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So I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about numbers (go figure, I'm an accountant)...my birthday falls right in the middle of this challenge (October 31st, i will be 49 for those wondering ) so of course i hear all the "it's just a number" stuff...which is true to a point. People say that about weight too, doesn't matter to who you are as a person. also true...but it's more than a number as well. With the number of years that add up to my age also comes a lot of experiences, some wisdom I would have to say, along with heartbreak, pain, joy, and definitely lessons learned. One of those lessons is if I knew it was this difficult to change the number that adds up to my weight, I would have made better choices, maybe learned better self control, and refuse to let someone else derail me from what I need to do. But I digress, I'm trying not to let the lack of support I have at home derail me any longer. I have a goal of getting where I want to be by my 50th birthday. I want to be able to run (yes run) a 5k, I want to complete a 10k, and I want to start looking to do a 1/2 Marathon. I want to lose about 45 lbs, or fit in the size I could wear when I weighed that just 7 short years ago. I want to be well on my way of having our debt paid off, by this time next year I want to only have the house, cars, and the big CC left, and the CC should be over 1/2 way there, oh, and the student loans...I'll work on those after I get the rest done. So, in order to meet these goals this is what I'm going to do: - Continue eating as I have been, down 18 lbs so far! I want to get under 200 this challenge, even if its only 1 lb - Start working out again. I want this to be habit and second nature. Also, get to the gym! - Pay off 'one more' thing...I 'snowball' our debt to try to get it eliminated. I had this done for the most part then we bought the house, and everything we needed for it, etc...happened and it got a bit out of control, just need to continue working it till it's gone. In true RES fashion these are my upcoming 5k's Sunday 10/28 - Evergreen Pumpkin Run 5k Saturday 11/3 - Florida Brain Tumor Walk Saturday 11/3 - First Coast AIDS Walk Thursday 11/8 - GOTR Practice 5k Saturday 12/1 - Girls on the Run 5k Saturday 1/12 - Best Damn Race 5k Various other 'want to do's' that I will add if I sign up to do them!

I'm baaaaaaaaaaack!!! Now that the season is over I have maybe two more minutes to my day than I did previously I have two new fur babies for those of you who do not follow the battle log or me on Facebook...I'll bore you with pictures later So far this off season the schedule is looking a tad bit heavy... Sunday 9/16 - Pagan Pride (which is why I'm late posting this!) Tuesday 9/18 - Pride planning meeting (I'm on the board this year, because I have nothing else to do?) Saturday 9/22 - Movie night at the ball field! (work, but still fun!) Sunday 9/23 - I will be tailgating in one of the Jags new cabanas...also work related outing but still fun! Tuesday 9/25 - Pride planning meeting Wednesday 9/26 - Sponsorship dinner (work) Friday 9/28 - Pride Volunteer dinner/meeting (because I'm in charge of the volunteers) Saturday 9/29 - Painting with a Twist fundraiser Tuesday 10/2 - Pride planning meeting Friday 10/5 - Pride Sponsor Appreciation Party Saturday 10/6 - Pride parade Sunday 10/7 - Pride festival Sunday 10/28 - Evergreen Pumpkin Run 5k Saturday 11/3 - Florida Brain Tumor Walk Saturday 11/3 - First Coast AIDS Walk Saturday 12/1 - Girls on the Run 5k Saturday 1/12 - Best Damn Race 5k That's just this challenge! I'll post the rest later...since I am at work right now So this challenge will be getting through all of that without going off the rails entirely...the rest of my challenges will be: - Continue eating as I have been, down 18 lbs so far! My goal is to get under 200 this challenge, even if its only 1 lb - Start working out again, this got sidelined during season since I wasn't going to build new habits (even if I'd had them prior, it was still starting over again) my wife has the second bedroom looking like a construction project but no reason I can't use my PiYo videos in the living room....since I have one now . I want this to be habit and second nature again. - Get to the gym! My job is giving (yes, as in free) us year memberships to Bailey's Gym starting October 1st. They offer classes and a wide variety of items and are right around the corner from me (I could ride my bike!! ) At least twice a week after this starts. - Pay off 'one more' thing...I've started 'snowballing' our debt to try to get it eliminated. I had this done for the most part then we bought the house, and everything we needed for it, etc...happened and it got a bit out of control for this accountant I've got everything compiled and have started the process, just need to continue working it till it's all gone. Then I'll tackle the student loans, one elephant at a time. No worries, in true RES fashion I have 5k's scheduled, they're just later on so I'll add them to the list at some point... I realized that I have a little over a year before I hit a huge milestone in life...a lot of goals I want to hit before then, one of them is weight/health related, the other being life/debt related. Time to really get busy on this.

Hi everyone. Hope it's ok to hang with the Scouts for a bit. I'm getting into running, but hit a snag when I became sick. I was up to running a half-mile without stopping; but now I'm not sure where to begin again. I was doing Couch 2 5K; so my question is this: do I start over (it's been about 2 weeks since I've done any running)? Do I pick up where I left off? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

