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So here we go! I joined nerd fitness back in January, and have gotten a slow and steady start since really getting into it back in March. This is my first 6 week challenge, and it will be a mulit round challenge since I wouldn't be able to get through my main mission in 6 weeks safely. I have always been a stocky girl, and I have had a love/hate relationship with my body since I was in my early teens. The weight runs in the family on my mom's side, and my main motivation is to get ahead of the curve so I don't have health issues down the road. Feeling better about my body, and not seeing only the things I dislike in the mirror is my secondary motivation. All in all I am a fairly healthy/active person, but I don't have much self control when it comes to social situations/meals, and I need better portion control. Main Challenge Quest: To get to 130 lbs, and or a size 6. Minor Missions: Meet net calorie goal of 1240 daily Be gluten free at least 5 days a week Be active for at least 1 hour 6 days a week Life Quest: Be more confident and open to expressing myself and my needs. I am an overly giving person, and I tend to push my want's and needs aside constantly. While I am proud of the person I am, this is something I must balance in my life.

I'm a little late to the party here, I know, but I've kind of been doing my own challenge for the past three weeks, so I'm just gonna hop on board and make this six-week challenge an extension of my own! I am Kyellan--by day, I am a datamancer. I weave spells in cryptic languages to conjure information from the impenetrable logic of databases, perform magic tricks on spreadsheets that cause things to appear precisely as I wish them to, and occasionally hold blood-sacrifice rituals to keep the servers from crashing... okay, that last one is mostly a joke. However, being a datamancer doesn't do much for the Constitution nor the HP totals. Even the little goblins (hunger, pain, fatigue) can knock me down with their clubs and sticks, and I'm sick and tired of getting beaten up by their puny hordes. My INT is pretty high, but at the cost of a lot of other things. That's why, for this first six-week challenge, I am dual-classing to Rebel Adventurer and raiding the goblin den! ---------------- Main Quest: Step on the scale and see my weight under 200 lbs for the first time since childhood before my 30th birthday (7/20/2015). Current weight: 245 lbs. Every adventurer starts small--no one goes to the dragon den at Level 1! So I'm going to start by beating up some of these goblins that constantly plague me, gain some XP, and get ready for the long haul during this first six weeks. Quest 1: 3 Strength Workouts Per Week (Friday, Sunday, Tuesday) If I'm going to beat the goblins, one of the first things I've got to raise is my STR score. I'm pretty sure I have a -2 to damage penalty, and we won't even look up what that would be under my favored system (AD&D 2nd). For this starter challenge, I'll be using the Nerd Fitness Beginner Bodyweight Workout. A: 3 Workouts/Week (+3 STR, +1 STA); B: 2 Workouts/Week (+2 STR); C: 1 Workout/Week (+1 STR) Quest 2: 3 Weapon Sessions Per Week (Saturday, Monday, Wednesday) Can't beat the goblins without a weapon! One of my goals is to feel in good enough shape to join a HEMA group and start learning some Western Martial Arts. I'm currently working with a sword, but to achieve this goal any weapon will do--club, staff, sword. This is to increase grip strength, wrist and forearm strength, and to get the precision I'll need for weapon handling. To make the grade, a session will have to be at least 20 minutes long. A: 3 Weapon Sessions/Week (+2 DEX, +2 STA); B: 2 Weapon Sessions/Week (+1 DEX, +1 STA); C: 1 Weapon Session/Week (+1 DEX) Quest 3: Fasting For Discipline One of the major things I've always lacked in my life is a measure of physical discipline. I'm great at the mental stuff, but when it comes to food, I've got just about nothing for willpower. To help combat this (and because I have done intermittent fasting in the past to good effect) my third quest will be about adding discipline through fasting. A: 4 16-hour fasts/week (+3 WIS); B: 3 16-hour fasts/week (+2 WIS); C: 1 16-hour fast/week (+0.5 WIS) Quest 3 Bonus: 3 24-hour fasts during the challenge nets a (+1 WIS) bonus at the end of 6 weeks! Life Quest: Maintain this thread with struggles and successes and see it through until 10/26! Motivation: I will be the outlier--I will beat the odds on family history, I will see my future child(ren) to a happy, healthy and productive adulthood, I will learn the Western martial arts of my dreams, and most of all, I will live despite the chronic pain that has plagued me for ten years, free from its shackles even if I still must live with it.

So here I am. Previous to this attempt, I have failed to complete any other challenge I started. After a few days of getting my thoughts together, I've decided to approach my goals differently. Posting from mobile, I'm mostly getting my quest down and will edit the rest of the information in when I get home from work. MAIN QUEST: Shadow Manifestation lvl 1. In order to defeat one's enemies, they must be identified. Shadows are never truly destroyed, but they can be lived with. Once you identify and understand what drives your shadow - it can be forged into something greater. 1.) Keep a food journal: Shadow: I'm too busy to do all this mindful eating and drinking business. Besides its good that I'm actually eating, right? The TRUTH: Counting calories makes me twitchy and does weird things with my ED. But mindlessly trying to satisfy hunger is not helping me. The first thing I need to do is adjust to tracking my food WITHOUT judging myself. (Keep a food journal every day of the challenge. Just the food and drinks I consume.) 2.) Research how to make a gluten free diet work for me. Shadow: This isn't fair bread is cheap and easy to find and I'm sick of having to get rid of things I like why I don't want to how am going to pay for this this isn't faiiiiiir. The TRUTH: This goal, the whole making a gf diet workable for me. This is going to be the hardest thing I do. Bread is a big comfort food for me and it is the first thing I get if I get really hungry because it fills you up. However, if I keep doing this, I am going to make myself ill. So I have to find what I can eat that lacks gluten and won't break my finances. I should have a working list of food three weeks in that does not include any 'bready' gluten free things. At the end of the challenge I should have my staple foods and accommodating grocery stores listed in full. (Find 3 staple foods that I can afford, find three close stores that I can get groceries from.) 3.) Get. Moving. Shadow: This is stupid and it hurts, why are you trying to do all this stuff it takes years to get the physical conditions to do all this moving around, you really think an ex-smoker is gonna be able to do any of this? Take it easy. The TRUTH: I may never get to the point that I can do cool Assassin-y Parkour. Going at full tilt in the name of quick progress is going to do nothing but hurt me. I need to stop forcing my body to do something that is too strenuous and go slowly. Start with finding stretches that I can do, walking. Actually do them! (On days that I only go to school/entirely off from work I need to go on a walk. Included in this is research about basic stretches. By the end of the challenge I should have a list of 10 stretches that I have tested to make sure I can actually do them.) [bonus awesome, Aria of the Soul started playing in iTunes towards the end of the construction of this post.]

