chriskra

Read Thrawn, it was a pretty fun read, but it seemed kinda forced when storylines kept coincidentally coninciding. I haven't gotten to any other EU stuff, but the ones that have gotten high praise are: - Darth Bane series - I, Jedi - Rogue Squadron

The Kingkiller Chronicles is an AMAZING series! Not saying that it surpasses LOTR or anything like that, but Rothfuss writes beautifully and I think that it is a MUST READ for fantasy fans.

awesome answer. thanks man!

I was wondering what kind of meals are ideal to eat before and after workout? Specific nutrients I should be focusing on as well as just ideas of some meals that you guys eat in these situations. Thanks.

Hey. I started here about a year ago, and at the time everything was going well. I had my diet going right, I worked out regularly, I was getting healthy. Then life happened and about 6 months ago I just flat stopped worrying about my health and fitness. I eat whatever is delicious and convenient and I don't get any kind of exercise except for walking at work. I am unhealthy! It is time to turn that around. I have a lot of things to work on, so for now I'm just gonna focus on one or two things at a time, and I think getting back involved with this community will give me some motivation. Here's to a fruitful journey!

In reality I don't mind plain water. I was just thinking of it as an occasional thing when I'm craving something sweet.

So I am sure everybody has heard of these new water flavor enhancers they have been selling for the past year or so. I tried one the other night for the first time (Mio Bluberry Lemonade) and it was DELICIOUS! Which brings me to my question. It has zero calories, so where are those flavors coming from and what are they doing inside my body? More importantly, is this an acceptably healthy way to add some literal flavor to the most important, frequent part of my diet?

Sorry I havent been checking in on many of your challenges, has been quite a hectic week. I will rectify this matter ASAP (tomorrow). Forgive me? Core: Today I upped my rolling planks by 15 seconds, making each hold (left, center, right) last for 1 minute each. Although this seemed like a small change, it kicked my butt! But, that's the beauty of it. I'm sure if I keep doing it, it will be easier next week and so on, and I may even be increasing it beyond that before too long. Leveling up my core! Side note: was laying down on my floor after handstand work and reached up while simultaneously having my hand on my stomach, and though I still have a little belly fat, I haven't had abs this hard since... ever! It's nice, and I know that as I continue to branch out and try new feats of fitness this will help me substantially! Stretching: same ol same ol. Yoga every other day or so, and when I don't do that I just put a 1/2 hour tv show on and stretch until it's over. Handstand: Put in my first real handstand work today since very early in the challenge. I still get a little dizzy/lightheaded when I roll out of the handstand, but hoping this starts to decrease as I practice more. Don't see a logical explanation of why it should, but also don't see any other way to work on this particular aspect. So, hoping! Get Rich: Since I read this week's chapter last week, I already know what is expected of me in the next few days. I will start working on this and will come back with details once I have completed it. Burpees: So, I have changed my tactics with burpees. I felt like doing them everyday was wearing down what positive work I had been doing on improving my knee stability/comfort. So, I have begun skipping a day between each workout and then just catching up all at once. So, for example, I skipped the 20th, but then did 41 burpees on the 21st. Worked out well, and actually gave me a good workout and got my heart rate going. I feel like after this challenge I may continue to use burpees as a warmup exercise, since they seem to activate a lot of different areas of the body. And in doing those 40 in one day, I feel more confident that I will be ready for where this challenge will lead me. In other news: Before I did the Level Up Club, I was always on the outside of fit, looking in. I knew in theory what I needed to do, but never jumped in and stuck with it. With the help of NF, I have successfully made being fit and healthy a regular part of my everyday life. And I like it... A LOT! Until next time, comrades! Keep on keeping on!

Get Rich!: Week 2 was about optimizing your checking accounts. My checking account was good the way I had it set up, but I switched my savings account to an online bank (ING) that offers a much higher interest rate. I found a few checking accounts that I will keep my eye on as my financial needs continue to evolve, and may eventually switch over. But for now, I think my basic bank accounts are set up for success! Not a bad way to end week 2! Tomorrow is week 3, so time to start kicking ass all over again!

yeah, the yoga is really helping. I need to make it a little more regular though, but I have even started implementing some thing I have learned during my regular stretching sessions. Core: I finished the week with 27.25 minutes of total core work, which puts me at 51.75 so far for the challenge. Also, that is an increase of almost 3 minutes from the first week. I want to set another secondary goal of increasing my total each week, so next week at least 28, but more likely 30ish. Flexibility: Back on track with this. Did a great yoga session last night and a solid 20 minutes of stretching after my little workout tonight. I like the increase in flexibility, and now my focus is on working more on my hips, groin, and calves. Handstand: Did some wall work the other night, but still really need to ramp up this if I want to make my goal. I attempted the stage 4 hollow body, which is legs and arms extended. Was only able to do 20 seconds at a time, but did 3 reps. Will try this again tomorrow. Burpees: 19 down, 81 to go... Getting easier, but at the same time, I know that its about to get really intense in these next few weeks. Hope you are all having a great weekend!

Havent read any of them. Where should I start? (after I finish Game of Thrones, of course)

Hows everybody doing? So i have realized thus far that my goal of doing a handstand and handstand pushups is going to need a lot more work than I am giving it... Which is in truth, very little. So I need to step that up. As far as my other 3 goals, I am pretty on point! Planks are up to par, as is my financial life goal. My stretching goal had a few days of slacking, but I am back on track. Bkeller, I am jealous! I am trying to hit the slopes next weekend, I havent been at all this year and I got the itch! You every check out the snowboarding "Quests" on Fitocracy? They sound challenging and fun for getting yourself ready to max out the mountain. Now everybody go out and kick this weekends ass! Check back with you guys on Monday!

Welcome! I wanted to come to the intro's board and check in on a few people, and then I saw your thread name. It grabbed me, because that is so true. So many people will say they want to get more fit and healthier, but you can sit there talking about it, or you can take that first step! Then its just one foot in front of the other from there on out. An idea for your online RPing. Maybe every once in a while, tie some kind of fitness into your RP activities. Like if you do a certain action, do X pushups. Or X blah blah blahs. It's like a game within a game. Couldnt hurt, right? Best of luck buddy! See you on the front lines!

I've been wanting to start the obstacle races as well! They sound like just my flavor of crazy! I think I am gonna start with Warrior Dash and Run For Your Lives! though. Tough Mudder, Go RUCK, and the Spartan Trifecta are goals for a little while longer down the road. Best of luck to you man, you definitely have come to the right place!

Welcome! This is a great place to be if you need that extra push to get yourself on the road to recovery (of confidence and self esteem) . Main thing you can do is just start making small changes and keep building on them. Make sure every day you are a little bit healthier than you were the day before, and happiness will surely follow. As for the diet thing, portion control and accountability can go a LONG way. And while Weight Watchers may not be the ideal plan, its what works for you right now. So go in there, knock it out of the park, and when it is time to move onward and upward, you will be that much more ready! Good luck!