I just started running! Today! After a period of contemplation and a couple false starts, I finally got it going, just this morning. I'm not really a beginner here. I started the sports & exercise thing a few years ago (2014). Back then I was right here, in the Rebellion! I must still have journals lying around the NF's server. I've been off for a while but now I'm back bc I need the exchange. I'm an adult-onset athlete, and when I started out, I wanted to try everything. I was/am so freaking curious. I've done beach rugby, swimming, free weights, bodyweight, biking, crossfit, muay thai and boxing. I know it looks like I don't know what I'm doing, but I have a hectic life, and I do what I can when in the situations I find myself. Apart from being sick/injured, I haven't spent a month without some kind of training for the past four years. So there you go, it's working. For myriad reasons, all related to being broke af, I decided to start running. I got these great nikes someone gave me as a present, working legs, conditioned body and strong core. I got all I need and some more. So I put them pretty pink nikes on this morning, got out the door and did the first run on a program I got off a magazine online. Here is the goal: DO THREE RUNS A WEEK, FOR 5 WEEKS It's a program to prepare for a 5K run, which I'm hoping will take me out of beginner level in running. I don't really plan on racing any time soon, bc I can't afford registrations lol. I am really, tottaly broke, it's hard even to explain it. Suffice to say I haven't been eating as weel or as much as I would like. What else is going on: STRENGTH It keeps me sane. Some people lift for power, some for fun, some for fitness. I lift for mental health. I got a cheap gym membership, which is highest priotity (higher than meat), and I plan to work out twice a week, on days I'm not running. SWIMMING I got that membership on a promotional deal, which allows me a swimming session per week. I like it, I am good at swimming. It works off pain (I'm battling chronic fatigue and it hurts like rheumatism) and eventual DOMs. DIET I put on loads of weight during the worse of chronic fatigue and the bad anxiety period right before it (when I wasn't lifting, I must note). I came up with a low-cost diet system in which, after sunset, I can only have either salad or soup. I haven't been very faithful to this system bc let's face it dieting is hard. My favorite cheats are popcorn, for enjoying some TV with my SO, chocolate cookies and pasta. I'm a hell of a cook and I make awesome pasta. So it's hard... I also do work whenever any comes my way (I'm an unemployed lawyer, so there's always some little thing to do). And I study. And actually this is what I do, I study. For 20-25 hours a week. I'm that kind of nerd. I'm preparing to enter civil service as a public attorney, so this takes up most of my time, discipline and energy. But running is not very time consuming, and it realieves stress, and it will help me with my extra weight, and it's a skill I can work on by myself, and it's something to do outside the house when you can't afford outings... SO LET'S RUN!

I have to start this thread by saying (and hoping I don't jinx it!) WE FOUND A HOUSE!! We have a contract, and a closing date (January 18th) we will have to see if third time is a charm...we also have pre-approval and closing costs but I digress, we had those with the last one but hurricanes happen... A lot of the below portion was typed out over several hours into an open post...if it doesn't all make sense I apologize in advance... I will be fine tuning and refining this before next week...but as I stated at the closing of my last challenge In my head I keep saying I need to ignore the scale and such and just do what I enjoy and makes me feel good...but that's difficult when I want to break down and cry every time I look in the mirror...I can't stand to look at pictures of me from 6 years ago, or heck, even 3 years ago...wouldn't exactly say I was healthy then but I think a combination of what I did then and what I do now...I know whatever I'm doing now isn't working so I need to rethink it...On January 2nd I'll be here 4 years...always thought I'd be closer to my goals by now, not further away. I used to be the person that went out and had fun, I need to do this again. The job that I had (restaurant management) left little time for eating (mostly done on my feet) and a lot of walking/moving, I need to do this again I used to be the person who didn't worry about what they ate, not saying that was the best thing for me to do because a lot of it was junk, but maybe I don't need to obsess as much as I do now... I used to only eat once or twice a day, when I was hungry....and stop when I was full...I need to do this again I used to be the person who worked a 12 hour shift, got her homework done, and still made time to do the things she really wanted to as long as her schedule allowed...if it didn't then I didn't feel bad about using the time to catch up on sleep...maybe I need to do this again as well... 1. Move every day. Back then they didn't have fitness trackers, but I was on my feet 10-12 hours a day so I know I got a workout in. I have a desk job now but I have a lot of leeway, during season this will be easier but during the off season it's too easy to sit at my desk and not do much. I want to start getting at least 10,000 steps a day, and one day of kickboxing a week. The first two weeks I will start with 6,000 steps (5k distance) and increase from there. 2. Eat when hungry, stop when full. Counting calories and carbs is not working for me. I need to stop obsessing over having breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. I'll eat when I get hungry, if that means I don't eat breakfast then so be it. If lunch isn't until 2pm that's fine. The only thing is it has to be real food, not fast food, not junk. Mostly veggies and some protein. 3. Beyond checking in here (which I still intend to stick with 3x a week) I need to stop making plans and canceling them for whatever reason...be it my wife is working late, I talk myself out of it, etc...work obligations notwithstanding...or if sleep really is an issue (which should not be the case before season). I am also going to be taking that long-awaited (by my boss) vacation to set up my house after we close things should be a lot easier after this gets done...can't wait till I can open a door and let the dogs out into the yard!

makes you wonder who that woman in white is on the venga bus. 90s mysteries! 'tis the season for parties! i'd like to enjoy myself as much as possible. and also keep up with my routine Exercise. 5 workouts per week I’d like to aim for 3 lifting sessions and 2 cardio sessions. 4 lifting sessions would be better. duh pull up bar play 6 min/week yoga on the weekends (60 mins/week total) gotta keep up that mobility on the weekends where it's currently slacking Food. consume 25g fiber on weekend days i do well during the week but need to focus on more fiber on the weekends plan out what days you’d like to indulge in alcohol just trying to be mindful about this during party times eat out or take out less than 6x over challenge with all the holiday parties I shouldn’t need to order take out or go out to eat much at all! parties/gatherings/events 11/19: brunch, hurling matches (dranked) 11/23: thanksgiving (plan to drink) 11/24: black Friday shopping; movies with dad (not drinking) 11/26: make engagement party centerpieces (not drinking) 12/1: SO’s work holiday party 12/2: powerlifting meet (just watching/cheering!); Christmas market 12/9: engagement party (plan to drink) 12/14: star wars? (not drinking) 12/15: dr appt 12/16: send save-the-dates 12/17: jingle bell 5K (plan to drink) 12/22: friend’s family’s xmas party (plan to drink) 12/23: friend’s housewarming/xmas party (plan to drink)