Ahoy! me buckos! I be fresh off o' me latest adventure in t' lake o' level 1. Havin' surmounted me foes and succesfuly navigated t' a port it was time t' rest. With me crew and I well rested it be time t' set sail into t' sea o' Adventurers. Captain Coffee has taken t' life under t' black flag, as t' song says "it's a pirates life for me". With me sails unfurled, t' ocean before me, and me crew behind me nothin' will stop me from gettin' t' plunder I seek from t' world If you be brave enough t' join me under t' black flag, hop aboard and show me your pirate colors. Current Stats: Age: 23 Height: 6'2 Start Weight: 303 Total Lost: 4 Level: 2 STR 3.28 || DEX 1.64 || STA 2 || CON 3.32 || WIS 5.46 || CHA 2.64 Main Quest: The Baker's Dozen. (lose 13 lbs.) While I understand that weight isn't t' best metric t' measure success by, I feel like in me case it be warranted. I have quite an excess o' "booty" and t' goal be t' get t' a maintainable weight o' 200-215 lbs. This be best accomplished by breakin' it into small chunks. I be also lookin' for better fittin' clothes and more energy, but for now weight be t' best metric. Starting Weight: 303 lbs Goal Weight: 290 lbs Current Weight: 303 lbs Quest 1: Walk the Plank (walk 8500 steps a day) + Stamina Recently I hurt me aft (that means back for you landlubbers), and it's still healin', so takin' it easy and tryin' t' stay movin' A: 59,500 steps/week 100% B: 80% C: 60% D: 40% F: 20% (i think it will be easier to measure this by weekly avg.) Quest 2: Shiver me timbers! Let's get Limber: ( Yoga 5x a week) +2 Dexterity As I said, I hurt me aft, so I want t' stretch it out, and keep mildly active A: 5+ Days 100% B: 4 Days 80% C: 3 Days 60% D: 2 Days 40% F: 1 Days 20% INCOMPLETE: 0 Days 0% Quest 3: A pirate don't want none, unless you got rum, hun!: (Drink only water/tea/coffee) +3 Constitution Ol' Cap'n Coffee's been drinkin' way too many diet sodas, regular sodas, and sugary juices. Time t' cut aft.. Life Quest: Swab the Poop Deck (keep room, tidy and neat, before bed) +1 Stamina, Wisdom, Charisma I normally live in controlled chaos, but we're sellin' t' boathouse and movin'. We're goin' t' have strangers walkin' around t' house lookin' t' buy, and it needs t' be neat and tidy. This will include makin' me cot, and just general tidiness. Motivation: T' be t' most feared and respected pirate in all t' seas. T' get t' most plunder possible in t' short life assigned t' us. Thanks for readin' landlubbers, and if ye want t' be part o' t' most fierce and determined pirate crew around, stop by and say ahoy! Captain Coffee

Hi, Rebels! My name is Parker and I'm a 160lb, 27% body fat, 5'7 19yr old female college sophomore wanting to take control of my health and gain better control over my own body (lifting it, being more flexible, ect). Parkouring has been a dream of mine since childhood ever since I played Sly Cooper and Assassin's Creed. I currently play on my university's Quidditch team as a Beater and I have come to realize that my endurance is low and my throw is subpar. I figured now would be as good of a time as any to take advantage of my youth and get that parkour body. I bike daily to all of my classes, and I have an hour long fitness class every Tuesday/Thursday, but I need support and encouragement from people who know what they're doing. Thanks in advance for your company, rebels! Main Quest: By the end of the challenge be a able to do at least 1-3 pull-ups. I can't even begin to lift myself at this point, haha. Weekly Goals: 1) Get 8 hrs of sleep every night 2) Do the body weight training 3x a week 3) Stop eating candy 4) Drink 3 Liters of water everyday 5) Paleo Meals Only If anyone has any advice for me, please respond to this! I am new to working out and being part of a community that does. I need all the help I can get and when I look back over this post, it is a skeleton that needs a lot of meat.

Hello everyone! My name is Kim and I'm late to the party (and most things), but hey, that sounds like something to be addressed in a future side quest. This is my first time posting here ever, and of course my first Nerd Fitness Challenge. Here goes: Main Quest Lose weight and get fit! Goal 1 Exercise 6/days per week for at least 40min/day. One rest day. One additional, optional, guilt-free "excused" day. Life happens. I'll be doing pilates (Blogilates) because I like it and I know I'll do it. Alternatively, during nice weather I may go running for the same amount of time. This will be my biggest challenge. I enjoy exercise, but my exercise history has been impulsive and infrequent. Although I'm n ot a beginner, I haven't been consistent. I have found that staying active helps me stick to goal 2: Goal 2 Eat healthy. For me, that means eating primarily raw foods during the day and occasionally cooked vegetables with tofu/etc. at dinner. Default meal day: Breakfast = fresh juice. Lunch = fruit, or green smoothie. Dinner = steamed vegetables with tofu I will keep a food diary (via MyFitnessPal). If I eat something outside of my guidelines, I will track it and move on. Goal 3 Wake up earlier/go to sleep earlier (wake at 9). This is so I can make breakfast and pack a lunch for work (or pack lunch the night before, thank you to Blaidd for the suggestion.) My biggest setback when eating healthy has been skipping meals and overeating on junk food at dinner. This will also give me more time to myself, so instead of rolling out of bed and rushing to work, I can shower and get ready for the day. Heck, I might even try to exercise in the morning instead of evening! A good morning leads to a good day. I believe this goal will help me in more than one way. Motivation One day, I am going to have children and I want to be a healthy mother that they can look up to. I want to already be committed to healthy habits when I start a family. Also, I want to be hot AF. In all seriousness, I have always been on the chubby side. I want to feel confident with my physical self. It's now or ... now! Life Side Quest Pay off my 1K credit card bill. I will start by paying off $25/week minimum, every paycheck. Week 1: The Adventure Begins (One week late starting, so this is filler. lol.) Weight: 150 lbs. Exercise: 1 day/10 minutes (in a fit of rage might I add) Waking up before 9: Never! Life Side Quest: 303.37/1000 Thanks, college refund check!

