Versan

The fact that you were able to run a mile without stopping in 10 minutes is a hell of a start. You should give yourself credit for that. Then, incrementally move to the 8 minute mark, maybe in 15sec or 30sec increments. Always something to shoot for, but not unreachable. The last thing you want to to is leave the 8min goal up there and see repeated misses even though your time improves.

6/15 Recap N1: Breakfast smoothie w/ chocolate protein powder and a banana added (cheated a bit and used regular milk, but bought some almond milk last night so we're getting better). Dinner was qdoba, chicken, veggies, and guac, skipped the rice, beans, cheese, and sour cream. N2: The smoothie still had more carbs than I'd like thanks to the banana and milk, tasted yummy, but needs more refinement to get to where I wanna be N3: Slam dunk. Finished my 22oz water bottle 2.5x while at work, water at lunch and dinner. F1: F2: Leg raises at the desk, hold for 1 minute x10. It's not much, but it's a start. F3: Motivation Enhancer: Finalized registration for this: "The Forge of Mordor" A Lord of The Rings Quest Paintball Scenario And finally, for full disclosure, here I am in all my dad-li-ness last summer in Estes Park, CO. Check out the gut on that guy!

I've looked around and found a few options, but does anyone here have suggestions for a paleo meal that I can get on my lunch hour at work? So far I've found (that I like) that I think fits the bill: 1. Qdoba/Chipotle - bowl w/ double meat, pico, and guac, no rice or beans, no cheese or sour cream 2. Chick-Fil-A - grilled chicken nuggets and their superfood (kale and broccolini) salad

Ok, here we go... We're gonna take is slow(ish) to start. I'm still not entirely sure what the hell I'm doing, but planning things has never really been my strong point. Flying by the seat of my pants, I've pretty much mastered that. At some point, once I've managed to score 100% on this list, I'll add more things in. Goals: Fitness - 20 mins of exercise at least twice a week; walking, bodyweight, anything Deskercises at least once per day; tricep dips on my chair, leg raises/calf raises with a book or whatever for resistance, etc. Improve flexibility by stretching at least twice a week, not on the same day as the exercise EQ XP: 10pts for each instance of #1, 5pts per day for #2, 5pts per instance of #3 Nutrition - Paleo meal 5x minimum over the course of each week Move from a carb heavy breakfast to using my nutri-ninja to make smoothies w/ protein. Right now, it's a breakfast bar and a banana most days. Keep H2O intake > 60oz daily EQ XP: 5pts per meail for #1, 5pts per day of better breakfast, 10pts per week of >60oz average intake Bonus - Partake in at least 2 fun, strenuous activities over the 4 weeks (1 this challenge since I'm late starting); paintball with my son(2-3hrs of play usually), taking a longer hike in the woods(3-5 miles), hitting up the new climbing gym not far away (I can't do a single pull up, so this will be a challenge), etc. EQ XP: 10pts for the hike, 15pts for the paintball, 25pts for the climbing, TBD for anything else based on the activity I think I can swing the nutrition section fairly easily, I've already been dabbling in #1 and #2, and #3 is almost a gimme since I drink a LOT of water normally. Fitness, on the other hand, might be a bit rough. I'm wildly out of shape, arguably the worst I've ever been. But, I think I can pull off a reasonable attempt at success. 6/14/17 (Day 0) @ 1pm EDT: F2: 3x10 calf raises with a package of paper on my knees N1: check (grilled chicken and a green salad with some walnuts) N3: @ >40oz already (like I said, I think this one may be a gimme)

I think it's 20 seconds TOTAL over the course of the day. Right? Right? Welcome aboard. I'm a total newbie here as well, so I can't really give much guidance, other than some general BS words of wisdom... 1. Don't fall down. 2. If you fall down, get back up and keep going. 3. Refer to rule #1, rinse and repeat as necessary.