Ella Olga Babygoat Torturekitty Murderclaws is my cat, potentially an ensorcelled fae creature, and a pretty good example for what I need to do this challenge. So I'm going to emulate my witchy familiar beast and get on track! Goal 1: Have a routine. Every morning Ella does the same things. She wakes me up, snuggles in bed, walks me to the bathroom, races me downstairs, questions me loudly on why her favorite treats aren't immediately available, herds me around the kitchen, and then takes a nap in her kitty bed overlooking the yard. If I am out of her routine - like, if I am at home later in the morning than she thinks I should be, she is frustrated at me. it's pretty hilarious! but I need a routine too. so: write down my exercise plans on a calendar and do them. this is how I got started, and it's how I stayed successful for the first year or so I was here. Goal 2: Stay Fit for Jumping Torturekitty is great at jumping. she has to get on and off of beds, dining room tables, the chair we put her food on to keep it away from mice, and also, she needs some extra air so she can bite us above the knees when we piss her off. so to prepare for jumping, I need to focus on some bodyweight things. I also need to minimize the impact on my body from throwing myself against the ground. push-ups and pull-up practice during the week, with daily practice ala the 100 push-ups plan, so I can get better at it. Also, do the yoga because it fixes my extreme lifestyle (and by extreme I mean I'm either throwing myself against the ground or I'm sitting still for 9 hours a day at work). Goal 3: Run from Bad Smells Ella will poop in her litterbox and then sprint around the house. She was kind of feral when we got her, and I wonder sometimes if she is getting away from the bad smell so that larger predators or threats can't find her when they come to check it out. Regardless, I need to do more sprinting around. We are planning to run a 5K on Thanksgiving, so I need to do the running thing. follow a 5K or even a 10K training plan during the weeks up to the run so I am in (more) peak form. OK! let's get to learning! TEACH ME, ELLA! edit for backstory! I'm karinajean, 40, live in NY state, commute to NJ about an hour each way (so lots of time in the car). I joined the NFA in October 2013 and over the last 4 years I've gone from 206 to around 184 with a crazy long plateau and about a year of a slow creep up that I am trying to creep back down on again over the 6 months. I practice tae kwon do several times a week, take weapons and boxing classes in addition, and have an overarching fitness goal of doing good form push- and pull-ups. I have a crazy mean (yet super sweet) cat and live with my husband full time and my younger stepdude 1/2 time. the 2nd stepdude is currently in college out of state. I motorcycle, knit and spin, and am endlessly ignoring how messy the house and yard is. I'm an ASSASSIN because I like doing all the things, and because I want to be able to do push-ups and pull-ups -- these seem like very efficient movements that will exercise my upper body and core, and if I can do those and run and do martial arts (NINJA) I will feel totally strong and fit and capable. The MERMAID comes in because I saw it in a dream when I was a very young child and I believe it to be true. also kittens. you see how it goes.

Kinda fell off the map a bit there, because reasons (life reasons, mainly, June was an exhausting month, and so far July's been only somewhat better). This challenge will be nothing new. My weeks will continue to run Monday-Sunday, so I don't actually start 'til tomorrow. I'm only sorta feelin' it this time, but I don't want to drift off into the sunset quite yet, so I'm posting one. I'm not going to commit to updating every day, but I'll do my best. I find it always takes more time than I imagine it will, between posting on my thread and catching up on everyone else's, and I end up using it as an excuse for skipping things like stretching and physio, and for not getting around to looking up things I need to. I might just have to play catch-up only once or twice a week, we'll see. Goal 1 ~ Crossfit 3x/week. Ideally Monday-Wednesday-Friday. My first two weeks of proper classes I was successful at this, and then the holiday week (last week) messed it all up. This week I'm back on the train. Goal 2 ~ Running 2x/week. 1 interval session and 1 long run, at least 5k, but I need to do one 10k by the end of the challenge, just to see if I can, and how long it takes me. I've got new shoes on the way, so the 10k can wait 'til after they arrive and are a bit broken in (they should come early next week, if Canada Post does it's job, and the last ones broke in quickly, so it shouldn't have to wait too long), I'm in fairly dire need and I don't think my feet could handle that distance in the old ones. Goal 3 ~ Taking Care I've been incredibly lax in my stretching and physio. I need to to this every day, even though it feels like a lot it's not actually. I need to do this before I turn on the tv and/or computer in the evening, since I usually get sucked into that and choose laziness. Goal 4 ~ ETP Keep hitting numbers. I've been good for stretches and not as good for stretches (but never terrible, so far). This will require continued meal planning, which will be easier with my weekends being actual weekends again and my work schedule being considerably more regular. Goal 5 ~ Sleep Up with the alarm, to bed at 11 on work nights, midnight on non-work nights. This is a perpetual challenge for me, so here it is again... Goal 6 ~ Police Stuff I started my fitness log for the police a while ago, so I need to continue with that every day (and get a binder to keep it in, before I start losing pages). I never got around to checking out the website with the free (?) courses I can take, so I need to do that too. I also want to look into ASIST training and/or a mental health first aid course, and I need to requalify for regular first aid sometime too. Not all of these have to be accomplished by the end of the challenge, but I need to at least look them up and see if/when/where they might be offered. Extra Credit After reading Elastigirl's thread, I've decided to just barge into her 30 day pushup challenge and do it too. I'll do at least 10 every day of the challenge. Doing them as part of a crossfit workout is fine, and will probably result in more than 10 that day, but if I don't do them in the workout, or it's a non-crossfit day, I'll do 10 at some point anyway.

I'm getting off to my usual late start. I went out of town for Memorial Day and have been playing catch-up since then. This is mostly a continuation of my previous challenge. Goals Lifting: During the last week of this challenge, on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, the gym at my work will be hosting a mock powerlifting meet. It is pretty non-standard, particularly in that it will take place with each lift on a separate day to avoid interfering unduly with work. Nevertheless, it will be the first time I have lifted in a competitive setting and the first time that I have tested my maxes since I started barbell training several years ago. My nominal goal is merely to compete, but I also plan to go on some kind of taper, which I've never done before. I'd also like to set PRs for bench and deadlift. Setting a squat PR is unlikely, as longtime readers will know, because I am currently squatting well below my PR in order to correct a nagging form issue. This is worth 3 STR. Running: Run once a week. Running as you taper for a powerlifting meet? Insanity! Actually, for the duration of this challenge, including the meet. I will continue to be "running" exclusively in the aerobic zone for about an hour a week. I've been doing this for 5 weeks now, and it doesn't seem to have interfered with my lifts. It's really very light. The question is whether it will help for the 5k I am running in on July 2nd. This is worth 3 STA. Yoga: Same deal as before. Two full-length sessions per week. 2 DEX SICP: Also the same as last challenge. 3 hours a week doing SICP exercises. 2 WIS