Introduction: My name is Renae. I work full time, attend school full time online, and have a 10-month old daughter. All these thing seem to make me fall into bad habits of snacking, and overall eating horribly, and not getting a whole lot of exercise. Main Quest: Get into a healthy routine for working out and eating. Quest 1: Complete a weight-lifting session 3 times a week. I currently have a plan in place to do this. I just need to make sure it gets done. Measurements: A = 18 days total, B = 12 days total, C = 6 days total Quest 2: Walk or Run 3 miles 2 days a week. Right now the week days I am not weight lifting I am trying to do cardio sessions, but I haven't been trying hard at all with them. Measurements: A = 36 miles total, B = 24 miles total, C = 12 miles total Quest 3: Eat a bag of frozen veggies worth a day. I try to have a spinach salad before dinner every day, but I forget and I usually add cheese and dressing to it. I think eating the frozen veggies will be easier to accomplish and keep up with my veggie intake as well as keep me full. Measurements: A = 42 bags total, B = 30 bags total, C = 18 bags total Life Quest: Receive B grade or better on my final 3 classes. After many many years I am finally being able to finish with an Associates degree in IT Management. These past years have been crazy and I have had a terrible time with school and grades. Especially now with my child. I need to focus and finish off strong. Measurements: A = 3 B's, B = 1 or 2 Cs, C = All C's Motivation: My #1 motivation is my daughter. I want her to see her mother strong, physically and mentally. I want to be a good example for how to live. With that I hope to inspire my husband to lose weight and eat better.

***This post is a work in progress, I'm just getting ready for the next challenge*** Main Quest: Run my first 5K Mission 1: Use C25K App 3 times a week Mission 2: Weight train 2 times a week Mission 3: only drink water and brewed teas Life Quest: Pay off my Credit Card Motivation: I have never been a runner. I walked the mile in PE, I gave up before I got to the run in the triathlon. My motivation is to complete the race - to run a race.

Battlescars: Exodus This is it! I move across the country during this challenge. I’m pumped for the new adventure, but also terrified to give up the comfort and security that I’ve established here. It’ll be exciting, ridiculous, and probably frustrating as hell. But honestly, I’m too pumped to care. Los Angeles, I’m coming for ya. Brace yourself. Goals: 1. Post (at minimum) three times a week. (+3 WIS) This is a huge problem for me. I’m so bad at posting and keeping track of what I’m doing. I feel like posting more will give me an extra boost with the rest of my goals as well. This is a great community, and I want to be more active within it. 2. Go to the gym at least three times a week. (+2 CON) I can hear you now, “But battlescars! You go to the gym like, every day!†True, imaginary conversation partner, but things will definitely be different when I move. I’m afraid that I’ll stop seeing exercise as a priority when I get out west, so I’m making sure I stick to the habits I’ve made at home. Exception: August 10th-16th. I will be en route to LA. During this time, three alternative methods of exercise must be found. 3. Run an 8 minute mile. (+3 STA) I’ve bee making great progress with my running. I started out last challenge with about a 13:20 mile, and just yesterday I ran a mile in 10:37. I’d like to continue this progress, and hopefully make it to 8:00 within the next six weeks. 4. Assisted Pull up with 45lb counterbalance. (+3 STR) Started last challenge at 118lbs on the counterbalance, and I’m down to 85lbs. Six weeks to get down to 45lbs? Crazy talk! But let’s give it a shot. 5. Pitch a film for production. (+2 CHA) So I'm going to LA for a film studies program. I know I'm going to get the chance to pitch a film that I want to direct for production. I just need to do it. It's a confidence thing. I'll be okay if it doesn't get chosen. I just want to have enough confidence in myself and my work to put myself out there, and sell myself to others. Let’s rock this challenge, friends! Woo!

