alexgator

thegingerdances: Definitely leaning towards Beginner's Body Weight! I'm doing that today at least.

HobbitingAlong: Ahh, you're right! A huge part of why I'm doing this is to better my image of myself. It probably all starts mentally, right? Thank you for your kind words. The whole soda/fast food thing has been hard! I'm hoping the running/strength/180 diet change will give me a motivating kickstart to longer-term goals. I totally forgot about 30 Day Shred, I think I actually have that set somewhere. I'm going from zero-fitness right now, so I might see some results with that. (Matches nicely with the Whole30 timeline, too.) Maybe I'll try that one out again. And, like you suggested, I could mix it up with Beginner's Bodyweight, too. I do have issue with getting bored Thanks for the advice!

Hey everyone! Thanks for clicking, thanks for reading. (To long? Skip to the bottom.) So I'm a beginner again and I've run back to Nerd Fitness for help. This time is the time that it's all going to be different for me. I guess I can just feel it in my bones. I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired. I'm sick of my poor health dragging my somewhat crappy life along. It feels awful. So here's my jumpstart plan: In about two weeks, I'm going to be starting the Whole30. I kept to a Paleo diet a couple years ago. The changes in how I felt were amazing. Unbelievable. And that was without exercising. I have a "thing" happening the first full weekend in March and I know I won't stick to my guns. I need to build the right habits before I can enforce them in every situation. In the meantime, I've cut out soda and fast food, both of which I was addicted to. I think that will make the transition into Whole30 easier, too. I also want to start exercising before the Whole30 so that I've got a bit of a routine going. I'm planning to do C25K because I've always been jealous of runners. I was incapable of running even at my fittest (V-Sits ALL DAY, but no more than 15 minutes of running ever). I'm also already registered for a 5K this summer. My family and I walked it last year and I want to run it this year. But, I don't really think the running is going to help me lose the weight I want to. I'm doing that for cardiovascular fitness and bragging rights, honestly. Plus, I don't want to be squishy. So I need a basic strength plan too! For now, I have to keep it to bodyweight (preferable) or dumbbells (possible) because I don't have access to heavy weights. I know Steve has a couple, but I was wondering what the favorite is? Any personal experiences? TL;DR: I'm starting a health overall. I've been slowly cleaning up my eating and will be going Whole30 in a couple weeks. Starting now, I'm going to be doing C25K. I want a strength program (bodyweight or dumbbells) to go with it. Any favorites? Personal experiences? Advice? Much appreciated!

I saw there were two more open spots, so I went ahead and added my name. Is that how I join? I have no idea how this accountanilibuddies things works, so I'm just diving in! I know it's a little late in the challenge too, so just let me know if it's alright

Thanks, Kalaq! I'm definitely not letting it get me down. The fact that I've been to the gym 3/4 days since starting the challenge is amazing for me. It's nice to have motivation extend past a day! Great tips of self confidence! I feel well-prepared... Or at least halfway there. Maybe I won't fret too much about moving forward out of the preparation stage early. I'll just focus on that a bit and, you're right, it'll make everything easier in the long run! Another Update Today is the first day I've reached my "up by 9A" goal! I had to take a 40 minute shower just to feel alive, but I was out of bed by nine. My SAD is hitting very hard this year, though. I actually slept 18 hours total yesterday. It was bad. I couldn't keep my eyes open so I just kept going back to sleep. I woke up feeling like total crap. My skin is dull, my complexion is suffering, my hair is falling out, and my body just feels... done. A note to anyone who suffers with insomnia (which I often do in the warmer months, due to anxiety): Hypersomnia is just as horrible. When did sleep get so difficult?! (Most likely with the advent of so many screens... Steve's article on sleep was very timely!) Oh well, here's to hoping for better things, and a little bit of sunshine How's everyone else's week going?

Wow! Must be crazy with six kids I'm childless, but I have a couple friends with two babies who always seem like their heads are spinning! It's amazing that you're taking control of your health even with how busy you must be. Your goals seem very manageable. Good luck! Alex

Thanks IndigoDancer Good to know I'm not the only one who appreciates a good snooze. Good luck to you too! First Week Update Well, if I had joined on time, today would mark the beginning of Week 2. I'll just do quick update on my past day and a half. I wasn't reminded of this challenge until yesterday evening, so there isn't too much to report. 11/17/2013 Previous to challenge, as is my "usual," I woke up at 1:30PI tracked my food for the day. Just a list, no calories yet.I went to the gym.That's 1/3, but I only had half the day, so I'm not discouraged. 11/18/2013 Out of bed at 10:30A. My boyfriend woke me up at 8A, 9:30A, and 10:00A. But I was being a lazy face cause we stayed up until 3A or so...Tracked my food.Gym, Day 2!!2/3, and I'm getting closer to goal number one. I'm glad to see a tiny bit of progress even in just a couple days! I feel good about what I'm doing. I have more motivation than I have before and everything seems good. Did anyone else out there meet only some of their goals? I'm proud of everyone anyway I also want to share a bit more of my motivation. I've always considered myself a strong, independent woman. I pride myself on being able to take care of myself. I'm not especially girly, don't have many female friends, etc, etc. I was one of the most capable of my friends in high school. When I fell into my new group--a group with entirely different interests--I was suddenly lost. These friends like to do things. They camp, they hike, they wrestle, they shoot guns and sharpen knives and all kinds of "cool" stuff. Well, I'm tired of looking like a delicate little rosebud. I can't start a fire from scratch or shoot a can from ten yards away. And I want to be able to! I thought it over a bunch and the base of this is just getting my health in check. I want a solid base on which to build a whole bunch of cool new skills. I may not be articulating myself especially well, so I'll leave it at this for now. In short, I want badass habits that lead to badass hobbies and badass skills Just full of badassery!