Hello all, I've fallen off the internet a bit, but I am clawing my way back to the forums and just in time for the 4 week challenge! I'm setting out my goals as such (from the nifty worksheet): Put House in Order (Konmari Method) 4 Weeks of Calorie Counting, goal is 1,200/day Zombie 5K Meal Plan for the week, and making one shopping day. I have already started the KonMari method of putting my house in order, but I am hoping I can finish it up in these 4 weeks. My reward to myself (another chore) is to paint my living room when I am done. Hello, Batcave upgrade! I'm also trying to measure my calorie intake. Somewhat as a diet plan, but also because I like collecting information like that, and I feel like I can't help but course correct decision making if I am actively keeping track. Using "MyFitnessTracker" which I saw suggested by someone in the FaceBook Group. Zombie 5K, I'm using the Zombie Run 5K app, and it's time to get back to it. I am on week 3 now, so will be working through the program in the next four weeks. And meal prep/planning. I'm trying to save money this way too, by making my grocery shopping an all at once errand, and not picking up more than I need as the days go on. It should mean more time for running and gardening after work. Monday is my shopping day, with planning going into it on Sunday. That's about it... but really, I'd love some help with accountability. I am thrilled that as I write this the "MyFitnessTracker" pinged my phone and told me I hadn't logged my lunch today... which is true, I've not had a chance to eat lunch today. Planning will help with this, I do hope. Any plans? Ideas? Friendly advice? RECIPE IDEAS? I need all the help and suggestions I can get there, I love them. I'm a vegetarian, if that makes any difference. Paleo-ish, but not super much. I eat pretty healthy already. But recipe ideas make me happy! PS, if you're interested in my big mega plan, I filled out the worksheet here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XHD01rm1i72EPEqmMX8NEBuE3GMinTrkeWV0nxZ0rNo/edit?usp=sharing

Remember Romney? That champion of feminism with his sensitive remarks about how much he values hardworking women? One day, I'll be that on point with my phrasing. Until then, I'll be reporting on my daily progress this month with the help of a pantheon of female comedic greats. Warrior lyfe 531 programming 4x a week Chiropractic weekly MFP daily Assassin nonsense Modified PLP (handstand practice in lieu of push-ups) Ranger nonsense Running and accessory circuits 4x a week Druid nonsense Daily meditation, yoga, and journaling Adventurer Nonsense Daily language practice Read a trashy German novel Mess with pencils and sketch pad at least weekly

Just like the last challenge, now with more lifting! I felt like the last challenge went well on the exercise front. I did miss a couple of runs, but only one was for no good reason. I'm seeing some progress with the runs, even if it's slow progress, but that's been keeping me as motivated as I can be. It was hit and miss with my other goals, but I still feel like, overall, it was more hits and fewer misses than it has been. This time 'round, I want to add the lifting back in. I did some Stronglifts in the past and enjoyed it well enough, so I'll go back to that, starting over at the beginning, and modifying it such that I lift 2x/week rather than 3x. I found when I was doing both running and lifting before, the slings and arrows of daily life got in the way often, so the key will be to mitigate that as much as possible and try hard to stick to the plan. Goal 1 ~ Run 3x/week One run (Wednesdays) will be sprints before soccer. The other two (Monday and Thursday) will be treadmill runs. I'll be starting at 6.6mph, and increasing it by 0.1mph each week, and will go a distance of 3.1mi (5k). Once I hit 7.0mph, I'll stay there for an extra week, to really solidify it, then start increasing my distance at that speed. Once I hit 6.2mi (10k), I'll start working on speed again. Goal 2 ~ Lift 2x/week Tuesdays and Fridays. Follow the Stronglifts protocol. Goal 3 ~ Pushups Starting at 2x15, increase by 1 rep/set/day, take breaks as needed. Goal 4 ~ Bedtime/Get Up Time Always a struggle. Getting better at the bedtimes, but the get up times are still a problem. I think the only solution will be to find some willpower somewhere... Goal 5 ~ NF Yoga Daily. Sticking with Water A for now, will try Water B in week 2 to see how it goes. The strength aspect of Water A isn't too challenging, but the flexibility sure is! Goal 6 ~ Food things Now that I've finally found a Canadian source of unflavoured protein powder (sold by a Canadian company, I don't care where it's made), I need to get back to making overnight oats for breakfasts. I've also gotten away from the batch cooking for lunches. Got a bunch of new recipes to try, I'm trying to find a way to have lots of transportable options, I find that I eat a giant lunch to the point of being over full sometimes, but I think I'd be happier with, essentially, 4 meals per day, but that means I need to bring 2-3 meals with me to work. This'll take some practice, I'm a little afraid that if I'm not careful I'll add a whole bunch of calories without realizing it, but if I can pull it off it'll reduce the times I go to Tim Horton's for a bagel or something when I'm hungry but it's closeish to dinner/the end of my shift. And if I can build this habit a bit, in terms of the preparation, it'll be easier for me to maintain through the spring/summer when it's insanely busy at work. I'd like to get back to tracking too, or at least to being aware of the calorie content of my meals, but that's going to take some doing with MFP and Google. Other Things Gonna try this bullet journal thing, or something similar. My recording, or lack thereof, isn't really working for me, and now that my work schedule is quite regular, I think I want to try a new method of writing the whole thing down at the start, so I know what needs to be stuck to and when. This is new to me, so I don't know how it'll work for me, but Imma give it a go and see.

So I have a pretty new spreadsheet for this challenge quarter (may look very familiar to some, ) I've decided in order to make the 4 week cycle work for me I'm going to incorporate week 0 and lump it into quarters...if this works for you as well feel free to borrow my sheet (file/save copy into Google Drive I think...) and tweak it to fit your needs My overall, far reaching, want to accomplish this year, goal is to lose 40 lbs...at the very minimum I want to look good nekkid In my opinion, not anyone else! For the next three months to work towards this goal I'm going to go to the gym 5x a week, or if I'm not able to do that I will do an alternate workout (such as hitting my step goal, bike ride, bodyweight workout...etc) I'm going to stick to the routine I worked up with the trainer because it's do-able and to see if it's going to make a difference...I may modify this in the future if I'm not seeing results. I may also add tracking at some point to see where I'm hitting with calories if results are not forthcoming. Sleep is a struggle for me, I rarely get 7 hours a night and this makes a huge difference in my energy, not to mention my pain levels if I don't...I'm going to try and do better with this again... The last one is NF related, I am tired of going weeks without checking in on here, so I'm going to make it a point to not only be on here, but post in my own thread at least 3 times a week to keep myself accountable...I did better with my goals when I was doing that... Now to catch up with everyone!

Hello! After over a year away from the forums, I'm back for my third challenge. I never should have left. I thought I would be able to sustain a consistent workout plan outside of here, but what I realized is that I work well with goals and structure. NF challenge = structure = good. I was able to find structure in some other health-related ways while I was gone - I completed a Whole30, which lead to the realization that dairy does not agree with me (after a lifelong love affair with cheese . That said, I feel so much better after cutting it out so it's worth it). I did the Couch to 5K program and ran a 5K without stopping for the first time ever on Thanksgiving (major goal for me). After C25K, I felt a bit lost. I need structure again! So here I am. Ultimately I need to create ingrained enough health (working out especially) habits that the structure is less necessary, but until then, here are my challenge goals: 1) Workout 3x/week I will run a 5K once a week and do strength training workouts (probably either NFA bodyweight 3 workouts or the BBWW) 2x/week. I want to maintain the cardiovascular fitness I gained from the C25K program, but I also want to make room for increasing strength. I'm hoping to get my 5K time under 30 min by the end of the challenge, but I'm not sure how much progress I can expect to make with a once/week run. Might change that time goal if I decide to start doing longer runs instead. 2) Stop. Snoozing. The. Alarm. Despite getting PLENTY of sleep, I'm still really bad at getting out of bed in the morning. I'll snooze incessantly, feeling less awake each time. I'm convinced that it is psychological. I struggle with snoozing no matter how much sleep I get, but if I have a legitimately important reason to be up early, I suddenly don't have trouble getting up. Part of it is subconscious calculation of how much time I need to minimally get my day started at a reasonable time (aka, if I sleep another 20 min, will I still have time to scarf down breakfast? yes? good, now go back to sleep.) So, I think I need to be mindful about setting my alarms for the time I really want to wake up. I also need a more aggressive strategy especially for starting out. I think I will start with putting my phone, which I use as my alarm, out of reach of my bed. Does anyone have a good strategy for dealing with this issue? 3) Read (a book) every day I go through phases of reading a lot and then phases of not reading at all, aside from what I read for work or on the internet (which don't count here). I am happier when I read more, and there are a lot of books on my reading list so I need to get cracking. My boyfriend and I are doing a little long-distance book club where we read the same book between visits, so I'm going to finish reading Invisible Man by February 10. I'm going to put these goals into Habitica as well to keep me accountable on a daily basis. Good luck everyone!

A lot of this is going to be the same ol', same ol', but I really want to focus on my running in this one. I've been too lax with it, between laziness and using the gym as an excuse not to run (as in, 'Oh, I'll go to the gym today, even though the plan was to run today, and just run tomorrow' *doesn't run tomorrow*), I really just need to focus on that right now. In terms of the police testing, other than pushups, I'm pretty well strong enough for it all, it's my endurance (or lack thereof) that kills me. So: Goal 1 ~ Run 4x/week Three treadmill runs of 5k, increasing the speed each week by 0.1 mph (with a starting speed of 6.5mph), which will put me at my short term goal of 7mph by the start of the next challenge (in theory). Might have to dial this back just a tad, I got fairly sick over the holidays (still am fairly sick, actually, but a bit less so), so I'll have to see how I recover from that during this zero week, but the only dialing back will be the speed I start/finish at, I'm sticking with the speed increase plan regardless. The fourth run will be Wednesday nights, sprints at the indoor track. This'll be a hard one to get up for through January, but once February rolls around, I'll be driving out there on Wednesdays for soccer anyway, so the plan is to go a hour or so early and do a sprint workout beforehand. Again, this might get dialed back a bit once soccer actually starts, I'm anticipating it not being very intense, but I could be wrong. Goal 2 ~ Pushups Need to get back on this train, so I'm going to try doing one more every day for the whole challenge, until I stall out or feel like I'm overdoing it. If I can keep it going the whole time, I'll start with 1 on day one, and finish with 28, which would be better than my PR for 1 set. No idea how this'll work, but *shrug* Goal 3 ~ Clean up the diet Just be mindful and prepared, basically. Less eating out, more homemade meals. Be aware of what supplies I'm running low on and replenish before I'm out of them. Batch cooking on the weekends, making a point of preparing overnight oats and a container of lunch the night before, so I can just throw them in a bag and go to work. Also, no more bedtime snacks, have some milk if I'm really that hungry. Goal 4 ~ Sleepy time TV off by 11pm on work nights, 12am on non-work nights, up with the alarm. I'm really sucking at the latter, and seem to bounce back and forth on the former. Just gotta buckle down and do it. Goal 5 ~ Stretch Daily. Pick a forward fold exercise from Focused Flexibility and work on that in particular, and the rest of my body in general. The key to this will be to find a way to remember to do it earlier in the evening, I usually think of it as a 'before bed' thing, and then it's almost 11 and I'm like, well, guess I better go to bed on time, shucks! General To-Do's Firstly, I want to figure out how to work lifting back into my schedule. Part of what got me away from it over the last little while is that I'm not feeling confident as the weights increase, and I don't have anyone to spot me. While I realize I could ask a random, that's way out of my comfort zone, and being in a gym is already out of my comfort zone, so it's not gonna happen. I'm really hoping my sister will join the same gym as me, as she's been talking about, and we can make 2 times per week work to go together. If not, I'll figure something out. Secondly, this list (to be added to as I think of things): ~ Paracord dog leash + bracelet ~ Birdhouse geocache ~ Other general geocache maintenance ~ Clean my room