A long time ago, In a six week challenge far, far away… Hello all! I am, In fact, alive! Last time you heard from me, It was back in August of 2013, almost a year ago, when I was at a breaking point. I had an unrealistic amount of commitments, and the quality of the work in everything I did was suffering as a result. I had to leave my sixth challenge part way through as a result. It killed me to quit, there are few things that I hate more than quitting. But after considering my options, It’s what needed to be done. One EXTREMELY busy school year later, I am back. And I am sad to say not much has changed. I got by, but didn’t make much progress. And almost exactly a year later, I am really disappointed to say that not much has changed. I have been really disappointed in myself lately. I just feel like I have lost my direction in life. A good chunk of my life was dedicated with the main goal of working towards Japan. And once that happened, I never found a new path. The exact details of what I am working on right now is different, but overall, I am just as unhappy as last year. And I refuse to accept that. I want to be the person I was when I was working towards Japan. The guy that worked really hard in everything he did, and loved life. AND SO I HAVE RETURNED. Nerd Fitness was a big part of my life leading up to Japan, and I have realized that this is a positive in my life, and I need it. So thank you to everyone who has supported me in the past, and those that may choose to join me in the future. *Hugs NF family* Without further ado, I give you my 7th Nerd Fitness 6 week challenge: Main Quest: Finding Makoto If you can’t tell by my profile picture, one of my biggest hobbies is Cosplay. Currently, I am working on my next costume which I plan to debut at Youmacon 2014 in Detroit, MI. This costume, though, is unlike any other costume I have done, because it involves not only making a costume for my body, but changing my body. The character who I will be cosplaying is Makoto Tachibana, from the Anime Free!! Iwatobi Swim Club. My main quest right now is obtaining this body. The other part of cosplay, besides the costume, is the acting side. To successfully wear the costume, I need to wear it not only body but with my attitude. Makoto is my favorite character because of his personality and ethics, and If I can become more like him, It will make me a happier and healthier person. I plan to work towards this costume by focusing on exercise, diet, and time management (To ensure I can find the time to sew the actual costume). Goals: Fitness/diet goals- 1) Running/Exercise goal 2) Diet Goal 3) Weight/BF% goal Life Goal- 4) Daily Work Period How I will reach these goals: 1)Running/Exercise goals This 6 week challenge comes at the end of one of my fitness goals I have been doing while on sabbatical from NF. I have been doing Insanity since May, and will have my final day on Monday, August 4 (My final “workout†is Saturday, but on Monday I do the Fit Test for the last time to assess my fitness progress). So the the first part of the fitness goal is to complete all of the remaining days of Insanity. Then, I will move onto Phase 2. Phase 2 is the scout part. I plan to Run at for least 5 hours a week, distributed among the days of the week (I should be running at least 5 days a week, I may edit this goal to make it more of a challenge should this be too easy). Because I am working towards a Makoto Cosplay body, I figured I would add in a bonus: swimming! After all, the best way to get a swimmer’s body must be to swim, right? So seeing as I live on a lake, I will be swimming 3 days a week for at least 20 minutes a day as well. 2)Diet Goal For my diet, I will continue with what I have been doing during Insanity. I have my calorie budget set, which I will stay within everyday. I will also be monitoring the quality of the food, trying to eat at least 80% paleo foods everyday. For me, no 6 week challenge would be complete without an unavoidable trip. I run on my school’s cross country team, and we will be traveling to Upstate New York for a week of Cross Country Camp. We will be running everyday, twice a day, which will be perfect for goal number one, but could give some trouble to my diet. The meals are prepared for the entire team at once, and the menu is set without our input. The food is always delicious, but not the healthiest. I will do my best to stay within these goals despite the adversity. 3) Lose 12 lbs. and body fat The Idea is to continue with my current plan of losing 2 lbs. per week, through means of the first 2 goals. I would also like to come up with a certain amount of BF% to lose, but I will figure out the exact details of that this weekend when I measure my current BF%. 4) Daily Work Period As I mentioned early, I have just felt worn out lately and I am sick of It. I want to be a productive human being who accomplishes his goals. So, every day, I will be creating a schedule down to the minute. In this, there is to be at least 1 hour dedicated to working on one of the projects that I would like to have completed by the end of this challenge. I have a list of things, but some of these include summer homework, working on other projects I have committed to, and planning a few events I have told people I would take care of. The idea is to spread this out evenly so it isn’t overwhelming, but I still accomplish my goals. NO PROCRASTINATION!!! I will be assigning points when I get a little more time. This is a very busy week for me coming up, so I will probably get to this after Friday. If you have any other suggestions, I will gladly listen! I am not sure that these are all the goals I want, but I feel it is what I can handle with the situation, but still feel challenged. Thanks for looking and the Support! Let’s find Makoto!!! P.S. - Thank you to my new friend, Croberts654 (His challenge can be found here), who convinced me to join this challenge, and is participating along side me. We met online a few days ago, and discovered we had similar stats and goals, so we teamed up! If you would all be so kind as to stop by his challenge thread (It’s his first!) and say hello and give some encouragement, it would mean a lot. Thank you! P.S.S.- Sorry For Joining Late, I wasn't sure If I was ready come back yet or not. Best of luck to everyone!

Hey, Listen! I know my first 6 week challenge had a Legend of Zelda title, but since the LoZ workout came out a few weeks ago, I thought I would use it as a focus of my next challenge. 2014 Main Goal: Get below 220 lbs. 6 Week Quest: Obtain the Master Sword This is going to take some hard work and dedication on my behalf. Goal 1: Temple Runs (Strength) Complete a full Temple by the end of each week. 6 Weeks = 6 Temples If I don't complete the next highest temple each week, I must at least go back and redo the previous temple before the week is over.(A= Completed Higher Temple; C = Completed Last Temple; F = Did not complete a temple)Str +2, Dex +1, Sta +2Goal 2: Eat more Paleo (Wisdom) I eat something for breakfast, lunch and dinner everyday so that's 21 meals a week. I want at least 7 of those 21 meals to be full Paleo. I want to start eating healthier foods and not have to count calories.(A=7+, B=6, C=5, D=4, F=3-)Con +3, Wis +1 Goal 3: Target Practice (Courage?) At least 3 times a week I want to either play disc golf at the park or shoot my bow and arrow at my house. My son has recently learned he enjoys doing both of these so it will be a good way to spend time with him.(A=3+, B=2, D=1, F=0)Dex +2, Cha +1 Skill Improvement Goal (Crafting): Create a PVC bow to use for personal target practice. Dex +1, Wis +1 I would also like to complete any random side quests throughout the challenge if anyone could lead me to where I could find them. I found the Adventurer's Mini Challenges forum and started following it. *UPDATES

After my last challenge I realized that biking all the time has gotten me into better shape, but at the same time has also geared my body into the same repetitious movements over and over that really are only working one aspect of my form. I want to obtain complete control over my own body. This is mostly inspired by a rereading of Musashi's Book of Five Rings (Go Rin No Sho) which I did as a pick me up in the last week of the challenge. Musashi often talks about how a warrior cannot separate his normal life from battle, both in body and in mind. I kind of want this to be my over arching sub goal for this challenge, and even though he speaks of becoming a warrior, Assassins need mental and physical discipline even more so! So for the next few challenges, I'm going to try and model my quests off of his teachings and see if that helps me. Main Quest: Slight change, my current main goal is to be under 18% body fat by my honeymoon. I realized that the weight number itself doesn't bother me, it's the stuff hanging off the sides that does. "In all things concerning the body in the martial arts, make the every day body the body for the martial arts ,and the body for martial arts the every day body." Starting Weight: 209 lbs Start of Challenge Pic: (coming tomorrow) Quest 1:I want to become completely in control of my body, so my first goal is to start off with 3 body weight exercises a week, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. That totals up to 18 BW workouts, and I aim to hit all 18. I'll be using the Angry Birds Workout combined with some dynamic stretching from Ido Portal to increase my mobility. Measurement: A = 16-18 workouts total, B = 13-16 workouts total, C = 10-12 worksouts total F= Aything less Stat Points: DEX - 3, STA - 1 Fun Goal: Increase Wall Handstand time! Currently I'm at about 12 inches from the wall and go about a minute, so pretty soon I'll be working on my kick up! I just want to keep track of how I'm doing here just for fun. Quest 2: I've got a problem. I do pretty great at eating healthy, but it ends up being a mad rush. I want to start planning ahead better and knowing my menu for the week without causing stress with last minute meals. So my challenge to myself is to plan each week and have everything ready by Sunday night (skipping week 1, sadly). Measurement: A = 17-21 healthy meals a week, B = 13-17 healthy meals a week, C = 8-12 healthy meals a week, F = anything less Sub Goal: Plan each week in advance with grocery lists and pre cooking on Sundays. (5 planned weeks) Stat Points: CON - 3 Quest 3: Musn't neglect powering up the heart and lungs for better cycling! I really fell in love with the Viking Warrior Conditioning last challenge, and am going to continue to incorporate it into my weekly training while downgrading it to two sessions a week. Measurement: A = 11-12 sessions, B = 9-10, C = 7-8, F = Anything Lower. Stat Points: Str - 3, STA - 3 Reward for all of these: Getting to look good in this clothing optional hot spring: Life Quest: Track all spending. Sometimes money seems to disappear because I forgot I spend a little here and here and here, etc. I'm budgeting, but I could be succeeding a lot better. Measurement: A = Solid and consistent money tracking., B = Missing a few days, C = Spotty and inconsistent. Stat Points: WIS - 2 Motivation: I want to be in great shape physically and financially coming into this marriage. My fiancee is in much better shape physically and I'm super competitive!