Joining a little late, but hopefully not too much so! Last time I logged on the current challenge was too far underway for me to feel comfortable joining. I promised myself I'd make this one, but boy how time flies! Bit about me: My name's Alex, I'm 21. I'm finishing my final year in college (BS in Business Management, minor in Computer Science). I'm also a freelance writer and editorial assistant. I am, of course, a giant nerd (Star Trek, Doctor Who, games, games, games...) Some fun facts about my health journey: I've been overweight since I was 9I went to a fitness and weight loss camp (read: fat camp) at 14I've gained all that weight back since thenMy parents both have had weight problemsI'm perpetually lazyI have too many bad habits to countI've tried an uncountable number of "fad" dietsHere's my challenge! Main Quest My Main Quest is pretty vague, I guess, but it's built out of necessity. I want to develop healthy, kickass habits while banishing all those lame, unhealthy ones. Goals Be active everyday. Whether it's just a vigorous cleaning session of the apartment or a formal gym workout, I never want to spend another day entirely sitting on the couch. Get up by 9A everyday. One of my worst habits is sleeping to much. My schedule is 95% flexible and I never have to be anywhere before 1P. I'll sleep all day and try to justify it in my mind. I think if I start getting up by 9A, I'll start getting tired appropriately and get myself on a normal sleep schedule, which should lead to more productivity. Self-monitor food/drink intake. I had to do this at camp at it was eye-opening. I'm very well versed in nutrition now, but self-monitoring is a good way to keep myself dedicated to my new lifestyle. Having to write it down means more of a connection. I'm not too worried about caloric intake, but it'll be nice to see what kinds of foods make me feel like shit--or make me feel awesome! Live Quest Like I mentioned, I'm a writing. I'm currently trying to break into business writing in order to build a stable career before I graduate. I've been dragging my feet due to low energy and low self-confidence. My goal for this challenge is to reach out to at least 50 local businesses about my copywriting abilities. Motivation My motivation is to not feel like crap anymore. I want to have more energy. I want to feel good for no reason! That should be the default. Being energized and happy. Also, I've always love this e-card: My boyfriend is working on getting healthier with me (he says he's got "relationship gut"). I'm not doing this "for him" but he is great motivation! I'm tired of feeling like I'm not good enough just because I'm overweight and lazy. Real Life Roleplaying I haven't looked too much into the stats, but here's my character so far, cause why not Race: Wood Elf Class: Adventurer Surprise, surprise. Not entirely original, but a small start! So, yes, hi guys Glad to be participating. I'm off the gym for the first time in... oh, just about FOREVER. Oh, if you want a before picture, here you go. It's old, but it is exactly what I look like today.

I just finished reading the guest article on handstands. Being able to do a handstand would be awesome! The progression the article lays out isn't overwhelming at all. As soon as I started reading it I knew that was a goal to work towards. But it also made me sad. It reminded me that I can't do a cartwheel. I've never been able to. When we had "tumbling" classes in elementary school, I could barely do a somersault. All my friends wheeled around hand-food-hand-foot and I just kind of sat there feeling chubby and uncoordinated. I stopped for years and, as you grow up, cartwheels become less of a thing. So I didn't worry about it. But everytime I think about it it fills me with anger and shame and sadness. I'd like to do something about it! Problem is, I don't even know where to start. Seems to me like people just... jump and wheel. So, does anyone have tips for working up to a cartwheel?

Agreed!! I'm planning to do The Zombie Run at the end of October in Portland YOUR TURN! Good to know... I never thought about how much it would vary by location. Maybe I'll make a whole vacation out of it and go to the East Coast.

I want to do this SO bad. I just did my first 5k this past weekend. My family and I walked it (they all have various ailments and I'm out of shape ). But one of our friends who participated sent me the link to this and my jaw dropped. I'm hoping to be in shape enough to participate in one next year. There's one called The Zombie Run that's not an obstacle course, but just a run... from zombies.

I prefer working out at night. If I workout earlier, I tend to get distracted with all the other stuff I need to get done during the day. I like to get down to it after I've done my homework, studied, fulfilled social obligations, etc. I agree with what everyone else said. Also THIS. A thousand times over.

Everything in moderation. I don't claim to be an expert in biology, but I do know a tablespoon of raw honey is a helluva lot better than a donut. If a bit of honey helps you cut out artificial crap, then GO FOR IT. Congrats on the baby step :]