Apparently it's been a year since the last time i give it a try. Truth be told i needed to get shit straight to be able to do this again. I have managed my depression and i'm so much happier with my life and where i am now. Hey, things i got do to last year: Go to therapy Start to sew Learn moodle and sql Main Quest: Become a Success Story What i want is a radical change, i want to be in the other side i am now. I want to be strong and beautiful inside out. I want to do it for me, to be proud of myself, to love me more than anyother person on earth. If i pull this this time i want my before and after picture to be one of those inspiring people all over Pinterest. This are the landmarks i have set for my Main Quest: Get to 20% body fat, i'm currently on 36.7% (there was a time i got to 23% *sight* you can see it here) Drop to my healthy weight 62kg, i'm currently on 73kg (the most i've weighted ever in my life!) Goal #1: Run and do a Freelitics rutine interdiary I will use a 5K running app and the Freelitics app Goal #2: Maintain a healthy at least 80% Paleo Diet I will cook myself and make sure i don't eat outside, and if so choose the best Paleo friendly alternative. Goal #3: Drink more than 2.5L a day I also have an app for this. I have my before picture. And now I am ready to go. Every post needs a fitspirational quote

Last challenged started with me starting a new job, having some areas of life running smoothly as far as nutrition and learning to live in this RV...and wondering if I should bother with a challenge...since there were only 3 (now down to 2!) left this year, and they encompass my birthday, thanksgiving, Christmas, etc...I'm just going to take the rest of the year to get everything in place to knock 2017 out of the park! (I work for a minor league baseball team, you can expect more bad puns like this...) Yep, still planning on doing this!! Immediate goal is to pay off/down debt...when my wife was 'restructured' this year it was a huge challenge to find the money to move and keep up with the bills, we both have student loans that are affecting our debt/credit ratio that we need to address, I would also like to pay off the vehicles early since having two car payments is a struggle right now. The progress on this is going better than expected... I've made my other goals more specific as I've noticed some issues (I)nvigorate - my movement and strength training goal, aiming for 5 days a week (Joined a gym, will be going a minimum of 5 days a week, when I am on break I plan on working on more of a weights, etc, routine...for now I'll work on getting my endurance back...never thought I'd be so glad to see a treadmill! LOL) (V)ariety - social goal, aiming for getting out and doing something 'fun' once a week (this needs no adjusting...I'm almost overbooked!) (Y)in and Yang - Work on life balance - get enough sleep, leave work on time (when not required to stay) no bailing on events I say I'm going to (unless financial) (Sleep is still an issue...work tries to throw me out unless it's an event night LOL) I don't do nutrition goals anymore because honestly, I don't need to...I plan menus and my shopping list for the week and stick to it, with my current cash flow situation I've had no choice...I know how crappy it makes me feel when I cheat and it's not worth it... I enjoy power walking, kettlebells, and yoga...I don't like stressing over getting a certain number of these in a week so as long as there is something done five days a week I'm okay with that...I'm just trying not to gain right now, I'll work on losing in the future, it's not a focus right now...I'm trying to stay sane And on to the next Last challenge of 2016!!

Kinda fell off the map at the end of the last challenge. I've been busy, and NF took a back seat, and it only ended in mediocrity anyway. So this time I'm rewinding, then replaying. Basically, I'll be copy and pasting the last challenge into this one, the goals are the same. And by 'basically', I mean that's exactly what I'm about to do. One thing I will say, before I do that, is that, during Zero Week, I actually had a good(ish) run. In the past year or so, I've lost some of my motivation. When I first started this fitness journey, I could see my goal, and every time I felt like quitting or any time it got hard, I'd picture it and it would get me through. I haven't been able to see that in some time (and when I say I couldn't see it, I mean I literally couldn't conjure up the image in my head even if I tried), but during this run, I could see it again, and it got me through. Now, that was just one run, so who knows if that will stick, but that image is in my head again, hopefully it'll stay. And now I shall commence with Operation: Copy/Paste! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It's been a long while since I've had a truly successful challenge, but if I'm going to do this thing, then I need to do the things. So this challenge will be about doing it, one day at a time, whatever it is I need to do. Out of necessity I will plan a week at a time, I've tried day-by-day before and it never ends well, but once the schedule is set, I'm not thinking about tomorrow until I'm done with today. Goal 1 ~ Workouts Run 3x/week, gym 2x/week. Goal 2 ~ No Chips And also meal prep on Fridays, breakfasts and lunches for the work week. Goal 3 ~ Stretch Daily, all the things. Mush as needed. Goal 4 ~ Bed In bed by 11pm/12am (work night/not work night), up with alarm. What I'm Trying to Channel Because I feel like I've been choosing quitting more often than not.

Last challenged started with me starting a new job, having some areas of life running smoothly as far as nutrition and learning to live in this RV...and wondering if I should bother with a challenge...since there were only 3 (now down to 2!) left this year, and they encompass my birthday, thanksgiving, Christmas, etc...I'm just going to take the rest of the year to get everything in place to knock 2017 out of the park! (I work for a minor league baseball team, you can expect more bad puns like this...) Immediate goal is to pay off/down debt...when my wife was 'restructured' this year it was a huge challenge to find the money to move and keep up with the bills, we both have student loans that are affecting our debt/credit ratio that we need to address, I would also like to pay off the vehicles early since having two car payments is a struggle right now. The progress on this is going better than expected... I've made my other goals more specific as I've noticed some issues (I)nvigorate - my movement and strength training goal, aiming for 5 days a week (V)ariety - social goal, aiming for getting out and doing something 'fun' once a week (Y)in and Yang - Work on life balance - get enough sleep, leave work on time (when not required to stay) no bailing on events I say I'm going to (unless financial) I don't do nutrition goals anymore because honestly, I don't need to...I plan menus and my shopping list for the week and stick to it, with my current cash flow situation I've had no choice...I know how crappy it makes me feel when I cheat and it's not worth it... I enjoy power walking, kettlebells, and yoga...I don't like stressing over getting a certain number of these in a week so as long as there is something done five days a week I'm okay with that...I'm just trying not to gain right now, I'll work on losing in the future, it's not a focus right now...I'm trying to stay sane And on to the next challenge!!