Hello All! I'm a bit late to the party, but they say better late than never. Guess I'll need to extend my challenge an extra two weeks. My goal is to look good to myself and feel comfortable in my own skin. I've been working out consistenly for the past year and am satisfied with my athletic ability, but I don't like the way my body looks in the mirror. I've definitely gained some muscle, but still have quite a bit of visible fat in my torso. I'm fairly sure that my diet is the main culprit, so that's what I'll be targeting in this challenge. I'm attempting to conform to the paleo (to be exact: Primal, for those who know/care about the difference) diet. Main Quest: Lose excess body fat. Specifically, get a Flat Stomach. Why: 2 reasons. 1) So I can look in the mirror with pride. 2) It's something I've never been able to do. No matter how athletic I was, my body never looked like a fit person's body. I feel it's a barrier I need to get over for my own confidence and personal growth. Goal 1) Eat a 100% Primal Diet for the next 6-weeks (Until August 3). Specifically, don't eat any Ice Cream and Peanut Butter - my last two major holdouts. Goal 2) Limit Fruits to 4 fruits/day - Speed fat loss by limiting carb intake (even if it's from fruit). Goal 3) Get to bed by 11:00 PM every night (when it's within my control) - To keep my willpower up and help my body recover from workouts. Side Quest: Begin learning to Swing Dance. Practice one Youtube step routine/week. Why: I've never been good at Dancing or had much confidence while doing it, but I'd like to. In looking at different styles, swing is what appeals to me the most. I like the way it looks, like the kind of music, like the style of that age. So I want to give it a try and learn something new! That's it! I'm looking forward to starting my first Nerdfitness Challenge! Also, anyone get the game reference in the subject line? Hint: Playstation 2 RPG.

Hey all! Just found this site this past week, and I have to say it's the most motivating site I've ever seen for me! So down to the questing: Main Quest: Lose enough fat to fit into a size 10-12 by Aug 1 (currently a size 16-18) - Exercise a minimum of 5x/week - Get to bed by 9:30-10pm minimum 6x/week - Cut grains and soda to weekends only Life Quest: Study Japanese 5x/week I know I'm hopping in slightly in the middle of a challenge run, but gotta start somewhere, right?

This is my first 6 week challenge. A friend told me about NF a few weeks ago and I finally decided to look at it about a week ago. So far, I've really liked the site and the articles I've read. But, enough about that; here is the start to my adventure: Main Quest: Get down below 220 lbs. (Starting: 252) Goal 1: Work out a minimum of 5 days a week. (A=5, B=4, C=3, D=2, F=1) Goal 2: Record meals (and snacks) everyday, even weekends. (A=7, B=6, C=5, D=4, F=3) Goal 3: Lose a minimum of 2 lbs. per week until goal is met. (-2=A, -1=B, 0=C, +1 = D, +2=F) Life Side Quest: [Home Improvement] Create pathway and layout area by retaining wall. (Complete=Pass, Don't Complete=Fail) I thought this side quest would also get me out of the house doing a bit of manual labor. It will be a fairly big project (for me at least).So here I go!

