 minutes/night D - 18 days of at least 30 minutes/night F - Anything less than 18 days of at least 30 minutes/night

I'm working through the goal worksheets now! It's really helping me conceptualize workable goals.

I joined NF with really good intentions a while ago (2015 I believe?), and life pretty much brought down the hammer on me immediately. Grad school was a great experience but also the most anxiety-producing thing ever, and I did three years of it and graduated before I realized I had generalized anxiety and it wasn't normal to be that stressed every day. Then after graduation in May 2016 I had an awful time with job hunting and got super depressed, which wasn't helped by taking the only job I could find (call center rep) that made me miserable. However, the call center job and advice from a very dear friend made me realize I needed help, and since September 2016 I've been working with a therapist. She's been super helpful and together we clawed my way out of the darkest pit I've ever been in. Fast forward to now: I quit the call center job and work at a bank, which I love. I just had a birthday and I'm saving up to responsibly move out on my own, plus I might be getting a kitten soon (a dream of mine). I'm in a headspace where I finally feel okay and steady, and I want to improve my physical health to go along with my better mental health. I am very tired of being overweight and unhappy with my body, and would just like to work on building self-confidence in all areas of my life.

Hey guys! Thanks for all the feedback and support--it was really nice to see. This past week was way more hectic than I had thought it would be, if we're being honest. My department was gearing up for a conference and I had to help out with that, which really cut into my BBWW time. I only did one BBWW last week, but I'm already working on improving that this week now that the conference is over. Food diary-wise I've been doing pretty well with writing down my stuff, with the exception of this past weekend where I got busy and meant to put my info in later and that never happened. I'd say I've been hitting the 3/4ths area or above with writing down my food habits, which is good! On the water intake front I've been averaging between 2.5-3 of my water bottles per day, and I've not been able to hit four water bottles, but three seems to be fine. So overall not too shabby, but I need to work on making time for the BBWW this week and getting it done.

Hi guys! I'm super excited to do my first NF challenge, as I think the quest/goal approach really appeals to me. Main Quest: Lose 10 lbs over the course of the challenge. I am going to try to approach my main goal by working on how I eat and also by getting into a routine of working out--building habits that are essential to getting a good start on my fitness goals. Secondary Quest 1: Work on logging food intake. I generally avoid gluten and dairy (though I can handle some dairy products like cheese and yogurt in moderation), and I've been eating Paleo-ish for about a month now. However, I suck at logging my food. So my side quest here is to really get into the swing of logging all my food so I can really see what I eat and hold myself accountable that way. A - Log all my meals for each week. B - Log 3/4 of my meals for each week. C - Log half of my meals for each week. F - Anything less than logging half the meals per week. Secondary Quest 2: Work on drinking enough water! I have a water bottle that I take everywhere, but I'm not really good at reaching my daily water intake despite that. So I'm gonna work on this throughout the six week challenge. I did a bit of researching online, and came up with 84 oz. of water for my weight (210 lbs currently). My water bottle holds 20 oz, so this would mean that i need to be drinking 4.2 bottles per day. A - Drink a little over four of my water bottles full every day. B - Drink at least three water bottles full per day. C - Drink at least two water bottles full per day. F - Anything less than two water bottles full per day. Secondary Quest 3: Build up some fitness habits! I need to really drive home the habit of making time in my schedule (I'm a graduate teaching assistant) to get to the gym. I'm doing two Zumba-like classes per week with my roommate (one Friday night, one Sunday night), so there's a bit of cardio there. I want to work on doing the Beginning Bodyweight Workout as well, preferably three times a week with a concentration on form. Because my roommate is already going to the Zumba classes with me, it is highly unlikely that I will miss any of those over the course of the six weeks. My focus is more on working on the BBWW and getting the form down (squats and lunges are tricky for me, as my balance is off). A - BBWW 3x per week, Zumba classes 2x a week B - BBWW 2x per week, Zumba classes 2x a week C - BBWW once per week, Zumba classes 2x a week. F- Failing to do the BBWW during the week. Life Quest: Work on socializing more with my cohort TAs/other language TAs. Balancing my teaching and schoolwork means my social life suffers, so while I want to make time for myself to work out, I also want to get to know my fellow TAs better. Maybe this could entail a get together of some sort once a week, or at a bare minimum just talking to some of the people I rarely talk to outside of classes.

Hi all! I've been a lurker here at Nerd Fitness for a few months now, but it's taken this long for me to get my butt in gear and make an account. I guess I've sort of reached a period in my life where I'm just not happy with being apathetic about my body weight. I've been overweight (probably more like obese if we're talking BMI standards here--I'm 5'6'' and weigh around 210 lbs) my entire life, and up until this point I've been in a funk. My parents are both on the larger side, so I figured that it was just normal for me to be bigger too. I did a three-year stint playing basketball in junior high, which I really enjoyed, but quit due to small-town school sports team politics. I really miss that sort of team comradery, of feeling like I was actually doing something. My mother is gluten and lactose intolerant, and I've become more intolerant of dairy as I've gotten older, so I've already been working on my diet. Cutting out wheat and reducing my sugar intake has really helped me feel better, so I figured it was time to get into the fitness aspect too. Now that I'm a graduate student, I'm experiencing high levels of stress and I need some kind of outlet, so I'm hoping to find something fitness-y that I enjoy which can help in that respect. I think Nerd Fitness looks like a great, supportive community and I hope this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship!