Two years ago I rode my first century bike ride around Lake Tahoe. Later that year I rode a 2-day 150 mile ride. One year ago, same thing. This year.... not so much. I started the year hitting the gym. I wanted to spend a lot more time focusing on weights and building some all-around strength as opposed to strictly focusing on cycling. Well, my cycling fell completely by the wayside. A couple months ago I pretty much gave up everything. I took a 2-week trip to Mexico to get married! That was awesome. And now that I'm back, I haven't jumped back on the exercise train just yet. Today is the day to get back on track with a Nerd Fitness Challenge! PRIMARY STATS Sex: Male Age: 29 Height: 6'3" Weight: 165lbs. Class: Scout General Goals: Cycling Endurance, Cycling Speed, Increased Strength Through Weight Training, Quality Nutrition, More Productive-Less Lazy RPG ATTRIBUTES Race: Elf - Tall and Lean, Built to Travel Long Distances, Not Built for Raw Strength Starting Attributes: Strength (STR) - 1 I was on track to upgrade my strength through consistent weight training, but the time off has atrophied the skill back to a starting value. Dexterity (DEX) - 1 I'm tall and lanky... Never been the most dextrous person. Also, this is a baseline value for bike handling skills since I haven't been riding at all this year. Stamina (STA) -2 Residual stamina from previous years training still exists, although it has dwindled to near starting values. Constitution (CON) - 2 I don't often get major illnesses, but I have a pretty broad range of nagging issues. I have terrible allergies, treatment includes allergy shots, nose spray, eye drops, inhaler, 2 oral medications. I have acid reflux requiring daily nexium. I have a nagging knee injury from indoor soccer, slightly torn meniscus. I have nagging left big toe issues (ingrown, etc.) from indoor soccer injuries. Wisdom (WIS) - 5 Great beginning baseline in wisdom. New wife and I have begun paying her entire salary towards paying off debt (major student loans). I'm an attorney, so I feel I have learned good intuition, problem solving skills, and ability to research and analyze. I have all the resources at my fingertips and all the knowledge in the world if only I can now begin to put it to use. Charisma (CHA) - 3 I'm happy with my body type, although I'm a bit under weight from what I would like. I like being light for the cycling though. I wouldn't complain about 20 lbs. of muscle increase of course. I don't have any primary goals towards weight though; I will take that as it comes. I like my personality and the way I act and treat others, but increasing my fitness and nutrition can always upgrade the charisma even more. Charisma has dwindled some in the last couple months due to lack of exercise and inconsistent eating habits. Ready to get that confidence back. GOALS 1) Strength Training Weight and strength training 3 days a week. Utilize resources for general strength training as well as resources currently possessed for cycling specific strength training. I have the gym membership, it's time to start using it again. Attribute Value: 2 STR, 1 DEX, 1 STA, 1 CON 2) Endurance Foundation It's ridiculously hot right now. Over 100 every day. Cycling won't be a primary goal just yet, but I have to start getting the foundation back. And by foundation I mean getting my ass used to sitting on a bike saddle again. I have the goal to ride my bike 1 day a week to begin laying the foundation for a strong fall training schedule on the bike. Attribute Value: 1 STR, 1 DEX, 2 STA, 1 CON 3) Nutrition Decision Healthy eating isn't an option. It's a requirement and a way of life. I will get back on track by bringing my lunch 3 days a week to work. I will bring healthy options. Of course anything is healthier than eating out every day. I will also continue to the trend of not drinking soda. Maybe one a week as a treat if I feel like it. We already cook at home most of the time, but we will continue to focus on healthy options. Lots of fruits/veggies, lean meats, beans, quality protein, good fats, less refined carbs. Attribute Value: 2 CON, 1 WIS 4) Upgrade My Life We will fill out the home gym finally. We just sold the pool table in the garage to free up space for a home gym. Now all we need is to get the equipment. Some days I don't want to go to the gym. I can get the necessities to make working out at home a breeze, and take away all the excuses for not working on the previous goals. We have a few things, but we need some of the big ticket items. Specific items include barbell and weights, dumbells that use the same weights, squat box/power rack with bench (for bench press, squats, dead lifts, pull ups, etc. - must work for many exercises). The easier it is to work out the easier it is to make the goals. Attribute Values: 1 WIS, 1 CHA That about sums it up. The goals are there. They are easy goals. Now it's just up to me. It's time to stop thinking about what I want to be, and start being what I want to be. Thanks to Nerd Fitness for setting up the challenge and providing the space to be a part of a community! It was a great find for me, and I look forward to being a part of this community for a long time! And as a bonus, I love to write and this gives me something to write about!