The sun streamed through the window lighting up flecks of dust hovering in the beams. Ceto sighed as she turned her face into the sun shine, eyes closing and muscles relaxing. Her thoughts began to drift away into the clouds and without realising she started to slump down deep into her chair. *Thwack!* "Ceto! Pay attention!" With a violent jolt Ceto was catapulted back into the room. Her eyes franticly flitted around the space as she tried to get her bearings and remember where she was, who she was and what on earth was going on. Eventually they settled on a big black tome laying on the desk in front of her. She could still see little eddies of dust circling the edges of the book, it must have landed in front of her with a significant amount of force. Looking up she was immediately trapped in the stare of Fenyck. the rake of a man leant forward as he spoke. He was quiet but she could hear every word as clear as crystal. "I shouldn't have to impress upon you the importance of your lessons. There is too much relying on you for you to spend your time daydreaming and drifting. Everything I am teaching you could save or destroy your own life and the lives of others." Fenyck straightened up as he paused and sighed in gentle exasperation. "You are a good student Ceto. You have learnt the basics quickly and that is good. It is time to teach you some or the more advanced Charter Marks but I cannot do that in good conscience if I don't think you have the mental fortitude to handle it. The next step deals with dangerous magics and if you are not concentrating, if you do not give it all of your focus then much can go wrong. I am confident you could learn the letter and the law of Charter Magic, the Marks and their uses but to be competent in its craft, to know when to use this or that, when to act or wait, to truly become the Abhorsen when the time calls upon you..." Ceto's heart began to shrivel as his silence stretched out. "You're mind is not ready. But you are fortunate. You have me to teach you," Fenyck smirked to reassure her. The rebuke was over, she was forgiven. "What should I do?" "I think you know already. Falling asleep in my lessons will not do. Sleep is the foundation of our daily lives. A poor nights sleep will result in a poor day's work. What do you do when you go to your dorm in at the end of the day?" "The usual I suppose. I change, brush my teeth but I don't go to bed until I feel tired." "And when is that usually?" Ceto shrugged, "Sometimes it is quite early but sometimes the moon can be quite high in night sky before I realise I am tired. I read, about the Charter Marks or the history of the Old Kingdom, at my window or do something else to entertain me while I wait for sleep. I have fallen asleep by my window more than once." "I would wager it is has been many more times than once." Ceto hung her head in agreement. "I admire your dedication to learning but I would suggest that perhaps you would learn more by getting a fulfilling rest each night and waking with alert mind. I want you to try setting yourself a time to be in bed by whether you are ready for sleep or not. I think you'll find that once you lie back you will realise you were more tired than you thought. Early to bed, early to rise. Capture the day and make it yours." Ceto nodded and tried to ignore the tiny part of herself that was acting like a brat about the idea of a 'bedtime'. Fenyck was her tutor and she respected his guidance. Fenyck picked up the large black book from the front of Ceto's table and made to continue his lesson when he stopped short with a thought weighing on his brow. "It occurs to me with such a disrupted night that your mornings do not fair much better. Is this true?" Ceto thought for a moment then said, "When I first came here I was good at getting up for my lessons but as more of my time get taken up with reading and my sleep gets pushed further back I have been finding it harder to wake up. I am a bit rushed to get ready for the day, sometimes." "And what about breakfast?" Ceto shook her head, "Didn't have time." Fenyck shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Young people don't know how to look after themselves. A good meal after waking will set you on a strong and energetic path for the day. How can you expect to travel through the precincts of death, fight Free Magic manifestations while you are functioning on nothing. The mind needs fuel as well as the body. If you go to bed earlier you'll wake up with enough time to have something to eat." "But you also said I need to be able to make quick decisions. I don't...I'm not sure I'm quick enough." Fenyck almost laughed when Ceto said this. "My child, you are young! You have been studying Charter Magic for only a few years and begun your training with me only a few months ago. I think you expect too much of yourself." "All the same, sir, I'd like start preparing for that. I might have fallen asleep today but I do, honestly, take my role as Abhorsen-in-Waiting seriously. I want to be the best I can, I don't want to let anyone down." Fenyck's gentle smile almost spoke of a small pride he had in his student. "Very well. There are methods we can use to train you're mind in this way. We shall start them later on today if you are sure you want to take this on? Ceto nodded with conviction. "This is good. This new training will be tough and there will be no room for any outside nonsense so I suggest you take some personal time to reflect and identify any areas of your life that you worry about and take steps to fix them. There can be no distraction during these lessons and I will tolerate no distraction, especially those that can be addresses and fixed. Now, I suggest you take some time to do just this before we begin. I will meet you in my office after the school day has finished." With that Fenyck turned to clean the chalkboard of the day's Charter Marks. Ceto blinked, she hadn't expected these changes to come so quickly. But she had been the one to ask for them and she realised the uncertainty bubbling in her gut was more from curious anticipation than fear. She hastily gathered her paper and ink pens into her bag and left the classroom without another word, carefully pulling the large oak door closed behind her. TL;DR I wanted to give role playing a go for this challenge as I kinda miss playing WOW but really don't want to get sucked into the blackhole of time-stealing MMORPGs again. Plus if you haven't read Garth Nix's Old Kingdom trilogy (Abhorsen trilogy in the USA) then I really recommend them if you're into fantasy. Magic, monsters, destiny, necromancy, a massive wall splitting the country across the middle, all you could want in a ripping good yarn. But my goals. Main Goal To become a mental fortress. All those times I could have gone a little faster on my runs, a little lower on my press ups, just done better at Roller Derby training all because I was tired or distracted or didn't have my game head on. Making quick decisions, pushing through the 'wall', doing my workout and giving my all even if I don't feel like it; that's what I'm after. Goal 1: Get enough sleep. 8 hours a night and no falling asleep on the sofa. If I'm tired get to bed. If its 11.30 and I'm not tired get to bed anyway and read a little. Once I've laid down its surprising how quickly sleep comes! [A=37+, B=36-31, C=30-25, D=24-19, F<=18] +3 CON Goal 2: Time for myself. Find at least 30 mins a day where I can focus on something I want to do for myself. More often than not I'll want to meditate or read or just spend some quiet time along focusing on a task. The key idea here is focusing (so no sifting through facebook or tumblr) so actively reading a book and taking care to make sure it all goes in or meditating or doing some sort of craft or activity I can concentrate on, or a mix! [A=37+, B=36-31, C=30-25, D=24-19, F<=18] +3 CHA Goal 3: Do Luminosity or Brain Training on my DS at least 5 times a week. It doesn't take that long and there are such a range of games on there I'm sure I'll be able to pinpoint my weaker areas and improve. [A=37+, B=36-31, C=30-25, D=24-19, F<=18] +3 WIS Diet Goal: Eat breakfast. Every morning, no exceptions. a cup of tea doesn't count. Food counts! even if I 'don't feel hungry' have a piece of fruit and see if that wakes up the stomach. If not then take some more fruit with me to work because you can guarantee by 10.30 I'll be getting rumbles. If this means getting up earlier in the morning to have time before work then get up earlier! [A=37+, B=36-31, C=30-25, D=24-19, F<=18] +2 STR, +2 STA Life Goal: Sort out my monthly budgets and stick to them. Now I don't do so much freelance work my income is more regular and I can accurately record and estimate my in and out-goings for the foreseeable future. I'm going to sort out a spread sheet with my monthly finances on so I can see how much I get each month as contingency money/spending money/going out money/saving money after all the bills etc have been paid. The aim is to get out of my overdraft but that won't happen in six weeks so this goal is to build the infrastructure to help me get there. One less thing to worry about! [Pass/Fail] +1 WIS, +1 CHA