Thanks, Six. The longer I mull over things, the more I'm thinking to hold off on joining the scout team. I need to increase my cardio, but I don't think any of my goals coincide with increased running ability or long distance endurance. I need to build strength, particularly upper body strength, and more muscle endurance than cardio. I got to thinking about recent adventures of mine, and the hiking was never really an issue, it was carrying the pack while doing it. Additionally, after a day of playing paintball (short, intense movement combined with prolonged crouching, squatting, etc. while holding my arms at shoulder level), I could barely move my arms and my quads and hips were feeling pretty busted up. I need to further evaluate where I am and where I want to be. Then I'll figure out what that makes me.

Just curious, when creating quests for your EQ, how do you choose appropriate amounts of XP? Can anyone provide some examples for newbie items? I'm honestly not even sure where to start.

I know this thread is a bit old, but from the OP, there's still plenty of time to get ready. I've done a few up (and down) hill hikes, and I can say without a doubt that it can be done even with starting at fitness level 0. Elevation change is important in how quickly it changes over trail miles. 500ft in 3 miles is not bad, 500ft in a half mile is something else entirely. The other thing is how does that elevation change get measured. Is it overall, like are you 1000ft above where you started when you finish, or is it cumulative with a bunch of ups and downs equaling 1000ft, but really you're only a couple hundred feet above where you were? Do you have stairs in your house? Up and down, 2 at a time up, 1 at a time down. This builds strong legs and helps the cardio. Once you get to where you can go up and back down 10 times in a row or so, grab a backpack and put a few pounds in it. The easiest way to do that is to get a few bags of rice or dried beans. It's way cheaper than a weight vest and less impractical than stuffing a dumbbell in the pack. Same rules apply after that. Once you can get a dozen or so trips with 2-4lbs, and a couple more. My first trip to the Grand Canyon was done in June, so heat was definitely a factor. I was not in shape, and the above probably saved my bacon. On my last trip a couple years ago, my hiking buddy was doing 50 trips a day up and down his stair with a full 30lb pack by the time the trip came around. We practically flew up the trail coming out. The thing about hiking in Guam is that you'll be lower in elevation above sea level than you are in the Ozarks, start to finish. The highest point in Guam is only 1300ft above sea level, and the Ozarks have peaks twice that. If you get some hikes in this summer in Arkansas, it'll probably be pretty close climate-wise to Guam in the winter. The bottom line is, you can do this. If I had 3 more pieces of advice to give, it would be this... Hydrate Hydrate Hydrate

Southsider, here. Started life in the western part of the state, but have lived in Indy for about 16 years, now.

You mean this guy -> https://www.nerdfitness.com/character/184070 Yeah, found that before I found the forums. I'm an old school RPG guy, first played D&D 30-something years ago, so the level-up aspect of this certainly intrigued me.

I'm as new as new gets, Guzzi. I'm still feeling my way around, but I'm sure my activity level will increase as I learn what's what.

Well, where to start. Let's start with the blurb from my character sheet: "Started life as an elf scout. 4yrs of Cross Country in high school had me graduating at 5'9" and 120lbs. I could run forever. A sedentary adult life, most notably after the discovery of beer and women, has turned me into a chubby, balding human desk jockey." I'm (nearly) 45 and am in probably the worst shape of my life. As noted above, I spend a majority of my workday camped in front of a computer monitor. Having said that, my "goals" from my character sheet should give a clear picture of where I am in my head... "I can still get out and go in the woods, but I'd rather it be easier, and less painful to recover" I enjoy hiking, hunting, fishing, (light) mountain biking, and basically being outside. I still play paintball occasionally with my son, from short, easy recreational play on weekends to full 26 hour scenario games. I'd like to do more of all of the above without feeling like death warmed over the following day(s). Some accomplishments from my outdoor time since I turned 30: I've hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and camped 3x. I've done probably 30 miles of trails in the Rocky Mountains on a vacation last summer. I've competed in 4 or 5 single day "sprint" adventure races, including one that got us about 60 miles on our bikes and over 12 miles of hiking/running through the woods. Now, looking at all of this, I'd guess my choice of Scout as my character class is probably accurate. I'd like to be a bit stronger, but in general Scout seems to fit. From a (movie) nerd perspective, I see myself as more this guy... than this guy...