I was looking for virtual races the other day, and came across Moon Joggers: http://www.moonjoggers.com. It looks like they have monthly events, and a year long event. Has anyone here heard of them before? Done any races with them? I'm interested in doing virtual races for a variety of reasons, pretty high on the list is that I don't like being in large crowds. I've heard about the Hogwarts Running Club, and there are several Star Wars virtual races, but those don't really catch my interest. But I can totally nerd out over astronomy. I'm a bit on the fence about signing up, so I guess what I'm looking for are second opinions. And see if anyone else here might be interested. (Also I've never been in a race before, and I'm a total newb to running.)

So a long long time ago in a galaxy far away........ or in reality last march from my couch I signed up for a half marathon, and because I hate running in hot humid weather I did very few long runs over the summer; which in fact does not make for good half marathon training. I am going to attempt a 10 miler this weekend 10/2 and totally wing the half on 10/9; if I can finish in under 2hrs I will be extremely happy Running, continue to get up before the sun and run, need to buy a new safety reflective vest so I can run the farm land safely, but getting up and running before everything gets crazy is meditative plus I get to come back to a quiet house and have a cup of coffee in peace Drink more water; attempt the gallon of water a day challenge for at least a week; that is way more than I need but it helps me not drink anything else and it makes sure that I am hydrated Meditate and Mindfulness, I have a few things that I need to change in my life so I am going to use meditation and mindfulness to help make those changes; basically Zenning the Fuck Out Goal is to use this half marathon as a long run for the Hangover Half Marathon on New Years; my only excuse for missing it is if they cancel it (lots of snow or below -30f wind chills both happen around here)

I don't like starting my challenges on a Sunday, so this challenge starts on Monday August 22. Last challenge went really well and helped me get things back on track after a couple of months of floundering. I'm continuing on with those habits this challenge, while adding a little to most of them to make sure I keep moving forward. I've decided to change how I do my challenges though. When I was doing this on my own I had managed to get rid of the "all or nothing" attitude by just striving for progress. Unfortunately having challenges with grades has undone that and anytime I'm not doing a challenge or things aren't going perfectly I'm sliding back into old habits. I really like doing the challenges and I love the camaraderie and support here, I just need to change how I do (and view) the challenges. So I'll be treating the challenges more like a battle log. I have healthy habits that I've created and others that I'm working on. I'll be keeping up with how I'm doing on those habits here. I'm also going to start having a list of things I want to do or try with the intent of completing one or two of those every challenge (thanks for the idea Elastigirl!). I'm going to try a point system as a reward (for habits and the extras), though points are ongoing. They don't have to be earned during a specific challenge and they'll be earned between challenges as well. I'll also be running my first 5K this challenge. It's a virtual 5K started by fellow NF rebels called the Rebel Run and it seems like a good place to start. Being able to run a 5K was one of the goals I set a few months ago. Fitness Habits: Exercise every day. A 5 minute walk or 20 squats can be used if I'm tired or short on time. This is a pretty firm habit. I earn one point for every day of exercise Run once a week. There is no time or distance limit on this, but I have been working my way up to a 5K and I need to continue that at least until the Rebel Run. I would like to run 3 miles once a week after the Rebel Run, but I'm not going to make that a requirement, at least not yet. This will earn me an extra point on top of the usual point for exercising, so two points. Strength Train twice a week. I'm still doing the Startbodyweight program, but I'm not going to limit myself to a specific program. This will also earn an extra point so two points for each strength training day. HIIT session once a week. This month I'm adding a HIIT session to the week. I'm not sure yet how well this will go, so right now it can be any type of HIIT session. I could do a walk with sprint intervals, a Tabata type workout or a 10-20-30 workout. This will also earn an extra point, so two points total. Yoga/Mobility/Stretching every day. I've put a minimum time limit of 10 minutes on this because the usual stretching I do after my strength workout lasts almost 9 minutes and I don't want to count that. I'll earn one point for every day I do this. I also want to try some of the intermediate routines this month, but I'm adding that to the list of things I want to try. Average 11,000 steps/day every week. I thought about increasing the step average, but sometimes it's still tough to get enough steps so I'm going to stick with this number for at least a little longer. I'll earn 5 points for every week that I meet this average. Healthy Eating Habits I'm not attaching any points to the healthy eating habits, because I still think I do better when I'm just treating these as habits with no reward or punishment attached. I am going to discuss how these are going though, so I still want to make them a part of the challenge. Eat at least one fruit or veggie with every meal and snack. I generally try to get 2-3 with every meal and 1-2 with each snack, but I'm working on making it a habit to have at least 1 (and potatoes don't count) no matter what. Put my fork (spoon, sandwich or whatever) down between bites and don't pick it up until I've swallowed that bite. I'm still in the first stages of this habit and I still forget, but I usually remember after a few bites. It definitely helps me be more mindful while I eat and I recognize when I'm full a lot better. Other Habits Do the pared down version of my morning routine with the daily cleaning added. There is no daily cleaning on Sundays or Tuesdays because those are hubby's off days. There's still one more part to add to morning routine so I'll earn 0.5 point for the pared down routine and an extra 0.25 point for the daily cleaning. That way when I'm doing the full routine it will earn one point. I'm still keeping up with the produce goal as well, but I'm not assigning any points to it. I'll continue to measure it the same as before. I'll make a note of each of the different types of fruit and veggies I buy and then decide how much of each type I throw away. For example let's say I bought 10 different types of fruits and veggies. Then I threw away half the broccoli, a quarter of the lettuce and all of the oranges. That would mean I threw out 17.5% of the produce. Freezing stuff (if it's freezable) before it goes bad is allowed. --[I haven't finished coming up with the list of things to try, but I wanted to go ahead and get my challenge up. This is a work in progress and hopefully I'll get it finished in the next couple of days. Things to Try/Do I'll earn one point for each of these that I do. Try an intermediate yoga routine]-- Rewards I'll earn a reward for every 100 points that I earn. I may try to come up with more specific rewards later, but this is the general framework. Buy a new class on Craftsy Spend $20 on craft supplies Spend $20 on clothes Spend $20 on Exercise/Fitness (equipment, classes or whatever)