Hi my name is Lailan. This is my second go at the 6 Week Challenge. My first attempt last year failed miserably. See the thing is I like bright, shiny, new things. I get all excited and hopeful at the beginning. But when this shiny new thing starts to fade, fear sets in and unfortunately I give up or shy away. I'm great at starting but I can't ever finish what I've begun. Half of the books I own are still book marked somewhere in the middle. My Hobbit reading is only at chapter 4. Yes I can already hear people groaning (LOL). I've got great excuses too. Like, I will watch LOTR and the Hobbit once I've finished reading the books I got for Christmas. Yes, I'm sure there's people saying "You haven't lived!". And I say, "YUP! YOLO!" So that's exactly what happened last year. At the 3 week mark, I gave up. I didn't even try the next challenges only because I feared starting and failing. I've struggled with weight from the time I can remember. Even at my most fittest moment I felt it still was not enough. Definitely not a healthy understanding of oneself. I currently work a desk job from 7-4. I sit all day and sit when I get home. I'm not currently active in anything, so doing something is better than nothing. So why now? Well, I feel like there needs to be a change. A feeling that says to try it again and if I fail, there's always another day to do better. I've learned from last year: make the goals attainable. This time around I wanted my goals to be measurable, so this morning I measured. Weight: 217lbs Chest: 45 in Waist: 44 in Hips: 45 in R. Arm: 15 in R. Thigh: 26 in L. Arm: 15 in L. Thigh: 26.5 So here goes... 1) Complete 3 body weight workouts per week at 30 minutes per workout. A: 13-18 Competed Days B: 7-12 Completed Days C: 3-6 Completed Days F: 0-2 Completed Days 2) Be able to run for 5 minutes straight - no stopping to walk or rest. I'm using the couch to 5k app to measure this. A: 4:00-5:00 Minutes B: 2:00-3:59 Minutes C: 1:00-2:59 Minutes D: 0:30-0:59 Seconds F: 0:00-0:29 Seconds 3) 5 paleo meals per week (Currently my husband is the cook, and that works for me. The only problem is that a lot of the meals contains a lot of processed foods. So the only meals I can work on is breakfast and lunch. Since I haven't done paleo eating since last year, I'll make a gradual plan to get this going again.) A: 4-5 paleo meals B: 2-3 paleo meals C: 1 paleo meal F: 0 paleo meals I don't want to give up on this one. Are you with me?!

Previous Challenge: Main Quest: Lose weight Score Goals: 1. Walk 30 mins. During lunch break 5 days a week A+ 2. Do bodyweight /HIIT workouts 3 days/week D 3. Stay on the wagon with Primal/Paleo diet B Side/Life Quest: Make a double monthly payment on mortgage. A+ DONE!! WOOHOO!! Motivation: I want to be fit and healthy for once in my life! The last year I've cleaned up my diet towards the Primal/Paleo lifestyle, but now I need to move my body and drop around 60lbs. New Challenge: Continue improving on previous goals & quests. Focus more on bodyweight exercise. New Side/Life Quest: Save up money to purchase a rowing machine.

Greetings all! I'm RK and my internet access is somewhat limited because I travel, a lot, and don't have a data plan. Thus why I'm posting late, not that it makes much of a difference I posted late every other challenge I've done (all one of them). My Main Quest is to be fit enough to compete with my husband in Tough Mudder. This year we were able to do a Spartan Sprint and I came out better than I thought I would, thanks to a dude that helped me over the walls. You're my hero nice dude. The side quests I'm currently working on are as follows: Run thrice a week, strength train at least once a week, and figure out this meditation thing to combat the "grey days" that stress induces. Also to pick up the 'Do something you're terrible at' challenge I'm going to hula hoop every day, even if I have to do it in hotel lobbies. I'm also still working on my grading process. The first one I came up with ended up being incredibly strict and nearly impossible to achieve success. I'd like to have a hit point system ideally with things that can be used as 'health potions' or something for weeks where my schedule nearly kills me. As it stands right now I'm using the simple A-F system per week and then averaging results at the end of the challenge. Good luck to you all!

6 Week Challenge (Well... 9 weeks ) Hey so I joined NF a while ago but Uni and a variety of other things happened.. and so I fell out of my routine. Damn! Gained 10 kg and my fitness went downhill! So this challenge is about getting myself back to having better diet and exercise habits. Main quest Get down to 65kg and be able to run a 5k. My method for doing this is: (1) To lose 5 kg in the 6 week time slot, working my way down to my weight goal. I will do this by; a) Not drinking anything aside from water/tea/milk/hot chocolate/pepsi max Making my lunch and eating it at least 4 times a week c) Keep to my nutritionists' suggestions in terms of what I should be eating d) Keeping note of everything I eat e) Carry water bottle with me and aim to finish at least two full bottles plus half after exercise f) Keeping up an exercise routine (see below) (2) To regain my exercise routine. I will do this by; a) Going to the gym on Tuesdays and Thursdays, cardio -- treadmill (15 mins, working up to high intensity), low intensity weight training 15 mins Doing my 1/2 hour 3-5 km walk every day, rain or shine c) Biking to and from Uni at least 4 times a week (15 mins generally, 1 big hill at each end, rest flat) d) Doing 15 mins yoga Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays e) [WILL SPECIFY LATER] angry birds exercise Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays Side quests (1) Learn how to skateboard-- Motifier to help with this (2) Go on at least 2 more tramps this year Life quest Save up ~$1000 for gear Training Partner: Motifier (http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/48209-motifier-first-challenge/#entry1029883) Thats all for now Daisygirl out

Ok rebellion, here's my inaugural 6-week challenge. As I posted in my first introduction, I had a recent awakening and have shifted to a major period of leveling up my life in many ways. First and foremost was making fitness and weight loss major goals in my life. So... Ultimate Goal: To continue my weight loss journey, and reach 180lbs by my friends wedding on June 21st. Weight today, April 14: 212lbs. How I'll do it: 1. Walk to and from work each day (5.4 miles), with at least an additional hike on weekends.* 2. Complete the BBWW 3x weekly, with a focus on good form (I'm looking at you, lunges!). Add in more sets/reps/variations as I progress. 3. Stick to a strict Paleo diet, with no slip ups * I have a bit of travel during the challenge, so on those days I'll wear a tracker and make sure I'll hit 5 miles however I can. How I'll grade myself: Walking/hiking A- Walk to and from work each day of the week (or at least 5 miles while travelling) with an additional hike on weekends. B- Walk to and from work each day of the week (or at least 5 miles while travelling) C- Walk to and from work 4 days of the week (or at least 4 miles while travelling) Fail- Walk to and from work 3-0 days of the week Strength* A- Complete the BBWW 3x every week, with good form B- Complete the BBWW 2x every week, with good form Fail- Complete the BBWW 1-0 every week Diet A- Eat a strict Paleo meal each meal of the week B- Eat a strict Paleo meal each meal of the week, except for 1-2 minor slip-ups while travelling C- Eat a strict Paleo meal most meals of the week, with 3-4 slip-ups while travelling Fail- 5 or more meals a week non-Paleo * I made the grading for the strength portion a bit stricter because this is the area where I'm most likely to make excuses and slip-up. Side Life Quest: Finances Track every cent I spend in order to fully acknowledge where I'm spending money, and create a realistic budget. Reward: The new Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Blu-ray. I was at the store and had it in my hands this weekend, but stopped myself. I really really want this, so it'll make an excellent reward that won't throw me off of my main goals. Ok, there ya go. My first one. Travelling during this is going to add difficulty (especially the Paleo eating on the road), but I'm gonna do some research and planning ahead of time to find a way. I'll check back in weekly to report. -Sleestak

A latecomer here. Do I have room here? I guess so So after a year joined rebellion I gonna give it a try. To know my background and my current condition, read my intro Main Quest >>> Deadline: August 10, 2014 Build MusclesGain StrengthGet FitGet a healthy bodyI guess, first thing I want to make right is my sleeping habit. Currently I go to bed around 1 AM. But it take 1-3 hours to fall into sleep and I usually wake up around 11 AM. Sometimes I sleep for 2-3 days continuously. Sometimes I don't sleep for 1-2 days. One reason of this terrible sleeping habit is my medicines. Earlier, I had no control over it. But now I'm adjusting with medicine. So I hope I can do this. The other problem I'm facing is, like I said in my intro, I'm not able to walk even 100 meters. All I have been doing last four years is sitting in front of a computer. Last year this time I burned out and hospitalised for 3 months. This happened to a guy who doesn't have a job. Can you believe that? I was helpless all these years. But now with the help of God, fellow rebellions and with my strong determination, I'm gonna make optimus prime (and myself) pride. So my side quest are... Side Quests Morning Walk- 5 times a weekWake Up before 9 AM- 5 times a weekSleep before 11 PM- 5 times a weekLife Quest Sign up for GoPro giveaway everyday- 7 times a week (If you are like me a film enthusiastic check out this http://gopro.com/daily-giveaway One person wins everything they make, everyday! How cool is that isn't it?Motivation A sick body is a prison. I don't like to be in prison. I have a dream to chase. That is it. I'm so excited!

As the Band, recovers from their battle with the Skeletons, they journey north until they find that their only route is through a cave. They stay hesitant as any one knows nothing good comes from dark solitary caves. "It's the only way." GC said, breaking the silence, "I know." Red and Blue reply simultaneously and with simultaneous grief. "For the record, I hate caves, too many random bats encounters." Red said. Blue and GC replied, "Duly noted." After some time in the caves, the Band finds themselves tired, and sat down to some bizarre rock formations. "These are... strange." Red notices. "Meh, they're just rocks. Why worry about... them?" The Band senses something moving nearby, they arm themselves. "Sssssso, fresssshhhhh prey hassss wandered into my cave. How... Refressshhhhing." a creature hisses at the Band. "This isn't good! Keep a watchful eye for anything!" Red shouts. "Yessss... Good advicccceeee!" A green foot steps forth and two large red eyes surrounded by small red eyes, shine at the Band. The Band froze, and the creature reveals herself, claiming her Prize. "Yesssss, thissss will do quite nicccceeely... Oh? What'ssss Thissss?" "Gah... My legs... They're petrified!" Red grunts. "Sssstill alive? Hee hee hee, That'ssss what I like to sssssee!" *Cue Boss Battle* VS I... I need to stand! But with my legs frozen in an awkward position, I'm going to have to learn to stand with one leg! I need to be able to do 10 Pistol Squats! - Str +2 Sta +1 Dex +1 I've gotta lead her away from the Band! These caves are full of hills and it's all uphill! I'm going to have to train myself to run uphill! - Sta +3, Str +1 I think I can work out some of the kinks in my legs! I've gotta stretch them out and get as much sand out of them as possible! I need to stretch everyday! - Dex +3 Con+1 Gah! She's getting closer! I need to put one foot in front of the other! I've gotta find a job, Three times a week, I will submit an application! Until I get a job or the Challenge is over... or I get turned to stone first! - Wis +3

I found this website yesterday and I kind of love it, it's really making me want to get fitter. I have a terrible track record with this stuff, I just do stuff for a little while and then get bored/tired/forget about it but not this time! Main Quest: Get toned up Missions: Do the beginner bodyweight workout every other day.Run at least once a week (bonus points for going more than once)Reduce chocolate intake. I think I'm about a week late to this but I went running yesterday and spent the last week walking up hills everyday so I figure I'm still on track to make progress here.

Greetings, Fellow Nerds. A little bit of background info about me: I started following a low carb diet (not Paleo; I consume dairy) a couple of months back.I'm not overweight, but I could definitely do without a few pounds of fat on my upper body. The journey hasn't been as fruitful as I'd expected. I slack off more often than I probably should. Fighting the urge to grab that cookie/pizza slice has been a bit tough. Hopefully this would be the first of my many 6 week challenges to come. It would be great to receive support from fellow nerds on this quest. Main Goal: Work hard to lose approx 5 lbs of upper body fat: chest, love handles over the next 6 weeks. Goals: 1. Try to fit in 3-4 sessions of bodyweight strength training per week.2. Aim for atleast 2 cardio sessions @ the gym per week.3. Fight the urge to grab the morning cookie before starting work.4. Limiting beer to 2-3 drinks a week. Side Quests: 1. Fit in atleast 1 hour of study after coming home from work (I'm an engineering grad student)2. Sustain my reading habit instead of aimlessly browsing the web. (I was an avid fiction reader before joining grad school) Motivation:1. To look good in whatever I wear.2. The swimming pool @ my condo opens Memorial Day weekend. To be able to get in there without being self conscious about my upper body fat. Stats:Male, 25164 lbs, 5'11