When I quit my job at the end of last challenge, I kinda threw myself into a frenzy of keeping busy. I took on a bunch of projects so that I wouldn't be sitting around without people contact or achievements to earn, and I was determined not to sit at my computer all day. Hence my absence from Nerd Fitness ..... Mr. Wizard and I joined the Society for Creative Anachronism, and I threw myself into getting ready for our first event. It was something I had always dreamed of doing .... now seemed like a good time to join up. I made outfits and wooden camp chairs (yes, I'll post pics ....), and we both took up archery ..... and went to the local archery practice sessions organized by the Baron. Since our local group was co-hosting, I even jumped in to help get the site ready and cook for the feast. Turned out that preparation was more fun than the event. For one thing, it rained off and on, which put a damper on the archery and fighting events. I did see one rapier instruction session, which looked pretty cool. But the heavy fighters looked like they were just swinging wildly, and the archery targets were drawn images on cardboard - which didn't look impressive. Mostly, people ended up sitting around under canopies and mostly ...... drank. While people were in costume, they were not really "in character" at all, and no one was paying attention to the competitions even when the weather cleared off for a while. They were not even careful to hide plastic and labeled bottles. (The event stewards were pretty frustrated.) When we got home, Mr. Wizard and I just kinda felt ..... Frankly, the Ren Fest would have been more fun, especially in costume. While we could go to another event next weekend, I'm considering going up to the Ren Fest to enjoy the food and music instead. Since tomorrow is my birthday (!), I'm relaxing and enjoying a whole BIRTHDAY WEEK!!! Meanwhile ...... back at the 4-week challenge ....... I am focusing on activities and less on a lot of measurable goals. I have more than a touch of ennui, but at least I'm still trying!!! BIKING Yea ... do it. I am getting out for at least an hour each day when it isn't raining. And I am aiming to bike to do local errands, unless I'd have to carry more than my panniers can hold. 5K Races - September 11th and 18th The 11th is a local run associated with the Defeat of Jesse James Days, and the 18th is my rescheduled Color Run up in Duluth!! I'm going up for the whole weekend for the Color Run. SO ...... I'm doing training runs every other day. ARCHERY Mr. Wizard and I practice at least weekly, and I aim to get in another 1 or 2 sessions at the local archery range on my own. I really need the extra sessions to build up my upper body strength!!! MINDFUL EATING I am still with the Weight Watchers program, in part because of the local group leader is so inspiring and fun. I've hit another plateau ..... after losing 20 pounds ..... but measurements show that my body composition has improved a lot. FIND A PURPOSE I'm chipping away at some house projects, but after the SCA event hit the "RESET" button on unrealistic expectations, I'm casting about for something that inspires me.

First Annual Rebel Run inspired by Nerd Fitness! (Walkers welcome!) This is a virtual 5k so you can participate from anywhere in the world. Check out the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/The-Rebel-Run-903236796451748/ Or just go straight to the sign-up sheet! https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1p6hswnfpNL6lciCZkhEg50x-xtaL-OPCNlGcwqTyStI/edit#gid=0

Boring Backstory Progress is not linear. We've all heard this before; we know it's true. The challenge is in accepting it. I've really been struggling the last few challenges. It doesn't feel like I'm making progress but habits are being reinforced, attitudes are changing, and mindfulness is becoming easier. The GoRuck that was to happen at the very start of this challenge has been cancelled. The next event is the 5K Milk Run at the Minnesota State Fair. So it's time to switch gears on training and start running. I have been travelling a lot this summer with 2 more trips coming up during this challenge. When travelling sometimes workouts get skipped; sometimes they get replaced. I figure as long as I am in control of my food choices then missing some workouts won't make a huge difference in meeting my goals. I'm tired of taking two steps backward all the time and I know this is due to my food choices and my relationship with food. So this challenge is basically similar to the last umpteen challenges with a few exceptions... I've tried to simplify it a bit; the primary focus of this challenge is food choices, and the training focus has changed from rucking to running. FOOD I've mapped out the challenge days, starting with today, and noted travel days so I can account for them. Last challenge I adopted a modified calorie goal so that allows for more on weekends and travel days, rest days, and recovery days. I've added the calorie goals for each day on the Magic Spreadsheet of SuccessTM (MSS). For each day I'll document the actual calories, logged with MFP. Scoring will occur in 1 of 2 ways, I haven't decided which yet until I have some data and see how it shakes out. At the end of each week, I'll have a projected Average Daily Calorie intake (ADC) an actual Average Daily Calorie intake. Scoring option #1: The calculated percent difference between the projected and actual. Scoring Option #2: the number of days of the week that actual stayed within projected. I think I prefer Option #1. This will account for whether I go over a little or a lot, same with staying under goal, rather than just not getting a point if I go over by a respectable amount of calories and then go under the same amount another day. What I want to avoid is trying to make up calorie overages on another day. I'm OK using some short calorie days to average out some over days but I don't want to end up cutting too much on some days to account for variance days. This will send me right into a spiral of variance days that will never end. TRAINING Training has been mapped out on the MSS, accounting for travel days. For the most part each week follows this plan: 3 Run Days. distances determined by Runkeeper 5K training plan. Weather will be a factor as it has been a really hot and humid summer and this makes running suck. 2 Lift Days. using training plan from my trainer. 1 Active Rest Day. This can be 10 minutes of yoga, 10 minutes of Shovelglove, rucking, hiking, walking, swimming with the family, biking, catching Pokemon, anything. I don't care what and it doesn't have to be much, just don't be a Blerch. and now for some gratuitous gifs..... This challenge has been brought to you by: